:
Hockey
vs. Kent State
Friday, 7 p.m.
Yost Ice Arena
S
Men's Basketball
vs. Purdue
Tonight, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
West Lafayette
Blue tries to put leash on 'Big Dawg'
4M' faces Robinson and No. 8 Purdue for first place in Big Ten
By BRETT FORREST
DAILY BASKETBALL WRITER
When the No. 13 Michigan men's
basketball team (5-2 Big Ten, 13-4
overall) faces No.8 Purdue (5-2, 17-2)
tonight in West Lafayette (7:30 p.m.,
tSPN), the main point of contention
will be how the Wolverines attempt to
*ntain Glenn "Big Dawg" Robinson.
The Boilermakers' junior forward
has proven to be all but unstoppable
this season, averaging a Division I-best
28.1 points per game to go along with
his Big Ten-leading 10.7 rebounds. In
four of Purdue's last five games,
Robinson has tallied double figures in
scoring and rebounding, including 33
points in the Boilermakers' 83-76over-
a e upset win over then-eighth-ranked
diana.
If Michigan is to win its fourth
straight game against Purdue - two
straight in Mackey Arena - it will
have to figure out a method for keeping
Robinson under wraps.
"We got to make sure we contest
every shot," Michigan coach Steve
Fisher said. "(We) hope that (Robinson)
doesn't have a great, great shooting
Robinson tied a Big Ten record
by being named conference Player
of the Week three times already this
season. He has scored in double
figures 41 straight games and owns
a 30.5 points-per-game average
against Michigan, his best in the
conference.
"He has a great ability to focus on
what is at hand," Purdue coach Gene
Keady said of Robinson. "He has a
God-given talent that he's developed
now to the point a lot of people don't
get to coach in their lifetime."
The Wolverines will likely double-
and triple-team Robinson on the blocks,
as they have done on most of the
opposition's big men this year. But
they want to avoid giving Purdue open
looks from the outside.
The Boilermakers are on pace to
break the school's record for three-
point field goals made (166) and at-
tempted (422) in a season.
Inside and outside, Purdue finds
strength in forward Cuonzo Martin.
The 6-foot-6junior averages 16.5points
and 4.5 boards per game, and is having
a great deal of success shooting from
the outside.
Martin has converted 17-of-33
(.515) bombs from beyond the arc in
his last five games.
Another junior, guard Matt
Waddell, runs the backcourt for the
Boilermakers, scoring 11.4 points per
game, while dishing out an average of
4.6 assists.
Tonight's game, the lone Big Ten
contest of the evening, will be a battle
for first place.
Nearly halfway through the confer-
ence season, three teams are tied for the
league lead (Indiana joins Purdue and
Michigan at the top), while four others
are just one game behind.
"This is what most (Big Ten
coaches) thought would be the form
this year in the league," Fisher said. "I
think we've got seven teams that are all
good; no team that can't be beaten,
whether at home or away."
Michigan has not had much of an
opportunity to be beaten on its home
court. The Wolverines areplaying their
fourth road contest out of their last five
games and are trying to even their road
record at 3-3.
Michigan has reached acritical point
in its season, with the next two games
on the road (tonight and Saturday vs.
Michigan State), and a third at home
against Indiana.
"Obviously if we go 3-0, we will
be in the driver's seat," Fisher said.
"If we go 0-3, we'll be struggling to
hope that everybody beats every-
body else up."
It won't help Fisher that freshman
guard Bobby Crawford will miss
tonight's game - his second straight
contest-due to a fractured right hand.
The team initially believed he would
be out of action for four to six weeks,
but then thought a soft cast would al-
low him to return sooner.
However, Fisher now says
Crawford is doubtful through
Saturday's contest with the Spartans
and questionable for next Tuesday's
game against the Hoosiers.
Tonight provides Michigan with its
seventh crack at a top-25 team. A vic-
tory against Wisconsin Saturday im-
proved the Wolverines to 2-4 against
ranked foes. The Boilermakers should
provide for another quality matchup.
"It's going to be a hard-fought
game," Michigan's Jimmy King said,
"almost like a tournament game."
Michigan's Jalen Rose drives through the lane against Wisconsin Saturday.
Men hitters
Yare thrice
demed in
state pride'
by MELINDA ROCO
DAILY SPORTS WRITER
The third time is usually the charm.
Unfortunately, this wasn't the case
forthe Michigan men's volleyball team
as it fell to Michigan State Friday night
z the third confrontation this year be-
een the two teams.
The Wolverines have not claimed
a victory over the Spartans in head-
to-head competition the past three
years.
"State pride" matches are usually
:fve-game encounters, marked by
strong play from both clubs.
