The Ace of Sports

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Burn the Ships!

Burn the ships?
Michigan coach John Beilein turned to an unlikely source Saturday -- 16th century Aztec conqueror Hernando Cortez -- to inspire his players.
Cortez directed his Spanish troops in 1519 to burn their ships before the siege of the now-Mexican coast, as an overt act of confidence that they would win and then take their enemies' vessels as prizes.
The Wolverines warmed up in Williams Arena wearing shooting shirts saying "Quemar los barcos" -- Cortez's famous quote in Spanish.

Beilein went so far as to give the players a PowerPoint presentation on Cortez's tactics the night before the game. Clearly the players were inspired. Just ask Lavel Lucas-Perry.

"We were all about burning the ships, all about it," said Lucas-Perry, who scored a season-high 19 points. "Coach just got us going."

"Burn the ships" it is. Cue my crappy Photoshop skills:

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Friday, March 6, 2009

Michigan @ Minnesota Live Blog

I'll be co-hosting a liveblog with JB of bigtenforum.com starting at tipoff tomorrow. Come join the action for the biggest game for Michigan hoops in recent memory:

"In this case my enemy is a varmint, and a varmint will never quit, ever. They're like the Viet Cong. Varmint Cong. What you gotta do is you gotta fall back with superior firepower and superior intelligence."

Burstin' Bubbles: March 6

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Burstin' Bubbles: March 5 (Georgia On My Mind Edition)

(Theme song for today: "Georgia On My Mind" performed by the late, great David "Fathead" Newman)

As you all know by now, Michigan sits firmly on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament, and probably needs at least two more victories (@MINN on Saturday, 1st round of the BTT) to secure a spot in the Big Dance. Burstin' Bubbles will run down the relevant bubble games of the day leading up to the tourney. Jamiemac over at mgoblog has been doing a tremendous job of this, but it never hurts to spread the love a bit:

Michigan's Resume (for comparison's sake ... updated every day, as the RPI numbers tend to bounce around):
18-12 (8-9 Big Ten)
ESPN InsideRPI: 47 (up one from yesterday)
SOS: 11
2-4 vs. RPI 1-25
3-5 vs. RPI 26-50
4-2 vs. RPI 51-100
Signature win(s): Duke (home), UCLA (neutral-site)
Bracket Matrix: Fifth team out; made 13 of 60 brackets.

Yesterday's bubble scores:

North Carolina State 74, Boston College 69 (Good)
North Carolina 86, Virginia Tech 78 (Good)
Georgia Tech 78, Miami (FL) 68 (Stunningly Good)
Georgia 90, Kentucky 85 (Ditto)
Mississippi State 80, Florida 71 (Good)
Minnesota 51, Wisconsin 46 (No Idea)
Texas A&M 72, Colorado 66 (Bad)
UNLV 46, Air Force 43 (Bad)

First of all, Michigan gets a huge boost thanks to Georgia Tech (previously 1-13 in ACC play) knocking off Miami and Georgia (heading into last night at 2-12 in the SEC) upsetting Kentucky (!) in Rupp Arena (!!) on Senior Night (!!!). Ladies and gentlemen, your word of the day is 'choke'.

What's crazy is that there were almost two more near-unfathomable upsets, with Colorado (1-14 Big 12) holding an eight-point lead with under six minutes to play against A&M and Air Force (0-15 MWC) giving UNLV all they could handle on their home floor.

The chips seem to be falling Michigan's way, with Georgetown, Cincinnati, Kansas State, Kentucky, Miami and Virginia Tech all either getting knocked off the bubble completely or getting dealt a near-death blow in the last two days.

