VOLLEYBALL ROCKS HILL
Follow the team as through its prepa-
rations for their Mock Rock act.
PAGE 8B
THE SPORTSMONDAY COLUMN:
Ian Herbert retells a few feel good
stories from Super Bowl media week.
PAGE 3B
ERDMAN RACES TO VICTORY:
Junior runner runs the nation's
fastest time in 800-meter race
PAGE 6B
SPORTSONDAY
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February 6, 20 6
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No. 21 Michigan 66
TS
T
Streak ends
as Hawkeyes
drain threes
By Scott Bell
Daily Sports Editor
IOWA CITY - With three minutes remaining
in the game, Iowa guard Tony Freeman raced down
the court and bounced the ball off the backboard for
teammate Doug Thomas. Although Michigan forward
Brent Petway got in the way of Thomas's attempt to
dunk it home, the sellout crowd at Carver- Hawkeye
Arena was unphased.
The fans didn't have any reason to be angry.
The Hawkeyes had their bench in the game and a
secure 25-point lead. At that point, it was all fun
and games - at least for Iowa.
On Saturday, No. 21 Michigan's five-game win-
ning streak was snapped with a vengeance, and its
Big Ten title hopes took a hit as it was blown out by
No. 23 Iowa, 94-66.
"I was disappointed in a lot of things about our
team (Saturday), but as I've said before, a lot of
things in this game become contagious," Michigan
coach Tommy Amaker said. "I thought it was cer-
tainly that way for them, and in a lot of ways was that
way with us."
As three minutes remained in the first half, the
visiting Wolverines (6-3 Big Ten, 16-4 overall)
actually held a 29-28 lead. Little did they know that
at the same point in the second half, the Hawkeye
starters would be relaxing on the bench, celebrat-
ing a blowout victory over first-place Michigan.
Where did it go wrong?
Was it Iowa's 15-4 run to end the first half?
Was it the 13-for-19 clinic Iowa put on from 3-
point range?
Or was it Iowa's season-high 65.3-percent shoot-
ing performance?
There could be multiple reasons for Michigan's
worst loss of the season. But senior point guard Dan-
iel Horton summed it up best:
"They just came out, and they kicked our butts,"
he said.
The loss put Michigan in a second-place tie, a
game behind Iowa in the conference standings.
Michigan started the game on an 8-2 run, which
was jumpstarted by Horton's six points. Then junior
Dion Harris picked up two fouls in the game's first
two minutes of play.
Amaker was forced to change his gameplan when
the Wolverines' already-thin backcourt - which
was without guard Jerret Smith (mild concussion)
and wing Lester Abram (sprained ankle) - became
See HAWKEYES, page 5B
AP PHOTO
Cowher led the Steelers to their fifth Super Bowl victory.
.
Steelers wi
Super Bowl
in Detroit
DETROIT (AP) - The Pittsburgh Steelers finally gave coach Bill
Cowher some Super Bowl satisfaction.
Moments after the Rolling Stones rocked a Ford Field filled with
Terrible Towels, Willie Parker broke a record 75-yard touchdown
run, sparking Pittsburgh's 21-10 victory yesterday over the Seattle
Seahawks.
Not only did the Steelers earn that elusive fifth championship ring
- and their first since 1980 - but they completed a magic Bus ride
that made Jerome Bettis' homecoming - and farewell - a success.
"I'm a champion. I think the Bus' last stop is herein Detroit," Bet-
tis said. "It's official, like the referee whistle."
On this night, satisfaction was more than Mick Jagger's signature
song that closed the halftime show.
It was sweet validation for Cowher with a title in his 14th season as
their coach, the longest tenure in the NFL. The tough guy teared up as
he walked to midfield to embrace Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren.
"It's surreal," Cowher said. "I'm going to tell you, this is a
special group of coaches, a special group of players. I was one
small part of this."
Bettis's role was minimal in what might be the final game for the
NFL's No.5 career rusher.
