STATE COLLEGE – Just 15 seconds into the game, it looked like Michigan coach Tommy Amaker’s wish would be granted.
After Graham Brown secured the opening tip, Daniel Horton took the ball at the top of the key. He quickly found a soft spot in the zone and hit teammate Courtney Sims deep in the paint. Sims went up strong and dunked the ball home. The junior appeared to be on his way to back-to-back solid performances, just as Amaker hoped would happen.
“If we can get (Sims and guard Dion Harris) playing like they’re capable of playing for three weeks or a month, it would be incredibly helpful for our team,” Amaker said Monday.
While Harris answered the call with 23 points on Wednesday, but Sims struggled, seemingly losing any confidence he gained from Saturday’s 18-point performance against Wisconsin.
Sims followed his early dunk with a 0-for-5 showing the rest of the game. He lost two entry passes out of bounds and also traveled en route to a three-turnover game. The lone bright spot in Sims’s game was his seven rebounds, which he collected in just 12 minutes of playing time.
Following Wednesday night’s game, Amaker was disappointed with the junior’s play.
“It wasn’t going well for him,” Amaker said. “I think he tried too hard . It was almost like quicksand for him. I felt for him, because we thought he could have a big night for us with our size advantage.”
Despite Sims’s struggles in conference play, his teammates still have faith in him.
“I think anyone would struggle if they had to see a different look every night,” Horton said. “We know what Courtney is capable of. We know when the time comes, he’s going to be ready to step up.”
Lester sighting: It might not have lasted long, but it did provide optimism for worried Michigan fans. Six minutes into Wednesday’s game, junior Lester Abram checked in for Ron Coleman. Abram – who hadn’t seen court time since severely spraining his ankle against Minnesota a week and a half earlier – didn’t take long to contribute.
On the first offensive possession he was a part of, Abram cut in from the left wing toward the top of the key. There, he received a pass from Horton, took a step in and made a left-handed lay-up.
Amaker and Michigan’s trainers both noticed Abram’s limping and discomfort. He only played for two more minutes and remains day-to-day. Abram is unsure of his status for Saturday’s game.
“I was just testing it out to see what I could do out there,” Abram said.
Something’s got to give: Saturday, Michigan’s five-game winning streak will be put to the test against another impressive streak. The Wolverines will travel to Iowa City to take on an Iowa squad that possesses one of the nation’s best home-court advantages. The 23rd-ranked Hawkeyes have won 14 consecutive games at Carver Hawkeye Arena.
“In the Big Ten, you have to get as many road victories as you can if you want to win this thing,” senior co-captain Chris Hunter said. “It’s a huge game for us; we’re going to have to go in there and try to be more focused.”
The teams will battle to remain at the top of the Big Ten standings. Both enter with a 6-2 conference record and are tied with Illinois for the conference lead. After losing two close road games against Indiana and Illinois, Michigan will look to pick up its first road win against one of the “big seven” – the seven Big Ten teams with winning conference records.
Notes: Horton was named one of the sixteen finalists for the Bob Cousy award yesterday. The award is given to the nation’s top point guard. . Michigan was ranked No. 17 in the NCAA’s first edition of its RPI rankings. The Wolverines are among seven Big Ten teams in the top 20, led by No. 6 Michigan State.