0 January 22, 2003 michigandaily.com sportsdesk@umich.edu ReTSiicg a njilq 8 Wolverines still hung for Victories By Chris Burke Daily Sports Writer What a week this could be for the Michigan basketball team. With home games against Minnesota tonight and Michigan State Sunday, the Wolverines (4-0 Big Ten, 11- 6 overall) have the chance to extend their longest winning streak in a decade to 13 games - which could include Michi- gan's first victory over its arch- rival from East Lansing since a 79-69 win on Jan. 10, 1998 a game the Wolverines forfeited. But, as has been the case throughout this streak, Michigan coach Tommy Amaker has preached the principle of "one step at a time" to his young team. And tonight could be a very treacherous step. CRISLER ARENA Who: Michigan(4-0 Big Ten, 11-6 overall) vs. Min- nesota (1-2, 9-5) When: 8 p.m. Latest: Michigan will attempt to win its 12th straight game for the first time since the 1992-93 season. Horton feeling no pressure at point Daily Sports Writer Daniel Horton has been playing basketball since he was a child - and from the looks of things right now, he has a long, success- ful career ahead of him at Michigan. Horton has improved dramatically since the start of the sea- son. Through the first nine games he had more turnovers than assists, but since then, he is averaging more than five assists to just three turnovers a game. "I'm getting more comfortable as each game goes by," Hor- ton said. "First couple of games I was kind of nervous because it was my first couple of college basketball games, but now it seems like I'm getting into the flow and getting more comfort- able. It is starting to get like every other level I played in. Once I get comfortable, I start to play well. My teammates and my coaches have helped me adjust more and become more comfortable to the level of play." While some freshmen may have a problem coping with the pressure of a college career, Horton has not buckled or even shown signs of stress yet. "There's no pressure" Horton said. "It's basketball, and I don't see how people find pressure in playing basketball." But if you have ever seen Chris Webber pass up on a shot at the end of the game, you know some people do find pressure and shy away from it. Horton is not one of those. The point guard stares "pressure" in the face and then drains the 3-point- er, as he did so many times against Wisconsin, at Northwest- ern and at Ohio State. The consummate team player, Horton credits his ability to make plays to his teammates as much as himself. "I've got guy's making plays," Horton said. "I would like to say it is me being clutch, but it is -mostly my teammates. They are doing a lot of things to put me in the right position to make plays." Those pressure situations in which it is Horton alone at the top of the key are what he lives for. From there, Horton has a myriad of options. He can call for a pick, drive the lane and use his pene- tration to open up a teammate, pull up for a midrange jumper or - as he is so prone to do - square up to the basket and launch a triple. In any given game, Horton will do some or all of these. Against Northwestern, Horton arguably had the play of the game in such a situation. With the shot clock running low in the second half, Horton drove to the basket - used his body to protect the ball and initiate contact with the defender - and laid up a circus shot off the glass. He went on to make his free throw to complete the three-point play. He runs the point with poise and confidence and has shown no signs of his nervousness from the beginning of the season. When No. 4 begins to crouch low and look his defender in the eye as he calmly dribbles the ball at the top of the key, there is a good chance that something special is about to happen. "For a point guard, that's the ultimate," Horton said. "The shot clock winding down, and it is just you and your man, and you've got to go make a play." 0 Minnesota (1-2 Big Ten, 9-5 overall) is coming off one of its most complete games of the year, a 77-69 victory over Michigan State on Saturday. In that game, Big Ten preseason Player of the Year Rick Rickert tossed in 21, as did fellow forward Michael Bauer, and the Golden Gophers got their first Big Ten win. "They played extremely well in that game," said Amaker of Minnesota. "This is a great challenge that we have in front of us." On paper, Minnesota appears to be the type of team capable of giving Michigan fits, at least in the low post. Rickert, averaging 14.7 points per game, stands 6-foot-li and 216 pounds - a build similar to Michi- gan freshman Chris Hunter. The Golden Gopher is capable of playing low or high, making him exception- ally tough to guard. Throw in fellow forwards