14A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, March 12, 1998
Sky's the limit for peaking Blue
STI LLMAN
Continued from Page 13A
blowout of then-No. 19 Syracuse, the
Wolverines' victims included no-
names Chattanooga, Murray State and
American (Puerto Rico).
it looked like Michigan finally had
decided to approach every game as if
it was against a "Duke." For all the
emphasis the Wolverines were placing
on their opponents, however, the key
to Michigan's success has been focus-
ing on themselves.
"When we take care of us, we do all
right," Ellerbe likes to say.
It turns out "taking care of us"
means not just an emphasis on intensi-
ty, but also on their collective skills
and capabilities based on pure talent
and hard work.
Ironically, the moment of realiza-
tion for the Wolverines may have
come the last time they lost. Despite
falling short against Michigan State
on Feb. 17, the Wolverines used an
inspired comeback to cut the
Spartans' 15-point halftime lead to
just three, 78-75, with seven seconds
remaining.
Much of that comeback was made
with an injured Maceo Baston on the
bench and without Robert Traylor,
who fouled out with over six minutes
still left in the game.
"Without Mace, we realized we
could play with any team with the five
guys we had," Conlan said. "From that
point, we realized we could get on a
roll like we did in Puerto Rico.
"We've got a lot of weapons.
Everybody's playing together. Nobody's
looking just to take over the game."
So, finally, the Wolverines believe
what their fans have known for the last
three years - the sky is the limit
when Michigan plays to its potential.
And that's why the Wolverines and
those who have watched .them know
- know that Michigan is capable of
anything and everything, no matter
how difficult the bracket or how
intimidating the teams standing in the
middle of Michigan's road to the Final
Four.
- Dan Stillman can be reached via
e-mail at dns@umich.edu.
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For further information, contact Professor Stuart Rankin,
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(Mention you saw this ad in The Daily.)
SARA STILLMAN/Dally
Michigan State point guard Mateen Cleaves leads the Spartans into one of the most anticipated first-round games In the
NCAA Tournament - a meeting tonight with Eastern Michigan.
Which een machine will win?
'M' guard Bullock may have idea
DETROIT (AP) - Eastern
Michigan's Earl Boykins wanted to get
the inside secret on Michigan State, so
he called the Spartans' biggest rival for
help.
Michigan guard Louis Bullock gave
his buddy the goods.
"I told him to keep doing what he's
doing now, to make them adjust to his
game,'" Bullock said Tuesday of the 5-
foot-5 Boykins, averaging 26 points per
game as the nation's second-leading
scorer.
Whether Bullock's advice about the
Wolverines' in-state rival helps Boykins
could become clearer tonight, when the
13th-seeded Eagles face the 16th-
ranked, fourth-seeded Spartans in
Hartford.
Bullock insisted the call Monday
night wasn't the product of insecurity
by Boykins, who has amassed 45, 30,
35 and 29 points in his past four games
and stands 27 points shy of his school's
scoring title.
To Bullock, Boykins has no reason
for self-doubt.
"Anything in-state is big," Bullock
said. "What's at stake now makes it big-
ger.
"He just wanted as much information
as he could get. That's just him. He's a
competitor, all business."
Boykins took that knowledge with
him Tuesday when the Eagles left for
Hartford for a showdown against the
Spartans and a premier guard of their
own: Mateen Cleaves, the Big Ten's
player of the year.
"Mateen's a good player," Boykins
told The Ann Arbor News of Cleaves, a
sophomore named Monday to the AP
All-America second team. "We'll have
to see what happens."
Cleaves was equally complimentary.
"I've got a lot of respect for Earl
Boykins' game," he said, convinced the
game's outcome won't be decided :
individuals. "It's a team game, andI
need my team to win, just like he does."
It will be the second trip to the
NCAA Tournament for Eastern's ive
seniors.
"The experience factor is going to
help us a great deal, Boykins said.
K-zoo NEWS: Western Michigan
(20-8) figures to have its hands full as
the Midwest Region's 11th seed facinr
sixth-seeded, taller Clemson (18-1
tomorrow in Chicago.
I
Tale of the tape
cleaves
Bovkins
Height
Weigmt
Points
Assists
6-foot-2
190 pounds
15.5
7.6
5-foot-5
145 pounds
26
5.7
,i
al
Recent Big Ten
award Player of the
Year
MAC
Tournament
MVP
,;.
Home
Year
Flint
Sophomore
Cleveland
Senior
* All statlstics are per game averages
7
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