Who are the only two frosh to win MVP of the NCAA men's basketball tournament? (For the answer, see the bottom of page 2) M' Sports Calendar 2 'M' Athlete of the Week 2 Sheran My Thoughts 3 Men's Basketball 4-5 Ice Hockey 6 Baseball 7 Men's Golf 7 Softball . T 1.' - a+. The Michigan Daily- Sports Monday April 6,1992 MR U 7 9 * Big-man battle highlights final MINNEAPOLIS - There are so many angles, so many underlying story lines at this Final Four, that it seems a little contrived. Almost too good to be true for basketball junkies. Knight versus Krzyzewski Saturday. Duke's fifth straight Final Four appearance. A shot for the Blue Devils at a second straight national title. Michigan's Fab Five title hopes. And the Wolverines' chance at re- demption against Duke. Buried somewhere in there is John the story of Chris Webber's first big game as a college basketball Niyo player. It was the topic he seemed most willing to talk about at yes- terday's press conference bonanza. It seems like ages ago, but the arrival of Chris Webber on to the f college basketball scene officially took place Oct. 15, the first day of fall practice. The national prep player-of-the year and the rest of "the best rec- ruiting class ever" took the court as the clock struck midnight. A S Cinderella was born and the mad- ness began. But in the eyes of many, Webber's true arrival came two months later, when Webber outplayed Duke's All- American center Christian Laettner in the Wolverines near-upset of the top-ranked Blue Devils Dec. 14. That's when the madness really began. Webber finished that contest with 27 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out in overtime, besting Laettner's 24 points and eight boards in front of a na- tional television audience. "That game," Webber said yesterday, "I just wanted to show people I can play too. Laettner knew that. I just wanted to remind him on the court." Looking back on that winter afternoon in Crisler, Webber says now, shows hdw far he has come. "That game, truthfully, I had so much resentment," Webber says shaking his head. "People kept asking me, 'What are you going to do.' "It was just like, 'OK, forget about what you can do, Chris, how are you going to control this monster? You're going to foul out, he's going to score 30, he's an All-American, he's played more years in college than you, he's going to be a first-round NBA pick. What are you going to do with him?"' So Webber dunked on him several times, with em- phasis. And he smiled a sinister smiled when he did it. It was his way of sending a message to Laettner, and the senior Duke standout understood. "They weren't treated with that much respect be- fore," Laettner said of Webber and the four other freshmen. "I think they are now. " Webber says he was upset over that lack of respect back in December. "I remember when Duke came in for warmups, and all the reporters in our area went over and just looked," Webber says with a laugh. It is a laugh that tells a lot about Webber, an emo- tional leader on an emotional team. Webber knew what he and his teammates were ca- pable of. He told us. And everyone walked away to go watch Laettner run through layup drills. So the chip was firmly attached to Webber's shoul- See WEBBER, Page 5 Wolverines wear out Bearcats, 76-72 by Albert Un Daily Basketball Writer MINNEAPOLIS - 'Shock the World II' had had its final run. The limited engagement was about to end and the Cincinnati Bearcats knew it. But someone forgot to tell Michigan. The Wolverines' size eventually wore down and overcame the Bearcats' ferocious pressure defense, leading to a 76-72 victory in Saturday night's NCAA national semifinal game that puts Michigan into tonight's national championship tilt versus Duke. Cincinnati (29-5) exited from its first NCAA tournament since 1977 after a remarkable run. Despite being the Midwest Region's No. 4 seed, the Bearcats were still considered underdogs, even after they had reached the Final Four. Cincinnati did its best to prolong its Cinderella season, but the Wol- verines were just too big and too athletic for the scrappy Bearcats. "I am very proud of the effort and the character that our guys have shown throughout the year," Bearcat coach Bob Huggins said following the game. "We will be back, and we will live to fight another day." The start of the gamevwas de- layed so that a women's basketball Final Four contest could be shown in its entirety. The extra time seemed to throw off both squads, as each side came out of the blocks sluggishly. "I think both teams wanted to jump out and get a quick lead," said guard Jalen Rose, who put in only 13 points on 4-for-13 shooting, but grabbed nine rebounds and was again a key ballhandler. "Everyone wanted to make the pass that leads to the basket, but in a close game, you can't do that." Cincinnati unleashed its trade- mark trapping defense, rarely allow- ing Michigan to get into its halfcourt