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THE MICHIGAN DAILY
saturday, February 3, 1975
Activities ?
"Butt want friends,
diversity, action and
something to keep my
interest, too!"
BUSINESS STAFF
IS LOOKING FOR YOU!
Come see FRAN M-F, 10-2 and
M-W-F 2-4 at 420 MAYNARD
Beleaguered
Blue
test rested
..By MARC FELDMAN .
The Michigan Wolverines, who
rested on top of the Big Ten
standings as recently as two
weeks ago, will incredibly be
playing tha spoiler role when
they travel to Champaign to bat-
tle the Illini in a regionally tele-
vised game today.
Michigan's three losses in re-
cent action have brought the for-
merly highly touted Wolverines
to the brink of elimination from
title consideration. Illinois, on
the other hand, could still play
an important, role in the race for
conference laurels, although its
current prominence has been
fashioned more by a lack of ac-
tivity rather than a flurry of
league triumphs.
Today's game between Michi-
gan and Illinois will be televised
beginning at 3:00 p.m., EST, on
Channel 4.
ILLINOIS HAS been in the
throes of semester exams for
most of January as the Illini last
THE LINEUPS
MICHIGAN
Campy Russell (6-7,18.1)
Ernie Johnson (6-8,11.5)
Ken Brady (6-10,13.4)
Joe Johnson (5-10,6.9)
Henry Wilmore (6-3y2,21.5)
F
F
C
G
G
card with the UCLA - Chicago
Loyola game, but South Carolina
defeated the tllini two days later
at the Stadium, 86-76.
Illinois boasts an 8-5 record in
overall play and has been a
pleasant surprise to Schmidt,
whose Iliini were picked in the
preseason polls to finish in the
nether regions of the Big Ten
standings. Playing a very tough
slate of non-conference foes, Illi-
nois faced Southern Cal in Los
Angelcs and UCLA in the Sugar
Bowl Tournament in New Or-
leans.
THE BRUINS were hard-
pressed (they worked up a
sweat) to defeat the tenacious
Illini 71-64, in what is thus far
UCLA's closest approach to
mortality this season. Southern
ILLINOIS
N. Weatherspoon (6-6,24.7)
Rick Schmidt (6-6,3.1)
Nick Conner (6-6,12.2)
Otho Tucker (6-6,11.0)
Jeff Dawson (6-2,19.0)
17 points against the champion
Bruins, 19 in a win over Iowa,
and 20 against Big Eight con-
tender Iowa State have spark-
ed Illinois to its best perform-
ances. Michigan Coach Johnny
Orr says of the 6-6 pivot man,
"Conner s inconsistency has
hurt the Illini, but if he's on -
they'll be tough."
The Illini will need another
great performance from senior
forward and genuine All-Ameri-
can candidate Nick Weather-
spoon to battle the Wolverines on
even terms. "Spoon", as he is
known on the Illinois campus,
has been a model of consistently
excellent play both this year and
over the course of his entire
varsity career.
The 6-6 leaper from Canton,
Ohio, is currently averaging
24.7 points per game and a team
leading 12 rebounds. Spoon,
whom Orr describes as just "out-
standing" hos scored no less
than 18 points in a game this sea-
son, and this low mark ironically
came against UCLA, one of the
team's best performances of the
year.
W E 4 T H E R S P O O N
currently ranks fifth on the all-
time Illinois scoring list with
1202 points and if he keeps up
his present scoring pace over his
last eleven games, the Spoon
will become the school's all-time
scoring champion. Most recent-
ly against powerful South Caro-
lina, Weatherspoon had 30 points
and 18 rebounds in a losing ef-
fort.
Jeff Dawson ,a 6-2 transfer
from Duke, will man one back-
court spot for Illinois and carry
a 19 point average into today's
game. Dawson is the only starter
who doesn't stand 6-6 on this
team, which features a tall
guard in Otho Tucker and a
short center in Conner.
Tucker, just a sophomore,
shoots extremely well from out-
side for a man his size, sport-
ing a 50.4 per cent accuracy
mark from the field. The picture
at the other forward has been
the m o s t troublesome f o r
Schmidt to solve.
The Illini usually open with
Rick Schmidt (no relation to the
coach) at the spot but Jed Fos-
ter, who has started three games
has accumulated more playing
time than Schmidt.
Orr is still "stunned by the
double losses last weekend, but
is anxious to see how ,we're go-
ing to rebound and looks for a
great effort today. The slump-
ridden Wolverines will need it
to defeat the spunky and talented
Illini.
IN SOME vital conference
games elsewhere in the Midwest,
Indiana shouldn't have much
trouble with lowly Northwestern
especially at home. The rest of
the league will be fighting to
stay in contention with the un-
beaten Hoosiers.
The crucial matchup of the day
will be in Minneapolis when
Purdue (5-1) visits the always
hospitable Minnesota Gophers
(3-2).
The Gophers need this game
Illin i
very badly to stay within strik-
ing distance of Indiana. Minne-
sota is favored on the strength
of its powerful front line and
Purdue Coach Fred Schaus feels
he's got a good chance "but
we've got to keep from getting
killed on the boards."
Michigan State and Iowa battle
for seventh place today at East
Lansing and in the final game on
the full card, Ohio State visits
Wisconsin to battle the Badgers.
OSU needs a victory badly to
stay in the race and Wisconsin
just wants to win one once in a
while.
