--I
00oreboard-
MEN'S NCAA WOMEN'S NCAA
BASKETBALL BASKETBALL
(4) SYRACUSE 88, (9) Duke 59,
6 Connecticut 74 FLORIDA STATE 54
(K) KANSAS at
Colorado, inc.
( U rULSA 84,
Cwnterary 44
c" lre [icltu l ailg
ORTS
fracking 'M'teams
The No. 8 Michigan women's swimming and diving team n
will play host to No. 10 Northwestern this Friday night..
The Wolverines and Wildcats hit the pool at 6 p.m. at
Canham Natatorium,
Tuesday
January 25, 2000
iG,
Knight and fouls don't mix for 'M'
---s
cagers
By Chris Duprey
IDaiIVSports Editor
Whether it comes from the mouth of Brad Nessler,
Di'k Vitale, or Quinn Buckner, you're guaranteed to hear
one certain line of commentary during tonight's nation-
ally televised Michigan-Indiana game on ESPN.
whoever the announcer is, he'll think lie's being
insightful when he says it, even though every announcer
that works in Assembly Hall uses the same exact line to
nauseating proportions.
Youknow it's coming.
You expect it.
"1ndiana makes more free throws than its opponents
attempt."
idthen the announcer feels the need to explain him-
'e)usually saying how Bob Knight's teams are "so
agg ressive in driving to the basket" and that it's just "a
rddit_ to Knight and his coaching staff" for prompting
suth smart basketball.
We1, the TV guy has it half-right. It is a credit to
knight that his teams spend so much time at the line,
tecause the Hoosiers have a first-class referee baiter on
tr7i line, one whose glare is enough to prompt a
wk
night-long parade of hand-check fouls and holding calls.
This isn't just a stereotype. On the road in the Big Ten
last season, Indiana had seven more fouls called against
it than the opposition. But at home, in Assembly Hall,
the Hoosiers had 47 fever whistles against them than
their foes.
To compare. Michigan had 27 more fouls than its
opponents on the road in the Big Ten last season, while
holding just a 12-foul advantage on its home court. Not
quite the homc-court advantage that the man in the red
pullover provides his team.
Shooting fouls are one thing. Relatively few are
argued compared to the off-the-ball calls. That's because
the little stuff - the holding, the bumping, the over-the-
back - adds up faster and can hurt much more.
When the Hoosiers are allowed to spend the last 8-10
minutes of each half in the double bonus, shooting two
free throws for every little over-the-back and hand-
check, tossing points on the pile, that's when the Indiana
lead grows into double figures. And before you realize it,
the game is effectively over.
Last season, Michigan went down to Bloomington and
played possibly its most complete road game of the sea-
son. The Wolverines rebounded, took care of the basket-
ball, and made eight more field goals than Indiana.
And they lost. The Hoosiers shot 41 free throws while
Brian Ellerbe and his team stood at the line and watched.
Three Wolverines fouled out. No one from Indiana did.
Down the stretch, Ellerbe was like a chef trying new
recipes with his lineups because of all the foul trouble. A
little of this, a little of that. Even seldom-used guard Ron
Oliver was forced into the game. Had the game gone into
overtime, Michigan's entire starting five might have
fouled out.
That's the reason Michigan hasn't won in Assembly
Hall in five years.
As defeatist as it sounds, Michigan could conceivably
dominate the Hoosiers in Bloomington tonight, beat
them in most every phase of the game, and still lose by
eight points.
And it wouldn't be because the Wolverines are an
inexperienced young team, or because they don't have
the talent, or because Indiana plays a smarter brand of
TO'MORROW 44.
Who:Michigan (3-2 Big Ten, 12A overall) at Indiana (4-2,14-3)
Where: Assembly Hall
When: 7 p.m. EST rf
TV/Rad~o: ESPN,WTKA 1050AM WIR760AM -
HISTORY BOOK .: 2
A closer look at the last three Michigan-Indiana games in
Bloomington:
Feb. 21, 1999: Indiana 73, Michigan 71
The officials helped Indiana hold off Brian Ellerbe's "Little Team That
Could," giving Luke Recker 25 free throws (he made 22) on the :"'
afternoon. Louis Bullock missed a driving 15-footer on Michigan's laSt
possession, which would have sent the game into overtime.
