Wednesday March 24,2004 sports.michigandaily.com sports@michigandaily.com SPORTS 9 Clutch shots have Cagers saying aloha By Dan Rosen Daily Sports Editor There was just over three minutes left in Mon- day's game and Oklahoma had taken control. The Wolverines' nine-point lead was whittled down to two, and Michigan coach Tommy Amaker needed a timeout to talk to his players. "I told them right away that I thought that we were doing some really good things," Amaker said. "I did- 'M'fans: Show up at The Fish or shut up n't want them to get rat- tled obviously at that moment." The Wolverines took the confidence boost to heart. They made big shots after the timeout, and earned a trip to the quar- terfinals of the NIT with an 11-point win. T0N~GUT Ha~i at Mkh~an. time: 9p~m. Oi~ler A~naw ESPNZ Tonight, Michigan (20-11 overall, 8-8 Big Ten) will stride into Crisler Arena for a contest with Hawaii (21-11 overall, 11-7 WAC). Free throws were the key to Michigan's late push against the Sooners. The team made its last 14 shots from the charity stripe -10 of which came in the last three minutes - to secure the victory. Guard Daniel Horton said that the Wolverines discussed missed free throws at halftime, after they hit just 6-of-12 in the first half. Michigan got rolling after the break, especially in the last few minutes, when it needed to most. "Basketball, I believe, is played in a contagious way," Amaker said. "I think (our players) get con- fidence when they see guys go before them and knock them down." The Wolverines have struggled at the line this season, finishing seventh in the Big Ten at 69.7 percent. They also had trouble getting fouled to begin with. Back in January, Michigan made a horrid 32 percent of its foul shots in a win over Fairfield. The Wolverines took just three free throws in a TONY DING/Daily Sophomore Daniel Horton scored four points in the final minutes against Oklahoma to help Michigan reach the quarterfinals of the NIT. home loss to Indiana a week later. But on Monday, sophomore Chris Hunter and freshman Dion Harris both stepped up and made four free throws in the final minutes. Forward Brent Petway added two more in his late trip to the line. "We work on it religiously," said Amaker of the foul shots. "It certainly paid dividends (against Oklahoma)." Horton also played big late in the game, driving the lane against Oklahoma's zone defense to create offense. He dropped a pair of runners in the paint during the last two-plus minutes. "I think I was being a little too passive against their zone," Horton said. "(Late in the game), I tried to penetrate, look for guys, and if they didn't step up and take it, I had the little jumper." Hawaii, which finished fifth in the WAC this season, almost didn't make it to the quarterfinals. The Rainbow Warriors let a 17-point lead evapo- rate in the second half against Nebraska on Mon- day. But they rallied to win by one at home. Senior Michael Kuebler, a 6-foot-5 junior college transfer, leads Hawaii with 18 points per game. The Rainbow Warriors knocked off Utah State, a team many people felt should have made it to the Big Dance, to open the NIT. Michigan sophomore Lester Abram, who has missed the last three games with a shoulder injury, is day-to-day. He'll probably dress tonight, as he did Monday, but he may not play. "We're fortunate to get the home game," Amak- er said. "We seem to be fairly confident here." JIM WEBER The Realest 'm calling you out: If you're a true Michigan fan, you'll be at The Fish at 3 p.m. Friday for Michigan base- ball's Opening Day. So in other words, I'm not expecting a much bigger turnout than last year's attendance of 354. Exactly how many students are actu- ally loyal Michigan fans? Yeah, you rocked the Big House for the Ohio State game. That's expected - it's the greatest rivalry in college sports. And I doubt you would have turned in that kind of performance if we hadn't mocked you week after week with the Hype-meter. And yes, the Maize Rage has made the last two NIT games feel like the Final Four. Why was it difficult to fill the bleachers during the regular season against Indiana with hopes of an NCAA bid? So the Ragers traveled to Penn State this season and Northwest- ern last year. The number of Maize Ragers at the Big Ten Tournament was slim to