On to tonight's slate, which features four games, all televised for your viewing pleasure (ESPN lists five bubble games, but Dayton, who boasts an RPI of 27, is a near-lock, and will only be on the bubble if they lose to Xavier and Duquense). Again, bubble team of note listed first:

Providence (18-11, 10-7 Big East; RPI: 69) @ No. 16 Villanova (24-6, 12-5 Big East) [7:00, ESPN2]: In all likelihood, Providence is going to become the eighth Big East team to make the tournament. They have as good a win as any team in the country (beating No. 1 Pitt on Feb. 24) and have won four of their last six games. Beating 'Nova puts them in the field. The Friars would probably have to lose this game and their first round game in the Big East Tournament to be in danger of missing the Big Dance. However, other than the victory over Pitt they are lacking in quality wins (2-5 vs. RPI 1-25, 1-2 vs. RPI 26-50) and the Bracket Matrix has them as the first team out, so it never hurts to root for a Providence loss here.

South Carolina (20-7, 9-5 SEC; RPI: 41) vs. Tennessee (18-10, 9-5 SEC) [7:00, ESPN]: Caught me off guard by looking at the records, but yes, the Gamecocks are the team on the bubble in this matchup, thanks to a 0-3 record against RPI top-50 foes. Tennessee is currently a lock for the tourney, and South Carolina is a near-lock (named in 55 of 60 Bracket Matrix brackets). A win here and USC is a lock. A victory Saturday at Georgia (no longer the lock it seemed to be, I guess) and they're in as well.

Penn State (20-9, 9-7 Big Ten; RPI: 66) vs. No. 23 Illinois (23-7, 11-6 Big Ten) [9:00, ESPN]: Brian over at mgoblog breaks down all the reasons why a Penn State team that finishes 10-8 in the Big Ten should not make the tournament over a 9-9 Michigan team. A win over a ranked Illinois team on the road would go a long way towards making that argument moot. However, the Nittany Lions boast the country's 314th-ranked non-conference schedule, which goes a long way towards explaining the 19-place RPI gap between them and the Wolverines. A win here and a victory at Iowa on Saturday probably puts Penn State in the tournament. Anything less, and they're precariously positioned on the bubble.

Arizona (18-11, 8-8 Pac-10; RPI: 45) vs. California (21-8, 10-6 Pac-10; RPI: 39) [10:30, FSN]: Both teams are technically on the bubble, though Cal could probably drop their last two regular-season games and still be in as long as they win a Pac-10 tournament game. Arizona, on the other hand, looked like a lock until it dropped its last three games. Their SOS (33) and quality wins (five over RPI top-50 teams) still make them a strong bet to make the tournament, but they have a 2-9 road record and aren't a "hot" team right now. Pull for the Golden Bears for this one.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Michigan/Michigan State Outdoor Hockey Game Confirmed

Image Source,Photobucket Uploader Firefox Extension

Mark your calenders: On December 11, 2010 Michigan will host Michigan State in an outdoor hockey game at Michigan Stadium. The renovations on the stadium will be done by that time, and the projected capacity of 108,000 leads one to believe that the game will smash the current world-record outdoor hockey crowd of 74,554 (set during the "Cold War" game at Spartan Stadium in 2001).

Please note: my birthday is December 7th. Anyone planning way far ahead should note the date, note what is going on four days later, and consider keeping an eye out for some tickets.

Just sayin'.

Burstin' Bubbles: March 4

[Insert half-assed booing of Ashley Judd here]

Florida (21-8, 8-6 SEC; RPI: 50) @ Mississippi State (17-12, 7-7 SEC): Speak of the devil. Florida is only 2-6 in SEC road games, so a win for them at Miss State would be huge for them. Again, the SEC is a pretty weak conference this season ... the game against Kentucky could essentially be a play-in game for both teams.

Wisconsin (18-10, 9-7 Big Ten; RPI: 31) @ Minnesota (20-8, 8-8 Big Ten; RPI: 39) [8:30, Big Ten Network]: Both teams sit on the bubble, but I can't see Michigan getting in over Wisconsin, who swept the Wolverines in the season series and will likely finish with at least a 10-8 record after their season finale against a pathetic Indiana team. Then again, Michigan plays Minnesota on Saturday, and if we beat them we'll certianly make the field over the Gophers. So, um, I guess Go Gophers?

