Next: at Michigan State

Let's cut right to the chase: this is the most important weekend of the season.

We've seen the Wolverines grow together on the road, beating out a ranked team in the process. But with a mostly atrocious performance two days ago, Michigan will now face its toughest competition in the conference.

Some final words on Northwestern (many which have been expressed by UMGoBlue.com members): it was just a bad night. Unable to carry over previous momentum plus some holiday ham, it's pretty bound to have some rust on you. I'm not here to say that we should all feel good about those final five minutes, but if anything, there's potential for some good to happen. Only time (or tomorrow) will tell.

Which brings us to Michigan State. To say the least, this team is deep - the Spartans play nine-deep on a regular basis. The bench has averaged 32.7 points per game, where any Spartan can have a breakout game. This leads to Key No. 1: contain the bench players. I know Coach Borseth usually doesn't want to go too deep in the lineup, but I wouldn't be surprised if he taps into it.

Key No. 2: Make them foul. In all of their losses, the Spartans committed 20+ fouls and more than the opposition. Evident by combining the blocks and steals, Michigan State is a very aggressive team on defense. On the other end, the Wolverines need to be firm on defense. Combining the two, Michigan can easily frustrate the Spartans, go to the line and (hopefully) earn some easy points at the charity stripe.

But in order for that to be done, they have to follow Key No. 3: No dumb shots. Sounds easy, but the Wolverines have seemed to fall into this trap. Not to rail on Dayeesha Hollins, but some of her shots have been less than ideal. With Allyssa DeHaan manning the paint, they will need to be smart around it. I'm sure it'll probably involve many takes from the arc - as long as there's ball movement involved, I'm all for it.

The matinee is at 2p EST at the Breslin Center. For you out-of-staters (like myself), it'll be on the Big Ten Network.

Northwestern 63, Michigan 59

'Twas too little, too late for the Wolverines as they fall exactly a month after their previous loss. Down 12 with 3:45 on the clock, Veronica Hicks scored ten to get within three of the Wildcats. Aside from the final surge, Michigan struggled from the field, dipping below 30% and ending at 32.8%. The Wolverines are now 1-1 in Big Ten play and 9-3 for the season.

Next: vs Northwestern

Before we begin, we hope you all had a restful holiday break. I know I can't eat anymore for the next few days.

In addition to all the food, the season indicates the start of the Big Ten basketball season. Technically, it began a few weeks ago when the Wolverines beat a young Iowa squad, but now we get into full swing.

As we enter the season, here's a quick look back at the non-conference slate:
- Michigan blew out the first three opponents by 15+ points.
- Its infamous eight-game road trip ended positively with five straight victories
- The final week included a gigantic win over now-No.15 Xavier, earning Dayeesha Hollins top honors (Freshman of the Week & Big Ten Player of the Week) and votes in the polls.

Hollins has certainly been impressive, but it's been Michigan's knack of closing out games that's staggering. Last year, none of this was prevalent. Often when the game came close in the final 10 minutes, the Wolverines got hesitant, lost rhythm and no one wanted to take control. In short, they fell apart.

This season looked to be the same against now-No. 22 Kansas and New Mexico State. Michigan help close to its opponents in the waning moments, but couldn't close the door. The year could have been defined by youth inexperience, but something different happened. The Wolverines kept up.

In the team statistics column, you won't see anything extraordinary. The Wolverines are near the bottom when it comes to opponent's PPG. This isn't to say that the "team defense" concept doesn't work, but there are clear lapses from time to time. These Wolverines, under the guard of Ronnie Hicks (who, by the way, addresses free throw woes), have been magnificent in responding to adversity. I may be wrong (see: my slight Chicago bias), but I think it is her tenacity that has been essential to Michigan's success.

Going into the Big Ten season, I'm looking forward to seeing how the freshmen will react to Big Ten play, particularly Ohio State. Like Coach Borseth's first season, I wouldn't be surprised if they take the conference by storm the first time around. Going through the grind again, that's where it'll get interesting.

This takes us to Big Ten opponent No. 2: Northwestern (a.k.a. the Welcome Home game).

In this contest, there's really just one person to worry about: Amy Jaeschke. The junior center from New Trier currently averages 16.5 PPG, and most likely opens up the floor for the Wildcats. Obviously, this calls for Krista Phillips to take the lead in this matchup. Although the Wolverines have been quite aggressive on both sides of the ball, Phillips MUST remain disciplined as she averages about three fouls a game.

