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Michigan's Tom Dolan failed to qualify fo
By Doug Stevens
ly Sports Writer
Throughout the season, Michigan men
Jon Urbanchek kept his team focused on t
Every day, he would shout out number
or some other large figure, signifying t
remaining until the U.S. Olympic trials.
He constantly stressed to his athletes i
patient, despite the' frustration inherent i
less practices in preparation for a mee
away.
In October, when the Wolverines con
-Wet, and in every month since then, Urban
,significance of any one meet as nothing bid
practice.,
Rather than encouraging top times fron
time they competed, he merely asked for p
"Discipline is the ability to wait forthe 1on
would preach. "Youhave to know where yo
Olympics only roll around every four yea
He knew throughout the winter that all th
a top-flight swimmer is the once-in-a-life
qualify for the Olympics. That is the mind
s athletes throughout the season.
It fact, Urbanchek and the Wolverines ha
whentheyfailedto win their I1thstraightBigT
CR CC
By Alan Goidenbach
Daily Sports Writer
Michigan's 3-0 blanking of Miami
*hio) Saturday night was the Wolver-
ines' third shutout of the Redskins this
season,, matching a team record.
On Nov. 11, Michigan came away
from Oxford with an 8-0 win. Two
months later, the Wolverines enjoyed
theirmost lopsided win oftheseason-
13-0 shellacking of Miami at Yost Icer
Arena.,
The only other Michigan team to
shutout an opponent three times in the
- me season was the 1926-27 Wolver-
es, who blanked Wisconsin,1-0, three
separate times.
BYE-BYE BOTTERILL: Left wing Ja-
son Botterill gave his teammates, as
well as Michigan's fans, a big scare
midway through the third period of
Saturday's game. After arguing with
referee Roger Graff over a disallowed
goal, Graff gave Botterill a game-mis-
conduct penalty.
1However, this should not be con-
used with the two game-disqualifica-
tion penalties that he drew in separate
incidents earlier in the season that re-
sulted in his missing over three games
worth of action. If Botterill had been
assessed a third game-disqualification,
he would have been suspended for the
remainder of the season.
If any good came from the penalty it
was the 10 minutes Botterill incurred
om the call that allowed him to pad his
HA-lead in penalty minutes. He now
has 127, which is well within reach of
Michigan's single-season record of 147
set by defenseman Chris Tamer in 1989-
90.
GET YOUR YOST-YOST'S OUT: If you
couldn't get out to see the Wolverines
in action this weekend, not only did you
miss a pair of Michigan wins and the
final games played this season at Yost,
t you also lost your last chance to see
e 74-year old building in its current
condition.
Newsletters
Cheerleaders to hold tryouts
The fMichigan varsity and varsity reserve cheerleading teams will hold
open tryouts for all students interested Sunday, March 31, at noon in
Cliff Keen Arena. Athletes are strongly encouraged to attend a series of
clinics on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at th'e Intramural Building.
For more information, contact varsity cheerleading coach Pamela St.
John at (313) 525-1735.
Wednesday
March 13, 1996
9
Bigger not always better
Blue to stay with small lineup against Longhorns
By Michael Rosenberg
Daily Sports Writer
When Michigan men's basketball
coach Steve Fisher went to a three-
guard starting lineup against Indiana
Feb. 18, it was widely assumed that
he simply wanted his team to handle
the ball better.
"I made up my mind after that game
that that would be our lineup for the
rest of the season," Fisher said two
weeks later.
But now comes shocking new evi-
dence that Fisher's concern wasn't
for the rest of the regular season - he
was just preparing to play Texas at
10:30 p.m. Friday in Milwaukee, Wis.,
in the NCAA tournament.
Sources close to Fisher deny that the
coach saw the tournament bracket three
weeks before the rest of the nation.
Nonetheless, Texas coach Tom Penders
thinks Fisher is on the right track.
"That matchup with us is not a bad
idea," Penders said. "We're obviously
a good perimeter team. They match
up better with a smaller lineup than a
bigger one."
The biggest reason Texas is consid-
ered a good perimeter team is guard
Reggie Freeman, who scored 22.8
points per game this season.
"Reggie Freeman is one of the pre-
mier players in the country," Fisher
said. "He can score from long, long
range. And if you come out and guard
him, he'll beat you off the dribble."
Fisher will have to choose among
Louis Bullock, Travis Conlan and
Dugan Fife to guard the 6-foot-6 Free-
man. Conlan, the tallest Wolverine
guard, is the likely choice.
