I

5B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - December 10, 2001

Trash talk
"They're just a bunch of NBA players."
- Michigan sophomore Bernard Robinson on the quality
of talent the Wolverines faced in No. 1 Duke.

SATURDAY'S GAME
Duke 104
Michigan 83

Players of the Game

Chris Young
(Michigan)
Young led the Wolverines with 25 points.
He picked up his first foul with 47 sec-
onds left in the game, and received a
standing ovation as he left the court.

Jason Williams
(Duke)
Williams won the game with 14 points in
the first eight minutes. Everything he put
up seemed to come down through the net
as he shot 7-of-1ifrom behind the arc.


Young's play lone bright spot for 'M'

By Steve Jackson
Daily Sports Writer
With 37 seconds remaining in the Michigan's
104-83 loss to No. 1 Duke, senior tri-captain
Chris Young left the court to a standing ovation.
As well he should have.
Young was the lone-
bright spot for the BASKETBALL
Wolverines on an other- Notebook
wise depressing day, post-
ing a career-high 25
points despite being matched up against pre-
season Naismith Award candidate Carlos
Boozer. His previous high (22) was set just
three days earlier, against IUPU-Fort Wayne.
Young attributes his recent successes to con-
fidence in his game.
The confidence has spread.
"He's got a great jump hook, he's athletic
and 6-foot-9," guard Gavin Groninger said.
"We know that he can score against anyone in
the Big Ten - anyone in the country."
"Chris Young was sensational," said Duke's
legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski. "He's very
difficult to defend in the post, and they do real-

ly good things to get him the ball."
GOSPEL OF K: Duke's "Cameron Crazies."
are one of the best student sections in all of
college sports. Once the action starts, their vol-
ume and intensity create a huge home-court
advantage for the Blue Devils.
Since Michigan brought in head coach
Tommy Amaker, a former player and assistant
at Duke, things have changed at Crisler Arena.
Students have moved closer to the court and
the "Maize Rage" has grown significantly.
But Krzyzewski thinks that more changes
are in order.
"They should put more student seats there,"
said Krzyzewski. "It would be interesting if
they had them first-come, first-serve like we
do. We don't charge our students. That's one of
the neat things about our place - the students
don't get charged. They get the best seats and
we still make a lot of money."
BACKWARD FORWARDS: Last season, forwards
LaVell Blanchard and Bernard Robinson led
Michigan in scoring, posting a combined .32.2
points per game.
But this year the two have struggled to find
their offensive touch in the new system. On

Saturday both of the Wolverines' stars were
held scoreless in the first half. Blanchard and
Robinson finished the game with 16 and four
points, respectively. But most of those baskets
came in garbage time.
"We need our better players to play better,"
Amaker said.
Blanchard was forced to sit because of foul
trouble, but Robinson simply wasn't able to
connect on his shots - he missed nine of 11.
No MOORE?: After sitting out of his fourth
straight game because of a herniated disc in his
back, sophomore Josh Moore is at the end of
his rope.
The 7-foot-2 center said that he was going
to speak with Amaker "as soon as possible"
and that right now he considers taking a med-
ical redshirt to be his best option.
NOTES: Freshman guard Marcus Bennett,
who has been benched for academic reasons,
said that his "day-to-day" status will finally be
resolved "no later than Wednesday"...
Krzyzewski is now 13-0 against his former
assistants and players ... Freshman Dommanic
Ingerson has replaced former walk-on Mike
Gotfredson as the team's No. 2 point guard.

