SPRING INTO ACTION The Michigan football team begins spring practice with non-contact drills. PAGE 3B JIM WEBER: Im not wony- ing about the Michigan hockey team and neither should you. ALSO ON PAGE 3B THE SPORTSMONDAY COLUMN ORTS I AY March 15, 2004 SECTION B a!be W YIhrb iu 1 March Without Abram, cagers bounced sadness E By Dan Rosen Daily Sports Editor It's a moot point. No one will ever know if Michigan could have earned an invitation to the NCAA Tournament with a win over Illinois on Saturday, as many people believed. Michigan dropped a 74-60 decision to the Fighting Illini in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament. The team was not invited to the Big Dance and will play Missouri in the NIT tomorrow night. G "I thought that if they win (against us), they're a definite," said Illinois coach Bruce Weber of Michigan's aspirations to make the NCAA Tournament. Both teams were missing key contributors. Forward Roger Powell was out for Illinois. Michigan was without its leading scorer from the regular season, Lester Abram, who injured his left shoulder on a drive to the hoop in Friday's win over Iowa and was unable to play. "The decision was made right at game time," said Michigan coach Tommy Amaker of Abram. "We knew throughout the evening yesterday and then certainly into this morning that he was in a lot of pain. It was very sore, and he was having trouble lifting his arm above his head." The 6-foot-6 Powell, who was third on the team in scoring with 11.5 points per game, suffered a concussion against Indiana on Friday. Illinois came out flying from the opening tip, building a 15-5 lead. Guard Dee Brown repeatedly led the Fighting Illi- ni down the floor in transition. Within the game's first five minutes, the "One Man Fast Break," as he has been nick- named in Champaign, scored seven points, grabbed two steals and dished out an assist. "They try to get you to turn the ball over," Michigan guard Horton said. "And it worked at the beginning of the game." Illinois committed just six turnovers, nine less than the Wolverines. Two of those Illinois turnovers came late in the game, after the outcome was already decided. Illinois also had 22 assists. Its starting backcourt of Brown and Deron Williams combined for 12 dishes and no turnovers. The lead ballooned to 14 before the Wolverines got going late in the first half. 6-foot-li forward Chris Hunter buried a 3-pointer to make it an eight-point game at the break. The Michigan onslaught continued at the start of the second See ILLINI, Page 5B Missed opportunities spell N-I-T DANIEL BREMMER Garden State of Mind INDIANAPOLIS - Since missed opportunities were the theme of this season for the Michigan basketball team, why should Selection Sunday be any different? Heading into the 2003-04 campaign, the post-season ban was lifted, and Michigan should've done more to earn an NCAA Tournament berth. Everyone wanted to see the Wolverines go danc- ing, and the bid was theirs for the taking. But Michigan, more or less, played its way out of the tournament from the inside, first dropping a game at home to a scrub Boston University team, and then falling to a pathetic Minnesota team. When given a chance to play its way back in, Michigan lost to Illinois, basically with a bid on the line. And the way that the team managed to slip out of the Tournament is alarm- ing. While the team has shown an increased chemistry and cohesiveness since the beginning of the season, and players' roles are becoming more clear, these aspects were only part of the prob- lem for the Wolverines. There are still tons of questions that will need to be answered as Michigan hits the NIT and enters next year. The most alarming of these ques- tions: Why can't the team take advan- tage of its opportunities? The improbable overturning of the postseason ban by the NCAA early this year opened the door, but the Wolver- ines moonwalked away from the Tour- nament during the season instead of striding forward through that door. Michigan needed a win at Min- nesota - not because of tournament implications, but just to avoid the humiliation of losing to a then-win- less Big Ten team - but came up empty and embarrassed. Michigan needed to win at Indiana against a team that, late in the season, had no chance at the NCAA Tourna- ment. The Hoosiers generously gave the Wolverines every chance to capitalize, even