If Michigan is able to contain Jaeschke (my memory says that the Wolverines had trouble previously), then it should be able to go home happy - a short walk away from Crisler.

Tomorrow's game is apparently Abrakadoodle Art Night. If you can't make it there, you can watch it on BigTenNetwork.com for $2.99 (sidenote: This is a complete ripoff). Let's go ladies - make it six straight!

One quick update: In the Jeff Sagarin rankings, Michigan stands at 19th. According to RealTimeRPI.com, the Wolverines sit at 14th, which is one ahead of Ohio State. Again, both should be taken with a grain of salt.

Michigan 65 University of Detroit-Mercy 51

Michigan overcame a some early struggles (the game started with an 11-0 Detroit run) to come back and win another road game. Carmen Reynolds and Courtney Boylan gave the Wolverines some scoring until the rest of the team settled down. Early on it seemed like Detroits aggressive defense had Michigan off their game - turnovers, missed easy shots and poor passes threatened to snowball.

After a couple of baskets Michigan started chipping away at the lead and by half time it was 28-25 in favor of Detroit. In the second half, Michigan's shooting improved (44% versus 31%) and turnovers improved (10 in the first half, only 3 in the second). Dayeesha Hollins led the way with 17 points and 7 assists. Veronica Hicks and Courtney Boylan added 11 each. Jenny Ryan and Krista Phillips both pulled down 13 rebounds.

Next: @ Detroit

I'm not going to say that this game is a shoo-in, but this one shouldn't pose too much of a problem for the Wolverines. Nonetheless, there are several factors to consider.

1.) Despite being winless for over a month, I'm sure the Titans have been eying this game for a while. As mentioned on Inside Michigan Basketball (TV), Detroit head coach Autumn Rademacher will be facing her mentor in Coach Borseth. Rademacher should have a pretty good feel how Borseth gameplans, so it'll be interesting what she'll do in return. Definitely the main storyline in tomorrow's game.

2.) Detroit's Brigid Mulroy can shoot the three-ball. She's currently .610 from behind the arc, and is, unsuprisingly, the leading scorer with 15.4 points/game. Shutting her down on the offensive end should do the job.

3.) It's possible that this could be a let down game. After a gigantic win at Xavier, there's opportunity to mail this one in. It's also the final game of the eight-game road trip (which seems to be more team-building than grueling) and the last contest before the holiday break.

That's all I have to say before this one. Live video can be found on the Horizon League Network and as always, Gametracker will follow along. Game time is 1p, right after the men's team looks to upset the Jayhawks. Happy Saturday everyone!

Kevin Borseth on UM Coaches Show

Live tonight from 8:00-9:00pm at Pizza House in Ann Arbor. For more information, check mgoblue.com.

Jeff Sagarin

With Michigan's early success and relatively tough schedule, they are currently ranked 18th by Jeff Sagarin and are the second highest ranked team in the Big 10 after Ohio State (currently 6th).

While its nice for the team to get some recognition for their effort, there is a very good chance they will drop - their strength of schedule will almost certainly fall from this point in the season. (It is currently the 15th most difficult schedule, but will be lower after playing Detroit, and it will drift lower during conference play as well).

Upcoming Bus Trips

Michigan is sponsoring bus trips to three upcoming games:

Univ of Detroit December 19th
Bus loads at 11:00 am, departs 11:30 am, game at 1:00 pm.

Michigan State December 31st
Bus loads at 11:30 am, departs 12:00 noon, game at 2:00 pm.

Ohio State January 3rd
Bus loads at 9:00 am, departs 9:30 am, game at 2:00 pm.

The Michigan State and Detroit games are 15.00 and include transportation/ticket/pizza lunch.

The Ohio State game is 40.00 and includes transportation/ticket/donuts/bagels/juice.

All buses load/depart from the tunnel area at Crisler Arena.

I believe there is only one ticket left for the Ohio State trip, though I don't know if they will consider adding an additional bus if there is demand.

For more information contact Erin Stacer at (734) 647-0603 or estacer at umich.edu

Michigan 72 Xavier 71

Michigan with a huge upset over Xavier - the Wolverines first road win against a ranked opponent since the 2000-01 season. Dayheesha Hollins had a huge game (22 points, 9 boards, 4 steals) as did Carmen Reynolds (18pts) and Krista Phillips (16pts).

