SPORTS michigandaily.com/sports sportsdesk@umich.edu TUESDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2001 9 Scoring duo struggled I, at wrong time for 'M'' JON SCHWARTZ By Joe Smith Daily Sports Editor They are arguably the Wolverines' most talented and explosive players, and they are expected to act like it. Michigan depends on junior LaVell Blanchard and Bernard Robinson, last year's co-MVPs, to make critical shots in the big games this season. More BASKETBALL importantly, they j,,, j, I V I I I Y I It It IK need to be consis- 1 """" tent, shut down their opponents' best players and take control of situations when things aren't going so well for the Wolverines. But with Michigan cowering after Western Michigan's 15-2 blitz, and its pivotal road contest slipping away in the first half, Robinson and Blanchard were MIA. Both were taken out of their games, shooting a combined 2-8 with only six points and as many fouls as rebounds (3) in the first 20 minutes. The usually slashing Robinson floated around the perimeter, unable to attack the basket. Blanchard missed the 15-footers he usually makes, was kept away from the offensive glass and couldn't find a rhythm on the floor. On the other end, their counterparts, Western Michigan's playmakers Steve Reynolds and Ben Reed, proved more aggressive and it showed with their combined 29 points on 11-16 shooting in the first half. Granted, not all the points were scored on Blanchard and Robinson, but the two Broncos defi- nitely were the ones in control - helping Western Michigan take a sur- prising 19-point halftime lead. Prior to the game, Western Michigan coach Robert McCullum outlined the main keys for his team's success against the Wolverines - shoot well and shut down Blanchard and Robinson. The Broncos did just that, holding Michigan's two stars to a combined 19 points on 7-21 shooting, with nine rebounds and nine fouls. They merely did their homework, studied the tapes, and forced Robinson and Blanchard out of their elements. The last time Blanchard and Robin- son combined for such a small offen- sive output dates back to the middle of last season, when the two tallied 18 points in a loss to Purdue in1 West Lafayette on Jan. 3. "We talked about what those guys' strengths are," McCullum said. "Robinson is more of a driver and slasher, so we went into game wanting to play off him a little bit and make him shoot the 3-pointer. And he was 0- 3 from behind the arc." Robinson has yet to connect on a three-point shot, missing all seven that he's taken in the three games this sea- son. So the Broncos decided to take their chances on him beating them from the outside instead of creating opportunities for himself and team- mates off the dribble. "Blanchard's' strength is obviously shooting the ball while he's facing the basket," McCullum said. "And he was 0-5 in that category. Obviously they weren't satisfied with his play that they benched him starting the second half." Freshman Chuck Bailey replaced Blanchard to start the second half, chipped in 13 points in 14 minutes of action and pulled down a Blanchard- esque five offensive rebounds. Fellow freshman Dommanic Ingerson also added 13 points, and along with Gavin Groninger, was one of the lone Wolver- ines to perform well on Friday. Blanchard and Robinson com- bined for nearly 33 points per game last season, but so far they're just averaging 12 points a piece and not showing the same consistency they did a year ago. The duo will find out that nearly every team they face will impose similar game plans, try- ing to make other Wolverines like Groninger and Chris Young beat them. Just like Reynolds took his matchup with Blanchard very seri- ously, most players who guard them will take extra pride in shutting down a preseason All-Big Ten can- didate like Blanchard or Robinson. "If you're a competitor you want to take those guys on,'McCullum said. "Some kids say they get a lot of recog- nition cause they're in the Big Ten." STATE PRIDE: While Michigan has and that's all About a year ago, I decided that I would be going to the 2001 Citrus Bowl. Michigan had just been invited to the self- proclaimed "best bowl trip in Amer- ica," so my friends and I didn't think twice. We were there. So what's changed? This year, it's a completely differ- ent story. In the few hours that have passed since Michigan accepted a vacation to central Florida for the 2002 game, I've been bombarded with fans' disgust and disappoint- ment. The common message is simple - people don't want to go this year. An upset fan base should come as no surprise. Five days ago, Michigan was a lock for the BCS. The chances of Ohio State win- ning in Ann Arbor were about as good as those of Rutgers making a bowl. But I think there's more to this than the simple disappointment of losing a big game - I think it has everything to do with losing The Big Game. Last year, Michigan could count on its offense to put points on the board, but knew that it had to score enough to make up for a notorious- ly weak defense. This year, Michigan also trusts just one of its units, but it's the defense. Last year, Michigan lost three disappointing contests en route to an 8-3 record This year, same thing. Last year, Michigan spent New Year's Day in Orlando. Same will happen this year. So what's the difference? It's obvious. Contrary to what every team in the NCAA thinks, Michigan has three football rivals - Michi- gan State, Notre Dame and Ohio State. Last year, Michigan didn't play Notre Dame, but it beat Michigan State and Ohio State. This year, Michigan didn't play Notre Dame, but it lost to the Spar- tans and Buckeyes. There's the difference. This Michigan team was very good at best - the midseason national title hopes were nothing but a tease. And at this school, what separates very good from elite is bigger than the difference between 8-3 and 10-1. It's making sure that you win the big games. John Cooper was fired from Ohio State largely due to his inability to beat Michigan. That's how big this game is. Before the season started, I that matters asked Jim Tressel whether he would rather go 11-1 with the one loss being to Michigan or 1-10 but beat Michigan in Ann Arbor. He laughed and told me that he wasn't looking that far ahead yet. I was joking, but not completely. An era of good feelings has just begun in Columbus, regardless of the fact that Tressel's team could do no better than the Outback Bowl. It wouldn't have mattered if Ohio State got just its fourth win of the season against Michigan, an end to a season without a bowl game con- clusion. Ohio State would still be feeling better about its team right now than Michigan does. This Citrus Bowl invitation is not an end to a disappointing season, per se. The fact of the matter is that Michigan shouldn't have expected much more than 8-3 going into New Year's. Without an offensive line, quarterback or running attack, 8-3 is nothing to cringe at. But it is impossible to think about the fact that Michigan lost to its biggest rivals and not be furious. It's horrible when you realize that Michigan fans won't ring in the new year on Bourbon Street because their team couldn't knock off Ohio State at home. Jeremy LeSueur, Michigan State's timekeeper, John Navarre - it's impossible not to look for people to blame. But at the end of the day, one fact is clear as the Miami sky; Michigan will never succeed if it doesn't win its big games. There's no one to blame, there are no excuses to proj- ect; Michigan shouldn't lose to Ohio State and Michigan State because the Wolverines should do to their rivals what Ohio State did to them in the first half Saturday. Hey, Michigan's going to its fifth straight New Year Day bowl, its 27th straight postseason appear- ance. I'll be in Orlando - if noth- ing else, it's better than New Jersey. But I can understand fans' disap- pointment. It's not because Orlando isn't the warmest of holiday desti- nations. It's not because once you graduate high school, you're offi- cially too old to visit Disney World without a child. It's not even because the Citrus Bowl isn't part of the BCS. It's because Michigan didn't get the job done. And here in Ann Arbor, that's all people ask. Jon Schwartz can be reached at jlsz@umich.edu. But don 't e-mail him on New Year's Day - he'll be in Orlando. M' didn't get the job done, DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily The usually high-soaring LaVell Blanchard has been hampered by ankle trouble. already seen how it stacks up with two schools from the state in beating Oakland in its season-opener and falling to Western Michigan, accord- ing to the recent RPI rankings, Michigan is fourth in the state. With a ranking of 209, the Wolverines are behind No. 18 Michigan State, West- ern Michigan (No. 146), and Eastern Michigan (No. 199). The formula for RPI is as follows: 25-percent emphasis on team win- ning percentage, 50 percent on oppo- nents' average winning percentage, and 25 percent dedicated to an oppo- nents' opponents' average winning percentage. Michigan's RPI is expect- ed to go up in the next few weeks when it faces No. 1 Duke and No. 15 Boston College. Ir MiChigan's Ingram regains 3-point touch By Jim Weber Daily Sports Writer Alayne Ingram was moved back to her old position on Sunday and regained her old form in the process. After sitting out Friday's game against New Hamp- shire for violating team rules, coach Sue Guevara moved Ingram from the point to shooting guard on Sunday. Former walk-on Susana Jara took the point for the week- BASKETBALL end and is now the starter. Ingram Noeok spent the first three seasons of Noteb her