Big Ten Standings
W L Pct.
Indiana 5 0 1.000
Purdue 5 1 .833
Illinois 2 1 .667
Minnesota 3 2 .600
MICHIGAN 4 3 .571
j
Staff members needed in advertising,
culation, classified, and finance.
Cir-
played a Big Ten team three Cal, ranked 20th in the coun
weeks ago when they defeated try and tied with UCLA in the
Iowa, 80-78. The victory im- Pacific Eight standings, nudged
proved the Illinois mark to 2-1 Illinois 75-72 back in December.
and the team has remained high Illinois lack of pre-season ac-
in the standings as the other claim was predicted on the
nine conference members have team's obvious weak link - the
been knocking each other off. lack of a towering giant at cen-
Coach Harv Schmidt's team ter. Nick Conner, a relative mid-
has not been totally inactive dur- get at 6-6, starts at the pivot for
ing this hiatus in the schedule Illinois and his play has been the
as the Illini played games at key to some excellent overall
Chicago Stadium last Thursday team performances.
and Saturday. Illinois defeated Although Codner is averaging
Notre Dame 87-84 on the same just 12 2 points per game, his
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Tcoay 1i11SportsI
Grapplers host Gophers
TODAY THE Michigan grapplers contend with Minnesota, one
of the two roughest teams to be pittedagainst the Wolverines
in their race to the Big Ten title. Although Coach Rick Bay
claims deep confidence in his team, which is obviously based on
their past outstanding performances, he more than likely feels
a little apprehension as he faces today's challenge.
The match will be held in Crisler Arena beginning at 3:30
p.m.
The line up for this week will remain about the same as
last weekend starting out with Jim Brown at 118 pounds, a
wrestler who has more than proved his ability in this key posi-
tion. However, there is a change in the 126 pound position with
Billy Davids taking his old job back from teammate Jim Blanks,
the result ofd a difficult decision by the coaching staff.
Tankers visit Princeton
THE MICHIGAN gymnastic team will try to get back on the
winning trail this afternoon in a 1:00 affair against the Iowa
Hawkeyes at Crisler Arena. Iowa, the defending Big Ten champ-
ion, is tough again this year as evidenced by its 161.5 scored
last weekend. The Hawkeyes boast several topnotch performers,
including Dan Repp who has been averaging 9.4 to 9.5 on the
rings.
Michigan will counter with its own stellar ringmen, Monty
Falb and Joe Neuenswander, both of whom have been consistent-
ly scoring in the 9.0's and above. The rest of the squad is ready
and willing to erase the memory of last week's defeat at Minne-
sota. The Wolverines should be at full strength with the return
of all-arounder Bruce Keeshin.
Thinclads race Penn St.
Ohio State
Michigan St.
Iowa
Northwestern
Wisconsin
2 2 .500
2 4 .333
2 4 .333
1 4 .200
1 6 .143
Today's Games
MICHIGAN at Illinois
Ohio State at Wisconsin
Northwestern at Indiana
Iowa at Michigan St.
Purdue at Minnesota
r
Wooden seeks 600th
as UCLA meets USC
1973 Calendars
25% off
By LEBA HERTZ
Coach John Wooden's number
one ranked UCLA Bruins go after
their 62nd straight victory tonight
against Southern California. UCLA,
who last week set an NCAA mark
for the most consecutive victories
by defeating Notre Dame 82-63,
faces the Trojans who three years
ago upset the Bruins 46-44 in over-
time. The Bruins will try tonight
to give Wooden his 600th c a r e e r
triumph. But Southern Cal, under.
Coach Bob Boyd, whose team
boasts a 13-4 overall record and a
4-0 mark in the Pacific Eight Con-
ference, has other ideas. The win-
ner of tonight's game at USC's
home court will vault into s o1 e
possession of the conference lead.
According to Boyd, "The Troj-
ans like to run, but UCLA is a
unique team. This is a team
(UCLA) that requires you to do
something completely different."
The Trojans will try to slow the
tempo of the game in an attempt
to upset the Bruins.
Wooden calls this strategy stall-
Js
UCLA has outscored its opponents
on an average of 84-60 in quest
of its seventh consecutive national
championship. The Trojan's 6-10
center Mike Westra can shoot, but
the key to the Trojan's offense is
6-2 guard Dan Anderson.
Anderson says, "We've been
working on a few different things
for UCLA. We'll be very selective
in the shots we take. But if we
get a good shot off a fast break,
we'll take it . .."
Southern Cal leads the series
79-74 but in Wooden's 24 years at
UCLA, the Bruins hold a 55-20
margin including 22 of the last 24
meetings.
The game will be televised to-
night at 11:30.
Perhaps the only team that could
give UCLA.a battle is North Caro-
lina State. However, this meeting
will never take place since the
Wolfpack was penalized for recruit-
ing violations and as a result, will
not be eligible for post-season
tournaments this season.
Second ranked nationally and un-
defeated North Carolina State fac-
es Virginia tonight at home. Led
by 7-4 giant Tom Burleson at cen-
ter, super soph Dave Thompson
(6-4) and little Monty Towe (5-7),
the Wolfpack tests the up and
down Virginia Cavaliers who up-
set North Carolina last week. North
Carolina State proved its national
rating by defeating highly rated
Maryland for the second time this
month, last Wednesday night by
a score of 89-75.
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