By Guest Writer: Jeff Papworth

When: Today @ 2:30 P.M. TV: ESPN2 Previous Matchups: Jan 30: U of M 60-46 Feb. 16: U of M 80-78 (OT)

Michigan is tabbed as a #8 seed and they will face a team in Iowa that they have had much success against.  Michigan handled Iowa at home; beat them in overtime in Iowa. The Wolverines will still have a tough road to make a tourney run, if they beat the Hawkeyes they will have to face a team in the Buckeyes that have won 9 out of their last 10 games and are possibly looking at a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Michigan beat Ohio State in their first match-up without having to face player of the year candidate Evan Turner.

Michigan’s second meeting at Ohio State with Turner was highly contested for most of the game. With 4 minutes to go and the Buckeyes lead down to 7, Manny Harris was sent to the line and missed the front end of a 1 in 1, which lost all momentum for the Wolverines.

From here on out, every game could be the last game as a Wolverine for the seniors and junior Manny Harris. Beilein has said his team will not play in the CBI tournament and it is highly unlikely they get an invite into the NIT with a record that is below .500.

It’s time for Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims to really shine. March is a time when stars are born. To save this season, they need to lead their team to 4 straight victories in 4 days to make the NCAA tournament.

I must have missed the memo, because I found an article three weeks old claiming Michigan will most likely be facing off with Florida Atlantic in 2012 on the gridiron. FAU AD Craig Angelos says of the deal, “It looks like both sides are ammenable to it.”

Sports News And Scores ranks Tate Forcier & Fitzgerald Toussaint as the 3rd best backfield in the Big Ten next season.  They are behind Wisconsin  (Tolzien/Clay) & OSU (Prior/Saine).  But I would have to disagree with this ranking and say that Iowa (Stanzi/Hampton/Robinson) should be third based on their production and wins on the field.

Joe Schad, ESPN, ranked his top 100 stars in college football.  The only Wolverine placing in the list was Tate Forcier at #68.  Conversely Andy Hutchins blogs that Denard Robinson should have been included: “He's got excellent speed and considerable agility, and Michigan needs him to be a playmaker in the open field. I doubt he disappoints, given those chances.” 

Brian, Genuinely Sarcastic, gives his thoughts on the state of Michigan basketball following the thumping they received from Michigan State.  He goes into the state of recruiting and John Beilein’s job security.

This weekend its on for the 7th seeded Michigan Hockey team.  They will be facing off with the 2nd Seeded Michigan State in a best-of-three series in East Lansing, at Munn Ice Arena.  With the Spartans taking the last few match-ups on the court and the gridiron, this definitely becomes a series that will be magnified by many.

Mark Eckel, The Times, ranks Desmond Howard’s free agent signing with the Green Bay Packers as the 10th best in the history of free agency.

• Name: Kris Frost
• Position: Outside Linebacker
• Height & Weight: 6’3” 210 lbs.
• High School: Butler Bulldogs (NC)

-	-	-

HIGHLIGHTS

Kris Frost (#4) Appears At :40, :50, 1:40, 3:20, 4:05, 4:15

QUOTES

More...

The #1 ranked Wolverines will take on #13 Simon Fraser from the comfort of their home at Oosterbaan Fieldhouse, in Ann Arbor. Michigan is currently on a 43 game win streak, and are finally playing at home after their 3-game road trip. The Wolverines beat, on their road trip, three top 15 teams. Michigan, however, did not play as well as they would have liked. They made quite a few mental mistakes, and committed more turnovers than they were used to. I am confident their coach, John Paul, has used the time between contests to address these issues.

Simon Fraser is coming into the game struggling, and have lost their last two games in a row. They seem to be disoriented on defense, and do not have great leadership throughout. Michigan is a very dynamic team, and will be hard to deal with if Simon Fraser does not address their issues as well. The Wolverines have a very high powered offense, and great goaltending. Michigan's last game showed just how dynamic and motivated they are when they overcame an early deficit to dominate the 2nd and 4th periods to ensure their 43rd straight win. More...

• Name: Andre Yruretagoyena
• Position: Offensive Guard
• Height & Weight: 6’5” 250 lbs.
• High School: Chaparral Firebirds (AZ)

	-	-

HIGHLIGHTS

QUOTES

On Michigan (2/25): “I've always liked Michigan. The fan base is really supportive, the people up north are extremely nice, it’s a beautiful area, and it’s a great team with damn good history. I’ve only talked to them a little bit, but the coaches are really cool. Obviously the academics are top notch, as well.”

More...

• Name: Valdez Showers
• Position: Athlete
• Height & Weight: 5’11” 168 lbs.
• High School: Madison Eagles (MI)

	-	-

HIGHLIGHTS

ANALYSIS

More...

The Wolverines traveled to the Jack Breslin Student Events Center, East Lansing, MI to take on the Michigan State Spartans. Michigan played really well in their last game, and it seemed as if they would come into this game highly motivated to make a statement in their last game this season. However, their offense was horrible in the first half, only netting 14 total points in the entire first half. They had way too many turnovers, and were playing in a very lazy fashion.

The second half didn't start off much better, however, the Wolverines were able to score more than double the points in the 2nd half than they did in the first half. Their defense played a little better in the second half, but they just couldn't stop the Spartans from getting to the rim. The Wolverines have often had problems throughout the season pertaining to their lack of defense, and this game showed just how ready they were to be done with this season.