Texas A&M (21-8, 7-7 Big 12; RPI: 34) @ Colorado (9-19, 1-13 Big 12): This is a gimme for A&M, who currently sit in the tourney field in a solid 38 of 59 brackets on the Bracket Matrix. So yeah, probably in. Damn. Any chance Chauncey has leftover eligibility for the Buffs?

Please?

UNLV (20-8, 8-6 MWC; RPI: 51) vs. Air Force (9-18, 0-14 MWC): Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Burstin' Bubbles: March 3

Tonight's games of note:

Cincinnati (18-11, 8-8 Big East; RPI: 53) @ South Florida (8-20, 3-13) [ESPNU, 7:00]: The Bearcats sit one spot above the Wolverines in the Bracket Project's Bracket Matrix. Even though we're sitting behind them, I think U-M has the better tournament resume. Cinci is 1-8 against the RPI top 25, with their signature victory coming against West Virginia, who sits 20th in the RPI but is currently unranked in the major polls. However, if Cinci wins out, it's going to be tough to keep a 20-win Big East team with a 10-8 conference record out of the tourney. An upset here is quite unlikely, but an outsider would have said the same about the Michigan/Iowa game last week.

Kansas State (20-9, 8-6 Big 12; RPI: 72) @ Oklahoma State (19-9, 8-6 Big 12; RPI: 32) [ESPN2, 7:30]: A quick glance at the records might make you think that it doesn't matter who wins this, but OK State sits pretty firmly in the tournament field thanks to the 11th-toughest schedule in the country and Saturday's victory over Texas, while K-State's creampuff schedule (SOS: 99, nonconference SOS of 311) puts them on the outside looking in. A Cowboy victory probably locks up a spot for OK State and deals a huge blow to K State's tourney hopes.

Georgetown (15-12, 6-10 Big East; RPI: 40) @ St. John's (14-15, 5-11): The Hoyas boast the country's No. 1 SOS, which is the only think keeping their heads above the water right now. They have to win their last two games to garner even a sideways glance from the tournament committee. They're 3-9 in their last 12 games, but just had a huge road W at Villanova on Saturday. If they win their last two and make a little noise in the Big East Tourney, it might be tough to keep a team that played this tough a schedule out. Hopefully the Johnnies will take care of that.

No. 10 Wake Forest (22-5, 9-5 ACC) @ Maryland (18-10, 7-7 ACC; RPI: 52): Maryland in all likelihood needs to at least split its last two games to guarantee a spot in the tourney field. They have two huge victories (North Carolina at home in OT, pasting Michigan State on a neutral court) and also beat Michigan at home earlier this season. I don't really see us jumping the Terps unless they drop their last two. According to the Bracket Matrix, they sit as a 12-seed, making 36 of 62 brackets.

Utah (20-8, 11-3 MWC) @ New Mexico (19-10, 10-4 MWC; RPI: 70): Utah is going to make the tourney, and the Mountain West Conference will in all likelihood send three teams, with Brigham Young likely in and UNLV in solid shape to get a bid. That leaves the Lobos on the outside looking in unless they can upset Utah and get some help the rest of the way. If Utah takes this one, New Mexico should be out of the picture completely barring a huge run in the conference tournament.

Ohio State (18-9, 8-8 Big Ten; RPI: 42) @ Iowa (14-15, 4-12 Big Ten; RPI: 105) [Big Ten Network, 9:00]: This game has twofold importance for Michigan. Ohio State would currently get a bid over U-M, thanks to a better record, a higher RPI, and two head-to-head wins, so a loss here and against Northwestern to close the season would be helpful. Also, a victory for Iowa would probably vault them back in the RPI top 100, which would make Michigan's loss to them no longer fall under the "bad loss" category. Not like you need any more reasons to root against the Buckeyes anyway.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Ryan Mallett Drunk, Probably High, Enjoys Smell Of Own Farts

Former Michigan quarterback of the future Ryan Mallett was arrested in Arkansas and charged with Public Intoxication after the 20-year-old attempted to get into a bar. This arrest gives Michigan fans another excuse to say "good riddance" and the opportunity to marvel at the incredible mugshot of Mallett post-arrest. After one second of looking at that, I knew what the picture reminded me of:

Some highlights from the arrest report:

Club security alerted police after an underage white male believed to be Mallett was attempting to enter the establishment. Police officers patrolling Dickson Street on foot approached Mallett, who they thought “appeared to be already intoxicated.”

