'Magic to do' Cagers need tricks to spoil Spartans By CUB SCHWARTZ The drive west on I-96 is a boring one. The flat land, sleepy little towns and tacky billboards hyp- notize you behind the wheel. But soon enough the Michigan State exit arrives and as the road curves around the campus lights greet you, the aura of 'moo u' - a party school, warms you and you gen- erally feel right at home. So you turn down Harrison Road heading to- wards Grand River and there it is; MAJIK MAR- KET. Just a coincidence, right? I mean who would rename their store after an 18-year-old basketball player. A quick trip into another party store and the remnants of last year's Christmas supplies lay near the door. "Have yourself a MAGIC little Christ- mas," a card greets. It is one of the few that re- mains in East Lansing. Back in your car, you await the light to change. The rusted out Ford in front of you bears the bum- per sticker SPARTAN BASKETBALL * IT'S MAGIC! The Mercedes next to it is similarly ador- ned. The town has gone crazy. It's hula hoops, streak- ing and Star Wars all rolled into one. And tonight the men from Michigan must con- front this fanatacism, not to mention the Michigan State basketball team itself. Neither task will be easy. "Going up there, I think they're one of the great- est teams in the country this year," said Michigan coach Johnny Orr. "I ranked them number two in the country last week." Indeed the Spartans have more talent than just Earvin Johnson. At forward is 6-7 junior Greg Kelser, certainly one of the finest in the Big Ten. He leads.State in scoring with a 17.7 per game average, while shooting a blistering 60 per cent from the field. Not only can Kelser score, he is also the leading rebounder on a Spartan squad that is noted for its strong board work. He has pulled the ball off the boards at an average of 8.5 per contest. Another big man is freshman Jay Vincent, schoolboy friend of Johnson. Vincent is the un- expected bonus for Coach Jud Heathcote this sea- son. While a bonafide All Stater in his own regard, Vincent played under the cross town shadow of Johnson which kept him under wraps. Feared to be to slow for college basketball, Vin- cent has' poured in 15 points per game, shot an amazing 63 per cent from the field and pulled down a handful of rebounds each contest from his center position. And if that isn't enough, senior Bob Chapman has equaled Vincent's point production from his guard position. Chapman is the floor leader of the Big Ten Stand Spartans as the only senior on the floor. And in that regard Chapman has proven invaluable to the club. The pre-season critics cited the inexperience of State's starting five and questioned their ability to stay poised in those close contests. But with Chap- man's help the Spartans have not only kept their composure in the close games, they have riled the opposition. State has pulled out big games in the late going, including a four-point victory over Minnesota and a nine-point blow out of Purdue in the final minute and a half. Across from Chapman plays Terry Donnelly, a 6-, 2 sophomore. Donnelly's stats don't compare with those of the other starters but he is a solid player logging more playing time than either Kelser or Vincent. And while he doesn't shoot often, he cashes in on the ones he takes. Donnelly's shooting percentage is better than all but Joel Thompson of the Wolverines starting five. But Donnelly hasn't caused the excitement at Jenison Fieldhouse and across the state. And Vin- cent, Kelser and Chapman don't fill the bill either. The miracles, the emotions, the madness, the - magic of Spartan basketball this year centers about frosh sensation Earvin Johnson. "He's the key, the guy that does it for them," says Orr. "We said last year that he was the great- est basketball player in America and he is certainly proving that." Certainly. 15.8 points per game, eight rebounds in each outing, 81 per cent from the free throw line, after only half the season he has eclipsed the Michigan State season record for assists - with 13 games remaining. He brings the ball up the floor against the press. He shoots over the zone, drives on the man-to-man defense, rebounds, runs and passes. Boy can he pass! "Johnson is one of the greatest passers I've ever seen," Orr noted, "Ernie DiGregorio, Bob Cousy ... when he finishes that's who they'll compare him with." The talent flows and it's a wonder that some people picked the Spartans to finish as low as seven- th in the Big Ten. "They are a very good team," admitted Orr. "They have three guys that could probably make the All Big Ten team. Why, I've only had four All Big Ten players in my ten years at Michigan." "This will be the first time in ten years where one of my teams has played Michigan State and we've been