The last time the Michigan women's basketball team played Indiana, the Wolverines didn't have Pollyana Johns.
The last time the Wolverines played the Hoosiers, they lost, 72-59.
This time, Michigan (4-5 Big Ten, 12-6 overall) has Pollyana Johns available for the trip to Indiana (4-5, 11-8) on Sunday.
And this time ....
"That's a whole 'nuther ball game, right there, (with Johns healthy)," Michigan coach Sue Guevara said.
Johns, Michigan's 6-foot-2 center, has been arguably the most consistent player for the Wolverines for the past three seasons.
She averages a double-double - 14.4 points and 11.3 rebounds per game - and leads the Big Ten in rebounding.
The Wolverines like to go to Johns early offensively so that the rest of the team can feed off her success in the post.
So do you think her absence was missed in their previous meeting with Indiana?
Also keep in mind that the Hoosiers boast 6-foot-5 center Quacy Barnes - the leading shot blocker in the Big Ten (4.22 blocks per game) who scored 18 points in Johns' absence.
"This time, she'll have to contend with Pollyana Johns," Guevara said.
Other than the fact that Johns will be suited up for this Sunday's game, other things differ from the last meeting between the two teams. The most obvious difference is the venue.
The Wolverines dropped their last game against Indiana at home. They certainly haven't forgotten that.
"We look at that 'M' down on the floor (at Crisler Arena), and that's ours," Guevara said. "They were the first team to beat us at home. We gave that one to them, now we're going to go to Assembly Hall and take one from them."
Not as obvious in this game is the improved play Guevara sees in Michigan.
"We're playing much better now than when we played Indiana the first time," Guevara said. "We're getting more penetration on the perimeter than what we did before. Defensively, we're playing better."
Guevara might also unleash a new weapon in her team's arsenal.
"We've put in another defense which we haven't really shown," Guevara said.
That never-before-seen defense might present a problem for the Hoosiers.
The Wolverines have effectively used their current full-court press in past games, so a new scheme might give Indiana even more fits.
Ordinarily, the Wolverines - as do all Big Ten teams - have two games each weekend, one on Friday and another on Sunday. This week the Wolverines are fortunate to have Friday off.
"I hope the rest is really going to help," Guevara said. "Traveling just wears on you."
The Wolverines are aware that the traveling isn't over yet. After returning from Iowa last Sunday and heading over to Indiana this Sunday, the Wolverines will finish up at Penn State next Friday.
The game against Indiana turns out to be a very important one for both teams. Indiana and Michigan are tied in seventh-place.
The Wolverines are barely trailing Penn State and Iowa, both tied for fifth, and are not that far away from fourth-place Purdue.
Guevara hopes that the next couple of weeks can push her team into the top-half of the conference.
"We're getting better as the season goes on and that's exactly what needs to happen," Guevara said.
Mark Friedman/Daily
Akisha Franklin was forced to sit out Michigan's last home game, because she had a tooth removed. Fortunately for her, the Wolverines have a day off this Friday to work on certain areas of their game. The Wolverines return to action Sunday at Indiana, where they may employ a new defense to avenge an earlier loss at the hands of the Hoosiers. If the Wolverines' mystery defense can match the intensity of their past full-court press, Indiana could be in for a long game.
Kristen Schaefer/Daily
Sunday, Pollyanna Johns will face the Big Ten's leading shot-blocker - Quacy Barnes - for the first time this season.