With Parker's burst and Seattle's self-destructive tendencies, the
Steelers completed their postseason march through the NFL's top
four teams: Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Denver and Seattle, with all the
wins coming away from Heinz Field.
Super Bowl MVP Ward had five receptions for 123 yards
and a touchdown.
Seattle, looking nothing like a team that rampaged through its con-
ference, damaged itself all day. It had four penalties for 40 yards in the
opening half, one that nullified a touchdown pass.
The 23-year-old Roethlisberger achieved it more with his legs than
his arm. He dived into the end zone from the one-yard line late in the
first half - the TD was upheld on replay - and converted enough
second-half first downs to wind down the clock.
The Steelers were 7-5, then won their final four regular-season
games to secure the AFC's last playoff spot. They went to Cincinnati
and won a wildcard game. They won at Indianapolis, which had the
league's best record. And then they handed Denver its first home loss
in the AFC championship game.
Bettis made his Super Bowl debut 2:47 into the second quarter
with the Pittsburgh offense in dire need of a boost. The Steelers got
it, but from an eight-yard completion to Randle El for their initial first
down - 19 minutes into the game.
With Seattle's other safety, Marquand Manuel, sidelined in the sec-
ond quarter with a right ankle injury, Roethlisberger began finding
open receivers. Ward gained 12 yards, Cedrick Wilson got 20 and,
moments after Ward dropped a pass in the corner of the end zone, he
outwrestled Boulware for a 37-yard completion.
The Bus couldn't roll in on two tries, then the 6-foot-5 Roeth-
lisberger dived left and barely squeezed the ball over the goal
line. A replay review upheld the touchdown with 1:55 remain-
ing in the half.
It didn't get a lot better in the second half for Seattle, and
Holmgren failed to become the first coach to win Super
Bowls with two franchises. In 1997, his Green Bay Packers
beat Denver.
ALEX DZIADOSZ/Daily
Top: Junior Courtney Sims walks off the court after the loss.
Left: Coach Amaker's deflated look said it all for Michigan who
shot just 8-for-25 from the field in the second half Saturday.
Fourforfour zv two weeks would
have been too good to be true
IOWA CITY -
This year's Michigan team is always
exceeding my expectations.
At the start of the season, I did my
best prognosticating and predicted the Wolver-
ines would win a grand total of 16 games. With
last Wednesday's win over Penn State marking
that figure, only a breakdown reminiscent of
last year's squad can salvage my pick.
During the nonconference season, I thought
there was no way Michigan would go unde-
feated on the road. Then it did exactly that.
Two weeks ago, when the Wolverines
prepared for a stretch of games that included
matchups with two ranked teams at home
followed by two conference opponents
(one ranked) away from Ann Arbor, I set
my standards. If they won just one game
(Penn State on the road), I wouldn't have
been shocked. Two victories (Penn State
plus one of the ranked teams at home), and
I would have been pleasantly surprised. So
when they entered the Iowa game having
won all three, you can imagine my disbe-
lief.
Leave it to Michigan to once again
exceed my expectations - albeit not in
See HERMAN, page 5B
JACK
HERMAN
On Tap
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Losing ways
Spectacular Saturday
redeems Friday flop
"
0
continue in
Minneapolis
By Sara Livingston
Daily Sports Writer
During the Wolverine's game against No. 12
Minnesota in mid-January, the Golden Gophers
lit up Crisler Arena, taking 63 shots and causing
By H. Jose Bosch
Daily Sports Writer
One shot.
One goal.
One emotional win.
The puck had bounced'
off the boards in the
neutral zone. Michigan
freshman Travis Turn-
bull streaked down the
coach Red Berenson said. "He's had his ups
and downs, and he's been working hard. He's
trying to stay positive, and he won the race
for the puck and took the shot. You never
know. When you're working hard, good
things happen."
For the first 40 minutes of the game, the
Buckeyes appeared to be the aggressors. After
two periods, Ohio State outshot Michigan 29-
13. But the Wolverines only trailed 2-1.
"(The seniors) only have eight games left
-~ ~ ANfm~ :.