The Wolverines had 19 turnovers, and shot a dismal 22 percent in the first half. Overall, Michigan shot about 35 percent to end the game. The Wolverines struggled greatly from the 3-point line, and never got into any rhythm. Michigan, all season long, has needed a third scorer to step up, but no one ever did. Manny and DeShawn were the main scorers this year, and they had to take on the bulk of the load the entire season. Next year looks somewhat promising, but we will have to see if Beilein can bring in anyone to be a productive player on the team. He needs to add some depth to the bench if he believes they will ever compete with the better teams in the NCAA. Next season should be better, but only time will tell. I just wanted to thank the Wolverines for not giving up in games like this. It shows they are motivated even in times when they know things will never go their way.

GO BLUE.

Michigan started the game slowly, making many mental errors which contributed to scores for BYU. The Wolverines eventually gathered themselves to mount a comeback, and took the lead mid-way through the second period. Thomas Paras, and Trevor Yealy led the Wolverines in goals with 4. Thomas Paras had the most complete game adding 3 vital assists. Reinhard and Paras dominated on groundballs, which lead to a few scores for the #1 Wolverines. Reinhard ruled the face-off realm once again, just as he has all season long.

Michigan ruled the statistics once again taking 37 shots to BYU's 34. The Wolverines picked up groundballs like they were money last night, and overpowered the groundballs 67 to the Cougar's 39. Michigan, with the help of Reinhard, ruled the center of the field winning 17 of 25 face-offs. For the second game in a row, the Wolverines had one too many turnovers, and contributed some of them to BYU's high pressure defense. Michigan could have scored many more goals, but turnovers were a killer. The Wolverines finished a strong 24 of 30 on clears, while pressuring BYU into only 13 of 21.

The #1 team in the nation, Michigan, will finally end the road trip beating 3 top 15 teams. They will kick off their home schedule when they take on #3 Simon Fraser on Friday March, 12. The game will start at 7:00 pm Eastern Time in Ann Arbor at Oosterbaan Fieldhouse.

The University of Michigan Lacrosse team headed to Provo, Utah to take on #5 BYU. The Wolverines were looking to extend their winning streak, and beat their third straight ranked opponent. Michigan looked poised during their pre-game workouts, and seemed very motivated to start the game. (picture below taken during warm ups)

Mark Stone started in goal for the Wolverines, and Will Hilton was defending for BYU. The opening face-off was won by the dominant specialist, David Reinhard. The groundball was picked up by Michigan, and they started their attack. The Wolverines had a short possession, and a shot was taken by Anthony Hrusovsky at the top of the circle only to be saved by Hilton. The Wolverines caused a groundball right away and was picked up by Alex Vasileff. Trevor Yealy received the ball and shot a rocket just wide of the goal. Michigan seemed to be poised to score right away.

More...

A win over the Spartans today won’t make up for a season full of disappointments for the Wolverines, but the game is still important.  Michigan State needs a win to clinch a two or three way tie the Regular Season Big Ten Championship.  Manny Harris, DeShawn Sims & company have a chance to play the role of spoiler.  Will they step up in East Lansing?

The 2008 season was one to forget for the Wolverine's defense.  The defense gave up 40-plus points in four games and for the season allowed an average of 29 points per game.  We'll take a look at the 2010 defense and compare the talent, depth and experience that will lineup this fall to the defense that took the field against Utah in 2008.  Due to the uncertainty in the type of defense Michigan will play, the number of young talent and the number of hybrid players, we'll compare the top 4 defensive linemen, top 4 linebackers and the top 4 defensive backs.

The defensive line in 2008 was talented and experienced.  The top four linemen were RS SR Tim Jamison, JR Brandon Graham, SR Terrence Taylor and SR Will Johnson.  True freshmen Mike Martin also saw time and even started a few games in 2008.  This was a great group.  Jamison was a great run stopper at the defensive end position while Brandon Graham had the ability to stop the run and rush the passer.  The two defensive tackles were stout against the run but were inconsistent at times.  Taylor had a tough time adjusting to the new strength and conditioning program while the others had trouble with the new defensive scheme.  Between the five linemen, they had 21 sacks and 32 tackles for loss.  Despite their production, consistency was a huge issue for the defensive line. 
When the Wolverines lineup against UConn it is expected they'll use a three man front.  With the loss of possibly the best defensive linemen in Wolverine history, many young guys will have to step up and attempt to fill his shoes.  Ryan Van Bergen, a redshirt junior, is most likely to do this.  Van Bergen played well at times in 2009 registering 6.5 tackles for loss and 5 sacks.  Van Bergen has the size to stop the run and the athleticism to rush the passer.  At the other end it is unknown what may happen.  Some think Obi Ezeh is our best option while others wonder if Mike Martin slides outside or Craig Roh plays on the line if he gains the necessary weight.  The most common, and what makes most sense, is sliding Mike Martin out to the defensive tackle position and letting Will Campbell play the middle. Mike Martin is as strong as they get. He has the strength to throw offensive linemen around and is great against the run. He is also a solid pass rusher but his strength is his runs stopping. Will Campbell has the size to be a dominate defensive tackle. Campbell got off to a slow start as he had to adjust to the strength and conditioning program and also the speed of the college game. Campbell has a few technique issues but after another spring it is safe to bet he'll fix these issues. Campbell did show his ability against Ohio State as he got nice penetration on a few plays and even made a few tackles for loss. Craig Roh, at the quick position, is considered a defensive linemen in this analysis. He'll be able to add another 5-8 sacks from this position as he has great pass rushing ability. Roh is a bit small, however it is expected he'll put on some nice weight during the off-season. Other players to keep an eye on are Will Heininger, Jibreel Black and Anthony LaLota. Don't forget, LaLota has had limited experience. When he is able to put it all together he has the ability to be a good one.

More...