Next: Indiana State

Michigan hosts Indiana State University tonight @ 7:00pm

Eastern Michigan 77 Michigan 64

Michigan fell behind early and couldn't quite come all the way back.  It was a bit of a frustrating game because Michigan shot poorly from the 3 point line (2-12), had some annoying defense lapses and committed 17 turnovers (not all forced).

Credit to Eastern Michigan - they definitely earned the win, in large part because of a great game by Tavelyn James (38 points, including 13/14 from the line - several down the stretch).  James became Eastern's all time leading scorer early in the game.

Next:: Eastern Michigan University

Michigan travels down the road to visit Eastern Michigan University, hoping to get a bit of payback for last year's loss in the WNIT.  The Eagles are 5-3, with close losses to Michigan State and Missouri-Kansas City in their last two games.  They are led by guard Tavelyn James (23.5 pts/game) and forward Paige Reddit (10.1 pts/game and 9.8 rebounds/game).

Michigan hopes to go to 10-1 as the head toward the last of their non-conference games.

Catching Up

Michigan has started the season with three wins - over Florida, Florida Atlantic and Utah.  This afternoon they travel to Seton Hall.  The Pirates have started the season 3-0 as well, but they have not faced any strong teams yet - Florida Gulf Coast, Army and Vermont. The focus of their offense is senior guard Jasmine Crew who is currently averaging 21.3 points per game.

A quick look at Jeff Sagarin's (very early) ratings has Michigan about a 2 point favorite on a neutral court, which is less than the 4+ point advantage of home court, so it could end up being a very interesting game.

Big Ten Tournament/NCAA Selection Monday

Michigan had a disappointing game in the Big 10 Tournament, losing 55-47 in the second round to Illinois.  The Illini jumped out to an early lead and combined with some poor shooting and a few turnovers Michigan couldn't overcome a huge deficit.  They made a strong comeback at the end, but there wasn't enough time left to pull it off.  Uneven officiating didn't help, but that was not the main problem.

From the Michigan Daily:

Against Illinois on Friday, the Wolverines couldn't do either effectively, which eventually doomed them against a team with the worst record in the Big Ten.
Even though Michigan played solid defense, it never found offensive rhythm from anywhere on the court. Despite getting plenty of open looks, the Wolverines couldn't capitalize consistently. Whether in the post, perimeter or midrange, it didn’t matter — Michigan simply couldn't find the net.
“We were getting some good looks, and the people we wanted to shoot were shooting it and they weren't falling for us,” senior guard Veronica Hicks said after the game. “They were making shots and we weren't.”

Today the NCAA announces which teams will be in the field of 64 - despite the loss, Michigan is "on the bubble" and has a decent shot at being invited.  Charlie Creme currently has them as one of the last four "in".  We'll find out tonight.

Video preview from youtube

Next: Illinois (Big 10 Tournament)

Michigan plays Illinois today in second round of the Big 10 tournament.  Illinois advanced yesterday after an upset win over Wisconsin.  Michigan won the regular season meetings between the two teams 69-59 in Ann Arbor and 58-55 last Sunday in Champaign.

Michigan should be the favorite, but it can be tough to beat a team three times in one season.  Illinois is a young team with quite a bit of talent that has lost a number of tough games - the win against Wisconsin yesterday may give them some much needed confidence.

The winner of the game faces the winner of Purdue - Penn State tomorrow.

Michigan 58 Illinois 55

Michigan pulled out a great win, with Rachel Sheffer scoring a basket on an inbound pass with 1.5 seconds left.  The win means that Michigan finished in a four way tie for 3rd place with Wisconsin, Ohio State and Iowa.  Because the Big 10 uses total head to head as a tiebreaker (and Michigan swept the other 3 teams), Michigan gets the 3rd seed in the Big 10 Tournament.

Next: Illinois

Michigan visits Illinois today in their final regular season game.  A win and Michigan could end up seeded as high as third in the conference tournament (if OSU beats Wisconsin) and a loss could drop them to a 7 seed...  Needless to say, a win here will go a long way to helping their NCAA chances.

Minnesota 82 Michigan 78 (2 OT)

Tough loss in overtime, though Michigan still can have a good seed in the Big 10 tourney if they can beat Illinois in their final regular season game.

Veronica Hicks shot to send the game into overtime is worth watching again:

Next: Minnesota

Michigan hosts Minnesota @ Crisler arena tonight at 7:00.  It is senior night and fan appreciation night as well.  Michigan is looking for revenge against the Golden Gophers after losing in Minneapolis earlier this year.

Michigan 68 Wisconsin 66

A very big win for Michigan on Saturday.  Courtney Boylan scored the last six points for the Wolverines.  Michigan had seen a 12 point lead disappear and trailed the Badgers by 4, 64-60 before the late comeback.

