ASKETBALL
The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - January 26, 1998 - 58
Quote of the Week
"Defensively, we played well
enough to win, but offensively we
didn't We should have been
playing well enough to beat this
Michigan coach Brian Ellerbe,
commenting on the loss to Illinois.
brange Krush
too much for 'M'
By 11m Rose
Daily Sports Editor
CHAMPAIGN - The festivities surrounding the Super
dw l may have been out of control, but they didn't have much
yesterday's Michigan-Illinois game here at Assembly Hall.
The band played, the dance team was on the floor, and the
student section - dressed entirely in bright "Orange Krush"
T-shirts - was rowdy and loud as CBS picked up the feed for
the start of the game.
After the Illinois Men's Glee Club sang the national
anthem, an Illinois wrestler took the microphone and asked
the crowd, "What time is it?"
The crowd's response: "Game time!"
The orange-clad fans charged down
the aisles to take their seats in unison as
Michigan took the floor, marching past
the Wolverines to their seats behind the
'7 f#., , Michigan basket. Before the game and
at halftime, the Orange Krushers lined
the floor and led the crowd in cheers.
They crossed their arms and honored
the Illinois mascot, Chief Illiniwek, as
he performed his traditional American
Indian halftime dance. The cheerleaders stormed the stands,
waving giant blue and orange flags. It all led to something not
en seen in a game involving Michigan: crowd intensity.
Robert Traylor's contention that Assembly Hall was "a hos-
tile environment" was the understatement of the day. Travis
Conlan said it was "a tough place to play." Brian Ellerbe called
it "a great atmosphere."
And the effects were dramatic. Illinois responded with an
energy of its own to the sellout crowd of more than 16,000,
scored the first six points of the game and never looked back,
controlling play for much of the afternoon. The Wolverines
were shaky throughout, feeding the crowd's fire with nine
turnovers before halftime and poor decisions with the ball all
. The final two minutes degenerated into a back-and-forth
play of long Michigan 3-pointers and Illinois free throws,
much to the delight of the fans.
And the crowd's final act? The most dreaded of all taunts:
"Over-rated!"-clap-clap-clap-clap-clap- "Over-rated!"
And who could argue? .
"Crowd rattled us" Ellerbe said.
WHERE'S THE STOREY?: Illinois freshman Awvee Storey,
who played in 17 of 19 games prior to Sunday and was aver-
aging seven minutes per contest, missed yesterday's game
against Michigan. He was undergoing tests after being hospi-
ized on Saturday with an irregular heartbeat. Maceo B
*We don't know much more about it at all," Illinois coach Baston's
Lon Kruger said. "We're just hoping it hasn't gotten any
worse."
There is currently no timetable for Storey's possible return
to action. Kruger said he doesn't "have any idea" when Storey
might be back.
ROSE I
Continued from Page 1B
f't let that happen. EAST
WBullock was 2-of-9 from behind the arc, and Reid com- scored 2
bined with Travis Conlan to score, count 'em, zero points. And high 15
as much as the Wolverines would like to believe it wasjust one defeated
of those days, give credit to the Illinois defense. the Big
"We're at our best when we play the inside-out game" Wiley
Conlan said. "When we do that, we're pretty good. But, obvi- minutes
ogsly, we didn't do that today." 2:05 ren
No, they didn't. It's not that they didn't try - the play.
Wolverines shot 18 3-pointers, making four- it was just that The S
Illinois wouldn't let them. 1:03 by
And here's the kicker: yesterday was Michigan's only shot Cleaves,
Illinois. What previously looked like a definite scheduling The S
essing - the Wolverines play Illinois, Purdue and Iowa just but mad
once apiece - may now turn out to be something of a curse. No. 1
The next four games for the Illini? Ohio State, Penn State, Brad
Minnesota and Wisconsin (combined Big Ten record: 5-18). Purdue
And, more importantly, the Illini, tied with Michigan at 5-2 in night.
the conference, have already beaten Michigan and Indiana. Purdu
The first game of the important three came and went, and an 8-0 r
what on paper seemed to be Michigan's best shot at stealing a
road victory from a top conference team was fumbled out of Big
bounds like a Jerod Ward dribble-drive.
t So the next two games loom even larger, especially since in Team
'both cases it will be Michigan's only chance all season against Michig
the league's other leading teams. Purdue comes to Ann Arbor MIchig
on Thursday, then it's off to Iowa next weekend. And Michigan Purdu
better be ready, because there are no second chances with lndianE
either team. Illinois
There are nine more games in the regular season and plen-
ty more chances for the Wolverines to secure a tourney bid.
