The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - November 5, 2001- 3B
Bleachers not done;
Robinson suspended * :. . :
RAPHAEL
GOODSTEIN
By Joe Smith
Daily Sports Editor
Michigan Executive Associate Ath-
letic Director Mike Stevenson calls it
an "embarrassing situation."
The much-anticipated movement of
the students to the
floor at Crisler BASKETBALL
Arena was
delayed. The com- Notebook
pany hired to com-
plete the project failed to get the
bleachers ready for Michigan's first
exhibition game yesterday. According
to Stevenson, it will be done by Michi-
gan's next game on Sunday.
The renovation began on Oct. 15th
and was expected to be done by the
26th. While Stevenson said the arena
was made available from 7 p.m. to l1
a.m. every day since, the workers from
the Canadian company that Michigan
contracted, Sheriton, have been "mov-
ing too slow, not working overtime and
iot having all the parts," Crisler Arena
Manager Lisa Panetta-Alt said.
Stevenson said that supplemental
assistance from the University is com-
ing today in the form of five outside
carpenters from Pittsburgh who will
"assist and supervise" the existing crew
to make sure it is finished.
Instead of sitting in the seats they
paid for, students were placed sporadi-
cally around the second level of the
arena, with the exception of about 20
Maize Ragers, who sat in the new
courtside seats behind the benches.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: It didn't take very
long for Michigan's three freshmen to
make an impact. Just six minutes into
the game, with the Wolverines Awn
five and struggling to find a basket,
freshman Dommanic Ingerson entered
the game and gave Michigan a "shot in
the arm" according to coach Tommy
Amaker. Ingerson immediately crashed
the offensive glass and tapped in a
missed shot. He then knocked down
two treys in an 8-0 Michigan run a few
minutes later to get the Wolverines back
on track. Ingerson ended up with I1
points and four rebounds in 18 minutes.
"When (the freshmen) came in the
game we were kind of staggering," sen-
ior tri-captain Leon Jones said. "They
lifted up the intensity for us, and that's
what we need from them."
MIA: Three of Michigan's top players
either didn't play or missed significant
minutes yesterday. While healthy
enough to play, sophomore Bernard
Robinson was suspended by the coach-
ing staff for a "violation of team rules"
While he didn't disclose the reason,
Robinson said he knew for "a while"
that he wouldn't be playing and said that
Varsity is now. getting
what it really deserves
MAJIE MARSHALL/ai y
Without bleachers, the Maize Ragers stood courtside during yesterday's exhibition.
he'll be practicing with the team today.
Amaker sat LaVell Blanchard the
entire second half of yesterday's game
when he found out that Blanchard's right
ankle, which he turned two days ago in
practice, was bothering him.
We were just "keeping him out to get
treatment and not try to take a chance
injuring his ankle or making it worse this
early in the season,"Amaker said.
Sophomore center Josh Moore, did-
n't play either. But Amaker said his
major concern wasn't necessarily
Moore's nagging herniated disk.
EA SPORTS
Continued from Page 11B
But with those three on the bench,
Groninger, who shot 5-of-5 in the second half
from behind the arc, emerged as the star.
"My shots have been falling in practice and
I'ye been putting in a lot of time,' Groninger
said. "I missed my first three threes and coach
Amaker told me to keefshooting it."
While Groninger was the highlight for the
Wolverines from the outside, the inside game
was not where it needs to be. Senior Chris
Young offered his usual solid game, highlight-
ed by his 15 points and three blocks. But point
guards Avery Queen and Mike Gotfredson had
a difficult time getting the ball down low.
Young was helped by 6-foot-7 freshman
Chuck Bailey. He posted seven boards and
nine points in 20 minutes.
"He brought in incredible energy," Young
said of Bailey. "He was just everywhere, doing
everything he needed to do. A couple of times
I was really surprised by the things he was able
to do."