SATURDAY'S GAME
Duke (104)
FG FT REB
MIN M-A M-A 0-T A F PTS
Jones 30 6-8 1-1 1-4 2 2 14
Dunleavy 28 6-9 2-2 1-8 2 4 16
Boozer 22 7-10 9-10 0-3 0 4 23
Williams 31 12-19 4-5 0-4 5 3 35
Duhon 35 4-7 0-0 0-4 10 3 9
Sanders 14 1-1 0-0 2-4 0 1 2
Horvath 12 0-4 1-4 2-5 0 0 1
Ewing 18 2-3 0-0 0-0 0 3 4
Christensen 4 0.2 0.0 2-2 0 0 0
Buckner 4 0-0 0.0 0-0 0 0 0
Causey 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0. 0 0
Totals 200 3843 17-22 8-34 19 20 104
FG%: .630. FT%: .773. 3-point FG: 11-23, .478
(Jones 1-1, Dunleavy 2-4, Williams 7-11, Duhon 1-
4, Horvath 0-2, Ewing 0-1). Blocks: 4 (Sanders 2,
Dunleavy, Williams). Steals: 9 (Duhon 4, Dunleavy
2, Williams 2, Horvath).Turnovers: 13 (Sanders 3,
Duhon2, Horvath 2, Williams 2,Boozer, Dunleavy,
Ewing, Jones). Technical fouls: none.
MICHIGAN (83)
FG FT REB
MIN M-A M-A 0.T A F PTS
Robinson 27. 2-11 0.1 1-5 0 3 4
Blanchard 20 4-10 6.6 1-3 1 4 16
Young 36 9-12 7-7 1-3 3 1 25
Queen 33 1-4 0-0 0-1 6 0 2
Groninger 11 2-5 2-2 0-0 0 1 8
Jones 25 4-7 1-2 1.3 3 2 13
Ingerson 24 4-9 2-2 1.3 3 1 11
Bailey 22 2-5 0-0 2-6 0 3 4
Gotfredson 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0
Totals 200 2843 18.20 7-24 17 15 83
FG%: .444. FT%: .900. 3-point FG: 9-22,_409
(Robinson 0.4, Blanchard 2-2, Queen 0-2,
Groninger 2-4, Jones 2-4, Ingerson 3-6). Blocks: 2
(Young2). Steals: 5 (Blanchard, Ingerson, Jones,
Queen, Young). Turnovers: 17 (Queen 5, Bailey 2,
Blanchard 2, Ingerson 2, Jones 2, Robinson 2,
Groninger, Young). Technical fouls: none.
Duke .......................51 53 -104
Michigan...................32 51 - 83
At: Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor
Attendance: 13,751
BIG TEN STANDINGS

Chris Young played to the level of preseason Naismith Award
candidate Carlos Boozer, scoring 25 points.

. Williams No. 1 in the
country for a reason

By Joe Smith
Daily Sports Editor

It was a comical, yet symbolic,
meeting of the two stars of the
show.
Duke's Jason Williams and
Michigan's Chris Young, who both
had career-nights on Saturday,
shared a few words at the free-
throw line.
"Are you ever going to miss?"
asked Williams, who shot 12-19 for
the game and didn't miss until the
11 minute mark in the first half.
Young gasped and retorted with
an even better question - one that
nearly everyone in Crisler Arena
wanted to know.
"No, are you ever going to
miss?"
Williams didn't have to answer,
as nearly everyone knew that he
was a man amongst boys.
_. Scoring at will, the consensus
preseason Player of the Year
dropped a career-high 35 points on
the Wolverines. He single-handedly
shut the door on Michigan before it
could make its first field goal -
chipping in 14 in the first 4:13.
"It's very difficult (to guard
him)," said Michigan coach Tommy
Amaker, who strongly recruited
Williams two years ago as the
coach of Seton Hall. "I'm not sure
I have the answer for that. You
think you stopped him one play and
then there is another one to throw
another dagger at you."
The only man in Crisler who
could slow down Williams was his
own coach.
Krzyzewski sat Williams down
just 10 minutes into the game, with
the Blue Devils up by more than 20
points.
He went 7-11 from 3-point range
when defenders played off and
drove the lane when they played
too close. He coyly became a decoy
and unselfishly dished five assists
to one of the three other preseason
Naismith Award candidates at his
disposal.
But this is nothing new for a 20-
year old that could easily be mak-
ing millions in the NBA right now.
"He loves the bright lights and
big games," said Duke assistant
coach Chris Collins. "Nothing gets
him going more than playing
against a top player or on a big
stage - and he always produces."
But the polite, yet animated
Sociology major skipped a chance
to immerse himself into the spot-
light of the NBA this past summer
to return to the Blue Devils.

"He sees a lot of young guys not
ready for the rigors of the NBA go
even though they don't produce
right away," Collins said. "He
knows he's going to be a good
NBA player, but he wants to be a
great NBA player right away in his
rookie year."
But Duke's co-captain said that
another major factor in his decision
was that he wanted to graduate -
which he will this summer, one
year ahead of schedule. His parents
attend nearly every game, and have
been major influences in Williams'
decision to stay in school.
After Saturday's game, the first
person Williams hugged was also
the only woman to don a dark blue
No. 22 jersey - his mother.
Graduating is "something I take
a lot of pride in," Williams said.
"Finishing up school was very
important to me, my family and
Coach K."
Pulling all-nighters to finish
term papers isn't as glamorous as
taking on Allen Iverson or Michael
Jordan, but the college experience
- and chances in which Williams
could just "be a kid again" - are
what he said he would really miss.
Williams had spent his whole life
on the hardwood, including playing
on U.S. national teams the past two
summers.
And whenever he's not in the
gym, Williams is taking extra
classes in order to fulfill his
requirements so that he could enter
the 2002 NBA draft with a diploma
in hand.
And when he does enter an NBA
lifestyle, Williams will be ready.
He already has a rock-star follow-
ing, including the hundreds of
Michigan fans who stuck around to
mob him after Saturday's game.
A few minutes later, Michigan's
hometown hero, LaVell Blanchard,
came out to a near-empty floor.
About an hour before, Williams
and Blanchard stood on the floor
together. But it was Williams again
putting the nail in Michigan's cof-
fin by draining three straight treys
to extend Duke's lead to 102-70.
Once again, Krzyzewski was the
one to mercifully put a stop to
Williams by immediately calling a
timeout and sitting him on the
bench.
"It was Jason at - 'pretty
good,"' said Krzyzewski, who
agreed with Amaker that Williams
ranks at the top of Duke's all-time
greats. "And we're hoping that we
can get him even better."
Now that's a scary thought.

DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily
Michigan coach Tommy Amaker shared a warm embrace before Saturday
afternoon's matchup with his former coach and mentor, Mike Krzyzewski.
Over before it began
It wasn't as bad as 34-2, but it was close. Here's a look at the first 7:18 min-
utes of play as the Blue Devils built an insurmountable 29-4 lead.
Michigan's four points were
courtesy of Chris Young. He hit
both free throws after being fouled
by Mike Dunleavy, then scored
inside on a dish from Leon Jones.
Jason Williams scored 14 in
those first few minutes including a
3-pointer to open the game, and
another 3-pointer (on which he
was also fouled) to make the
Duke lead 15-4.3
Michigan's shooting was horri-
ble. Gavin Groninger, Bernard
Robinson and LaVell Blanchard'
each missed their field goal
attempts on the team's first three
possessions. Blanchard's was an
airball, and Robinson's barely
drew iron.
When Blanchard picked up his
third foul with 12:42 remaining in . AP PHOTO
the first half. It was the Wolverines' Jason Williams and Chris Duhon laugh it
fifth team foul. At that point in the up on the bench late during Duke's rout.
game, Michigan had more fouls (five) than points (four). It was reminiscent of last
year against Duke when they had more fouls (three) than points (two). '
While Michigan once again fell behind by a huge margin early on, it wasn't
because the Wolverines didn't take care of the ball. Last year, a flustered
Michigan team succumbed to the raucous Cameron Indoor Stadium environ-
ment and committed nearly 30 turnovers. But on Saturday, the Wolverines'
main culprit remained a horrid shooting percentage and Williams.

SMITH
Continued from Page 11
young superstars brought with them.
Then, everyone was aware of Michi-
gan's basketball team. Some even envied
them.
Nearly a decade later, things are much
different.
"There's no vibe about Michigan on
the national scene because they're not
on the national scene,"'Packer said.
"Tommy has a great reputation, but
this program last year was 10th place
in the Big Ten and didn't go the
NCAA Tournament. On the national
scene, they're just a blip on the
screen."
Amaker is still in the process of evalu-
ating what he has, and that's why he never
promised an NCAA appearance or a Big
Ten title right away. Instead the first year
coach is focusing on the goal of improve-
ment.
Whether or not anyone could notice
it amid Saturday's massacre, the Michi-
gan basketball program has made
progress. While not in the standings in
terms of wins and losses, the Wolver-
ines are actually showing pride, heart
and a better effort on the floor consis-
tently , , ,; -
The team is no longer an embarrass-
ment to the University community, as stu-
dents showed up in droves to support
their team.
"They'll be good in a few years -
really good," said Mike Dunleavy, who is
one of Duke's four preseason Naismith
Award candidates. "It just doesn't happen
overnight. Tommy needs to bring in the
type of guys he wants, and it will hap-
pen."
Remember that Amaker can only
work with his inheritance from Brian
Ellerbe.
Remember that Amaker has a top-10
recruiting class coming in next year,
including Daniel Horton, one of the pre-
mier high school point guards in the
nation, and three big men that can help
fill the gaping hole at center.
Remember that it takes time for players
and coaches to gel together into their
newfound roles.
Just look at Duke. It took three years
before Krzyzewski could field a team
good enough to grab an NCAA Tourna-
ment bid and a decade before he won a
national title.
Nearly 22 years after he began at
Duke - including three national titles
and nine Final Four appearances - no
one ever questions Krzyzewski's
moves
"I'm not just saying it because of
Tommy: I think they are well coached
and they're together. There's no sympathy.
It's just a matter of building your pro-
gram."
Amaker says he has the patience for
that to happen. And so should everyone
else.

