T

urning points are often 
arbitrary. They are 
judged retroactively, fre-
quently in an attempt to ascribe 
meaning to results rather than 
default to the 
randomness 
of sports.
But if the 
Michigan 
men’s bas-
ketball team 
finds itself 
and rounds 
into form 
here, we will 
look back on 
Saturday’s 
77-68 win over Michigan State 
as a catalyst. Not just because 
the Wolverines beat the Spar-
tans for the first time in nearly 
two years, nor simply because 
Michigan stopped a two-game 
skid and added an all-important 
conference win over a KenPom 
top-15 team.
But because, four months into 
the season, we still don’t know 
how good this team can be with 
Isaiah Livers on the floor. Liv-
ers returned Saturday from 
an injury; he’d sat eight of the 
previous nine games, of which 
Michigan lost six. With Livers 
in the lineup, Michigan started 
the year by winning 11 of 14 
games, including a win over No. 
2 Gonzaga in the Bahamas.
In 31 minutes against the 
Spartans, Livers scored 14 
points and made 2-of-5 attempts 
from 3-point range. He did not 
play in the teams’ first matchup 
on Jan. 5, an 87-69 loss in East 
Lansing.
“We already said it after — 
(with) me or not, this game was 
going to be a tone-setter,” Liv-
ers said. “... We didn’t get rat-
tled at all. We were just excited 
to come out with the ‘W’. It was 
meaningful for us.”
Livers did not play in the Jan. 
5 loss, but Saturday he helped 
direct a defensive game plan 
that was executed to perfection. 
His defensive prowess aside, 
Livers’ steadying presence 

alone adds a layer of comfort 
this team needs right now.
“When you’ve got coaches, 
players, especially, that’s been 
around for a little bit, like me, 
(Zavier Simpson) and (Jon 
Teske), we’ve been here,” Livers 
said. “We can adjust.”
Livers, to his credit, has been 
just about everywhere and done 
just about everything in his 
three years at Michigan. He 
took a starting gig from a senior 
midseason and then started in 
the Final Four during his fresh-
man campaign; he was subse-
quently upended by a freshman 
the year after, and so he moved 
back to the bench without a 
fuss. He’s won conference titles; 
he’s lost them, too. He’s battled 

confidence issues and mental 
lows; he’s endured a coaching 
change; he’s re-shaped his body 
and his game; he’s evolved into 
one of college basketball’s best 
shooters. And you 
just get the sense 
the story of his 
collegiate career 
is still to be writ-
ten.
Michigan lost 
plenty you can 
see when Livers 
was out. Tak-
ing a 50-percent 
3-point shooter 
out of the lineup 
causes spatial issues that are 
aesthetically obvious. That loss 
is compounded by the dearth of 

wing depth on the roster. For all 
of Brandon Johns Jr.’s merits, 
there is no like-for-like replace-
ment for Livers on the roster — 
no one else who can both defend 
three differ-
ent positions 
and stretch 
defenses on 
the other end. 
The Wolver-
ines shot 29.6 
percent from 
3-point range 
in the eight 
games Livers 
was sidelined. 
If extrapolated 
out to the full season, that fig-
ure would rank them dead last 
in the conference.

There’s also plenty we can’t 
see when Livers is out. Here’s a 
subtle example. This is how Isa-
iah Livers answered a question 
about transition defense:
“The best thing I can do is 
direct traffic. We have young 
guys that, as they sprint back, 
they don’t know what to do. 
I’m already back, talking, just 
pointing and directing them. 
‘Go to that area, I’ll go to this 
area, go up there and guard the 
ball.’ 
“Just little things like that 
can help. I think we need more 
of that.”
“Little things” are precisely 
what’s plagued this team most 
all year.
“We missed him a lot, and we 

missed having another guy like 
Zay,” Michigan coach Juwan 
Howard said, “who can not only 
make shots but also a guy that 
has a higher basketball IQ, that 
knows how to make plays.”
Veterans matter in college 
basketball, as Tom Izzo remind-
ed us when he so eloquently 
groveled about how his fresh-
man “just aren’t ready.” There’s 
a reason why the successful 
teams in the one-and-done 
eras are rarely littered with 
one-and-done players. For all 
the cringeworthy abuse of this 
phrase, Isaiah Livers is a win-
ning player.
But is it that simple? Are the 
flaws that plagued and nearly 
killed Michigan in his absence 
simply in the rearview?
Saturday certainly was a step 
in the right direction. Presum-
ing the Wolverines take care of 
their next two games (at North-
western and home to Indiana), 
they’ll have clawed back to .500 
in conference play. They’ll head 
to Rutgers — a team they’ve 
already beaten on a neutral 
court — brimming with con-
fidence. For the first time all 
year, they’ll likely have every-
one healthy and happy. 
If that comes to fruition, 
they’ll be a team no one wants 
to play in March. And they’ll 
certainly point to Saturday’s 
win over Michigan State as a 
paradigm shift.
It could just as easily prove a 
momentary boon, Livers’ return 
plugging only one hole on a 
sinking ship. Saturday’s result 
could just as easily say more 
about where Michigan State is 
than anything else.
Is Saturday a sign of things 
to come or a mirage? Will Liv-
ers’ return prove to be a turning 
point or merely a momentary 
respite? 
We’ll have to wait two more 
months to pen that narrative.