career at shooting guard, but was moved to point guard for the first two games this season after the graduation of Anne Thorius. The switch back to shooting guard paid off. Ingram, who was only 7-20 from the field and 0-4 from behind the arc in her first two games, caught fire on Sunday. She hit five 3-pointers, scored 25 points and shot 75 percent from the field in an 84-76 victory over Syracuse. Ingram's sharpshooting moved her within one 3-pointer of the Michigan record of 134, set by Molly Murray (1995-98). STARTING SUSANA: As the former team manager, Jara has experience organizing the women's basketball team. But no one knew how well she would manage it on the court. "I think it was an eye opener for everyone, includ- ing myself,' as to how consistent Susana was in both games," Guevara said. With Ingram suspended, Jara was thrust into the starting role against New Hampshire, just the second start of her career. According to Guevara, she provid- ed the team with an "extra dimension" on defense shown in her five steals. Jara also surprised everyone with her shooting abil- ity over the weekend, hitting three 3-pointers - the first triples of her career - and scoring 13 points. But, more importantly to her coach, Jara ran the offense smoothly. She had 10 assists and only four turnovers on the weekend. "Susana scoring is icing on the cake," Guevara said. "Susana's job is to give everyone else a chance to score." ~ Jara isn't the most talented player on the team but she's in the starting lineup because she is one of the smartest. "Susana plays within herself," Guevara said. "She doesn't try and do more than what she is capable of doing. She understands what we want her to do and does a good job getting the ball to the open player (and) running the offense." EASY SHOOTIN': Michigan has outshot opponents 90-40 at the free throw line this season, and made its opponents pay for it. The Wolverines shot 81 percent from the line in their first four games and made 27-of- 29 free throws in last weekend's games. The foul shots are a result of strong inside play by centers LeeAnn Bies and Jennifer Smith. They lead the team in free-throw attempts and are among the top three on the team in free-throw percentage. Smith said that she feels most comfortable at the line. She has practiced there with her dad since she started the game. In 13 attempts this year, Smith has- n't missed from the line and has high expectations after shooting a "disappointing" 81 percent last year. "It would be absolutely awesome if I could shoot 100 percent this season, that's my goal," Smith said. "I'd be happy in the 90's." Suddenly Susana Susana Jara's progress is evident from her sta- tistics in the first three seasons compared to her last two games. Time Min Ast. St. Pts. 98-99: 6 0 0 0 99-00: 27 3 2 7 00-01: 51 5 1 2 Friday: 31 4 5 5 Defensive miscues still plaguing Blue icers By J. Brady McCollough Daily Sports Writer Michigan goaltender Josh Blackburn is not used to surrendering five goals in a game. Last Friday against No. 1 Min- nesota, though, that's exactly what the senior netminder did. Blackburn allowed five goals in two periods - three in the first eight minutes. But Blackburn shouldn't receive all the blame for Michigan's defen- HOCKEY sive blunders against the Golden Notebook Gophers. The Michigan defense left him out to dry countless times Friday, giving offensive juggernaut Minnesota point-blank scor- ing opportunities. "I can't tell you it was strategy, but it was breakdowns," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "It was a poor pass in our zone, or poor coverage. Two of their first three goals were not earned goals. They weren't good plays by the other team, they were bad plays by us. That's some- thing we should have been able to pre- vent" Yesterday, the Wolverines held a video session to try and find a remedy for the defensive miscues that continue to crop up this season. "I've looked at (the video) 100 times," Berenson said. "Our players know better. They got caught and they just weren't sharp, and bang, bang, bang it was in the net." Said sophomore defenseman Andy Burnes: "Sensing danger is one thing we've been working on, and communi- cation with our forwards. Coach has been talking to our forwards about get- ting back and identifying their man, and standing them up at the blueline. The biggest thing is keeping your head on a swivel and knowing where everyone is. Sometimes you get so focused on the puck that there may be two guys open in front of the net." MISSED OPPORTUNITIES: Last week- end, the Wolverines shot 41 times against Wisconsin and 32 times in their See DEFENSE, Page 10 g81 Office of the Registrar Attention: Student Reservists and National Guard '1 So, what're you ? doing for the rest of your life? Still looking for a concentration?