01
Women's Basketball
vs. Michigan St.
Tomorrow, 7:30 p.m.
Crisler Arena
SPORTS
Men's Basketball
vs. Indiana
Tonight, 7:30 p.m.
Crisler Arena
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Knight riders come to Crisler
No. 2 Michigan to face No. 6 Indiana for early Big Ten lead
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'M' hockey stands tall
in mid-season review
by Daily Hockey Staff
Well, the Michigan hockey team has reached the halfway point of the
season and here's how it's doing ...
FORWARDS: The Michigan offense sputtered at the onset of the season,
but since coach Red Berenson changed the line combinations against
Western Michigan in late November, the puck has been finding twine with
greater frequency.
The line of Mark Ouimet (5 goals-21 assists-26 points), David Roberts
(7-15-22) and Dan Stiver (11-10-21) has been on a tear since its inception,
while Brian Wiseman (5-20-25), David Oliver (19-8-27) and Cam Stewart
(10-12-22) have combined for consistent scoring as well. The Wolverines'
future skates on the third line, where sophomore Mike Knuble and rookies
Ryan Sittler and Kevin Hilton all post double-figure scoring.
DEFENSEMEN: Injuries and game disqualifications have forced the
blueliners to be a patchwork unit. But when completely intact, this group
has shown the ability to dominate a game.
Senior Pat Neaton has been the team's most consistent player. He leads
defensemen in scoring with 12 points. But this defense is known for
prowess in its own zone. Goaltender Steve Shields sees relatively little
rubber, and thunderous body checks are a matter of course in the Wolverine
zone.
Senior Chris Tamer has spent less time in the penalty box and more time
on the ice than in years past. The result is hard-nosed defensive hockey and
flashes of offensive talent. Junior Aaron Ward has missed 10 of Michigan's
21 games as a result of injury, suspension and a stint for Team Canada in
the Spangler Cup. When Ward has played, his performance has been
lackluster.
Senior captain David Harlock is playing the best hockey of his tenure at
Michigan. Being paired with Harlock has hastened the development of
freshman Steven Halko, who proved his abilities at the Great Lakes
Invitational en route to being named to the all-tournament team.
GOALTENDING: When at the top of his game, Steve Shields has shown
the ability to win games for Michigan. However, the junior stopper has not
been immune to inconsistent play. Shields leads the CCHA in goals against,
allowing just over two goals per game, while saving over 90 percent of the
shots he has faced.
Chris Gordon and Al Loges have seen little playing time this season.
Gordon has proven himself to be a dependable backup in the past, but has
not had enough quality minutes to do so this year. Loges has seen less than
two periods of action.
SPECIAL TEAMS: The Wolverines have killed 83 percent of their
penalties. Mike Stone and Rick Willis lead a solid penalty killing unit with
intense forechecking and disciplined defense. This allows the Wolverines'
top playmakers to skate at even strength and produce offense.
The power play is easily the most disappointing aspect of the team's
performance this season. With such high-caliber playmakers and goal
scorers in the lineup, Michigan's power play has the potential to be among
the best in all of college hockey. Instead, the Wolverines convert at a
modest 22 percent and have allowed four shorthanded goals.
COACHING: Since changing line combinations, the Wolverines are 9-2-
1 compared to their 5-2-2 start. This has proven to be Berenson's best move
of the season. The ninth-year coach has also done an admirable job in
juggling players in and out of the lineup with the absence of key players
throughout the season.
The failure of the power play is directly related to the inability of the
players to break out of their own zone and set up in the offensive end.
Whether this ineffectiveness is due to the lack of practice time devoted to
the power play or to the wrong personnel on the ice, the onus of
improvement falls on Berenson's shoulders.
Because depth between the pipes could be key in case of an injury,
Berenson must also find a way to keep the Wolverines' intensity levels high
when goalies Gordon and Loges are in the net. So far this season the two
backups have not received the same support as Shields has.
OVERALL: The Wolverines trail first-place Miami by three points in the
conference standings and are ranked third in the nation. They need to
maintain a top four ranking to secure a bye in first round of the NCAA
tournament at season's end.
A GLI Championship has acted as a springboard to a strong second half
in past seasons. It should do so again this year with games against teams in
the lower half of the CCHA in coming weeks. Games against Michigan
State (Jan. 30), Miami (Feb. 6), and Lake Superior (Feb. 26) will be the
pivotal remaining contests on the schedule before post-season play and a run
at a national title commences.
by Ken Sugiura
Daily Basketball Writer
If it were a city, it would be
New York. If tonight's game were a
woman, it would be Roseanne Barr.
If it were an ego, it would belong to
Bryant Gumbel.
But it's a basketball game, and
so it's Indiana and Michigan
tonight at Crisler Arena. The
Wolverines (2-0 Big Ten, 12-1
overall) and Hoosiers (2-0, 13-2),
the nation's second and sixth best
teams, respectively according to the
Associated Press, face off to de-
termine early-season leadership of
the Big Ten. A sellout since last
fall, students were lining up as early
as last night for seats.
Coach Steve Fisher brings his
club into the nationally-televised,
Dick Vitale-announced contest
playing scintillating basketball.
Since their loss to Duke Dec. 5, the
Wolverines have ripped off 11
straight wins by an average margin
of 18 points. It is Michigan's long-
est winning streak since 1988, when
it started the season 11-0.
And don't forget the fact it
hasn't been against the likes of Sam
Ragnone AAU. By defeating the
Hoosiers, Michigan can defeat its
fourth top 25 team in six games, in-
cluding top 15 squads Kansas,
North Carolina and Purdue. -
"We're playing good for any-
body, really," Fisher admitted.
