Tuesday December 13, 2005 sports. michigan daily. com sports@michigandaily.com PRTSitlh-ggn Egilu 9 Cagers get ready for first ranked opponent Uniforms to blame for Varsity's woes By Kevin Wright Daily Sports Writer Daniel Horton didn't play. And Michigan lost. Last season, when the Michigan men's basketball team traveled to Pauley Pavilion, it came up just short, falling 80-79 to an upstart UCLA team. Though Michigan took a late six-point lead, the Bruins stormed back in the final four minutes and gained control of the game. Without its injured leader, Michigan couldn't maintain the intensity needed to finish strong.. This season, Horton has been instrumental in Michi- gan's 7-0 start. The senior has consistently scored in dou- ble digits while leading the team in steals and assists. Horton's leadership will be critical for Michigan heading into its marquee matchup against No. 14 UCLA (7-1) this Saturday at Crisler Arena. With Hor- ton suiting up for the rematch, the Wolverines come into the game healthy and ready to play. "This year, we have no excuses," redshirt junior Lester Abram said. "We come into games well pre- pared, and, every game we come into, we feel like we have a chance to win a basketball game." Already, Michigan has reached heights it hasn't experienced in years. The Wolverines' 7-0 start is the best start since the 1997-98 season - when it won its first eight before losing to Memphis. And this past week,junior Courtney Sims earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors. Sims is the first Michigan player to claim the award since Horton received the accolade three seasons ago on Feb. 24, 2003. The Wolverines also stand on the cusp of a top-25 ranking. In the Associated Press poll that came out yesterday, Michigan received 115 votes - the most of any teams not ranked in the top 25. Michigan last made a top-25 appearance during the 1996-97 season, reaching its highest spot at 20. Horton has exemplified this historical start by exud- ing the poise that has propelled the Wolverines. At Notre Dame on Dec. 3, Horton hit big three after big three down the stretch to prevent Michigan from fall- ing from the ranks of the unbeaten. The Wolverines held a nine-point lead in that game before the Irish mounted a comeback to take a five- point advantage with three minutes left in the con- test. But, unlike the UCLA game last year, Michigan responded to the challenge and stormed back. The Wolverines completed the comeback when Horton drew the defense and found guard Dion Harris open in the corner for the deciding basket. Due in large part to Horton's composure under pressure, Michigan has thrived in close games. And the Wolverines have also maintained their aggressive edge when the contest has already been decided. Against South Florida last Saturday, Michigan held a decisive advantage going into halftime. But instead of coasting to an easy victory, the Wolverines contin- ued to pressure the ball and play aggressively in the second half. "One of the things we've talked about is staying focused and finish," Michigan coach Tommy Amaker said. "We stayed with that throughout the ball game, and I thought our kids really responded well." Now, Michigan has a week to prepare for the Bru- ins, who will provide a measuring mark for the Wol- verines before they begin the Big Ten season on Jan. 3 against Indiana. After coming to UCLA three seasons ago, Bruins coach Ben Howland raised fans' expectations last year. Howland led the Bruins to their first NCAA Tourna- ment since 2002. Howland and the Bruins have already played on ALEX DZIADOSZ/Daily Thanks to senior Daniel Horton's leadership, Michigan is on the cusp of joining the top-25. a national stage this season, participating in the pre- season NIT. They lost to No. 3 Memphis 88-80 in the semifinals - their lone loss of the season so far. "It's going to be a big game for us," Abram said. "It's an ESPN game. Dicky V's coming to town. I haven't seen him, and I'm excited about that. We're going to be excited to come out there and perform in front of our fans." i ts gotta be the uniforms. How else can you explain Michi- gan's unusual season? The Wolverines' 7-4 record this year is the team's worst regular-season mark since 1994. Understandably, many people have been left scratching their heads. in an attempt to figure out exactly what went wrong. Sure, it's easy to call attention - as I have - to Michigan's five late- game defensive collapses that allowed opponents to win or tie games in the GA final minute. But there EDEL must be a deeper, more Hor profound cause ... right? Ga Well, after a close examination, the Wol- verines' new threads seem to be the culprit. In the vein of the ESPN Classic show, "The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame," I present to you ''The Top 6 Reasons You Must Blame Michigan's New Uniforms for the Wolverines' Sub-Par Season." Each explanation will eliminate another potential target of finger-pointing from the equation until no possible excuses remain. Let's take a look: 1. You can't blame Mike Hart. After Hart's jaw-dropping fresh- man year - 1,692 all-purpose yards and 10 total touchdowns - many expected Michigan's star tailback to challenge for the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the nation's best running back. Instead, Hart managed to shoulder the bulk of the Wolverines' rushing load in just four games this year. Because of nagging leg injuries throughout the season, he amassed a disappointing 17 carries for 36 yards against Notre Dame, Iowa and Ohio State combined. Hart didn't even see the field against East- ern Michigan, Wisconsin, Northwest- ern or Indiana. But it wouldn't be fair to blame Hart and his 588-yard, four-score campaign for Michigan's woes. After all, sore hamstrings and bum ankles are part of football, and it can happen to anybody at any time. kB LS ne b In addition, backups Jerome Jackson and Kevin Grady proved capable in Hart's absence. Most people tend to believe that the running game is more important than the ball-carrier's uniform. I'm not so certain. 