2 However, Friday's match was in
.Michigan State's favor from the start,
the Spartans made quick work of
cMichigan in the first two games, 15-
.7, 15-12. The Wolverines were able
4fo make a run in the final game, but
:ell short, 17-16.
> Michigan coach Pam Griffin ex-
'Pressed concern over her team's lack
of drive and intensity.
"The total problem was that we
,were not mentally prepared to play
te," Griffin said. "We weren't ag-
:essive at all. Anytime we got a lead,
've let our guard down and allowed
State back into the game."
With Spartan Dan Hobeck moved
from the middle position to the strong
side, the Wolverines had some trouble
establishing blocks on the 6-foot-6
:hitter.
Michigan setter Stan Lee said he
und play at the net frustrating.
~"Dan kept hitting over us," Lee
said. "All we could do was try to put
up the soft block and rely on the
defense to pick up the digs."
However, the Wolverines also
experienced problems in the back
row.
"Though their outside hitter was
big, he wasn't killing the ball," Grif-
fin said. "We should have been able
dig his hits and we didn't."
"The passing and defense just
wasn't there to make up for the block-
ing," Lee said.
Michigan had just come off an
impressive finish in the Indiana tour-
nament the previous weekend, nearly
;,'defeating Ohio State in the finals.
Yet, the Wolverines weren't able to
carry that momentum into the State
latch.
Griffin said she had expected to
see a vengeful Spartan club.
"Michigan State is a well disci-
plined team," Griffin said. "They
lost in the quarterfinals in Indiana,
and we made it to the finals. They
were revved to prove themselves
AIN
-1
.~ ..+r
5~ g(St}
'M'9
By BARRY S
DAILY SPORTS WR
The slide c
The No.J
team lost its tf
six matches S
25-15.
As has b
matches, the W
5-5 overall) co
hole the wrest
classes dug.
"We lost t
(weightclasses
"We struggle it
and we've got
middle classes
The Wildc,
ing 16-0 lead 1
weight classe
pounds) defeat
3, to open then
wrestlers continue to struggle
OLLENBERGER Behm (126) and juniorBryan Sosinski nothing to do with his work habits
ITER (134) then dropped consecutive because he is working very hard."
ontinues. matches to Tad Yeager and Tony Bahr said that the team is forced to
15 Michigan wrestling Pariano, 10-4 and 16-6, respectively. rely too much on its upper weight
hird straight and fifth in Then junior Mike Ellsworth (142) classes.
unday at Northwestern, was nipped by Spencer Malcolm, 3-2, "The middle guys are feeling the
and senior All-American candidate pressure ouryoung guys put on them,"
een the case in recent Brian Harper (150) was downed, 5-3, Bahr said. "They are put in a 'have to
wolverines (0-3 Big Ten, by Brent Shiver. win' situation and this puts a lot of
uld not recover from the Bahr felt the losses at 142 and 150 pressure on them."
lers in the early weight were especially crucial. Senior All-American Sean Bormet
"We've got to get wins out of (158) finally got Michigan on the board
he match at 142 and 150 Ellsworth," Bahr said. "For us to have against Northwestern by defeating
s)," coach DaleBahr said. a chance of winning, he's got to come Aaron Hodges, 4-0.
n the early weight classes, through, and he's the first to admit that Any hopes the Wolverines had of
to turn it around in the he's struggling." making a miraculous comeback were
and we didn't do it." Harper's loss was especially dis- dashed in the next two matches.
ats grabbed a command- concerting considering the fact that he Northwestern built its lead to 25-3
by winning the first five is ranked No. 3 in the nation at 150. when Rohan Garder (167) pinned jun-
s. Jeff Mirabella (118 "Even Brian Harper is struggling," ior Chad Biggert and shortly after-
ted junior Matt Stout, 9- Bahr said. "He came back from Christ- wards, junior Kevin Williams (177),
natch. Sophomore Andy
mas and has been struggling. It has
See GRAPPLERS, Page 10
I I
Stan Lee (9) and the rest of the 'M' volleyball team were swept by MSU.
; : ?«a. e ?f # x vx .: s "; .gym"~ ,s,£:, .s ' i° $ .' t x 5 ' ate" s x z.' ' . °s
thoe HOP WOOD
UNDERCLASSMEN
AWARDSX
<$<
> ':
and the winners of:
Academy of American Poets
Bain-Swiggett Poetry Prize
Roy W. Cowden Fellowship
Louise and George Piranian Scholarship
will be announced
Reading by Pulitzer Prize-Winning Poet
JOHN ASHBERY
Author of:
Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror
Selected Poems
Flow Chart
Adoeted at
Ores0hooI0
than You were,
I I