NBA BASKETBALL Atlanta 83. INDIANA 82 Seattle 109, DALLAS 101 L.A. Clippers at DENVER, inc. Vancouver at L.A. LAKERS, inc. NHL HOCKEY NY RANGERS 3, NY Islanders 1 Phoenix at VANCOUVER, inc. SPORTS~r9a1 dl Conn Huskies pull off upset over mighty Blue Devils U ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Connecticut spoiled the Duke Invitational. The Huskies beat top-ranked Duke, the team no one thought could be beaten in this NCAA Tournament, for their first national champi- onship in their first Final Four appearance. The 77-74 victory last night ended Duke's 32- game winning streak, kept the Blue Devils from an NCAA record for wins in a season, and pre- vented them from ending the '90s with a third national championship. Richard, Hamilton led the third-ranked Huskies (34-2) with 27 points, but it was some tremendous team defense and a big shot and free throws by Khalid El-Amin that won it all. Trajan Langdon led Duke (37-2) with 25 points, but Duke's last two possessions ended with him making turnovers. And so the Blue Devils, fell short of what everyone had expected - another,title. These were the only two teams to hold the No. 1 rankingthis season and they played a final game'worthy of the two best. Connecticut was able to keep the game at a pace it liked even though most everyone thought the Huskies should try to slow the tempo. The quick pace made for what seemed like constant lead changes, the last coming with 3:50 to play when Hamilton's free throws gave the Huskies a 70-68 lead. He hit a 3-pointer 21 seconds later for a five- point lead and suddenly Duke was playing a role it had very little experience at this season - the chaser. William Avery's free throws with 54 seconds left got the Blue Devils within 75-74. El-Amin, whose driving basket had given Connecticut the 75-72 lead, missed on a drive with 24 seconds left and Duke had life. The crowd of 41,340 at Tropicana Field, the court where Duke's season ended a year ago, was roaring as the Blue Devils went for the final shot without calling a timeout. But Trajan Langdon, after an awkward-look- ing drive, seemed out of sync, and traveled egregiously. El-Amin made two free throws to extend Connecticut's lead. Langdon again tried to push the ball up the floor, but as he approached the 3-point arc, he tried to split three defenders, and crashed to earth along with Duke's chances of winning the national title. THE REAL WINNERS ... The winner of The Michigan Daily/Pizza House 1999 NCAA Tournament Contest is Jeff Fisher, with 143 points. His prognosticating skills have earned him 10 Pizza House pizzas, so if you're hungry, be nice to Jeff. Jared Phillips, as the runner up, can use his free copy of EA Sports' NCAA March Madness to polish his skills for next year Of course, both will have to stop by the Daily's sports desk on the second floor of the Student Publications Building at 420 Maynard St. to claim their prizes. For those of you listed below, we have copies of the Daily's own book, "We're No. 1," about another national championship. The best of the rest ... *Jared Phillips, 137 points Seth Greene, 127 David Siegle, 121 Nathan Bertucci, 118 ... and the worst Heather Berkin, 48 points Josh Cockrell, 51 Pamela Spaulding, 52 Jason Jones, 53 AP PHOTO Connecticut's Richard Hamilton pounds the floor in glee after his Connecticut Huskies defeated Duke, 77-74 last night in St. Petersburg, Fla. for the NCAA Title. Hamilton was named the tournament's most outstanding player. Fl' I~I 'M' hockey regroups after heart- breaking loss to New Hampshire Wolverines plan offseason work outs to prepare for next season By Mark Francescutti Daily Sports Writer Instead of preparing for their fifth straight trip to the NCAA Frozen Four yesterday, the Michigan hockey team was instead meeting as a team for one of the final times this season. The Wolverines' hopes of a third NCAA championship in the 90's fell short in a 2-1 overtime heartbreaking loss to New Hampshire this past Saturday. New Hampshire's Darren Haydar dug the grave for the Wolverines when he slipped a puck past Michigan goaltender Josh Blackburn. After scoring five unanswered goals to come back from a 3-0 deficit against Denver and then hold- ing New Hampshire, the most prolif- ic offense in the country, to one fluke-like goal for three periods, the Wolverines still weren't awarded with a trip to Anaheim. "The best team doesn't always win," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "Games are often decided by a fluke goal. You have to accept the fact that you are not always going to win. "I think they can feel good about themselves because the way they came back in the Denver game and the way they played in the New Hampshire game. They played hard and physical and took the game into overtime." One-goal games have been the sta- ple of Michigan hockey's success throughout the 90's. The Wolverines won 16 of 20 one-goal games in the 1998 championship season and 11 of 17 this season. But when Michigan needed its strength in close games most, the package was lost in the mail and never made it. HIUGH MARKS FROM MORNINGSTAR, S&W.L~ MOODY'S, MONTEYMAGAZINE AND BILL. Berenson urged his players not toa forget the emotions of the close loss and spoke at length about theirfeel- ings after Saturday's game. "I told them that we've been through this before; there's a fine line between winning and losing. I don't want our team to ever accept losing." Berenson said. "I want them to learn how hard it is to get that far, how important the bye is, and just how hard you have to work to get there just to give you a chance. "The difference between the jubi- lation of winning and the emptiness of losing is extreme. I want my team to understand that" The Michigan players will look to use this experience in future champi- onship runs, but for now, will receive an opportunity to relax a little. The Wolverines have the choice of See OFFSEASON, Page 120 Close calls The Michigan hockey team has relied on clutch play down the stretch for its success in one-goal games. Here is the team's record over the last two years in games decided by only one goal, 4 a~oc U!_____________ e take a lot of pride in gaining W highmarks from the major rating services. But the fact is, we're equally proud of the ratings we get every day from our participants. Because at TIAA-CREF, ensuring the financial futures of the educa- tion and research community is something that goes beyond stars and numbers. operating expenses that are among the lowest in the insurance and mutual fund industries** * With TIAA-CREF, you'll get the right choices--and the dedication-to help you achieve a lifetime of financial goals. The leading experts agree. So does Bill. TIAA-CREF can help you build a com- STUDENTS WITH CROHN'S DISEASE OR ULCERATIVE COLITIS Please join Dr. Ellen Zimmermann Asst Professor of Gastroenterology, U of M The Psychology Peer Advisors Present Focus Groups: Winter Term 1999 Exploring Mental Health Professions: Earning the Ph.D., Psy.D., M.S.W., and M.*D. Thursday April I, 1999 7:00-9:00 PM 4th Floor Terrace, i