Team
Ohio State
Northwestern
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Michigan State
Purdue
Minnesota
Michigan
Wisconsin
Penn State

Last Friday's results:
GEORGIA 77, Minnesota 55
Last Saturday's results:
Duke 104, MIcHIGAN 83
ILLINOIS 94, Arkansas 91
INDIANA 74, No. 15 Ball State 61
No. 12 Iowa 78, IowA STATE 53
NORTHWESTERN 79, Kansas.State 56
PITTSBURGH 83, Penn State 53
No. 7 ARIZONA 79, Purdue 66
Wisconsin 77, OHIo 71
Today's games:
NichollsState AT No 24. MICHIGAN STATE, INC.
IUPUI AT OHIO STATE, INC.
Monday's games:
Oregon AT MINNESOTA, 7 P.M.
Wisconsin AT XAVIER, 7.30 P.M.
Wednesday's games:
Drake AT No. 12 IowA, 8 P.M.
Santa Clara AT OHIO ST., 8 P.M.
Thursday's game:
MarylandEastem ShoreAT MN\srA,8P.M.
Saturday's games:
Indiana AT MIAMI (FLA.), 5 P.M.
No. 12 Iowa AT No. 2 MissouRI, 9 P.M.
Arizona AT No. 24 MICHIGAN ST.., 2 P.M.
Florida A & M AT NORTHWESTERN., 8 P.M.
Ohio State AT LouIsvILLE, 2 P.M.
Dayton AT PURDUE, 7 P.M.
Furman AT WISCONSIN, 4 P.M.
Next Sunday's game:
Western Illinois AT No. 5 ILUNOIS, 8 P.M.

Conference Overall
W L W L
0 0 4 0
0 0 5 1
0 0 7 2
0 0 6 2
0 0 7 3
0 0 5 3
0 0 5 3
0 0 4 3
0 0 3 4
0 0 3 5
0 0 2 5

NEXT WEEK:

Michigan's Chris Young

AP PHOTO

Joe Smith can be reached at
josephms@umich.edu


WEEKEND NOTES

No. 11 KENTUCKY 79, NoRTH CAROUNA
59: Kentucky coach Tubby Smith
has seen Tayshaun Prince take over
games before.
ut even Smith had to shake his
head after his senior All-American
made seven first-half 3-pointers -
includino six straight in the first
eight minutes - as the No. 11 Wild-
cats dominated North Carolina 79-
59 on Saturday.
"That was just unbelievable," Smith
said. "I've never seen anybody do
that. He was possessed.'

in the second half, as North
Carolina State beat the ninth-
ranked Orangemen 82-68 on
Saturday night.
For a team that has been giving
five freshmen plenty of playing
time, it was an important victo-
ry. And it came in front of
20,150 screaming Syracuse
fans, who saw their Orange-
men lose for the first time
after nine consecutive victo-
ries.

Team
1. Duke
2. Missouri
3. Maryland
4. Kansas
5. Illinois
6. Florida -
7 Arizona
8. Virginia
9. Syracuse
10. Oklahoma State
11. Kentucky

HOW THE TOP 25 FARED
Record This week's results
8-0 Beat Temple 82-57, Beat Michigan 104-83
9-0 Beat St Louis 69-67, Beat Southern 117-67
6-1 Beat Connecticut 77-65, Beat Detroit 79-54
6-1 Beat No. 22 Wake Forest 83-76, Beat Missouri-Kansas City 79-68
7-2 Lost to No. 8 Arizona 87-82, Beat Arkansas 94-91
6-1 Beat No. 16 Michigan State 74-70, Beat South Florida 92-73
5-1 Beat No. 6 Illinois 87-82, Beat Purdue 79-66
5-0 Beat Aubum 77-72
9-1 Def. Hofstra 91-65, Lost to No Carolina State 82-68
9-0 Beat Jackson State 90-41
5-1 Beat Virginia Military Institute 99-57, Beat North Carolina 79-59

EASTERN
MICHIGAN
- When was the last time Michigan
defeated an in-state rival? It seems like
ages ago, although it was actually the
season-opener against Oakland. The
Wolverines will look to avoid three-
straight losses to MAC teams when it
takes the floor at Crisler against Ypsilan-
ti's own Eastern Michigan on Saturday
Dec. 22.
'M' STATS

Player
Blanchard
Young
Ingerson
Robinson
Groninger

G
7
7
7
7
7

Min
28.4
27.1
20.7
26.7
23.6

A
1.7
1.3
1.4
2.1
1.6

Reb
6.9
5.4
2.0
3.3
1.9

Pts.
14.6
13.3
11.4
10.7
9.9

[It's only the