0 Page 2-The Michigan Daily- Tuesday, April 6,1993 Fourth timeout seals victory for U NC From the , Close-knit Wolverines show unity after miscue NEW ORLEANS - Games rarely get decided by one play. Sure, it makes for good drama, but usually the sequence isn't worthy of such signif- icance. Oftentimes the designated play symbolizes a larger problem, dis- played by the losing competitor. Maybe a missed free throw, or a failure to snatch a key rebound, seems to be responsible for the result, but a closer look at the box score may show that the team had trouble with that facet throughout the contest. That rationale won't quite cut it, though, for Ken Michigan's loss last night to North Carolina. The Davidoff Wolverines played a nice game, certainly good enough to come out victors. And Michigan fans had to feel somewhat confident down 73-71 with 20 seconds left and the ball. After all, Saturday night's triumph over Kentucky had proven that Steve Fisher's club could come through in the clutch.h First, it should be noted that the Wolverines were lucky to get the ball past the half-court line. Chris Webber, after receiving Pat Sullivan's missed free throw, blatantly traveled in front of the Tar Heel bench. Coach Dean Smith grew furious at the official for not calling anything. Michigan fans, relieved, likely - , - wondered where Webber's head was. They found out a few seconds later, as Webber called for a time out near the Michigan bench. Fisher and the assistant coaches cringed at the motion of Webber's hands. Michigan supporters fell back in their seats as they real- ized that Webber's manuever - asking for a time out where none existed - meant two free throws and the ball for the Tar Heels. Knowing how many time outs your team has left can be compared to being aware of how many outs there are in baseball - it has great influence on how you approach the situation. Either Webber didn't know or he knew and he forgot, and it's hard to dispute that his decision did indeed cost Michigan the game. "I think (time outs) were (discussed in the huddle), but like I said before, they weren't quite specific to every player on the team or we wouldn't have called the time out," Fisher said. "We thought they had been made aware. But I'm the guy who is responsible for that." Webber, while saying he did not know Michigan had no time outs left, did not deflect the blame. "There were 20 seconds left. I started to dribble the ball, we were down by two, the ball was on our side of the court, I picked up my dribble, I called time out," Webber explained. "And I cost our team the game." He stated that phrase three times in the approximately five minutes that he sat facing the national media. His devestated demeanor reflected his emo- tion. There were so many other ways the Wolverines could have lost. They could have simply been outplayed, or fell on a buzzer-beater, or been vic- timized by poor officiating. All of Michigan's critics who crawled under their respective rocks after Saturday night's inspiring victory will slither back out into the spotlight to regain their glory. Congratulations, they just got enough artillery to last them well through next November. In the next month, we will find out if last night marked the end of the Chris Webber era at Michigan. There's no need to sugarcoat anything. Judging from his previous comments, if he does choose to turn professional, he will consider this period of his life unfulfilled. It's a shame one play can mean so much, but as Webber himself would tell you, life isn't fair. lockerroom ... 0I "I picked up the dribble, called timeout, and I cost our team the game." - Chris Webber "This team would not have been here without Chris Webber ... Sometimes when you get in the heat of battle some things happen that you say just can't happen." - Steve Fisher "I wanted it for this team and this staff ... We might not be the best but we're the champions." - Dean Smith "(Losing two national championships) hurts anytime. We had a great season and a great run in the tournament. I don't take anything away from our team or any of our accomplishments." - Jalen Rose "This definitely hurts more than last year. It's my last time0to put on a Michigan uniform. I came in as a freshman and we won a national championship, so I've dreamed about winning another one since then, but life goes on. We had a great season, though." - Rob Pelinka T AP PHOTO Tar Heel stars Eric Montross and George Lynch are a picture of intensity while Jalen Rose laments a UNC basket. Wounds already begin to heal by Andy DeKorte Daily Basketball Writer NEW