Hockey at Ohio State Tonight, 7 p.m. Ohio StateFairgrounds S 'TS Wrestling vs. Illinois Tomorrow, 1 p.m. Cliff Keen Arena ne more chance T h e a t e h u p 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. READ THE DAILY SPECIAL RATES ComtrTrnprato"o * Metropolitan Airport Service ""iii" !i!" i"!"s""""""!!i""" "! "" " i " e e e Order your college ring NOW JOSTENS A M E R I C A' S C O L L E G E R I N Gm Stop by and see a Jostens representative 0 - - - - - - I I