First Look: Michigan and Detroit common opponents

Both Division-1 teams in the state of Michigan have 14-game schedules for the 2012 regular season. Michigan and Detroit have six teams in common across their schedules (oddly enough, the Titans get first crack at all six of them), plus a head-to-head game on Feb. 14. By the end of the spring, we should know where they stack up against one another.

Full tempo-free numbers available for all of Division 1 here.

Delaware

Fear the oddly muscular bird!

Detroit: Feb. 4 (@ Delaware)
Michigan: April 7 (home)

2011

11-7 (4-2 CAA), #35 Laxpower, Lost to Duke in first round of NCAA Tournament

The Blue Hens finished the year as a mediocre team. They weren’t particularly efficient on offense (No. 42 nationally when adjusted for schedule strength) nor defense (No. 27 adjusted for schedule). They were dead in the middle of the pack in possession percentage, just barely above .500 thanks to the No. 20 unit on faceoffs.

Detroit opened the season with a 5-13 loss in Newark on Feb. 5. Ten different Blue Hens scored a goal, and Eric Smith added three assists to his single score to lead the team with four points. Brandon Davenport and Ty Maruyama struggled on faceoffs for the Titans, winning just six of 21 draws. Shayne Adams scored three goals in his first game at UDM.

Ohio State

Fear the Brutus!

Detroit: Feb. 9 (@ Ohio State)
Michigan: April 14 (home)

2011

8-8 (3-3 ECAC), #23 Laxpower

Like Delaware, Ohio State was mostly a mediocre team. They had a little less success on the field, but did it against a tougher schedule, which evens everything out. The one unit they were really good in was defense. Their efficiency number there was a top-10 mark nationally. They also did a good job clearing the ball, which helps prevent goals in unsettled situations (.863, No. 15 in the country).

A low-scoring, slow game (not the norm – Detroit was one of the country’s fastest teams, Ohio State was middle of the pack) resulted in a nail-biter victory for Ohio State. The Titans fell 3-4 in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Feb. 10. All three UDM goals were unassisted, with Matt Gregson, Tim Lehto, and Alex Maini each notching a score. A.J. Levell saved eight shots in the losing effort.

North Carolina

Fear the, uh, Heel!

Detroit: Feb. 18 (@ North Carolina)
Michigan: May 5 (@ North Carolina)

2011

10-6 (1-2 ACC), #21 Laxpower, Lost to Maryland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament

North Carolina benefitted from the strength of the ACC – all four of the league’s teams made the tournament. Their offense was quite good (No. 12 in efficiency, adjusted for schedule), their defense below average (No. 43 adjusted), and they dominated possession of the ball (No. 6, schedule-adjusted). Unfortunately, they played a very slow brand of lacrosse (No. 44 in pace), or they could have been one of the country’s most exciting teams to watch.

Neither Michigan (duh) nor Detroit played the Tar Heels in 2011.

Mercer

Fear the Bear!

Detroit: Feb. 25 (@ Mercer)
Michigan: March 4 (Jacksonville, Fla.)

2011

1-12, #61 (of 61 teams) Laxpower

Mercer was terrible at everything. They were the fastest team in the country, but only because they got scored on or turned it over very quickly. When you’re ranked first in pace and almost last in possession percentage, opponents had lots of chances to score – and they did. The Bears were within the bottom four Division 1 teams in every meaningful metric except riding (No. 54 of 61).

They were a first-year program, so things are bound to get better, but… only so much better.

Detroit pasted Mercer 19-3 at Ultimate Soccer in Pontiac on Feb. 26. Shayne Adams scored seven goals on 11 shots, Alex Maini added a hat trick, and seven other Titans put one in the back of the net. The blowout victory was Detroit’s first win of the season.

Jacksonville

Fear Flipper!

Michigan: March 2 (@ Jacksonville)
Detroit: April 14 (home)

2011

5-10 (3-3 MAAC), #51 Laxpower

Jacksonville struggled more than expected after a strong first couple years as a program. They played a fast-paced game thanks in part to a great ride (No. 10 and No. 5 in the country, respectively). They were better on offense than on defense, and weren’t so hot in the possession game (No. 43 adjusted).

Detroit lost 8-10 at Jacksonville on March 26. Shayne Adams notched two goals and an assist for the Titans, but a balanced effort for Jacksonville (10 different Dolphins had a hand in a goal) allowed them to come from behind in the fourth quarter for the win.

Bellarmine

Fear the stylized Knights!

Michigan: March 17 (home)
Detroit: April 21 (home)

2011

4-11 (0-6 ECAC), #48 Laxpower

Bellarmine was a fast team (No. 7 in pace) with an above-average offense (No. 21) and a below-average defense (No. 46) last year, which means fun times for fans. They were mediocre at clearing and pretty good at riding, which helps explain the quick pace of play, and they were not particularly good on faceoffs (No. 51), giving opponents more possessions.

The Knights opened their season with a 9-6 win over Detroit on Feb. 12 in Louisville. In Shayne Adams’s first appearance in the starting lineup, he scored two goals. Brandon Davenport had a nice day on faceoffs, winning .579 of draws, and Jordan Houtby collected 10 ground balls. It wasn’t enough, as Austin Bright’s hat trick for Bellarmine was the final margin.

Michigan also played Bellarmine last year, scrimmaging to an 11-18 loss. Michigan had several players out (by my loose count, four or so who started significant parts of 2011), but truly they were just outclassed, especially on faceoffs in the first half.

Prior to the regular season, Michigan will scrimmage Denison, who is a common opponent with Detroit as well – the Titans fell in Granville, Ohio by a 7-10 score, but with no solid details about the game, that’s not likely to be meaningful to Michigan.