ATLANTA - A season that began tumultuously with the painful firing of coach Steve Fisher ended yesterday for the Michigan basketball team with consoling handshakes from University President Lee Bollinger and Athletic Director Tom Goss in a solemn lockerroom in the Georgia Dome.
Michigan bowed out early from the NCAA Tournament, suffering an 85-82 gut-wrenching second-round defeat at the hands of sixth-seeded UCLA.
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| MARGARET MYERS/Daily Michigan forward Maceo Baston walks off the court at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta yesterday after the Wolverines fell to the UCLA Bruins 85-82 in the second round of the South region of the NCAA tournament. The Michigan men's basketball team finished its season 25-9. |
There's Michigan guard Louis Bullock, who injured his right shin in Michigan's 80-61 victory over No. 14 seed Davidson on Friday, but said he was fine for yesterday's game.
He wasn't fine. Bullock, in possibly the worst shooting performance of his Michigan career, was off target all game, connecting on just 7 of his 27 shots and making a paltry 2 of 14 3-pointers, en route to a 16-point performance. For the junior Bullock, whose sharpshooting had single-handedly carried the Wolverines to victories this season, this will be a hard loss to get over.
"It's tough," Bullock said. "It will sink in more and more as the tournament continues."
Then there's junior center Robert Traylor. Attempting to purposefully miss the second of two free throws with the Wolverines trailing by three with 1.1 seconds remaining, Traylor committed a violation by stepping over the free throw line too soon, dashing Michigan's last hope for victory.
Meanwhile, UCLA's Kris Johnson, who led the Bruins with 25 points, made eight straight free throws in the final 37 seconds to put the game out of reach.
"Tonight was just one of those nights," said Traylor, who might have played his last game for Michigan.
The 6-foot-8, 300-pound center, who had a team-high 19 points but was contained pretty well by the UCLA defenders, said he will decide in the next few weeks whether to enter the NBA Draft or return for his senior season. Earlier in the weekend, Traylor said his decision will depend in part on whether Michigan interim coach Brian Ellerbe returns. Goss said he will name the new coach no later than April 8, if not sooner.
For seniors Travis Conlan, Jerod Ward and Maceo Baston, the game marked the end of their Michigan careers.
"I'm trying to repress my feelings," Baston said. "I guess it will sink in on the plane."
Then there's Ellerbe, who had to be feeling all sorts of emotions. The interim label was with Ellerbe all season as he led the Wolverines to a 25-9 record despite his uncertain future.
The Michigan coach, who looked glassy-eyed in the post-game press conference, said it is a painful ending to an all-around grueling first season.
"It's tough to put it into words right now," Ellerbe said. "This is a very difficult loss for our basketball team because of the way we lost."
The way Michigan lost was the most frustrating part for the players and their fans.
The Wolverines refused to quit after UCLA took an 11-point lead into the second half of the game. Michigan trimmed the deficit to 67-66 on a Bullock breakaway dunk with 4:55 remaining in the end of the game.
But in a key sequence of events, Michigan's next trip down the court summed up the day for the Wolverines.
Trailing by two, Ward (16 points, 10 rebounds, 3 of 6 3-pointers) missed a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Baston grabbed the rebound, but his finger-roll attempt lipped off the rim. Ward had another chance but missed a follow-up attempt.
The Bruins proceeded to run off nine consecutive points and took a 76-66 lead on Travis Reed's layup with 2:06 to go in the game.
"We could never get over that hump," Baston said. "UCLA played well and they didn't give anything easy to us. We didn't give up, there are no quitters on this team, they just outplayed us today."
03-16-98
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