From annarbor.com:

The 5-foot-7 guard scored the Wolverines’ last six points over the final 81 seconds of the game, including the game-winner with eight seconds remaining in a 68-66 victory in front of 8,611 at the Kohl Center.
“(Boylan) is a kid that has the ability to get down in the paint and score on anybody,” Michigan coach Kevin Borseth said. “She's very crafty, she's strong, she's got great hands and has great hang time. When she scores, it doesn't look like she can do it, but she's very good around the basket."
Wisconsin guard Alyssa Karel called Boylan’s effort “relentless.”

The win left Michigan tied for third with Wisconsin, but holding the tiebreaker for seeding in the Big 10 tourney.  While an NCAA tournament bid isn't a lock, Michigan seems to control their own destiny - it seems likely that two more wins (either in their last two games against Minnesota and Illinois) or in the conference tournament, would get them in.  

Next: Wisconsin

Michigan travels to Wisconsin to play to the Badgers today at 1:30pm (EST).  While the game is not a "must win", it will go a long way to determining where Michigan finishes in the Big 10 standings.  A win will move Michigan into a third place tie with Wisconsin, with Michigan holding the tie breaker.  A loss will put Michigan in a dogfight with Purdue, Ohio State, and Iowa for fourth through seventh place.  While Michigan holds the tie breaker with Ohio State and Iowa it would be better for them to finish in the top five and have a first round bye in the Big Ten Tournament.

Michigan 88 Indiana 76

Michigan got a much needed win against Indiana Wednesday night.  The Wolverines jumped out to a 15 point lead at half time then held off an Indiana rally in the second half.  Michigan had a balanced scoring: 19 points from Carmen Reynolds, 18 from Kate Thompson,  15 from Rachel Sheffer, 14 from Courtney Boylan, 11 from Veronica Hicks and 9 from Jenny Ryan.

From annarbor.com:

The Michigan women's basketball  team thought it would get some open perimeter looks against Indiana’s zone defense on Wednesday night.
The Wolverines were right. And they hit a season-high 13 shots from 3-point range in an 88-76 win at Crisler Arena.
Junior Carmen Reynolds made 5 of 7 shots from behind the arc on her way to a team-high 19 points and sophomore Kate Thompson who made 4 of 5 long-distance attempts, finished with 18 points.

Carmen Reynolds

“We were able to pretty much, as a team, get whatever shot we wanted to it felt like,” Reynolds said. “We were good about passing on the perimeter. Everyone was getting shots. Everything was open, it felt like.”

Next: Michigan State

Michigan travels to the Breslin Center to face 11th ranked Michigan State.  These two teams are very familiar with each other and there won't likely be any surprises.  While a loss probably won't affect Michigan's post season chances, this game is a must win if Michigan is to have any chance of winning the regular season Big 10 crown.  Tip off is at 2:50pm and the game is being televised on ESPN2

Bus Trip to MSU

Last minute, but a reminder to anyone interested about the bus trip to the MSU game this weekend.  For more information call 734 647 1261 or email katjacks@umich.edu .

Rachel Sheffer

The Michigan Daily has a nice article about Rachel Sheffer and her performance in the Ohio State game on Thursday:

Ohio State center Jantel Lavender is a two-time All-American and a three-time Big Ten player of the year. However, in Thursday’s game, she wasn't even the best center on the court.
That distinction belongs to sophomore Rachel Sheffer, who led the Michigan women’s basketball team to a stunning 69-66 victory over the Buckeyes. Sheffer, who is only 6-foot-1, disrupted anything Lavender tried to do on offense. She constantly poked and prodded the 6-foot-4 Lavender, forcing the ball out of her hands or keeping the ball away from her all together. Lavender came into the game averaging 23 points, and Sheffer held her to just 14.

Not only did Sheffer effectively shut down one of the best players in the country, but she was also able to score on Lavender. Sheffer scored a career-high 23 points on 54 percent shooting, including three 3-pointers.

Next: Minnesota

Michigan travels to Minnesota to play the Golden Gophers at 3:00pm (ET) today.  Minnesota is currently 1-7 in the Big Ten, but that record is a bit misleading.  Most of their conference losses have been close (5 were by 8 points or less) and they are coming off their first conference win against Northwester on Thursday.

Minnesota is led by junior guard Kiara Buford (15.4 ppg) and sophomore guard Leah Cotton (13.9 ppg). For Michigan a big key will be to play focused and try to avoid a let down after their big comeback win against Ohio State.

ESPN Article on Coach Borseth

The whole thing can be found here.

"We're probably more similar in style [this season] to what we've been in the Green Bay era," Borseth said. "We're doing a lot more things that resemble what we did in Green Bay. … I think kids now are starting to figure it out. They're starting to get quicker, get a little bit more aggressive, get more used to the style. It will be interesting to see as the year rolls along if they can keep up this pace and play with the same aggressiveness."

and

Perhaps that single-minded focus is partly why he still seems like a bit of an odd fit at a place like Michigan as he talks of learning just how much recruiting determines success at this level, the salesmanship involved in fighting with other major-conference programs over the same pool of national-level recruits. Michigan is his home state, and the compensation can't be bad, but from the outside, it's still possible to wonder if he wasn't happiest scouring the small towns of Wisconsin and then taking his and beating yours.