none. Awful big of you to travel to the homes of Big Ten bottom feeders and taunt their downtrodden fans. The Michigan fan making the most noise at Conseco Fieldhouse was a player's mom, who made everyone miserable throughout the Illinois game by screaming "Dee Brown's loose -get him!" Now that's a super fan. Someone give her that cape and mask. Yost faithful: Where were most of you two Sundays ago for the decisive Game 3 against Nebraska-Omaha in the CCHA first round? Sorry it wasn't con- venient for you guys to spend your Sun- day night supporting a team that could have been facing its last game of the season. And then there's the baseballteam,- it doesn't even have student fans. No popcorning in the stands, no "Ohhhh, see ya!" There's'an inside joke among sports staffers that the Athletic Depart- ment uses a random number generator to produce attendance figures. I can't speak for the hot girl that sits by herself every game or Crazy Horse (Michigan baseball's middle-aged Super Fan), but I think it's pathetic. It's not like you're being asked to attend a regatta. I can't even begin to imagine student attendance once the new base- ball stadium is built next to the Varsity Tennis Center. What makes low attendance even more inexcusable is that everyone enjoys Opening Day. Even if you don't watch the game, it's an opportunity to chill with friends outdoors - when's the last time you got to do that? After a month of playing baseball on the road, the team deserves a warm wel- come home. In honor of all the games its already played away from The Fish, here are 14 reasons why the baseball team and The Fish are two of the best parts of Michigan athletics: 14) The athletic department dubbing this weekend's dual series against Detroit and Oakland as the "Michigan Classic," framing creampuffs as histori- cal intrastate rivals. 13) Unlike last week, March Mad- ness doesn't start until 7 p.m. 12) Nicknames like "Long-ball Lol- lio" (former outfielder Gino Lollio) for a guy that hit 16 career home runs. 11) Tradition. The baseball program has been around longer than football at Michigan and won more national titles than basketball. 10) Watching an opponent crush a pitch, turning to your buddy "Major League"-style and telling him "it's too high," then watching it careen off the Indoor Track and Field Building. 9) Five-foot-six Matt Butler walking to the plate to the Rocky theme song. 8) The aforementioned hot chick I vow to meet before graduation. 7) Sports Information Director Jim Schneider assigning hits instead of errors on plays a tee baller should make. 6) Wondering if your car windows are still intact after each foul ball. 5) Brandon Roberts coming to the dugout during a 2002 game in the mid- dle of the seventh inning screaming about being disrespected at home after Oakland extended its lead to 14-2 on an RBI bunt - then watching Oakland go on to win 17-3. 4) It's Daily style to call it "The Fish" 'instead of "Ray Fisher Stadium." 3) Schneider pulling double duty as stadium DJ, playing a variety of '80s hits and country music. I always picture Schneids in the press box lip-syncing like the Zamboni driver from Happy Gilmore. 2) It's free for students. 1) Second-year coach Rich Mal- oney, who increased the team's win total by nine games in his first cam- paign. Unlike most coaches around here, Maloney tells it how it is. One of Maloney's keys to turning around the program after he was hired two years ago? "Right now, we need to get some bet- ter players in there." I would give anything to have seen the face of Associate Athletic Director Megan McCallister at that exact moment. Three p.m. Friday at The Fish. Me, the hot chick and Crazy Horse will see you there? Rogers will feel right at home at Regional By Michael Nisson Daily Sports Writer While the 798-mile trek to New eHampshire may seem like a long way to go for, at most, two hockey games, there is at least one player on the Michigan hockey team who won't mind the voy- ge at all. Junior defenseman and alternate cap- tain Brandon Rogers is a native of Rochester, N.H. - a small town about 45 minutes north of Manchester, where the Wolverines will play their first game in the NCAA Tournament. The game will provide a rare opportunity for his family members, most of whom live in New Hampshire or