Jan. 6, 1998: Indiana 80, Michigan 62
The Wolverines hung around long enough to tie the game. at 44 but a
eight-minute, second-half field goat drought killed any hopes of victory.
Jan. 21,1997: Indiana 72, Michigan 70
Down 72-62 with 6:16 remaining, the Wolverines went on a timely '
run to dose the gap to 72-70 with eight seconds left. Bullock was
open enough to launch a 3-point shot that would have won the ;x
game, but it bounced harmlessly off the rim and Michigan went.
home empty-handed.
a
basketball than they
It would just be
again.
do.
Knight's aura, working its magic
i
JOc
Athletes strut
.,heir msical
Zsuff for Reese
BC holarship
By Uma Subramanian
Dai y Sports Writer
v'as the hottest ticket in town.
I fact, Ricky Martin, Madonna, Will
Smith, Sir Mix-a-Lot and the Backstreet
Bovs all showed up - in one form or anoth-
er.
And as a result, last night's first annual
Mock Rock held at the Michigan Theater was
a smashing success.
'- ichigan athletes from football to crew
donned wigs, robes and spandex - in drag
and showed off their lip-syncing skills in a
benefit for the Jeff Reese Scholarship Fund.
In "VH 1 Divas Live" fashion, the
Michigan rowing team featured Shania
Twain, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Celine
Dion and Britney Spears -- a.k.a. Brook
Godwin, Fazeela Siddiqui, Sofie Roberge,
Caroline Gregory and Jen Kinon - kicked
off festivities with a high intensity routine
that brought the fans to life.
As they always do amongst 14-year-old
girls, the Backstreet Boys stole the show and
thrilled the crowd with their precision moves
and perfect coiffures.
"I think they were the best looking group
out there; they were very hot," said Michigan
hockey defenseman Jeff Jillson of the "Boyz"
- a group that included Jillson's teammates,
Sean Peach, Kevin Magnuson and Bill
Trainor, as well as tennis' John Long and
Brad McFarlane.
'or their efforts, the Boyz earned first
lace from a panel of judges and a standing
ovation from the crowd.
"We came in focused," Peach said. "There's
no'such thing as second place for the Boyz."
. Though Michigan wrestling's Arch Street
Boys made an appearance toe, the Boyz' clos-
est competition was "Nothing But Spandex."
The elasticly clad men's track team, star-
ring drag queens Tom Caughlan, Jon Cohen,
Charles Dewildt and Todd Snyder danced
[11
1I9
roll
T n 7 t e -
~XXyoting
ex SA
Freshman fans blanket Iowa
with a little Crawford help .
By Mark Francescutti
Daily Sports Writer
IOWA CITY - In the midst of the rowdy Iowa
faithful at Saturday's game against the
Hawkeyes, four voices broke out into a familiar
"Let's Go Blue."
Donned in white headbands and yellow
"Maize Rage" T-shirts, four Michigan freshmen
roared for the Wolverines to culminate an eight-
hour trek through the snow.
Who are these Michigan faithful just behind
the Michigan bench - in Iowa?
Freshmen Lindsey Scrase, Marc Berman,
Adam Rubin and Casey Lindberg traveled 500
miles - all for Michigan basketball.
"We are just five fans, and we love Michigan
basketball," Scrase said. "We plan on going to as
many games as possible."
The quartet sat behind the Michigan coaches
and players at the game thanks to a goodwill ges-
ture by Michigan freshman Jamal Crawford.
He met the foursome at the library the week
before, and offered them four of his complimen-
tary tickets.
"They said they were coming so I offered
(them the tickets)," Crawford said. "That's unbe-
lievable that the fans are that into it. I really
appreciate it."
