Men's Tennis
vs. Illinois
Today, 2:30 p.m.
Liberty Sports Complex
SPORTS
Women's Basketball
vs. Michigan State
Tonight, 7:30 p.m.
Crisler Arena
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The Michigan Daily.
Friday, March 6, 1992
Women cagers stage
home series finale
Page 10
Blue looks for upset
versus No. 2 Indiana
by Ryan Herrington
Daily Basketball Writer
The Michigan women's basket-
ball team concludes its home season
this weekend with games against
Michigan State and Penn State.
As Michigan State (7-8 Big Ten,
13-12 overall) heads to Crisler
Arena tonight, the Wolverines are
finally able to boast a more success-
ful record than their opposition - at
least in the last five games.
The Spartan Express, which
defeated Michigan, 76-55, in the
teams' first meeting of the season
last month, has since been derailed
and is on a five-game losing streak.
"We're not looking so much at
the last time we played Michigan as
we are looking at how we have
played the last couple weeks,"
Michigan coach Karen Langeland
said. "We've lost five straight, so
we're looking at that and saying we
definitely want to make an improve-
ment on those five games."
In contrast to Michigan State,
Penn State (24-6 overall) seems to
be peaking at just the right time,
with the NCAA tournament looming
on the horizon.
Heading into Sunday's contest,
the Lady Lions have won seven
straight and are the No. 9 team in the
nation. They are led by a solid group
of four seniors, including All-
America candidate Susan Robinson.
"We just depend so much on our
four seniors," said Penn State and
1991 national coach of the year Rene
Portland. "The four of them are
really the heart of our team. It's ac-
tually been like that for the last four,
years. They have started together for
four seasons."
The Nitny Lions are in limbo this
season, competing as an independent
while waiting to join the Big Ten
next year.
Despite the theatrics of the final
weekend - which include a raffle of
a new car at halftime of tonight's
contest - the Wolverines will need
to maintain the focus they have had
in recent games to have any success.
by John Niyo
Daily Basketball Writer
Michigan will get its last chance
to knock off a highly-rated opponent
Sunday afternoon, when Indiana
brings its No. 2 national ranking into
Crisler Arena.
The Wolverines rebounded from
a 96-78 whipping at Wisconsin with
a gritty performance at fifth-ranked
Ohio State. But after leading for
much of the game in Columbus,
Michigan committed key turnovers
and saw its upset bid denied by the
Buckeyes, 77-66.
It was Michigan's fifth loss in six
games against ranked opponents,
with the only victory coming at
Michigan State Jan..29. So Sunday's
matchup provides the young Wol-
verines with one final regular-season
chance to pull off a big upset.
Ohio State coach Randy Ayers
thinks this Michigan squad is dan-
gerously close. He noticed im-
provement in the team's play over
the last Michigan-OSU contest,
where the Wolverines stumbled out
of the gate, scoring only 13 points in
the first half.
"They're a lot more patient than
they were early in the season,"
Ayers said following Tuesday's
game. "With a young team like
Michigan, you better beat them now,
because they're going to be a real
good club down the road."
But the Wolverine players are
growing tired of waiting. Sunday
provides the opportunity for Mich
igan to progress to that next level. A
victory also goes a long way in
securing a tournament bid.
At 17-8 overall (8-7 in the Big
Ten), Michigan seems a lock. But
three victories to close out the sea-
son - Sunday against Indiana,
Wednesday at Purdue and next
weekend against Illinois at home -
would leave no doubt, and the stronga:
finish could give the Wolverines a
top-four seed when the NCAA pair-
ings are announced Mar. 15.
Meanwhile, Indiana has loftier
goals.
"We should win the Big Ten,
that's all there is to it," Hoosier cen-
ter Eric Anderson said earlier this
season. "If we don't, it's our own,
fault."
And with a 13-2 record in the
conference, including two wins over.
the Buckeyes, the Big Ten title is
Indiana's to lose. As well, a No. I
tournament seed is within grasp,
provided the Hoosiers (22-4) don't"
stumble in the last two weeks.
Indiana won the first contest ver
sus Michigan, 89-74. The Wol-
verines hung tough, but a huge free-
throw advantage - the Hoosiers had-'
a whopping 50 attempts - was too
much to overcome.
Juwan Howard enjoyed his best *
game of the year in Bloomington'
scoring 26 points and grabbing 10
rebounds.
Bormet out for Big Tens
by Shawn DuFresne
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan wrestling team
will try to rebound from a pair of
Big Ten losses two weeks ago as it
heads to Wisconsin this weekend for
the Big Ten Championships.
However, the Wolverines will not
be at full strength because Sean
Bormet, ranked seventh in the nation
at 158 pounds, is out for the remain-
der of the season. He suffered a knee
injury during practice last week.
