I4- The Michigan Daily - Friday, December 10, 1993 The long wait begins for 'M' fans THE MATCHUPS By CHAD A. SAFRAN By RACHEL BACHMAN DAILY BASKETBALL WRITER While much of the campus is rub- bing its eyes from studying at the UGLi or waiting in line for a computer, sev- eral students -one whohad an appen- dectomy just aweek ago -have spent the past day and a half outside in the cold. The reason? "'Cause it's Duke. 'Nuff said," Michigan student Matt Vanderpoel said. Although the Michigan-Duke men's basketball game does not begin until 1 p.m. tomorrow, over two dozen students were camped outside Crisler Arena last night in order to get good seats for the game. A makeshift village was erected, made up of two tents, a dozen sleeping bags and anything else needed to keep warm. Students spent multiple-hour shifts in line, then rotated so the other members of their groups could go to class. The first one to set up camp was senior Asher Stoller, who arrived at 7:25 a.m. Wednesday morning. Stoller, who shaved his sideburns so he wouldn't look like Duke center Cherokee Parks, said he was waiting in line to prove that Wolverine fans were as dedicated as any other school's. "(ESPN's Dick) Vitale said we don't have any good fans at Michigan," Stoller said. Bryan Sinche, who came with a group of about eight people, said that despite the timing of the game -just days before final exams-it was worth it to wait in line. "You get to take eight sets of finals, but Duke only comes here twice," Sinche said. Vanderpoel, who also comes early for Michigan football games to sit in the front row, cited reasons other than good seating why he was waiting at Crisler. "There's alot of bonding involved," Vanderpoel said, "(and) we want to get on national TV." Some fans had sentimental reasons, saying it was their last chance to see Duke at Michigan. Tony Lake from Austin, Texas came to see a player from his home state. "I'd do anything to sit by Ray (Jack- son)," Lake said. Michigan coach Steve Fisher, who has been known to buy pizza for wait- ing fans, had not been out to see the students as of last night, but appreci- ated their dedication and planned to visit them soon. Despite the fact that the student section has not been full thus far this season, "The fans who've come have been terrific," Fisher said. "It'll be packed to the gills on Saturday." Most of the students were content, passing the time sleeping on the con- crete sidewalk, talking to a security guard and just trying to stay warm. What would make their two-day stay more pleasant? "A port-a-potty," they answered in unison. BASKETBALL Continued from page 11 have four days off, following the Dec. 20 game against Central Michigan, before they leave for Arizona. A spe- cial concern will be having to stop All- Southeastern Conference forward Wesley Person, the brother of Minne- sota Timberwolves' forward Chuck Person. One player really anticipating to visiting the Grand Canyon State is Olivier Saint-Jean, who will be getting to see more of the United States on this trip. "I heard it was a nice place," said the native of Versailles, France. "I'm looking forward to it ... because it's getting cold." The Wolverines will return to their natural climate Jan. 3 foracontest with Boston University. Although Michigan may not be considered a deep team overall, its depth and versatility in the backcourt is unquestioned and may be the nation's best. Jalen Rose has been playing his best basketball since arriving in Ann Arbor two season ago. He leads the team in scoring through four games this season, while shooting over 50 percent. Rose's athleticism will cause defensive problems for Duke's slower guards. Jimmy King regained his scoring touch against Detroit-Mercy. Dugan Fife has been very solid thus far but is susceptible to quicker; guards. Ray Jackson must score inside and take the ball at the taller Blue Devils to get them in foul trouble. At the line, Jackson needs to shoot like he did against Tennessee-Chattanooga (9-for-1i). Rose will play in the frontcourt at times, but will: not be able to post up easily. The Wolver- ines cannot match Duke's height or depth at this position. They must use their quickness. Olivier Saint-Jean will be called upon to play big minutes, as will Leon Derricks if Jackson gets in foul trouble. Michigan coach Steve Fisher cannot afford that. When it comes time for the big rebound or key hoop, Juwan Howard is there. Besides his skills, Howard is strong on the low post and must make himself physical for 40 minutes. He can simply push past the double-teams. Yet, he has a soft touch and his head and shoulder fakes are first-rate. Howard has the ability to pass the ball out of the post for open outside Michigan jumpers. If he gets in foul trouble, which happens to a lot of Duke opponents, the Wolverines are in trouble. Derricks will spell Howard at times but cannot provide the inside game his teammate does. This is the weak spot in the Wolverine attack. The subs have been inconsistent at best. However, the bench has shown some spark in recent games. Bobby Crawford has been able to give the Wolverines a big lift, especially defensively so far, and will need to do so tomorrow. His outside jumper has been shaky. Derricks filled in admirably in Howard's absence against Detroit-Mercy. He must continue to grow from that success. Should any of the other bench players see time, the Wolverines will be either up a bunch or begging for mercy. Steve Fisher is the most underrated coach in America. Who can argue with his success the past four-plus seasons, winning 100 games faster than any previous Michigan coach. He has done an excellent job this season molding experi- ence with a thin bench. However, he must keep his players' heads in the game. Too many mental lapses will doom the Wolverines. After four losses in a row to the Blue Devils, the Wolverines are a bit annoyed. However, they have been keeping their mouths shut this year. After a tough first five games this season, Michigan is ready to show a national television audience that it is still a very fine basktetball team. Look for King and Jackson to step it up a notch. They always do in the big games. Duke's backcourt is not nearly as strong after the departure of All-American Bobby Hurley, the NCAA's all-time assist leader and team leader. The role of point guard has not been assigned to any one Blue Devil over the team's first four contests as Duke has had four different starting lineups. While they may be talented, senior Marty Clark, sophomore Chris Collins and junior Kenny Blakney have started a combined 12 games in their careers. Collins and Clark can fill it from three-point range but they lack quickness. This is the strength of the Blue Devils and it all begins with Grant Hill (18 ppg last season, 6.4 rpg and national defensive player of the year). While he may be able to explode to the hoop better than anyone in college basketball, Hill's shooting beyond 15 feet is questionable (44 percent this season). Antonio Lang has stepped his game in the early season, shooting 68 percent so far. He hits the offensive boards with reckless abandon (72 last season) as does the entire Duke front line. Erik Meek's lack of foot speed offsets his 6-foot-10, 240-pound frame. The main man here is Cherokee Parks, the nation's third best FG shooter (65 percent) last year. Although he has improved remarkably since his freshman year, Parks is strictly a back-to-the basket player. Howard will bring Parks out of the paint and look to drive past him. Parks will give up any part of his body for a rebound. Either of Duke's freshman forward/centers, Greg Newton or Joey Beard, will give Parks a rest. Size in this case doesn't make up for experience or quickness. Coach K has plenty of bodies to put in the game. The question is who will it be and when. Eight Blue Devils have started at some point this season, leaving them with a very capable substitution corps and that does not include Beard, Newton or Carmen Wallace, Duke's other freshman and honorable mention prep All-American. However, few of these players have played under big game college pressure. If the game should be up-tempo, then the Duke bench will give the Blue Devils fresher players come the final two minutes. Not much more can be said about Mike Krzyzewski that has already been done so. His coaching record stands on its own, having won 321games in 13 seasons in Durham, even with many different types of teams over the years. His team always plays smart basketball, but smart basketball does not always beat athletic basketball. A great motivator who gets the most out of all his players. 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