4 - The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday -Monday, March 21, 1994
Michigan's Texans help Wolverines beat Longhorns
By RACHEL BACHMAN
DAILY BASKETBALL WRITER
WICHITA, Kan. -It was not just
a struggle for a Sweet 16 spot.
Saturday's matchup between
Michigan and Texas was also a chance
to get a leg up in the increasingly
cutthroat world of college basketball,
recruiting. The winner would not just
make plane reservations for Dallas,
the site of the Midwest regional semi-
finals, but would also take home brag-
ging rights.
Amidst pleas from Longhorn fans
to, "Come home to Texas," Plano
native Jimmy King and Austin's Ray
Jackson hustled their way to an 84-79
victory over their home-state power-
house. Bobby Crawford, who is from
Houston did not see any action.
"We have a lot of friends on that
team," King said. "But when the ball
goes up, it's all business."
Michigan coach Steve Fisher raved
about Jackson's tenacious play in spite
of his early foul trouble and was
pleased with King's poise in the last
minutes of the five-point victory.
"He missed a couple (free throws)
and then he said, 'I'm too good not to
make free throws when they matter,"'
Fisher said. Juniors King and Jackson
have been starters since their fresh-
man year.
"Before, Texas kids could not go
to summer (basketball) camp," Fisher
said. "I think that greatly inhibited
their ability to be recruited nationally.
"We would go to all these summer
Players leave Lone Star State despite Penders' efforts
camps, and there would be no Texas
kids there unless they were at a pri-
vate school. That rule has since
changed, so I think now everybody's
coming to Texas to recruit," Fisher
said.
The coach said that after he landed
his first Texas recruit, Rich McIver,
he continued to visit the state in search
of prospects. (Ironically, McIver trans-
ferred to Texas and played against
Michigan Saturday.)
"Jimmy King had family in South
Bend, Ind., so we had a chance there,"
Fisher said. "Ray Jackson, like a lot of
people, always liked Michigan. He
just liked Michigan."
The coach has also landed 6-foot-
8 forward Maceo Baston, of Dallas,
for next year's squad.
Conversely, Texas has sometimes
had trouble getting homegrown talent
to stay in state.
"A lot of Texas players are leav-
ing the state for whatever reasons,"
King said. "But players are doing
what they think is best for them."
Some speculate that the Long-
horns' prestige is diminished by their
perennially weak league, the South-
west Conference. This year, they
outscored their SWC opponents by an
average of 18.2 points per game.
Traditionally, teams from stron-
ger leagues, such as the Atlantic Coast
Conference and the Big Ten, have
fared better against higher-caliber
teams in the tournament.
Although Texas has received an
NCAA invitation 13 times, it posts
just an 11-15 record. Michigan has a
37-15 record in 17 tournament ap-
pearances.
Jackson said that no matter what
conference Texas is in, "the program
is going to shine regardless."
But the fact remains: Michigan is@
going on to face Maryland, and Texas
is going back home.
However, that story may change
eventually. The Longhorns will join
the Big Eight, a bulked-up confer-
ence with teams like Kansas and Okla-
homa State, beginning in September
of 1995. Texas coach Tom Penders
says that with the move, local recruits
will have one less reason to leave
their home state.
With all the tug-of-war for talent
going on between Texas and the rest
of the nation, you might expect Tex-
ans-turned-Wolverines to be an un-
popular breed back home.
"We go home, and the people love
us. They love Michigan," King said.
"They don't have anything against us
because we didn't stay in state. We're
not traitors."
And although they wear maize
and blue on national television, the
three Wolverines from the south are
still loyal to their state.
"While we're in Michigan, we're
wearing Texas hats," Jackson said.
When they play the third game of
the NCAA tournament this weekend,
they will be wearing Michigan
warmups. In Dallas.
EVAN F
Ray Jackson and Texas' Albert Burditt greet each other following the Wolverines' second round win over the
Longhorns. Jackson and Burditt were teammates at Austin, Texas' Lyndon Baines Johnson High School.
.. _< <a_ _ a _._ _ r
Penders goes from
DAOECI DAIL flUKE U E
By BRETT FORREST
DAILY BASKETBALL WRITER
WICHITA, Kan. - Texas coach Tom Penders had a ball at the pregame
press conference Friday afternoon.
When asked about how certain Big Eight schools are reacting negatively
to the addition of four Southwestern Conference schools to their league,
Penders offered his assessment of Big Eight member Iowa State.
"I love Ames, Iowa," he said. "But I'm going to go to St. Croix or the
Cayman Islands for vacation this year."
A member of the press wanted to know why the Wichita crowd forced the
black hat on the Wolverines in their game against Pepperdine.
Quipped Penders: "I think (Michigan coach) Steve Fisher head-butted
somebody on the sidelines."
About former Michigan player and current Longhorn starter Rich McIver,
the Texas coach had only plaudits. "He's a very low-key, laid-back kid,"
Penders said. "He could fall asleep chasing a bus."
WE'RE NOT IN ANN ARBOR ANY MORE: For those wondering if the anti-
Michigan sentiments shown by the Kansas crowd in Thursday's game would
continue against Texas, any doubt was erased early Saturday.
The boos started for Michigan at the 7:05 mark of the game between
Maryland and Massachusetts. The Wolverines were nowhere in sight, though.
The Michigan band merely sauntered down an aisle on its way to the floor.
The Wichita fans later showed their displeasure when the team took the
being coach to quipster
floor for warmups, and again during player introductions.
ALL-NAME TEAM: First Team: Exree Hipp (Maryland) - The sophomore
forward's parents likely chose this combination so that when their son's name
was listed last name first, it would mean something.