Next: Xavier

Michigan travels to Cincinnati tonight to face the 12th ranked Lady Musketeers at 7:00 tonight. Xavier is probably the best team Michigan has faced to date - they have already beaten two ranked teams in Arizona State and Kansas while losing on the road at Michigan State.

Once again Krista Phillips will have her hands full - one of Xavier's top players is 6'6" center Ta'Shia Phillips, who is averaging 12.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Michigan will also have to keep an eye on forward Amber Harris who leads Xavier in scoring with 14.1 points per game and chips in 8 rebounds as well.

Michigan is definitely the underdog, but if they can avoid mistakes and stay focused they might have a shot at the upset - Xavier only beat Kansas by 5 (at home), and using Jeff Sagarin's ratings is only a slight 1 point favorite

The Day (or two) After: Iowa and Boston College Edition

(Usually, I'll try to have these after each game, but for those with virtually no coverage, I'll combine them with previous contests. Plus, work gets much busier this time of the year.)

The Coverage:
The Michigan Daily - Michigan wards off Iowa's second-half rally to earn first conference win
The Daily Iowan - Printy's missed free-throw one of many missed opportunities
Des Moines Register - Hawkeyes sustain another tough loss
Quad-City Times - Free throws doom Hawkeyes women
The Gazette - Missed opportunities foil women late
The Michigan Daily - Women's hoops win third straight on road

The Basics:
- Michigan squeaks by Iowa, 54-51, after both teams refuse to sink free throws down the stretch
- Battling back from 8-0, the Wolverines hold off a late Boston College run for third-straight road win, 76-70

The Breakdown:
There are many things young teams have to learn. One of the most important is how to close out games. A few weeks ago against New Mexico, Michigan struggled to close the door en route to its second loss of the season. But in the previous two contests, they prevailed - one was a gift, one was all grit.

Michigan 76 Boston College 70

Michigan comes up with another road win in a close contest. It was tied at halftime 34-34, but Michigan was able to out shoot BC in the second half (48% vs. 37%) and able to hit clutch free throws down the stretch to pull out the win. Add in taking care of the ball (1.00 assist/turnover ratio) and 15 steals and it adds up to another good win for the Wolverines.

Next: Boston College

Michigan travels to Boston College tonight to face the 5-3 Eagles at 7:00 tonigh. It should be an interesting matchup. Both teams have escaped Iowa City with close wins (Michigan 54-51, BC 72-67)

Using to Jeff Sagarin's current ratings (Michigan is currently 37th, Boston College 50th), the teams are very closely matched - Michigan favored, but by less than a point when home court advantage is factored in.

One of the keys for Michigan will be Krista Phillps - Boston College is led by 6'6" center Carolyn Swords who is averaging 16.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Michigan's guards will also have their hands full with Mickel Picco, who is averaging 13.6 points and slightly over 3 three point baskets a game.

Video Highlights of the Michigan's win over Iowa

Recruiting Update

This is old news, but Michigan signed Val Driscoll a 6'4" center from Massachusetts during the early signing period.

From mgoblue.com:

The University of Michigan women's basketball program received a National Letter of Intent from 6-foot-4 center Val Driscoll on the first day of the early signing period (Wednesday, Nov. 11). Driscoll, a native of Stoughton, Mass., will join the Wolverines for the 2010-11 season.

"We are ecstatic that Val will be joining us for next season," said head coach Kevin Borseth. "Val is a big, strong presence around the basket and really demands attention down low. It is something that we haven't had, and we are excited to get her into our program. Val is an extremely hard worker and an all-around good person who I believe is going to be a major contributor to our program's success."

Driscoll is a three-year varsity letterwinner at Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree, Mass. In 2008-09, she led her squad to the Massachusetts Division 3 Southeast region championship and the team claimed back-to-back Division 3 State Championships in 2006-07 and 2007-08. Driscoll led the Catholic League in scoring in 2008-09, averaging 19.4 points per game and has scored over 1,000 career points. She is a three-time Catholic League All-Star and a two-time team captain at Archbishop Williams.

From "wickedlocal.com":

For the past three seasons, anyone following girls basketball on the South Shore saw the dynamic skill set Val Driscoll brought to the court each night.

Apparently, some people out in Ann Arbor, Mich., were watching as well.

Driscoll, a 6-foot-4 senior at Archbishop Williams High School, recently accepted a scholarship to play for the University of Michigan women’s basketball team, choosing the Wolverines over a list of more than 25 other Div. 1 schools.

