The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - March 29, 2004 - 5B Talkin' the talk "Knowing that you've been on the same court as a bunch of great players ... makes you want to go out there and do something special." - Michigan senior Bemard Robinson on playing at Madison Square Garden, where the New York Knicks play their home games. TOMORROW S GAME Oregon 9 Pm. Michigan ESPN2 Players to watch Luke Jackson (Oregon) Oregon's star senior can light it up from behind the arc. He shot 44 per- cent this year, good for 12th in the nation. Bernard Robinson (Michigan) Robinson has been Michigan's defen- sive stopper, and tomorrow, Jackson will likely be one of the senior's toughest assignments yet. Horton finally back on track Michigan hoping last trip to MSG provides edge By Daniel Bremmer Daily Sports Editor Daniel Horton picked the right time to bust out of what some have called a season-long funk. Horton had been inconsistent all year. Some said he was in a slump, but others, including his coach, most of his team- mates and even Horton himself said that the soph- omore was just struggling to get used to his new role on the team, 1 r 8 which included more responsibili- ties on defense and an increased leadership role. Now, with his numbers on the rise over Michigan's last five games, Horton may be disappointed to see the season come to an end this week, even if his team wins the NIT. That's because Horton appears to have finally reentered his comfort zone - a zone that he was in for most of his freshman season, but which had eluded him through the beginning of this year. "He's been as good as anybody in certain stretches and especially down the stretch in the two previous games," said Michigan coach Tommy Amaker of Horton's per- formance in the Wolverines' wins over Oklahoma and Hawaii. "When Daniel has played better, our team has been a lot better. I think, as we've seen, with a few more games and more opportunities to get better, and for him to improve his game, he's done that." Horton struggled as the Big Ten regular season drew to a close. During a four-game homestand near the end of the regular season, he struggled to find his rhythm, averaging eight points per game - four below his season average - while connecting on just 8-for-30 from the floor. But since the regular season has ended, Horton has picked up his game, averaging 15 points per con- test over the Wolverines' five post- season games. Horton credited his performance to something that his father and his coaches both suggested to him recently. "They just told me to be myself," Horton said. "They said that they noticed that I didn't have the same confidence, the same swagger that I had since I came to the University of Michigan. And I went back and I looked, and watching myself play - I didn't. I just tried to get that back through hard work. "I think it's paid off." In addition to his recent success, Horton may have some additional motivation when Michigan faces off against Oregon tomorrow night. Oregon coach Ernie Kent was the head coach of the U.S. Junior World Championship team, which Horton was cut from this past summer. But Horton downplayed any feelings of ill will he may have toward Kent when asked about the situation on Friday. "I'd rather not talk about that," Horton said. "It's in the past, and things happen for a reason. Right now it's not about Ernie Kent and I. It's about Michigan vs. Oregon." MICHIGAN SQUARE GARDEN: Prior to the Big Ten Tournament at Con- seco Fieldhouse, Amaker said he wasn't sure if the Wolverines would benefit from a win over Butler at the Fieldhouse on Nov. 30. But the Wolverines are hoping that having already played this sea- son at Madison Square Garden - where they knocked off Fairfield 66- 43 on Jan. 3 - will give them an edge in this week's games. "Just being able to play there and know how those rims are, and get- ting the feel of the court, and not being too amazed with the sur- rounding stuff - because we've been there before - will definitely help us," senior Bernard Robinson said. "But Oregon's a great team, so we're going to have to do a little more than just feeling comfortable about the court (to win)." LES IS MORE: After missing four games due to a shoulder injury suf- fered against Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament, sophomore Lester Abram returned to the court for Michigan in its win over Hawaii on Wednesday. The Wolverines' leading scorer made a quick impact, finish- ing the game with 17 points on 7- for-11 from the floor. After the game against Hawaii, Amaker said that he played Abram more minutes (21) than he had intended because Robinson was in foul trouble. But Abram felt few lin- gering effects of the injury on Thursday after the game. "He said that he was feeling much better," said Amaker of Abram's condition on Thursday, which was an off-day for the team. NOTES: Due to the Dance for Mother Earth Pow Wow being held at Crisler Arena, Michigan was forced to practice at the IM Building over the past three days ... Michigan is a combined 5-8 away from Crisler Arena this season ... This will be the first year that the NIT will not play a consolation game. Michigan sophomore Daniel Horton has averaged 15 points per game since the end of the regular season. Loser is Ore-gone After enjoying the friendly confines of Crisler Arena for three straight games - and benefitting from some of the loudest crowds Crisler has seen in recent memory - the Wolverines will hit the road for the remainder of the NIT Michigan enters Madison Square Garden having already played there once this season, a 66-43 win over Fairfield on Jan. 3. The winner of the Michigan-Oregon game will meet the winner of the Rutgers-Iowa State contest on Thursday night. Michigan basketball writer Dan Rosen takes a look at the matchups for tomorrow night's second NIT semifinal. TtMQRRO w Mxchgan(9-9 Bg'Ten, 21-41 overal , 'regon (9A Pac 10, 18424 Tue9 p.m. (follkwng fw~ emitmnal) W~dson Square Qarden u ESN2 Dion Harris - The freshman has also been on fire in the postseason. He led the Wolverines in scor- ing, with 17, in their win over Oklahoma last week. He also torched Iowa for a career-high 23 points on a Big Ten Tournament-record six 3- pointers. Key stats 9.9 points per game 78 percent on free throws 34 percent on 3-pointers Shooting guard Edge: 0 Key stats 12.8 points per game 4.6 rebounds 3.0 assists Andre Joseph - The senior guard, who is second on the Ducks in scoring this year, recorded a sea- son-high 19 points in the team's win over California in the first round of the Pac-10 Tournament. The 6- foot-3Joseph also does his fair share of board work, pulling in more than four rebounds per contest. Graham Brown - The sophomore played for Oregon coach Ernie Kent at the 2003 U.S. Junior World Championships last summer. He matched a career high with 14 points and added six boards to help Michigan down Hawaii last Wednesday. Key stats 4.4 points per game 4.1 rebounds 55 total offensive boards Power Forward Edge: 0 Key stats 12.6 points per game 5.2 rebounds 56 percent from the field Ian Crosswhite - The 6-foot-11 Crosswhite is second on the Ducks in rebounds (5.2) and third in scoring (12.6). The sophomore led the team with 10 rebounds in its win over Notre Dame that gave the Ducks a berth in the NIT Semifinals. Bench - Led by sophomore Lester Abram, the team's leading scorer, Michigan's bench is deep. Abram came off the pine to lead the team in scoring against Hawaii, with 17 points. Chris Hunter has also come on strong in the postseason. The 6-foot-11 Gary, Ind., native makes 80 percent of his foul shots, including a 6-for-6 showing against Okla- homa. High-wire act Brent Petway has made a whopping 69 percent of his field goals this year, which would lead the nation if he averaged five or more shots per game. Bench Edge: Bench -James Davis, the Ducks leader off the bench, is 27th in the nation in 3-point percentage (42 percent). The senior has made a team-leading 85 shots from behind the arc on the way to 10.9 points per game. After that, the bench gets pretty short - as is evidenced by the fact that the team's top three scorers drop in 61 percent of the Ducks' total output. Head coach Ernie Kent's son,Jordan, also comes off the bench. He has played in 28 games this year and averages 1.8 points per contest. wa ',. 7 ' , ... ! , ". n M .I M ".; {. ; ' sss e, ,., A ,AE ar m ttk,.v%;s .: ..s ue . i re ?N !z;