Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
NEW YORK - Coach Tommy Amaker has been through enough postseason games to know what Michigan needed most as it tried for the NIT championship against Rutgers on Thursday night.
The message of the former Duke star to his players was simple: Slow down.
"We talked at halftime and throughout the second half about poise," he said. "It was an electric atmosphere and sometimes you play faster than you want to."
The young Wolverines almost fell into that trap. Rutgers wiped out a 12-point lead and nudged in front briefly before Michigan recovered and won the title 62-55.
"We never found a groove," Amaker said. "But it was enough to come out with a victory."
And the victory delivered a championship for which Michigan might never have played except for a rare decision by the NCAA in September to grant the school's appeal of sanctions and make Amaker's team eligible for postseason play.
Michigan's last NIT championship was in 1997, but that was stripped as part of self-imposed sanctions after NCAA violations. The Wolverines had not been to a postseason tournament since 2000.
"I'm thrilled for our team and our program," Amaker said.
Michigan opened a lead of 41-29 before Quincy Douby's only basket started a 15-2 Rutgers run. But when it seemed the game would slip away, the Wolverines reclaimed it.
After Ricky Shields put Rutgers in front 44-43 with just under 11 minutes left, Dion Harris responded with a 3-pointer to move Michigan back in front.
Juel Wiggan tied it for Rutgers, but a defensive breakdown gave Michigan's Bernard Robinson an easy basket with 7:37 remaining, and the Wolverines had the lead for keeps.
Robinson then converted three free throws in a 9-0 Michigan run that sealed the victory.
Daniel Horton led Michigan with 14 points, and Harris had 13. Horton was the tournament MVP.
Herve Lamizana had eight blocked shots and led Rutgers with 19 points.
"We just didn't capitalize offensively in the second half," Rutgers coach Gary Waters said. "I thought we did all the things we needed to do to win that game. We just didn't capitalize at the right times."
Around the nationEASTERN WASHINGTON: Washington State assistant Mike Burns was hired as coach, returning to a school where he was an assistant for four years. Burns replaces Ray Giacoletti, who was hired by Utah after leading the Eagles to their first NCAA Tournament.
RUPP AWARDS: Senior guard Jameer Nelson won as the nation's best player after leading Saint Joseph's to an undefeated regular season and the East Rutherford Region final. "This is really a tribute to my team," Nelson said. "I consider myself a better teammate than a player." Hawks coach Phil Martelli won the inaugural Rupp Cup. The awards, voted on by the Commonwealth Athletic Club in Kentucky, are named for former coach Adolph Rupp, who won four national titles with the Wildcats.
SOUTHERN MISS: The father of a former player said he has given documents to an attorney that show the program blatantly violated NCAA rules, including making payments to players. James Pattman, father of former guard James Pattman Jr., told the Associated Press he obtained handwritten statements from players on the 2002-03 team, some detailing alleged payments and claims of verbal and physical abuse by coaches. New coach Larry Eustachy and university officials have refused to comment on the allegations.
VIRGINIA: Coach Pete Gillen kept his job for a seventh season thanks to three late-season victories over ranked opponents. Athletic director Craig Littlepage made the announcement, ending weeks of speculation. Gillen is 104-78 in six seasons but has a history of postseason futility. Virginia failed to earn an NCAA Tournament bid for the fifth time in Gillen's six seasons.