The Michigan Daily-Thursday, March 11, 1982-Page 9 Jireebiau &'Iip0 By LARR YFREED You gotta love DePaul.. . but the winner is... AS THE SONG says-This is it. And make no mistake where you are, the NCAA tournament starts today with teams ranging from Robert Morris to North Carolina all believing they have a shot at the coveted title. But make no mistake about it (sorry, but it is a catchy tune), not every quality team was given a fair shot at New Orleans. Pity the poor Bradley Braves, who captured the regular season Missouri Valley Conference title, beating out such national powers as Tulsa and Wichita State. But Dick Versace's squad faltered in the post-season tourney and as a result was forced to stay home in Peoria (talk about punishment). This omission by the NCAA committee has once again raised those same nagging questions about the tournament. "Are all those conference post- season tournaments necessary?" And the most oft-asked question, "Why doesn't the NCAA expand/lessen the field in the tournament?" The first one is easy, and the answer could be spelled M-O-N-E-Y. My per- sonal feeling on the second one is that the tournament should expand to let everybody play. Some would argue that this would take too long and that the regular season would become meaningless, but nobody would argue about a lack of quality and it would be a helluva lot of fun to watch. * Now that I've successfully disposed of the usual pre-NCAA problems, it's time to move on to the question at hand-who will have the last laugh in New Orleans? At first glance it would appear that top-ranked North Carolina has the easiest path, but then again that's what a lot of people said about DePaul the last couple of seasons. However, UNC did luck out and get placed in the easiest regional-the East. James Worthy and company would have had a harder task but the NCAA committee for some mysterious reason placed Georgetown out West (maybe their geography department was cancelled too). Before I go much further I better tell you that I am from Chicago, so I've lost all of my so-called reporter's objectivity when it comes to picking DePaul to win the Midwest regional and a chance to go up against the Tar Heels in the semi-finals. However, I firmly believe (just like I did last year at this time) that DePaul will successfully negotiate through their first tournament game against the winner of the all-legal battle between two teams that have spent more time in court than on the court-Boston College and San Francisco. Now that I've moved with relative ease through the top half of the bracketw picking the two favorites to advance, it's time to go out on a limb and round out the final four with the long-limbed Minnesota Gophers and the Fresno State Bulldogs. Another Big Ten team Minnesota has all the ingredients to make a serious run at the title. They are coming into the tournament playing their best basketball and they have the height necessary to eliminate Ralph Sampson and the Virginia Cavaliers from the tournament. In addition, a Big Ten team has graced the Final Four the past three seasons (winning two) and despite an off-year in the conferen- ce, it is still a good bet that the streak will continue. Fresno State will turn into the Cinderella team in the tournament when they advance into the semis. Although Georgetown is a solid ballclub, the long trip into unfamiliar surroundings will hurt it and it will be sent packing early against the USC Trojans and Dwight Anderson, who etched himself on highlight films forever with a behind-the-backboard basket. Now that the Final Four has been rounded out, let's take a look at the most interesting early round match-up. Louisville-Kentucky-Although Kentucky has to win an early-round match to get to play the Cardinals, it's against Middle Tennessee, and a Kentucky loss is about as likely as Phyllis George making an intelligent comment. The, teams have not played each other in over 30 years and after the new kids on the block (Louisville) run circles around the more sedate Wildcats, it will be another 30 years before they play again. However, neither team will be able to bask in the limelight in Louisiana, which will belong to the Golden Gophers of Minnesota. No, Mark Hall won't call collect to congratulate his old teammates. 