Side-by-side: Michigan and Detroit 2012

One Division-1 program in the state of Michigan just wrapped up its first year of play. Another had a disappointing finish to year four. (We won’t get into the one that was in its fifteenth year of no longer existing).

How do the two top programs in Michigan stack up to each other, though?

A few things stick out as interesting (though many of them are of the “Detroit’s that close to a club team?” variety). Both teams were excellent on the ride, though only Detroit’s seemed to show itself by caused turnovers. Part of that was Michigan’s riding style – make it tough to advance without over-pressuring the ball – therefore allowing the opposition to make a mistake – and part is just that many of Detroit’s CTs were in settled situations.

Another interesting note is Michigan’s absurdly low EMO rate – both offensively and defensively. Even Detroit (one of the most penalized teams in the country) only committed five penalties against U-M.

I started this post mostly just out of curiosity to see where the two teams stack up, with no specific purpose in mind, so I guess I’ll open the floor. Anything stand out?