The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - February 3, 2003 - 5B Talkin' the talk "It's always good to get payback, but I think this victory is more about getting a key Big Ten win." - Minnesota guard Moe Hargrow after the Golden Gophers' avenged a Jan. 22 loss to Michigan on Saturday. SATURDAY'S GAME Michigan 80 Minnesota 87 Players of the game Jeff Hagen (Minnesota) The Minnesota big man played just 11 minutes, but managed to pour in 12 points, including three straight 3-point plays. Lester Abram (Michigan) The freshman guard continued to impress, scoring 18 points and grab- bing six boards in a season high 40 minutes played. Now is La Time for La Vell to take charge MINNEAPOLIS - As I watched the second half of Saturday's Michi- gan basketball loss to Minnesota from the balcony of Williams Arena, I saw five, inexperienced freshmen try to battle a hostile crowd and lead Michi- gan to victory over a hot-shoot- ing Gophers' team. Now, like me, you're probably thinking why the NAWEED Wolverines were SIKORA relying on their Blowin' youth to pull out Smoke a tough Big Ten road game. Where were the veteran players with the experience? Where was LaVell Blanchard? The senior was on the bench in foul trouble. After starting off strong in the first few minutes of the game, Blanchard finished with just nine points on 2-of-13 shooting. He missed three free throws. He didn't deliver in the closing moments of the game, when coach Tommy Amaker called a play to get him an open 3- point look. Bernard Robinson said after the loss that even though the Wolverines lost twice this week, they still have the same level of confidence they had during the winning streak. "You have to remember this is still the same team that won 13 straight," Robinson said. But there is one difference - Blanchard has pulled a disappear- ing act in Michigan's last three - games. He has not made the big buckets down the stretch that Michigan needs him to make - the buckets that he should be making - and it is hurting the Wolverines in crunch time. Against Michigan State, Blan- chard went 0-for-5 from the field, finishing with just two points from the foul line. Michigan was able to pull out the win thanks to contribu- tions'from other players, but Blan- chard was not a scoring factor. He had 18 against Illinois, but was nonexistent in the second half when Brian Cook exploded to lead Illi- nois' comeback. Blanchard's first half contributions were significant, but his teammates needed him to DAVID KATZ/ 4. Daily ~ -' Freshman - Lester Abram was stellar for Michigan in its 87- 80 loss to Minnesota on Satur- day. The guard scored 18 points and pulled down six rebounds 4' in the respond to Cook's onslaught with some baskets of his own. They need- ed him to be poised and confident down the stretch, but he wasn't a factor, and Michigan lost. Saturday was the ultimate vanish- ing act, as the memory of his quick start quickly went away as he lost confidence in his shot and the Wolverines fell short. Where was the clutch-shooting Blanchard that began dropping 3- pointers like raindrops against Wis- consin to spark Michigan's comeback? Where was the Blan- chard that took over against Min- nesota on Jan. 22 by scoring 24 points in the second half (28 in the game) to get Michigan the victory? Where was the poised Blanchard that went 10-of-10 from the free throw line against Vanderbilt to lead his team to a win? When Amaker speaks of his senior and how Blanchard is the key for Michigan this season, he is speaking of these qualities - he is speaking of these times when Blanchard showed leadership and determination in the face of adversity. But those qualities haven't been showing up lately, and Blanchard must find a way to regain the confi- dence he had so he can start playing like a senior again. His success is particularly important right now, as Michigan is heading into the meat of the Big Ten season with road games against Indiana, Purdue and Wiscon- sin on the horizon. Showing up at home is not enough anymore. Experience always counts for something, and in Blanchard's case, he must use what experience he has to deliver away from home. He needs to be the one leading this team into conference battles, and the one bringing them home with a win. Right now, Michigan is in an excellent position to contend for the conference title. Still, without a title under his belt, Blanchard should be hungry.lieneeds to seize this oppor- tunity, and put this team on his shoulders. Blanchard's success never meant more to Michigan in his four-year career than it does now. It's time to deliver. Naweed Sikora can be reached at nsikora@umich.edu SATURDAY S GAME MICHIGAN (80) FG FT REB MIN M-A M-A 0-T A F PTS Robinson Jr. 19 3-9 0-0 2-4 3 4 8 Blanchard 28 2-13 36 0-4 1 4 9 Brown 24 3-4 6-8 5-9 1 3 12 Abram 40 6-10 4-4 4-6 2 2 18 Horton 40 8-21 0-0 2-4 5 3 20 Harrell 17 1-2 0-0 1-1 1 2 3 Groninger 4 0.0 00 0-1 1 1 0 Hunter 26 2-6 6.8 1-4 0 4 10 Bailey 2 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Totals 200 2566 192619-3914 23 80 FG%: .379. FT%: .731. 