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qi
MEN'S COLLEGE
BASKETBALL
IONA 102.
Canisius 66
HARVARD 72,
Colgate 66
UNC CHARLOTTE 77.
Tulane 68
EAST CAROLINA 72,
American 62
WOMEN'S
COLLEGE
BASKETBALL
No. 1 Tennessee 74,
MISSISSIPPI ST. 52
No. 3 Old Dominion 78,
AMERICAN 59
No. 13 Virginia 47,
MARYLAND 45
COLLEGE HOCKEY
The Seanpot Tournament
Championship game
Boston University 2,
Havard 1 (O)
Consolation game
Boston College 4,
Northeastern 1
tote £ ~tra m dl
Tracking 'MI teams
OK, so the Michigan Varsity Tennis Center isn't the
closest building to Central Campus. But the Michigan
women's tennis team plays Tennessee there at 6 p m.
on Thursday. So you'll just have to take a cab.
Tuesday
February 10, 1998
9
:Mid-foot sprain' may hinder Baston
By Dan Stillman
Daily Sports Editor
Michigan starting forward Mace
Baston is not expected to suffer any long
term effects from a foot injury he incurre
during Saturday's loss to Minnesota.
X-rays yesterday on what Michiga
assistant coach Scott Trost said was
"mid-foot sprain" turned up negativ
1oQst said.
"' shouldn't affect his status fo
(toMorrow) night," when Michigan hos
OhiQ State, said Michigan Athlet
Triner Steve Stricker.
But a source close to the team said th
Bas-on is doubtful for the game with th
Buckeyes.
*Wmtten s
hoops
battl for
4
g-
ed
an
a
or
ts
ic
at
he
The 6-foot-9 Baston battled with the
Gophers in the paint throughout the
Wolverines' loss to Minnesota, and evi-
dently came into harm's way late in the
game.
"Apparently, toward the end of the
game, he took a shot in the lane," said
Michigan Sports Information Director
B.J. Sohn. "We'll see how he does in prac-
tice tomorrow."
Baston, a senior from Dallas, Tex., has
started every game this season, playing a
key role for the team.
He led all scorers with a career-high
27 points in the game against Minnesota,
almost half of those points coming on a
13-of-14 performance from the free
throw line.
Baston's 13.5 points per game are good
enough for third on the team, while his
8.6 rebounds per game are second only to
Traylor's 10.0.
Baston is also second on the team in
blocks with 24.
The Wolverines, who came into the
season with concerns about a lack of
depth, have remained fairly healthy this
season.
Co-captain Travis Conlan suffered the
Wolverines' only serious injury so far,
when he hurt his wrist diving for a loose
ball in the first exhibition game of the
season.
Conlan missed the first three regular-
season games.
Michigan's other co-captain, Robert
Traylor, was recently struck by the flu but
missed just scattered minutes.
Baston started 28 of 32 contests two
years ago as a sophomore, highlighted by
a 26-point performance that keyed the
Wolverines' victory over Duke.
Last season, as a junior, Baston missed
Michigan's season opener with a strained
muscle near his Achilles tendon.
He came off the bench as the
Wolverines' sixth man for much of the
1996-97 season.
But Baston worked his way back into
the starting lineup for the final nine
games of the season.
WARREN ZINN/Daily
Maceo Baston may not be slamming home his trademark
dunks tomorrow night against Ohio State.
ttitud
Bxg Ten
By Josh Kleinbaum
Daily Sports Writer
Let the jockeying begin.
With just two weekends left to play in
the Big Ten season - each team has
three or four games left - women's bas-
ketball teams across the conference are
jockeying for position for the confer-
*nce tournament. And Michigan is no
Sferent.
e tournament setup is relatively
ple. The top five teams in the confer-
e standings get first-round byes
hle the bottom six play each other,
eving eight teams for the second
Egyd.
:. with the Wolverines in a three-way
Sfotr fourth place with Purdue and Penn
e$te, here's the question facing
ithigan coach Sue Guevara: Are they
etter off finishing in the top five, getting
a first-round bye but guaranteeing a
ougi game in the second round? Or
'To~I it be better finishing sixth or sev-
nthin the conference, having to play in
the,#irst round but getting a relatively
sy .game against a conference cellar-
dweller like Minnesota or Northwestern'?
s he bye would leave the Wolverines
well-rested for what would likely be a
ur-versus-five seed matchup in the
second round. But the first-round game
cod give them the victory that would
make the difference between qualifying
for the NCAA tournament or going
home after the Big Ten tournament
When it comes to getting an NCAA
berth - something Michigan has never
done -- the formula is simple: the more
victories, the better.
