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.