"There's days when I say to myself, 'What did I get myself into?' But every time I get back on the court, you get back your competitive juices and they flow and you try to do the same thing you've always done," Borseth said. "It's all I know how to do. If I had to sell furniture or insurance or anything of that nature, I think I'd have to fold up tent.

Video Highlights from MGoBlue TV

Carmen Reynolds

From the annarbor.com profile of Carmen Reynolds:

Borseth watched Reynolds again in the last game of the day. This time, he saw her making 3-pointers.

“She was a complement for a lot of things we do offensively,” Borseth said. “And it’s proved to be right on.”

That day, her father, Jim Reynolds, pointed to the Michigan coaches in the stands.

Father and daughter laughed. This, after all, was a family that trades Christmas cards with Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel because Jim Reynolds had been recruited by Tressel as a high school football player and played for Tressel ended up at Miami (Ohio).

The whole family was Ohio State fans. Her brother, Cody, played lacrosse for the Buckeyes.
Jim and Carmen even had a conversation when she was first considering playing college basketball about what would happen if Michigan was her only scholarship offer.
“She said, ‘Well, I guess I’d be a Wolverine,’” Jim said.

Not that the Reynolds expected it. There they were, two weeks after Borseth saw her in Cincinnati on an unofficial visit to Michigan. Then Borseth made his offer.

Hours later, Carmen committed to Michigan, the only major conference school to make an offer.
“I was a huge Ohio State fan,” Carmen said. “And we’re like ‘What the heck, we’ll go up and visit it.’ I remember going in and thinking I wasn’t going to like it because I was an Ohio State fan, but I fell in love immediately coming up to campus, met some of the coaches, meeting some of the girls on the team.

“Just walking around campus, learning about the academics, everything. This was the school, and I converted immediately to a Wolverine.”

Coverage of last night's win

From ESPN:

Rachel Sheffer was calm as she approached the free throw line with a chance to help Michigan earn a memorable win over Ohio State.
She capped a career-best 23-point performance with a pair of free throws with 29 seconds to play to help the Wolverines beat the Buckeyes 69-66.Sheffer's free throws put the Wolverines up 67-66 after they trailed by 14 early in the second half."Just like every day in practice, no pressure really," she said to herself.

From the Columbus Dispatch:

The Wolverines already had served notice defensively that center Jantel Lavender was in for a long evening. The three-time Big Ten Player of the Year wore two, three and even four Michigan defenders every time the ball went inside.
Although her 14 rebounds allowed her to set a Big Ten career record of 1,279, Lavender scored 10 points and was a nonfactor at the end.
"I wasn't real happy with our first half other than we made shots," Ohio State coach Jim Foster said. "We never established Jantel. And we never established her throughout the course of the game. We were taking too many outside shots. And again, you've got to make foul shots."

The Michigan Daily

The Michigan women’s basketball team defied history last night.
After trailing by 14 points early in the second half, the Wolverines climbed all the way back to beat the six-time defending Big Ten champion Buckeyes, 69-66. It was the first time in Michigan women’s basketball history that they swept the two-game season series with Ohio State.
And it was arguably one of the most hard-fought victories in Wolverine history too.
With the Buckeyes' 6-foot-4, two-time All American Jantel Lavender lurking in the post, Michigan knew it would have to key its defense down low.
And for the most part, the Wolverines succeeded. Lavender was held to just 10 points, which ties her career low for points in a game. Michigan hounded her in the post all night long, often putting three or four defenders in her face as soon as she touched the ball.

:

Michigan is tied for first in the Big 10 half way through the season:

Michigan        6-2
Wisconsin      6-2
Penn St.         6-2
Michigan St.   6-2
Ohio St.        4-4
Purdue          4-4
Iowa             4-4
Northwestern     3-5
Illinois            2-6
Indiana          2-6
Minnesota     0-8

Michigan 69 OSU 66

A huge win for the women tonight after being down by 13 at half time.  First win in Columbus since 2001, and first ever regular season sweep of Ohio States by Michigan. 

Next: Ohio State

Tonight Michigan travels to Columbus for a rematch against 24th ranked Ohio State.  Michigan won the first meeting 64-51 on December 30th, ending a 15 game losing streak against the Buckeyes.

Despite the Wolverines success this year, this game will be a challenge - Ohio State will undoubtedly be looking for "payback" as well as wanting to move up in the standings. Michigan is tied for 3rd in the Big 10, one game out of first place while Ohio State is alone in fifth place one back of Michigan and Penn State.

The key for Michigan will be to try and limit Ohio State's main threats (Lavender, Prahalis and freshman Ashley Adams) while being patient on offense.  OSU showed in the December 30th game that if they frustrated they can become beatable.

Game time is 7:00pm and the game will be on the Big Ten network.

I'm hoping to get back to regular posting as things are starting to settle down a bit for me - there has certainly been a lot going on this season.