2. You can't blame Steve Breaston. A redshirt junior wide receiver, Breaston wasn't healthy for much of the beginning of the season. An attempt to transform him into the team's deep- threat failed because 3E Breaston wasn't well ON suited to the task. As a natural return specialist st who excels from the slot, e Breaston stepped up his play when he returned to his familiar role. He picked up 85 percent of his receiving yardage over the final six games of the regular season. Against Indiana, Breaston out-gained the entire Hoosiers team with 201 all-purpose yards ... in the first half. Is it fair to blame him for being injured and playing an unfa- miliar position? Probably not. Let's move on. 3. You can't blame Chad Henne. Michigan's quarterback endured plenty of criticism during what many perceived to be a "sopho- more slump" Barring a 500-yard, five-touchdown performance in the Alamo Bowl, the sophomore will fall short of his 2004 numbers. But many don't give Henne credit for play- ing superbly against Ohio State and showing flashes of brilliance against Michigan State, Penn State and Indi- ana. Add in a number of drops by his receivers, a quickly shrinking pocket and the loss of Braylon Edwards, and Henne's 20-touchdown, seven-inter- ception season suddenly doesn't look so terrible. I've heard people say that Henne and his play are critical to the Wolverines' fate on the gridiron. But we all know that clothes make the man. 4. You can't blame the offensive line. See EDELSON, page 10 E ". SUM ICE HOCKEY Rohfsmakes smooth transition to D' By Mark Giannotto Daily Sports Writer With a little more than eight minutes remaining in the second period of Friday night's game, Michigan defenseman Mark Mitera collected a stray puck in front of the Wolverines' net with Michigan cling- ing to a 2-1 lead. The usually sure-handed Mitera mishandled the puck, and it slid right to Bill Thomas of Nebraska-Omaha. But then, out of nowhere, a streaking David Rohlfs poked the puck away from Thomas, averting a potentially dangerous situation.. All season, the junior defenseman has been making plays that don't show up in the stat box for the Wolverines. "I try to get the puck out of our zone, and be strong in our own zone," Rohlfs said. . "I'm more of a stay-at-home defenseman. I try to bring a physical presence and work hard every day. I try to give the offense a chance by clearing (the puck) out." Ordinarily, a junior would have a firm grasp on his role within the team. But because Rohlfs spent his previous two years at Michigan primarily playing for- ward, he had to prove himself. After last season, Michigan lost three defenders to graduation and the coaching staff was looking to put another veteran player in the back. "David has been a real solid player for us this year" Michigan assistant coach Mel Pearson said. "He's proven to the coaches and his teammates that he is a good CCHA defenseman." But the transition from forward to defen- seman was not as easy as the results seem to indicate. The Northville native had to completely change his mental approach to the game. "I think in my head that I have to go up (on offense)" Rohlfs said. "But then I start looking up, and I see three of our guys, and I realize I'm a defenseman. My whole life I've been going forward, and now I'm going backwards." Rohlfs has been paired with the fresh- man Mitera the entire season, forming one of the most formidable defensive tandems in the CCHA. They are rare- ly caught out of position because of their penchant for staying back, even if Rohlfs's forward pedigree would sug- gest the opposite. "(During Rohlfs's) first two years here at Michigan, he was used in more of a defen- sive role even as a forward," Pearson said. "He was more of a checking forward, and an energetic forward, who could chip in a little bit offensively. We're not surprised by his lack of production (offensively) on defense because we don't look for him to do that. We look for him to play good solid defense." Even though he is not a captain, the junior is a leader by default because of the number of young players on the team: Mitera, especially, has benefited from Rohlfs's presence. "David has been a steadying force for (Mitera):' Pearson said. "Any time you're a freshman, there are a lot of questions you have about yourself and the league. David, having been here and been through it, he can talk to (Mitera)." Despite his success on defense this sea- son, Rohlfs has not committed himself to being a defenseman forever. He is adamant in doing whatever it takes to win. "I'll play wherever the team needs me," Rohlfs said. "I'll do whatever they need me to do, and be wherever they need me to be and do my best at it." See ROHLFS, page 10 I GET UP TO 50% BACK FOR YOUR TEXTBOOKS IF THEY ARE USED AGAIN NEXT TERM. INCREASE THE SUPPLY OF LOWER PRICED USED TEXTBOOKS FOR OTHER STUDENTS. CHECK WITH YOUR FACULTY TO SEE IF THEY ARE REUSING YOUR BOOKS NEXT TERM.