Women's Basketball vs. Michigan State Tonight, 7:30 p.m. East Lansing S S Men's Basketball vs. Ohio State Tomorrow, 8 p.m. (WXON) Crisler Arena Wo"m"n hope to *snap long losing skid By BRENT McINTOSH DAILY BASKETBALL WRITER It hasn't quite been four years since the Michigan women's basketball team last beat Michigan State. No, that anniversary won't arrive until Feb. 23. But the Wolverines will avoid that distinction if they can buck conven- tional wisdom and earn a road victory at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lan- sing. The three years and 10 months -What have passed since the last Wol- verine triumph over Michigan State have ushered in a world of change. When Michigan last beat the Spartans (0-1 Big Ten, 5-5 overall), Bud VanDeWege was the head Wolver- ine, current skipper Trish Roberts was coaching Maine to a 23-7 record, and four of the Michigan's 1993-94 start- ers were freshmen at their respective high schools. .Even Michigan's captain, junior Shimmy Gray, was a senior in high school. In fact, the only member of the current program who was involved with that victory is assistant coach Kathy LaBarge Miles. And yet, the Wolverines (0-1, 3- 8) can't afford to count themselves out of today's contest because it is a winnable game. It is one of the essen- tial contests for the young team if it wants to avoid a finish in the Big Ten basement. And, of course, the game is important because it is the Spartans. "It's a big state rivalry and in any case, you don't want to lose to them," Roberts said. "I think that our kids are going to really get up for the game. I think the kids from the state of Michi- gan are a little more sensitive to the P rivalry than the kids from out of state, sp I'm hoping that that's going to rub dff throughout the team." The Wolverines need it to rub off on freshman guards Amy Johnson and Jennifer Kiefer, both of whom are ftom Illinois. Roberts had said earlier in the season that quickness on the perimeter was a Wolverine asset, but Michigan is last in the Big Ten in turnover ratio at -6.5. The pair will have to cut down on the Wolverines' frontcourt foul-ups if they want to be smiling on the ride home from East Lansing. "I don't know if it's now that we're playing quicker teams that we're look- ing slower, or it's just fatigue, but it just seems like right now, other teams are alot quicker than we are," Roberts said. "We're not able to push the ball down the court like I wanted us to." Johnson, who shot a dismal 1-14 against Detroit-Mercy Sunday, will also be focusing on the defensive end. "I really need to work on my de- fense - it's very, very poor," she said. "That and taking care of the ball are the two major things we need to take care of going into Michigan State." While the Wolverine guard play has been less than consistent, the Spar- tans are experiencing frontcourt trouble of their own: An injury to starter Paula Sanders has forced coach Karen Langeland to fill the line-up with freshman guard Cheri Euler, who is averaging 4.4 turnovers per game. State will probably focus on pres- suring the perimeter to fluster the Wolverine rookies, and Roberts says she has had the team working hard to improve its frontcourt game. "If they put a lot of pressure on our guards and make it tough for us to get into our offense, they're saying it's going to make a difference in our game," Roberts said. Another thing that could decide the contest is the Wolverines' ability to stop Spartan junior forward Kisha Kelley, who leads State with 19.0 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. IExercieRom eStudy4Lounge eTVLage Computetr om * Laufdry Facities 24 howAttend dLoiby * Game tom M(eat and'Water Inctuded Ndiaye arrives: 'I'm glad to be here' ANASTASIA BANICKI/Daily Freshman transfer Makhtar Ndiaye meets the media yesterday at Crisler Arena. Ndiaye, from Dakar, Senegal, enrolled at Wake Forest last fall before the NCAA found the Demon Deacon program guilty of violations in his recruitment. Ndiaye will suit up for his first game tomorrow against Ohio State. SWIMMING NOTEBOOK Sharp could miss rest of season By TIM RARDIN DAILY BASKETBALL WRITER Not often is an athlete able to generate so much interest and so much excitement in such a short time with- out playing as Makhtar Ndiaye has in the last week and a half. Since recruiting violations were announced Dec. 