Marcovitch can be reached 

at maxmarco@umich.edu or on 

Twitter @Max_Marcovitch.

2B — February 10, 2020
SportsMonday
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Livers is back. Can Michigan change its season?

MAX

MARCOVITCH

Sweeping through South Florida
Michigan notches five straight wins, getting past Fresno State with Hoogenraad walk-off to cap undefeated USF Invitational

Michigan softball needed a 
hero moment.
Against Fresno State, in the 
bottom of the ninth inning, locked 
in a scoreless tie, senior outfielder 
Haley Hoogenraad stepped up to 
the plate. 
Pinch-running 
for 
Taylor 
Bump, freshman utility player 
Lauren Esman was on third, 
advancing from second on a 
sacrifice bunt after being placed 
there via international tiebreaker.
With seemingly no effort, 
Hoogenraad drilled the ball into 
the right-center field gap — where 
it fell between the Bulldogs’ right 
fielder Kelsey Hall and center 
fielder 
Mckenzie 
Wilson. 
As 
Esman crossed home, the extra-
innings were over, the game 
finished. Michigan 1, Fresno State 
0 — the final win in the Wolverines 
perfect 5-0 weekend at the USF-
Rawlings Invitational.
“I was just thinking about 
trying to stick to my game plan, 
stuff that we had talked about in 
the dugout, stuff that we knew 
the 
pitcher 
was 
throwing,” 
Hoogenraad said. “I tried to 
remember that if I didn’t get it 
done, that my teammate would get 

it done behind me.”
Hoogenraad’s heroic moment 
was indicative of her success 
over the entire weekend. She 
accumulated four runs and three 
RBI en route to a .429 batting 
average over five games. She also 
had four doubles on the weekend.
“She didn’t hit particularly 
well in our preseason practices 
and really she came out (this 
weekend),” Michigan coach Carol 
Hutchins said. “I thought she 
cleared her mind and she knows 
she can hit the 
ball. 
She 
was 
just 
one-pitch 
focused.”
Starting 
all 
five games in 
center 
field, 
Hoogenraad 
again 
proved 
her ability at the 
plate and in the 
field. 
During 
Saturday’s game 
against Florida she robbed a grand 
slam with a catch over the wall. 
Against the Gators she went 2-for-
3, with three runs and two runs 
batted-in. During Friday’s game 
against Georgia State, she totaled 
one run, contributing to the 6-1 
victory.
Despite 
an 
overall 
stellar 

performance, her highs couldn’t 
come without their lows. Against 
Illinois State she went 0-for-3, 
only getting on base after a walk. 
“They’re independent things,” 
Hoogenraad said. “You can only 
control the one pitch, and I think 
the biggest thing to focus on all 
the time is that how you have been 
doing or what you’ve been doing, 
doesn’t necessarily dictate what 
you’re going to do.”
Hoogenraad’s response to the 
ups and downs was echoed by the 
rest of the team. 
Playing five games 
over a span of 
three days could 
be 
challenging 
for some teams. 
Instead, Michigan 
capitalized on its 
initial momentum 
against 
Georgia 
State, its opening 
game 
of 
the 
season.
Michigan hasn’t won all five 
games of its opening weekend 
series since 2012. In a true team 
effort, the Wolverines’ success can 
be attributed to their commitment 
to staying level.
“I think our best quality was 
that we didn’t get too high and we 
don’t get too low,” Hutchins said. 
“We just slug away one pitch at a 
time. We were playing some of the 
best one-pitch softball I’ve seen in 
a while. We didn’t let our tough 
times hitting the ball get to us. It’s 
a great quality, it can make a great 
team really good.”
Hoogenrad’s hit came during 
a clutch moment in Michigan’s 
lows. Being able to rely on a 
player during the pitfalls to 
break through the wall and make 
big plays can be instrumental 
throughout the course of a season.
If 
Hoogenrad’s 
personal 
success this weekend is in any 
way indicative of her upcoming 
season, she’s going to be a player 
to watch out for. After graduating 
five starting seniors last year, 
Michigan is looking to fill the gaps 
in its lineup. With tremendous 
athleticism in the outfield coupled 
with a high batting average, she 
might be the senior leader the 
Wolverines are looking for.

