A PageST* 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 The U. of M. Folklore Society Presents 0 Sandy & CarolinePaton IN CONCERT SUN., FEB. 4-9:00Q at the ARK, 1421 Hill St. ' $2.00 ADMISSION «-yoe=<-yo<-yoc==o<->o<-omo