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Friday, March 4, 1977

THE MICHIGAN DAILY

Page Nine



LE LAY BL.
By Scott Lews

CLINCH BIG TEN TITLE SHARE

Hub's

23

(Continued from Page 1)

CHAMPAIGN
TOUNIrNTYO tran r t,, ;m,-.n i r r, -. ,,ne , t full-court pressure, jumped to

,...ly V ti Ull b il .uJJL ing aga~Wi- iurine1Inext1 weeK AL' j

I

t least.
After three months of pressure and uncertainty his team has
finally justified all the preseason accolades bestowed upon it.
And Michigan didn't do it with another cheap victory either.
With 6:17 left in the first half, Illinois led the Wolverines1
32-23, and it looked like a typical Michigan versus Nobody
game. All the mistakes that had plagued the "Blue Machine"
at various times thronghout the season had begun to cramp t
its efficiency once again.{
The team was committing stupid fouls, making bad passes,
and tossing up poor shots. The defense was shoddy, giving the
Illini easy shots. The loose balls that usually come up in Michi-
gan's hands ended up in the opposition's. And the bench provided1
no spark whatsoever.-
It looked like Mic'higan was coming to hyped-up Illinois team t
and could possibly lose a game that it had to win. E
And to make matters worse Rickey Green injured his hip|
and had to leave the game for good.
"We knew that without Rickey, we were going to have
to pull together and play team-oriented ball," said Tom |
Staton. "Wtihout him, we're not nearly as explosive as usual."-
And, as has been the case time and time again when Michi-
gan has had its back to the wall, it played basketball like a1
chamnionshio team.
After Green left, unti' the middle of the second half, Michiga'n.,
outscored Illinois 54-22 and wrapped up at least a tie for the Big
Ten championship.
In any other year there would be reason to celebrate. with1
the team's goal having been reached. And any oher successes
would just add to an already successful campaign.
But this team was expected to cruise into the tourna-
ment and accordingly Orr has never had more pressure on
him to produce a winner.
"Oh, I've aged a lot over the year," the smiling coach said.l
"But this game makes me feel better. I feel much better."
But this was just the first step to a goal unrealistic in past:
seasons, but very much a reality now - a national championhip.
And if there was ever a time for optimism, it's right now.
The team has shown it can play super basketball when l
it's had to, rising to the occasion in every vital contest so
far this year. And there's no reason to think this won't con-
tinue.
Center Phil Hubbard has been the stalwart of the team.!
In his two-vear career here, he's never performed better than
he is currently.I
The forwards plae-ed by inconsistency earlier in the year.
are starting to gel. John Robinson has looked more and more
like the John Rob of old, while Tom Staton has finally played
well enough to convincingly secure the other forward position.;
And then come the guards. Both seniors can taste the na-
tional championship. and the WoJ----nes can rest assured that
Green and Grote will perform as well, 9s ever in the tournaments.
"I think Michigan's a great ballclub," said Illinois Coach
Lou Henson. "And it wouldn't surprise me at all to see them go
all the way."l
The hardest portion of the season has yet to come, but At-
lanta doesn't seem as far away as it once did, and all the pre-
season fantasies are slowly approaching reality.

a 17-point lead with 10 minutes
remaining and finally to a 22-
point lead with six minutes still
to tick off.
"THAT WAS A great second
half,' Orr said. "They really put
the pressure on Illinois.
"I said to them at half that
we would not have Rickey
Green and we really played,"
Orr continued. "...Without
Rickey Green I told them we
had to go out there and suck
it up for 20 minutes.
"We had come this far and
led from the very beginning (of
the season) and we didn't want
to let it go now. They respond-
ed superbly."
"I KNEW WE HAD to play
harder (without Green)," was
the way Hubbard saw it.
Hubbard did play harder in
the second half. The 6-7 cen-

ter from Canton scored 15 points
in the second half to lead all
scorers with a total of 23 points.
"I was moving better in the
second half," Hubbard said,
"and was getting to the boards
better."
John Robinson, Tom Staton
and Grote all hit for 16 points.
Green playing just over 13 min-
utes hit for eight points. Is was
enough to move him into eighth
place on Michigan's all-time
scoring list.

paces
"I just can't understand ... it's
beyond me ... how three guys
cannot see a guy tripped," Orr
continued. "If it was in the cor-
ner, okay. But not when he's
dribbling in the middle of the,
court."
GREEN FELL while driving
at the top of the key on a fast-,
break and ended up losing the
ball. "I definitely felt I was
pushed," Green said.
While Green was sitting on,
the sidelines, Grote picked up

content to have his charges stall
out the rest of the game. "We
wanted to make sure," Orr said,,
"we were not going to take any.
chances. When you get older you
don't take chances.'
Orr summed the situation up
saying, "This sure makes it a
lot easier going to Purdue (on
Saturday). We felt like we had
to win this one."
All-Americans
UPI First Team
Rickey Green,
MICHIGAN 6-2, Sr.
Marques Johnson,
UCLA 6-7, Sr.
Kent Benson,
Indiana 6-11, Sr.
Bernard King,3
Tennessee 6-7, Jr.
Otis Birdsong,
Houston 6-4, Sr.

