BY MICHAEL SPATH
R
ed Berenson doesn't need
help crafting a message.
He's been at this a long
time, now in his 30th
season as U-M's head
coach, and he knows how to deliver
a speech to his team and how to an-
swer the media's questions directly.
However, when asked about his
team's inconsistency in the second
half of the season — the Wolverines
went 8-8-2 since Jan. 1 compared to
10-4-2 before the New Year — Beren-
son stood up, left the media lounge
and returned with a page full of
quotes from Detroit Red Wings head
coach Mike Babcock.
"I'll read you the quote Babcock
used because it could have been com-
ing out of my mouth," Berenson said.
"They had scored seven goals the
game before [in a victory] and then
lost to the Rangers [3-0].
"'New York played hard and were
organized, but we weren't competi-
tive enough. We turned over the
Holding out
HOPE
Michigan Is Optimistic It Has
Produced A Résumé Worthy
Of An NCAA Tournament Berth
Senior captain Mac Bennett and the
Wolverines looked to build their case for an
NCAA bid with a strong showing in the first-
ever Big Ten Tournament.
PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL
