BASKETBALL The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - Monday, February 12, 1996 - 5B ?Ishker stmggles BY Paul Barger DailySports Writer WEST L AFAYETTE - Steve Fisher is h enemy. -Year in and year out, the Michigan men's bas reels in the finest recruiting classes in the count dream. However, with this success comes incredibl ions. Expectations that Fisher has riot met. Yesterday the Wolverines were basically eliminated from the Big Ten title chase, losing at Purdue, 69-64. y The Wolverines have lost four of their past five games and have been as inconsistent as a team can be. There is no flow to the offense. Half the time it seems like the players have no idea what they are supposed @o. Teams prepare to take on Michi- gan and are afraid of the Wolverines' athleti aura. But when the games begin, it is the Wolverin to be the nervous, confused ones. Talent can only take a team so far. There has t who can develop that talent and make gre, players into a team. Fisher was once again outcoached by Geneb day. Keady has instilled confidence in his p1 ence that the current crop of Wolverines do le. "Coach Keady is a big motivator," senior Bran said: "He is always yelling and pumping guys you want to win the ballgame." as M' contbzues to slump Fisher, on the other hand, does not appear to incite emotion in his players. is own worst In both losses to Purdue, Michigan started out flat. It is the coach's job to make sure that his team is primed and ready for ketball coach games of such magnitude. ry. A coach's There will be those that point to Fisher's accomplishments with the Fab Five in arguing that he is a great coach. But it is y high expec- hard to believe that any coach would not have had success with that group of players. Don't expect any magical runs with this current group of Wolverines. You will only be disappointed. The Boilermakers came to Ann Arbor Jan. 31 and ex- ecuted Keady's game plan to perfection. Everyone in the building could see that Keady was the better coach that night. It happened again Saturday. With the game on the line, the home team showed poise, patience and confidence. The Wolverines, who had just staged a miraculous comeback, displayed the confusion and mental errors that have plagued the team for the past two c ability and es who seem o be someone at individual Keady yester- ayers, confi- not seem to idon Brantley up. It makes seasons. The result: Michigan is 5-5 in the conference and in jeopardy of not making the NCAA tournament. Conversely, Purdue is in position to win its third straight conference title despite not having any likely All-Big Ten selections. The Boilermakers are the epitome of team and they have their coach to thank for their incredible success. Keady has made his squad into unselfish overachievers. "I just want to do what it takes to win," said senior Justin Jennings when asked if he was disappointed about not starting. "I will try to lead the team with emotion. Starting really doesn't matter." Maybe it is unfair to compare Fisher to Keady, one of the best coaches in America. But the fact remains that many teams in the Big Ten should not be able to compete with Michigan. Not only do they play with the Wolverines, they beat them. The conference is not exactly a powerhouse anymore, yet Michigan continues to struggle. Knowing the severity of the situation, Fisher must have his team ready and eager to play throughout the remaining schedule. There is no way that this team should have eight losses already. The nonconference schedule was relatively easy and the victories gained will likely be the only reason Michigan will make the NCAA Tournament. '. ...: Robert Traylor lies face-down after his fifth foul against ::Purdue. Michigan rwas outscored 9.4 after Traylor fouled out. JOE WESTRATE/Daily Fisher now faces one of the toughest tasks of his career as the leader of the Wolverines. Last season was a disappoint- ment from start to finish. There were, however, some valid excuses. This time around there are no excuses. With all of the players that leave college basketball early,: sophomores are now the stars of many of the nation's top; teams. Youth cannot be used over and over again as the reason for Michigan's mediocre play. This team is backed into a corner and needs to play up tor its potential