Page 8 - The Michigan Daily - Sunday, March 10, 1985
Knight next on Blue hit list
By STEVE WISE
It's kind of an interesting twist for the
Wolverines to end their 1985 basketball
season against the Indiana Hoosiers
today. Actually it might be better
called an interesting rotation since
that's what the two teams have done
since their last meeting, the Big Ten
season opener in January.
You remember. That was the game
in which the Big Red Machine gave
notice, in the form of a nationally
televised 25-point slaughter, that it was
indeed a contender for the Big Ten title.
THAT WAS the game in which Uwe
Blab showed who was boss among Big
Ten centers, -pouring in 31 points and
making Roy Tarpley and his 12 points
look silly.
That was the game after which Bill
Frieder explained how much work it
would take for his Wolverines to go
anywhere this season.
If you don't remember, Michigan
forward Richard Rellford can remind
you.
"I THINK Indiana embarrassed us
here," said the 6-6 junior, "and Bob-
by (Knight) knew that he embarrassed
us."
Two months and 15 conference wins
later, Michigan has banished all other
contenders for the Big Ten title and is
completing the best season in its
history.
Eight conference losses, countless
different lineups and about as many
Bobby brouhahas later, Indiana is
finishing up its first losing conference
season since Knight took over.
ONCE TODAY'S game is over,
Michigan will officially receive its
NCAA tournament bid, while the
Hoosiers may pick up early invite to the
off-season.
As if it hasn't been an off-season for
the Hoosiers already. Everyone's eyes
followed the famous chair as it slid
across the floor of Assembly Hall, so
they seem not to have noticed as In-
diana slid into five losses in its last six
outings. Four of those, like the chair,
were on the home court.
Those losses leave the Hoosiers at 7-9
in the Big Ten and 15-12 overall. In-
diana would not have done even that
well without two players, Blab and
Steve Alford, who usually account for
half the Hoosiers' offense.
BUT BLAB HAS recently played
below this season's par (about 16 per
game) and more like the not-quite ten-
point-per-game player his career stats
show him to be. In the past four games
Blab has scored more than ten just on-
ce, and has generally struggled.
The Wolverines will likely try to
make Blab's last game as a Hoosier
forgettable by throwing Butch Wade at
him defensively. Wade has developed
into an excellent defensive specialist
since the Indiana debacle, and he thinks
he's ready to slay the 7-2 monster from
Munich.
"I can spin him one way or another,
and Tarpley with the long arms can
block him or at least distract him a lit-
tle," Wade said.
WHILE BLAB has drifted toward his
true level, Alford has fallen well below
his. And the 6-2 guard's demise has
probably dragged Indiana down with
him.
A nearly 60 percent shooter last year,
Alford has come up with such pitiful
performances lately as three-of-14
against Illinois and three-of-12 against
Purdue two weeks ago, and two-of-12
against Michigan State Thursday.
All that has reduced the Olympian's
efficiency to about 45 percent from the
field, but Alford's 17 points per game
Daily Photo by STU WEIDENBACH
Roy Tarpley, shown here trying to go over Hoosier's Uwe Blab and Todd
Meier in January, hopes to lead Michigan to its first victory ever at Assem-
bly Hall today.
NCAA ROUNDUP:
Scrapping Hoyas leave no doubt
NEW YORK (AP) - Top-ranked Georgetown,
despite getting only 18 minutes of playing time from
All-America center Patrick Ewing because of foul
trouble, defeated second-ranked St. John's 92-80 last
night to win the Big East Conference tournament title
for the fourth time in six years.
The defending NCAA champion Hoyas will carry a
12-game winning streak and a 30-2 record into the
NCAA basketball playoffs next waeek. The Redmen,
regular-season Big East winners, were beaten for the
second time by the Hoyas in 10 days and dropped to
27-3.
The game was marred by five technical fouls, two
each against the head coaches, John Thompson of
Georgetown and Lou Carnesecca of St. John's - all in
the first half.
With 7:16 remaining in the second half, reserve Ron
Rowan of St. John's and Reggie Williams of
Georgetown were ejected for scuffling.
Michael Jackson led five Georgetown players in
double figures with 19 points, followed by Bill Martin
with 18 and David Wingate with 17.
Georgetown never trailed, leading 47-40 at half-
time, and by as much as 14 points in the second half
when the Hoyas built their lead to 78-64 on Martin's
three-point play with 8:03 remaining. The closest St.
John's could get after that was 84-76 on Chris Mullin's
field goal and two free throws with 2:40 left.
The score was tied at 26 and 28, but after that the
Hoyas led the rest of the way.
N. Carolina 57, N. Carolina State 51
ATLANTA (AP) - Kenny Smith scored five poin--
ts in the final minute to pace sixth-ranked North
Carolina to a 57-51 victory over No. 18 North Carolina
State yesterday, sending the Tar Heels into the Atlan-
tic Coast Conference championship against Georgia
Tech today.
North Carolina, making its 15th appearance in the
ACC title game, took the lead for good on a Steve Hale
jumper with 3:05 left to play at 48-46..
Smith, who led North Carolina with 16 points, then
cemented the victory with three free throws and a
dunk in the final 33 seconds.
Spud Webb, who scored 12 first half points, led Nor-
th Carolina State, 20-9, with 13, hitting only a free
throw in the closing minutes.
The Tar Heels, 24-7, trailed 23-22 at halftime but
broke out on top early in the second half and took the
lead at/32-28 after a six-point run capped by Brad
Daugherty's turn-around jumper with 15 minutes
left.
