The Michigan Daily I michigandaily.com I January19, 2010
MICHIGAN 68, CONNECTICUT 63
Recruit
Gardner
enrolled
in classes
By NICOLE AUERBACH
Daily SportsEditor
During halftime of Sunday's Michi-
gan-Connecticut basketball game, foot-
ball coach Rich Rodriguez spoke to
reporters about injury and personnel
updates. Dancing around most questions
about recruits, Rodriguez confirmed
that six of them have enrolled early. The
six are: Stephen Hopkins (RB), Jeremy
Jackson (WR), Austin White (RB), Jerald
Robinson (WR), Christian Pace (OL) and
Ricardo Miller (WR).
"We have one more spot open," said
Rodriguez. "That could or could not be
filled. Hopefully, it will sooner rather than
later."
That final spot may already be filled.
The Detroit News and Detroit Free
Press have reported that incoming fresh-
man quarterback Devin Gardner will begin
classes at Michigan on Tuesday, and in all
likelihood, he's the "one spot" Rodriguez
referred to. Rodriguez can't talk about
Gardner until he officially enrolls, but he
did sit next to the highly touted quarter-
back recruit at the basketball game.
Overall, Rodriguez felt his recruiting
has gone "very well," and that the incom-
ing recruiting class was in "good shape."
He said he can potentially sign 26 recruits
this year because the Wolverines didn't
meet the maximum 25 last year. He wasn't
sure if he will use all 26 spots.
Rodriguez also said he hasn't heard any-
thing new about the NCAA investigation.
He also confirmed that linebacker Brandon
Smith has transferred.
Rodriguez didn't seem concerned about
immediately finding a replacement for
departed linebackers coach Jay Hopson,
who left for the defensive coordinator posi-
tion at Memphis. Rodriguez said he could
find a replacement before or after National
Signing Day (Feb. 1).
Rodriguez said current sophomore
defensive tackle Mike Martin is still recov-
ering from an offseason shoulder surgery
and won't be ready to practice with the
team in the comingmonths.
"He'll miss the spring, but he should be
fine by summertime," said Rodriguez, add-
ing that Martin's procedure went well.
Rodriguez said surgeries for center
David Molk (ACL) and running back Vin-
cent Smith (ACL) went well. They, too, will
miss springpractices.
Junior Manny Harris goes up for a dunk in the Wolverines' 68-63 upset victory against Connecticut on Sunday. Harris finished the game with 18 points to lead the team in scoring. SAID ALSALAH/Daily
CONNQUERING HEROES
No, he hadn't hit either of his first two
3-point attempts in the game. In fact, Zack
Novak has been trying to find his long-range
stroke all year. Despite that, when he got
another chance to bomb one from deep late
in Michigan's 68-63 win over Connecticut
on Sunday, the sophomore was so excited to
shoot it he mishandled the ball and had to
pass it up. "(Junior Manny Harris) threw
the one to me and I'm so jacked to shoot it
that I just bobble it out of my hands," Novak
said. "So I knew the next opportunity I
got, I knew it was going in."
By JOE STAPLETON
Daily SportsEditor
That next opportunity came with
1:30 left in the game after the Huskies
tied it at 58.. Harris had the ball at the
top of the key. He hesitated, drove the
lane, and kicked out to Novak, who hit
the fadeaway 3-pointer to give Michigan
the lead for good.
In a season like the one the Wolver-
ines have had, endless optimism is a
great asset. Zack Novak's attitude in the
waning minutes of Sunday's game (just
get me the ball, this next one's going in)
is the same as the team's (let's focus on
the next game, this next one's gonna be
a win).
But this one didn't always look like
a win, with Michigan going down 12-6
early.
And then, Stu Douglass happened.
The sophomore hit two 3-pointers
in less than a minute to tie the game,
then assisted Harris on a fast break for
a crowd-igniting dunk. Just like that,
Michigan was up 14-12.
Despite entering the game with a sig-
nificant size disadvantage, as they often
do, the Wolverines controlled much of
the first half with great defense in the
paint, holding Connecticut to 23 points.