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dGREEN SUFFIRED a bruis-his fourth foul with 13:21 re-
ed hip which Michigan trainer minin rean ihgauapMar
Dan Campbell said may make nine. Freshman guard Mark
Lozier then etrd nwa
him doubtful for both Saturday Loed to entered, s nwhat
and Sunday's games but that pmounted to a true test under
he should be ready for Bloom- thught
ington. "I thought Lozier did a fie
"We lost Joe Johnson here (in job," Orr said. "We were really
a playoff game against Indiana) pleased with his performance."
in 1974 and I really felt that With two minutes remainingl
hurt us," Orr said. "I just hope and Michigan up by 15, Orr was
Rickey will be ready. - b


"n to bloonlingloll

Gophers
stay in
title chase
By DON MacLACHLAN
Special To The Daily
MADISON - The Minnesota
Gophers rallied from a 37-32
half-time deficit to defeat upset-
minded Wisconsin 64-61 here last
night, keeping the Gophers' Big
Ten title hopes alive.
The Badgers, leading 61-58
with 1:26 remaining, had the
ball and ran a stall. But two
straight steals by the pressing
Gophers resulted in baskets that
won the game.
"We were fortunate to win,"
'said Minnesota Coach Jim
Dutcher. "Michigan's game at
Purdue ought to be a barn-
burner, and so will ours
against Northwestern."
Gopher center Michael Thomp-
son, playing with the flu, scored
only six points. The All-Big Ten
center hit on just 3 of 13 shots
from the field.
In other Big Ten action last
night, Eugene Parker scored23
points, 17 in the second half as
Purdue beat Michigan State
78-69 in' West Lafayette. Bob
Chapman led the Spartans with
25 points.

SCOREIS
COLLEGE BASKETBALL I
Michigan 87, Illinois 72
ninnesom 64, Wisconsin 61
Purdue 78, Michigan State 69
Iowa 78, Northwestern 60
Cincinnati 76, St. Louis 68
" Missouri 90, Okahoma 76
ACC Tournament
First Round

Robinson
Staton
Hubbard
G3reen
Grote
Thompson
Baxter
Hardy
Lozier
Teamr

MICHIGAN
FG/FGA FT/FTA R
6-14 4-7 6 1
5-10 6-6 6
9-10 5-8 11
3-7 2-2 3 7
8-12 0-0l2 !
n 1-? 0-0 1t
1-5 2-2 3
1-1 0-0 0
0-1 0-0 1

A
1
3
1
1
8
0
5
0

T
16
16
23
8
16
2
4
2
0

Leighty
Cobb
Adams
Ma thews
Lanter
Ferdinand
Gerhardt
Lubin
Judson
Team

ILLINOIS
FG/FGA FT/FTA R A . T

3-7
5-19
8-13
5-12
3-4
3-6
0-0
3-5
1-3

4-5 4 3 10

1-2
0-3
2-?
0-0
0-0
0-0
0-0

7
4
5
2
2
3
1
1
3

5
4
1
1
1
0

13
17
10
O
6
0
6
2


4

TOrALS 34-62 19-25 37



19 87 TOTALS

31-60 10-16 32 19

virginia 59, Wake Forest 57 Score by periods
Clemson 82, Duke 74 MICHIGAN..........39 48 - 87
North Carolina State 82, Maryland 72 Illinois..... .......40 32 -72 Attendance: 10,524


Downie sets conference mark
as tankers splash in tourney

By DAN PERRIN
Special To The Daily
EAST LANSING - Michigan
senior Gordon Downie started
the Wolverines off on the right
track last night as he swam to a
first place finish in the 500-yard
freestyle, here, on the first day
of the Big Ten Swimming Cham-
pionships.
Downie, celebrating his 22nd!
birthday, beat out Michigan
State's Shawn Elkins in winning
the event with a new Big Ten.
and Michigan State pool record
time of 4:27.62.
DOWNIE, a British Olympian!

at Montreal, was very pleased
with his swim. "I've placed sec-
ond in the 500 free for the past
three years. I wanted to win it
tonight, not only for myself, but
I also wanted to start the team
off on the right track," he said.
Fired up Wolverine freshman
Kevin Morgan showed that he
belongs with the big guys as he
stroked his way to the runner-
up spot in the 200-yard individ-
ual medley behind Michigan
State's Mike Rado.
Michigan junior Larry Schroe-
der surprised a lot of people
with his second place finish be-

hind Olympic gold medalist Jim
Montgomery of Indiana.
Sophomore diver Matt Chelich
kept the Blue tankers second
place string going, finishing with
491.82 points in the one-meter
springboard, less than three and
a half points behind Michigan
State's Dave Burgering.
The team had a tough time
accumulating points because
many of the Tankers were not
coming through. By the end of
the night they found themselves
mired in fifth place with 108.
points. The championships run
through Saturday night.

A -- ._- Y,
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When it's 6 weeks into the semester
and 34 books have just arrived for a class of 358
...it's no time to get filled up.



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