T
-W.
-W
V U U U U
7W
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
Round ]
Round 2
THE
EXPERIENCE
FACTOR
Tarpley, Rellford, and Wade up
front, Henderson in reserve will
spell trouble for Tournament foes
Round 2
Round ]
Kentucky
Davidson Regi
W. Kentucky
Nebraska
Alabama
Xavier, Ohio
Illinois
Fairfield
Purdue
Louisiana St.
Memphis St.
Ball St.
Virginia Tech F
Villanova FIN
Georgia Tech
Marist ,,
Tonal o
Championship
AL
SOUTHEAST
I
Quod me docuit usus, magister egregius. (What
that superlative master, experience, has taught me.)
- Pliny the younger
By STEVE WISE
IT'S EASY to see the advantages Michigan has against
other basketball teams, most advantages anyway.
Line the Wolverines up next to some squads and their
superior height is quickly apparent.
Bounce them off others and Michigan's overwhelming
size and strength show up as black and blue marks and
an average eight rebound deficit for opponents.
OR PUT Michigan in a grueling fast-paced game and
watch the Wolverines dodge fatigue by using their ex-
cellent bench strength.
"They're a team that has the ingredients to get to the
final four," said Larry Brown, whose Kansas team is the
only one seeded higher than Michigan in the NCAA tour-
nament's Midwest Region.
The key ingredient to Michigan's chances in this
year's tournament is less visible. It's called experience,
and with five seniors, two Big Ten Championships and
two post-season tournaments behind them, the
Wolverines are just loaded with it.
"IT'S A BIG thing when you have experience," said
Michigan coach Bill Frieder. "Our kids are gonna
remember what happened last year."
That's when the Wolverines fell in the second round to
Villanova, the eventual National Champions. According
to senior co-captain Butch Wade, the memory is painful
but productive.
"I've never felt as bad as we did (last year)," said
Wade. "When we go out we're going to remember that.
It's going to be in the back of our minds every game."
THE WOLVERINES thought processes are the area
where their experience might be most helpful. Tour-
nament pressure breeds mental mistakes, but the seniors
agree that having been there last year, they'll be
able to handle it.
"When you've been in a situation before, you don't get
so nervous," said Robert Henderson, the senior anchor
of Michigan's reserve corps. "You realize what your
abilities are. You're able to play more at ease."
Roy Tarpley, Michigan's other senior co-captain, said
the seniors can also help younger players cope.
"WE'RE GOING to let them know how tough it's gon-
na be, that there are a lot of distractions," said the 6-11
center. "Just let them know they're going to have to be
ready."
Though spirit without experience is dangerous,
0
E experience, without spirit, is languid and defective.
- Lord Chesterfield
The seniors also know the difference between calm
and complacency. Where Michigan might have been
self-satisfied after the regular season last year, this
year's senior-led, tournament-hardened group, feels the
urgency that drives a winner.
"It's a feeling I learned from Villanova's seniors,"
said Richard Rellford, who with walk-on Ron Gibas
rounds out Michigan's senior quintet. "They played every
game like it was the end of their lives. That's what we've
got to do."
IT'S EASIER to play with that desperation, though,
when each game may be the last. Wade said there is a
difference between last year, when a loss ended a
season, and this year, when a loss will end his college
career.
"We try not to put too much pressure on ourselves, but
we have to," said Wade. "For the seniors, there's no
tomorrow."
According to Wade, not only the seniors feel the heat.
He said younger players know when Tarpley, Rellford,
Henderson and himself graduate, the Wolverines will
lose most of their strength and experience on the front
line.
"I THINK THE underclassmen feel the same way ...
Granted, they may come back and play ball, but this
may be their one chance (at a championship)," Wade
said.
Michigan also learned a lesson last year about over-
confidence. Going into the first round game with
Fairleigh Dickinson, the Wolverines were loose to a
fault. Tarpley joked that he'd never heard of "Harley
Dickerson."
When Michigan struggled to a 59-55 come-from-behind
win in that game, the Wolverines' attitude changed, not
only toward Fairleigh Dickinson but also toward all
lesser-known teams in the tournament.