While just an exhibition win, there are still
positives to take away. Both Amaker and his
players were pleased to see that the things they
have been working on in practice - offense
from defense, fast breaks - are being used
effectively on the floor.
"They played very well," LaVell Blanchard
said of his teammates, "I was just happy to get
a win. I don't care if its exhibition or street ball
- A win's a win."
"Before you can become a good
player you have to become a good prac-
tice player and we haven't been able to
have that happen with Josh. I hope that
he can be more consistent."
BLAST FROM THE PAST: Former Fab-
Five member Jimmy King was spotted
taking in the game yesterday.
"They look good," said King, who
Amaker has contacted several times
this summer. "The atmosphere is better.
It's going to take some time, but Amak-
er is the kind of guy that can bring
them back."
YESTERDAY'S GAME
MICHIGAN (94)
FG FT REB
MIN M-A M-A 0-T A F PTS
Jones 31 5.11 7-8 2-9 1 3 19
Blanchard 6 0-3 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
Young 35 7-9 1-3 2-5 0 2 15
Gotfredson 10 0-0 3-4 0.0 3 2 3
Groninger 27 9-14 4-4 24 1 1 29
Queen 28 1-4 0-0 0-2 6 3 3
Bailey 20 3-5 2-3 2-7 0 4 9
Ingerson 18 4-12 1-1 1-4 0 1 11
Bennett 6 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 2 0
Adebiyi 19 2-2 1-2 2-4 0 2 5
Totals 200 31-6019-2513-38 1116 94
FG%: .517. FThk:.760. 3-point FG: 13-31.,.419
(Groninger 9-14, Ingerson 2-6, Jones 2-7, Bailey 1-
1, Queen 1-4. Blanchard 0-2). Blocks: 4 (Young 3,
Bailey). Steals: 9 (Queen 3, Groninger, Gotfredson,
Young, Ingerson, Adebiyi, Jones). Turnovers: 16
(Jones 3, Bailey 3. Young 2, Groninger 2, Queen 2,
Bennett 2.'Ingerson, Gotfredson). Technical fouls:
none.
EA Sports (68)
FG FT REB
MIN M-A M-A 0-T A F PTS
Taylor 27 1-7 4-6 2-9 0 5 6
Davis 26 2-6 0-0 2-4 4 2 5
Asselin 9 2-2 0-1 1-3 0 5 4
Fountain 25 6-14 1-2 1-3 0 2 13
McClure 37 8-12 5-6 2-6 4 3 25
Jackson 28 2-5 2-4 4-6 0 2 6
Turner 28 3-5 3-6 2-7 0 1 9
Mobley 10 0-4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Craft 10 0.1 0-0 0-0 1 1 0
Totals 200 24-5615.25 15-34 9 24 68
FG%:.429. FTh:.600. 3-point FG: 5-17, .294
(McClure 4-7, Davis 1-4, Fountain 0.3, Mobley 0-2,
Taylor 0.1). Blocks: 0 Steals: 7 (Fountain 2, Taylor.
McClure, Jackson, Turner, Mobley). Turnovers: 20
(McClure 5, Jackson 3, Taylor 2, Davis 2, Asselin
Fountain 2, Craft). Technical Fouls: none.
EA Sports.........................28 40 - 68
Michigan...........................50 44 - 94
At: Crisler Arena
Attendance: 7,543
E AST LANSING - Michigan
did not "deserve better" Satur-
day, regardless of what Lloyd
Carr says. Michigan State outplayed
Michigan, and while there were a
number of bad calls late in the game,
the team that deserved to win won.
Obviously in an ideal world, the
officiating would have been better,
but Michigan State was going to find
a way to win that game one way or
another.
At the beginning of the year,
Michigan was viewed as a team that
would lose two or
three games and con- T
tend for the Big Ten The Woh
title. Each statement 9-2 team. An
is still true. course of a-s
Michigan will teams lose t
likely win out, win
the Big Ten title and
play in a BCS game. If you're hon-
est with yourself, you know that is
the best this team could have hoped
for the second Drew Henson left
Michigan.
