ELIZABETH UPPMAN/Daily
Maurice Taylor and the rest of the Wolverines hope to handle the Illini Sunday in Champaign.
Grapplers ready for Big Tens
The Michigan wrestling team will be in East Lansing March 9-40 for the
Big Ten Championships. The Wolverines (6-21 Big Ten, 12-5-1 overall)
are looking to dethrone 1995 national champion Iowa. That may prove
to be a difficult task because the Hawkeyes have won 22 straight Big
Ten titles.
Friday
March 1, 1996 .
Wolverines on a roll as.
season enters final stretch
By Paul Barger oftheconferenceseason buthasplayed Wildcats are in a position to spoil
Daily Sports Writer its way back into tournament conten- Michigan's season.
It is amazing what a couple of victo- tion. Sunday's game against Michigan Three years ago, the Wolverinestrav
ries will do. is a must-win. cled to Northwestern on the last day o
Aftera monthlongslump that saw the Added incentive for the Illini is the the season with a chance to tie fort
virtual collapse of the Michigan men's retirement of longtime head coach Lou Big Ten title.
basketball team, there is reason for op- Henson. Henson will step down at the The Wildcats upset the Wolverines
timism. in overtime enroute to an NIT
AfterTuesday's thumping of berth and relegated Michigan
intrastate rival Michigan State, Michigan's remaining schedule toadisappointingsecond-place
the Wolverines (8-7 Big Ten, Who: Illinois, Northwestern and Wisconsin finish.
18-10 overall) are on the verge When: Sunday, 2 p.m., March 6,8 p.m. and March 9 Sincethen, Ricky Byrdsong's
of their fifth straight NCAA 4:30 p.m. team has been rather unimpres-
Tournament berth. Where: Champaign, Evanston and Ann Arbor sive and has been blown-out
The Michigan players are three straight times by the W
convinced that they deserve the veries.
bid, but it's still in the hands of The most recent debacle pro-
the NCAA selection commit- .:.2) duced a 83-51 Michigan win
tee, which will pick the 64- on Jan 6.
team field March 10. Wisconsin (7-8, 15-12) has
That is the day after the been a surprise to many this year.
Wolverines finish the regular Expectedtobeaconferencedoor-
season at home against Wis-. ' mat after losing Michael Finley
consin. and Rashard Griffith, the Bad-
Before that, Michigan trav- gers have been more than re-
els to Illinois Sunday and spectable all season.
Northwestern March 6. The Much of the credit goes
trouble that Steve Fisher's squad has end ofthe season, and his players do not freshman Sam Okey. Okey leads the
had on the road makes both of these want to see his outstanding career cul- Badgers in points, blocks and rebounds
games intriguing. minate in the NIT. and is a leading candidate for Big Ten
If the Wolverines can win their last "This will be the first home game Freshman ofthe Year. If Wisconsin can
three games, they would probably get since he made the announcement," win its last three games, it will have 18
bracketed as a No. 5 or No. 6 seed. Fisher said. "It will be extra emotional wins and an outside chance at the
They would also have won their last for everybody. It will be important for NCAAs.
five games, giving them a lot of mo- us to come out in control." Michigan is almost assured of an
mentum. The Wolverines handled Illinois the NCAA bid, but the coming week is
"If we play like we did (against first time the teams met, 83-68. But important.
Michigan State), we can play with any- that was in Ann Arbor and the Illini Ifthe Wolverines lose to IllinoisS4
body in the country,"sophomore Travis were playing without their best player, day, they will have to win at least one
Conlan said. "If we play like that, I starting point guard Kiwane Garris, andmaybebothgamesagainsttheWild-
don't want to be the team that faces us who will be in the lineup Sunday. cats and Badgers.
in the first round." Northwestern (2-14, 7-18) is strug- "I'm thinking 19(wins) will getus in,
The Illini have other plans for Michi- gling once again and has shown no but 20 should definitely," Fisher sai.
gan. Illinois struggled at the beginning signs of improvement. However, the "But I hope to win them all."
[ichia faces Spartans at Yost.
as four at-large bids for the 12-team dance, and while the No. Bowling Green netminder Mike Savard beats them. It will be
4 Wolverines aren't exactly on the proverbial bubble, they're because Michigan beats Michigan. The Wolverines have both
not a lock to make it either. the Spartans and Falcons outmanned. Michigan boasts the top
Seem strange? Bowling Green finished second in last four scorers in the league led by national assist leader Kevin
year's title hunt, but fell in the first round of the CCHA Hilton, and two other snipers in the top nine, Michigan has
playoffs and didn't get a bid. scored 43 more goals than the next highest-scoring team.
