Men's and Women's Gymnastics Ice Hockey Coed Mixed Pairs Intrasquad vs. Kent State Today,6 p.m. Today and Tomorrow, 7 p.m. Cliff Keen Arena Yost Ice Arena The Michigan Daily Friday, December 11, 1992 F Page 13 Kansas Can Wait Several foes stand between 'M' and Jayhawks by Adam Miller Daily Basketball Writer Sure, the sixth-ranked Michigan men's basketball team (3-1 overall) plays former Michigan assistant Mike Boyd's Cleveland State ball club (1-0) - featur- ing ex-Wolverine Sam Mitchell in his first game for the Vikings - Monday night at Crisler Arena. And yes, the Wolverines also face Central Michigan (2-1) Dec. 21, and Eastern Michigan (1-2) Jan. 2, also at Crisler. But that's not what you're thinking about. You're with Chris Webber. You want Kansas. Not so fast. Michigan wouldn't face the nation's No. 2 team until the championship game of the Dec. 28-30 Rainbow Classic in Honolulu. To get there, the Wolverines will have to down Nebraska on the 28th and No. 5 North Carolina on the 29th. But to really pull yourself back down to earth, re- member the Dec. 19th game. It's at the Palace of Auburn Hills. It's on ESPN. And it's against former Michigan coach Johnny Orr's Iowa State Cyclones. This game may not feature the intensity it did when Bill Frieder coached the Wolverines and it was mentor (Orr) against student (Frieder), but it won't be a relax- ing one, either. For one, the Cyclones (4-1) hold the se- ries lead on Michigan, 5-4. For another, while the last meeting was two years ago (pre-Fab Five), the results have undoubtedly made their mark on each school. The game in 1989 was in Ann Arbor, and Michigan ran up its largest victory margin ever on the Cyclones, 101-78. The next year in Ames, Iowa State did the same to Michigan, though the margin was smaller, 81-72. "It makes for a good matchup because Johnny Orr is still very, very highly thought of in the state of Michi- gan," Wolverine coach Steve Fisher said. "He is a per- sonality. He will dazzle the crowd and the press with his one-liners." And, of course, Orr is the winningest men's basket- ball coach in Michigan history. Now consider Nebraska. A top-25 pick in most pre- season polls, the Cornhuskers (3-0) sit squarely in the No. 25 slot. Junior forward Eric Piatkowski (6-foot-7, 215 pounds) leads the Huskers; last year he averaged 14.3 points and 6.3 rebounds a game. Coach Danny Nee said before the season that Pi- atkowski has "NBA talent and ability." He'll be one to watch as Nebraska, which lists only the winner's bracket in its media guide, tries to derail Michigan's matchup plans. Fisher said he's less concerned with individual Huskers than with the quality of the team as a whole. "From what I can gather, they ought to be a con- tender to Kansas in the Big Eight," he said. "They'll be a good challenge for us. They will bring a very talented, confident team to Hawaii." And never - never - overlook North Carolina (4- 0). Webber isn't: his statement after this year's loss-to Duke was, "We still get to play North Carolina and Kansas." If the Wolverines beat the Cornhuskers, and the Tar Heels defeat Southwest Louisiana, he'll be at least half right. Dean Smith's club holds the No. 5 spot in this week's Associated Press poll, and for good reasons - size and experience. Michigan's lineup of Webber, 'From what I can gather, (Nebraska) ought to be a contender to Kansas in the Big Eight. They'll be a good challenge for us. They will bring a very talented, confident team to Hawaii.' - Steve Fisher, Michigan basketball coach Howard and Riley will not give the Wolverines a size advantage in this game. Montross, a seven-footer, and senior forward George Lynch (6-foot-8) are but two of nine Tar Heels standing at least 6-8. Three are at least seven feet tall. That's size, here's experience. Of the 16 on the North Carolina roster, 12 are juniors or seniors. And along with Montross and his 11.2 points per game last year, Smith's club returns forward Lynch (13.9 ppg) and swingman Brian Reese (9.8 ppg). Fisher said they might be the best team in the ACC. Yes, he meant possibly better than Duke. Finally, there's No. 2 Kansas (3-0), the team that knocked off Indiana at the Hoosier Dome on Dec. 5. Led by senior guards Rex Walters (16.0 ppg. last year) and Adonis Jordan (12.8 ppg), the Jayhawks enter the Rainbow Classic as the odds-on