Also, per kjasr.com (hat tip to mzonefan over on the umgoblue.com women's basketball forum), Michigan has a 2011 verbal commitment from Cyesha Goree of Wyoming Park high school. Goree is 6' wing forward and currently rated the #7 player in the 2011 class by michladyballers.com.

Michgan 54 Iowa 51

Michigan hangs on to win their big ten opener 54-51. Krista Phillips led the way with 15 points, Carmen Reynolds had a double double (12 points, 10 rebounds), Veronica Hicks added 11 and Jenny Ryan had 10 rebounds.

From the Gazette Online:

Michigan (6-2 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) dodged two bonus bullets in the final half-minute.

Theairra Taylor missed the front end of a one-and-one with 26 seconds left, falling for an age-old trick.

“One of their players talked just as I shot,” Taylor said.

What did she say?

“My shoelace was untied.”

Next: Iowa

Part of the quadruple-header on the Big Ten Network (going on right now!), Michigan will battle the Hawkeyes at Carver Hawkeye Arena in just over four hours

Without Kachine Alexander suiting up (21.0 ppg in three games), Iowa's scoring threat is greatly diminished. Iowa is putting Kelly Krei in her place, but offensively, she's only a key factor around the three point arc. And since Hawkeyes are expected to play just seven people, I believe it's important that the Wolverines get into the transition game and tire this team out.

One more Hawkeye to look out for: Kamille Wahlin. She is coming off a 23-point performance and has been in double-figures in 7-of-8 contests.

In case you haven't been paying attention to this unprecedented 8-game road trip, the Wolverines are 2-2, alternating losses and wins. In each of those losses, Michigan recorded just 10 assists - in all but one win, they've had 16+ (a bit of a random stat, but something Coach Borseth likes to keep in mind). The past two games were also the Wolverines' cleanest based on the turnover stat (14 each). Obviously, that discipline is always good to have, especially in this conference (see Indiana v MSU).

Other tidbits: Both teams lost to Kansas by 11 points...Big Ten premiered a new PSA you can watch here...Michigan is second in the conference for PPG

Welcome Anthony

Anthony has graciously agreed to join me here - his first post directly below. I'm looking forward to his contributions.

Inside the Box Score

20-point wins are always nice, but let's pay attention to Michigan limiting the Hokies to 27.9% from the field. I'd say that's pretty good also.

I have to qualify that by saying that Virginia Tech isn't the best of teams nor has it played any real competition until Thursday (a 36-point win again Elon is well...expected). Still, the Wolverines have seemed to piece together Coach Kevin Borseth's "Team Defense." They recorded their 4th double-digit steals game this season. To put that in perspective, Michigan only gained double-digit steals five times last year. But to quote what Krista Phillips said to The Michigan Daily:

"We are going to have to step it up defensively come Big Ten (play).”

True that.

Speaking about the Big Ten, it lost once again to the ACC (7-4) in the third year of the Challenge. Admittedly, that's a bit expected given the five ranked ACC teams and its overall dominance. Yet intrigue happened near the top of both conferences - No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 North Carolina went down.

The Buckeyes couldn't score a field goal for seven minutes in the later stages of the second half, which I'm sure will not happen again this season under Coach Jim Foster's watch. MSU's Alyssa DeHaan is finally starting to impress me with her 14 points after just 18 minutes on the court.

Northwestern lost a heart-breaker against Clemson, but the Wildcats seem to be much improved already, especially with the win against DePaul.

A more extensive post about the Big Ten will be worked on later this weekend as we head into the conference opener on Sunday. For now, know that most teams are in the same boat, making for another interesting season.

A day in the life

of Krista Phillips. Who knew Carly Benson likes sweet potatoes? Note - requires Microsoft Silverlight.

Michigan 71 Virginia Tech 51

Four Wolverines were in double figures (Hicks - 19, Hollins - 16, Phillips 12 and Reynolds 10) as Michigan gets a nice road win.

Coverage from the Michigan Daily and planetblacksburg.com.

Next: Virginia Tech

Michigan returns to the road and travels to Blacksburg, Viriginia to face Virginia Tech as part of the Women's Big 10-ACC Challenge at 7:00pm tonight. Virginia Tech is 4-2 with victories against Longwood, George Mason, and Elon (all at home) and Radford (on the road). Their two losses were both road games against James Madison and Virginia Commonwealth.

They have three starters who average in double figures: guard Lindsay Biggs 12.8 ppg, guard Alyssa Fenyn 10.8ppg and forward Utahya Drye (10.5ppg).