Michigan steals 'big-time' victory over top-ranked Duke

By Mark Snyder
Daily Sports Writer

In a sight becoming familiar on the Ann Arbor campus, Michigan fans swarmed a local playing surface following a big-time victory.

Fortunately for the Wolverines, the spontaneous action took place after an 81-73 victory over top-ranked Duke.

"Today was a lot of heart," Louis Bullock said. "What you saw today was a team coming together under adversity."

When Michigan (6-2) took the lead, 67-66, with four minutes remaining in the second half, the packed house at Crisler Arena erupted. The advantage, which came on a free throw by Bullock, was a calm contrast to the raucous emotion that fed the Michigan victory down the stretch.

Much like last season, when the Wolverines rallied from 12 points behind to pull out a last-second victory in Durham, this Michigan team refused to roll over.

"No matter how much they got up, we weren't going to quit," Robert Traylor said.

After trailing by as many as 17 points early in the second half, Michigan rebounded with its best closing stretch of the season.

But Bullock took the comeback on his shoulders after halftime and impressed Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.

"Bullock hit huge shots," he said. "Two of his (3-pointers) came when we had 10 or 12-point leads - those count more."

The Wolverines' one-point lead with 2:36 left appeared precarious, especially considering the back-and-forth nature of the game.

But Bullock changed that in an instant.

In a move typical of the stringent defense Michigan employed after halftime, Bullock made a key interception of a Steve Wojciechowski pass. But once he gained control of the ball, Bullock was facing in the wrong direction.

He stayed on his feet, drove the length of the court, and spun around before driving for a layup to extend the lead to three, putting Michigan ahead for good.

"It's crunch time and they were looking to get a basket," Bullock said. "We talked about helping the post man. I shot the gap and got a hand on it."

His hands and shooting touch, consistent only in their infrequency this season, emerged when Michigan needed it. Bullock rained shots from all angles and distances, sparking the Wolverines' comeback from a 17-point deficit in the second half.

But it was hardly a one-man effort.

Traylor, the usual catalyst for Michigan's emotional outbursts, kept his composure once Michigan regained the lead.

He channeled his energy into a 24-point, 13-rebound performance, and overpowered the Blue Devils' front line.

"He's so strong," Duke center Elton Brand said. "It's his experience. I had to adjust to that. College is all about learning."

And for a team relying on four highly-recruited freshmen - two of whom who start - the Blue Devils took away many lessons from this contest.

Inexperience "has a lot to do with it," said Mike Chappell, a native of Southfield. "We're still searching for answers."

Some of those answers may lie in Duke's poor second-half performance - especially from the field.

After draining half of their shots before the break, Duke emerged in the second half looking to extend the 11-point margin.

But the game collapsed for Krzyzewski's team, as the Blue Devils shot just 31 percent in the second half.

Wojciechowski, who scored 10 points in the first half, recording five steals and frustrating Michigan's guards, attributed it to a poor touch.

"The shots just weren't falling," he said. "It's definitely tougher to shoot with pressure on."

The standout crowd was right in the game from the tipoff, consistently cheering Michigan's successes.

Bullock's role in the triumph was unmistakable.

"When I came to the bench," he said, "guys would tell me, 'We need you, we need you.'"

His 23 points were vital to the Wolverines' cause as 17 came in the second half as Michigan began its climb back.

"We were only down 11 with a whole half of basketball to play," Bullock said. "In the second half, we tightened up on defense."

Duke scored just 27 points in the stanza and on each miss, Michigan controlled the boards.

The Wolverines brought down 45 rebounds - far surpassing Duke's 29.

As if to prove it had conquered all of its demons, Michigan even cut its turnovers in half after the break, totaling an uncharacteristic seven in the final 20 minutes.

"Their maturity collectively was greater than ours," Krzyzewski said. "We played young.

"The key to the second half was how they responded. 'Instead of letting Duke win today,' they said, 'We'll be tough.'"

The Blue Devils - 70-7 in their history when ranked No. 1 - played four games in the top spot prior to facing Michigan today.

12-13-97