Wednesday February 22, 2006 sports. michigandaily. com sports@michigandaily.com OeRTSigan Baily 6 8 - - - ------------- 0 Horton's game is one for the ages Tommy Amaker said Daniel Horton displayed "courage." Graham Brown called Horton's game "phenom- enal:' Even star Illinois point guard Dee Brown termed his rival's performance "fantabulous." MATT But Horton said his play SINGER was only "aight." Aight?! Spitting Fie I know you're modest, Daniel. But your 39-point explosion last night was a lot closer to legendary. With Michigan's NCAA Tournament hopes likely on the line, Horton willed his team to victory last night at Crisler Arena. The ESPN cameras were rolling, the most hyped point guard in the NCAA was staring him down, and Daniel Horton didn't just rise to the occasion. He rose over it. Horton hit open threes. He hit contested threes. He hit runners in the lane. He hit jumpers from the corner. He hit off-balance shots over multiple Illini defenders. He hit six crucial free throws in the final minute to ice the game. Horton's stat line was ridiculous. Thirteen-for-20 from the field, 5-for-7 from behind the 3-point line, 8-for-8 from the charity stripe. Incredible numbers. But there was a lot more to Horton's performance. After the Illini went ahead by seven early in the second half, Horton picked Brown's pocket and took off on a 3-on-1 fast break. Horton could have taken the shot himself - he was shooting the lights out, after all. He could have dished to Courtney Sims down low. But instead, he delivered a shovel pass to Dion Harris, who strug- gled all day with his jump shot. Like a true team player, Horton wanted to give his backcourt-mate some confidence. Harris drained the open trey, sparking the pivotal 9-0 run that gave Michigan control of the game. Defensively, Horton was the team's anchor. When Illinois ran double- and triple-screens to get Dee Brown open, Horton fought through the picks. When Horton couldn't get through, he called out switches, making sure that another Michigan player could get a hand in Brown's face. After 38 min- utes of chasing around college basketball's quick- est player, Horton said he was tired. But he never slowed down, not on offense and especially not on defense. The team took Horton's intensity to heart. After giving up 84 or more points in four of their last five games, the Wolverines finally showed up defensive- ly. Michigan's man-to-man defense forced the Illini to work for every shot. Whenever Illinois managed to break down one Michigan defender, another rotated over to help. Facing Michigan's intense defensive pressure and intelligent team defense, Illinois never found much of an offensive rhythm. If Michigan played defense like it had in losses to Iowa, Ohio State, Purdue and Michigan State, The time is now for young Icers DANIEL LEVY ON HOCKEY It's inevitable. When a team has 11 freshmen - as the Michigan hockey squad does - people tend to focus on its youth, rather than its overall play. Phrases like "that was a good play for a freshman," "the incon- sistency of the freshmen is really starting to show," or "they're no longer freshmen anymore" are tossed around as carelessly as a Nerf ball. And this begs an important question: Does the phrase "they're no longer freshmen anymore" even mean anything? "They haven't played in the playoffs, at least not in the CCHA or NCAA tournament," senior alternate captain Brandon Kaleniecki said. "But playing in these games, as important as they are, are help- ing a lot. Now they're getting a feel of what playoff hockey is like. For them to see that now will help them in the long run." Michigan freshman Brandon Naurato was born in 1985, which is the same year juniors T.J. Hensick and Matt Hunwick were born, and it could be argued that he hasn't been a freshman for a while. Wolverine freshmen Tyler Swystun and Billy Sauer were born in 1988, so going by age, one could argue they aren't yet freshmen. Jack Johnson and Andrew Cogliano were first-round picks in last year's NHL draft, meaning they came to Ann Arbor and were expected to make an immediate impact. With all these different experiences, can one really generalize the 11 newcomers as one in the same? "A lot of us come from different backgrounds," Sauer said. "A few of us haven't even reached our draft year yet, and Jack (John- son) went third overall, and (Cogliano) was a first-round pick. We're a pretty diverse class as far as hockey backgrounds, but we don't really see it like that. We are all here for the same reason." Maybe that's all that matters. Just like the rest of the team, these 11 freshmen are here for one reason - to win. In that case, it doesn't seem so bad to characterize them as one. And going against the grain, it appears it will be the freshmen - not the seniors - that determine how far Michigan goes this year. Earlier this season, it seemed just the opposite, but recent weeks have shown how important the Wolverines' youngest players will be to the team's success or failure. Two weekends ago, captain Andrew Ebbett and Kaleniecki com- bined for three goals and three assists in the first period against Lake Superior State. The week before that, the seniors teamed up for four goals and two assists in a weekend series against Ohio State. That included a key game-tying goal in the third period of Michigan's 3-2 win over the Buckeyes on Feb. 4. Not surprisingly, Hensick leads the team with 46 points - 12 more than any other Wolverine. Hensick has tallied three goals and eight assists over the last eight games. He proved just how valuable he is to the team when he notched two assists to spark a three-goal comeback in Friday night's eventual 4-3 loss at Nebraska-Omaha. But the hot play of Michigan's veteran leaders has only resulted in a 3-3-1 record in the last seven games. Something is missing. And that something is the play of the freshmen. Whether it's scor- ing more goals or finding other ways to contribute to the team while on the ice, these youngsters need to provide better minutes and take some heat off the captains. "They don't have to score goals," Ebbett said. "But they have to play defense and keep the puck out of our net. If we can do that, we'll be a lot better off." This problem is no secret to the team, and it's something Michi- gan's freshmen are very aware of. "The last few games a lot of our older guys like (Ebbett), (Kalen- iecki) and T.J. have all stepped up with some big goals," Sauer said. "We have to realize that we can't rely on them every game. We're a part of this team, too, and we have to take after their leadership." If the Wolverines can get some of their freshmen going, they will pose a threat to any team they face come tournament time. If not, their recent struggles may lead to a disappointing finish to the season. 0 FOREST CASE) Senior Daniel Horton scored a career-high 39 points in leading Michigan to a 72-64 victory over No. 8 lilinois. Horton's offensive onslaught would have been for naught. But because every Wolverine went all-out on the defensive end, the stage was set for Horton's heroics. And man, did he rise to the occasion. Use the sports cliche of your choice. Ice water in the veins. Nerves of steel. Horton had it. With a minute to go and Michigan up by two, everyone in Crisler Arena knew that Daniel Horton would be taking the next shot. Brian Randle, Horton's defender, knew too, and stayed right with Horton as he drove to the rim. It didn't matter. Horton canned an off-balance, running, fall-away 12-footer to put Michigan up by four. Then, there were the free throws. In previous seasons, Horton could be shaky at the line down the stretch. Not this year. Not with his team desperate for a win. Not with his first and only NCAA Tournament bid on the line. Even with Dee Brown in his face trying to rattle him, Horton calmly drained all six of his foul shotsx to finish off the Illini in the final minute. All year long, I've been impressed with Horton's ability to recognize when he needs to take over. When Sims is dominating in the post, Horton happily defers to him. When Harris is lighting it up from long range, Horton makes sure he gets the ball. But when the other options aren't working, Horton knows it's his game to win. He did it at Boston University. He did it against Purdue. He did it against Michigan State. But last night's performance tops everything. In my mind, and the minds of all those who have longed to see Michigan return to the Big Dance, watching Daniel Horton play last night was some- thing special. Something remarkable. Something a whole lot more than "aight." - Matt Singer can be reached at mattsing@umich.edu. N WOMgNS GOLF Spring start less than per fect for golfers 0 0