Auburn 53, Alabama 49
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - Gerald White hit two
free throws with 10 seconds remaining in overtime
and Frank Ford had a dunk at the buzzer as Auburn
edged Alabama 53-49 yesterday to capture the
Southeastern Conference basketball tournament.
The victory for the emotion-driven Tigers, playing
their final season under Coach Sonny Smith, gave
them the SEC's automatic berth in the upcoming
NCAA championship tournament.
It was the fourth victory in as many days for the
Tigers, making them the first team since the SEC
renewed its postseason event in 1979 to claim the title
after playing a first-round game.
Georgia Tech 75, Duke 64
ATLANTA (AP) - Mark Price scored 24 points to
lead a quartet of Georgia Tech scorers in double
figures as the top-seeded and ninth-ranked Yellow
Jackets knocked off No. 7 Duke 75-64 yesterday to
reach the finals of the Atlantic Coast Conference
tournament.
Tech, which will be making its first ever appearan-
ce in the title game, will meet No. 6 North Carolina.
Tech, 23-7 led 32-26 at half-time but Duke, 22-7,
behind the hot-shooting Jay Bilas and Johnny
Dawkins, finally caught the Yellow Jackets and went
ahead 42-41 on a Dawkins' jumper with 11:02
remaining.
Tech's Bruce Dalrymple, however, knocked in a 15
foot jumper to give the, Yellow Jackets the lead for
good 24 seconds later.
Duke made another run to within 53-51 on a layin by
Bilas before Price knocked in a pair of free throws
with 5:01 left and Yvon Joseph and John Salley
followed with baskets for a 59-51 edge.
Memphis State 90, Florida State 86
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Baskerville Holmes
pumped in 24 points, including a retrieve of a missed
shot at the end of regulation, as fifth-ranked Memphis
State needed an overtime period to outlast a deter-
mined Florida State 90-86 in the championship game
of the Metro Conference basketball tournament
yesterday.
Memphis State, 26-3, scored the first five points of
the extra period on a 3-point play by center William
Bedford and a short jumper by guard Andre Turner
to take an 81-76 lead. Florida State, 14-16, could come
no closer than three points the rest of the extra
period.
Memphis State had to go the extra period without
their star Keith Lee, who fouled out with 1:21 left in
regulation.
Wichita State 84, Tulsa 82
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - With Xavier McDaniel
powering in 34 points and pulling down 13 rebounds,
Wichita State outlasted a furious Tulsa rally to upend
the No. 15 Hurricane 84-82 for the championship of the
Missouri Valley Conference postseason basketball
tournament yesterday.
The victory gives the Shockers, 18-12, the league's
automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. Tulsa fell
to 23-7 and also expects an NCAiA invitation.
The Shockers broke open a close game late in the
contest with a 13-2 run that staked them to a 78-63 ad-
vantage. Wichita State still had an 82-68 lead with
2:50 left when the Hurricane mounted a final charge.
Tulsa's Steve Harris, who bombed 37 points - 24 in
the second half - picked up a loose ball in the midst
of a scramble on a Wichita State inbounds play in the
closing seconds, but his off-balance shot bounced off
the rim and bounded out of bounds as the buzzer
sounded.
Associated Pr
St. John's center Bill Wennington holds the ball away from Georgetown cen-
ter Patrick Ewing in first half action at Madison Square Garden last night.
Ewing saw limited * time, but the Hoyas prevailed, 92-80.
BIG TEN ROUND UP:
Illini cruise past
Gophers
CHAMPAIGN (UPI) - Ken Norman,
a reserve who has started the last two
games because of injuries to No. 14
Illinois' bench, scored 20 points yester-
day to help the Illini secure second
place in the Big Ten with an 82-56
thrashing of Minnesota.
Illinois, which ran its home winning
streak to 24, improved to 24-8 overall
and 12-6 in the conference - good for
sole possession of second place. Min-
nesota fell to 13-15 and 5-12 in failing to
give Coach Jim Dutcher his 300th
career win.
Doug Altenberger scored 15, Anthony
Welch added 12 and Bruce Douglas,
who had a school-record 13 assists, had
10 for Illinois.
The Illini took a 35-24 halftime lead
after trailing 4-1 early in the game and
being tied at 11. The Illini extended the
lead in the second half to 43-31 when
Norman put in a missed shot by Tony
Wysinger.
Norman, who has scored in double
82-56
The 5-11 Stokes gave the Buckeyes
some breathing room with a pair of
baskets within a 21-second period late
in the contest.
Stokes' two baskets, the second
coming on a steal and dunk, put Ohio
State up 74-66 and the Buckeyes, who
had struggled most of the game, never
led by less than four the rest of the way.
Sam Vincent, the Big Ten's leading
scorer, Scott Skiles and Ken Johnson,
kept the Spartans in contention. Vin-
cent finished with 27 points before he
fouled out with 1:08 to play, Johnson
had 20 and Skiles 19.
Three other Buckeyes were in double
figures: Brad Sellers, Dave Jones and
Dennis Hopson, all with 14 each.
Wisconsin 61, N'western 53
MADISON (AP) - Rick Olson scored
20 points as Wisconsin jumped to a
quick 8-0 lead and held on to beat last
place Northwestern 61-53 in a Big Ten
Michigan's Omar Davidson became
All-American last night as he place
sixth inUtheA400ymeters a~t the CAA 'i
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