Losing two games in a row for the first time this season has made Michigan's Ann Lemire sick - literally.
"I walked into the lockerroom after the Michigan State game, and she was puking her guts out," Michigan women's basketball coach Sue Guevara said.
But, it wasn't exactly the 76-67 loss to the Spartans last Sunday that caused Lemire's violent reaction - the junior guard has the flu.
Despite her ailments, Guevara hopes Lemire will be in the lineup for Michigan's upcoming games this weekend. The Wolverines (3-4 Big Ten, 11-5 overall) will face No. 16 Wisconsin tonight at Crisler Arena at 7:30.
Michigan will then travel to Iowa City to face Iowa in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
"(Lemire's) been to the doctor and she's got some antibiotics now - the flu has hit her," Guevara said.
Nevertheless, Guevara adds, "She's the kind of kid that doesn't keep out of anything."
And that is music to Michigan's ears, considering Lemire has led the squad in scoring for the past three games. Her coming-out party was two weeks ago against Illinois when she scored a career-high 26 points in the 93-87 victory.
The guard has had to pick up the slack for the Wolverines while leading scorer Pollyanna Johns has battled the flu herself.
If Michigan hopes to end this season-high two-game losing streak, it's going to have to pick up its consistency. In their two losses to Indiana and Michigan State, the Wolverines played 40 minutes of solid basketball - combined.
Michigan played a solid first half against the Hoosiers, before losing its composure in the second stanza.
The Wolverines didn't figure out the Spartans until late in the second half Sunday, but by then, it was too little too late.
Guevara was worried that this two-game dip would still be hanging over her squad this week in practice.
"I was kind of worried about how the spirits were going to be after losing two in a row for the first time this season," she said. "I've been pleased with (practice)."
This all goes back to the resilience these confident Wolverines have shown the entire season.
"These kids are thinking, it doesn't matter who we're playing - we've got just a good of chance as anybody," Guevara said.
Even with this fire, both Johns and Lemire will have to be at their best Sunday if Michigan plans to score at all. The Hawkeyes (3-3 Big Ten, 8-7 overall) pose the biggest defensive challenge the Wolverines have seen all seen.
Iowa leads the Big Ten in both scoring defense, allowing 59.8 points a contest, and field-goal percentage defense, holding opponents to a 37 percent clip.
This doesn't bode well for a Michigan team that has the seventh-best scoring offense in the Big Ten - putting up a paltry 71 points per game.
Nevertheless, the Hawkeyes are having a down year in the eyes of many, including Guevara.
"Iowa is not the same team they were last year," Guevara said. "They've lost some games at home this season."
Last year's Sweet 16 squad is a far cry from the 1996-97 version of the Hawkeyes. Iowa lost a total of four games last season, dropping all of them on the road.
However, this year's team has already lost two games, most recently a nail-biting 61-60 loss to Penn State.
Tonight is not going to be much easier for the Wolverines, when they face third-place Wisconsin (5-2 Big Ten, 12-3 overall). The Badgers have one of the best one-two punches in the conference, with Keisha Anderson and Ann Klapperich.
"Wisconsin has one of the better point guards in the Big Ten in Keisha Anderson," Guevara said. "She is the total package. She's quick, she's a menace on defense, she can shoot the three, and she can penetrate - she's a real leader for them."
Anderson is third in conference scoring, putting up 19.57 points per game, and sixth in assists, dishing out 4.43 per game.
And don't forget about Klapperich, who is no slouch herself. The 6-foot-1 forward is quite the scorer as well, adding 18.29 points per game - good enough for eighth in the conference.
With a little over a month remaining during the regular season, the Wolverines will have to string together a few victories if they hope to receive a high ranking in the Big Ten tournament.
A sweep of the weekend might be what Michigan needs to thrust itself into serious contention to finish in the upper division.
JONATHAN SUMMER/Daily
The Wolverines hope guard Ann Lemire can overcome the flu and provide some much needed points against Wisconsin tonight and at Iowa on Sunday. The sophomore has become a major scorer this season.