'M' encounters defensive force By Dave Den Herder Daily Sports Writer BLOOMINGTON - At 12:48 in the second half last night, on a free throw from Kevin Gaines, the Wolverines pulled within thirty. Also, they had 30 points. The rest of the night was less interesting. After Gaines drove to the hoop and put up an airball, Brian Ellerbe let his hands flop down to his sides, letting all the air in his body escape through his fluttering lips. Whoever came up with the word 'flabbergasted' must have been watching someone similar. But although there was plenty of time for disappointment last night, there wasn't much room for disbelief. After all, Ellerbe has been clamly foreshadowing this day since the season began. "We know we can score," Ellerbe said then. "We need a lot of work defensively." There is no doubt that the latter is true. But if this game was anybody's first look at the Wolverines (and it was for a certain bunch of Hoosiers), then there might be some doubt about the former. Michigan hit one out of every four shots on average - but that average was boosted substantially in garbage time, when nothing really mattered. The exact point at which "garbage time" began is up for debate, but Michgian did trail by 27 at halftime. At that point, the Wolverines had recorded zero steals and a lonely block. They finished with only two steals while the Hoosiers racked up nine. It was a defensive battle, except Michigan wasn't playing defense. "When you play IU, you know they're going to play tough help defense," said Michigan guard Gavin Groninger, who hails from Plainfield, Ind. "I heard coach Knight saying, 'Get your hands up for the block.'" The Hoosiers obeyed, and five times, they were successful. But another Michigan freshman, Jamal Crawford, wasn't all that impressed. "They didn't do anything differently then any other team," Crawford kept saying after the game. "We just didn't play hard." Whether or not Indiana smacked the Wolverines with the best defense they've seen all year loses some relevance when the team looks ahead to its next two games. Ellerbe said it would be easy to trumpet the Indiana defense because of the lopsided score. "But we haven't even faced Michigan State and Ohio State," Ellerbe said. As for the Hoosiers, who held Michgian to a season-low fifty points? He conceded, after a pause, that their defenses play was "pretty good." Stateside: While Groninger, an Indiana native wearing maize and blue, had a tough debut in Bloomington, his mirror image on the Hoosier bench seems to be living it up. Dane Fife, a Michigan native wearing red and white, was noticably eager as he took his spot in Bob Knight's starting lineup. Fife's brother, Dugan, played four seasons for the Wolverines and now offers commentary on Michigan's flagship station, WJR. Shake a leg: In another eccentric move that left reporters scratching their heads, Knight walked up and down the rows of media at the post-game press conference, shaking each person's hand. When one reporter asked if Knight would wash his hands immediatly following the press conference, he replied in the negative. "I think you people are the cleanest people in the world," he said. Knight did not ask reporters if they would wash their hands after the conference. Ellerbe said it would be easy to trumpet the Indiana defense because of the lopsided score. "But we haven't even faced Michigan State and Ohio State," Ellerbe said. As for the Hoosiers, who held Michigan to a season-low fifty points? He conceded, after a pause, that their defenses play was "pretty good." Dane Fife, a Michigan native wearing red and white, was noticeably eager as he took his spot in Bob Knight's starting lineup. Fife's brother, Dugan, played four seasons for the Wolverines and now offers commentary on Michigan's flagship station, WJR. When one reporter asked if Knight would wash his hands immediately following the press conference, the unusually good-natured coach replied in the negative. "I think you people are the finest, cleanest people in the world," he said. Knight did not ask reporters if they would wash their hands after the conference. Originally on page 9A in the 1-26-2000 issue of the Daily.