Thursday, January 30	Scores	Stream
7:00pm ET/4:00pm PT – [8] Michigan @ [17] Nebraska		ESPN2
7:30pm ET/4:30pm PT – UW-Oshkosh @ Winona State		FREE

I haven’t even seen a scores link from Nebraska, but they’ll give us all the scores on the broadcast, so I’ll be sure to note them with each routine if you’re frantically scribbling into your fantasy team notebook. Or something.

Rotation 1

Piringer – VT – Neb – solid distance on her full, small amount of piking at the end, bounce back. Good, normal. 9.825. Vault scores starting from a pretty soft place.

Heiskell – UB – Mich – blind to jaeger, close catch, nice toes – good height on pak, leg sep – very strong final cast hs – giant full to double tuck, slide-salute, fake-stick. 9.750

Verceles Carr – VT – Neb – Y1.5 – a pretty secure landing for her, came up a bit short, small step back , held it well though. 9.875

Mariani – UB – Mich – long delay for her – we already have the previous score – clear hip to high tkatchev, little bit of leg form – bail, small foot quiver – a bit rushed on final cast hs – DLO, very strong landing, stuck. 9.850

Dujakovich – VT – Neb – Y1.5 – doesn’t find the stick this time, a medium-sized hop forward, has the distance, a bit of form. 9.825

Brenner – UB – Mich – pretty jaeger to overshoot combination – the toe point characterizes this lineup so far – one borderline cast in there – DLO, stuck landing, really nice routine. 9.850

De Jesus – VT – Neb – also nearly finds the stick again, hop to the side on hers this week, only a bit of soft leg form, can in just a little ragged. 9.875

Brooks – UB – Mich – good first hs – blind to piked jaeger, very solid – bail, very crisp position landing in hs – a bit short on final cast – DLO, stuck! Really quick, stuck landing, and not toooo much pike in the air as far as that dismount goes. Excellent. 9.850

Houchin – VT – Neb – ooooooh, a bounce forward this time – still lovely in the air, nothing to take aside from the landing, so this is one of the cases where I would be OK with a 9.900, taking a tenth on landing and nothing else. And they go 9.900. Not enough separation then, though, which is an old story.

Wilson – UB – Mich – blind to piked jaeger – very strong cast on high – hits bail, a little more hip angle than Brooks – hits cast on high again – DLO, a little short, lunge forward. 9.800

Hassel – VT – Neb – clean full in the air, not the most distance and a large lunge back, so probably the drop. 9.750

Wojcik – UB – Mich – perfect hs – toe oto her huge deltchev, hit – bail, legs together, rushed the handstand position a bit today – nithing to take on casts – DLO, chest up, small slide back. A couple things, but good. 9.875

Nebraska goes 49.300 on vault, waiting on the Michigan score. Nebraska will absolutely take a fairly softly evaluated 49.300 (Houchin basically gets no comparative reward for her form because of how high the scores started). The landings weren’t there the way they were last week. More hops.

Michigan went 49.225 on bars. Don’t have all the routine scores yet. Thought Brooks was under-scored on that routine. It was quite clean. A couple of them rushed through their bails, but they had three sticks and nice casts, so overall well done.

Oooooh, ESPN found some pictures of Bev as a gymnast. Classic archival work.

Rotation 2

“Everyone knows what a stuck landing looks like, and they’re not all created equal.” Noting it for my future business Kathy’s Wisdom Throw Pillows.

Koulos – VT – Mich – pretty solid full to start from them as well, a medium lunge back – good distance, small amount of pike – very similar to Piringer’s opening for Nebraska, 9.800

Thaler – UB – Neb – Maloney to pak, small leg breaks on both – cast 1/2, a little short of handstand – nice toe point – solid giant full position into double back, a little deep – 9.750

Mariani – VT – Mich – the most secure landing we’ve seen so far, full, small slide back, has the height, not quite the distance of Koulos. 9.825

Colombo – UB – Neb – higgins to a high piked jaeger – pak, small legs – good cast hs on high – higgins to front giant full to double tuck, stuck landing. Strong. A couple vertical moments on the Higginseseses, 9.775

Brenner – VT – Mich – finds the stick on her Y1.5, nicely done, great control – a bit of pike in the air and some direction. 9.950. Well now. It’s high for me, consistent with the Nebraska rotation though.

