MEN'S NCAA
BASKETBALL
East Region
(1) NO. CAROLINA 88,
(16) Navy 52
(11) Washington 69,
(6) XAVIER 68
(8) UNC-CHAR. 77,
(9) Illinois-Chicago 62
(14) Richmond 62,
(3) SO. CAROLINA 61
(7) INDIANA 94,
(10) Oklahoma 87 (OT)
(5) PRINCETON 69,
(12) UNLV 57
(4) MICHIGAN ST. 83
(13) E. Michigan 71.
(2) CONNECTICUT 93,
(15) F. Dickinson 85
West Region
(4) MARYLAND 82,
(13) Utah State 68
(2) CINCINNATI 65.
(15) No. Arizona 62
(5) ILLINOIS 64,
(12) So. Alabama 51
(10) West Virginia 82,
(7) TLMPLE 52
SrIF s
Tourney
time
TwiCe is
n1Ce for
f
women s5k"
basketball a r,'?
By B.J. Luria
Daily Sports Writer
They've dreamed about it.
They've talked about it. They've
planned for it." ra
Now itfstime for the members of
the Michigan women's basketball
team to play in it.
'It,' of course, is the women's"
NCAA Tournament, March
Madness, the Big Dance. The
Wolverines will make their second-
ever appearance in the tournament
when they face No. 25 UCLA (19-8 )..
in Tuscaloosa, Ala., at tonight at 7.
The Wolverines (19-9) have come '
a long way in the two years that
coach Sue Guevara has led the team.
In the four years preceding
Guevara's arrival in Ann Arbor, .)
Michigan went a combined 5-63 inf
the Big Ten.r
After a marginal improvement in
Guevara's first season at Michigan, 2
the Wolverines have blossomed this
year, posting a 10-6 record in the
Big Ten. _
This year's seniors played the first
under former coach Trish Roberts,
who never won morethan three Big
have received a 10th seed at the ,.
NCAA Tournament.{
"P.J. was saying before that this just}
wipes out those first two years, senior5
co-captain Molly Murray said of her ".
fellow senior, Pollyanna Johns. ,' E
The Wolverines will need large con-
tributions from both players if they hopea
to keep playing after tonight. Johns led
Michigan in scoring all season, putting MARGARET MYERS/Daily
up 17.5 points and pulling down nearly Michigan forward Maceo Baston worked on his shot and a new look -- yesterday during warmups at the Georgia Dome in
See BRUINS, Page 16 Atlanta. Baston shaved his head in preparation for the NCAA Tournament.
M' icers begin run for CCHA crown
Making a Deal,
Souther-style
By James Goldstein
Daily Sports Writer
Walking through the Georgia Dome for the NCAA South Region's media day par-
allels the feeling of participating in the game show "Let's Make a Deal."
Lots of curtains and doors - with some helpful, and some superfluous, things
behind them.
The day consists of running back and forth between the media interview room-
where coaches and players give mostly cliche answers to cliche questions, with even-
the good questions provoking cliche answers - and the court, to watch the play4
practice.
Getting from one location to the other, however, isn't as simple as it may seem.
Upon entering the stadium - a building better suited for football than basketball
-you can't help but be overwhelmed by the mammoth size of the arena.
"This place is huge," Michigan's Robert Traylor said.
The stadium can hold more than 70,000 fans - 40,628 for basketball. So, for the,
tournament games, a large black curtain that extends the diameter of the stadium
hangs from the ceiling.
Please tell the contestant what's behind curtain No. I!
... Qf course. Here's where you'll be able to watch the games. The stadium is sooo
large that we had to split the seating area in half leaving thoip
-sands of seats unused.
Basketball Then, you have to go through another curtain, like the wiz-
Cometard's drapery in The Wizard of Oz, to find the media-related
mn facilities, which are also separated by more curtains, this time
----------------blue.
And behind curtain No. 2!
... Well, for all you reporters who thrive on statistics - you' lbe enthralled by the
piles and piles of team media and postseason guides containing everything from
Kentuckv's 27-0 record when leading with five minutes left in the game to UCLA's list
of 23 mottos on team attitude.
But hold on - the Wildcats' and coach Tubby Smith's press conference is abo4
to begin.
Just the names alone of some of the coaches here are enough to talk about. You've
got a Tubby, a Bruiser (Massachusetts's Bruiser Flint), a Cy (South Carolina State's
Cy Alexander) and a Spoon (the nickname of St. Louis's Charlie Spoonhour).
Time for the press conference - but what's the best way to get there?
Of course. It's as direct as a walk down the hall, a left turn past the video distribu-
tion area, down a platform to the dark, behind-the-scenes corridors of the Georgia
Dome, dodging the workers driving forklifts around the bend and, finally, through
a door that's almost hidden.
Kentucky guard Jeff Sheppard, whose injured ankle was a topic of media inter-,
est, perfectly summed up the atmosphere of Media Day.
"I don't know anything generic that hasn't been said to you guys, Sheppa
said.
Thank you, Jeff, at least you're honest.
And on through another curtain.
Lastly, behind curtain No. 3!
... OK, it's the Media Hospitality Room - where media members can stuffthem-
selves with snacks and drinks for their dining pleasure.
Funny, the soda fountain contains Pepsi, in a city practically financed by Coke,
See WILDCATS, Page 16
By Pranay Reddy
Daily Sports Writer
The run for a championship in any
sport consists of a series of steps.
Each new plateau is higher than the
previous one, culminating in a final
peak.
.For the Michigan hockey team, the
initial climb began with a surprising-
ly successful regular season. Phase
one ended with a second-place finish
in the CCHA.
Tonight, phase two begins for the
Wolverines (22-7-1 CCHA, 28-9-1
overall), when they face Notre Dame
in the first round of the CCHA play-
offs.
Michigan will square off against
the seventh-s'eeded Fighting Irish
(12-14-4, 17-17-4) in a best-of-three
series at Yost Ice Arena.
The series winner will then move
on to the CCHA semifinals next
Friday at Joe Louis Arena, with the
conference final played the follow-
ing night.
The week-long tournament pre-
cedes the NCAA West Regionals,
which will be held at Yost.
With such a disjointed process fac-
ing the Wolverines, it's no wonder
Michigan coach Red Berenson refers
to the upcoming month as the "sec-
ond season."
"It's a new season, and you don't
want to spend time looking back on
the good things you accomplished
during the season," Berenson said.
"The playoffs are a short season in
which every game could be the last
game. We have to get into that mind-
set."
The do-or-die pressure present in
every game from here on out magni-
fies the importance of every minute
on the ice.
"Every little thing becomes a big
thing now," Berenson said. "Every
shot, every faceoff, every possession
becomes crucial."
But for a team that's won 12 of 16
games decided by one goal, experi-
ence during intense games won't be a
concern for Berenson.
With a different Wolverine step-
ping up every night and superhuman
goaltending efforts by Marty Turco,
Michigan has found a way to come
out on top in close contests.
The one-goal games have "been
like a practice for the playoffs,"
Berenson said. "We've been in so
many tight games, and (lone well,
that the playoffs shouldn't be any
different."
Berenson must have had tonight's
opponent in mind when he said the
Wolverines could expect more close
games in the playoffs. Two of
Michigan's one-goal victories have
come against Notre Dame, most
See IRISH, Page 17
Literary
Magazine
Reception
The Michigan Daily
and
Cava Java
would like to invite the public
.r. . " -W