Hockey
at Ohio State
Tonight, 7 p.m.
Ohio StateFairgrounds
S
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Wrestling
vs. Illinois
Tomorrow, 1 p.m.
Cliff Keen Arena
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T h e
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M
King, Jackson look to beat
Devils for first time ever
s
Duke's low-post
too much for 'M'
By SCOTT BURTON
Daily Basketball Writer
Guards
Jimmy King hasn't quite led the team in the same
way he had talked about at the beginning of the
season. But he'll have to take over Saturday if Michi-
gan wants to entertain any hopes of winning. Dugan
Fife's and Bobby Crawford's play is equally impor-
tant, because Michigan is going to have to consis-
tently hit its threes to have anything else free up.
The Blue Devils are one of the most dangerous
teams from beyond the 3-point arc. And because
Michigan is going to have to pay extra attention to
Duke's low-post, the guards could open the game up.
Sophomore point guard Jeff Capel and freshman off-
guard Steve Wojciechowski start tomorrow, though
the Blue Devils often run with a three-guard set.
Advantage: Even
Centers
Duke's Cherokee Parks is the first go-to center the
Wolverines havefaced. How Michigan' slow-post play-
ers react to the challenge could determine the fate of the
game. Neither Makhtar Ndiaye nor Maurice Taylor
can defensively do the job alone, so the rest of the
Wolverines are going to have to be quick in helping
down low.
Advantage:
DOUGLAS KANTER/Daily
Ray Jackson reacts with disgust during last year's Duke win over Michigan.
Since the 1990-91 season, the Michigan men's basketball
team has lost five straight games to Duke. Here are the dates
and scores of those matchups.
By ANTOINE PITTS
Daily Basketball Writer
For the past four seasons, there has been one
team that has especially frustrated the Michi-
gan men's basketball team. Just when the
Wolverines think they are ready to take the step
to overtake Duke, they miss and come crashing
back to the ground.
Fresh off a 103-73 trouncing of George
Washington Tuesday night, the No. 9 Blue
Devils (4-1) host No. 23 Michigan (4-2) tomor-
row night at 9 p.m. in a nationally-syndicated
Raycom contest (Ch. 7 here).
Duke's success over the Wolverines the past
several years leaves Michigan coach Steve Fisher
wary going into the game.
"I think if you were Dick Vitale, you'd prob-
ably look at the Duke schedule and say 'cupcake
city' when they see Michigan,"
Fisher said. "It's been so long
since we've beaten them."
To find the last time the Wol-
verines triumphed over Duke,
you would have to go back to
December of 1989 when Fisher
was an assistant under Bill Tomoffo
Frieder.MichiganbestedtheBlue
Devils in a 113-108 overtime
thriller at Crisler Arena. Since
then the Wolverines have
dropped five straight to the Blue Devils including
last year's 73-63 defeat at Crisler.
"This is the type of game that makes both teams
better, prepares both teams for their conferences,"
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "When we go
there it'sin a hostile environment, when they come
here it's in a hostile environment."
The game marks the last chance for seniors
Ray Jackson and Jimmy King to record a vic-
tory over Duke. Michigan has been on the
losing end in all four matchups since Jackson
and King came to the team, including a 71-51
loss in the 1992 national championship game.
"It's really important to us to beat them,"
Jackson said. "They stopped us from getting
our first championship, and we haven't beaten
them since I've been here, so I would like to get
that victory."
Jackson, King and Dugan Fife are the only
starters that Fisher has announced thus far.
While shuffling around the other two starting
positions, those three have remained constant
in the Michigan lineup. They are also the only
i
)w
three players on the roster who have ever played
at Duke.
"You've got to feel that they're going to be
there and play hard and not get jittery," Fisher
said. "Now we're still searching for four and
five and what the order of rotation will be like
off the bench."
The Blue Devils have had to endure the
same growing pains that the Wolverines have
had to in the early season. Duke has been
forced to blend new players into the lineup just
as Michigan has. The difference in the two
teams is that the Blue Devils have had to
incorporate new players primarily in the
backcourt while the Wolverines have had to do
it up front.
"We have a somewhat similar situation (as
Michigan) in that we're trying to integrate our
young players with old players,"
Krzyzewski said. "As a result
we're trying to keep up with our
system and high standards that are
placed on our program."
Krzyzewski has seniors
Cherokee Parks and Erik Meek
9 pup front along with freshman
p.m. Ricky Price. In four of his first
7 five collegiate games, Price has
hit double figures in points and
Parks leads the team in scoring
(21.2 points per game) and rebounding (8.0
rebounds per game).
Like Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley and
Grant Hill before him, Parks has become the
star and leader of this team.
Fisher will use whatever he can to try to
stop Parks, who had a career-high 29 points
against George Washington.