'M' batsmen head south By JIM DWORMAN Snow still covers the field at Fisher Stadium and the temperature has yet to reach 50 degrees, but the Michigan baseball team opens its season anyway tomorrow with its annual spring trip. The Wolverines will travel to Texas, where they will stay until March 23. The Texas location is a departure from the traditional site of Florida, and Michigan coach Bud Middaugh believes the change of pace will benefit the players. "IT'S A GOOD experience for the kids to play in different areas," said Middaugh. "It will give them an oppor- tunity to be judged by people in that area and when it comes down to national involvement (the NCAA tour- nament) we may pick up some votes from down there. We hope to jump around each year so that during their stay here people have a chance to see different parts of the country." This year, the parts of the country the Wolverines will see are Houston and Edinburg in the Lone Star State. The team opens its schedule tomorrow in the nation's fifth-largest city with a doubleheader against Central Michigan, which last year went to the NCAA East Regional, before playing single games Saturday and Sunday against Houston. From there, the Wolverines move to Edinburg to play in the Citrus Tour- nament. Michigan will play Nebraska, Morningside, Kansas, Central Michigan, host Pan American and Texas before the tourney concludes with additional games on March 22 and 23. BY THAT POINT in time, Middaugh hopes to have good estimates of his players' abilities. "On the spring trip we'll be trying to win the ballgames but at the same time we'll be trying to find out who our better players are," said the third-year coach. "The trip will pretty much determine what kind of rotation we go through pitching-wise and in terms of positions." Good bets to fill some of those positions are Jim Paciorek, Chris Sabo, Greg Schulte, Tony Evans and Jeff Jacobson. Paciorek, whose brother Tom is an outfielder for the Chicago White Sox, is a two-time All-Big Ten selection who holds or shares almost every Michigan career batting record. Barring injury, he will patrol right field and play first base for the Wolverines. Sabo, a sophomore third baseman, hit a team record-tying 10 home runs last year while batting .341. Jacobson and Evans return as the Wolverines' keystone combination, while Schulte will play center field. ON THE mound; junior Steve On- tiveros and sophomores Rich Stoll, Bill Shuta and Gary Wayne are the top returnees. But being a returnee does not necessarily guarantee a position, ac- cording to Middaugh. "Just because a guy's back doesn't mean he's going to play," said Middaugh. "He'll be given the chance to earn a position, but if someone comes in here who may not have played much last year and has worked hard and made an im- provement, then he's going to be given the opportunity to play. "The people should have a fair oppor- tunity to earn a position. I don't believe in going with a set ball club." Hoping to take advantage of their op- portunities are 12 upperclass reserves and nine freshmen, six of whom will make the trip down south. Whether or not the lineup is com- posed of returning players or newcomers, one thing is for certain: rt is well-respected by the national media. Already the Wolverines are ranked in the top ten nationally by two publications. All-America Baseball News listed them in the fifth position, while Michigan appears next to the number "seven" in Collegiate Baseball. Three 'M' grapplers qu alify foi By DOUGLAS LEVY The Michigan wrestling team has three grapplers entered in the National Championships, which are being held today through Friday (March 11-13) in Ames, Iowa. As expected, the wrestlers are: sophomore All- American Joe McFarland (118 pounds), senior All-American Pat McKay (190 pounds), and senior Eric Klasson (heavyweight). The Michigan wrestler with perhaps the best chance to become a national champion is McFarland. McFarland marched through the Big Ten Cham- pionships, defeating Tom Hoban of In- diana, 25-9, and Harrell Milhouse of Michigan State, 9-7, before running up against arch-rival Barry Davis of Iowa. Davis (40-1-0) whose only loss of the season was to McFarland (27-4-3) beat the Wolverine grappler, 6-4, in the final. PAT McKAY, like McFarland, placed second to an Iowa wrestler who was the defending Big Ten Champion. Yet McKay had an excellent tour- nament, which has qualified him for the national championships for the second consecutive year. The 190-pound senior All-American defeated Regis Durbin of Northwestern, 9-3, and Mike Potts (24- 6-0) of Michigan State, 8-7. The Hawkeyes' Pete Bush beat McKay, 6-3, in the final. McKay (11-5-1) had been beaten badly by both Potts and Bush in rNationals recent dual meets, indicating that McKay has made a successful comeback from a near fatal car ac- cident last