Bauer, Maurice Hargrove and center Jerry Holman, and the Gophers often play with, essentially, four forwards on the court. "They are a team that has all the ingredients and the talent," Amaker said. "Certainly Minnesota's size and their depth on the front line concerns us." Michigan forward Graham Brown said he believes that the Wolverines are capable of hanging with the Minnesota big men. "We need to do the little things like box out and make sure we get on the glass, and we'll get some easy baskets DAVID KATZ/Daily Chris Hunter and the rest of the Wolverines will be tested by Minnesota power forward Rick Rickert. Michigan hopes to draw a large home crowd with discounted tickets. and rebounds down low," Brown said. The most curious fact about the Gophers is that, despite their heavy reliance on their frontcourt players, they have struggled to dictate the rebounding battle. Michigan State hammered Minnesota on the glass, outre- bounding the Gophers 46-33 despite the loss. Wisconsin, a team Michigan beat in the rebounding column, 35- 30, also manhandled the Gophers in rebounds, 40-29. Michigan can take solace in those numbers, and in the fact that the Wolverines have used the man-to-man and 2- 3 zone defenses effectively throughout the Big Ten cam- paign. Amaker also might use a matchup zone - a combination of zone and man-to-man defenses - which would allow the Wolverines to maintain pressure on Rickert while also keeping the zone intact. The Wolverines also will try to take advantage of their quickness at the guard spots. Freshman Daniel Horton has been spectacular during the 11-game winning streak, as has senior LaVell Blanchard. "(Blanchard's) playing at a very high level right now," Minnesota coach Dan Monson said. "I think he's playing as one of the premier players in the Big Ten. As most players that senior year, the comfort level is very high - experience, you just can't put a value on." The teams split two games last year, with Minnesota winning at home, 90-82, and Michigan doing the same 10 days later, 71-69, on a last second shot by Robinson. $5 students' tickets Five-dollar tickets are available for students for tonight's Michigan basketball game against Minneso- ta. Students can purchase tickets at the Michigan Ticket Office or at Crisler Arena before the game. Stu- dents must bring their M Card in order to purchase. 4) I. I TOM FELDKAMP/Daily Eric Werner may be declared ineligible by the Big Ten because of his failure to meet the conference's academic standards. Defenseman Werner awaits Big Ten verdict By Bob Hunt Daily Sports Writer The most important event to hap- pen to the Michigan hockey program tomorrow may not happen in Sault Ste. Marie, where the Wolverines will take on Lake Superior State, but at a place where most people don't know college hockey exists - Park Ridge, Ill. This is where the Big Ten - not the NCAA or the CCHA - will decide the fate of Eric Werner tomorrow morning. Werner has been declared academically ineligible by the conference. While no one would comment on what rule specifically was in ques- tion, Werner said that it had to do with some personal issues he had at the beginning of the year, and that it's not his fault. "We're confident that (the Big Ten) is going to make the right deci- sion on it," Werner said. "So all you have to do is be patient on it and wait until they meet. It's out of my hands now." Werner's loss would give Michi- gan just five experienced defense- men. It also would put a player with the defense, a rotation of five defensemen is actually preferable to a rotation of six defensemen because skaters are on the ice every other shift instead of every third shift. But if anyone goes down, a rotation of four defensemen would be a big problem. Michigan played with mostly four defensemen during the last five games of the 1998 postsea- son, when the Wolverines won their last national championship. But that was with the help of senior goal- tender and future NHL All-Star Marty Turco. "When you get down to four defensemen, then you really get down to trouble," Powers said. "If we had to play four, that would be a very, very difficult challenge for our defense." If Michigan did lose another play- er, it could also mean more playing time for Reilly Olson. The sopho- more played a minimal amount dur- ing the Western Michigan series, but did not step onto the ice in October and November. Powers felt that if either Olson or David Wyz- gowski, who could move back from forward as he had earlier in the sea- son, were put onto the ice, they a6 Abortion advocates pit women against our children. But lack of emotional and financial support are the real enemies. 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