Coming up this weekend ...
N The Michigan hockey team faces off against Western Michigan at 7
p.m. tonight at Yost Ice Arena.
X The men's volleybalI tean hosts Sacramento State and the Collegiate
Classic Tournament at the CCRB tonight and tomorrow.
1 The men's gymnastics team competes at Cliff Keen Arena at 7 p.m.
tomorrow against ilinois and. Ohio State.
Page 10
Friday,
Fabruar 3. 1995
i Wolverines fight for first
h Weekend important for Michigan's CCHA title hopes
F
By Darren Everson
Daily Hockey Writer
With another weekend comes an-
other pair of must-win games for the
Michigan hockey team. As their quest
for the CCHA title continues, the Wol-
verines host Western Michigan to-
night and visit Michigan State tomor-
row - a couple of familiar foes that
Michigan has had a lot of success
against.
"We're not a dominant team that
blows teams out of the building,"
Michigan coach Red Berenson said.
"Not a lot of teams in this league think
we're that good."
Someone seems to think the Wol-
verines aren't so bad, sinceMichigan is
currently the top-ranked team in the
country. However, all is not well.
Forward Jason Botterill will not see
action this weekend. The junior winger
has been plagued by injuries and will
not play in either game. Even with him
in the lineup, Michigan has struggled
offensively lately. In an attempt to re-
verse that trend, the Wolverines will try
a couple of different line combinations
against the Broncos and Spartans.
Kevin Hilton has been skating with
John Madden and Warren Luhning in
practice. Ron Sacka should return to the
lineup, and he may join Matt Herr and
John Arnold. Rick Willis, Bill Muckalt
and Robb Gordon figure to be another
combination, while the line of Brendan
Morrison, Mike Knuble and Mike Legg
remains the same.
For once, the Wolverines don't
have to spend any time wondering
what Bowling Green is up to. Aside
from the fact that the two teams are
now tied for first place, the Falcons
have a two-game set with Alaska-
Fairbanks, games that don't count
in the standings.
As important as these games are for
the Wolverines' championship hopes,
Michigan State may need two points
from Saturday's contest even more.
The Spartans are in contention for the
conference title, and like Michigan,
MARK FRIEDMAN/Daily
Rick Willis and the Wolverines will try to get by Western Michigan and Michigan State this weekend.
Blue to c i against Gophers
Wolverines must face Minnesota at unfriendly Williams Arena
By Ryan White
Daily Basketball Writer
Minnesota basketball coach Clem
Haskins has only one thing on his mind
at this point in the season, and it's not
the Big Ten title.
"All we want to do is get to the
NCAA Tournament," Haskins said.
"We just want to get to the NCAA,
where they're all neutral site games,
and we're pretty darn good at neu-
tral sites."
Haskins believes if they are to make
it to March Madness the Golden Go-
phers (5-3 Big Ten, 14-6 overall) need
to win the rest of their home games.
That includes tomorrow night's 8
p.m. showdown against Michigan (6-
2, 12-8) at Williams Arena.
Minnesota is 5-4 on the road this
season, butithas won just one of its four
conference games away from home.
Haskins has put the emphasis on
winning at home, since he feels that
the Gophers will need 19 wins to
make the tournament, and for one
additional reason.
"We have the best place to play in
the country," Haskins said. "There is
no team like Williams Arena."
Michigan senior Ray Jackson
agreed.
"They've definitely got the tough-
estplace to play in the country," he said.
Minnesota has had seven days to
prepare for the Wolverines, seven days
that the Gophers needed.
Forward Jayson Walton has been
bothered by knee problems and center
Chad Kolander has been resting a bad
TheGophers lastgame was a55-54
victory over Iowa.
Like Michigan State, Minnesotahas
been helped by the return of a top
player. But unlike the Spartans' Shawn
Respert, who chose not to enter the
NBA Draft, the Gophers' Voshon
Lenard opted for the draft but returned
to Minnesota.
Lenard was the first to take advan-
tage of an NCAA rule allowing under-
classmen to enter the draft and return to
college ifthey weren't happy with where
they were selected.
Lenard was chosen 46th overall
by the Milwaukee Bucks, and is now
averaging 17.1 points per game for
Minnesota.
Senior guard Townsend Orr is the
only other Golden Gopher averaging
double figures. Orr is scoring 13 points
a contest.
In spite of the fact that Minne-
sota is aiming for the NCAA Tour-
nament, it hasn't ruled out the Big
Ten title.
"I really feel that our chances are as
good as (any conference teams) to win
games," Haskins said. "I think our
chances are still as good as anyone's to
win the Big Ten championship.
"I'm really pleased with the team.
I told them last night that if we just
stay focused we'll be all right."
they have played two fewer league
games than Bowling Green.
Both clubs lose that edge this
weekend, but Michigan State currently
stands three points behind the Fal-
cons and the Wolverines.