missing clutch free throws down the stretch to give Michigan chances to tie the game. Bracey Wright might as well have shot the ball in the wrong bas- ket - Michigan probably would've just declined the points. And the final straw was Saturday's more forgivable, but still painful loss to Illinois. There wasn't much to play for from the Illini's perspective. They had already wrapped up the outright title and tourney bid. On the other end of the court was a Michigan team playing for an NCAA bid, but the Wolverines came out flat, were whipped in the beginning of the game and spent the rest of the contest playing catchup. They did a commend- able job fighting their way back, but it was too big a hole to dig out of. See BREMMER, Page 5B BLOCK 'M' BATHLE Up next for the Michigan basketball team: Missouri. The Wolverines will face off against the Tigers tomorrow night at 9 p.m. at Crisler Arena. The matchup will pit Michigan coach Tommy Amaker against Missouri's Quin Snyder - two former Duke teammates and assistant coaches. If Michigan wins, its second-round game site will be determined by home attendance at first round sites. B.Y.O. BRACKET Fill out your NCAA Tournament bracket for the Michigandaily.com/Papa John's Challenge. PAGE 8B TONY DING Michigan freshman Courtney Sims (44) is fouled by Illinois' James Augustine during the Big Ten Tournament semifinals on Saturday. Sims put up 10 points and grabbed 12 boards in Michigan's 74-60 loss. M' proves 'Super' after huge third M MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD 'M' distance medley sets new world record By Michael Nisson Daily Sports Writer As the Michigan hockey team took a celebratory lap around the ice following its 5-2 victory over Nebraska-Omaha last night, one would have thought the team had just won the oeaas NCAA Tourna- ment. In reality, MICHIGAN 5 the Wolverines had merely sur- vived round one of the CCHA Tournament. The 5-2 victory, coupled with the Wolverines' 2-0 win on Friday, gave the Wolverines (18-8-2 CCHA, 25-12-2 overall) their sec- ond and deciding win in the best- of-three series against the Mavericks (5-20-4, 8-26-5). It also ended Nebraska-Omaha's season. seemed as if Nebraska-Omaha was poised to punch a ticket to Joe Louis Arena for the CCHA Super Six next weekend. Then Michigan struck gold. The Wolverines scored three goals in a span of 2:43 and left the Mavericks in their collective dust, wondering what could have been. Junior forward Dwight Helminen started the barrage of goals at the 6:55 mark of the third period. After Michigan freshman Mike Brown ripped a shot and hit the post, the puck seemed to be lodged under Nebraska-Omaha goalie Chris Holt's arm. Helminen charged at the net and pried the puck out of Holt's grasp, sending it into the back of the net. Following the goal, Michigan kept the pressure on the Mavericks By Phil Kofahl Daily Sports Writer" FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - When sophomore Nick Willis blew by Arkansas's Mike Taylor with 200 meters to go in the distance medley relay, he hushed the Arkansas crowd. And the Michigan faithful in atten- dance let everyone know who was the national champion. In a world-record time of 9:27.77, the distance medley relay destroyed the world-class field at the Randall Tyson Fieldhouse, guiding Michigan to a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Junior Nate Brannen gave the Wolverines the lead during his 1,200- meter leg of the race, handing off to junior DarNell Talbert with a 15- meter lead. Talbert held his own dur- ino the 400-meter lea hut allowedp sat on the heels of the Razorbacks' final runner for 1,400 meters, run- ning completely relaxed. When the bell rang for the final lap, Willis took off. He flew past the Blue faithful on the backstretch and pointed the baton in their direction to thank them, before taking home the title and running a victory lap afterwards. "It's what we came here to do - it was our focus the entire season." Eller- ton said. "I just kept us in the race, and Willis finished the job for us." The parents, athletes and coaches who were there could not hold back when their men came to the stands to thank them. Talbert's mother, father and brother smothered him, crying tears of happiness and pride. It was Warren Talbert's first time seeing his son race while wearing a Michigan uniform and the experience 1left him 4 I ,