Verceles Carr – Ub – Neb – short first cast hs – good blind to piked jaeger to overshoot – handstands are the best of the group so far – giant full to double back, late on the giant full, another good stick. 9.825

Brooks – VT – Mich – Y1.5, also improving on last week – good power and direction, better than good really, small hop forward. 9.900.

De Jesus – UB – Neb – rushes first cast – Ray with a close catch into overshoot – better final cast hs, just a bit of loose back – great DLO dismount, pretty, high, and stuck. The opening will hurt the score though. 9.850. Or not.

Wojcik – VT- Mich – No! Falls on her Y1.5 – landed short and couldn’t hold the landing, stumbles back and sits down. 9.275

Houchin – UB – Neb – good first hs – giant full to tkatchev, good toes – strong vertical positions – clean position on the bail, short of vertical though, love her extension – DLO, pikes it down at the end to find the stick, but it works. Stuck. 9.900

Wilson – VT – Mich – a large bound forward on her Y1.5 today, not a bad vault, great dynamics and pretty well extended, but a large landing deduction. 9.850

Piringer – Ub – Neb – toe on to maloney, hip angle in the toe on and leg break on a bail – they don’t typically intend to count this score – legs on the giant full into double tuck, step back. 9.650

Looks like 49.325 for Michigan. Good score. Was trending toward a humongous score before the Wojcik miss. That will allow Michigan to move ahead of Nebraska, which had a few more form breaks, close catches, missed handstands than Michigan had in its rotation for a 49.100.

After 2: Michigan 98.550, Nebraska 98.400

Rotation 3

Looking to see if Nebraska can get a good one out of Houchin today. She’s been wobbly on beam this year, and they need her score.

This meet is not used to SEC Network pacing.

De Jesus – BB – Neb – bhs loso series, arch to the side check to keep it going – straddle to sheep, check, some leg form on sheep – cat to side aerial, very small foot slide – 2/1 dismount, bend at the hips to hold the landing. A tentative one, but a hit. 9.800 is too high.

Funk – FX – Mich – double tuck, bounce back – front full to lay, nice rise in the layout – switch side to popa to wolf jump 1.33, great lift and position in those straddles, I’m not sure if that was just supposed to be a wolf jump full but she POPPED OFF on rotating it if it was – rudi, controlled landing. 9.800

Curtis – BB – Neb – wolf to front tuck, a check on landing, possible wolf position deduction as well, though replay made it lok better than real time, which is rare – bhs loso, arm wave to save it – full turn, OK – switch to split, slightly soft, not back in 180 position though – 1.5, short with a lunge back. 9.800. I was thinking it would be like 9.650?

Koulos – FX – Mich – switch leap full, solid split position – front lay to front full, lunge forward – switch side to split jump full, also solid on the split jump full, it’s a leap heavy routine – double pike, takes it too far with a bounce back. 9.575

Verceles Carr – BB – Neb – side aerial is solid – full turn, pretty large check with a lean over – bhs loso series, very secure – split to split jump 3/4, really strong height there – 1.5, stuck landing. Good. 9.775

Wait, how was that score lower? That was obviously the best of the three?

Wojcik – FX – Mich – double pike, beauitful, bounce back – split leap full to wolf jump full, also lovely positions, a little under rotated on wolf – front 2/1 to front pike, a little horizontal but pretty and secure. Rudi to excellent straddle jump, right up vertically. 9.850

Thaler – BB – Neb – aerial, pretty, slightly hesitant into bhs loso, but a serious level-up in terms of form here – switch to back tuck, a little tentative with some back leg on the switch – 1.5, stuck landing. Solid. 9.900

Brenner – FX – Mich – full in, comfortably landed, slide back – back 1.5 to front lay, good positions, keep the back foot down – switch side to popa, high, indistinct landing position – double pike, struggles to control with a bounce back and some chest position. 9.825

“That was adequate.” *heart emoji*

Houchin – BB – Neb – bhs loso series, good extension and controlled landing – aerial, smoothly done – switch to split, nice lift, some back leg on split jump – hitch to side aerial, short, bend at the hips lean correction – 2/1, stuck landing. Progress but still having that one bigger error. 9.725

Brooks – FX – Mich – very strong shape in the air on her full-in, controlled step back – back 1.5 to front lay, doesn’t get a punch into the layout, arches that around, leg break, form errors but does hit it – split leaps, good position on first, loses control on second – double pike, small movement back. 9.875. That’s high for the middle pass issue.