Officers observed Mallett “visibly swaying” when attempting to walk. Mallett, according to the arrest report, smelled of a “heavy odor of intoxicants” and his eyes appeared to be “watery and bloodshot.”

The “faint odor of burnt marijuana coming from Mallett” was also detected by officers. When asked if he had been been smoking marijuana, Mallett denied he had, but later admitted to being around people who had.

Watery and bloodshot eyes, faint odor of the ganja ... but you never inhaled? Can we just rename this "The Arkansas Defense"?

Actually, maybe Mallett is telling the truth. He probably fumbled the exchange, and Mike Hart wasn't there to pick up the pieces.

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Michigan @ Wisconsin Live Blog (UPDATE: Never Mind)

MGoBlog is hosting today ... didn't get that memo until I woke up. Head on over there to get your liveblog fix.

Basketball Live Blog Tomorrow

Hi everyone. I'm back from vacation. Since I haven't been blogging in a week (blame my computer dying and the beauty of Colorado for that) I've decided to come back with a bang: I'll be doing a live blog of Michigan @ Wisconsin starting tomorrow at 1:30 pm. Go Blue, and hopefully I'll catch you tomorrow for the live blog.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Vacation Update

Sorry about the light posting recently ... I just finished my last midterm, and I'm flying out of town tomorrow. I'm going to the hoops game tonight, and hopefully I'll find time while packing to throw up a game summary of some sort.

I'll be bringing my laptop with me to Colorado (yes, the above picture does not accurately represent my spring break whatsoever), so if there's something major going on I'll try to throw a post up, or at least link to somebody else. However, posting will most certainly be sparse at best over the next week.

Shameless plug: If you're in the state of Michigan, check your local newsstand for the new issue of The Wolverine. It has an incredibly detailed rundown of this year's recruiting class, as well as a look ahead to the Class of 2010. Also, I have articles on pages 12 and 82, which is where the shameless plug part applies.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Reactions to the Threet Transfer

The blogosphere has now had sufficient time to react to the news that dropped late last night: Steven Threet will no longer be a Wolverine. Here's a roundup of the reactions from several Michigan and national blogs (I urge you to click the links to get the full picture from each of these blogs ... I'm obviously not going to copy and paste their entire articles):

MGoBlog: This is obviously not good for anything except my prediction that Tate Forcier would be the opening-day starter. For all Threet's faults he looked competent at times last year and could have been passable as a sophomore; Michigan is basically down to the two freshmen and then it's time to close your eyes, pick a walk-on, and pray.

Maize n Brew: While we at Maize n Brew respect Steven's decision to transfer and wish him the best in his future endevours, we're a little perplexed by his decisions. Watching Threet play this year, he's not really that bad a fit for the offense. He's got a live arm and decent speed for a gigantic honky. While he's not a prototypical "spread" quarterback, I can really name only protoytpical spread quarterback in college football. I'll give you a hint. His last name is Pryor. So if you're running the spread, chances are you're imporvising a tad with a quarterback that is spread deficient in some manner or another.
Varsity Blue: The Threet transfer probably does mean one positive thing for Michigan fans: that Tate Forcier has looked good enough in the training program and volunatary QB-WR workouts as to pose a significant threat to Threet’s starting position. Of course, it also means bad things, like “Michigan only has 2 quarterbacks between safety and Nick Sheridan.” The QB depth situation becomes almost as bad as it was last year, though the second option (likely to be Denard Robinson) is a step up from either Sheridan or Justin Feagin.
Michigan Sports Center: Aside from the effect Threet's decision to leave has on the team, this is yet another negative publicity type of moment for the Michigan football program. There have been plenty since Rich Rodriguez was hired, and until he starts winning, there will be plenty more. It's never usually good for a team's image when players leave the program, but when a quarterback leaves, that negative publicity is even worse.
The Diag: Of course, it's not like Threet lit the world up when he started last year (he won just one game as the starter), so to assume that there will be some gigantic drop-off is sort of silly. What Forcier and Robinson lack in game experience, they may make up for in versatility. All those QB running plays that went for naught in 2008 may prove very valuable in 2009 -- if nothing else, the playbook can open up.

