Women's Volleyball vs. Minnesota Friday, 7 p.m. Cliff Keen Arena S Hockey at Bowling Green Friday, 7 p.m. (PASS) Bowling Green, Ohio FOOTBALL NOTBOOK Mo: 'We won't give up' Wolverines intend to finish season on high note By ADAM MILLER DAILY FOOTBALL WRITER For Michigan football coach Gary Moeller, the remainder of the season isamatterof learning, toughness, and respect. During yesterday's teleconfer- ence, several members of the media quizzed Moeller on the team's reac- tion to, and recovery from, Saturday's last-minute defeat at the hands of Illi- nois. To each question, -Moeller re- sponded that his team would not fold in the face of disappointment. "We're not a football team - and never will be - that will ever just give up hope or anything like that," Moeller said. "We're going to come out and play the best football we can play. "Our mission now is to win our next four football games and what- ever happens because of that, just happens." Moeller added that the Wolverine coaching staff would not have to use gimmicky emotional appeals to Michigan tradition or pride to keep the players' focus. "I don't think (our appeals) will be anything special," Moeller said. "We look at ourselves and what we want to accomplish for ourselves. Because we understand sports today, and the me- dia coverage, we've got to look be- yond that. We've got to separate the good and bad for ourselves, and get our respect." Finally, Moeller specifically ad- dressed the emotional healing of tailback Ricky Powers, whose lost fumble set up the Illini's winning drive. "If anything it's something that you don't dwell on," Moeller said. "I told the team yesterday that there's a lot of plays in a football game and that one obviously is going to stick out. "It's something you can't accept, just like you can't accept some other things that happened, and it's got to hurt because you're going to remem- ber it. "If it doesn't have a significant hurt or pain to it, than I don't think that it's a good lesson. I think (Pow- ers) will heal, and I don't think it's going to put him in the tank in any way. TRAINING ROOM REPORT: Moeller said that Wheatley (groin, shoulder) most likely will not play Saturday. Powers and fellow tailback Ed Davis will, in his words, "have to pick up some slack." Inside linebacker Steve Morrison (foot) will probably play, but Moeller said that since he has just resumed a limited amount of practice, he will not be seeing full-time action. Inside linebacker Bobby Powers (internal injuries) still has notrecov- ered from the blow he took in the Penn State game; he is definitely out this week. Defensive tackle NinefAghakhan (shoulder) is also doubtful. Aftercompleting this catalogue of key personnel sidelined, Moeller sighed, "And that's about it." STRANGE BUT TRUE: Michigan is ranked No.24 in the latest Associated Press poll. The Badgers are No. 21. Michigan is 1-2 in the Big Ten, 4- 3 overall. Wisconsin is 2-1, 6-1. The game is at sold-out Camp Randall Stadium. The line for the game stood yes- terday at Michigan by 3.5 points. Maybe these lines reallydon't have anything to do with predictions. MICHELLE GUY/Daily Offensive lineman Trezelle Jenkins helps Todd Collins evade a sack in Michigan's 24-21 loss to Illinois. The Wolverines' offensive line struggled against the Illini, as evidenced by Michigan's mere 78 yards on the ground. Delany seeks guaranteed bowl bids for fifth, sixth-place Big Ten teams BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - .18Commissioner Jim Delany will ask. Big Ten athletic directors this week to approve seeking one-year agreements with open football bowl games for the league's fifth- and sixth-place teams, a report today said. The proposal, if accepted by the athletic directors when they meet Thursday in Indianapolis, could help ensure that a nationally ranked Big *Ten squad is playing in the post-sea- son despite having two late-season games that involve ranked opponents. "We're talking to a lot of other bowls right now about entering into one-year agreements," Delany told the Bloomington Herald-Times. "A number of bowls have tie-ins which, by contract, they are obligated to honor, unless the tie-in conference fails to produce a team that is bowl- eligible. That could happen. "I feel pretty confident that we'll be able to settle into a relationship for a fifth-place team. And I think we'll have five bowl-eligible teams," Delany said. The Big Ten has four bowl com- mitments, but six teams currently ranked in the top 25, including third- ranked Ohio State and No. 12 Penn State. The others are Wisconsin (21), Michigan State (22), Indiana (23) and Michigan (24). "It seems hard to see a seventh bowl-eligible team, but it's hard to figure out all the permutations pos- sible. We'll try to tie in a fifth- and sixth-place bowl as soon as we can," Delany said. Such agreements may take a few weeks to work out, he said. "If we have two or three bowls out there who want to do it, we may want to analyze whether it's worth waiting for a week or two," Delany said. "Some conferences are going to be struggling to fill their commit- ments. "In Indianapolis, we'll probably run it by the directors and see if they're willing to let us go ahead and do a tie- in now, on a one-year basis. If they are, we would probably go ahead and do that." A team must win six Division I games to qualify for bowl games, and lucrative bowls could open up at the last minute. "So the question for the directors and football coaches is: Go to the bird in the hand at this point, or wait?" Delany said. "Our hope is that we'll be able to go six-deep. I think that is not unreasonable in the environment we're in. We had a good September, and we've had a great race so far." The Big Ten's final standings won't be determined until two weeks after the usual final round of games Nov. 20. Michigan State hosts Penn State on Nov.27 and plays Wisconsin Dec. 4 in the Coca-Cola Bowl in Tok- yo. The Big Ten has deals to send teams to the Rose, Citrus, Holiday and Hall of Fame bowls. Media day showcases new-look men's basketball team By CHAD A. SAFRAN DAILY BASKETBALL WRITER The Michigan men's basketball team has been the reason for some big *parties the past two seasons. The two celebrations following NCAA semi- final victories over Cincinnati and Kentucky, respectively, will go down in the annals of Ann Arbor history. The Wolverines hosted a party that was much smaller and more se- lective than the one last April 3, yes- terday, as the 1993-94basketball team hosted its coming out party for the local media. Because he lost five players to graduation and Chris Webber to the NBA, Michigan coach Steve Fisher is faced with a 10-player squad that is quite different than the one that took the floor almost seven months ago. "What were our two greatest strengths (size and the bench) a year ago, are now our liabilities," Fisher said among the bevy of television *cameras, lights and tape recorders. "The beauty of it is the fact that who we've got is pretty good and will give us a different look." Fisher must contend with the fact that he possesses only two legitimate big men in Juwan Howard and Leon Derricks. While Howard and Der- ricks both stand 6 feet 9, and Howard weighs 250 pounds, Derricks pushes the scale needle just past 210 lbs. "We put himon the same diet as Shawn Bradley (the Philadelphia 76ers 7-foot-6 rookie lightweight)," Fisher said. "Unfortunately, he's had about the same success as Bradley, but Bradley has to pay for his." While Fisher may be lacking a true center, he does have some versa- tility with junior guards Jalen Rose and Jimmy King as well as junior forward Ray Jackson. "Jalen is going to play all over. He may even become the first player in Michigan history to play all five posi- tions in one game," Fisher said. "You will see him inside more.Offensively, What were our two greatest strengths (size and the bench) a year ago, are now our liabilities. The beauty of It Is the fact that who we've got Is pretty good and will give us a different look.' --Steve Fisher Mmen' s basketball coach he's fine. Defensively, he could have some problems if he has to guard someof the real big men in the confer- ence. Jackson said he is looking for- ward to his opportunity to play on the perimeter as well as setting up down low. "I didn't play too much (this sum- mer) but I puton 10poundsofmuscle," Jackson said. "I worked real hard to get stronger. If I get one of those little fellas on me, I'll take him." One of the "little fellas" Michigan has is newcomer Bobby Crawford. The 6-foot-2 guard from Houston is going to be a contender for the one starting spot that is still up in the air. "I'm real nervous," said Crawford, who committed to Michigan during lastNovember's early signing period. "After seeing these guys on TV, I'm excited. It's what I've been waiting for." The wait for Crawford and the rest of the Wolverines will end Saturday when they take to the court for the first practice of the season. At that time, Fisher will begin to mesh Michigan together so they can throw another April party. EVAN PETRIE/Daly Jalen Rose and the Wolverines hold the season's first practice Saturday. U U NON-STOP COPIES. A I 10 EAC-H iUSEN s. ol j