10 - Friday, December 7, 2007
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Duke all
too familiar
for Beilein
Miles officially signs
contract with LSU
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By MARK GIANNOTTO
Daily Sports Writer
Michigan coach John Beilein
has been in this spot before.
Dec. 1, 1992, he took Canisius to
Cameron Indoor Stadium to face
defending National Champion
Duke.
It was Beilein's first season as a
Division-I basketball coach. That
Canisius squad oddly resembled
this year's Wolverines - a whole
bunch of freshmen and sopho-
mores, and just one senior.
What happened?
Let's just say he hasn't shown
any film from that game to his cur-
rent team.
"It didn't go well," Beilein said
of the 110-62 Blue Devil win.
Now, 15 years later, Beilein
brings another inexperienced
team into the unfriendly confines
of Cameron when Michigan takes
on No. 6 Duke tomorrow at 2 p.m.
This time around, the challenge
may be just as daunting. Take a
look at the numbers and things
don't bode well for the Wolver-
Serving
Ann Arbor
since 1980
ines, who have lost five of their
past six games.
The Blue Devils have won an
NCAA-best 55 consecutive non-
conference home games, a span of
nearly seven seasons. They've won
34 straight games in the month of
December. And their average mar-
gin of victory this season has been
an impressive 24.2 points, with
wins over Illinois and Wiscon-
sin - two teams picked to finish
ahead of the Wolverines in the Big
Ten.
Throw in an advantage in
points, rebounds, assists, steals
and field goal percentage and this
looks like an easy Duke victory.
But it isn't as if the Wolver-
ines don't know all this already.
Michigan has seen the Blue Dev-
ils already - considering their six
appearances on national television
already this year.
"We're going to go compete no
matter what it says on the front
of the jersey," freshman Kelvin
Grady said.
one thing Michigan (3-5) does
have going for it is rest. After the
Wolverines played five games in
11 days, Beilein said fatigue might
have been a factor in Michigan's
disappointing 62-51 loss to Har-
vard last weekend. The Wolver-
ines have had a week off to get
their legs back and assimilate into
a regular schedule.
It's alsogiventhemsometime to
digest what has gone wrong since
starting the season with two easy
wins over Radford and Brown.
Beilein said he had the team
go back to the basics - like han-
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)
- LSU head football coach Les
Miles signed a contract extension
yesterday to keep him at the uni-
versity through 2012, apparently
ending speculation that he might
leave for a job at the University of
Michigan.
"I'm thrilled to be here. I'm
thrilled to be LSU's head coach.
I'm thrilled to be on the cam-
pus," Miles told the LSU Board
of Supervisors before signing the
deal. "I look forward to many
years as the LSU head coach."
The deal was approved yester-
day by the LSU board's athletic
committee, but needs the approv-
al of the full board, which meets
Friday. That vote is considered a
formality.
The contract doesn't change
Miles's salary, which already will
rise to at least $2.8 million annu-
ally based on LSU's Southeastern
Conference championship this
year. An SEC championship win
requires Miles' salary to be at
least the third highest in the con-
ference.
If LSU wins the national cham-
pionship, the contract provides
Miles would become among the
nation's top-earning college foot-
ball coaches.
University officials estimate
that would put his annual earn-
ings somewhere between $3.2
million and $3.5 million.
LSU (11-2) faces Ohio State (11-
1) in the BCS national champion-
ship game Jan. 7 at the Louisiana
Superdome.
Also remaining unchanged is
the $1.25 million penalty Miles
must pay LSU if he leaves for
Michigan, a contract clause that
college football fans became well
acquainted with after Wolverines
coach Lloyd Carr announced his
retirement in November.
Freshman Manny Harris and the rest of the Wolverines should expect a lot of
pressure defense from Duke.
dling the ball while running at full 0) is led in scoring by freshman
speed, getting into a proper defen- forward Kyle Singler, who likely
sive stance and pivoting correctly. would have declared for the NBA
"I feel like this whole week in Draft out of high school had it
practice we worked hard, so I'm been allowed. Junior Greg Paulus
interested to see how we go out and senior DeMarcus Nelson pro-
there and respond to the last cou- vide leadership and grit for a team
ple games and how we lost," fresh- that has shown a killer instinct in
man Manny Harris said. the early part of this season.
The Wolverines haven't put Beilein expects the Blue Dev-
much thought into exactly what ils to pressure Michigan's young
this year's Duke squad brings backcourt early and often, more
to the table, given the amount than likely through a full court
of work they have to do on their press of some kind.
own team. But after a down year Whether his team succumbs
by their standards last season, the to that pressure like his Canisius
Blue Devils are back in their usual team of the past remains to be
spot atop the national conscience. seen.
Boasting eight McDonald's All- "The odds are against us,"
Americans on its roster, Duke (8- Beilein said. "Let's just say that."
Just before his team played
Tennessee in the SEC champi-
onship game Dec. 1, Miles effec-
tively stopped predictions he
would bolt Baton Rouge for Mich-
igan, announcing his intention to
remain at LSU.
Miles wouldn't talk about the
speculation that had dogged him
for the past weeks about a return
to Michigan, where he played,
worked as an assistant coach and
met his wife.
LSU officials praised Miles's
coaching, his straightforward-
ness and his integrity.
"He told the people inthisroom
he wasn't going to Michigan, and
he never was. He never leveraged
it," LSU Athletic Director Skip
Bertman said.
During his three years at LSU,
Miles has amassed impressive
statistics that set records at the
university.
His overall record of 33-6 is the
best three-year span in LSU his-
tory, and his 14 wins over teams
ranked in the top 25 is a school
record, Bertman said.
Miles also deflected concerns
about the distractions the uproar
over his tenure at LSU may have
caused, saying he and his team
were focused on the champion-
ship game.
"I can promise you we're at the
task at hand," he said.
The contract extension signed
Thursday added a series of finan-
cial incentive clauses to recognize
players' academic achievements.
If players hit certain academic
benchmarks, Miles is given aspool
of $150,000 to $250,000 to dis-
burse to his coaching staff.
Also, the contract termination
clause was changed. If LSU fires
Miles without cause, the coach
could be owed as much as $15 mil-
lion, up from $10 million.
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