Men's Basketball vs. Cleveland State Tonight, 7:30 p.m. Crisler Arena SPORTS Women's Basketball vs. Eastern Michigan Tomorrow, 7:30 p.m. Crisler Arena Michigan rambles over Georgia Tech Adlk6 With less talent, Blue works harder S PRINGFIELD, Mass. - How often last season did we hear how the Michigan men's basketball team was stocked with underachievers? I Even though Coach Steve Fisher's team did win 31 games, people said too many of those victories went down to the wire. For the amount of talent the Wolverines had, many believed they should have outscored nearly every team by 20 points. Oddly enough, after enduring several key losses in the off-season, Michigan may now be equipped to calmly dispatch every squad in its path. With Chris Webber and most of the bench gone, Michigan has fewer weapons than last year. The Wolverines have less room for error than they had the past two seasons - and they know it. However, the team is not without an arsenal. In fact, Michigan should win most of its contests based solely on the superiority of its talent. To win BRET the tough games, though, this team FORREST positively must put together a Forrest complete effort on both ends of the rest court. That was the case against Georgia Tech in Friday's Tip-Off Classic. Except for a two-minute stretch late in the game when Michigan let its lead decrease from 14 to six, the Wolverines executed their defensive game plan almost flawlessly. "Defense No. 1," Michigan junior Jalen Rose said. "We knew that once we stopped their initial offense, they were going to try to break us down and go one-on-one." Michigan double-teamed Tech's forwards on the blocks and rarely allowed them to kick it out to the perimeter for the open shot. As the game wore on, Michigan did a better job boxing out on defense. Most importantly, though, sophomore guard Dugan Fife all but halted Springfield-native Travis Best's offensive output when the two were on the floor. "A lot of people talk about our talent, but they never talk about our defense," Wolverine center Juwan Howard said. "Our defense is what helps us win ballgames. It's what helps everyone win ballgames and we showed that today." The offensive end of the court also saw Michigan execute well. Aside from a few ill-advised second half three-point shots and a handful of missed free throws, Fisher's squad did more than it needed to win. "If we continue to play as hard as we did - smart for See FORREST, Page 11 Wolverines open season with 80-70 victory in By CHAD A. SAFRAN DAILY BASKETBALL WRITER SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - While the national anthem was being performed prior to Michigan's game with Georgia Tech in the 1993 Tip-Off Classic, the words to The Star-Spangled Banner scrolled across the Springfield Civic Center scoreboard. However, the words being flashed were not on cue with the words being sung, just as the Wolverines were off in the first half before turning in a solid second-half performance. Led by Jalen Rose's hot shooting in the second stanza, fifth-ranked Michigan (1-0 over- all) held off a late Georgia Tech (0-1) charge for 80-70 victory before 8,934 in the season opener for both teams. Rose, after wilting in the first half by missing six of 10 shots, bloomed in the second. He hit eight of nine from the field as the Wolverines shot over 65 percent, compared to only 42 per- cent in the opening 20 minutes. "In the first half, I had trouble getting good looks at the basket and the shots didn't fall," said Rose, who earned game Most Valuable Player honors. "But I kept shooting and they kept giving me the ball and it started falling." Not much fell for Tech the entire game. The 13th-ranked Yellow Jackets had little sting from the outside as they connected on only 24 of 58 opportunities. If that weren't bad enough, Bobby Cremins' club was a miserable 25 percent from three-point range, sinking only six of its 24 bombs. While Michigan did take fewer shots from beyond the arc, it made a remarkable 60 percent, including two from Dugan Fife. The sophomore guard, who did not make a field goal last season, quickly changed that by opening Michigan's scoring with a 3-pointer. "I had confidence in my jump shot and made it when it was there," Fife said. " think it was Jalen who gave me a great pass and I just shot the ball. It wasn't a big shot. It was just an open shot." The basket gave the Wolverines an early 3-2 lead, sparking Michigan on an early 8-0 run. After a 14-6 surge midway through the first half gave the Yellow Jackets a 25-23 lead, the Wolverines responded with a run of their own that turned the deficit into a 34-27 lead over a span of five minutes. The key to the charge - as well as the game - was Michigan's double- teaming of any Georgia Tech player who caught the ball down low. "I was scared to death of our double teams on the post, from how we have not done a good job in practice," said Michigan coach Steve Fisher, who gained his 100th victory with the Wolver- ines' win. "I thought we did a nice job any time the ball went inside to double and not give them any easy looks." While Fife may have sunk only three baskets the entire game, none was bigger than the three- pointer with 1.1 seconds left in the first half that gave the Wolverines a six-point cushion going into the locker room. Yet, when Michigan took the floor for the second half, Tech blitzed the Wolverines for seven straight points and rocketed out in front, 40-39. "I said, 'OK, now we can get this thing going.' But we never really got it there." Cremins said. "We were hanging in there. Their defense Tip-Off Classic just took