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.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
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.
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.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
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.
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!
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!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
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.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
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).
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).
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