for the duration of the season. Steve Fisher brought a great deal of talent to Ann Arbor. It is his job to do mold it into a winner. w7vrnsca oln e tk o re bid for grated IY":;f By Barry Sollenbrger DailySports Editor WEST LAFAYETTE-The Michi- gan men's basketball team probably dropped out of one race and into an- other after losing to Purdue, 69-64, Sat- ur4ay. Currently, the Wolveries are in sev- th place in the conference at 5-5 and il Penn State and Purdue by three games in the loss column. :Translation: They are out of the Big Ten title chase. For the record, Michigan last won the conference in 1986. Yes, the Wolverines are now in an- other race-one they thought they won long ago. Michigan finds itself in a battle for an NCAA Tournament berth. The Wolverines, with an overall '* rd of 15-8, are not a lock for the Big Dance. Last season, the conference landed six teams in the tournament and responded by winning just one first- round game. The NCAA Selection Committee isn't likely to give the Big Ten as many tournament bids this sea- son - especially since the league is widely regarded as weak this year. ['s possible that the Big Ten will ceive four or fewer berths this season. o who's in and who's not? Purdue (9-2 Big Ten, 19-4 overall) and Penn State (9-2, 18-2) are the only locs. Minnesota, Ohio State and North- western don't have a shot. That leaves Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, Illinois and Wisconsin. The rundown: Michigan: Back when they were 14- 4, the Wolverines appeared to be a lock for the NCAAs. But this current 1-4 Weak makes things interesting. The olverines still have the inside track, because 20 wins is in reach and they play five of their last eight games at MICHIGAN (64). FO FT REB MIN M-A M-A OT A F PTS Mitchell 13 0.4 0-0 3-5 0 2 0 Taylor 29 9-18 3-3 6-10 2 3 21 Traylor 21- 4-7 3-6 2-7 0 5 11 Fife 22 01 00 2311 0 Conlan 35 1-6 0-0 0-2 5 4 3 White 30 4-12 0-0 13 1 2 9 ock 24 1-5 7-8 02 0 3 9 oton 2 00 00 0-0 0 0 0 Totais 200 23-61 16-20 1943 1124 64 P0%: .377. FT%: .182. Three-point goals: 2-11, .182 (Conlan 1-3, White 1-3, Bullock 0-3, Fife 0- 1, Baston 0-1). Blocks: 3 (Taylor 2, Baston). Turnovers: 18 (Conlan 6, Baston 3, Mitchell 2, Traylor 2, White 2, Taylor, Fife). Steals: 10 (Traylor 2, Conan 2, Mitchell, Taylor, Fife. White, Baston, Bullock). Technical Fouls: Taylor. PURDUE (69) FO FT REB MIN M-A M-A -T A F PTS Dove 19 1-4 22 12 2 2 4 Hairston 24 1-2 1-2 2-4 3 2 3 rantley 20 3-5 0-0 3-6 2 4 6 tin 23 48 12 0-1 1 3 11 obrs 37 06 58 2-5 8 1 5 Jennings 24 6-12 4-9 3-5 2 2 16 Miller 28 4-9 6-6 3-7 1 1 14 Foster 22 3-6 2-2 0-2 0 3 10 Eldridge 3 0-0 00 00 0 0 0 Totals 200 2252 2131 1435 1918 69 FG%: .423. FT%: .677. Threepont goals: 412, .333 (Foster 2-5, Austin 2-4, Roberts 0-1, Jennings 0-1, Miller 0-1). Blocks: 6 (Hairston 3, Jennings 2, Brantley) Turnovers: 16 (Brantley 4, Austin 3, Dove 2, Roberts 2, Jennings 2, Miller 2, Hairston). Steals: 6 (Hairston 3 Roberts, Miller, Foster). Technical Fouls: none. Michigan..26 38 -64 Purdue. 36 33--69 At: Mackey Arena; A: 14,123 home. It also doesn't hurt that when the name "Michigan" is breathed, people tend to listen. Last year's 17-14 NCAA Tournament team benefited from this name recognition. Still, it would help the Wolverines' chances if they started to win some games. Indiana: Coach Bob Knight's team is in an awkward position. With seven games remaining, the Hoosiers are 7-4 in league play but just 14-9 overall. This means that they can still win the league, but they aren't guaranteed a spot in the tournament either. A5-5 non conference start didn't help. The Hoosiers get Penn State at home Wednesday and visit Ann Arbor Sun- day. After that, they finish the year with Purdue, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Michigan State. The schedule isn't easy, but Indiana has arguably the best player (Brian Evans) and coach in the Big Ten. That won't hurt come selection time. Iowa: The Hawkeyes (6-5, 17-6) were the preseason pick to win the league and instead find themselves fighting for their tournament lives. Yesterday's 76- 50 win over Indiana and an 11-1 non conference record - including a win over probable No. I seed Connecticut -helps. The Hawkeyes play four oftheir final seven league games on the road. And the road has been long and