The Detroit Tigers came out of the 1984 gate as hot as any team ever was.  Nine straight wins to start the season, 35-5 after 40 games; by almost any measure, it was one of the greatest starts in history.  At some point, somebody asked Whitey Herzog (or maybe it was Gene Mauch, or Earl Weaver, or some other curmudgeon) what he thought of the Tigers’ start.  “What’s a ‘start?’” he grumbled through his cigar, and continued watching the Tigers’ backside disappear in the distance.

What IS a start?  I thought about that as I watched the Michigan ladies’ latest game, a not-very-methodical demolition of a mediocre Illinois team.  Michigan came into this game 9-0, 3-0 in conference play, and the phrase “best start in program history” was getting tossed about.  Is it, though?

It looks like it, both in terms of quality and sheer numbers.  It was reported that Michigan's #12 ranking in the coach's poll was the program's highest since December 2001 - that team had lost its opener to then-Death Star program Louisiana Tech before reeling off ten straight, including ranked Notre Dame and LSU teams.  They would then lose 6 of 7, eventually righting the ship just enough to lose at home to Valpo in the WNIT.

Which is the problem with "starts," of course.  Eventually a "start" becomes the grind of the "season," and this year it's even more so.  This year, once the "start" is done, you take the wins wherever and however you can get them, style points be damned.  Survive and advance.

*

The ladies took the floor against a bad-to-mediocre Illinois team, still down Leigha Brown to COVID protocols.  As you might recall, on their last, also non-Brown outing, they'd gotten away with an ugly win against another bad-to-mediocre Nebraska team; they'd done this by rebounding like crazy, playing stifling perimeter defense, and pure hustle.  This game started out as more of the same, as Michigan struggled to find offensive flow or find reliable offensive options other than Naz Hillmon in the blocks.  Of more concern was the defense - Illinois was able to work for as many open 12-15 foot jumpers as Michigan has allowed seemingly in the entire season.  Going into the first media timeout, Michigan had looked disjointed, missed some shots, turned it over four times, and was down, 10-6.  It looked like another rockfight.

Coming out of the break, Amy Dilk was on the bench for Maddie Nolan as the teams traded baskets.  When she came back in for Danielle Rauch, the defense cranked up to its usual level, fueling a 9-2 run to finish the quarter.  That continued to halftime, as the Illini turned it over six times in the second and went 1 for 12 from the floor, scoring only three points.  And it's a good thing, as Michigan didn't do much better, going only 4 for 15.  Still, if a 28-17 margin at the half wasn't quite "comfortable," it at least felt manageable.  Michigan had looked like a good team that was choking out a lesser one despite not playing all that well.

The third quarter was a carbon copy of the first two (and, let's be honest, of the Nebraska game, too), at least until the Illini closed to seven with 2:49 in the quarter.  At that moment, Hailey Brown faked a three, drove and converted an and-one, and it was all Michigan after that; over the next 11 or so minutes (until bench time),  Michigan would turn it over twice, dominate the glass, and push to a 22-point margin, certainly the best stretch of basketball they'd played since the loss of Leigha Brown.  It took about 68 minutes of play to get back to the level they'd played at in the B1G tournament, but they did eventually.

They probably don't need her for a lousy Wisconsin team this Thursday.  Sparty awaits on MLK day, though, and that's a good team.  If the ladies play this way against Sparty they'll get drilled. Survive and advance.

Basketbullets:

• It seemed like KBA was trying some new combinations to see if anything clicked, including a Nolan / Rauch / Naz / Kiser / AK group that I doubt she's tried before.  That group was fine, although the offense was limited to Naz inside and AK trying to create on her own.  Nolan and Rauch are fine together as a pair, but neither are really players that will look to make their own shots, so...well, it was worth a shot, but I'd be surprised to see it once Leigha Brown returns.
• Notice the limited mentions of individual players in the recap above.  It was, honestly, just a weird game.  It is a measure of the greatness of Naz Hillmon that I'm comfortable describing a  a 24 / 13 performance as 'workmanlike.'  As always, the whole court tipped her way when she was on it, but the expectations just keep going up and up and up, to where this was a ho-hum "just another night at the office" game for her.  She's Tim Duncan.
• Amy Dilk played yet another very good game, once again taking on more of a scorer mentality and hitting the boards.  She still turns it over too much, but the offense is just way better with her on the floor.
• AK has been creating on her own a bit more with Leigha Brown out, a flashback to her sophomore season. Recall that she had blown out her knee as a freshman and struggled to get back to full strength throughout her sophomore season.  Finally healthy, and given both opportunity and a team that needed a scorer, she lit things up  for the last month of the season.  She does have the ability to break down a defense and get a bucket when she needs to, and tonight they needed her to do that.
• Hailey has been struggling with her shot over the last five games - 5 of 23 from three over that stretch, pushing her to 34% on the season, the lowest of her career.  She's a plus defender and rebounder, so she contributes without scoring, but they've really needed outside shooting over the last two games, and they haven't fallen.  She's got a great stroke, and it will come...the sooner the better.