Dana Dingle (Massachusetts) - The alliteration here is exquisite. But the
surname itself is better.
Joe Smith (Maryland) - This non-descript last name, coupled with the
ordinary given name, does nothing to describe the freshman phenom and
Michigan's next test.
H Waldman (St. Louis) -No, there is not a period after H. That's because
H has not been shortened from anything else. Not Harold, nor Henry, nor
Howard. It's not his fault, though, he was probably named after his grandfa-
ther.
David Robinson (St. Louis) - In 28 games prior to the NCAA tourna-
ment, this junior forward averaged 6.3 points and 4.6 rebounds a game. Surely
there is little confusion between him and his namesake in the NBA.
DOING rr FROM THE UNE: In both of its 1994 NCAA tournament games to
date, Michigan scored its final 10 points at the free-throw line. Against
Pepperdine, the Wolverines hit 10 of 10 from the line in overtime. Saturday
against Texas, Michigan canned nine of its last 10 shots to seal the victory. In
both contests, King and Jalen Rose hit all 10 shots.
"I was thinking what you guys would have said if I had missed them," Rose
said to the press following Saturday's game
EVAN PETRIE/Daily
Jalen Rose has helped Michigan win its last two games with big free throws.
BASKETBALL
Continued from page 1
the Longhorns to shoot from the pe-
rimeter.
"They did a little better job in the
second half collapsing (on the post)
and we did a good job kicking it out,"
Texas' Terrence Rencher said. "Some
nights the shots fall and some nights
they don't."
Texas shot 41 percent in the first
half verses Michigan's 52 percent.
Besides being a contest between
the Texas running game and the Michi-
gan halfcourt game, Saturday marked
a showdown of Texans on both teams.
Michigan's Ray Jackson, an Aus-
tin, Texas native, fared the best of the
group. He scored 15 points and tallied
14 rebounds before fouling out with
2:42 to go. King, of Plano, Texas, had
12, while Houston native Bobby
Crawford did not enter the game.
McIver, who played two seasons
at Michigan before transferring to
Texas, had 10 points and seven re-
bounds.
"He's finally playing like we
thought Rich McIver could," Penders
said.
But despite his team's perfor-
mance and the Wolverines' victory
- which earned them a Sweet 16
berth- the night belonged to Howard.
"When he threw in that three-
pointer with the 35-second shot clock
running out, I knew something was in
the cards," Texas coach Tom Penders
said, referring to the center's trey
with 4:09 left in the first half, a career
first. "I said, 'Mr. Howard's going to
have himself a night."'
Howard deferred the glory of his
record-breaking performance to his
teammates.
"I give all the credit to Jalen Rose
and Ray Jackson," Howard said. He
added that Rose's handling of the
FORREST
Continued from page 1
Unlike so many times before,
though, Michigan actually executed
exactly what it set out to do.
Finally, the Wolverines stuck to
their gameplan.
"We didn't want to play a 100-
point game with Texas.... We
wanted to break the press, and if we
didn't have a layup, setup, then
attack," Rose said. "I had it
pounded into my head how they
press."
When the pressure came,
Michigan was more than equipped
to deal with it.
Sure, Michigan coughed up the
ball 18 times. But the Longhorns
came into the game forcing their
opponents into an average of 23.2
turnovers per contest.
"The key was being able to
control the press," Howard said.
"Jalen broke the pressure and
showed his versatility."
In a rare display of youth against
Texas, Jackson, the team's key on
defense, took his second foolish
foul in a row at the 16:34 mark of
the second half.
Michigan was up just five
points, 48-43, at the time. It was his
fourth personal, and with Fisher
utilizing only a seven-man rotation,
things began to look bleak.
But, unlike in previous games,
the junior reached down inside,
played under control and went
nearly 14 minutes without another
foul. Jackson left the game with
2:42 to go and Michigan ahead
four, 72-68.
"Ray played with four fouls and
showed his maturity," Howard said.
* 0*
The Wolverines have seen so
many battles and played the villain
so often that they can handle almost
anything that comes their way. Add
this to their newfound status as
ripened individuals, and they are
prepared for everything.
"We've got veteran players,"
Fisher said. "With the exception of
Dugan Fife, the rest of the guys
who did the bulk of the playing
have been here before and they've
been through those types of
situations.
"So you get surprised when they
do make passes that you look and
say, 'Why?' I would think that that
should be the norm for us, given
who we are."
When you see another Michigan
game like the one against
Pepperdine - and you will - have
Fisher
confidence. The Wolverines know
what they are doing. They have
outgrown their overseers.
"It's about business," Howard
said after Michigan's lack of
celebration following the victory
over Texas.
The Wolverines have abandoned
the sandbox. By their own choice,
playtime is indeed over.
Upstart Terrapins knock off UMass
By BRETT FORREST
DAILY BASKETBALL WRITER
WICHITA, Kan. - The battle of
Joe Smith and Juwan Howard has
been arranged. Saturday, Maryland's
freshman center led his team past
Massachusetts, 95-87, in the second
round of the NCAA tournament's
Midwest region. The win set up a
just the third time in 13 games the
Terps won after trailing at the break.
Overall, Maryland shot 60 per-
cent from the field.
"We've never had a team shoot 60
percent against us, or 70 percent in a
half," Massachusetts coach John
Calipari said. "I can't tell you the last
time that happened."
previous high of 16. Several of the
points came on eye-popping dunks.
His game-high in scoring, coupled
with his 10 rebounds gave the highly-
touted rookie his third double-double
of the year.
"Camby was unbelievable,"
Calipari said. "He had never played
30 minutes in a game for us. He really
EVAN PETR IE/Daily