Recently, the Wolverines have
been riding on the very capable
shoulders of forward Chris Webber
and center Juwan Howard. In the
most recent victories, over Purdue
and Wisconsin, they have collabo-
rated for 78 points and 43 rebounds,
including 20 boards by Howard
Saturday against Wisconsin.
However, no one, least of all
Fisher, is quite ready to give
Michigan the league crown.
"The league is so good that if
you have one little letup," Fisher
said, "you'll pay and you'll pay
dearly."
But having no letups may not
even be good enough to top the
Hoosiers. For if Michigan has been
on a hot streak lately, then Indiana
at least has been uncomfortably
Chris Webber likely will find it more difficult to drive the baseline against the likes of Cheaney, Henderson, and
Nover than the Bowling Green frontliners. The Wolverines put their No. 2 ranking on the line tonight against IU.
sultry. Bob Knight's Hoosiers have
lost only to No. 1 Kentucky and
No. 5 Kansas, and won the presea-
son NIT tournament, defeating Se-
ton Hall in the championship.
"Indiana will make you work for
everything you get, and they will
give you nothing easy," Fisher said.
"They're not 13-2 with mirrors.
They're awfully, awfully good."
Awfully good would also be a
fitting description for Knight's star
pupil, forward Calbert Cheaney.
The all-American is lighting up op-
posing defenses for 21.4 points a
game on .537 shooting. He has been
on fire from inside and out, bomb-
ing away from three-point range at
a .407 clip. Should he maintain that
pace, he will become the Big Ten's
all-timeleading scorer.
Cheaney is the centerpiece of
Knight's motion offense, the spec-
tre of which does not entertain
Fisher. The scheme is basically a
patient, ball-control offense featur-
ing a never-ending series of cuts
and picks designed to wear out de-
fenses and create open shots.
"They have better movement
than anybody you could hope to
play," Fisher said. "You can't simu-
late what they do in your practice to
try to defend what Indiana does,
because nobody can do it like Indi-
ana. You have to be prepared to de-
fend all their screens. They know
who they need to get the ball to,
and they find ways to do it."
Indiana vs. ~7K
Michigan
Time: 7:30 p.m., EST.
Place: Crisler Arena.
TV: ESPN.
Probable starting lineups
Indiana (2-0, 13-2)
Calbert Cheaney, 6-7, Sr.
Alan Henderson, 6-9, So.
Matt Nover, 6-8, Sr.
Chris Reynolds, 6-1, So.
Todd Leary, 6-3, Jr.
F
F
C
G
G'
Michigan (2-0, 12-1)
James Voskuil, 6-8, Sr.
Chris Webber, 6-9, So.
Juwan Howard, 6-9, So.
Jalen Rose, 6-8, So.
Jimmy King, 6-5, So.
S
'M' skiers fimsh strong despite frigid conditions
by Ryan Herrington
Daily Sports Editor
Fresh powder greeted the Michi-
gan ski team as it opened the 1993
season with an impressive perfor-
mance at Crystal Mountain in
Thompsonville, Mich., last weekend.
The Wolverine men's squad finished
second in the slalom and first in the
giant slalom, while the women's
team was runner-up in both events.
"We're really happy with the way
everyone performed," Michigan
captain Steve Portenga said. "For the
first meet of the year, everyone skied
exceptionally well."
Matt Turner paced the Michigan
men's team on Saturday in the
slalom, finishing second in the indi-
vidual competition with a time of
53.07 seconds. Mike Panutich fin-
ished seventh at 57.76 and Mike
Johnson rounded out the Wolverines
top three with a 59.40 time, good for
11th place.
Ferris State took the team slalom
competition, which is based on the
collective times of the first three fin-
ishers for each squad. Central
Michigan finished third.
Sunday's giant slalom brought
even better results for the Wolver-
ines. Jeff Gregory took top individ-
ual honors with a 33.01 time. Turner
finished third (33.30) and Johnson
was eighth (33.85). Michigan State
and Western Michigan were second
and third in the team competition.
U.S. Ski College Association
representative Tina Shepard had
only praise for the Wolverines after
their first meet.
"I could see them going to the
nationals just by the way they were
placing," Shepard said. "Considering
the weather conditions, they did
really well."
Along with the newly fallen snow
came rather cold temperatures. The
two-day race average was a brisk 16
degrees.
The women's squad found simi-
lar success. In the slalom, Amy
Portenga was the top Wolverine
skier, finishing second with a 57.23
time. Sunny Holmes (59.18), Sara
MacKeigan (1:00.09), Jennifer
Shorter (1:00.79), and Amy Gray
(1:01.67) followed closely behind,
taking third, sixth, seventh, anda'
eighth, respectively. Despite the top
performances, Michigan came in
second to Wisconsin.
Portenga, Holmes and MacK-
eigan all came back on Sunday in
the giant slalom and again recorded
solid times. Portenga led the squad,
coming in .68 seconds behind the
leader to take second with a 34.99
mark. Holmes finished third (35.90),@
while MacKeigan took fifth (36.36).
The ski team continues its Mid-
west Collegiate Ski Conference
schedule this weekend at Schuss
Mountain in Mancelona, Mich.
Blue assistant takes
head spot at Purdue
4
The Michigan softball team's
1993 season is still nearly two
months away, but the Wolverines'
road to repeating their first-ever Big
Ten championship just got a little
harder. When the team breaks camp
this year, it will be without the ser-
vices of veteran assistant coach
Carol Bruggeman, who was named
yesterday as Purdue's first head var-
sity softball coach.
An assistant under coach Carol
Hutchins, Bruggeman helped lead
Michigan to last year's conference
title and its first trip to the NCAA
tournament. Before coming to
Michigan, Bruggeman served as a
graduate assistant at Iowa, where she
starred as a collegian.
me and my staff, and I'm looking
forward to the challenge."
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