More than that, this lets Rodriguez stop dancing around his QB issue. He does not have to force Threet, a drop-back style guy, to fit into his spread offense. With Forcier and Robinson he has more prototypical spread guys, so the pieces may simply come together better.
Dr. Saturday: The Wolverines hotly pursued and had commitments from a pair of primetime, athletic quarterback prospects last year, Shavodrick Beaver and Kevin Newsome, and lost both during the subsequent on-field collapse. Now their loss becomes clear: Threet's departure all but guarantees the offense is doomed to another rebuilding year, and that's only if Forcier is enough of a revelation to hit the ground running in 2010. If not, the spread 'n shred is stuck in the starter's block for the foreseeable future.

The general tenor of Michigan fans seems to fall somewhere between proclaiming doom and seeing the opportunity for Forcier or Robinson to open up the offense next year (with the caveat of AHHHHSHERIDANOOOOOOOOOOOO). This seems about right. U-M might have some early struggles with a true freshman quarterback, and those struggles may very well extend to the end of the season, so it would obviously be nice to have a competent guy under center who has some experience. However, it may be better for the long-term development of Forcier and/or Robinson to have the ball in their hands from day one. They'll almost certainly get the lion's share of practice snaps in the fall, and Forcier is already on campus and will get a ton of spring reps.

Threet's departure obviously doesn't bode well for Michigan. However, I'm not ready to jump off a bridge or anything. Remember, he struggled mightily last season, and there was no guarantee that he was going to be much better in 2009 (or even the starter, or even the backup if Robinson came on strong in the fall). The lack of depth and experience (besides Sheridan, but that doesn't really count) scares me a lot, but the prospect of Forcier getting even more time with the first team makes me more confident that he can have a solid freshman campaign, and the team can be back in the Big Ten title hunt in 2010.

Steven Threet Will Transfer

According to the Detroit News, sophomore quarterback Steven Threet will transfer from the University of Michigan, confirming rumors that had swirled around last season's starter during the past week.

"I've decided to transfer from the University of Michigan," Threet said, reciting from a prepared statement during a telephone conversation Sunday. "I have requested and received my release. I do not yet know where I will continue my collegiate career and will have no further comment until that decision is made."

This puts a tremendous amount of pressure on freshmen Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson to step up and grab the starting quarterback job in 2009. I'm sure Michigan fans will not want to see junior Nick Sheridan under center again, and David Cone, who fans can only assume is nowhere close to being a viable option to play, is the only other quarterback on the roster.

Threet will transfer for the second time in his career. He enrolled early at Georgia Tech in the spring of 2007, but transferred to Michigan before the season started. He is a former Elite11 prospect and was rated the #9 pro-style QB by Rivals coming out of high school. However, it was clear that he didn't fit the spread-option system that coach Rich Rodriguez was implementing, and fans were clamoring for Forcier, an early enrollee, to start from day one.

The move certainly hurts Michigan's depth and experience at quarterback next year, and many expected Threet to at the very least start the season as the number one signal-caller next year. However, I'm not holding any ill will against Threet, and I hope he finds success wherever he ends up. By all accounts, he was a great guy and a true "Michigan Man", and he was caught in a tough situation in Ann Arbor. I wish him the best, and hopefully he'll find the kind of success that Matt Gutierrez achieved after leaving the Wolverines.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Quick Note

Looking for a recap of last night's Michigan hockey game? Check out The Wolverine for a cover of the game written by yours truly.