tough for Iowa. The Hawkeyes are just 1-4 in Big Ten games away from Carver Hawkeye Arena. Michigan State: When Michigan pounded the Spartans, 76-54, Jan. 13, coach Tom Izzo's squad was 8-7 and bound for the NIT. Since then, Michigan State is 5-3 with impressive wins over Iowa and the Nittany Lions. With seven games re- maining, the Spartans are 7-4 in the league and two games out of first place. But Michigan State will still have to go on quite a run to make the tourna- ment. The Spartans' current 13-10 overall record hurts. Illinois: The Illini were the Big Ten's surprise of the non-conference season in racing to an I1-1 start. Unfortunately for coach Lou Henson, his squad has continued to surprise - by losing al- most every time out. With star guard Kiwane Garris out for much of the conference season, Illi- nois has lost seven of 10 games. Garris is back, but the Illini (3-7, 14- 8) aren't likely to get a bid. Wisconsin: The Badgers (6-5, 14-9) won big home games against Michigan and Iowa and got a nice road win at Illinois. That alone is reason for joy in Madi- son. Wisconsin was expected tobe look- ing up at most of the conference after losing Rashard Griffith and Michael Finley from last year's squad, which didn't make the tournament. If only coach Dick Bennett's squad would have won a couple more games early, Wisconsin would be NCAA- bound. Instead, it's hello NIT. Bottom left: Purdue's Todd Foster dribbles past Dugan Fife. Foster scored 10 points off the bench for the Boilermakers. Top: Michigan's Maurice Bottom Right: Travis Taylor dunks two of his Conlan turned the ball game-high 21 points. over six times Saturday. Mchigan's free throw shooting improves By Paul Barger Daily Sports Writer WEST LAFAYETTE-Michigan's loss to Purdue Saturday cannot be- blamed on foul shooting. The Wolver- ines' old nemesis has recently become, a team strength. Since going 21-28 from the charity stripe against Illinois, Michigan has been outstanding from the foul line. Saturday, the Wolverines con- tinued their improve- Notebook ment, hitting 16 times in 20 attempts. Michigan has shot over 72 percent from the foul line since the start of conference play. GOLD AND BLUE: A new rule insti- tuted in the Big Ten states that the away team has the first choice on whether or not it wants to wear gold uniforms. This created a problem for Purdue Saturday. The Boilermakers had planned on wearing gold, but were forced to change when the Wolverines came out in their gold. Purdue coach Gene Keady has a simple solution to the problem - get rid of gold uniforms. "You see what kind ofproblems we're going to have here," Keady said. SLuMP: The last time the Wolverines lost four of five games was during the 1990-91 season, when they lost four straight. Prior to that, the last time a Michigan team accomplished this dubious feat was during the 1983-84 season. That squad, coached by Bill Frieder and led by Roy Tarpley, went on to finish second in the conference and win the NIT. YOUNG CONTRIBUTORs: Surprisingly, in the midstofMichigan's current down- turn, the team's freshmen have been flourishing. Saturday, Louis Bullock, Robert Traylor and Albert White com- bined for 29 of the Wolverines' 64 points. Each player has played an important role on this year's sqaud. Bullock is averagingjust under 14 points pergame, the sixth-best freshman average in the history of Michigan basketball. Traylor has shaken off early-season frustrations and has been a force in the Big Ten. He has scored eight or more points in all but one conference matchup. THE DISH: Michigan point guard Travis Conlan is leading the Big Ten in assists during conference games. Go- ing into Saturday's contest, the sopho- more was averaging 6.6 assists per game. Conlan had five assists, but six turn- overs against the Boilermakers. FIFE RETURNS: Senior captain Dugan Fife started his second consecutive game Saturday. He had started in 65 straight contests before being taken out of the lineup against Arizona Nov. 22. NATIONAL EXPOSURE: The Wolver- ines will once again appear on ESPN Photos by JOE WESTRATE/Daily Evans falters as Hawkeyes whip Hoosiers, 76-50 i' T'n Standings Big Ten Overall "Pl- A--+-A D-- ._______ ... __. ... ___ 1 {. __a. wa._....: _. '..........1 .. . . I ---. - - - i-, n ,. ,,, ,. , ;:a~..J~.Lto ,,.t