"In order to stay in the hunt, I think
we need this one," Spartan forward
Anson Carter said.
At the Great Lakes Invitational
against Michigan, the juniorcenterand
his teammates played what Michigan
State coach Ron Mason called their
bestgame of the season. And whilethe
Spartans were much more competitive
in that encounter than they were in
November's meeting, they still came
away with nothing to show for it.
"What makes Michigan so tough is
that (the Wolverines) can throw three
or four strong lines at you," Carter said.
"I don't know if you can say it's any
one person with them. It's like a wave
of blue is coming down right on you."
As for Michigan State, the attack
See HOCKEY, Page 14
Wrestlers
square off
versus Big
Ten foes
By Jed Rosenthal
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan wrestling team,
riding the crest of a three-match Big
Ten winning streak, has finally met
its toughest opponent - itself.
When All-American and captain
Jesse Rawls went down with a torn
anterior cruciate ligamentlast Saturday
against Northwestern, the Wolverines
might have shot themselves in the foot.
Michigan has left itself with a void
at the 177-pound slot when it goes on
the road tomorrow to take on Big Ten
foes Purdue and No. 21 Indiana.
Rawls' status for the season is still
undecided. He can continue wrestling
or opt for surgery, which will put him
on the shelf for the rest of the year.
"What we're going to do for now is
try to cover in the dual meets forJesse,"
Michigan coach Dale Bahr said. "It's
like the army when you go into war.
You know that at some point in time,
somebody in your platoon is going to
go (down). You just hope he doesn't,
but you must go in there knowing that
something like this can happen. You
just have to pick up and carry on."
The upper weight classes have
been the Wolverines' strength, but
with Rawls out indefinitely, the
lineup will be shuffled for
tomorrow's matches. Freshman Bill
Lacure will move to 158 pounds and
displace No. 5 Jeff Catrabone, who
will wrestle at 167. No. 6 Chad
Biggert will move from 167 and
replace Rawls. Lacure is the new
wrestler in the lineup, but Bahr has
confidence in the rookie.
"He's a two-time state champion,"
Bahrsaid. "He's notatrue 158-pounder,
but we're hoping he can fill in and 'Cat
and Biggert can win for us."
Lacure never lost a high school
wrestling dual meet and went unde-
feated his junior and senior years for
a combined 79-0 record.
See WRESTLING, Page 14
4F~: ,.'.
Lena
0
ankle he aggravated over thepastcouple
of games.
Haskins gave the team this past
Sunday and Monday off and Walton
has only practiced sparingly the past
couple of days.
Maurice Taylor and Michigan will try to grab a Big Ten conference win
from Minnesota Saturday at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.
wometankers dive in against Indiana tomorrow
By Marc Diller
Daily Sports Writer
The countdown is on and the
Michigan women's swimming and
diving team is now less than two
weeks away from trying for its ninth
consecutive conference champion-
ship.
No. 2 Michigan (3-0 Big Ten, 6-
1 overall) faces Indiana (3-4, 4-5)
for its final Big Ten dual meet of
the season tomorrow at Indiana
University-Purdue University at
Indianapolis Natatorium.
"The meet is in the same facility
where the Big Tens will be held,"
Wolverine coach Jim Richardson said.
"It will be good for us to develop a
familiarity with the pool."
For Michigan, this weekend's
meet will act as a final preparatory
competition before the Big Ten
championships Feb. 16-18. The
Wolverines have started intensive
training to prepare their swimmers
to score NCAA qualifying times at
"I think Indiana has some good
young swimmers. On paper though,
we're much stronger than the
Hoosiers."
- Jim Richardson
Michigan swimming coach
Hoosiers diver Jenny Dixon re-
mains undefeated during the dual meet
season in the three-meter and has
posted the conference's top score in
the event with a 324.6 against Toledo
Nov. 5. Wolverines diver Carrie Zarse
is second with a 311.70. Zarse has the
slight edge over Dixon in the one-
meter, 320.90 to 310.05.
Indiana is a young, developing
team which has yet to prove itself a
threat in the conference. In the pool,
the Hoosiers are led by juniors Tammy
Cook and Beth Burke. Together, Cook
and Burke boast the team's top times.
"I think Indiana has some good
young swimmers," Richardson said.
"On paper though, we're much stron-
ger than the Hoosiers."
Big Tens. All but seven swimmers
have begun to taper in order to score
better times.
"It's a good tune-up for people
who don't have NCAA cuts yet,"
Richardson said. "We're a week and
one half away from the meet. Some-
times it can get pretty ugly because
the complete taper hasn't set in yet."
Michigan swimmers will be
swimming their second-or-third best
events Saturday to continue the
training process through the meet.
Probably the meet's top match-up
takes place above the pool on the
three-meter diving board.
0
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