Sophomore catcher Hannah 
Carson stood at the plate, dialed 
in. Florida’s Natalie Lugo readied 
her pitch and delivered. The ball 
rocketed off Carson’s bat through 
the right side of the infield — two 
runs scored.
The two runs marked the 
beginning of No. 17 Michigan 
softball team’s (5-0) signature 
win over No. 7 Florida (4-1) in 
its opening weekend at the USF-
Rawlings 
Invitational. 
With 
two outs, the runs broke the 
floodgates open in a five-run first 
inning en route to an 11-2, run-
rule victory in the Wolverines’ 
first marquee game of the season. 
“Our first inning was huge,” 
Michigan coach Carol Hutchins 
said. 
“And 
obviously, 
the 
opponent, when you’re down by 
something in the first inning, it 
affects their ability to be free. 
And we did a good job of we just 
kept coming at them.”
The Wolverines certainly kept 
coming.
Michigan went undefeated 
on the weekend in Tampa, also 
notching wins against Georgia 
State (1-3), Illinois State (1-4), 
South Florida (0-4) and Fresno 
State (3-2). The five wins came 
across a three-day slate, which 
included 
doubleheaders 
on 
Friday and Saturday.
Spearheading the Wolverines’ 
weekend 
success 
were 
sophomore right-hander Alex 
Storako and junior left-hander 
Meghan Beaubien.
Storako opened Michigan’s 
season Friday afternoon against 
Georgia State by throwing a 
career-high 16 strikeouts in a 
complete game. She allowed 
just five hits and one run in a 
6-1 victory over the Panthers. 
Storako also pitched innings 
against Illinois State, Florida 
and Fresno State for a weekend 
earned-run-average of 1.0.
“I felt really good,” Storako 
said. “I was able to throw one 
pitch at a time. It was really nice 
to really rely on my defense and 
having a lot of trust in them back 
there.”

Beaubien found her stride 
as well, earning wins against 
Illinois State, the University 
of South Florida and Fresno 
State. Beaubien finished the 
weekend with 21 strikeouts and 
four earned runs in 16 innings 
pitched.
On 
the 
offensive 
side, 
Michigan found its bats early. 
The Wolverines averaged 1.4 
runs in the first inning and 2.6 
runs in the first three innings.
“Hitting 
is 
contagious,” 
Hutchins 
said. 
“We get a few 
hits, 
and 
it 
frees everybody 
up 
because 
they don’t feel 
pressure.”
Production 
came 
from 
everywhere, but 
Michigan 
had 
some 
notable 
standouts. 
Junior first baseman Lou 
Allan batted .375 with two home 
runs, four RBI and four runs 
over the weekend. Allan made 
a statement with her hitting 
opening weekend after missing 
a large part of her sophomore 
season due to injury, proving 
her value in the starting lineup. 
Junior Morgan Overaitis hit .588 
over the three-day invitational, 
contributing three runs and 
three RBI to the Wolverine 
offense.
Senior 
outfielder 
Haley 
Hoogenraad hit .429 with four 
runs and three RBI, sparking 
the back-end of the batting 
order in the seventh slot. Her 
third RBI came as a walk-off 
single in the bottom of the ninth 
against Fresno State on Sunday 
to claim Michigan’s 1-0 victory 
and preserve its perfect record 
coming back to Ann Arbor.
But the heroics weren’t only 
left to Hoogenraad.
“Our pitchers got us out of 
it,” Hutchins said. “Our pitchers 
did everything they could so we 
could find a way to muster up a 
run. I was very pleased with the 
pitchers.”
Over the five game stretch, the 
lineup also seemed to solidify — a 

lineup that was not set, according 
to Hutchins, a week ahead of the 
invitational. One new player who 
appeared to claim her spot was 
freshman Julia Jimenez.
Jimenez, the 20th-ranked 2019 
recruit by FloSoftball, saw starts 
at second base and designated 
player. Jimenez played in all five 
games — the only freshman to do 
so — and contributed on both the 
offensive and defensive sides of 
the ball for the Wolverines.
“It’s why we recruit people,” 
Hutchins 
said. 
“We want them to 
come in. We don’t 
want them to take 
their 
freshman 
year off. We want 
them to come in 
and 
contribute. 
I 
think 
she’s 
definitely a kid 
who’s ready to 
contribute at this 
level. She had a 
really strong weekend for us.”
As a team, the Wolverines 
overcame 
any 
uncertainties 
they had entering their opening 
weekend. The only question 
that remains is how they’ll build 
on the impressive start — with 
continued success or a fall back 
to earth.

ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily
Junior forward Isaiah Livers made his return from injury on Saturday, scoring 14 points in a win over Michigan State that could help turn around Michigan’s season.

I’m already 
back, talking, 
just pointing 
and directing.

ABBIE TELGENHOF
Daily Sports Writer

NICHOLAS STOLL
Daily Sports Writer

ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily
Senior outfielder Haley Hoogenraad hit a walk-off single against Fresno State to give Michigan its fifth win of the weekend.

Just thinking 
about trying 
to stick to my 
game plan.

Hitting is 
contagious. ... It 
frees everybody 
up.

