Men's Basketball
vs. Bowling Green
Tonight, 7:30 p.m.
Crisler Arena
SPORTS
Ice Hockey
vs. Kent State
Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m.
Yost Ice Arena
The Michigan Daily
Wednesday, December 9, 1992
Page 9
'M' looks to soar over Falcons
Men cagers take on Bowling Green for first time since 1987
by Ken Davidoff
Daily Basketball Writer
Rice was the opener. Duke was
the rematch. Detroit Mercy was the
local rivalry. Bowling Green? Well,
it's the only time all season the
Michigan basketball squad will play
'We've got to do a
better job of
rebounding, especially
at the defensive end.
We still have not done
a great job controlling
the dribbler on the
defensive end, too
many dribble drives.
Free-throw shooting is
still a major concern.-
- Michigan coach
Steve Fisher
a team with the word "Bowling" in
its name.
The Wolverines (2-1 overall)
have only one item on their agenda
when they host the Falcons (1-0)
tonight at Crisler Arena - win. No
special motivation factors exist to
hype up the contest.
The teams have no apparent
connections in terms of personnel,
and they haven't faced off since
1987, when the Bill Frieder-led
Wolverines prevailed, 92-71.
Michigan coach Steve Fisher
confessed after Monday night's vic-
tory over Detroit Mercy that he and
his players knew close to nothing
about Bowling Green, but he tar-
geted several areas in which his team
needed work.
"We've got to improve on every-
thing," Fisher said. "We've got to do
a better job of rebounding, especially
at the defensive end. We still have
not done a great job controlling the
dribbler on the defensive end, too
many dribble drives. Free-throw
shooting is still a major concern. But
let's do it one day at a time, one step
at a time, and stay with it."
Forward Chris Webber acknowl-
edged the team still needed work on
foul shooting. The Wolverines fin-
ished an improved, but still unac-
ceptable, 17-for-28 from the foul
line against Detroit. However,
Webber also thought Michigan could
take some positives out of Monday
night's game.
"(We realized) that we could just
play hard and still have fun,"
Webber said. "Don't take the en-
joyment out of the game."
Bowling Green, expected to fin-
ish in the middle of the Mid-
American Conference pack by most
experts, won its only game thus far
join Kline-Ruminski in the Falcons'
starting lineup.
Like any college basketball team
in this universe, the Falcons want to
defeat the Wolverines simply be-
cause they are Michigan.
"We're not different from any
other team," Bowling Green assis-
tant coach Marc Iavaroni said.
"We're very enthusiastic about play-
ing Michigan. We just want to play
to our ability and not get caught up
in the hoopla.
"It's so early in the season; our
defense is way ahead of our of-
fense," Iavaroni said.
Bowling Green head coach Jim
Larranaga, in his seventh year with
the Falcons, could not comment,
literally, on tonight's contest. He has
been experiencing voice loss the last
few days. Assistant coach Steve
Merfeld explained that Larranaga
has this problem every year around
this time, forcing Larranaga to make
sure he eats well and rests properly.
With final exams approaching,
Michigan will take the weekend off
before hosting Cleveland State next
Monday. This will mark former
Wolverine assistant coach Mike
Boyd's first visit to Crisler since he
took over the Vikings last season.
Webber
against Division III Heidelberg
College, 81-50. Center Shane Kline-
Ruminski, who won MAC freshman-
of-the-year honors last year, led the
squad with 22 points.
Forwards Floyd Miller (17.0
points per game last season) and
Matt Otto (8.0) and guards Michael
Huger (19.0) and Ray Lynch (8.0)
Juwan Howard (left ), Jimmy King and the rest of the Wolverines hope to
improve upon their rebounding and foul shooting tonight vs. Bowling Green.
Monday, the Wolverines shot 17-for-28 from the line against Detroit.
BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
by Ryan Herrington
Daily Basketball Writer
Many of the 13,169 fans watching Michigan's home opener Monday
night against Detroit Mercy might have thought they were sitting in Reunion
Arena rather than Crisler.
