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Wednesday
January 29, 2003
michigandaily.com
sportsdesk@umich.edu

IP ORTS

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Burnes brings
roar of Lions
to 'M'blueline
By Kyle O'Neill
Daily Sports Writer
You don't even have to finish the questions, he
already knows them.
Alternate captain Andy Burnes is well aware that he
and his defensemen are going to have to play a near
flawless game against the CCHA's top-ranked offense
from Ferris State. The Bulldogs boast the best offense
in the league with 4.46 goals per game.
The junior, recovering from a strained groin injury,
also knows that his load this weekend will be much
heavier, as it will be the first time the defense will be
truly tested without academically ineligible Eric Werner.
Heck, he even knows who should be coaching the
Lions next season.
"Maybe get Barry Sanders back there to give them
a little offensive mindset," Burnes said.
Nothing against Steve Mariucci, but when he thinks
of the Honolulu blue and silver, Burnes remembers a
simpler time from Sanders' era.
"I liked the Silverdome - I have some childhood
memories from when I was taken there," Burnes said.
"I'm not really much of a football fan in general, but
we used to go to Lions games as kids with my grandpa
and my dad ... I was just a little guy that was wide-
eyed from seeing Barry Sanders. We used to get there
early and watch him warmup."
And for being a hockey player, Burnes could appre-
ciate the way Sanders moved across the field as if
gliding on ice.
"He was agile and low to the ground ... he was my
favorite player - I miss him," Burnes said, speaking
for every Lions' fan wishing for better times.

Cagers aiming to pop
the Champaign open

By Charles Paradis
Daily Sports Writer

Before the season began, a trip to
Illinois looked like a sure loss on
Michigan's schedule.
But then again, no one picked the
Wolverines to run off 13 straight
wins on their way to first place in
the Big Ten.
The scorching Wolverines will try
to take a stranglehold on
the conference lead 0
tonight when they head ASSEM
to Champaign to take on
Illinois and super senior ho: Michi
Brian Cook. 13-6 overal
The power forward is $n:(p1
leading the conference, Latest: Last
averaging more than 20 winsto grab
points a game. Among conferencet
active players in the Big needs five w
Ten, Cook's 1,456 points to reach tha
place him second in the
conference - second only to Michi-
gan's LaVell Blanchard.

Hunter said. "Michigan State had
guys like that as well - I think that
that will help (in defending Cook)."
The matchup between Blanchard
and Cook will not be the only one on
display tonight. Illinois (4-2, 14-3)
and Michigan both sport impressive
freshman point guards.
. While fans in Ann Arbor are
aware of Daniel Horton's exploits,
they may not know as much about

TONY DING/Daily
The Michigan hockey team will need all the help it can get from defenseman Andy Burnes this weekend when
the depleted Wolverines take on CCHA-leading Ferris State in a home-and-home series.

BLY HALL
gan (6-0 Big Ten,
l) at No. 13 Illi-
143)
.m
A year it took 11
b a share of the
title. Michigan
wins in 10 games
at plateau.

the Illini's Dee Brown.
Brown is averaging
almost 13 points a game
and leads the conference
in assists. Of course,
Horton has proven him-
self to be more than ade-
quate at the point this
season. The freshman
played all 40 minutes of
the game against the
Spartans and has deliv-
ered whenever the

Though Burnes' supporting cast is much more tal-
ented than those Lions' offensive linesmen that
Sanders played with, Burnes is one of the few doing
all the dirty work to make sure that the Jeff Tambelli-
ni's and Jed Ortmeyer's of the Wolverines can put tal-
lies on the board.
"The bottom line is that he'll be on the ice for a lot
more goals scored than goals against," Michigan coach
Red Berenson said. "That's the kind of kid he is,' he
takes pride in that ... if he scores goals, it's a bonus."
Sanders, the former Heisman Trophy winner, was
also known for his great sportsmanship, something
that is seen with Burnes. He has committed just 21
penalties in his last 60 games, meaning he is on the ice
when the Wolverines need him the most.
It's safe to say that "the most" will be this weekend

when Michigan plays Ferris State in a home-and-
home in which the Wolverines can claim a share of the
conference with a sweep of the Bulldogs.
"We have a kind of playoff hockey mentality right
now," Burnes said. "We know we've dug a hole as far
as points are concerned, and we need every win."
Burnes is confident that the Wolverines' problems
in loud road environments - two losses at Northern
Michigan and one at Western Michigan - when they
travel to Big Rapids Saturday.
"I think it was a good experience for us at West-
ern," Burnes said. "It was really the first time that we
had been in that hostile of an environment, and it was
a test for us. Now we know what it's going to be like.
It's exciting to play in front of a crowd like that in
that atmosphere."