But the Longhorns' strong perim-
eter play goes beyond Freeman.
Brandy Perryman comes off the bench
to give Texas a solid threat from out-
side. Fisher calls Perryman "their best,
perimeter shooter."
Michigan's best perimeter shooter
is Bullock, who has recovered from a
subpar midseason stretch and seems
March Madness
No. 7 Michigan vs. No. 10 Texas
When: Friday, approximately
10:30 p.m.
Where: Bradley Center,
Milwaukee, Wis.
TV: CBS, Channel 62
if they win...
Michigan will play either the
No. 2 seed, Wake Forest, or
No. 15 Northeast Louisiana.
When: Sunday, approximately
5:10 p.m.
Where: Bradley Center,
Milwaukee, Wis.
TV: CBS, Channel 62
to have regained his lethal 3-point
shot.
But shooting is not the reason Fisher
switched lineups. Ball control is.
"(The lineup has) helped us cut
down on our turnovers," Fisher said.
"We were up in the high teens and in
at least four of the last seven games
we were in single figures."
That will be crucial against Texas,
which forced turnovers at a rate bf
21.5 per game this season.
Ironically, while the Wolverines'
new lineup is ready-made for a first-
round win, it may be extremely ill-
suited for a second-round matchup.
Should Michigan beat the Longhorns,
its most likely opponent, Sunday at
5:10 p.m. would be Wake Forest. The
Demon Deacons are led by All-Ameri-
can center Tim Duncan, who almost
certainly would have been the No. 1
pick in last year's NBA Draft had he
left school. Duncan is probably the
best rebounder in college basketball.
The Wolverines would probably
guard Duncan with Maceo Baston, a
strong defensive player. The problem
is that Baston often gets into foul
trouble; if he does, that would leave
Maurice Taylor on Duncan, or possi-
bly Willie Mitchell. If 300-pound
goliath Robert Traylor wasn't injured,
of course, he % ould help guard the
All-American.
Fisher would love to have to worry
about Duncan; it would mean his Wol-
verines made the second round for the
first time in two years.
r the U.S. Olympic team in the 200-meter backstroke yesterday, finishing seventh.
M fi
n's swimming coach
the big goal.
s like "126" or "48,"
he number of days
the need to remain
in partaking in end-
et that was months
,mpeted in their first
chek has belittled the
gger than a glorified
1m his athletes every
patience and focus.
ng-term," Urbanchek
ourpriorities are. The
irs."
hat really matters for
,time opportunity to
set he encouraged in
rdly seemed bothered
Ten title, at least inpart
because the squad was neither tapered nor shaven for the meet.
"As far as the (Big Ten) team championships, we made the
choice to concentrate on the Olympic trials and we stuck with it,"
Urbanchek said after the defeat.
Urbanchek must have known what he was doing, as three
current Wolverines and two alums, who had been training with
the team, qualified for the U.S. Olympic team.
Despite a disappointing seventh place finish in yesterday's
200-meterbackstroke,junior Tom Dolan was perhaps the star of
the meet, winning three events with outstanding performances.
Dolan will be swimming the 400 individual medley, the 400
freestyle and the 200 IM in Atlanta.
Another Wolverine who proved he was amply prepared for
the trials was juniorJohn Piersma. Piersma won the200 freestyle
and earned a spot on the Olympic team with a second-place
finish in the 400 freestyle.
A pleasant surprise for Michigan was the performance of
freshman Tom Malchow. Malchow, who was one of the few
Wolverines noticeably disappointed after the Big Ten defeat, is
probably one of the happiest team members now. He won the
200 butterfly and will be on a flight to Atlanta come July.
In addition to the three current Wolverines qualifying for the
U.S. team, former Wolverines Eric Wunderlich placed second
in the 200 breaststroke and Eric Namesnik took second in the
400 IM, along side Dolan, to earn a berth on the U.S. team and
a spot in Atlanta.
Blue netters venture outdoors
)mpletes record shutout
Five-and-a-half million dollars in
renovations to the arena are under-
way. The result will be a more mod-
ern-looking venue. The renovations
will come at the expense of a 600-700
seats, but will be confined almost en-
tirely to those with obstructed views.
And of course, the Athletic Depart-
ment is anticipating loftierticket prices.
flockeY
Notebook"
THE RETURN OF
THE OCTOPUS: With
six seconds remain-
ing in the third pe-
riod of Saturday's
win, a pair of octopi
were hurled onto the
ice from opposite
ends of the arena.