30 against the Wake Forest basketball program, and Ndiaye was declared eligible to play immedi- ately wherever he transferred, he has captured the imagination of basket- ball fans, not to mention the concen- trated attention of some big-time bas- ketball programs. "I thought we'd never have any- one after the Fab Five have so much written about them before they even shot a basket," Michigan coach Steve Fisher said. Yesterday, all that hoopla came to rest-at least temporarily--as the 6- foot-8, 230-pound freshman Ndiaye, decked out in an elongated gray Michi- gan sweatsuit, made his first appear- ance before the media since signing with the Wolverines Monday. Ndiaye (in-JI), a native of Dakar, Senegal, and the first African basket- ball player to don the maize and blue, shared his elation at being part of the Wolverine squad that he saw for the first time from a television in Paris, when Michigan played Duke in the 1992 NCAA championship game. "I'm glad to be here. I can't ex- press what I feel right now," said a beaming Ndiaye, who opted for Michigan over his second choice, UCLA. The rest of the team had no prob- lem expressing how they felt about their newest acquisition, who began practice Monday. "It's a big help. He's probably the missing piece we have on this team with his shot-blocking ability and his rebounding ability," Wolverine cen- ter Juwan Howard said. "But it's go- ing to take him some time to adjust." That's exactly what Howard and his teammates have tried to help him do, on and off the court. "He went through a lot with the illegal recruitment," Howard said. "We just first want to be his friend. We are like a family here. "Basketball comes second." Still, after the Michigan State game last WednesdayMichigan play- ers and coaches apparently made it clear to Ndiaye just how much they needed him from the basketball stand- point. "I just told him I didn't want to play inside too much longer," said the displaced Ray Jackson, who has moved from his natural small forward position to play inside for the Wol- verines this season. "I told him, 'See how they beat me up inside, big boy? Why don't you come and save me?"' "Not to put much pressure on you, but we need you," Howard told Ndiaye. "It doesn't take a rocket sci- entist to see we need you." Michigan's need appears to have been a factor in Ndiaye's decision. "I knew that it was the right place for me," Ndiaye said. "I was comfort- able with the players and coaches. I fit in better (than at UCLA)." After last Wednesday's snow- storm in Ann Arbor, though, no one was quite sure where he would go, thinking the weather might play into his decision. "I think the only thing UCLA had on us was the weather. I'm glad he left before the snowstorm," Howard joked. Contrary to popular belief, Ndiaye claims the weather did not concern him. "I got used to the snow down there," Ndiaye said, referring to Vir- ginia, where he spent his senior year at Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson. "Besides, if Jimmy King can survive here, I can survive here." King hails from the perennially sunny Plano, Texas. Fisher hopes Ndiaye can survive more than just the weather. Asked his reaction to Ndiaye's 8.1 block-per- game average at Oak Hill, Fisher re- sponded, "Those blocks came against players my size." Indeed, while he possesses a world of potential, the coach knows that Ndiaye, who began playing basket- ball seven years ago as "an experi- ment," will need time to develop. "Everyone knows one of our con- cerns going into this season was our lack of size and depth. He brings both to the table," Fisher said. "He has great upside potential, but it will take him some getting used to what we want to do and how we want to do it. "In time, he'll be a really good player. How soon, how much early, I don't know." And how does Makhtar feel about his role? "I'm not here to take anyone's spot," Ndiaye said. "I just want to contribute, and play as hard as I can." He is scheduled to get his first chance to do that tomorrow night against Ohio State, where the hoopla around Makhtar Ndiaye will likely begin again. Then, however, the intriguing question will not be which school will he choose, but how much impact will he have? By BRETT JOHNSON DAILY SPORTS WRITER The Michigan men's swimming team has taken a hit, but it is still unclear just how severe. Sophomore Royce