What could have been? The bottom line is painful

DAN STILLMAN Still the Man

ATLANTA - "We don't believe in moral victories at Michigan" - that's what Michigan basketball coach Brian Ellerbe likes to say when his team loses.

Well, he's absolutely correct. In the end, wins and losses are what count.

Everything else - the adversity a team fights through, the odds it fights against - becomes a distant memory.

Unfair? Maybe. But it's the truth

For those of you who can't bear to think about what went wrong, we'll bask in what went right this season - and there was a lot - first.

Despite losing their coach three weeks before the season and having a fan base that, for the most part, had no faith in them, the Wolverines overcame all odds to put together a surprising and at times amazing season.

Robert Traylor, who came so close last summer to leaving school for the NBA, improved significantly on the court and off, becoming the team's undisputed emotional leader.

Jerod Ward, amidst labels of "Underachiever" and "Failure," finally got through a season injury-free. He went from bust to NBA prospect in a matter of weeks, not only silencing his critics, but transforming them into adoring fans.

Robbie Reid, after not playing basketball for two years, left Brigham Young for Michigan and became an integral part of the Wolverines' attack.

And Brian Ellerbe, thrown into the unenviable position of interim coach less than two weeks prior to the season, made a name and a future for himself, wherever that may be.

So many positives never felt this bad.

We can even take consolation in the way Michigan ended its season.

In their last two trips to the NCAA Tournament, the Wolverines lost their first-round games. They made mental mistakes, physical errors - you name it - and lost two games they should've won easily.

Yesterday, UCLA beat Michigan. The Wolverines didn't turn the ball over too many times or call timeouts when they shouldn't have. The Bruins simply played a brilliant, inspired game. They out-ran, out-defended and out-coached the Wolverines.

But all of that is consolation, not what really matters. That's not what we'll remember. At least not those of us who know they could have - should have - won. Those of us who know a Michigan-Duke game, with a trip to the Final Four on the line, could have - should have - happened.

Anyone who saw the Wolverines dismantle Indiana by 48 points or upset Duke had every reason to believe Michigan belonged in the Final Four. It wasn't a stretch of the imagination, or a case of unrealistic optimism. Michigan was a Final Four-caliber team. Traylor said it and the Wolverines showed it, until yesterday.

It's not that they didn't get the calls, or that Louis Bullock's leg was less than 100 percent. The Wolverines just fell short. They didn't play the kind of defense they needed to and they didn't come up with the basket when they needed it.

The Wolverines just fell short.

This tournament is not about who the better team is. If that were the case, we'd be talking about Friday's game between Michigan and Kentucky.

This tournament is about who can rise to the occasion at the right time. UCLA did, time and again. Michigan did not.

Valparaiso did, Richmond did, Rhode Island did, Michigan State - as painful as that is - did.

Michigan did not.

If all this seems harsh, that's because it is. But that's what Michigan's about - the strive for perfection, going all the way. Michigan settles for nothing less.

That perfection was realized once at Michigan already this year. It could have - should have - happened again.

Congratulations to the Wolverines on so many positives. It's just a shame they seem all in vain.

Dan Stillman can be reached at dns@umich.edu

03-16-98