Blanchard turns Michigan miscues into magnicence By David Den Herder Daily Sports Writer WEST LAFAYETTE - LaVell Blanchard has been something of an insurance policy for the Wolverines so far this season. It started as just a health policy - with Brandon Smith down and Brian Ellerbe in need of a starting forward, Blanchard was there. But as the season wore on, Blanchard's coverage became comprehensive. At Detroit, as the Wolverines mounted a second-half comeback, Blanchard was there on the defensive boards. At Georgia Tech, as Kevin Gaines penetrated and left some of his showtime drives dancing on the rim, Blanchard was there to finish them off. And when Jamal Crawford heaved a do-or-die 3-point attempt in double overtime that clanged off the iron on Saturday - like a good neighbor - Blanchard was there. "It was almost like divine intervention," said Ellerbe, who thought his freshman may have tipped in Purdue's go-ahead shot, and was looking for a little poetic justice on the other end. "I just jumped," said Blanchard. "I just got a hand on it and luckily it rolled in." Luckily? Some say it's better to be lucky than good. Maybe Blanchard is both. Young gun: Michigan's perimeter game ailing, the door was open Saturday for a larger-variety Wolverine to step up the inside game. Seemingly without warning, Chris Young found his touch. The 220-pound sophomore had a career-high eight points off the bench and pulled down six rebounds at vital junctures, often keeping Purdue runs from getting out of control. Purdue coach Gene Keady foresaw a resurgence in Michigan's inside play. "I told the kids, after (the Wolverines) got their butts kicked at Minnesota, they'll be focused," Keady said. "They'll go inside, because no one touched it inside up there." Ellerbe was exposed to a bit of foreshadowing himself. "At practice on Friday (Young) scored eight in a row," said Ellerbe. "I said, 'OK, Chris, that's great today - but the game's tomorrow.'" If there was any confusion before, Young showed Saturday that he understands the meaning of game day. "The guards weren't hitting their shots, so they went inside to us," Young said. He should have continued by saying: We finished the plays and gave Michigan a chance down the stretch. "I think it's the big men that really stepped it up," Blanchard said. "I can't say enough praise for them - they did everything for us tonight." Double fault: Turnovers have haunted the young Wolverines throughout the first half of the season. And although the 22 give-aways against Purdue may be an inflated statistic since Michigan had 10 more minutes to cough up the ball, Ellerbe was no less agitated. "We fought through 22 turnovers," Ellerbe said with a slight sigh. "Those are like unforced errors. If it was tennis we would have been done after three sets." Ironically, low turnover numbers have not always been associated with impressive performances this season for Michigan. A loss to Duke and a near-loss to pesky Kent saw the Wolverines commit only 14 turnovers in each game, their second-lowest total of the season. In every other victory (save Colorado State), Michigan gave the ball away more than 15 times a game. AP PHOTO Point guard Kevin Gaines sparked Michigan in the first overtime, twice driving along the baseline for layups to give the Wolverines a four-point lead. Originally on page 4B in the 1-10-2000 issue of the Daily.