The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - Monday, December 12, 1994 -71 II1Court _ Press Jackson, King face facts of Fab Five futility By PAUL BARGER Daily Basketball Writer DURHAM, N.C. - The chant said it all. As the words "four years, no wins," rang through the rafters at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson looked around with anguish. Here they were in their final regular season game against Duke and for the fourth year in a row they were going to lose. As the final seconds ticked off the clock King tried one last 3-pointer and, symbolically, it clanged off the rim. The Fab Five was arguably the greatest recruiting class in the history of college basketball. They introduced themselves to the nation on Dec. 14, 1991 when they took then-defending national champion and No. 1-ranked Duke to overtime. The Wolverines lost the game but gained the respect and admiration of the college basketball world. Revenge against Duke. That instantly became a battle cry for a group of players that expected to lose to no one. But now the opportunities for vengeance have disappeared, and the Fab Five will likely leave Michigan having never defeated their most hated of rivals. There is, of course, the possibility that the teams will meet in the NCAA tournament. r Ironically, the closest King, Jackson, and former Wolverines Chris Webber, Juwan Howard and Jalen Rose would ever get to defeating the Devils was in that first game they played against Duke, losing by three, 88-85. Since then they have lost by 20, 11 and twice by 10 points, respectively. "It's great to look back, and later down the road everybody will be talking about the Fab Five. I haven't lost to them. We beat them every time," Blue Devil center Cherokee Parks said. Now thegauntlet is passed to the next generation of Wolverines. The newcomers have gotten a taste for the rivalry, which, in truth, really isn't much of a rivalry anymore. The last time Michigan beat Duke was in another overtime thriller in 1989. Since then, the Blue Devils have won six consecutive against the Wolverines, most of which have come with embarrassing ease. For a surprisingly long period of time Saturday night, Michigan dominated Duke in every category and looked like it was poised for an upset. The Wolverines' hard work resulted in an impressive, almost incredible, 24-0 first half run. Michigan took a 35-28 lead after trailing 28-11, largely because of the play of freshman Maurice Taylor. Maybe, just maybe, King and Jackson would be able to ride the freshmen for their first win over Duke. But to beat a team like that, Michigan had to play for 40 minutes, and they hardly showed up for the second half. Duke's secondhalfdefenseconfused and frustrated Michigan from beginning to end. The game remained close, but it was quite obvious who was going to win. The more you lose to a team, the harder it is to beat them. In the final ten minutes of the game, the cocky smiles that Michigan players are recognized for became noticeably nervous. They must have sensed some- thing. As the Devils began to hittheirshots, the Wolverines could only watch with anger and amazement. It seemed that possessionafterpossession,Dukewould t have to force a shot with the shot clock 1 unning down and every time the Blue c Devils connected. Michigan went ice cold, scoring a meager eight points on two field goals in the final 12:41. Another year of the Duke student body celebrating another win over x Michigan and members of the Fab Five. "Four years, no wins." Now the current group of freshmen% .must try to be the unit that ends one of #Ie most upsetting losing streaks in Michigan history. King and Jackson have lost their chance. With all the success that is predicted for the first-year players, Taylor and his h fellow classmates may find that beating Ki Duke is the most difficult task they will undertake. King and Jackson walked off the court Saturday with disappointment in their eyes. They always thought that one day they would beat this team. Five losses ,aater, reality sinks in. The Fab Five's contributions to Michigan basketball will not be complete until the end of this season. As it stands now they have produced no national championships, no Big Ten titles and no victories against Duke. They were young in 1991,expecting to conquer the world. Saturday night they were simply reminded that they could never reach the lofty goals they had set for themselves. The faces may change, but the results remain the same. It