The Wolverines' 92-77 victory over the Titans brought together several
Detroit-area basketball players who had either competed against or played
with each other in high school. In total, 13 players who played ball in
Detroit were suited up for the two teams.
The familiarity between the opponents was evident on the court. Many of
the players have continued to play against each other since their high school
days and spoke with each other before the game. There was no consensus,
however, as to whether the friendship between players was a positive or a
negative factor in the game.
"It's a lot of fun playing with them," Michigan forward Chris Webber
said. "You sort of get there and laugh a little bit and have fun. They've got
some great players - Tony Tolbert, Dwayne Kelley, Mike Lovelace -
and you know they're a good team. You don't want to be too friendly 'cause
you don't want to get stabbed, but it's fun playing with people you know."
"(Playing against your friends) makes it that much more fun to play,"
Titan guard Tolbert said.
Tolbert's link with the Wolverines goes beyond simply facing old high
school opponents. The 6-foot-4 guard played two seasons for the
Wolverines before transferring to U of D two years ago. His first appearance
in Crisler Arena since leaving was a bittersweet moment.
"It brought back a lot of memories," Tolbert said following his team-
high 22-point performance. "I got to see a lot of friends that I haven't seen
in awhile, since during the summer."
The local ties did not just end with the players. Michigan assistant coach
Perry Watson, who coached at Detroit Southwestern from 1978 to 1991,
got to see three of his former Prospectors play against each other Monday
night. U of D's Michael Hamilton and Mike Lovelace as well as Michigan
point guard Jalen Rose all played on Class A state championship squads
while they were teammates in high school. Lovelace won the unofficial
contest between the trio, scoring 13 points and grabbing five rebounds to
Hamilton's seven points and Rose's 11.
STILL BE-DEVILED: Even though it finished its contest with the Blue
Devils on Saturday night, Michigan was still feeling the after effects of the
79-68 loss to Duke during the first half of the game on Monday.
The Wolverines play was erratic at times as Michigan attempted to slow
down the tempo of the game. Many inside shots did not fall for the
Wolverines, as their 44 percent first-half shooting percentage would attest.
It was not until the 6:10 mark that Michigan took its first lead of the night
and never had an advantage greater than its six-point half time lead.
Friends become foes
at Crlsler reunion
"We were surprised they came out so strong," Webber said. "After a loss
_ like Duke, you just want to get on the court as soon as possible."
A PRETTY GOOD FIRST WEEK: Despite the somewhat sporadic play
of the Wolverines in their first three contests, Webber has compiled some
impressive numbers during the first week of his sophomore season. While
the 6-foot-9 forward drew jeers Monday night for his errant behind-the-back
passes and showtime play, Webber has produced. His 24 points and.14
rebounds against the Titans helped bolster his early-season statistics.
Webber leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 19.3 points and
14.7 boards a contest.
FRESHMAN ORIENTATION: With 4:04 remaining in the game, and the
Wolverines holding a comfortable 21-point lead, Michigan coach Steve
Fisher summoned Dugan Fife from the bench to replace Rob Pelinka. The
rookie entered his first game at Crisler Arena to very loud applause from the
crowd and managed to score his first two points as a Wolverine in the
process. When asked what it was like to hear the cheers ofthe Crisler
faithful, Fife answered, "It was like being at a concert."
Not to be outdone by his first-year teammate, freshman Leon Derricks
also scored the first point of his career in his three and a half minutes of
play.
NEW ADDITION TO CRISLER: Without much fanfare, the Michigan
athletic department added in the 1992 NCAA Finalist banner to the rafters
of Crisler Arena last week. The banner was placed along side the one
commemorating the Wolverines' 1986 Big Ten championship.
I he top zu teams in the Associated Press 1992 men's college
basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses.
Team Team
1. Duke (36) 11. Georgetown
2. Kansas (29) 12. Arizona
3. Kentucky 13. UCLA
4. Indiana 14. Oklahoma
5. North Carolina 15. Purdue
6. Michigan 16. Arkansas
7. Seton Hall 17. Georgia Tech
8. Iowa 18. Michigan State
9. Louisville 19. Tulane
10. Florida State 20. UNLV
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