Sharp has temporarily been put on the ineligible list pending a decision by the University. Sharp, a crucial member of the Wolverine squad, was unable to compete this past weekend against UCLA and USC and is waiting for a response from the Academic Performance Committee. Although Sharp could not com- ment on the review, he said that he expects to know more as early as today. "He's petitioning to be eligible in some capacity," coach Jon Urbanchek said. "A decision has not been made yet. We're hoping to work out a proposal where he has conditional eligibility. "We're not really concerned about his swimming right now. Royce needs to establish his academics first." Sharp's ineligibility stems from problems with Michi- gan standards, not NCAA rules. Sharp claimed All-American honors in three events at last year's NCAA Championships - 200-yard back- stroke, 400 individual medley and,400 medley relay - and if he is unable to compete, it will create a hole in Michigan's lineup. Sharp is the team's only outstanding backstroker. "We'll suffer a lot, especially in the dual meets," Urbanchek said. "We'll have to do better at other things and not worry about the backstroke." HERE WE Go AGAIN: Wolverines continue to domi- nate the Big Ten Swimmer of the Month award. Last year, the men, and the women for that matter, won every award throughout the season. Freshman Tom Dolan continued the streak by winning the first Swimmer of the Month award (December) of this season. Dolan won three U.S. Open titles - 400-meter freestyle, 1500 freestyle and 800 freestyle relay - Dec. 3- 5 at Canham Natatorium and then set a Canham Natato- rium record in the 1000-yard freestyle in a dual meet against Harvard Dec. 12. Dolan also captured the 500 freestyle at the Harvard meet. HEADS OR TAILS: One of the nation's top recruits will come to Michigan this weekend for an official visit. Derya Buyukunchu is the current high school record holder in the 100-yard backstroke. Although this weekend constitutes Buyukunchu's official visit to Ann Arbor, it is not the first time he will have stepped foot in Canham Natatorium. In December, he swam at the U.S. Open, where he won both the 100- and 200-meter backstroke events. RECRUIT RECAP: Michigan signed one recruit during the early signing period, Jason Lancaster of Carmel High School in Carmel, Ind. Lancaster is the top-rated high school butterflyer in the nation as he won Swimming World magazine's mythical national title in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of :48.39. He is also highly ranked in the 200 individual medley. Lancaster won the Indiana state title in both the 100 fly, where he set the state record, and the 200 IM. Lancaster also has four victories to his credit from the 1992 Long Course Junior Nationals. He won the 100 backstroke, 100 butterfly and both the 200 and 400 indi- vidual medleys. All were swum in meters. Black Coaches Association considering boycott of season I SAN ANTONIO(AP) -The head of the Black Coaches Association, upset over the NCAA's decision to cut scholarships, said yesterday he expects his group to boycott men's college basketball games, possibly for the rest of the season. The boycott could begin as early as Saturday, Martin Luther King's birthday. "In all likelihood there will be a boycott but I am reluctant to give you a time and date," said Rudy Wash- ington, head of the BCA and basket- ball coach at Drake. "Players and coaches are expected to participate. And they're talking about the rest of the season, like the baseball strike." On Monday, the NCAA voted down a proposal to restore a 14th basketball scholarship two years after it voted to cut scholarships from 15 to 13. The BCA says minorities are par- ticularly hurt by cutting scholarships. The Presidents Commission cited costs and the need to hold firm on reform measures. The presidents also indicated to the BCA the scholarship could be added next year if savings could be found elsewhere. NCAA executive director Cedric Dempsey and Joseph Crowley, the NCAA president, both said they had talked with BCA representatives twice in the previous 24 hours and hoped to talk with them again. The boycott was approved by the BCA's legislative committee, which includes coaches George Raveling (USC), John Thompson (George- town) and John Chaney (Temple). I RE STA URWANT Uti:1t';is I WORTS IAR is0 /.