Vermont, to see him play in person. "It's going to be an event - that's for sure," Rogers said. "I've already talked with my family about how many people are going to be going to the game. It's a big deal for them and a lot of my friends." Seeing familiar faces in the stands is not the only thing that will bring back memories for Rogers when he takes the ice Saturday afternoon. The Wolverines' opponent is New Hampshire, a team that Rogers followed in his childhood days. "That was the team that was right down the road, that I could go to with my family," Rogers said. "So I kept tabs on them,"' Rogers was quick to point out that, while he may have been a Wildcats fan growing up, he always knew that he wanted to suit up for Michigan. He had seen the Wolverines play several games on television and was also aware of the storied success that the program was having under coach Red Berenson. "With those two combined things, and knowing that I could get a great education, (coming to Michigan) was a no-brainer," Rogers said. Rogers is similar in several ways to his Michigan teammates. Like nearly one-third of the team, Rogers has had at least one relative who has participated in athletics at the collegiate level or higher - in his case, his sister Molly, who played lacrosse at Merrimack. Nearly all the Wolverines have also been exposed to hockey for most of their lives, and Rogers is no exception. "When I was a small kid, my dad started making a rink out in our back- yard, and I spent all day out there," Rogers said. "My parents would make me come inside (at the end of the day)." But one thing that separates Rogers from most of the team is his playing experience prior to coming to Michigan. Rogers is one of just three players on the team to come to Ann Arbor directly from a preparatory school. For Rogers, the institution was The Hotchkiss School - a boarding school of about 550 students in northwest Con- necticut. The school, which is known for its academic excellence, is not an athlet- ic powerhouse. Rogers noted that when he graduated, he was the only player on his team to go to a Division I hockey program, and he estimates that only a few players each year he was there had a shot at making it on a collegiate roster. Rogers also said that, because of this, his adjustment when he got to Michigan was somewhat more difficult than that of the normal college hockey newcomer. "When you're playing in the USHL (United States Hockey League), or some of the junior leagues, the talent is better," Rogers said. "There's more depth in the teams and there's more good players. Sometimes the players are older and more experienced." Despite his disadvantage coming in, Rogers has made the most of his time in Ann Arbor. He's been a mainstay on Michigan's first powerplay unit and has played well enough this season to earn second-team All-CCHA honors from the media. He is tied for first in points among Michigan defenders, with 23. Jim Weber can be reached at jamesmw@umich.edu -0 0- The Kichi n Dai DSSIFIEDCRvM e ".._ ^' +"_. FILE PHOTO Michigan defenseman Brandon Rogers is a native of Rochester, N.H. The U of M Synchronized Swimming Team is proud to host TE U.S. COLLEGIATE SYNCIIIIONIZED SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS At Canham Natatorium (Hoover & Division) ::.04 ALL DAY TICKETS (SOLD AT THE DOOR) Mar. 25-26 $5 Mar. 27 $10 Adult/ $5 Student, Senior, Kids EVENT SCHEDULE: Mar. 25 8am-5pm Solo/Duet/Trio Semi-Finals Mar 26 3:30-6:30pm Team Semi-Finals Mar. 27 10am-3:15pm Solo/Duet/Trio/Team Finals The Princeton Review's MCAT students average a 10 point score improvement! TTX/L -1 /Vi "-);Il- ' / f/ for more information call 734/998-6251 The University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts presents a public lecture and reception Biochemist ry ofZinc: Catalysis & Ho eostasis Wednesday, March 24 2004 Rackham Amphitheatre 4:10 PM Need a job for next Fall/ Winter?? Earn some and excellent SALES EXPERIENCE asa Classified Sales Account Executive. We are looking for dedicated individuals who are energetic and adaptable, with excellent communication skills. If you think you it the bii, do bT HEMICHIGAN DAILY A' 420 MAYNA R D to pick up an application form and sign up for an interview. We are located next to the Student Activities Building.