us away from it." With the score knotted at 44, the Wolverines took control of the game, sinking a trio of 3- pointers in a 18-7 run that appeared to put the game away. Much of the run was the result of better rebounding by Michigan, which totaled three more boards than the taller Georgia Tech squad. But height cannot make up for fundamen- tals as the Wolverines consistently boxed out their opponents. "Everybody's got to do a little bit more," Fisher said. "Juwan (Howard)'s got to get some help from his friends on rebounding. I thought Jalen, Jimmy (King) and Ray (Jackson) gave him some assistance." With Jackson at the line with 3:40 to play, the Wolverines were leading, 72-58, a seemingly insurmountable margin. Then Travis Best took over for the Yellow Jackets. With the rest of his team struggling, the junior point guard, playing in his home town, pumped in 10 of the game's next 12 points, cutting the lead to six with 1:34 remaining. "They've got the ball, down six, two posses- sions," Fisher said. " So that concerns me. That should never have happened from our stand- point." The game never got closer as the Wolverines regrouped and sealed the victory with a Rose lay- in and a signature jam from King. While the game may have been a rematch of the Tip-Off Classic seven years ago (Michigan won that one, 49-44), the results remained the same, including Tech's poor performance. All- America candidate James Forrest gave no proof this night that he could deserve postseason hon- ors, scoring only 14 points in 35 minutes of action. The 6-foot-8 forward could only snag four rebounds, the same number as 5-foot-11 Best. "It's the second time I've been here and it's a little disappointing to have not played well," Cremins said. Despite a win over a top-25 opponent, the Michigan players refused to get overly excited. "It's a great start for us, but like I told the guys it's just a start," said Howard, who had 19 points and nine rebounds. "We games to play." still have a lot of tough Tip-Off Classic MVP Jalen Rose DOUGLmAKANT-uaily shoots against Georgia Tech Friday night. - .. - 'M'to play Wolfpack in Hall of Fame Bowl By RYAN HERRINGTON DAILY FOOTBALL WRITER While there were moments this season where Michigan looked like it might not' keep its postseason streak alive, the Wolver- ines are set on returning to another New Year's Day bowl game. For the second time in school history, The Wolverines will play in Hall of Fame Bowl in Tampa, Fla. Michi- gan accepted the bowl's bid last week. "I'm especially pleased the Hall of Fame Bowl invited us this year," Michigan coach Gary Moeller said. "We are looking forward to a great trip. I have fond memories of this bowl from the last time we were there. They went out of their way to make sure we enjoyed the visit." Michigan's opponent come New Year's Day was also announced as the Wolverines will face North Carolina State of the Atlan- tic Coast Conference. This is the first matchup between the two schools as well as the first time the Wolfpack has appeared in the Hall of Fame Bowl. Under first-year head coach Mike O'Cain, N.C. State finished 7-4, with a 4-4 conference record. O'Cain said he felt the bowl was a good opportunity for his program to progress. "It is a deserving reward for our players and staff who have worked extremely hard all season long," McCain said. "We look forward to representing N.C. State and the ACC against a nationally recognized and very strong Michigan team." The Wolverines last played in Tampa in 1988 when they defeated Alabama, 28-24. It was Moeller, then Michigan's offensive coordinator, who coached the team for Bo Schembechler, who was recovering from quadruple heart bypass surgery. The Hall of Fame Bowl marks the 19th consecutive bowl appearance for the Wol- verines and the eighth consecutive time they have played on either Jan. 1 or 2. TICKETS: Students interested in purchas- ing Hall of Fame Bowl tickets can order them by phone from the Michigan Ticket Office by calling 764-0247. Tickets are $31 each (including taxes and service charge) and there is no limit to the number of tickets a person may order. MICHIGAN (80) FO FT REB MIN MA M A OT A F PTS Jackson 27 2-9 2-4 2-6 0 3 7 King 38 5-9 1-2 1-2 7 2 13 Howard 40 8-17 3-4 3-9 1 3 19 Rose 40 12-19 1-2 2-8 1 3 28 Fife 26 3-4 1-2 0-3 2 5 9 St.Jean 5 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 Crawford 14 1-1 00 0-3 0 2 3 Derricks 10 0-2 1-2 1-1 0 0 1 Totals 200 3121 9-16 932 12 18 80 FG%:.508. FT%: .563. Three-point goals: 9-15, .600 (Rose 3-6, King 2-4, Fife 2-3, Jackson 1-1, Crawford 1-1). Blocks: 4(Rose 2, King, Howard). Turnovers: 14 (Jackson 7, Howard 2, Rose 2, Fife, Crawford, Derricks). Steals: 10 (Howard 3, Jackson 2, Fife 2, Crawford 2, Rose). Technical Fouls: none. GEORGIA TECH (70) FO FT REB MIN M-A M.A O.T A F PIS Moore 24 3-9 4-4 1-5 1 5 10 Forrest 35 6-14 2-2 1-4 1 2 14 Newbill 14 1-2 0-0' 0-3 0 1 2 Best 37 6-15 7-7 2-4 3 4 21 Barry 35 2-5 0-1 0-4 7 1 6 Barnes 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 Elisma 17 3-4 1-2 2-4 1 1 7 Balanis 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Vinson 33 3-9 2-2 0-3 0 1 10 Totals 200 24-58 16-18 6.27 13 16 70 FG%: .414. FT%: .889. Three-point goals: 6-24, .250 (Best 2-9, Vinson 2-7, Barry 2-5, Moore 0-2, Forrest 0-1). Blocks: 2 (Moore, Forrest). Turnovers: 17(Best 5, Barry 5, Moore 3, Forrest 2, Elisma, Vinson). Steals: 9 (Best 4. Forrest 2, Vinson 2, Barry). Technical Fouls: none. Michigan......39 41 - 80 Ga. Tech....33 37 - 70 At: Springfield Civic Center: A: 8,934 READ THE DAILY I Kathryn P. 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