Friday December 6, 2002 michigandaily.com sportsdesk@umich.edu OReTSictrgn nuq 8 Winless cagers excited about facing No. 4 Duke aily orts rr T OMORROW Berenson feels pain of basketball program By Kyle O'Neill Daily Sports Writer There was a brief time when Michigan owned Duke in basketball. For three years, the Wolverines had the Blue Devils' number, capping off a three-game win streak in the rivalry with a thrilling 81-73 come-from- behind victory in 1997. But in light of the University's self-imposed sanctions on its basket- ball program, those games have been erased from Michigan's record books, as if they never happened. The same goes for Michigan's national title loss to Duke in 1992 and the Wolverines' defeats in 1993 and 1998. There are probably plenty of Michigan supporters who wish that tomorrow's 3:30 p.m. matchup between the two teams at Cameron Indoor Stadium wasn't going to happen either. That's because No. 4 Duke has not slowed down at all this year, despite losing forward Mike Dun- leavy, center Carlos Boozer and guard Jay Williams to the NBA after last season. The Blue Devils are 4-0 and have already posted impressive double-digit wins against UCLA and Ohio State. The Wolverines, meanwhile, have gotten lost in the state of Michigan's basketball compass, dropping home games to Western Michigan and Cen- tral Michigan en route to an 0-5 start. But despite the mismatch on paper, the Wolverines are still confident and eager to give Duke a battle. "We're just going to go down there and play as hard as we can and try to surprise them," Michigan center Gra- ham Brown said. "We're going to show them that our record does not reflect the ability of this team." Coach Tommy Amaker echoed Brown's sentiments. "We recognize that we need to respect our opponents; we don't fear our opponents, we respect them," Amaker said. "We are going to do the things that we feel gives us the best chance to win - otherwise we wouldn't go. There is no sense in playing if we don't think that we can compete and win." Saturday's game will also give the Wolverines an opportunity to repress the memories from the last three meetings between the two teams. Duke is on an amazing run in the series, having scored 104 points in three consecutive meetings against Michigan, including an 104-61 romp at home over the Wolverines two years ago. "We're not thinking about that now," said Michigan senior forward LaVell Blanchard. "We're thinking about preparing right now - if we TONY DING/Daily Michigan senior Gavin Groninger remembers what happened to the Wolverines two years ago at Duke, but is hopeful that this year things will be different. do the things we're told, we have a chance to win." With the loss of Boozer, this year's version of the Blue Devils does not feature a dominant inside presence. 6-foot-11 senior Casey Sanders has been splitting time at center with wiry 6-foot-10, 215-pound freshman Shavlik Randolph. While the Wolverines may not be dominated inside as they have in several games already this year, the Blue Devils' quickness and depth at the guard positions - led by National Player of the Year candi- date Chris Duhon - could give the depleted Michigan backcourt seri- ous problems. The Wolverines have lost the serv- ices of guards Avery Queen and Dommanic Ingerson within the span of two weeks, leaving freshmen Daniel Horton and Sherrod Harrell and senior Gavin Groninger as the only true guards on the roster. "We have to get other players more involved with the ball-handling duties," Amaker said. "We have our work cut out for us." As a winless team, the Wolverines are no doubt a long way from where they hoped they'd be heading into this game. Nevertheless, a win over Duke could make people forget those first five games. "That's what you play for - big games like these," freshman Chris Hunter said. "You want to show peo- ple what you can do and there is no bigger stage than against a national championship program and on national television, too." If there's one man who knows about some of the pain and suffering that Michigan basketball coach Tommy Amaker is going through, it is the man who sat. 10 rows up in the north section of Crisler Arena during Michigan's 85- 78 loss to Central Michi- gan Tuesday night. That man is legendary BERRY EV Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson, who was :WMi Mh2g able to attend the game as Northern Mi his Tuesday night radio ses- 7-5-1) sion was canceled for the when: 7:05 week, and tomorroA Though the game was Latest: Capta hard for any Michigan fan meyer is que to watch, Berenson had this weekend seen his program go through the same struggles on the ice when he took over a Michigan team in 1984 that had developed its own "losing culture." Berenson had to endure three seasons before he saw his team finish higher than .500. Now he has eight Frozen Four berths and two national titles under his belt. "I think Tommy Amaker will do a good job, I really do;' Berenson said. "I think he'll bring in the right kind of people, and he'll teach them how to play the right kind of basketball. But it's just like when I came to Michigan. "I thought all that we needed was a coach and it wasn't just a coach, it was a whole program and a philosophy and an attitude and a work ethic and a commit- ment. Really there's a lot of things that is I A t< ic have to happen, because (opponents aren't) standing around just waiting for you to get better." Berenson can relate to Amaker as a coach, given that both of their sports are very high-paced - one possession can lead to success or downfall. "I think they're going to get better, I mean, they could have won (the Central Michigan) game," Beren- son said. "When the ENT CENTER momentum goes for you it ;an (--1 can be great, and when it 1 overall) vs goes against you it can be chigan (640, devastating. "When you think about p.m. tonight it, these are still young )w kids, just like the kids on ain Jed Ort- my team - these are not stionable for 28- to 38-year-old pros. d's games. But basketball's not unlike hockey either. Turnovers or missed opportunities are something you lament when you lose." But even now, Berenson and his eighth-ranked Wolverines still face challenges and endure failure. They will be trying to make amends for last year's 1-3 start in the CCHA - two of the losses coming at the hands of Northern Michigan - when they travel to Mar- quette to play the Wildcats tonight and tomorrow night. "So here were are, we're a pretty suc- cessful program and every game still comes down to a fine line - and we expect to win," Berenson said. "We have the confidence of winning, we have the tradition of winning and it's still a dog fight. "But it doesn't happen overnight, it doesn't happen in one year. I remember walking in our lockerroom when I knew that this team was the team that was going to turn the corner, and that wasn't until my fourth year." And although Berenson never had to endure the fallout from a previous regime's scandal, he did receive his fair share of criticism for his three straight losing seasons. "The one thing that (former Athletic Director) Don Canham told me, he said, 'Don't worry about what they write, we know you're going to get the job done;'" Berenson said. "So the media has to be patient too, but when there's blood on the streets, people like to write about it." 0' 0 0 AA Airport Service FLAT rate to and from Metro and all other airports CALL TODAY: 734-320-9007 FOOD F R TWUGHT IRAQ EMBARGO Are 5,ooo babies really dying per month because of the oil embargo? Not really. According to a Center for Mideast Stud- ies, their current infant mortal- ity rate is exactly the same as in the 1980's. GARY LILLIE & ASSOC.. REALTOKS WWW,GARYLILLI.COM PAS RECORDS & USED CDS 617 Packard Upstairs from Subway Paying $4 to $6 for top CD's in top condition. Also buying premium LP's andA c'atcaiftnos V I