sets. The backcourt double-teams forced the Wolverines to make crosscourt passes, causing 12 first- half turnovers. "I think in the first half, it did kind of mess with us," said guard Jimmy King, who led the Wolverines with 17 points. "We were making dumb mistakes." When the Wolverines were able to break the press, the result was lots of easy baskets. Michigan shot 57.7 percent from the field in the first half, with over half its baskets com- ing from layups and dunks. King was the only Wolverine to shoot from outside the lane. But Cincinnati also got its share of easy hoops, capitalizing on Michigan mistakes to take a 41-38 halftime lead. "You can't cry and moan about turnovers, but in the first half that's what we were doing," forward Chris Webber said. "After Coach (Steve Fisher) talked to us at halftime, we realized we had played one of worst halves in a long time." But Michigan regrouped in the, lockerroom, and when the second stanza began, the Bearcats were no- ticeably slower. Cincinnati did not try to open up a big lead behind its defense. Instead, Huggins called off; his press to give his players a rest and the Wolverines began to get things going. "I didn't think the team was frus- trated at all," Rose said. "It was just a matter of taking our time and mak- ing better decisions, and that's what we did." While the task may have seemed simple, actually getting it done was more difficult. The five rookies seemed a bit out of sync, so Fisher needed to call on a new hero. Last weekend, junior Eric Riley stepped forward, and Saturday it was his classmate, forward James Voskuil. "Before the game, you have to have the mental mindset to say, if you're called on, you can do the job," Voskuil said. He certainly did his duty, spark- ing the club with nine points and four rebounds in the second half, and See BEARCATS, Page 4 BACK DUKE, WE MUST TAKE CINCINNATI IN THE MINNEAPOLIS INVITATIONAL." In front of 50,379 fans in the Metrodome Saturday night, they took care of that formality, while Duke outlasted Indiana, 81-78. "It's kind of like a little soap opera," Ray Jackson said. "Every- thing's working out perfect. Now we just have to win." See CHAMPIONSHIP, Page 4 Michigan's Jimmy King finishes off the fastbreak with a vicious slam to put the Wolverines ahead of Cincinnati with 52 seconds remaining in Saturday's game to seal the victory. M' cagers seek revenge , NCAA title tonight vs. Blue Devils by John Niyo Daily Basketball Writer MINNEAPOLIS - The wait is over. Ever since Duke escaped Ann Arbor with an 88-85 overtime vic- tory Dec. 14, Michigan has eyed a meaningful rematch with the defend- ing champs. And it couldn't mean much more than this. Michigan (25-8) will square off with Duke (33-2) tonight at 9:22 EST for the national title in Minneapolis. "Do you want to pay back Duke," Jalen Rose was asked at yesterday's press conference. "Yes," came the quick response. Was there any doubt? The Wolverines have hinted all season long that they wanted Duke again. And that desire was spelled out in black-and-white in the Michigan lockerroom after the Ohio State game in Lexington, Ky., where the chalk board read, "TO PAY 0 0, 1957 by Sharon Lundy -'R Daily Sports Writer Champions Icers look for new end to successful season by Andy o eKorte When most people think of 1957, no special events immedi- ately come to mind. But every member of the '57 Michigan men's tennis team remembers that year as a remarkable season. In 1957 the Wolverines became the only Big Ten team, and one of the few teams from outside of the Sunbelt to win an NCAA title. By the end of that season, they had built a 45-match winning streak and won the conference championship for the third year in a row. This year, they are having their 35th re- union. IEV, 1' tennis team recalls amazing season later. What makes the streak all the more remarkable is the fact that in 1954, when the streak started, the majority of the players responsible for it were first-year students. In 1954, first-year students were not eligible to participate in varsity athletics. In 1955, three of the '57 team members were in the starting lineup. Barry MacKay began his three-year reign at the No. 1 singles position. Joining him at the No. 2 and 3 positions were classmates Mark Jaffe and Dick Potter, respec- tively, who both remained in the Wolverine lineup through its cham- pionship year, as well. The '55teaim wn i1I m neppz "It's in the past now. There's nothing I can do about it," senior forward Mike Helber said. "I have to get up tomorrow and I'll still be Mike Helber, I just won't be a Michigan hockey player." That realization blanketed the Michigan lockerroom in Albany, N.Y., last Thursday night. It settled on the players in the form of blank expres- sions and watery eyes. "I feel bad for our seniors," coach Red Berenson said. "The best part about college hockey is that the coaches and most of our players will get to ' '~'.. U