CHICAGO - Yesterday, for the third time in the past 12 months, Robert Traylor sat at a press conference with a net around his neck and a smile on his face - and any Michigan fan could tell who the victors were.
Michigan, behind 24 points and 13 rebounds from its all-Big Ten center, had just captured the first Big Ten Tournament championship in the league's history. The Wolverines defeated Purdue in the championship game, 76-67, at the United Center.
Michigan appeared tentative at the start of the game and trailed at halftime. The mistakes added up and Louis Bullock, the Wolverines' best shooter, wasn't close to finding the net. But little of that will be remembered years from now when the Michigan record books are opened.
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| MARGARET MYERS/Daily Michigan center Robert Traylor celebrates after defeating Purdue and winning the first-ever Big Ten Tournament in Chicago yesterday. The junior was named the tournament's most valuable player. |
Traylor, named the tournament's most valuable player, led Michigan (11-5 Big Ten, 24-8 overall) in scoring and on the boards as the Wolverines finished the tournament with their sixth straight victory.
The tournament, which began Thursday, allowed Michigan to regain the flow it showed in winning the National Invitational Tournament last spring and the Puerto Rico Classic this past December.
And afterward, in front of the assembled media and television audience, the Wolverines were all smiles.
Along with Traylor, the Wolverines got contributions from almost everyone during their tournament run. Bullock, Jerod Ward, Travis Conlan and Traylor were crucial to Michigan's first Big Ten basketball championship of any kind since the 1985-86 season.
Traylor may have won the tournament honor for outstanding play during the three-game stretch, but without the rest of the Wolverines playing their roles, Purdue (12-4, 26-7) would likely have played a different opponent in the final.
Michigan co-captain Conlan, who dished out 21 assists during the course of the tournament while only turning the ball over twice, felt secure in his senior legacy following the victory.
"I'm glad to have an asterisk next to our name doing something another (Michigan) team didn't," he said.
That designation remained difficult to come by - even after two convincing victories over Iowa and Minnesota. Purdue refused to roll over.
The Boilermakers, playing without 3-point ace Jaraan Cornell and with a flu-stricken Brian Cardinal, were clearly strapped for offense - and Michigan capitalized.
Cardinal's limited minutes forced Purdue center Brad Miller to carry the load in the paint against Traylor.
And All-Big Ten player Chad Austin felt the heat from the perimeter, shooting just 1-for-8 from beyond the 3-point stripe.
"I had some open shots and they wouldn't fall," Austin said. "I couldn't get my legs under me."
But Michigan hardly dominated the game, trailing for much of the first half.
Initially, Purdue played with the same discipline it demonstrated during the teams' regular-season meeting, frustrating Bullock, Michigan's leading scorer, into an 0-for-6 performance in the first half.
"They always play me tough and try to push me around," said Bullock, who ended his seven-game 20-point streak by finishing with just 10 points. "My teammates never lost confidence in me."
Confidence proved crucial for Michigan as it surged in a 1:18 span early in the second half from a two-point deficit to a seven-point lead.
While Traylor and Bullock each contributed a basket during the run, the turning point came when seldom-used freshman Brandon Smith stole the ball from Purdue and fed Ward for an emphatic dunk.
"I was so excited to get a chance to go in the game," Smith said. "I've never seen an environment like this."
The fourth-seeded Wolverines, playing in their yellow jerseys, won three games in three days to take the tournament title. And yet the road to the championship was easier than the Wolverines expected.
The No. 1 seed, Michigan State, fresh off a heartbreaking loss to Purdue in the regular-season finale, fell to Minnesota in its first tournament game.
Meanwhile, the Wolverines rolled over the fifth-seeded Hawkeyes. Iowa, by virtue of a tiebreaker over Indiana, earned the right to play Michigan in the second round, a fact which ultimately may have denied the Hawkeyes an NCAA tournament bid. Iowa was excluded yesterday from the field of 64.
The first two Michigan victories - over Iowa on Friday and Minnesota on Saturday - helped Michigan establish a rhythm. The 85-69 victory over Minnesota was even more impressive considering the Gophers' upset win over the Spartans the previous day.
But Purdue always loomed in the distance, and redemption remained on the minds of the Wolverines.
"This is extra special," Traylor said. "That was our goal, to be the first Big Ten champs."
03-09-98
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