This is a tradition
that was started
the historical meaning.
But when you consider that eight
Michigan postseason wins would give
Michigan the NCAA crown, the hurlers
from Yost may actually understand the
concept of the octopus. Including the
two wins thus far, the Wolverines can
win the CCHA tournament with wins in
the semifinals and finals next weekend,
giving them four. The next four could
come by way ofthe NCAA tournament.
But there is a chance that the Wolver-
ines could receive a first-round bye,
and thus need only three wins to take it
all, making the total only seven.
And that would make this whole story
meaningless.
BUT IT AIN'T THE GRAMM's: Thurs-
day at 7 p.m., the CCHA will hold its
13th annual awards banquet at the Grand
Westin Hotel in Detroit. Awards to be
handed out include Player of the Year,
Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year,
Best Offensive Defenseman, Best De-
fensive Defenseman and Best Defen-
sive Forward.
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased
through the CCHA office by calling
764-2590.
By Richard Shin
Daily Sports Writer
Spring break for the Michigan
men's tennis team was no vacation.
Actually, it could be compared to a
day-old can of Coke- warm, flat and
generally unsatisfying.
The Wolverines travelled to the
Lone Star State to face Texas, March
5, and to compete in the Corpus Christi
Team Tournament, March 8-10.
Similar to the can of fizzled soda,
the weather was hot and Michigan
was flat, losing to Texas and going 2-
2 in the tournament. Michigan's No. I
singles player, Peter Pusztai, went 2-
3, seeing his singles winning streak
end at nine.
Michigan's troubles were not due
to lack of effort from the players, but
rather, the great outdoors.
The Wolverines' stint outside was
their first of the season, and the play-
ers had only three days to practice
under the sun.
"To face top 25 teams and play
outside - it's a double whammy,"
Michigan coach Brian Eisner said.
"Considering the amount of time we
had (to practice outdoors), we com-
peted well."
The Wolverines hope to reverse the
trend tomorrow as they travel to the
Blue-Gray Championships at Ala-
bama.
Michigan gained valuable experi-
ence playing outdoors, and it may
prove to be useful. The outdoor tour-
nament fields 16 teams, many of which
are highly ranked.
"Playing outdoors is a tremendous
change and (against Texas and Texas
A&M) we were playing at the conser-
vative end of our ability range (be-
cause of it)," Eisner said. "We know
that whatever we do (at Alabama), we
have to play better, and I think we
can."
Michigan is ranked No. 25 accord-
ing to the latest Intercollegiate Tennis
Association's Rolex Collegiate Rank-
ing, released March 5. While the Wol-
verines dropped. a spot in the new
poll, Pusztai jumped 41 places to No.
23 in singles.
The matches in March represent
the first competitive action the Wol-
verines have faced in a month and the
first taste of matches outdoors. Their
next Big Ten contest is against Min-
nesota, March 20.
And while Coke's secret formula is
kept under lock and key, Michigan's
formula for success is no secret.
"We never performed as well (as
this spring) in the past years, and all
the players are competing hard,"
Eisner said. "I think that we have
gone to another level. We're playing
much better."
The Wolverines are hampered by
injuries heading into this weekend,
including an awkward arm injury to
No. 4 singles player Geoff Prentice.
Whether Prentice will be able to
compete is still a question mark, but
Eisner said the diagnosis looked fairly
good.
"It does appear that he will be able
to compete this weekend," Eisner said.
"We can't afford to lose somebody of
(Prentice's) strength. He is a key
player for us."
Michigan's star, Pusztai, is also suf-
fering from a nagging injury. He rested
for portions of the February hiatus to
heal tendonitis in his foot and is pro-
gressing slowly.
Pusztai won two of his five matches
over break, dropping a match to South
Alabama's Jan Hermansson at Cor-
pus Christi, an opponent he had beaten
the month before.
Michigan's first-round opponent at
the Blue-Gray tournament has yet to
be determined, but Eisner believes
the event will be tougher than the
Corpus Christi tourney.
"The (Blue-Gray tournament) will
be even tougher," Eisner said.. "We
are probably the I l th best team there,
and we'll see where we fit."
years ago by Detroit Red Wings' fans
when a team needed eight playoff wins
to capture the Stanley Cup. The eight
tentacles of the marine mollusk repre-
sent the eight needed victories.
Last year, the octopus tossing became
anationwide craze as the Wings advanced
to the Stanley Cup finals. Octopi were
thrown at several arenas without regard to
iT~T,4
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