6A — Thursday, February 27, 2020
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
WHISPER
SUBMIT A
WHISPER
By Debra Hamel
©2020 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
02/27/20
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
02/27/20
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
Release Date: Thursday, February 27, 2020
ACROSS
1 Ottoman bigwigs
5 Wildly
9 Peaks
14 At hand
15 Animated explorer
16 Patterned fabric
17 Authentic piece of
a holy relic?
19 Comedian Izzard
20 Sound
investments?
21 Like some
deliveries
23 Indy guide
25 She walked into
Rick’s gin joint
26 Disastrous
29 Comedian
Garofalo
31 Folk legend Phil
32 __ Jose
33 Connects with
36 Arles article
37 __ West Records:
Nashville label
38 Rosy-fingered
goddess who
rises in the east
39 AirPod spot
40 Get back in
business
42 Product prefix
that evokes
winter
43 Die down
44 Herbie, in Disney
films
46 Outset
47 They don’t last
49 Part of Curaçao
51 Rather
53 Apparel brand
with a spinnaker
logo
57 Mesh
58 Biblical pronouns
read by James
Earl Jones?
60 Red-pencil
61 December 24
and 31
62 “At Last” singer
James
63 Georgia team, in
sports headlines
64 Take a chance
65 Hoarse laugh
DOWN
1 Tiny colonists
2 Structural
engineering piece
3 Chills and fever
4 Tibetan leaders
5 Specially formed
6 Saskatchewan
city with a 34-foot
animal statue
named Mac at its
tourist info center
7 NHL great
Bobby
8 Dodge City
native
9 “Up and __!”
10 Cough medicine
ingredient
11 Place reserved
for one
reconciling a
dispute?
12 Inventor Howe
13 “Peace out”
18 Marsh duck
22 Schoolyard
retort
24 U.S. neighbor to
the north
26 One of two in
Hank Aaron’s
uniform number
27 Proactiv+ target
28 Unwelcome
leftovers?
30 First words in an
alphabet book
32 Largest of New
York’s Finger
Lakes
34 Tart taste
35 Mega Stuf
cookie
37 Great Basin st.
38 One may be civil
41 Message board
item
42 South, in Avignon
43 Local news
segment
45 Settled in for the
night, with “down”
46 Surfeit
47 Fluted on the
march
48 Jungian inner self
50 Momentary error
52 Fades to black
54 Bit
55 Stops shooting
56 “Stat!”
59 Gabor of “Green
Acres”
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SUDOKU
‘M’ prepping for Badgers’ shooting
On Thursday night, styles and
strengths will clash.
The
Wolverines
welcome
Wisconsin to Crisler Center in
the two teams’ one and only
meeting
this
season.
While
the Badgers may lack a top-25
ranking and household name,
they are currently tied for third
in the Big Ten — a game ahead
of Michigan in the crowded race
for a double-bye in next month’s
conference tournament.
One of the keys to Wisconsin’s
success this year has been its
3-point shooting. The Badgers
rank second in the conference,
behind only the Buckeyes, in
3-point field goals per game and
3-point
shooting
percentage.
And, over its last five games,
Wisconsin
is
shooting
39.3
percent beyond the arc.
“It’s challenging,” Michigan
coach Juwan Howard said. “They
spread you out. They have guys
who can make 3-pointers not just
from a step behind the line but
like two to four steps behind the
three. It’s gonna be important
that we guard the 3-point line
and expect long rebounds.”
Guarding the 3-point line
is something the Wolverines
have specialized in this season.
Howard’s
extensive
NBA
background has unsurprisingly
taught
him
the
importance
of
limiting
opponents’
opportunities behind the arc.
He’s instilled that defensive
thinking into his players this
season — so much so that
through the first half of the
season, Howard refused to send
help on opposing post players for
fear of leaving open looks on the
perimeter.
So far it’s worked, as Michigan
has allowed the 10th-fewest
3-point field goals in the county
and is holding opponents to just
30.3 percent from deep.
“Our guys are able to adapt
with whatever the philosophy
was
before
to
this
year,”
Howard said. “We have smart
players who have high IQ’s. But
it takes a lot of reps and a lot
of practice and film in order to
grasp the defensive philosophy
that I have.
“Our thing is we just want to
make sure we get a hand-ball
contest on every shot whether
its inside the arc or outside the
arc.”
Wisconsin will undoubtedly
test the Wolverines’ competence
in this regard.
The
Badgers
don’t have one
or two prolific
sharpshooters,
but
rather
a
handful
of
capable
ones.
Five Wisconsin
players
have
hit at least 25
threes
this
season, meaning
Michigan’s defenders will have
to be on their toes at all times.
“They do a great job of sharing
the basketball,” Howard said.
“They’re very patient when it
comes to getting into their sets
and running their offense. They
want the defense to make a
mistake. It’s important for us to
be very disciplined defensively.”
The two teams also differ
greatly from a tempo perspective.
While Howard has encouraged
his team to push the ball
offensively and play a fast-paced
brand of basketball, the Badgers
are quite the opposite, ranking
342nd in the country in adjusted
tempo according to KenPom.
“Their pace of play stands
out,” senior center Jon Teske
said. “They play really slow. But
they’re very efficient with what
they do. They use the whole
shot clock. They like to throw
the ball down low and have
very good bigs who are capable
scorers. And if they don’t have
anything they’ll throw it out
to their 3-point
shooters.”
In
what
could easily be
considered
a
trap
game
for
Michigan ahead
of
its
trip
to
Ohio
State
on
Sunday,
expect
Wisconsin
to
try to lull the
Wolverines
to sleep before striking from
beyond the arc. Thursday night
will be a clash of strengths and
styles — a clash Michigan isn’t
overlooking.
“When the ball moves, we all
move,” Teske said. “We know if
someone makes a mistake, the
next guy will be right there to
step up. We trust each other to
be in the right spots so we can
get that defensive rebound and
get out in transition and run.
“They’re very balanced on
offense. It’ll be a challenge for
us, but we’ll be ready for them.”
Morgan helping replace Lambert
Jimmy Lambert’s season was
peaking at the perfect time.
When the second half of the
Michigan hockey team’s season
started, he was ready to put the
past behind him. Lambert’s two
years with the team have had
their fair share of highs and lows.
Last
season,
he
led
all
freshmen in points despite not
scoring his first goal until Jan. 11.
His sophomore campaign started
differently. Lambert netted a
goal in just the second weekend
series of the year. Then he hit a
slump.
Three weekends ago, Lambert
broke the floodgates open. With
the Big Ten playoffs just around
the corner, the timing of his
upswing was critical. He tallied
six points in the series against
Wisconsin — five assists and
one goal. But he also suffered
an injury that caused him to
miss the next weekend against
Michigan State.
“He just started to find his
groove,” Michigan coach Mel
Pearson said. “Obviously had the
big weekend against Wisconsin,
the big numbers, and then he gets
hurt. And it’s just been a struggle
for him to get back since then.”
Now with Lambert out for the
season after getting injured again
in Saturday’s game against Notre
Dame, Pearson is staring face to
face with a question that haunted
him in the first half of the season.
Who’s going to step up in the
absence of an injured player?
Pearson already knows the
answer: redshirt junior forward
Luke Morgan.
When Lambert missed the
series
against
the
Spartans,
Morgan slotted into center with
forwards Jake Slaker and Nick
Granowicz on the wings.
Throughout
the
season,
Morgan has rotated between
both of the forward positions.
In this situation, his versatility
is his strength. It means the
responsibilities that come with
playing center opposed to the
wing aren’t foreign to him, and
the position switch is much
easier and more seamless.
“It’s not too difficult,” Morgan
said. “I do it a lot. It’s just making
sure you’re back defensively
more. Like in the corners of the
D zone, winning battles there
instead of staying up at your
point. It’s just a small adjustment
that you have to think about a
little bit.”
But
more
than
Morgan’s
ability to easily fill the void at
center left by Lambert, is how
well his play compliments that of
his new linemates.
Slaker’s a shooter. He can
put pucks on net and generate
scoring chances. Granowicz is
gritty; he works hard in front
of the net and he’s not afraid
of playing physically. Morgan
brings speed.
“You’ve got all the things
you’re looking for to have a
successful line,” Pearson said.
“You’ve got some experience,
you’ve got some youth. (You’ve)
got everything.”
Two
weekends
ago,
the
line
proved
itself
against
Michigan State in its debut.
Slaker scored a goal assisted
by his linemates. And Pearson
knew
the
combination
he’d
thrown together was a suitable
replacement for Lambert in his
absence.
Besides
Morgan’s
quick
adjustment to playing at the
role of center, there are other
aspects that have helped make
the transition easier. Namely,
familiarity with his linemates.
This isn’t Morgan’s first time
playing
alongside
Slaker
or
Granowicz. And with Lambert
done for the season, it won’t be
the last.
In the upcoming series against
No. 18 Minnesota, Morgan’s
line will take the ice. Pearson’s
confident in their chemistry.
He’s also confident that the line
playing on the big ice will be a
benefit.
Big ice means a bigger space
to work with when moving the
puck, especially in the offensive
zone. More space means it’s
harder for defenders to judge
the angle at which to approach
an offensive skater. This makes
quick players like Morgan, Slaker
and Granowicz harder to defend.
After scoring only one goal last
weekend against Notre Dame,
the Wolverines need to find an
answer on offense if they want to
have home ice in the first round
of the Big Ten Tournament.
Pearson’s confident that Morgan,
Granowicz and Slaker can help
with that.
“I thought they played well
at Michigan State together,”
Pearson said. “They’ve been
together before so they’ve got
some continuity with them. I
think the big ice, those guys all
skate pretty well, that’ll be an
advantage for them.”
MOLLY SHEA
Daily Sports Writer
ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily
Redshirt junior forward Luke Morgan has filled Jimmy Lambert’s absence.
CONNOR BRENNAN
Daily Sports Writer
EMMA MATI/Daily
Michigan coach Juwan Howard is wary of Wisconsin’s offensive patience.
They’re very
balanced on
offense. It’ll be
a challenge.