“Forty-five points from last year’s roster are gone.” Merchant said.

“I feel like we’re getting better, our freshmen are learning by trial and error. I know people don’t want to hear it, but I feel like our team is getting better.”

Noting that much of the pressure is put on DeHaan, Merchant said the 6-foot-9 center is a main focal point for the Spartans’ offense and for opposing teams’ defensive game plan.

“She’s got to understand that she’s going to get hit,” Merchant said. “People are going to be physical with her. She’s really getting played pretty physical in the Big Ten and I think that’s coupled with the fact that her partner in crime (junior forward Aisha Jefferson) isn’t around to flag some of that.”

Jefferson is not playing this season due to an ACL tear received during an exhibition match.

“This year everyone knows about (DeHaan) and she’s a target,” Merchant said.

“She’s doing the best job she can. She’s just getting pushed around a lot and it’s affecting her game.”

Despite what the record shows, Merchant said she believes the team is not far away from getting the conference wins.

“Iowa was a big growing time for us, and if Michigan doesn’t shoot that well and we had a decent shooting night then it (would have been) a different story,” she said.

U-M shot 40.8 percent against the Spartans, almost 20 percent above its average.

Now 2-4 in the Big Ten, the reasons for the inferior win column range from lack of leadership and chemistry to not converting offensive rebounds into points. “We just have to find a way to consistently put the ball in the basket,” Merchant said.

“We’ve had really sporadic performances from different people and we need everyone going on the same night.”

Improving the continuity and turning offensive rebounds into points is key in future matchups, Merchant said.

“Obviously our goal is to get better offensive flow and start working together better,” she said. “Continue to keep believing, we’ll come around.”

The Spartans play Northwestern at 8 p.m. in Evanston, Ill.