Tumblers hope to roll the Tide

"(Cook's) so consistent, and he's
playing as well as any senior in the
country," Michigan coach Tommy
Amaker said. "The way he plays is
very confident; he has a quiet confi-
dence about him."
Like Minnesota's Rick Rickert, one
of Cook's strength's is his versatility.
Rickert dropped in 15 points on the
Wolverines (6-0 Big Ten, 13-6 over-
all) last week, and Cook is capable of
doing the same.
"He goes inside, he shoots the 3-
point shot, he's a good free throw
shooter, he rebounds the ball. He's a
force," Amaker said. "He has to be one
of the players you have to think of as a
candidate for Player of the Year. He's
playing that well on a great team."
Cook's ability to score in different
ways makes him a very tough matchup
for the Wolverines, who will likely
check him with Blanchard or freshmen
Graham Brown and Chris Hunter.
"I think that that (Rickert and
Cook) are'similar in that'they can do
a lot of things inside and outside,"

By Michael Nisson
Daily Sports Writer
One would think that going up
against the defending national champi-
on of any activity, from football to chess
or even inner-tube water polo, would be
an intimidating experience. For most
teams facing this predicament, fear is
pArT of the drill. But the Michigan
women's gymnastics team does not fall

under the category of "most teams."
The Wolverines (2-1) head down
south to Tuscaloosa, Ala. to try and
knock Alabama off its pedestal. The
Crimson Tide, who won the national
title on the very floor Michigan will
compete on this Friday, are currently
ranked No. 2 in the nation.
"I'm sure if (the team) thought about
(the ranking), it would be (intimidat-
ing), but we try real hard not to think

about it," Michigan coach Bev Plocki
said. "They're another team, it's another
weekend, it's another competition and
we're really trying not to think past that.
We shouldn't treat them like they're any
different than anyone else."
To make the Wolverines' task even
more arduous, Alabama (3-5) has strug-
gled early on this season, losing close
decisions to teams like No. 4 Nebraska
and No. 3 Georgia. But the Crimson

TUscALoosA, ALA.
Who: No. 11 Michigan (2-1) at No. 2
Alabama (3-5)
When: 7 p.m.
Latest: The Wolverines don't have much time
to regroup from a loss to No. 3 Georgia, as
defending champion Alabama awaits.
Tide's record should be taken with a
grain of salt because they have yet to
compete at home. Furthermore, rank-
ings in gymnastics are not determined
by wins and losses like mdst othe r
See TIDE, Page 10B

Wolverines have needed him.
"Daniel is a scoring point guard
and Dee's more of a setup point
guard," Illinois coach Bill Self said.
"We're very familiar with Daniel. We
tried to recruit him here, too. I hap-
pened to call him on his unofficial
visit to Michigan, and he was telling
me he had just committed."
But while the flashy point guards
will draw a lot of attention, tonight's
show is about Cook and Blanchard.
The two have been the face of their
respective programs and tonight's
matchup could be one of the great
battles of the season. Both are ver-
satile big men who can score a lot of
points in a short time.
Michigan has had one big win on
the road already this season against
Ohio State and tonight's contest will
be just as difficult, if not more.
Michigan is sitting atop the con-
ference with its perfect 6-0 record,
with wins over Wisconsin, Ohio
State and Minnesota.
While the Wolverines find them-
selves"leading the Big Ten, if has
caused those who want to dethrone
Michigan to gun for the Wolverines.
But Michigan has survived these var-
ious attempts and remained perfect
in the conference.
"When you look at some of the
games we've played, that's one of
the satisfactions we've gotten out of
winning certain games thus far,"
Amaker said. "We've been in that
position where we've taken some
people's best shots.
"That makes us feel very proud
that we are in that position, and we
are still standing."


CooKing W0rKSh0
At the Michigan League

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Monday, February 10th
7pm-10pm
HEARTY WINTER MENU
Roast chicken, mashed potatoes,
roast vegetables
Monday, February 17th
7pm-l10pm
LEARNING VEGETARIAN
Vegetable quiche, mac & cheese,
pasta w/vegetables & alfredo sauce
Monday, March 10th
7pm-10pm
DESSERT!
Apple tart, chocolate mousse,
strawberry shortcake
w/instructor BRIAN KARAM
Michigan League Banquet Chef
$15/class or $40 for all 3
All sessions meet in the Michigan League Kitchen
TO REGISTER
Stop by Michigan League Programming Office
(first floor of the Michigan League) and fill out a
registration form. All classes are $15 each.
Please make checks oavable to: The University


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