summer. Eric Klasson has qualified for the nationals a third consecutive year, and still has one year of wrestling eligibility remaining. Yet the senior did not breeze into the finals as did his arch- rival Lou Banach of Iowa. Klasson (29- 3-2) beat Keith Paloucek of Illinois, 2-0, Al Jenson of Minnesota, 3-2, and Eric Neily of Ohio State, 3-2. Meanwhile, Banach (13-2-0) pinned John Allen of Purdue at 1;10, and crushed Bill Pazton of Indiana, 21-5. In the finals, however, Klasson out-wrestled Banach, 11-7, and for his efforts was awarded the tour- nament's Most Valuable Wrestler. It was Klasson's second Big Ten Cham- pionship in three years. For Klasson and McKay the nationals marks the end of two fine careers. For McFarland, more than one national championship may be waiting in the future. UNISEX Long or Short Haircuts by Professionals at . DASCOLA STYLISTS Liberty off State.......668-9329 East U. at South U.......662-0354 Arboriand ....... ...... 971-9975 Maple Village.........761-2733 Middaugh ..training in Texas The Writers-in-Residence at the Residential College Presents A Reading By Jim Gustafson Poet, Author of Shameless, Rembrandt, Tales of Virtue and Transformation TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 8 P.M. Benzinger Library Residential College (East University between Hill and Willard) The Public is Cordially Invited A Reception Will Follow the Reading Mr. Gustafson will be the guest at the Hopwood Tea, Thursday, March 18th, 3:30 P.M., in The Hopwood Room, 1006 Angell Hall. The Writers-in-Residence Program at 'the Residential College is made possible, in part, by a grant from the National Endow- ment for the Arts. SPORTS OF THE DAILY: Red Wings dump coach / DETROIT (AP)- Wayne Maxner was fired yesterday as coach of the Detroit Red Wings, one day after the National Hockey League team was put up for sale, the club announced. Maxner will be succeeded by assistant coach Billy Dea, said Jimmy Skinner, Detroit director of hockey operations. "I'm not just blaming Max," Skinner said. "Maybe we're all to blame.' But the club is not moving at all. We're in the same place we were at the begin- ning of the season. We had to have a change." MAXNER, 38, becomes the second NHL coach to be dismissed in two days. On Tuesday, the St. Louis Blues fired Red Berenson, a former Detroit player. Also Tuesday, Detroit owner Bruce Norris announced he was putting the NHL club on the sales block. "He took it very well," Skinner said of Maxner's reaction to the firing. "He knows that in this business, you've got to expect it at any time." MAXNER succeeded Ted Lindsay as coach on Nov. 24, 1980, coming to the Red Wings from their American Hockey League farm team in Glens Falls, N.Y. His record winds up 34-68- 27. detroit, at 18-39-12 with 48 points, has the second-worst record in the 21-team NHL this year and could miss the Stanley Cup playoffs for the 14th time in the last 16 years. They are in the midst of a seven-game losing streak. Pistons routed by Denver PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) - Veteran center Dan Issel scored 35 points while Kiki Vandeweghe had 30 and Alex English 21 as the Denver Nuggets routed the Detroit Pistons 124-113 in National Basketball Association action last night. The Nuggets, winning for the third time in four games, never trailed after the second quarter as they improved their season record to 32-30 while Detroit dropped to 27-35. VANDEWEGHE had 19 points and Issel 17 in the first half when the Nuggets shot ahead 66-57 at the inter- mission, scoring the last eight points of the second period. Detroit fought back to within three points in the third period and within two in the fourth before Denver went on a hot spree to build up a 117-103 lead as English hit for eight points and Vandeweghe and Issel six each. During the Nugget outburst, Detroit managed only one basket over a five- minute period. Kelly Tripucka and Isiah Thomas each had 25 points to lead Detroit, which now has dropped two in a row. Purdue adrances in NIT WEST LAFAYETTE (AP)- Keith Edmonson scored 29 points last night as Purdue held off a second-half rally and beat Western Kentucky 72-65 in the first round of the National Invitation Tour- nament. The victory put the Boilermakers, 15- 13 for the season, into next Monday's second round against the winner of Thursday night's matchup between Iona and Rutgers. Led by Edmonson and center Russell Cross, who had all 13 of his points in the first half, the Boilermakers led 35-24 at halftime. 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