The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com 
Sports
Wednesday, January 26, 2022 — 11 

At Indiana, Caleb Houstan’s 

role is finally realized

LANE

KIZZIAH

DAVID WOELKERS
Daily Sports Writer

SportsWednesday: In Bloomington 
road win, Wolverines look like the 

team they could have been

Penn State dominates Michigan, 29-6, as Michigan 

drops many tight bouts

Holman, Women’s track team lead the day at Michigan Invitational

As redshirt-sophomore Cole 

Mattin walked onto the mat, it 
still seemed like the No. 3 Michi-
gan wrestling team had a chance 
to keep its dual meet against No.1 
Penn State within striking dis-
tance. 

After three bouts, the Nittany 

Lions were leading by five, and 
Mattin was preparing to wrestle 
a winnable match — certainly one 
that he needed to win.

Instead, he wrestled for just 15 

seconds. 

As Mattin collapsed, clutch-

ing his ankle, everyone wear-
ing maize and blue at Crisler 
Center let out a sigh of despair. 
Not just because Penn State was 
now ahead by eleven points, but 
because everything that pos-
sibly could go wrong for Michi-
gan was going wrong. After six 
matches, just one of which the 
Wolverines won, the fans’ wor-
ries were confirmed, and Michi-
gan (5-1 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) left 
the Crisler Center dominated 
by the Nittany Lions (13-0, 5-0), 
29-6, in their biggest dual meet 

of the season. 

Throughout the entire night, 

Michigan looked overwhelmed 
as inability to score takedowns, 
injuries and crushingly tight loss 
after loss doomed the Wolver-
ines. 

The night started with No. 1 

graduate student Nick Suriano 
winning his toughest match of 
the season over Penn State’s No. 
7 Drew Hildebrandt. But present 
even in Suriano’s victory was a ten-
dency that would plague the team 
for the rest of the night, as Suriano 
won the match, 2-1, without scor-
ing a takedown. 

“The area that was real glar-

ing tonight was just basic hand-
fighting,” Michigan coach Sean 
Bormet said. “We didn’t fight 
hard enough to get to the ties we 
needed to be in and we weren’t 
constantly clearing their ties. It’s 
an area we got exposed tonight 
and it slowed down our offense.”

After 
Suriano, 
the 
wheels 

began to come off.

Redshirt 
freshman 
Dylan 

Ragusin was the first to fall, 8-1, 
narrowly 
avoiding 
surrender-

ing a major-decision victory to 
Penn State’s No. 1 ranked Roman 
Bravo-Young as the clock ran 

out. Following Ragusin at 141 lbs, 
graduate student Drew Mattin 
filled in for recently-scratched 
graduate student Stevan Micic 
to face the Nittany Lions’ No. 1 
ranked Nick Lee. Mattin was out-
paced and surrendered a techni-
cal fall late in the third period, 
losing 21-6. 

As Cole Mattin hobbled off of 

the mat 15 seconds into his match, 
the Wolverines were behind, 14-3, 

and had yet to score a takedown. 

Redshirt junior Will Lewan 

changed that at 157 lbs in a victory 
over Penn State’s Terrell Barra-
clough in which he was able to 
outmuscle his opponent to score 
two single leg takedowns and win 
the bout 5-2, making the match 
14-6.

Up until that matchup, even 

though the Wolverines suffered 
tough losses, it felt as if each 

match had a clear aggressor. Each 
result could have been expected 
coming into the night. 

But at 165 lbs, the tide turned.
From 165 all the way to heavy-

weight, each match was nearly 
identical. The wrestlers took 
the mat, wrestled three peri-
ods of incredibly tight, mostly 
scoreless action, surrendered a 
late takedown, and lost by one 
or two points. In every match, 
it felt like the Wolverines were 
just about to break through, but 
never did.

At 174 lbs, graduate student 

Logan Massa had the Nittany 
Lions’ Brady Berge lifted in the 
air but couldn’t finish. At 184 lbs 
graduate student Myles Amine 
lost a scramble in overtime. And 
at heavyweight Mason Parris led 
into the third period, but gave up a 
late takedown and got ridden out. 

But the match most indicative 

of the team’s woes was at 197 lbs, 
where Pat Brucki lost to Penn 
State’s No. 2 ranked Max Dean in 
overtime. Brucki scored two take-
downs and surrendered none in 
regulation, but still couldn’t close 
out the match. He entered the 
third period ahead, and only had 
to escape to earn a victory, but 

instead got ridden out. 

“We gotta clean up the bottom 

wrestling,” Bormet said. “Espe-
cially when we’re getting to our 
feet and are in position to hit cut-
outs, we discussed and worked 
that area several times, but it has 
gotta work here.”

Each bout filled the arena with 

hope — even after the team result 
was decided — that the individual 
wrestlers could earn themselves a 
major victory over top ranked oppo-
nents. But Penn State never faltered.

Overall the Nittany Lions out-

wrestled Michigan. Their hand 
fighting was stronger, their shot 
defense was better and their fin-
ishes were cleaner. Their wres-
tlers consistently found ways to 
get their hands raised in matches 
that felt like fifty-fifty tossups. 
Of the five matches the Wolver-
ines lost to end the night, none 
was decided by more than three 
points.

“There’s just some basic basic 

skill level, fundamental wres-
tling, that we’ve got to clean up,” 
Bormet said. “I think tonight put 
the magnifying glass on a few 
of those areas, the handfights, 
cleaning up the bottom, and hand 
control.

CHARLIE PAPPALARDO

Daily Sports Writer

BLOOMINGTON — It’s how 

it was supposed to happen, 
right?

A raucous sea of red erupt-

ing after a made bucket, a 
crowd waiting for someone — 
anyone — to make a mistake, or 
to at least miss a shot, and let 
its beloved Hoosiers back into 
the game.

The crowd never got that 

moment. Instead, it got crowd-
silencing threes from Caleb 
Houstan.

In a game that Michigan 

needed to win, the talented 
freshman stepped up time and 
time again, just as he did in 
Tuesday’s win over Maryland, 
to help lead his team to its best 
victory of the season.

When Houstan was asked 

postgame to break down his 
recent shooting form, he didn’t 
need to say much:

“I mean, it always feels good 

to make shots,” Houstan said. 
“I think I’m in a really good 
place right now.”

He hasn’t always had that 

feeling, though. Yet, he still 
remained in the gym, putting 
shots up, holding firmly onto 
his confidence.

“He hasn’t changed,” asso-

ciate head coach Phil Martelli 
said on Jan. 17, a day before 
Houstan 
first 
snapped 
his 

major shooting slump. “He’s 
still a young guy that… gets a 
lot of shots up. He works on his 
game.”

But it was always going to 

take more than just working on 
his game during a cold streak. 
More than practice shots.

Eventually 
Houstan 
was 

going to have to play like he 
did Sunday, when the home 
crowd had to hold its breath 
every time he had the ball in 
his hands. When that happens, 
the Wolverines are a different 
team.

A more dangerous team.
The Hoosiers felt that first-

hand today to the tune of 19 
points on 5-of-7 shooting from 
beyond the arc for Houstan. He 
was a killer. He played like the 
five-star prospect he came in 
as, like Michigan’s best recruit 
of the millennia.

Houstan is one of the rea-

sons that the Wolverines came 
in with sky-high expectations 
and why they cratered. When 
he struggled, so too did Michi-
gan. But, now that he’s playing 
like this, momentum is start-
ing to gather.

“I just admire being around 

a guy like Caleb,” Michigan 
coach Juwan Howard said. “I 
see so much growth in him, 
game after game.” 

While Houstan wasn’t quite 

ready for the burden that was 
laid upon him at first — a start-
ing role on an expected nation-
al 
championship 
contender, 

coming in fresh with tremen-
dous expectations of filling 
a gaping perimeter void — he 

has grown into it. Lately, the 
19-year-old sharpshooter is no 
longer passing up driving lanes 
or bricking wide-open threes, 
and while there is still the 
occasional missed shot, those 
are now diluted by confident 
swishes.

