Men's Basketball Wrestling at Penn State at Michigan State Tonight, 7 p.m. Tonight, 7 p.m. State College East Lansing T ii dFebruary ,1 P1 'M' looks to regroup against Nittany Lions by Ken Davidoff Daily Basketball Writer The Big Ten title is out of the question, yet the Michigan men's basketball squad still has seven regu- lar season games to attend before taking on its final challenge, the NCAA tournament. What's a team to do to pass the time? Well, it could start by winning all of its remaining contests and placing second in one of the nation's tough- est conferences. The Wolverines (8- 3 Big Ten, 19-4 overall) begin that quest tonight as they travel to State College to take on Big Ten new- comer Penn State (1-9, 6-13). "If we can't catch them (Indiana), then we want to be without question the second-best team in the league," Michigan coach Steve Fisher said. "As tournament time approaches, we want to use these games not only to help in our seeding, which is impor- tant, but also help us get better in preparation for the tournament. So we've got lots of good basketball to look forward to." The terms "good basketball" and "Penn State" sometimes rank as an oxymoron, as when the Nittany Lions fell 67-58 to Northwestern Saturday, giving the Wildcats their first Big Ten victory of the season. At other times, however, Penn State plays fine basketball, such as its double-overtime 88-84 loss to Indiana last week. Fisher realizes that game may serve as a blessing for his players, for they will not take the Big Ten basement occupants for granted. "We'd better be prepared," Fisher said. "They proved with the Indiana game that they're for real and capable of playing with any- body, especially in their building." On the flip side, Penn State coach Bruce Parkhill fears the Wolverines like Bill Clinton does illegal alien baby-sitters. "Michigan's really just impossi- ble to match up against," Parkhill said. "Not only size-wise, but as far as their athleticism is concerned ... Watching Michigan play is like watching a college all-star game. They're just incredible." Penn State's progress this year often gets clouded by the common mistake of attributing the Nittany Lions' poor record to their rookie status in the Big Ten. To the con- 'If we can't catch (Indiana), then we want to be without question the second- best team in the league. - Steve Fisher trary, Parkhill's club would be hav- ing a poorer year even if it had stayed as an independent, or if it had never left the Atlantic 10. Only two starters returned from last year's team, and only two seniors receive substantial playing time. "Coach Parkhill is a friend of mine who has done an excellent job with that program," Fisher said. "His talent level is not as good this year as it has been the last two years. However, he's gotten maximum ef- ficiency from that team." Frontcourt men DeRon Hayes and John Amaechi pace the Nittany Lions with 14.7 and 14.3 points per game, respectively. Amaechi, who hails from Manchester, England, controls the boards with 6.9 re- bounds per game. Point guard Michael Jennings averages 3.1 as- sists per game. Among the reserves, forward Elton Carter stands out in terms of intrigue. Carter graduated from Detroit Southwestern High School and thus will be taking on former teammate Jalen Rose and former coach Perry Watson for the first time. "It's going to be a lot of fun," Carter said. "It's going to be an in- teresting situation playing a real game against them." Carter played against Rose in the Detroit Summer League last year. The game time has been moved up an hour to allow viewers to watch President Clinton's State of the Union address at 9 p.m. Wrestlers take on State, gear up for Big Tens Dugan Fife and James Voskuil attemptto wrestle the ball away from Indiana's Calbert Cheaney in the waning moments of Sunday's 93-92 loss. Michigan at Penn State Time: 7 p.m., EST. Place: Recreation Hall ' : Ch. 2 Probable startina lineuns Michigan (8-3, 19-4) Chris Webber, 6-9, So. Ray Jackson, 6-6, So. Juwan Howard, 6-9, So. Jalen Rose, 6-8, So. Jimmy King, 6-5, So. F F C G G Penn State (1-9, 6-13) Eric Carr, 6-6, Sr. DeRon Hayes, 6-6, Sr. John Armaechi, 6-10, So.' Greg Bartram, 6-5, So. Michael Jennings, 6-4, Jr. *.THE SPORTING VIEWS Can the dunk contest, give us Jordan yodeling by Paul Barger Daily Sports Writer The challenge of putting a loss behind you is one of the most diffi- cult obstacles an athletic team has to overcome. A defeat in the midst of an out- standing season doubles that chal- lenge. The Michigan wrestling team has been forced into this position af- ter a weekend that resulted in two Big Ten defeats against Minnesota and Ohio State. The Wolverines have two matches left before the Big Ten Championships begin in two weeks. Tonight, the squad travels to Spartan country to take on Michigan State. It doesn't get any easier after that, as the team finishes up the schedule Saturday at No. 10 Wisconsin. "Iowa and Penn State are in a dog fight for first and second for the Big Ten and the national title," Michigan coach Dale Bahr said. "Beyond that you've got Minnesota, Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin. Those top six teams there are probably in the top ten for the country. It's hard to think that you might end up fifth or sixth in the Big Ten and finish in the top 15 in the nation." The difficult competition the Wolverines are forced to face is sec- ondary to another problem - the in- jury bug. Sophomore Jehad Hamdan's season came to a close Sunday in his match against Minnesota. Preliminary