tournament favorites. "They were a Final Four-caliber team last year," Fisher said, "and they're a better team (this year) than they were a year ago." But don't get carried away with yourself dreaming of a Michigan-Kansas showdown Dec. 30 on ESPN. That's only a distant possibility. None of the coaches from Michigan's prospective tournament opponents were willing to comment on these potential games. It's too far away, they said. They're probably right. Eric Riley scrambles for a loose ball as Michael Talley looks on in Wednesday's game against Bowling Green. These seniors, along with the rest of the Wolverines, will have a busy schedule over the holiday break. INA A-A A A A A A A A A A A A BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK If it's Friday, this must be Ann Arbor 50% OFF STUDENI - " " " by Ken Sugiura Daily Basketball Writer Finals got you down? Stressed for time? How does playing four basketball games in nine days in three cities sound? The past week or so, the Michigan basketball team has had the added task of playing a mother lode of basketball games. r Last Tuesday night found the Wolverines in Houston, playing the Owls of Rice at The Summit. Re- turning Wednesday morning, Michi- gan kept its bags packed. Friday, the road show known as the Michigan basketball team headed down To- bacco Road for the Saturday show- down with Duke. This week, it was Detroit Mercy (Monday) and Bowling Green (Wednesday). Both games, thank- fully, were in the homey environs of Crisler Arena. So perhaps Wednes- day's 79-68 yawn-o-rama over the Falcons could be expected. "To be quite honest, I think they did a workman-like job," Falcon coach Jim Larranaga said. "They played four games in eight or nine days. That's a lot for college-age kids." This debacle is the result of the NCAA's effort to make life easier for its student-athletes. This season, the NCAA pushed the beginning of practice from Oct. 15 to Nov. 1, as well as delaying the start of the regular season schedule. With finals just around the cor- ner, maybe it's understandable. No, considering it was Michigan, it was pretty much expected. In Wednesday night's 79-68 triumph over those nasty Falcons from Bowling Green, the Wolverines were feeling a little giddy. Michigan's band of merry men turned the contest into something of a comedy hour. First, there was Chris Webber. After knocking the ball out of bounds, the call against the Wolverines was made. Ever the sportsman, Webber flashed a toothy grin and complimented, "Nice call, ref." Later, at the foul line, forward Ray Jackson took the opportunity to put his arm around a referee and catch up on old times. Finally, at the tail end of the contest, after a ques- tionable call was made against Jalen Rose, Jimmy King ran up to WJR's courtside microphone and delivered his commentary on the call. "I can't repeat what I said," King said after the game. ONE-EYED JACK: Late in the game, center Juwan Howard was fouled, getting poked in the eye. Howard remained in the game, and despite the handicap, sunk both free throws. Earlier in the game, with both eyes fully functional, Howard had missed his first two free throws. THE NUMBERS RACKET: The Wolverines shot 16-for-22 from the line, including a 4-for-4 performance from Rose. Michigan's conversion rate of 73 percent is tops for the sea- son ... Webber was held under dou- ble figures in rebounds for the first time this season. He had six .. Webber's six blocks matched his ca- reer-high, equaling his effort against Central Michigan last December. " " " 0 " " " TICKET SALE Saturday, January 9 Burton Memorial Tower 1-5 p.m. " " 4- " f * Take 50% off the price of selected tickets to concerts including * recitals by Mstislav Rostropovich and Cecilia Bartoli, Orchestra of: * 'St Luke's, Urban Bush Women, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, NYC Opera National Company, Chicago Symphony Winds, Mark * Morris Dance Group, Tokyo String Quartet, and more! U 1217 PF 7-- - MULTI COLOR SPECIALISTS " ARTIST ON STAFF + RUSH ORDERS . NEAR U OF M CAMPUS 0 a' i' Sr " " " " " " " " * VALID STUDENT I.D. REQUIRED " LIMIT 2 TICKETS PER EVENT--BUT CHOOSE AS MANY EVENTS AS YOU WISH! * VISA, MASTERCARD, CHECKS AND CASH ACCEPTED. " " " " " " ROSPECT, ANN ARBOR 665-1771 1FF with this ad. 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