Everyone pretty much realized that
Michigan was not the fourth best team
in the country - regardless of what
the BCS said last week. The Los
Angeles Times went so far as to call
Michigan the BCS' worst top ten
team.
While that's probably not true, had
Michigan found itself in Pasadena this
year, it likely would have been exposed.
Does anyone really think Michigan
could beat Miami (Fla.)?
. Saturday's loss ended any hopes
Michigan had of playing in the
national title game, but the reality is
that Michigan is not one of the best
two teams in the country - and over
the course of the year, the best two
teams in the country separate them-
selves.
When Miami (Fla.) or Nebraska
have their opponents on the ropes,
they knock them out.
Michigan never could knock out
Michigan State or Washington.
In both games, the Wolverines had
opportunities late in the game to go up
two scores, and couldn't get it done.
If it wasn't a blocked kick returned
for a touchdown, it was a dropped pass.
If it wasn't bad kickoff-return cover-
age, it was a stupid penalty.
It's easy to look at Saturday's loss
and blame the officials, who by the end
of the afternoon had lost control of the
ve
d
tw
two games.
This is nothing to be ashamed of -
9-2 is very good. Especially in a confer-
ence like the Big Ten, and with the non-
conference schedule that Michigan
annually plays. How many schools in
major conferences are annually as good
as Michigan?
After Florida, and Nebraska, you'd
be hard pressed to find another team
(The ACC does not constitute a confer-
ence, like the Big Ten, thus excluding
Florida State.)
Saturday's loss was, perhaps, the
most gut-wrenching loss in Michigan
sports since Chris Webber's timeout.
But at the end of the day, Michigan
State was the better team.
The Spartans ran the ball at will on
Michigan.
Their secondary - as bad as it is -
prevented Michigan's passing attack
from doing much of anything in the
second half.
Actually, it's probably more accu-
rate to say that John Navarre prevent-
ed Michigan's passing game from
doing much of anything in the second
half. But until Michigan recruits a bet-
ter quarterback - or starts Jermaine
Gonzales - the quarterback position
is only as good as Navarre.
And the difference between Navarre
and a better quarterback, and the differ-
ence between LeSueur and a competent
defensive back, are the little differences
between 9-2 and 11-0.
Raphael Goodstein can he reached at
raphaelg@umnich.edu.
game. But what about Jeremy
LeSueur's penalty? That was one of the
dumbest penalties in Michigan football
history.
Maybe the dumbest.
What about Marquise Walker drop-
ping passes in the fourth quarter? What
about John Navarre blowing easy pass-
es? What about the best run defense in
the country giving up 211 yards to T.J.
Duckett?
There's no single reason Michigan
lost Saturday. There were many reasons.
The Wolverines are a 9-2 team.
And they'll get
what they deserve -
rines are a nine wins.
over the Obviously it would
ason, 9-2 have been nice to go
o games. to the Rose Bowl, but
over the course of a
season, 9-2 teams lose
DANNY MOLOSHOK/uaily
Besides scoring 19 points and pulling down nine rebounds against the EA
Sports All-Stars, Leon Jones played some tenacious defense.
M' sweeps weekend, remains undefeated
By Courtney Lewis
Daily Sports Writer
Victories over Georgia and Indiana this week-
nid gave the Michigan's men swimming team a
4-0 record for the first time since 1994-95. That
team went on to win the NCAA championship,
but coach Jon Urbanchek doesn't foresee the
same outcome this year.
"There won't be an NCAA title, I guarantee
you that one," Urbanchek said, adding that while
he thinks Michigan is the best distance team in
the country, its sprinters can't compete with
Texas and Stanford, last year's NCAA champion
d runner-up, respectively.
Traditionally, meets between Michigan and
Georgia have come down to the"final event, the
400-yard freestyle relay.