reports indi- cate that he tore cartilage in his knee and will need arthroscopic surgery. Hamdan's replacement possibili- ties are senior Bill Mercer or fresh- man Kyle Steinacker. Due to the in- jury, the team has to insert an untested rookie for a possible NCAA qualifier. "That (Hamdan's injury) sets us back more than anything," Bahr said. "Losing an NCAA qualifier doesn't help. (Mercer and Steinacker) really aren't ready to compete yet." Then there is the saga of junior Sean Bormet. Bormet is Michigan's top wrestler and is No. 3 in the na- tion. He has achieved this ranking while struggling through a large por- tion of the season with excruciating back pain. This problem forced Bormet out of last Thursday's clash with Purdue but, due to Hamdan's injury, it will be difficult for Bahr to rest his 158- pound All-American. "Bormet's back is killing him," Bahr said. "He can hardly walk. State is real good at 158 with (Dan) Wirnsberger. It is going to be a real challenge for Sean to pull it together health-wise. I think it is going to be decided in the first couple of weight classes. If Sean goes out there and beats Wirnsberger, they don't have much of a chance." According to the Amateur Wrestling News, State has three wrestlers rated in the Top 10. Sixth- ranked Dan Whipp will take on Michigan heavyweight Steve King. Whoever wrestles in Hamdan's place will have an unpleasant initia- tion by taking on the nation's eighth- ranked 190-pounder Emilio Collins. And Wirnsberger, ranked ninth, takes on Bormet. The Wolverines are looking for convincing victories this week so they can regain momentum heading toward the Big Ten Championships. When the new polls come out, Michigan (5-4 Big Ten, 11-5) will probably drop far from its No. 5 na- tional ranking to the middle of the Big Ten pack. But Bormet said the team is not concerned because everyone knows the season doesn't even begin until the team arrives in Columbus on March 5 to take on the Big Ten. "We'll just try to put the losses behind us," Bormet said. "We're looking towards the Big Tens, these, duals aren't that important. It doesn't matter who wins these duals, it's who comes out of the Big Tens." by Michael Rosenberg Daily Sports Writer The NBA's slam dunk contest * has become about as exciting as a two-hour philosophy lecture. The competition is stale, with every dunk a carbon copy of the one before it. Last year, Cedric Ceballos won. I didn't think Mr. C was a house- hold name, so, as a dedicated jour- nalist seeking only the truth, I de- cided to do a little research. (Also, I thought I could get credit for my psychology class.) I then conducted an extremely scientific survey, using a random sample consisting of three of my friends who happened to be sitting next to me, to see if the American people know who Ceballos is. I got the following responses to my question, "Who is Cedric Ceballos?": 1) "Wasn't she Zoe Baird's nanny?" 2) "I don't care." 3) "I don't care." Okay, so maybe my friends are more apathetic than the average American. But the point is, nobody knows who Ceballos is, and nobody cares. This guy couldn't attract at- tention if, in this year's contest, he did an around-the-back 720-degree dunk while jumping over Dr. Ruth and singing Belgium's national an- them. We need a new contest, and I have a few suggestions. Suggestion #1: A yodeling con- test featuring NBA players. Don't tell me you wouldn't watch this. I mean, everybody knows that Michael Jordan can dunk, but not many know that His Airness took yodeling lessons when he was in the fifth grade. He was good, too. He only quit because his teacher wouldn't let him wear his Nikes. Suggestion #2: Charles Barkley vs. Karl Malone: a checkers match. Come on. This would be great. Wouldn't you love to hear Barkley, the league's baddest player, say, "I'm double jumping you. King me, Mailman." Suggestion #3: A pie-eating contest. If nothing else, this compe- tition would have plenty of entrants. Hell, half of the Los Angeles Clippers could compete. This contest could even mark the comeback of former NBA player "Dinner Bell" Mel Turpin. Personally, I'd love to see Turp the Burp back in action. Of course, the new contest doesn't have to be one of these ideas. I'm open to suggestions. THE SPORTING VIEWS Can the dunk contest, give us Jordan vs. Shaq by Paul Barger Daily Sports Writer The NBA's All-Star weekend is a spectacle unlike any other. The cen- terpiece of the gala occasion has always been and will always be the selec- tion of judges for the slam dunk contest. I have my own suggestions for this year's panel that will converge on Salt Lake City: 1. Hillary Clinton: She controls the country, so she might as well control the dunk contest. 2. Madonna: She scores more often than anyone else. 3. Robert Parish: He can get pretty high I hear (The Chief got caught with some pot last week). 4. George Bush: What else does he have to do? 5. Big Ten basketball refs: If they are in Utah, they can't call Michigan's game against Minnesota. 6. Isiah Thomas: He should have an actual reason for being in Utah be- sides taking Kenny Anderson's spot on the team. Why is it that the Foot Locker Slam Fest has become a more interesting event than the dunk contest? The NBA should institute a one-on-one contest for our viewing pleasure. Imagine, Jordan and Shaq battling for the title. But I must admit that come Saturday, I, like four or five other Americans, will watch the once-exciting tradition known as the Slam Dunk contest. 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