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.