Tuesday December 3, 2002 michigandaily.com sportsdesk@umich.edu PeRTichigSn~ttl 10 'M' must win to avoid setting all-time record JEFF PHILLIPS By Seth Klempner Daily Sports Writer Every college basketball team hopes for the opportunity to set new benchmarks and rewrite the record books of its program. The Michigan men's basketball team is on the cusp of doing just that. After losing all three games in the Paradise Jam and falling to Western Michigan in Saturday's home open- er, the Wolverines tied a 69-year-old Michigan record for worse start to a season. With a loss to Central Michigan in Crisler Arena tonight, Michigan will set a new mark of ineptitude. Central Michigan has won just one game in the all-time series against the Wolverines, and that was more than half a century ago, coming Dec.1 1951. "Our offense is not right," Michi- gan coach Tommy Amaker said of his team's 52-point performance. "We have to re-evaluate a lot of things, whether that means person- nel or what we're doing on the floor. Obviously, being 0-4 is not getting the job done." Luckily for the Wolverines, Cen- tral Michigan is reeling after suffer- ing a 36-point loss over the weekend at the hands of DePaul - the Chippewas' first loss of the year. Junior center Chris Kaman leads Central Michigan with 15.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and two blocks per game. But the 7-footer is also coming off his worse performance of the sea- CRISLER ARENA Who: Michigan (0-4) vs. Central Michigan (2-1) When: 7:05 p.m. Latest: With a loss, the Michigan basketball team would set a new record for the worst start in school history. One Mid-American Conference team has already beaten Michigan this year. son; he was held to just six points while suffering from early foul trou- ble against the Blue Demons. Kaman has replaced David Web- ber, brother of former Michigan standout Chris Webber, as Central Michigan's leading scorer. Michigan will turn to freshmen Chris Hunter and Graham Brown, who have split time at center, to stop Kaman from controlling the paint. In the the Wolverines' 65-53 loss to Virginia Tech in the Paradise, Jam, the Hokies' 292-pound big man Terry Taylor dominated the second half, scoring 19 points in the final 20 minutes of play. "I think we need to improve (our interior defense)," Amaker said after Saturday's loss. "I think when you look at some breakdowns we had, you can see that a lot of the key areas came as a result of youth and inexperience with Graham Brown and Chris Hunter and the fouls. I'm looking at inexperience and situa- tions where we have to improve." The two freshmen have combined to average 10.8 points per game, with Hunter, the starter, averaging 5.3. The first-year players have suc- Fantasy football is the true measure of men 3 For some, football fantasy leagues are a way to keep up with the game. For others, they are a way to keep in touch with friends. For me, they are a way to keep my bank account full of cash. Last week, Bovine University wrapped up its second consecutive college fantasy football title. It was no small feat in a league filled with self- proclaimed college football gurus, where pride is often more important that the money exchanged. Playing college fantasy football takes a different breed. There is no website to help you keep track of statistics and points - all the work must be done by hand by scouring websites and boxs- cores. Your best resource is often local newspapers, but even then, due to the way college coaches handle injuries, it is difficult to know whether or not a player will see game time. In addition, there are several nuances to the college game dif- ferent than the professionals. The scoring system is similar to NFL fantasy, with teams getting six points for a touchdown rushing or receiving, four points for a touchdown passing, etc. A nice twist is that double points are given for touchdowns of more than 50 yards. But my favorite aspect of this TONY DING/Daily Michigan freshman Chris Hunter will be hard pressed by Chris Kaman, Central Michigan's leading scorer and rebounder. cessfully avoided foul trouble, with first four games of the season. just 17 personal fouls between the One of the few bright spots for two through four games this season. Michigan has been its rebounding As a team, Michigan still has a effort. With two veteran forwards in lot of room for improvement. The LeVell Blanchard and Bernard Wolverines have shot a dismal 35.5 Robinson, the Wolverines are outre- percent from the floor while com- bounding opponents on the offen- mitting 64 turnovers through the sive glass 63-49. a w V " ! P league is that it is a keeper league - you keep the players beyond the sea- son. If you have never played in a keeper league, well, you are just let- ting the best in life pass you by. I created my team based on a few simple principles. First, never select a player that you have any kind of attach- ment to other than he is simply your fan- tasy player. This means you shouldn't be blinded by the fact that you went to the spring game of your favorite team and its starting running back looked really sharp. Similarly, don't select a player that you are morally opposed to playing. In the championship game, my oppo- nent couldn't bring himself to play Mau- rice Clarett against Michigan and suffered as a result. Second, whenever possible, select players from teams that run up the score (i.e. Kansas State and any Pac-10 team). Third, never pick a player that is dubbed a "spiritual leader" of the team. This is the kiss of death. For example, you don't want to be stuck with Okla- homa's Nate Hybl. Behind these few beliefs my starting lineup consisted of the following players: Arizona State's Andrew Walter at quarterback (a nifty choice for replacing an injured Jason White); Kansas State's Darren Sproles and Southern Mississippi's Derrick Nix at running back and Washington's Reg- gie Williams and Stanford's Teyo John- son at the wide receiver slots. I knew repeating was going to be tricky and I was getting no respect from the other league owners. But just like the season before, no expectations is what I thrive on - in life and in col- lege fantasy football. In the regular season, I jumped out to a 6-2 record, but had troubling losses against two rivals of mine, one of which included a foolish $50 side bet (more than twice the entry fee). Then in the seasonl final two games, I backed rmy way into the playoffs with a loss and tie against arguably bigger rivals. Luckily for me, all that matters is the postseason, in which Bovine thrived. I demolished my first round opponent then avenged a previous loss in the sec- ond round to earn a championship berth. But in checking schedules for the championship game, much to my cha- grin, the suspension of Michigan State's Jeff Smoker (foiled again by Sparty) left me with a gaping hole at quarterback for the title game. My only chance to win was if I faced my friend C-Dog in the title game, who was in the same predica- ment due to a bye week for Florida and Rex Grossman - and as luck would have it, that is exactly who I faced. Of course, I then cruised in the title game to get my second ring. The early buzz I've created around the league for next season is a Bovine University dynasty, which I'm not quite ready to embrace. Oh, who I am kidding? Is there a more dominant mind in college fantasy football? Jeff Phillips can be reached at jpphilli@umich.edu. a't i6 3DE EGG 223 North Main Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 665-5340 A *I 01 0 - I f'::n irm=f x mmwlql