Young''s fouls take him out of game early

By Steve Jackson
Daily Sports Writer  On  January 31st, 2002

EAST LANSING The Michigan offense needs Chris Young, and it needs him badly. After the Spartans stormed out with an 11-0 run early in the first half, Michigan made a point of getting the ball to Young, who scored on consecutive possessions to drain the crowd"s intensity although only for a moment. Then Young was sent to the bench after picking up his second foul, and everything went downhill from there. "Without him in the game we are a different team," Michigan point guard Avery Queen said. Michigan coach Tommy Amaker admitted that without Young, his team was "outmanned on the frontline." "When Chris went out, it really shook us," Amaker said. "That allowed them to really lock in and use their strength and size." The Big Ten has always been a rough and tough league and Michigan needs to be ready for that night after night. "I don"t see them as especially physical," said Bernard Robinson, who was held to just four points on 2-of-7 shooting. "I just see it as them playing great defense and stopping the plays that we are trying to run." Young"s inspired play and consistent improvement made an impression on Michigan State"s four-time national coach of the year. "He"s done what everybody wants to see," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "He"s improved each and every year." Gift wrapped: Last night Izzo celebrated his birthday in his usual fashion, beating his in-state rivals from Ann Arbor. Last year, Izzo traveled to Crisler and the Wolverines had a present waiting for him an easy 91-64 win. This year, the 47-year-old coach got to celebrate his special day with a 71-44 victory in front of 14,759 of his closest friends at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. But Izzo"s focus was far away from cake and ice cream after the game. "I"ll probably just watch 10 hours of Illinois tape to celebrate," Izzo said. Surprise: Only one thing surprised Tommy Amaker in his first game against Michigan State. It wasn"t the crowd, it wasn"t the physical nature of the game, and it wasn"t the blowout score of 72-44. "I just thought we would play a little better," he said.

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