Notes on UM/Northwestern

HUGE victory for the Wolverines, as they pull out a 70-67 overtime win at Northwestern to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive. Manny Harris carried the team to victory, scoring 25 of his 26 points in the second half and overtime, going 8-15 from the field and 9-10 from the line. Some thoughts from the game:

Manny was on his best taking the ball to the hoop. He went 7-9 on his two point shots, most from in close, and his ability to get to the line (and convert his free throws) was a huge reason why Michigan pulled out this game. After battling foul trouble in the first half, he played the best 25 minutes of basketball I've seen him play all season.
Michigan played a ton of man-to-man this game, and Stu Douglass did a great job of shutting down Wildcat sharpshooter Craig Moore. Moore finished with only six points, going 2-10 from the field, after averaging 15 a game this season.
I spent much of the second half screaming for a Kelvin Grady appearance. Watching C.J. Lee and Douglass attempt to beat a full-court press is not for the faint of heart. Lee is also developing the nasty habit of dribbling into the middle of a zone without knowing what he is going to do with the ball, which led to a couple bad turnovers. Douglass turned the ball over four times and went scoreless on 0-4 shooting.
However, Grady finally entered the game late in the overtime period, and possibly showed us why John Beilein has cut back his minutes. With the Wolverines clinging to a three-point lead with six seconds left, Grady got caught up on a screen and allowed Moore, a 42% shooter from downtown, to get an open look for the tie. Luckily, his shot caught iron and Zack Gibson pulled down the rebound, but Grady has got to play better defense in such a critical situation.
Laval Lucas-Perry had an up-and-down eight minutes of play. He broke double digits for the first time since January 7th, scoring 10 on 2-3 shooting and going 5-5 from the line. However, he also turned the ball over three times, and it was clear Beilein didn't trust having him in the game down the stretch.
The officiating was awful, but didn't seem to favor either team. The teams combined to shoot 50 free throws (Michigan with 27, NW with 23), with the officials calling a ton of ticky-tack fouls. They also blew a couple potentially game-changing calls, allowing Northwestern to get away with murder on Gibson on an offensive rebound (leading to a fast break on the other end) and calling a phantom shooting foul on DeShawn Sims on a three-point attempt for Sims' fifth foul in overtime.

Michigan improves to 16-10 overall, and 6-7 in the Big Ten. They host Minnesota on Thursday at 7 pm, and presumably needs three more victories over their next five games (MINN, @IOWA, PSU, @WISC, @MINN) to secure a spot in the Big Dance.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Forbes Tells Us What Michigan Fans Already Know

Forbes named Ann Arbor the best college sports town in the country, edging out Palo Alto (Stanford) and Madison (Wisconsin) for the honor. The list took into account the school's standings in the Director's Cup (which measure athletic achievement across the board) as well as the town's quality of life, crime rate, and public school quality.

As a person privileged enough to grow up and go to school in Ann Arbor, I couldn't agree more with the list. Most of my favorite childhood memories involve walking to a Michigan football game with my dad on a fall Saturday, or going to see a hockey game at Yost with a couple of friends, or bumming a couple of tickets to a basketball game at Crisler. It's hard to grow up in Ann Arbor and not have some Michigan sports experience; the school is woven into the town in a way that makes being an Ann Arbor resident synonymous with a passion for the Wolverines.

I can't image a better place to have grown up in. The town is beautiful (just walk down Main Street around Christmas and you'll agree), has the safety of a much smaller town (Ann Arbor had the fourth-lowest crime rate of any town on Forbes' list), and the schools are great (I'm proud to say I took advantage of the educational opportunities at both Pioneer and Community high schools).

Forbes' list justifies what I've felt for most of my life: It's great to be a Michigan Wolverine, and a resident of the City of Ann Arbor.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

On Michigan Basketball and Schizophrenia

After starting the season with two upset victories over top-5 teams, a couple appearances in the top-25, and being recognized as one of the most surprising teams in the nation, the Michigan basketball team has dropped seven of their last nine and is perilously close to becoming irrelevant in the NCAA Tournament picture. Obviously, scheduling had a large part to do with Michigan's slide ... the Big Ten is tough top-to-bottom this season. However, I had the privilege of attending John Beilein's press conference before Feb. 5 victory over Penn State, and this quote really stuck out to me:

"As a team we've got to find different combinations on the floor that will flow better right now. There are just these little things – a defensive assignment and an offensive assignment – that we're mixing. We're going to continue to try different rotations. Having Zack [Novak] out one game and Manny [Harris] out a game, it showed some things, positively and negatively, on what we've got to do."

This wouldn't have much cause for concern if that quote came from, say, November or December, as the team tries to set a constant rotation before the Big Ten season. However, this is February, and the Wolverines need to make a run down the stretch to avoid another NIT appearance. I realize that missing Novak and Harris over the course of two games affected the regular rotation, except that there has been no regular rotation to speak of.

Kelvin Grady went from a 25-minute per game guy to playing eight minutes combined over the last three games (including a DNP-CD against UConn). Jevohn Shepherd started the season as a benchwarmer, played 32 minutes in the victory over Duke, fell out of the lineup completely, and now gets anywhere from 3-18 minutes per game. Besides Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims (and possibly Zack Novak), it doesn't seem like any player is sure how many minutes they're going to play during any given game.

Yes, the team is young, and the team's lack of size also means having to adjust the lineup based on the opponent. Still, I'm becoming a bit disturbed by the lack of a set rotation on Beilein's squad. I trust his judgment, and he has done an incredible job of turning around the program in less than two years. However, one has to think that the lack of consistency by the team has to stem in part from a lack of consistent playing time. I hope Beilein is able to figure out the right rotation before the team digs itself too deep a hole to climb out of.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Michigan 2, LSSU 1

Carl Hagelin (photo from MGoBlue)

I covered the Michigan/Lake Superior State hockey game on Saturday for The Wolverine, but because of a mixup the story wasn't posted on their site. Here's my recap in full, for your reading enjoyment:

Michigan bounced back from a sloppy start to earn a 2-1 victory over Lake Superior State and clinch a home sweep. Carl Hagelin’s first period goal, coming just 19 seconds after the Lakers took a 1-0 lead, ignited the team and Brian Lebler provided the game-winning tally in the second.

Brian Hogan faced a barrage of shots in the first period, stopping 12 Laker chances before former Wolverine Zac MacVoy knocked home a rebound chance with 47 seconds to go in the period. LSSU could not maintain their early momentum, as just seconds later Hagelin found space between the circles and snapped a wrist shot past goaltender Pat Inglis for his ninth goal of the season.

“That was a huge goal that Carl got,” head coach Red Berenson said. “It was kind of like [Matt] Rust’s goal last night to get us back in the game in the first period.”

The Wolverines struck again 6:25 into the second period, as Brian Lebler netted a rebound opportunity of his own after Aaron Palushaj’s slapshot handcuffed Inglis. It was Lebler’s fourth goal of the season, and the assist was Palushaj’s second of the night and 26th on the season.

From there, Michigan was able to shut down Lake State and control the puck, thanks in large part to 14 Laker penalty minutes over the final two periods. Hogan finished the game with 26 saves, only 14 coming after the first stanza.

The victory moved the Wolverines (21-9-0, 15-7-0-0 CCHA) into sole possession of third place in the CCHA, breaking a tie with Alaska-Fairbanks. Michigan is now just two points behind second-place Miami with six games to go in the regular season.

“As [Detroit Red Wings coach] Mike Babcock would say, it was an ugly win,” Berenson quipped afterwards. “But, we got through it. It was just one of those games. We weren’t in sync and we had to battle the whole way.”

“The games were important. It was an important weekend and we got the wins we needed.”

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Michigan Adds Delaware State to 2009 Schedule

The red and teal eyesores you see above are the Delaware State Hornets, a I-AA (screw that FCS/FBS bull) squad that went 5-6 last season. Yesterday Michigan announced that the football team will host the Hornets on October 17 at the Big House, filling in the last gap in the Wolverines' 2009 schedule.

Tim from Varsity Blue has a full rundown of Delaware State over at MGoBlog. This one should be a laugher, and if it isn't, cue the burning of the internets.