N. I 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 W rt'. I I = 1A.2- Ull= I 'I ULM=