ORLEANS - Every game the Michigan basketball team won this season, they forgot last year's championship loss a little more. The rotten feeling stormed back in last night's championship game to haunt the Wolverines for another year. When the tournament started this year, standout forward Chris Webber said anything less than six victories would mean they had failed. After Coach Steve Fisher got Webber's ear, Webber recanted, but he, obviously meant what he said. Although the majority of conversation will be about Webber's mistakenly calling for a time out, the players and the coaches will have to continue. A 31-5 season is nothing for Michigan to be ashamed of. Unfortunately, the season they had will be forever remembered by the mistake. Yet no blame should be placed and Fisher had a firm grasp on the reality of the situation. "I wish that it didn't happen, but it did," Fisher said. "I'm not going to quit trying. I'm not going to quit playing. I'm not going to quit being me." North Carolina coach Dean Smith understood what the miscalculation cost Michigan, but he wouldn't blame Webber for the loss any more than Webber's teammates would. "(The play) didn't necessarily mean we wouldn't win," Smith said. "It's all part of the game. We had plays earlier in the game that were pretty ironic - a guy falling down makes a basket. I've often said you have to be lucky and good." The Wolverines have felt they were good enought to win last year and they certainly felt that way last night. In the lockerroom after the game a somber attitude prevailed. However, no one sang taps. "I told the guys, 'Hold your heads high, you fought hard, we just didn't win the game,"' Wolverine center Juwan Howard said. "There is no reason to get down on ourselves. North Carolina played a great game. We're here and we lost to the other team. That's how the game goes sometimes." Howard, Webber and the rest of the Wolverines may have a chance for redemption. Guard Jalen Rose thought last year's loss may have made this one easier to take. "Definitely last year made a difference," Rose said. "Last year we put all our emotions in a ball of wax and when the wax burst we didn't know what to do." Taking lessons from one situation to the next is always a goal but is not possible for the seniors. Last year's loss could not soften the blow for them. "A defeat this year, my senior year, is tougher than any loss we've ever had," Wolverine forward James Voskuil said. "I won it as a freshman, and it would have been great to come in and go out with one, but it didn't happen," Pelinka said. "It's harder than last year. It's my last year, my last time playing for Michigan." The returning players will continue. No one's career is in shambles. No other team in last year's Final Four could match the Wolverines' achievement. Last year they shcocked the world. This year they did not shock anyone, but maybe they proved something after all. Ar PHOI Chris Webber and Ray Jackson team to stuff a Brian Reese shot attempt. Hoops Continued from page 1 dous performance by Webber. He shot 11-for-18 with one free throw for 23 points, including Michigan's last basket, a putback of a missed Jalen Rose three which made the score 72-71 with 36 seconds left. Webber also collected 11 rebounds and three blocks in being named Michigan's sole representative on the All-Tournament team. "He's a great player and we knew we were going to have to do a great inh t inv nhim- " sairdWilliams- NORTH CAROLINA(77) FG FT Rb. Mi. M-A M-A 0-T A F Pt. Lynch 28 6-12 0-0 1-10 1 3 12 Reese 27 2.7 4-4 4-5 3 1 8 Montross 31 5-11 6-9 2-5 0 2 16 Phelps 36 4-6 1-1 1-3 6 0 9 Williams 31 8-12 4-4 0-1 1 1 25 Sullivan 14 1-2 1-2 0-1 1 2 3 Salvadorl 18 0-0 2-2 2-4 1 1 2 Rodl 11 1-4 0-0 0-0 0 0 2 Calabria 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Wenstrom 2 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Cherry 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Totals 200 27.65 18-23 10-29 13 10 77 FG%- .491. FT%- .783, Three-point goals: 5-11. .455 (Williams 5-7, RodI 0-2. Phelps 0-1, Reese 0-1). Blocks: 4 (Lynch 2, Montross, Salvadori). Turnovers: 10 (Phelps 5, Reese 2, Lynch. Rodl, Williams). Steals: 7 (Phelps 3. Rodl 2, Lynch, Williams). Technical Fouls: none "Chris Webber is the heart and soul of this team, and he should not be blamed for our loss. It's unfortu- nate this is how the game will be remembered." - Rob Pelinka 01 MICHIGAN (71) FO Mlt. M-A Webber 33 11-18 Jaksn 20 2-3 FP M-A S1-2 2-2 Rb. a 5-11 0-1 ~j rIe~ [I ~ 1t) 4M~UI II #~IfL~JIJJ 1~AJV ~Y ~l I ~A PU Vt ~ A 1 I t I F Pts.. 2 23 5 6 i ! 4f; I