the underdog." At seventh in the Associated Press poll and fifth in the UPI, the Spartan's surely pose a problem for the up and down Wolverines. In fact, Orr and Assistant Coach Bill Frieder have yet to decide how the Wolverines will check up man for man against the talented Spartans. One guess was Staton against Johnson, Kelser on Vin- cent, Hardy checking Kelser, Baxter versus Chap- man and McGee across from Donnelly., But Orr is noted for his craftiness in the big games, so only time will tell what the thatch-up will be. Michigan State on the other hand, will stick mostly to the zone, using a man-to-man on occasion. Early in the season Heathcote questioned the ability of his team to play a man-to-man defense. And it's tough to say whether things have changed much. "We don't have much confidence in either (the zone or man-to-man) at all," Heathcote said. Nevertheless, Michigan State has held its opponents to only 59.9 points per game. But Heathcote's modesty makes you wonder, if he ever reads the paper or looks at the stats. "We're not the number two team in the nation, he said in reference to Orr's vote. "I don't know if we are even in the top ten. I guess we're a legitimate top twenty team, but I wouldn't know where. "It just all depends on who you beat and who you lose to," he added. But the Spartans have only lost one Big Ten contest, that one at the hands of Indiana at Bloomington. Like a host of other Big Ten teams, the Spartans were holed up in hotels for six days prior to their snow delayed game with the Hoosiers. Prior to that, only Syracuse has stopped the State Machine. But rivalries have been known to turn favorites into failures. And a rivalry is definitely present. "Of course it's a great game anytime two teams from the same state get together," says Heathcote, "but with as much at stake for the kids, the fans and the community - I just look for a great perform- ance. "It has all the elements of a super sports event." Orr couldn't agree more. "Its the type of game that you like to play, like to coach and like to be associated with," the Michigan mentor said. "When two schools are only 60 miles up the road from each other there has to be a tremendous rivalry. I think that is what makes the ACC (Atlan- tic Coast Conference) so great - they're so close together, they get so much publicity." So the players are enthused, the coaches are up and the media is hyped. The makings for a great game are evident. "I think our players will respond well. We'll have a terrific performance - whether it's good enough or not I don't know." I' 3rd,' The Michigan Daily-Thursday, February 2, 1978-Page 1 TONIGHT'S long-awaited ' game between the first place 1~. Michigan State Spartans (7-1) and the third place Michigan Wolverines (tied with Minne- sota at 5-3) will be the sports event of the season. The game will be televised on Channels 2 and 6 (on cable). If you cannot be there in person, or see the spectacle on the screen, you will still get to hear all the ac- tion on radio stations WJR in, Detroit, WUOM-FM and WAAM in Ann Arbor and WLEN in Adrian. Game time will be 8:00 p.m. EARVIN JOHNSON, (left) will head the star studded Spartan cast against the Wol- verines. The last time Michi- gan State defeated Michigan was January 11, 1975 by a score of 86-78. MSU will be out to stop a two-game losing streak at home against the Wolverines and a five-game streak over the past three sea- sons. ) Ja.' U last Call for Gow~l eagues Sign Up Now UNION LANES Mon., Wed., Thurs. Nights STARTS 6:30 P.M. Union Lanes Open 10 a.m. Mon.-Sat., 1 p.m. Sun. C W Michigan State ................ 7 Purdue ...................... 6 MICHIGAN ..................... 5 Minnesota ....................... 5 Illinois ............... ........ 4 OhioState... .............. 4 Indiana .......................... 3 Conference L Pct. 1 .875 2 .750 3 .625 3 .625 4 .500 4 .500 5 .375 W 15 11 10 9 10 11 11 All Games L Pct. 2 .882 6 .647 6 .625 7 .563 7 .588 6 .647 6 .647 free Pocket Biliard Exhibition Today, Feb. 2 at 4 and 8 p.m. In Person JIM REMPY Winner of 28 tournaments in the UNION BALL ROOM Iowa ........................ 3 5 .375 10 6 .625 Northwestern.............. .2 6 .250 .6 11 .353 Wisconsin........................ 1 7 .125 5 11 .313 Tonight's Games MICHIGAN at Michigan State - Indiana at Northwestern - Wisconsin at Illinois Iowa at Minnesota - Ohio State at Purdue I m- Dutch Auction urday, Feb.4 ssembly Hall 9 to 5 Tuesday, Jan.31 thru Sat Mich Union Basement Ac RESCHEDULED The 1978 Michiganensian (U-M's yearbook) is looking for students interested in working on the business staff. Positions are open in marketing, sales, and general business. No experience necessary, we will train you. Mass Meeting E , I ...-......-............... .. ... .. .. .. 1 .':