doesn't matter if it is Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley, Grant Hill or Cherokee Parks. The greatness of the Fab Five has been compromised by the even-better Blue Devils. As King put up the final shot in Cameron he was still trying, still hoping. But as hard as he tried and as badly as he wanted to win, he had to come to grips with the fact that the unthinkable was about to occur. The Fab Five, now reduced to two, had lost to Duke again, but this time there would be no chance for revenge. "Four years, no wins." LA PENSIONE HOTEL 606 W. Date St. 1-800-232-4683 Downtown San Diego Con of utlions Wolverines! * Walk to San Diego's nightlife * World Famous Gaslamp Quarter * : Trolley to Tijuana ' " - * Rated #1 Budget Hotel by Fodors Freshmen Jerod Ward, Maceo Baston and Maurice Taylor express their disappointment at dropping a 69-59 decision to Duke Saturday. The Wolverines' loss was the 92nd in a row by a non-conference opponent at Cameron Indoor Stadium. , , ~ , i , ' - -mil 1 i1 11 I - 'k1° 'St"" 1 t -it- *-ik----" -tl-g-SV - iY-^--R--§! :#--A--13--.-4f-11 L--. BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK Cameron continues to plague non-AC C teams By ANTOINE PITTS Daily Basketball Writer DURHAM, N.C. - The crazi- ness continues at Cameron Indoor Stadium for Duke opponents. Saturday's 69-59 win over Michigan improved Duke's un- beaten streak against non-confer- ence opponents to 92 games, dating back to the 1982-83 season. That year, the Blue Devils lost to Louis- ville, 91-76. Overall, Duke has won 79 of its last 84 games at Cameron. The Blue Devils own an 81 percent lifetime winning percentage in their home since 1940. The fans, who do everything from waving and jumping up and down, to chanting, yelling and screaming, help make a date at Duke one of college basketball's most in- timidating road trips. A hundred- piece pep band fuels the crowd's energy beginning an hour and a half before tipoff. "Duke, as everyone knows, is a terrific basketball team," Michigan coach Steve Fisher said. "This is a very difficult place to come in and win. We won't have as hard a road game all season." OUCH!: Two Michigan freshmen hit the floor writhing in pain during Saturday's game. Maceo Baston suffered a mild knee sprain after getting tangled up with some other players in the first half. Baston laid on the floor in obvi- ous pain for several minutes before being helped to the lockerroom. He returned on the bench a few minutes later and reentered the game. Maurice Taylor injured his wrist in the second half. He was battling with a Duke player for a rebound when he fell to the floor, using his wrist to break his fall. Taylor left the game, received medical atten- tion, then returned a few minutes later. KING CLIMBING: Jimmy King's putback lay-in minutes into the game moved him into 22nd on the all- time Michigan scoring list. He sur- passed Rickey Green, who scored 1,184 points as a Wolverine in the mid-1970s. Next on the list for King is former teammate Chris Webber at 1,218. King needs 23 points to pass Webber. ONE-SIDED SERIES: The Duke- Michigan series dates back to 1963 but only recently has it become a huge rivalry. The teams met from 1963 through 1970 with the Blue Devils winning six of the meetings, but the Wolverines were able to take two games at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The series resumed in 1989 with the Wolverines winning in a 113- 108 overtime thriller at Crisler Arena. That marks Michigan's last victory in the series, though. Saturday's win gives Duke a 12- 4 advantage in the series. In 1989 the Wolverines toppea Seton Hall for the championship. A year later the Blue Devils fell to UNLV before beating Kansas for their first title in 1991. In 1992 Duke defeated Michi- gan, 71-51, to become repeat cham- pions. The next year, the Blue Dev- ils missed the championship for the first time in three years, but the Wolverines returned, only to fall to North Carolina. Last season Duke fell to Arkan-' SEE YOU AT THE FINAL FOUR: For the past six seasons, either Michi- gan or Duke, and in one instance both, have played in the national championship game. 1002 PONTIAC TR. "17 F Michigans only full time chess store and studio " 500 titles of chess books "complete line of classic " . wood sets, boards, clocks " eChess lessons . Table & clock rentals * Children's Chess Club; Thursdays from 3:30-7:30 - Monthly tournaments Hours: Tue.-Fri. 12-8, Sat.: 12-5 Appointments also Available (313) 665-0612 ,I ~fI