Instead of letting offensive miscues
get inside the Wolverines' heads and
effect their defensive intensity, Michi-
gan coach John Beilein said he saw his
team play tough defense throughout
- unlike what happened in last week's
game against Northwestern, when the
Wolverines let misses on offense affect
their effort on defense.
Every good college basketball team
will make a run every game, and Con-
necticut's came as the second half start-
ed. The Huskies went on a 18-8 run,
which included their lone 3-pointer of
the game, and took a 41-40 lead at the
13:15 mark.
The game went back and forth
until the final minutes when Michi-
gan regained its lead on Novak's lone
heroic 3-pointer. That shot put Michi-
gan up three and was quickly fol-
See CONNECTICUT, Page 3B
Gardner looks on at the Michigan-UCONN game.
Michigan drops first-ever shootout
By MICHAEL FLOREK
Daily Sparta Writer4
Yost Arena has seen NCAA tourna-
ment games, multiple conference and
NCAA championship hockey teams, and
just about every other conceivable situ-
ation in college hockey. Before that, it
housed the golden era of short-shorts and
Michigan basketball.
But in a seemingly normal weekend
split for the Michigan hockey team, Yost
and the Michigan hockey program saw
something for the first time: a shootout.
As Michigan headed into the weekend
series against Alaska Fairbanks, Beren-
son talked about the importance of get-
ting the first goal. But it was the last one
of the weekend - the shootout marker by
Alaska's Dion Roelsen to give the Nano-
oks a 4-3 win - that was the most impor-
tant.
Friday's 6-0 win started as freshman
Lee Moffie got the all-important open-
ing marker, streaking in from the blue
line and burying a pass from junior Carl
Hagelin. After senior Steve Kampfer's
wrist shot was tipped past Alaska goal-
tender Scott Greenham just 27 seconds
later, senior Brian Lebler fired a wrist JED MOCH/Daly
shot destined for the top corner less than Freshman Kevin Lynch fights for the puck during the Wolverines' shootout loss against Alaska.
See SHOOTOUT, Page 3B Despite losing the shootout, Michigan still garnered four points from the critical weekend series.
Shootout aside, 'Min
position for
t took until Saturday night for me
to realize that there are few things
more soul-crushing, more buzz-
killing than ending in a tie.
But losing in a shootout is definitely
one of them. One that the Michigan
hockey team now
understands after
Saturday's shoot-
out loss to Alaska.
Down by one
with just 2:19P
remaining in the
final period, senior
defenseman Chad
Langlais picked RYAN
up a loose puck in
the slot and fired it KARTJE
home to the tie the
game. Knotted at
three and controlling the momentum,
there was no way the Wolverines were
going to lose this game.
"I felt like, 'Finally, the puck finally
got to the net,'" Michigan coach Red
Berenson said.
Things were falling into place for a
second straight series sweep.
They dominated the overtime,
Tourney bid
allowing just one quality shot that slid
past Hogan and tinged off of the post
(resulting in a collective "holy crap
that should've gone in" from the Yost
crowd). Michigan outshot Alaska 6-1 in
the additional frame.
So when Nanook forward Dion
Knelsen deked junior goaltender Bryan
Hogan out of his skates for the first and
only score in the first and only shootout
in Michigan hockey history, the loud-
est crowd I had ever heard at Yost Ice
Arena came to the same solemn conclu-
sion as I did.
A tie may be like "kissingyour sis-
ter," as the old adage says, but losing in
a shootout is like your sister publicly
humiliating you after said kiss.
Berenson made it clear after the
game that the Wolverines "didn't
look very good" in their first shootout
action. Junior Carl Hagelin, freshman
Chris Brown and sophomore Louie
Caporusso - Michigan's three shootout
participants - looked mediocre, fail-
ing to challenge Alaska goalie Scott
Greenham with any flashy moves or a
deceptive shot like Knelsen did for the
See KARTJE, Page 3B
Andy Reid says, despite what the CBS ana-
lysts may have told you, the fans' choice to
rush the court was justified. Page 2B.
After accepting the Silver Football on Sunday,
former defensive end Brandon Graham talked
about his NFL Draft prospects. Page 4B.