There’s no way of knowing if 

this run will sustain itself. But, 
if it does, there is also no tell-
ing what the Wolverines’ ceil-
ing will look like. A team that 
has a dominant paint presence 
paired with outside shooters 
that will drain shots? Tough to 
match up with.

That’s what Houstan was 

always supposed to be for 
Michigan. A wing that pro-
vides 
a 
consistent 
outside 

threat, 
someone 
who 
the 

opposing team always has to 
chase around because if they 
give him an open look, forget 
about it.

So, when the game was 

already well past decided and 
Houstan caught another pass 
on the wing, what happened 
next should come as no sur-
prise.

His fifth and final three, a 

cherry on top of his best game 
of the season in the Wolver-
ines’ best win of the season. 
The statement made was a loud 
one, and while that was lost on 
most of the fans who had either 
left or were making their way 
toward the exits, it wasn’t lost 
on Howard:

“He’s 
always 
been 
rock 

solid, every time, all the time,” 
Howard said. “To come in and 
practice, getting his work in, 
watching film, learning the 
game and staying dialed in 
mentally.

“It’s beautiful.”

SPENCER RAINES
Daily Sports Writer

TESS CROWLEY/Daily 

The Michigan track and field team competed in its third meet of the season, 

with the women taking home multiple titles.

This isn’t the season the Michi-

gan men’s basketball team was 
supposed to have. 

Before the start of the year, The 

Daily’s beat predicted the Wolver-
ines would finish second in the 
Big Ten and end the year with a 
Big Ten Tournament win and exit 
the NCAA Tournament 
by the Elite Eight at the 
earliest, seeing Michi-
gan reach as far as the 
National Championship 
game. 

And 
they 
weren’t 

alone. 
After 
clinching 

last year’s regular season 
Big Ten title and bringing 
in the nation’s second-
ranked recruiting class, 
there was no reason to 
think 
Michigan’s 
momentum 

wouldn’t carry over. Between the 
return of sophomore center Hunt-
er Dickinson and the additions of 
two five-star freshmen in wing 
Caleb Houstan and big man Mous-
sa Diabate, it was widely accepted 
that Michigan was among the best 
in the Big Ten.

But the team that took the 

floor for the first game — and 
almost every one since — hasn’t 
looked like one that could make 
it to March, let alone April. The 
roster that, on paper, should 
be one of best in the nation has 
failed to come alive. Houstan, 
thrust into the starting lineup 
from the first game, struggled to 
live up to the hype. The defense 
faltered. Overall, the Wolverines 
failed to live up to their lofty 
expectations. 

But, facing Indiana on the road, 

Michigan came away with an 
80-62 win, by far it’s most impres-
sive of the season. 

When asked whether the team 

is playing up to its potential or if 
there’s room left to grow, Michi-
gan coach Juwan Howard cited 
effort as the most important fac-
tor. 

“I’m just proud of how hard 

the team competed today,” How-
ard said. “… We’ll continue to go 

back in the gym each 
and every practice and 
see how we can grow. It 
was beautiful to see all 
the contribution com-
ing from everyone that 
touched that ball.” 

The Wolverines final-

ly exhibited the skilled 
roster that’s been touted 
all year with Dickinson, 
Diabate and Houstan all 
scoring in double digits.

“This team has a chance to get 

better and better each and every 
game,” Howard said. “And with 
how the roster is designed with a 
mixture of juniors and seniors and 
sophomores. … They’re getting 
better and better every game.”

Michigan started the game 

5-for-6 from beyond the arc. The 
Wolverines have hardly been 
known for their 3-point shoot-
ing this season, 
going a total of 
12-for-45 across 
their three most 
recent 
games. 

But, on Sunday, 
Michigan 
got 

hot, shooting a 
total of 11-for-17. 