But the next two loom awfully large. And if Michigan seri- Wiscor
ously wants to make some noise in the Big Ten, now is the Penn
time. And once again, we're left on the edges of our seats, Minnel
ondering, no doubt, "What next with this team?" North%
-Jim Rose can be reached over e-mail at Ohio S
jwrose@umich.edu.
at Assemy flai, Champaign:
11 1 is , Michigan 53
Player of the Week
The senior forward 1d Michigan
scorers with 14 points in the
game-high14 rebounds in a losing
effort against Illinois yesterday.
Almost-an-Illini
Reid struggles at
Assembly Hal
By Mark Snyder
Daily Sports Writer
CHAMPAIGN - One year ago,
Robbie Reid walked the streets of
Greece pushing his religion.
Yesterday afternoon, he was in
Assembly Hall pushing the ball for the
Wolverines - and he couldn't be happi-
er about being in the Michigan maize.
But the scenario almost was reversed
as Reid considered suiting up for Illinois
this season.
Upon returning from his two-year
Mormon mission, Reid's school of
choice - Brigham Young - was no
longer a viable option.
His father, Roger, the coach at
Brigham Young when he left, had been
ousted from his seat on the bench and
Robbie was left as a shooter without a
basket.
So after much family discussion and
debate, the Reids narrowed the con-
tenders to Illinois and Michigan.
The difference between the confer-
ence rivals?
Former Michigan coach Steve Fisher.
Despite the summer turmoil, Fisher
promised the Reids he would remain as
the Michigan coach, and they bought
into his philosophy.
So Robbie Reid, secure in his deci-
sion, committed to Michigan and left the
Fighting Illini licking their wounds.
"College basketball is such that you
lose some guys," Illinois coach Lon
Kruger said.
A firestorm of protest from Roger
Reid emerged following Fisher's firing
in early October, including a mention
that Robbie may have erred - even
before the season even began.
But as with the majority of the nega-
tive publicity surrounding the Michigan
program, Reid's apprehensions have dis-
appeared and his skills have assumed
offense, Reid's long-distance shot has
proved essential in providing another
shooting option throughout this season.
From 3-point range, Reid has matched
all-world bomber Louis Bullock shot for
shot, draining treys at a 44 percent clip.
But as much of an asset as Reid is to the
Michigan ofiense, the reliance on him
can often cause trouble, as it did yester-
day when he failed to score.
So yesterday was an opportunity to
show the Fighting Illini faithful what~
they're missing out on.
"Sure there's extra sense of motivation
because you have that association,' Reid
said before the game.
The nature of his game is to shoot
early and often, sparking Michigan to
early leads while extending the opposing
defense and opening the post position
for Robert Traylor and Mlaceo Baston.
Reid's shooting touch has made it dif-
ficult for opponents to double-team
Bullock as each of the five Michigan
starters is an otfensive threat.
As integral as Reid's touch has been to
Michigan's offense at times when the
offense is clicking, had he come to
Champaign, his season may not have
panned out as well.
Illinois relies on its 3-point shooters
(Matt Heldman, Jerry Hester, and Kevin
Turner) as its entire ottense and lack a
consistent big man, so another shooter is
hardly vital - as the Illini proved yes-
terday
"I have great respect for coach (Lon)
Kruger and Illinois," Reid said.
And the attention the fans gave him?
It was "a great compliment, he said.
Kruger expected the fans to remind
Reid of their displeasure.
"The fans will have fun with that," he
said.
Jeers rained down from farthest
reaches of the mushroom-shaped arena
MARGARET MYERS/Daily
Baston and the Wolverines had their shots contested all day long in Michigan's loss to Illinois.
14 points led the team in scoring in what was Michigan's lowest scoring output of the season.
ichiganSe Bi
ln lead; To aoses in
center stage. during the game introductions, but that
Unfortunately for Michigan, few of just fueled Reid's fire.
those skills were on display yesterday. "I expect to be booed," said Reid
Reid, in his poorest performance since before the game. "To me, that's a sign of
joining the Wolverines, turned the ball respect. The reason they're booing me is
over four times and failed to convert on because they wanted me to come there.
any of his six 3-point attempts. They obviously think I have some skills
Usually a catalyst for Michigan's that would have helped them."
LANSING (AP) - Mateen Cleav s
5 points and DuJuan Wiley added a car er-
as Michigan State (6-1 Big Ten, 13-4)
Penn State 71-59 for sole possession of
Ten's lead.
, who had seven points in the last five
, gave Michigan State a 62-54 lead with
maining when he converted a three-point
partans maintained their lead in the final
hitting six straight free throws - four by
two by Charlie Bell.
partans shot only 31 percent from the field,
e 28 of 33 free throws.