Urbanchek expected the same when the
Wolverines faced the Bulldogs Saturday at Can-
ham Natatorium, but this year the first race was
the key.
Michigan's 400-medley-relay team of Jordan
Watland, Jeff Hopwood, Tony Kurth and Garrett
Mangieri beat Georgia's relay in a wire-to-wire
race with a time of 3:28.86. Michigan took con-
trol with an 11-6 lead and never trailed on its
way to winning the meet 131-111.
Michigan won four consecutive races after the
relay, and by the time Georgia's Andrew
Mahaney placed first in the 200 butterfly, his
team was already looking at a 30-point deficit.
"Luck was on our side," Urbanchek said of the
20-point victory, before giving credit to his
team. "It was a pretty good show. Everybody
functioned up to what we would expect them to."
The distance swimmers led the way for Michi-
gan. Brendan Neligan and Andrew Hurd posted a
1-2 finish in the 1000 freestyle and Neligan, Tim
Siciliano and Hurd swept the 500 freestyle.
Neligan and Hurd have been the best of Michi-
gan's nine freshmen all season and have faced
the most pressure.
"We expect those guys to function under
stress," Urbanchek said. "They're not really
freshmen. They've had a lot of international
experience, and many of the kids don't have that.
They're seasoned, even though they're freshmen
in age."
Neligan competed in the World University
Games over the summer, and Hurd represented
Canada in the 2000 Olympics.
Michigan warmed up for Georgia Friday night
with its first Big Ten meet of the season, against
Indiana.
Although their top swimmers competed in
fewer events than usual to conserve energy for
Saturday, the Wolverines took 11 of 13 events in
a 160.5-82.5 win at Canham.
Mangieri won the 50 and 100 freestyle races.
Neligan, Hurd and Dan Ketchum each had a first
and second-place finish.
Diver Jason Coben won the one-meter and
three-meter diving events with personal-best
scores of 333.97 and 345.22. Diving is one of
Indiana's strengths, and Coben 'said Michigan
diving coach Dick Kimball, who plans to retire
after this year, gave the Wolverines extra motiva-
tion against the Hoosiers.
"He's pretty much giving it all for us, so we
decided to make him happy and beat Indiana one
last time for him," Coben said.
Although Urbanchek doesn't think Michigan's
strong start is an indicator of NCAA title poten-
tial, he thinks a different title might be in the
Wolverines' sights.
"I think we have a pretty good shot at the Big
Ten championship," Urbanchek said.
BRECNDAN O'DONNEiLL/Dailiy
Senior Eric Wilson is part of the first Michigan swimming and diving team to start
a season 4-0 since the 1994-95 team, which won the national championship.
Wolverines outclass field
at Eastern Michigan Open
r/I/PAA
y2,J
101 r
By Eric Chan
Daily Sports Writer
YPSILANTI - The Michigan wrestling
team went into the Eastern Michigan Open
filling only nine of the 10 weight classes; but
of those nine, seven were champions.
In their first preseason action, the Wolver-
ines dominated wrestlers from Ohio State, Pur-
due, Michigan State and ,powerhouse
Edinboro.
"It's been a great day for us. I'm really
happy at how we competed," Michigan coach
Joe McFarland said.
Junior A.J. Grant had the stiffest competition
move-wrestling was no match for the All-
American's relentless attack, and Grant took
the win, 3-2.
"DuBuque was tough. He had some good
hips, and he- wasn't easy to take down," Grant
said. "But all I had to do was wrestle like we
do at Michigan - banging style - and I
pulled it out."
Although he wasn't one of the seven tourna-
ment champions, Jeremiah Tobias was one of
the most impressive Michigan wrestlers on the
day. After winning his first match, Tobias lost,
9-7. Tobias battled back to record pins in four
of his next six matches en route to a third-place
finish. Tobias broke the Eastern Michigan
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