Women's Basketball Volleyball vs. Finland National Team vs. Illinois Tonight, 7 p.m. Tomorrow, 7:30 p.m. Crisler Arena Cliff Keen Arena The Michigan Daily Thursday, November 19, 1992 Page 9 Women hoops begin new era with Roberts Top-ranked cagers open with Russians by Rachel Bachman Daily Basketball Writer Considering the intensity with which the Michigan women's bas- ketball players were practicing last night, it appeared that they were preparing for the NCAA tournament. In reality, the practice was simply the final one before the team's first and only exhibition game, against the Finland National Team. The Finnish team, 0-2 against college squads before its game last night over. Roberts has thrown the slate out the window. "Everything is different," Gray said. "We have 15 running tests, and if we don't complete all 15, we can't practice." The tests include five two-mile runs, five 400-meter runs, and five at 200 meters. Each group of five tests is run on one day, and the drills are done three days a week. "The first time through, only seven of us passed," Gray said. The drills are just one part of the completely revamped Wolverine work ethic. "We put a lot of hard work into the preseason," freshman guard Tannisha Stevens said. Roberts hopes that all the huffing and puffing will translate into a more disciplined squad. What does the coach expect from the Finnish team? "I got a chance to scout them," she said. "They're an aggressive team defensively. They're also quick. If we play a tough, aggressive man-to-man defense, we should do OK." Roberts expressed the desire for more preparation before the presea- son. "I could've used the two extra weeks the NCAA took away," she said. Because the basketball team has one of the longest seasons of any sport, the NCAA ruled to shorten the preseason. In the past, the Wolver- ines have opened practice on Oct. 15. "We've had some problems in practice executing our offense," Roberts said. She stressed that a few growing pains are to be expected with all the changes taking place in the program. Ready or not, the women's bas- ketball team takes to the court tonight, and jumps into a new era. Nine Michigan players will suit up. The Wolverines return five se- niors, including center Trish Andrew, Michigan's all-time leader in blocked shots. "I just want them to play hard, and get through this game," Roberts added. "Then we can fine tune things for the Toledo game (Dec. 5)." From veterans to the two fresh- men, determination to become a suc- cessful team is a feeling shared by all team members, including Gray. "(Practice) is a lot harder than the past few years, but if we win, it's worth it." by Ken Sugiura Daily Basketball Writer The voters have spoken. They have decreed that of all the basketball teams in the country, there are none better than the one from Ann Arbor. And now, the Michigan men's basketball team sets off on a four-month journey to prove them right. "I think it says a lot of people recognize the quality of our players and program," Coach Steve Fisher told the Associated Press, "and the strengths are perceived to be good." After both the CNN/USA Today and AP polls selected them the top squad in the country this week, the Wolverines open up their 1992-93 season with an exhibition game against the Russian national team tonight at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Tonight's game marks Mich- igan's first since it lost, 71-51, to Duke in the NCAA finals. The AP poll, released Monday, gave the Wolverines 23 of the 65 first-place votes, and 1,536 points overall. Checking in at No. 2 was Kansas, with 19 first-place votes and 1,513 points. It is the first time Michigan has been No. 1 since the final 1977 regular-season poll. Point guard Jalen Rose is not overly thrilled with the ranking, however. "I don't really care about that be- cause last year we were ranked 28th in the preseason," Rose said. "It doesn't really matter. I'd rather be No. 1 in the final poll." The Wolverines have been prac- ticing since Nov. 1, and are ready for a new sparring partner. "We can't wait to get started," freshman guard Dugan Fife said. "We're getting kind of tired of play- ing each other in practice." Lost in the preseason hype of the Fab Five and the No. 1 ranking are the arrival of freshmen Fife and for- ward Leon Derricks. The latter's re- turn from a back injury gives the Wolverines a clean bill of health. "I'm sure I'll be nervous," Fife said. "It's the first time I'll wear the Michigan uniform. I just want to go out and contribute." The majority of the contributions will likely come from the 10 return- ing lettermen. Fisher will select his starting lineup from the five sopho- mores - Rose, Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson - and two seniors, forward James Voskuil and center Eric Riley. The sophomores started together much of last season, includ- ing all six of Michigan's NCAA tournament games. In the Russians, the Wolverines face a tired opponent. Tonight's match will be their fourth in as many days. Monday, they fell to Beloit, 78-74 in overtime, after they left the court in protest of a charging call. Tuesday, Wisconsin played host to the squad and lost, 87-81. Last night, the Russians traveled to East Lansing to play Michigan State. Andrew against Northwestern, takes on the cagers tonight at Crisler Arena. Ranging in age from 19 to 33, the Finnish team is hardly a conven- tional college opponent for the Wolverines. Some players have no experience in international competi- * tion, while one veteran has played 186 such games. The team's style of play promises to be as diverse as its makeup. "They like to run, they like to press," junior forward Shimmy Gray said. "They're an aggressive team." Running and pressing are two things the Wolverines should know a lot about. With new coach Trish Roberts has come some team alter- ations. Most recently a coach at Maine, Roberts brings her 72 percent winning percentage to Michigan's struggling program. Some coaches change a few things around from year to year, and some wipe the slate clean and start FILE PHOTO/Daily Jimmy King sees some action from a year ago. Michigan opens the 1992-93 season tonight with an exhibition game againstthe Russian nationals. The top 10 teams in the Associated Press 1992 college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses. Team Team 1. Michigan (23) 6. Seton Hall {2) 2. Kansas (19) 7. North Carolina 3. Duke (15) 8. Memphis State 4. Indiana (6) 9. Florida State 5. Kentucky 10. 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