Thursday February , 2003 michigandaily.com sportsdesk@umich.edu PORirioSa 4TSti 5A CHRIS BURKE Sole train Cagers steal road victory and first place at Purdue Forget about age; Horton is Big Ten b W EST LAFAYETTE - Daniel Horton is the Big Ten Player of the Year. That is to say, Horton should be Play- er of the Year, and the Michigan fresh- man proved just how much he deserves it last night at Purdue. In the biggest game Michigan has played in years, Horton put on a clinic. Time and time again, he wowed the Mackey Arena crowd on his way to a career-high 31 points. More importantly, his play keyed a 78-67 Michigan win that gives the Wolverines - you might want to sit down here - sole possession of first place in the Big Ten with four games to play after an improbable Wis- consin loss at Penn State. "Obviously, without (Horton's) play, we're not having a happy lockerroom right now," Michigan coach Tommy Amaker said. The Wolverines had entered the game worried about how to shut down Pur- due's conference Player of the Year can- didate, Willie Deane. Turns out Deane wasn't even the best player on the floor last night, let alone in the conference this year. Horton scored 21 of the Wolverines' 42 points for a 13-point halftime lead. He was smooth and confident, and clearly quicker than anyone Purdue threw out there to try and defend him. The Boilermakers rallied in the second half, though, as every desperate team will in a conference game. But with the lead having dwindled down to 57-52, Horton calmly readjust- ed his grip and threw Michigan back on top of his young shoulders, drilling a 3- pointer to end Purdue's comeback. "We tried to wear him down, put dif- ferent people on him, play some zone," Purdue coach Gene Keady said. "But he's just a great player, we didn't have an answer for him." Of course, you can't win any game by yourself- let alone a road game against a first-place team. Senior LaVell Blanchard, hobbled by a sore ankle, still finished with 20 points )est player and seven rebounds, including a clutch 3-pointer with Purdue still trying to mount a late rally. Guard Lester Abram tossed in 13 points, and forward Bernard Robinson had six points, seven rebounds and four assists despite being in foul trouble. Even with all of that, though, the Wolverines would not have been in posi- tion for a road win - check that - they would not be in position for a Big Ten title without the older-than-his-years play of a cocky freshman from Texas. Anyone who didn't know that before yesterday sure found out. "I was just trying to make plays," Hor- ton said. "They were denying the wings so hard that I had to do something." And because of that, the Wolverines are now in position to do something - win their first Big Ten title since 1986. Daniel Horton hadn't even turned two when that happened. But now he's all grown up, and last See BURKE, Page 7A By Daniel Bremmer Daily Sports Writer WEST LAFAYETTE - The Michi- gan basketball team may not be going to the NCAA Tournament following its regular season. But MC__GAN ____ last night, it played like a team that is definitely worthy of a tournament bid, knocking off No. 24 Purdue 78-67 at Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers were previously BIG TEN STANDINGS Conference Overall Team W L W L Michigan 9 3 16 9 Wisconsin 8 4 18 6 Purdue 8 4 16 7 Minnesota 7 4 15 7 Illinois 6 4 16 5 Michigan State 6 5 14 9 Indiana 6 6 16 9 Iowa 5 6 13 9 Ohio State 5 7 12 11 Northwestern 2 10 10 13. Penn State 1 10 6 16 undefeated this season at home, but the Wolverines (9-3 Big Ten, 16-9 overall) came ready to play from the tip, improv- ing their Big Ten road record to 3-3. "We aren't eligible for the NCAAs, but we can always deserve it," Michigan coach Tommy Amaker said. "Although we're not eligible, we understand the reasons why, and we support the deci- sions made by our school." Coupled with Penn State's victory over Wisconsin, Michigan is now in the conference driver's seat, alone atop the Big Ten standings and making a state- ment to the rest of the league. After cutting a 13-point halftime deficit to four with just over nine min- utes to go, the Boilermakers struggled to get any closer. Following a missed run- ner in the lane from Michigan freshman Daniel Horton, Purdue guard Willie Deane - the second leading scorer in the Big Ten - missed on both attempts from the free throw line, which could have cut the deficit to two. Then on the other end, forward LaVell Blanchard drained a 3-pointer from the corner to extend the Michigan lead to 57-50. RYAN WEIP Daniel Horton drives to the hole in the Wolverines' 78-67 win over Purdue. Purdue (8-4, 16-7) later made another run to cut the Michigan lead to five fol- lowing a 3-pointer from David Teague. But Blanchard refused to let his team go down. Hindered by a first-half ankle sprain, the Michigan senior canned an open three to put Michigan up 65-57. Blanchard came up big for Michigan following poor outings in the team's last two road games, when he posted nine and eight points in road losses to Min- nesota and Indiana, respectively. "He was hobbling a little bit, but he See BOILERMAKERS, Page 7A cds (this year alone): $300 vintage rock posters: about $40 each letter from neighbor complaining about music: $0 frame for concert ticket stubs: $13 used tu guita rntable: $20 ir pick necklace: $.75 a $095 Reserve Cut $1 95 Standard & unch Cut 3050 Jackson Rd. 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