"WE LEARNED not to underestimate anybody with
our performance against Fairleigh. Dickinson a year
ago," Frieder said.
The spectacles of experience, through them you will
see clearly a second time.
- Henrik Ibsen
Even after closing this season with four crushing wins,
Tarpley is more cautious. He speaks with concern about
beating "the scrubbiest team in the world." Other
players echo that sentiment.
"We're gonna have to be wary, because we're not gonna
be able to blow out people like we did tonight,"
said Henderson after the Wolverines trounced Indiana
last Saturday. "I think we'll have in the back of our min-
ds how we played last year, and we want to do it right
this year."1~C
WEST
St. John's
Montana St.
Auburn
Arizona
Maryland
Pepperdine
UNLV
NE Louisiana
Ala. Birmingham
Missouri
N. Carolina
Utah
Badley
Texas-El Paso
Louisville
Drexel
Championship
Game
FOUR
Duke
Miss. Valley
Old Dominion
West Virginia
Virginia
DePaul
Oklahoma
Northeastern
St. Joseph's
Richmond
Indiana
Cleveland St.
Navy
Tulsa
Syracuse
Brown
EAST
MID WEST
Kansas
N. Caro. A&T
Jacksonville
Temple
Michigan St.
Washington
Georgetown
Texas Tech.
N. Carolina St.
Iowa
Notre Dame
Ark.-Little Rock
Iowa State
Miami Ohio
MICHIGAN
Akron
-----------
| CAMPUS
SCORNER1
818 S. State StreetI
i665-4431
Open Til Midnight
Fridays & Saturdays Til 1 a.m. W
Groceries "Beer* "Wine"
I Liquor " Ice " Fresh Produce
SVHS Movie Rentals
SKeys Made 9 Delivery
Doily Graphi
They
said
It..
Illinois coach Lou Henson, on the
plight of coach Gene Keady and his
Boilermakers, who must face
Louisiana State in LSU's Assembly
Center: "I wouldn't want to trade
places with Keadyy. You shouldn't
have to play anyone at their home
site."
Notre Dame coach Digger Phelps,
expressing a slightly different
philosophy: "You can't worry about
who or where you play. It's showtime.
You just have to go out and do it."
Kansas coach Larry Brown, on the
chance of a regional final between
Kansas and Michigan, which em-
barrassed the Jayhawks with a 19-
point national televised drubbing last
season: "It'd be the greatest thing
that could happen to us because that
would mean we were in the regional
field. But we're not playing all our
games thinking it's a chance to get
back at Michigan ...
"I'm not saying it'd be something
we won't remember, but it won't be a
situation where we'll be afraid of
them."
PERSONALIZED 19
AND DISTINCTIVE
SERVING YOU:
SJERRY
" LARRY
* DAVE
TUES-THURS
MON d WED FRI-SAT
8:30 TO 8:00 8:00 TO 5:30
WE WANT TO THANK ALL OUR LOYAL
CUSTOMERS OVER THE LAST 14 YEARS
BECAUSE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION ISD
(BETWEEN HILL AND PACKARD)
BARBERS & STYLISTS
HAIR STYLING FOR THE
ACTIVE PROFESSIONAL
MEN " WOMEN "CHILDREN
APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE
668=8669
806 S. STATE STREET
ANN ARBOR, M1 48104
c by Bill Marsh
&~k
v i$-u
hes
4/ '.
9 O
*r
ST. PATRII
Special Pric
*Free Souvenir Mug
with Purchase of $1
GREEN BEER -
Free T-Shirts F
DOORS OPEN 7 A.M.
MARCH 17
I
i
Cu0.i&awd Skoap
6
Handmade
Fresh daily
611 Church St.
(near Rick's)
662-7424
M-F 7 a.m.- 5:30 p.m.
Sat. 7 a.m.- 3 p.m.
Sun. 8 a.m.- 3 p.m.
Roy Tarpley-'We're gonna let them know how tough it's gonna be.'
bee tENIUOS, Page i1
4 Weekend-March 14, 1986
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
...,