"We're looking at the games to rebound from last weekend "Its good we're coming home, but we have totak advantage
and for our overallrecord as wellas our league record for NCAA ofit," Berenson said. "You saw how home ice can bea big factor
purposes," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "We're not out in momentum and intensity last weekend.
of the woods in terms of the NCAAs It's important that we play "But if we're not playing our best hockey, it will be ove
well in these games to take a step forward and get ready for the before it should be over."
(CCHA) playoffs." For Arnold, Hilton, captain Steven Halko and Mark Sakala,
The Wolverines find them in a precarious situation. They these next two weekends are the end. The fourseniors will play
could lose both games and finish tied for second-place in the their last regular season game in Yost tomorrow against the
league. Then again, they could win both games and end up in Falcons. The CCH A playoffs next weekend will be the last time
third place, finding themselves in a rematch with the Falcons the group will skate at Yost. After tomorrow's game, the
next weekend. Either way, Berenson knows where he'll be Wolverines will honor the four seniors for their effortswhile4t
next weekend - right at home. The Wolverines haven't Michigan.
played at Yost, where they have lost just one game all year, "It's really our last chance to perform in front of our crowd,"
since Feb. 3. Arnold said. "I consider this a whole weekend deal. Michigan
And Berenson knows that if Michigan drops a pair this State, Imean, wehate them. Whoelse would weratherplay?I
weekend,it won't be because Spartan speedster Anson Carter or going to be sad, but its also going to be exciting."
HEY, WHY NOT
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764-0450)
and wheelchair accessible unless THUS S
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cwunoa a! Published:
Wednesday, March 27
sMarch21 @4 p.m.
Conference title in reach as M
By John Leroi
Daily Sports Editor
Red Berenson couldn't have planned it better.
; Of course, he would have liked it if his Wolverines had
Zken one game from Lake Superior last weekend. But .tow,
ichigan will battle Michigan State with a chance at first-
ace on the line.
'The Spartans could have wrapped up the league title last
pight with a victory over Bowling Green at home. But the
falcons, who are stuck in fifth-place, rolled out of Munn Ice
Arena with a 5-1 victory over Michigan State, increasing
heir shot at a possible NCAA tournament berth.
LNow Spartan coach Ron Mason has to pull his troops
'gether and try to beat the Wolverines (20-6-2 CCHA, 25-
=2 overall) at Yost tonight at 7, or his club will probably fall
I t of first place for the first time since December.
Michigan State can win its first title since the 1989-90
season if it knocks off the Wolverines tonight.
If Michigan can topple the Spartans, Lake Superior will
have the inside track to the title and the automatic berth to the
NCAA tourney. All the Lakers have to do is win both road
mes this weekend at lowly Ohio State and Miami (Ohio).
If both Lake State and the Wolverines sweep, the two squads
will end up deadlocked on top of the CCHA standings, but
the Lakers will get the first seed in the conference tournament
by virtue of a better head-to-head record.
If the Lakers split, or even tie one game, and Michigan
beats the Spartans tonight and Bowling Green (18-10-1, 24-
12-1) tomorrow at Yost, Berenson will have his third CCHA
title in as many years.
Western Michigan shot itself in the foot, dropping an 8-3
decision to Alaska-Fairbanks Wednesday night, or the Bron-
cos could have had a chance to wear the conference crown.
The Spartans are sure to remember the 8-1 pasting the
Wolverines dealt them just two weeks ago at Joe Louis Arena
and Michigan's 4-3 victory two months ago in the Great
Lakes Invitational championship game.
And it's a pretty safe bet that the Wolverines would love
to thump the Michigan State again, for a variety of reasons.
"There's a major sense of urgency; a desperation we feel.
We have to win these games," senior forward John Arnold
said. "Once we start jumping to conclusions or looking
ahead, we're not going to get anywhere."
Anywhere is the NCAA tournament. There could be as few
Study Abroad at the
Japan Center for
Michigan Universities
located on the shore of bake Biewa in likone. Shiga Prefecture. Japan
Summer intensive Japanese
(May 27 - August 5, 1996 )
A
Academic Year in Japanese
Language and Culture
(Japanese language and
elective courses taught in English;
Fall and/or Winter semesters )
---, Public Affairs In Japan
(5 week specialized program
beginning in June )
For more information contact your campus study abroad
office or the JCMU Program Office
MSU International Center / E. Lansing Ml 48824-1035
Ph. (517) 353-1680/ Internet: JCMU@pilot.msu.edu
Mhchigan State University is an Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action institution.
The Universit
Schoolc
Saturday, March 23
Revelli Scholarship Benefit
Chip Davis and the Mannhei
with the University SymphonyI
Hill Auditorium, 8 p.m.
Tickets: $25, $20 and $15 avai
Michigan League Box Office (
All events are freea
specified otherwise
the Music Hotline,
is located at 1100 B
1k
1l~
"AMAZGLYENUAL!
5 Academy A ward Nona.
Best Picture -- Best Actor
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