2 PURDUE 80, NORTHWESTERN 45
Miller scored 20 points to lead No. 12
over Northwestern 80-45 on Saturday
e (5-2, 17-4) opened the second half with
un to build a 44-24 lead. The Boilermakers'
Ten Standings
Conf. Overall
an State 6-1 13-4
gan 5-2 15-5
e 5-2 17-4
a 5-2 14-5
5-2 13-7
4-2 15-4
nsin 3-4 10-9
State 2-4 9-7
sota 1-6 8-10
western 1-6 7-9
tate 0-6 7-12
pressure defense sparked the spurt and forced 26
Northwestern turnovers for the game.
Chad Austin finished with 17 points, Jaraan
Cornell had 14 and Brian Cardinal added 13 for
Purdue.
MissouRi 80, No. 10 IowA 79, OT
Kelly Thames made two free throws with 5.6
seconds left in overtime as Missouri, down 14
points early in the second half,
beat No. 10 Iowa 80-79
Saturday, its fourth victory
Roundup over a ranked opponent in a
month.
Missouri (11-7) also beat No. 20
Maryland on Dec. 30, No. 25 Oklahoma State on
Jan. 14 and No. 3 Kansas last Monday night.
INDIANA 69, WiscoNsiN 59
Andrae Patterson scored 19 of his season-high
23 points in the second half for the Hoosiers (14-5,
5-2) at Madison.
Ie scored six points in an 1 1-2 Indiana run that
gave the Hoosiers a 57-50 lead with three minutes
left in the game. The Badgers (10-9, 3-4), who led
much of the game, were unable to get closer than
five the rest of the way.
MINNESOTA 79, OHIO STATE 56
Minnesota's Clem Haskins is upset with Big Ten
officiating and says he's going to start standing up
for his players, even if it includes taking off his
clothes on the sidelines.
Following the Gophers' 76-53 victory over Ohio
State on Saturday, Haskins criticized the officials
for not calling more fouls on opposing teams,
especially against his top shooters.
"I guess I'm going to have to undress on the
sideline on national TV,' said Haskins. "I guess
I've got to get some technical fouls"
MARGARET MYERS/Da
Michigan's Jerod Ward was hastled throughout yesterday's game by Illinois
defenders. The Fighting Illini put constant pressure on the Wolverines' half-court
offense, which led to numerous turnovers.
9
ILLINI
Continued from Page 1B
Baston joined him on the bench a
minute later, but not by choice, having
fouled out for the fifth time this season.
tEntering the game, Michigan's signifi-
t height advantage on the boards
appeared to be a key to victory. But
Illinois clamped down, attacking the
glass with abandon, often sending four
players to the glass, making it more diffi-
cult for Michigan to control the loose
said.
Heldman's statistical line reflected his
contributions. He finished with seven
points, seven rebounds and six assists. In
direct contrast, Michigan guards Conlan
and Robbie Reid combined to miss all 10
of their shots while turning the ball over
eight times.
Second-half concern began to mount
for Michigan when Robert Traylor sat
down with 16:13 left in the second half
with his third foul. The ensuing Illinois
foul shots gave the Fighting Illini a nine-
"And the second half was the same."
After a few airballs, 'his confidence
began to slide downhill and his team-
mates' followed.
MICHIGAN (53)
F 7, F RES
MIN 0- M T A F PIS
Baston 35 5-9 44 39 1 5 14
Ward 23 4-10 1-3 3-5 1 3 11
Traylor 29 5-14 0-0 3-7 0 4 10
Reid 36 0-6 00 1-3 5 2 0
Bullock 34 4-15 33 0-5 2 0 13
Conlan 34 0-4 0-1 1.6 5 4 0
Asselin 8 2-2 12 3-4 0 1 5
Smith 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 2 0
Totals 200 20-60 9-3 15.42 14 21 53
FG%:.333. P1%: .692. 3 -poit F4-18..222 Ward 2-4
Rllonk -9- PR i ,5- 7,a i P n .' ^ 5
Tarheels anniate Fl S
CHAPEL HILL (AP) - Antawn
Jamison scored 20 of his 24 points in a
lopsidedi first half Saturday as No. 2
North Carolina pounded No. 20 Florida
State 103-55, giving the Tar Heels their
28th straight 20-victory season.
The Tar Heels (6-1 ACC, 20-1) made
20 of their first 24 shots to build a 58-28
halftime lead on the Seminoles (3-5, 14-
UNLV (2-3, 9-8) pulled within 65-54
on a three-point play by Kaspars
Kambala with 26 seconds left, but never
seriously challenged the Utes.
It is the best star in school history for
Utah, whose previous best start was 16-
0 in the 1912-13 season.
No.5 STAN7RD 74, WAsHINGTON 72
Kris Weems hit a 3-pointer as time
- UA MMIL1