"It's nothing new to him to have big games,"
Fisher said. "We'll have to do our best to not
give him easy stuff. He hasn't been stopped
yet. We're hoping to not totally stop him but
make it hard for him."
Steve Wojciechowski, who currently leads
the team with 5.0 assists per game, and Jeff
Capel finish out the Duke starting lineup
Not only will Michigan have to battle the
Blue Devils, but they will also have to endure
one of the most intimidating crowds in college
basketball at the 9,314-seat Cameron Indoor
Stadium. The "Cameron crazies" have seen
Duke rack up 91 straight victories over non-
conference opponents.
Forwards
Ray Jackson may be the most underrated defensive
player in the nation. On the offensive side, he often
teeters on the line between leading the team and forcing
his game. Jerod Ward has improved his often tentative
play, and will have to aggressively finish his shots
Saturday.
Eric Meek makes a living on high-percentage shots
(73 percent from the field). First-year swingman Ricky
Price starts at small forward, and makes the Blue Devils
especially dangerous from the perimeter.
Advantage:
Benches
There is no question that the Wolverines have a
bucketload of talent coming off the bench. The problem
is they may have too much. Coach Steve Fisher is still
feeling out who to bring in and when, and is often
reduced to an awkward combination of players.
Duke's Trajan Langdon started two games and
quickly confirmed his reputation as a sharp 3-point
shooter (9-of-16). Junior guard Chris Collins, who
should start before the year is over, is also dangerous
from the perimeter.
Advantage:
Coaches
Fisher will have to find a strategy and lineup that can
combat Parks without opening up the Blue Devil's
perimeter shooters too much. Has he seen enough of
his team this season to know how to do this? We may
well find out how good a coach Fisher is.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski can mold any collection
of basketball players into a competitive team. This year
is a prime example. Working with only two big men, he
has nonetheless created a tricky team to match up with.
Advantage:
Dec. 8 1990
Durham
Dec. 14, 1991
Ann Arbor
April 6, 1992I
Minneapolis (M
Dec. 5, 199,
Durham
Dec. 11, 1993
Ann Arbor
68
85 (OT)
51
68
63
r 9 1 ,:
Drop off picks at Daily sports desk on second floor of
Student Publications Building by 5 p.m. Dec. 13. Winner
receives a $15 gift certificate to O'Sullivan's Eatery & Pub.
Five entries per week.;
1. Holiday: Michigan vs. Colorado State
2. Rose: Penn State vs. Oregon
3. Citrus: Ohio State vs. Alabama
4. Hall of Fame: Wisconsin vs. Duke
5. Uberty: Illinois vs. East Carolina
6. Orange: Nebraska vs. Miami
7. Sugar: Florida vs. Florida State
8. Fiesta: Colorado vs. Notre Dame
9. Peach: North Carolina State vs. Mississippi State
10. Cottpn: Texas Tech vs. Southern Cal
11. Freedom: Arizona vs. Utah
12. Independence: Texas Christian vs. Virginia
13. Gator: Tennessee vs. Virginia Tech
14. Sun: Texas vs. North Carolina
15. Copper: Oklahoma vs. Brigham Young
16. Alamo: Baylor vs. Washington State
17. Aloha: Kansas St. vs. Boston College
18. Carquest: South Carolina vs. West Virginia
19. Las Vegas: Central Michigan vs. UNLV
20. Heritage: South Carolina State vs. Grambling
Tiebreaker: Michigan vs. Colorado State
Total Points:
Name: Phone:
The GLI Challenge
In its 30th year, The Great Lakes Invitational is conducting a challenge in cooperation with the Daily,
Grand Prize: A night for two at the Westin Hotel in Detroit and two tickets to each day of the GLI at Joe
Louis Arena Dec. 29 and 30. 15 First Prizes: Two tickets to each day of the GLI.
To win, drop off your answers at the Daily Sports desk in the Student Publications Building at 420
Maynard. A different challenge will appear in the Daily every day until Dec. 13, at which time the winners
will be notified by phone. This challenge is cumulative - the contestants with the most correct
answers through Dec. 13 have the greatest chances of winning.
Today's question: Who was the Most Valuable Player of the 1992 GOLi?
Answer:
Name:
Phone:
Overall
The Wolverines have played more like a collection
of individuals than like a team. Against a squad as well-
coached and cohesive as Duke, that won't work. But the
same thing was said about the 1991-92 team right before
the Duke game, and those Wolverines stepped up and
took the Devils to overtime. Could it happen again?
Maybe. There are so many talented elements on this
team that if Fisher finds a way to have it work together,
Michigan could shock Duke. But don't count on it.
Prediction:
Duke 85, Michigan 63.
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