3-point FG: 11-28, .393 (Hor- ton 4-14, Blanchard 2-7, Abram 2-4, Robinson 2-2, Harrell 1-1). Blocks: 2 (Hunter, Robinson). Steals: 6 (Abram, Brown, Harell, Horton, Hunter, Robinson). Turnovers: 13 (Blanchard 4, Brown 3, Abram 2, Hor- ton 2, Robinson 2). Technical fouls: none. Minnesota (87) FG FT REB MIN M-A M-A 0-T A F PTS Rickert 30 6-12 3-3 1-5 2 3 17 Bauer 18 2-4 1.1 0-3 1 5 6 Holman 31 8-11 2-2 1-4 0 4 18 Hargrow 37 3-9 6-8 0-5 8 2 14 Burleson 32 3-7 4-4 1-7 4 0 12 Gaines 7 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 3 0 Johnson 17 0-1 2-2 0-1 3 1 2 Robinson 8 0-1 0-0 1-4 2 1 0 Esselink 9 2-4 0-0 0-0 0 2 6 Hagen 11 4-6 0-0 0-0 0 1 12 Totals 200 28.56 22-2510.37 21 22 87 FG%: .500. FT%: .880. 3-point FG: 9-20,'.450 (Burleson 2-5, Esselink 2-4, Hargrow 2-4, Rickert 2- 3, Bauer 1-3, Robinson 0-1). Blocks: 6 (Burleson 2, Rickert 2, Hagen, Holman) Steals: 7 (Burleson 2, Rickert 2, Esselink, Gaines, Holman). Turnovers: 18 (Burleson 4, Bauer 3, Holman 3, Gaines 2, Rickert 2, Hargrow, Robinson, Hagen). Technical fouls: none. Michigan....... ..........41 39 - 80 M innesota..................................44 43 - 87 At: Williams Arena, Minneapolis Attendance: 13,965. BIG TEN Team Purdue Michigan Wisconsin Illinois Indiana Minnesota Iowa Michigan State Ohio State Northwestern Penn State STANDINGS Conference Overall W L W L 6 1 14 4 6 2 13 8 5 2 15 4. 5 3 15 4 4 3 14 6 4 3 12 6 3 3 11 6 4 4 12 8 3 5 10 9 0 7 8 10 0 7 5 13 Yesterday's results: MICHIGAN STATE 68, Illinois 65 Saturday's games: MINNESOTA 87, Michigan 80 OHIO STATE 65, Northwestern 52 Loulsviu.E 95, Indiana 76 WISCONSIN 86, Penn State 55 Purdue 80, iowA 77 (ot) fi' f ^ , 4 i 4, DAVID KATZ/Daily Michigan's defense in the post wasn't this tight all day, as Minnesota's big men combined for 53 points. Freshman lineup sparks late M' rally By Naweed Sikora Daily Sports Editor MINNEAPOLIS - When was the last time the Michigan basketball team turned to five freshmen at once to lead it down the stretch and deliver in clutch situations? If you said Saturday at Minnesota, you're right. With senior LaVell Blanchard and junior Bernard Robinson each having four fouls before the halfway point of the second half, Michigan coach Tommy Amaker was low on options. With time running out, the crowd getting rowdier and the Gophers' momentum growing, Amaker made an unexpected move. He inserted freshman Chris Hunter for Blanchard, and put in seldom-used Sherrod Harrell for Robinson. Along with Daniel Horton, Lester Abram and Graham Brown, the Wolverines had five freshmen on the floor to claw their way back in a hostile environment. The freshmen ended up spending the majority of the final 10 minutes togeth- er on the floor. Although they aren't, Michigan's most talented five-man combination, they almost succeeded in leading the Wolverines back from dou- ble digits with just over 11 minutes to play in the second half. "I thought our freshmen were absolutely phenomenal," Amaker said. "To be able to battle back and give us a one possession opportunity to tie the game up, they gave us a chance. "They played with guts, they played. with character - they just came up a bit short." At 11:17 in the second half, Michi- gan trailed by 11 points. It was Min- nesota's largest lead of the game, and it appeared as though Michigan was beginning to fade. But with under a minute to play, Michigan was down just three, and had the ball. The Wolverines swung it around to Abram, who found himself wide open at the top of the arc, but bricked the shot that would have tied it. "We were just trying to play as hard as we could," Abram said. "We were trying to win, we fought hard, but it wasn't enough." The Wolverines fell just short in a game that was shaping up to be a blowout. But Horton and Abram would not allow that to happen. Both made clutch basket after basket to keep the Wolverines hanging around. Abram, who scored 11 points in the first half to lead the team, played 40 minutes for the first time of the season. Horton also spent the entire game on the floor for the third time this season. Brown and Hunter had difficulty controlling Minnesota's inside game. Big man Jeff Hagen led the Gophers' charge in the second half with three consecutive 3-point plays. But despite the size disadvantage, Michigan's cen- ters stayed aggressive, making