Hassel – BB – Neb – bhs loso series, secure – aerial – split to sheep, secure, excellent split jump, also a bit of leg break in the sheep – it would make Yao Jinnan weep but it works for NCAA – 1.5, holds the stick with a lean. 9.850

Wilson – FX – Mich – another huge full in, open position, lands a bit short which causes a lunge forward – front lay to front full, great amplitude – switch side to popa, big height – double pike, just a bit short but hopped to present to cover well. 9.875

Nebraska escapes beam with 49.150, which works for them but won’t help gain ground on Michigan going to the last rotation.

Michigan goes 49.225 on floor, which also works for them because it wasn’t a super-smooth rotation, some bounces, some OOBs, everyone had a little something. They’ll take a 49.2.

Get nervous for the evaluation of the final rotation, is what I’m saying.

Michigan 147.775, Nebraska 147.550

Rotation 4

We need to talk about Maile Kanewa’s KJ 2.0 beam talks.

Farley – BB – Mich – bhs loso loso, secure landing, some soft legs in the layouts – split and split 1/2, right on – 1.5 turn, nice – side aerial to split, comfortable – gainer pike. strong. 9.875

Curtis – FX – Neb – double pike, large bounce back, keeps it in bounds but bare minimum a tenth for the landing control alone – front full to layout is strong – switch ring to switch 1/2, short of position on those – double tuck, a little foot movement, but solid there. 9.825

Mariani – BB – Mich – side aerial to split to straddle, solid indivisual elements, maybe slow between aerial and split – beat to switch side, nicely done – bhs loso series, secure there – 1.5, small hop. Another good one. 9.850

De Jesus – FX – Neb – double back, no trouble, chest up, controlled presentation – back 1.5 to front loso, the layout gets a little low for me, but pretty pass – switch side to popa, popa is short of position – double pike, chest down with a little step forward. 9.875

O’Hara – BB – Mich – full turn, good – side aerial to bhs series, strong and controlled, I was worried because she collapses a little in the aerial, but worked it into bhs – side aerial to 1.5, a little knees and a lunge forward. 9.825

Dujakovich – FX – Neb – double pike, controlled step – has a bounce back on the rudi – split full to popa, a little soft but not bad – back 1.5 to front full, has the knees in both elements but just does get it around under control. 9.825.

Brooks – BB – Mich – bhs loso loso, beautiful position and height, small check lean on landing – switch to switch, back leg deductions there – kickover, strong – double tuck, super high, small hop to the side. 9.875

Houchin – FX – Neb – back 2.5 – gorgeous, a little lungey out of it – switch ring and split leap full, love the leap shape – back 1.5 to front full, controlled step, nice extension as well – double pike, a bounce back, kept it in bounds. Good improvement. 9.900

Funk – BB – Mich – bhs loso series, off line and falls. Just like on vault, they were cruising until the 5th spot – switch side 1/4, really strong – beat to popa, right around – side aerial to full, stuck, clung on with the toes. 9.325

Hassel – FX – Neb – front 2/1, out of control with a bounce forward – 1.5 to layout, stuck landing, popped right up into that layout – switch 1/2 to wolf jump full, well done on both – rudi to high straddle jump, great after the uncontrolled front 2/1. 9.925 with a full tenth landing deduction on her first pass.

Wojcik – BB – Mich – aerial to beat, smooth and pretty – switch to split, nice extension on switch – loso loso series, great, held herself to avoid a check there well – side aerial, right on – 1.5, landed short with a lunge back. Almost like her vault but not a fall here. 9.875 with a full tenth lunge on dismount and a short landing.

Piringer – FX – Neb – only the double tuck today, not the DLO, more than enough power for it, slide back – 1.5 to layout, nice landing and extended position on her layout, just like Hassel – switch side to popa, just a tad bouncy – double pike, controlled step, just a little chest position. 9.900

We hear that Roby is in exhibition, but not in any lineups today after scoring on two last time out.

Nebraska goes 49.425 on floor to keep it close, but not enough to catch Michigan.

Michigan 197.075, Nebraska 196.975

We’re seeing steps made by Nebraska, especially in terms of getting through hit rotations with believable lineups of six for the most part, though it was a charitable number overall.

Appropriate that Michigan won here because they were the better team, but they left some tenths out there with falls from critical scorers on vault and beam and some landing issues on floor, so things to work on but also a 197 road score to lean on now, which makes for a comfortable position in week 5.