Coach Dale Bahr will start Chad
Biggert, a redshirt frosh who is 11-6
this season, in Bormet's place.
"Sean finished second at Big
Tens last year, so it's really going to
hurt us," Bahr said. "We hope that
(Biggert) can step up and keep the
pace."
Five Big Ten teams are ranked in
the top 15. Iowa, the reigning Big
Ten and national champion, is
ranked first in the country and has
nine returning starters. Ohio State is
No. 5, while Michigan and Wiscon-
sin claw right behind at No. 6 and
No. 7, respectively. Purdue rounds
out the top 15.
Bahr said "there is no question"
that Iowa will dominate the meet.
"If you put together an all star
squad from around the country to
face them, they would probably
win," Bahr said.
Six Michigan wrestlers are
ranked in the top 20 of their respec-
tive weight classes, including the in-
jured Bormet. All-American Joey
Gilbert is No. 3 at 134, while fellow
All-American Lanny Green is No. 9
at 177. In addition, Brian Harper is
No. 11 at 150, James Rawls is 13th
at 142, and Jason Cluff is 20th at
126.
Michigan guard Jimmy King looks to pound the ball in to his teammates in
the post. The Wolverines host the second-ranked Hoosiers Sunday.
Spikers
by Dan Linna
Daily Sports Writer
bat
In the last ten months, Min-
neapolis has been at the center of the
sports world while hosting the
Stanley Cup Finals, PGA Champion-
ships, World Series, and Super
Bowl. In April, sports fans' eyes will
be on Minneapolis for the NCAA
Basketball Final Four.
However, this weekend belongs
to Big Ten Championship volleyball
tle for conference crown
as the Michigan men's team will bat- for Minnesota by car at 8:30 this
tle eight other Big Ten teams for the morning for the 12-hour trip to
conference title. Minneapolis.
The Wolverines enter the tour- Upon their expected 8:30 p.m. ar-
nament with a 9-4 record. Mich- rival, Michigan will take the floor
igan's only losses in the Big Ten for their allotted practice time.
have been to Minnesota, Purdue, and Latham feels that this grueling
l Michigan State (with whom the schedule may be the biggest chal-
Wolverines split). lenge of the weekend for the
"Minnesota is definitely very Wolverines.
tough and has to be considered the "If we can survive the 12-hour
l favorite," rookie Stan Lee said. road trip there, we can survive the
"Michigan State will also be tough tournament," Latham said.
and Purdue did beat us earlier. But, While travel may present a prob-
if we play them again, we should be lem for the Wolverines this week-
able to beat them." end, the main obstacle for Michigan
Pool play will begin Saturday at this season has been emotional
9 a.m. with the tournament winding preparation for games.
up Sunday afternoon. Many team members have said
"I like our chances," co-captain they feel the team can play with
Rico Latham said. "I think the guys anyone when it is running on emo-
are ready and psyched to get the Big tion, and that could be the key this
Ten out of (last year's champion) weekend.
Michigan State's hands and back "We especially need to be
into Michigan's hands." pumped up for this tournament," Lee
Michigan recently returned from said. "We have to be ready to go as
a four-date Spring Break road trip soon as we step on the court. We
that wore the team down with a rig- really need to get emotional and with
orous travel schedule. The team left that focus on being a team."
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Gun
Gunn
misfires
in 200m
butterfly
by Chad Safran
Daily Sports Writer
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At the 1992 Olympic Team
Selection Meet, the men's 200-meter-'
butterfly was going to be a race for
second-place.
Everyone would be followidg
event world-record holder Me}l
Stewart in the wide-open competi-
tion for the runner-up position.
Among those aiming for the othef
spot was Michigan's Brian Gunn.
Last night, he fell short of his goal.
Gunn finished in seventh place
with a time of 2:00.75, more than
five seconds behind Stewart. Mich-
igan's Eric Bailey could not make
the finals when he completed his
15th-place swim with a time of
2:03.57. But this was Stewart's race.
Stewart came within three hun-
dredths of a second of his world
record when he clocked a time of
1:55.72. He is the only man ever tQ
go under 1:56, and he has now done
it twice. Following Stewart was
Dave Wharton of Team Foxcatcher
with a swim of 1:59.66.
Stanford's Summer Sanders quat
ified for her third individual event:.
with a victorious swim in the won
en's 200-meter individual medley,
She completed the race with a per
sonal best of 2:13.90. Also makingt
the team in her third event wasa
Nicole Haislett of Florida, with a
personal best 2:14.49. Michigan's-
Mindy Gehrs ended up 18th with a
time of 2:21.72
The men's 50-meter freestyle pit-
ted 1988 Olympic gold and silvers
m