several scrappy plays down the stretch to keep the game alive. And finally, there was Sherrod Har- rell. Although he didn't shoot much, his 3-point basket with 1:05 remaining brought Michigan within two and might have turned out to be the biggest basket of the game had Michigan been able to come back. "I'm happy he had the confidence in me to call my name," Harrell said. All in all, Michigan's freshmen scored 63 points and grabbed 24 rebounds in 147 minutes. It was the first time that four freshman have scored in double digits in the same game. With Michigan's two leaders struggling, the young group took the burden on their shoulders. "We didn't have the contributions from our two veteran guys, but the freshmen were going toe-to-toe with (Minnesota)," Amaker said. "I liked how they were playing, and I liked our chemistry on the court when they were out there:' The all-freshman combination cer- tainly didn't become Michigan's opti- mal five-man team, but it definitely turned into a legitimate option for Amaker in the future (this season and beyond) if the situation calls for it. Saturday night, the situation called for it, and they almost delivered. "I'm not sure that anyone was play- ing tougher than those guys on the floor," Amaker said. "They made the run for us, and we were going to stick with them." Wednesday's games: Wisconsin at Purdue Indiana at Northwestern Iowa at Penn State Minnesota at Ohio State Next Saturday's games: Iowa at Michigan Wisconsin at Northwestern Purdue at Minnesota Michigan State at Indiana Sunday's games: Ohio State at Illinois 7 p.m. 8 p.m. 8 p.m. 8 p.m. 1217 pm. 1 p.m. 1:34 p.m. 7 p.m. 12 p.m. UP NEXT: unauncey Leslie AP PHOO Blue struggles in hostile arenas HOW THE AP TOP 25 FARED NEXT WEEKEND: IOWA There might not be anything Michi- gan needs more right now than some time off. That's exactly what the Wolverines will get, as they won't play again until Iowa comes to Crisler Arena next Saturday afternoon. Michigan will also retire the jersey of former Wolverine star .Rudy Tomjanovich at halftime. This will be the only time that these two teams meet in the regu- lar season. The Hawkeyes are com- ing off a home loss to Purdue 80-77. Their backcourt is led by senior guard Chauncey Leslie, who is averaging 16.3 points per game. By Charles Paradis Daily Sports Writer MINNEAPOLIS -This past week, the Michigan basketball team experi- enced just how tough it is to win BASKETBALL on the road. The Notebook Wolverines fell 87-80 at Min- nesota in a game in which they never held the lead. The Golden Gophers handed Michigan its second consecu- tive loss on the road, after falling to Illinois 67-60 Wednesday. Michigan had won its first two nas), and the crowd is loud and every- body is jacked to play at home." Michigan played Minnesota at Crisler on Jan. 22 and beat the Gophers 75-63 in front of a large, boisterous home crowd. But Saturday the roles were reversed as the Gopher faithful packed Williams Arena and rode Michigan all game long. The difference was apparent as the Minnesota team that showed up Sat- urday in no way resembled the dazed and confused squad that scored just one basket in the final seven minutes of the game played at Crisler. "It's a tough place to play," Horton "I've always said this is one of the toughest places to play - maybe one of the more underrated places to play - in terms of getting the recognition for how difficult it is (to play here)," Amaker said. "I've always felt that it is very very difficult to play here." BANGIN' INSIDE: Saturday's game was one of the most physical the Wolverines have played all season. Freshmen centers Graham Brown and Chris Hunter battled inside with Min- nesota's Jerry Holman, Rick Rickert and Jeff Hagen. Hunter had 10 points, while Brown dropped in 12 and pulled down a game-high nine Team 1. Arizona 2. Pittsburgh 3. Texas 4. Florida 5. Duke 6. Oklahoma 7. Kentucky 8. Louisville 9. Oklahoma State 10. Maryland 11. Notre Dame 12. Kansas 13. Illinois 14. Connecticut 15 Genrnia Record 16-2 15-2 14-3 118-2 14-2 15-3 16-3 16-1 17-2 13-4 18-3 15-5 15-3 13-4 13-s This weekend's results Beat No. 20 California 95-80 Lost to Syracuse 67-65 Beat No. 9 Oklahoma State 78-65 Beat Arkansas 77-66 vs. Florida State Beat Kansas State 91-89 Beat South Carolina 87-69 Beat No. 19 Indiana 95-76 Lost to No. 3 Texas 78-65 Beat Loyola Maryland 85-58 Beat Georgetown 93-92 Beat Nebraska 81-51 Lost to Michigan State 68-65 Lost to Boston College 95-71 Reat Nn 21 Missisinni State 67-63 'M' STATS Player Blanchard Horton Robinson Abram Hunter Q- G 21 21 20 21 21 ~ l Min 31.9 35.7 31.4 31.3 20.8 i o n, A 1.0 4.3 3.1 1.1 0.5 n. Reb 6.9 2.6 6.2 4.0 4.0 A A Pts. 16.7 15.7 12.1 9.7 6.0 ; a i