The fans' long roadtrip began at the Ann Arbor
Greyhound station at 8 p.m. on Friday. Each
forked over 100 dollars to ride in a bus, in a
snowstorm, for 10 hours.
All for Michigan basketball.
They reached Chicago in five hours, and wait-
ed for two more, before continuing the exciting
stretch through the endless corn fields of Illinois.
They were welcomed by Iowa at 7 a.m.
Saturday, with the game 12 hours away, and the
excitement of the local Denny's their only
entertainment.
All for Michigan basketball.
The fans stopped by the team's hotel in between,
where Crawford spent some time with them.
"They were at the hotel and we hung around a
bit," Crawford said. "It was fun just hanging out."
Crawford reached out when the world seemed
to be pushing him in.
After all, the week prior to Iowa wasn't the
smoothest for the freshman guard.
First, he had to deal with his punishment for a
flare-up at practice the previous Friday.
Michigan coach Brian Ellerbe benched
Crawford for more than 14 minutes of the first
half against Illinois.
Then, the reporters came.
Crawford made comments that many publications
construed as a hidden agenda to leave Michigan for
MARJORIE MARSHALL/Daily
While the Michigan men's gymnastic team showed its flexibility In Its "Men In Blue" perfor-
mance last night, it didn't do much else. The gymnasts received the lowest score on the night.
their way into the hearts of many a fan also,
but fell just short of the Boyz when it came
right down to the end.
"The Backstreet boys were the best, but the
spandex guys were the funniest," Michigan
kicker Hayden Epstein said.
Just for fun, Michigan Athletic Director
Tom Goss headed up a team of judges that
included several coaches and Olympic swim-
mer Tom Malchow. The acts were rated on a
five-point scale.
The Michigan men's gymnastics team -
though traditionally impressive in the floor
routine - struggled somewhat last night and
received the "Booby Prize" for the lowest
score.
"Student-athletes put this all together by
themselves and tonight we saw a lot of team
unity between the sports" Goss said.
But as much fun as the evening was for
artists and fans alike, the true meaning of the
night was not lost on anyone - it was a cel-
ebration of Reese.
Reese was a Michigan wrestler who lost
his life two years ago while training for a
meet. In his honor, Michigan athletes are try-
ing to get the Jeff Reese Scholarship endowed
for $100,000.
"I'm so excited, I can't even describe it,"
said event organizer and former Michigan
swimmer Andy Potts. "About a month into it,
I had doubts about packing the theater.
"But the reason we wanted to do it this way
was that we wanted the community to see that
these are real people, and Jeff was someone
who touched every athlete's heart because of
what he represented. I'm so psyched."
After the final act was over and the prizes
were awarded, there was a video tribute to
Reese created by his teammate, Otto Olson.
The athletes first devised the plan for
Mock Rock several months ago; it was then
approved by Goss who said that the project
had the Athletic Department's full support.
"Bottom line: We had a blast," Magnuson
said. "But of course, it's all about Jeff and the
spirit of Michigan. Tonight you saw it; every-
one was fired up and we were too."
SAM HOLLENSHEAWDDly'
Freshman Jamal Crawford helped make four fellow'
freshmen's trip to Iowa a little more special, by,
helping them get seats behind the Michigan bench.
another school at the end of this season.
He never said he would transfer, but he never ,
said he wouldn't.
The media printed stories, and the Michigak
basketball program once again closed its cloaks,
limiting media access.
But Crawford continued life as usual.,
The freshman coached his IM basketball tea
went to school and returned to business on the
court.
All season long, fans have loved Crawford
from developing the Crawford Crazies sectiun b
games to wearing the same headbands the player
wears every contest.
And he loves the fans back.
The freshman made the only Michigan pl yq
appearance at a fan practice before the Duk
game, and continually tries to rile up the fans,at
Crisler Arena.
His week of angst and anxiety ended with fN
encouraging voices.
"He's a class act," one of the fans said. o
All for Michigan basketball.
I
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