While insisting that the Wolverines
vant to get a first-round bye, Guevara
s admitted that they might be better
off without it. With just four games left
before the tournament, Michigan needs
at least three victories to be considered
for'the Big Dance. If the Wolverines
don't get those three victories during the
regular season, that first-round game
could be a blessing in disguise.
Some teams don't have to worry
about the dilemma facing Guevara.
linois and Iowa, preseason picks by the
a edia to finish one-two in the confer-
ence, haven't disappointed. Both will
get first-round byes, and have all but
locked up NCAA tournament berths.
But many more teams do share
Guevara's quandary. After Iowa, there's a
five-team logjam. Indiana, with an 8-5
conference record, is a half-game ahead
of Michigan, Purdue and Penn State,
which are all one game above Wisconsin.
Indiana has been the surprise of the
nference. Picked to finish as low as
ninth by the media coming into the sea-
son, the Hoosiers have relied on strong
play from center Quacy Barnes and
guards Kameelah Morgan and Kristi
Green, producing a fierce inside-outside
attack that's tough to defend.
But even Indiana could use more vic-
tories to help impress the NCAA selec-
tion committee, and a first-round game
ould likely provide that. Only
isconsin has already met the magic
number of 18 victories for NCAA con-
sideration.
Michigan State, Northwestern and
Minnesota bring up the bottom of the
standings and will likely play first-round
eames in the Big Ten tournament. Ohio
Buckeyes
continue to
disapp oint
t hasn't been pretty, that's for
sure. The Ohio State men's bas-
ketball team continues to astound,
reaching new depths almost every
time it takes the floor.
The Buckeyes haven't won a Big
Ten game since last season, and it
would be easy to say they might not
do it this season.
Their play in the Big Ten has been
atrocious.
It started off well, as the Buckeyes
looked like they
might knock off
Wisconsin.
The Badgers
were on they
ropes, but they
adjustments
No Bik
0
Ten title?
W1ho cares?
ere we are again. Another
Michigan men's basketball sea-
son and another chance at the
Big Ten title gone by the wayside. If
you feel like you've seen this before
well, you have.
Saturday's frustrating loss to a
Minnesota team that just would not
miss all but eliminated the Wolverines
from contention for the Big Ten regular-
season championship - a title they
haven't won since 1986.
So, why is win-
ning the Big Ten
:....:.so dificultfor a
team that regular-
Sly makes the
NCAA
Tournament?
Good question.
But here's a n A hl
CASEY
LAUGH MAN
Ohio State
Lantern
fought back and
the Bucks turned
the ball over four
times in the last
minute without
getting a shot
off.
better question:
What does it mat-
ter?
DAIN
STILLMAN
Still the
I
Things have
gone downhill since then. The team
was in a hole to start with, losing
Shaun Stonerook, Trent Jackson and
Jermaine Tate. New coach Jim
O'Brien kicked all three off the
team. The hole got deeper when
Damon Stringer suffered a back
injury and was lost for the season.
But the team looked pretty good in
the early going.
They picked up a few wins, stayed
close against Kansas and generally
inspired a feeling of optimism head-
ing into the Big Ten season.
Then it got ugly.
See LAUGHMAN, Page 10
Who needs the M an
Big Ten, anyway?
It's not like the Wolverines can't shock
the world without a Big Ten title. They
did it in 1989 when they marched to an
NCAA championship - after finishing
third in the conference.
In a way, it may be a good thing that
the Wolverines, who now reside in fifth-
place in the conference, three games
behind first-place Michigan State, are
all but out of the Big Ten race.
Yeah. That's it. It's a good thing.
Maybe Michigan could go 12 more
years without winning the Big Ten. That
would be ... spectacular!
It's always nice to win, no matter
See STILLMAN, Page 10
JOHN KRAF/Daily
Neither Ohio State nor Michigan may be fighting for the Big Ten regular-season title when they meet tomorrow, but at
least the Wolverines have the NCAA tournament ... maybe.
i_ a
10 creative
writing
Sat nyu
* Poetry
* Creative Writing
" The Short Story
* College Writing
* International Writing
(for ESL students)
Summv111er
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