The 
Wol-

verines 
fell 

into a rhythm 
on all parts of 
the court, the 
defense 
boxing 

out the Hoosiers 
and allowing for 

frequent Michigan runs. They dis-
played the type of energy expected 
of the conference leader the Wol-
verines were supposed to be. 

“Defense is really getting the 

job done for us,” Howard said. 
“Defense sometimes creates the 
offense. It’s great when you see 
the ball go through the net, it defi-
nitely builds confidence in play-
ers.” 

Added Dickinson: “I think guys 

are just playing to their abilities. 
The hard work in the gym is finally 
paying off. I’m really proud of my 
team out there.”

More than just playing to their 

abilities, they’re filling the holes 
— both offensive and defensive 
— that emerged from the Wolver-
ines’ blind spots early in the sea-
son.

So what do you get when you 

add strong defense to long-range 
shooting and contributions from 
up and down the roster? A well-
rounded team that could have a 
shot at a post-season run, the team 
that the Wolverines were sup-
posed to be.

The question then becomes, is 

this a fluke or is it the new normal?

Coming off a victory in its first 

scored meet of the season, the 
Michigan track and field team 
returned to their home track 
for a third-straight weekend, 
hosting a field of 16 colleges and 
dozens of unattached individual 
athletes for the Michigan Invita-
tional. 

Though the event was not 

scored team-wise, the individu-
al competition was fierce, with 
everything from meet records 
to international benchmarks 
being set at Saturday’s meet. 
Ultimately it was the women’s 
track team that had its mem-
bers shine brightest for the 
Wolverines, winning five of its 

nine events.

“Our women’s program in gen-

eral is pretty darn strong right 
now,” Michigan coach Kevin Sul-
livan said. “We can compete with 
anyone in the conference. Poten-
tial can be a dangerous word, but 
they have lots of it.”

Michigan got off to an explosive 

start in the meet, as sophomore 
Aasia Laurencin and freshman 
BreeAna Bates posted convincing 
victories in the women’s 60-meter 
dash and women’s 60-meter hur-
dles respectively. 

It was sophomore Ziyah Hol-

man’s performance in the wom-
en’s 600-meters that generated 
the most buzz among the crowd, 
however, as Holman and fresh-
man Savannah Sutherland dueled 
it out entering the final turn. With 
a final push, Holman both won 

the event, and posted a facility 
record in the event with a 1:29.26 
time — just one one-hundredth of 
a second faster than the previous 
record.

“I’m glad I could do the least 

and win my race, getting the 
record is an extra thing,” Holman 
said. “I always feel more comfort-
able on this track, and it helps me 
get in the right mindset for travel 
meets.”

On the men’s side, the Wol-

verines’ two victories of the day 
came in the 600 and 800-meter 
dashes. In the 800-meter, senior 
Derrick Simmons finished half a 
second faster than the next best 
runner, while in the 600-meter 
sophomore Dubem Amene posted 
a meet record time on the route to 
victory.

Dubem wasn’t the only Amene 

to win on the day however — his 
sister, senior Chika Amene, post-
ed a victory in the women’s 400-
meter dash.

“My sister brought me into 

track,” Dubem said. “She doesn’t 
understand how much she moti-
vates me. She started it for both of 
us, and I want to get to her level 
before I’m done.”

With the end of the Michi-

gan Invitational, the team now 
enters a significant road stretch, 
with just one of their remaining 
six regular season meets being 
hosted in Ann Arbor. Sullivan, 
however, is focused on a different 
perspective.

“We have quite a few athletes, 

particularly on the men’s side, 
that will be returning after this 
weekend, so we’re excited to get 
some depth.”

EMMA MATI/Daily 

Freshman wing Caleb Houstan’s offensive 
dominance at Indiana showed his impor-
tance in Michigan’s lineup.

EMMA MATI/Daily 

Against Indiana, the Michigan basketball team showed 

flashes of what it was predicted to be.

GRACE BEAL/Daily 

The Michigan wrestling team faced its first loss of the season against a 

top-ranked Penn State squad. 

