The Michigan Daily - Friday, November 13, 1998 - 11 THE MATCHUPS MICHIGAN PASSING OFFENSE VS. WISCONSIN PASSING DEFENSE Lloyd Carr, per his usual routine, has made Wisconsin's defensive backs sound like an entire group of Charles Woodsons. We know better. Tai Streets is on a roll. Edge: Michigan ---------------------M-R----S----------------------- MICHIGAN RUSHING OFFENSE VS. WISCONSIN RUSHING DEFENSE The Badgers are the nation's No. 1 team against the run, and Michigan's offensive line has never fully recovered from early season injuries. N '1 J V 'y Staff Picks - all picks made against the spread. * Guest selectors have been rotating throughout the season. Last week's guest selector was University President Lee Bollinger. Game (HOME TEAM IN CAPS) MICHIGAN (-3) vs. Wisconsin PENN STATE (-24) vs. Northwestern TENNESSEE (-10) vs. Arkansas Florida State (-26) vs. WAKE FOREST FLORIDA (-31) vs. South Carolina Purdue (-1.5) vs. MICHIGAN STATE INDIANA (-4) vs. Minnesota TEXAS A&M (-5.5) vs. Missouri Ohio State (-25) vs. IOWA KANSAS STATE (-10) vs. Nebraska UCLA (-7.5) vs. WASHINGTON OREGON (even) vs. Arizona State Best Bet Last Week (best bet) Overall (best bet) SHARAT RAJU MARK SNYDER JIM ROSE I Edge: Wisconsin --------------------------------------------------------- WISCONSIN PASSING OFFENSE VS. MICHIGAN PASSING DEFENSE Michigan's suspect defensive backfield has one thing going for it this weekend: the erratic arm of Wisconsin quarterback Mike Samuel. If the Badgers could throw the ball, at all, they'd get the edge here. They can't. Edge: Even ---------- ---RI---------- --------------- MIC A R N D WISCONSIN RUSHING OFFENSE VS. MICHIGAN RUSHING DEFENSE Michigan Penn State Tennessee Florida State South Carolina Purdue Indiana Missouri Ohio State Nebraska UCLA Oregon Indiana 6-5-1(1-0) 59-4&2 (6-3) Michigan Penn Statt Tennessee Florida State South Carolina Michigan State Indiana Missouri Ohio State Nebraska Washington Oregon Nebraska 3-8-1(0-1) 44-63-2 (3-6) Michigan Northwestern Tennessee Florida State Florida Purdue Indiana Texas A&M Ohio State Nebraska UCLA Arizona State Nebraska 6-5-1(1-0) 51-56-2 (5-4) Guest Selector Provost NANCY CANTOR Michigan Penn State Tennessee Florida State Florida Michigan State Minnesota Texas A&M Ohio State Kansas State Washington Oregon Michigan 6-5-1(1-0)* 53-55-2 (3-4)* With everything you hear about him, you'd think Ron Dayne was Ron Powlus. The truth is, he's equally overrated. It'll be apparent when he finally plays against a decent rush defense this weekend. ....: Michigan -l ww nfl - - - - fi * w0w f - - - ---------------- wwwarw--- Women's basketball two-steps to Vanderbilt SPECIAL TEAMS The time has come for Jay Feely to start getting the credit he deserves, after a 49-yarder against Penn State ... and Hayden Epstein is terrific ... but Wisconsin's Matt Davenport, a former walk-on, Is the best kicker in this game. f- , i .,, Edge: WsconsIn + "I eS a a - fM/M M~lIMM----tM-MI-MM---UM "r b"--+#i-- IS- -w-Mwl--- -- - M- INTANGIBLES Michigan's overflowing with momentum after last week's win. And let's be honest: If the Wolverines had opened with San Diego St., Ohio and UNLV, they'd be 9-0, too. F Edge: Michigan PREDICTION: MICHIGAN 27, WISCONSIN 21 Ellerbe signs four F4ornstaffreports On the first day of the early signing period for college basketball recruits, the Michigan basketball team snagged four top recruits. The newest class of Wolverines includes forward Leland Anderson and guards Jamal Crawford, Kevin Gaines and Gavin Groninger. All four players are rated among the nation's top 100 seniors by a number of recruiting publications. "Our coaching staff is ecstatic that these young men will be a part of the Michigan basketball family," Michigan basketball coach Brian Ellerbe said. "All four are what I would call 'Michigan Men' in that they are good players, good people and good students. "We really like the chemistry of this group as it is very athletic and very versatile. Each player offers a specific skill to the table." In Anderson, the Wolverines get a 6-foot-8, 260-pound forward from Attleboro, Mass., who averaged 27.6 points and 11 rebounds per game last season for Attleboro High. "Leland Anderson is one of the strongest players in his class, is a tenacious rebounder at both ends of the floor and can play both forward spots" Ellerbe said. Gaines, from Las Vegas, gives Michigan a true point guard. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds, Gaines is one of the top five at his position in the country. Gaines "has great quickness, is an intense competitor and seems to be a natural leader" Ellerbe said. Crawford, a fifth-year senior from Rainier Beach High in Renton, Wash., averaged 23 points, seven rebounds and nine assists per game in 1997-98 as a guard. Crawford "excels in the transition game and is at his best in the open court," Ellerbe said. Groninger, another guard, is 6-foot- 5 and 190 pounds, and is one of the best players in Indiana. "Groninger is probably the best perimeter shooter in the class," Ellerbe said. "He has good size for his position, can create his own shot and can shoot the ball under pressure.' By Urns Subramanan Daily Sports Writer Though midterms are mostly over, the Michigan basketball team has its first exam tonight. For the test, the Wolverines must leave the friendly con- fines of Ann Arbor and instead head to the home of country music, to take on No. 20 Vanderbilt. It's hard to imagine two more differ- ent teams. The Commodores are an experienced team that has just five underclassmen. They are also a team that has had plenty of success in the 1990s, making eight consecutive trips to the sweet sixteen before last year's first- round upset at the hands of UC-Santa Barbara. On the other hand, this season's Wolverines are a young and inexperi- enced team - even the veterans have only seen one NCAA tournament game. But when the teams take the court tomorrow night, past records won't mat- ter. But what will matter is the element of experience - an area where Vandy holds a definite edge. "I think (this game) is going to be the same old story," Michigan coach Sue Guevara said. "We're going to be a little bit smaller and more inexperienced. But, this team isn't afraid of anybody." Michigan heads to Nashville having played two games - well, almost. Last Monday, in a closed exhibition, Michigan scrimmaged the Free Agents - a team of former NCAA players that included three WNBA players. The scrimmage simulated actual game conditions as the teams went head- to-head in two 20-minute halves. They also tacked on some extra game time playing a couple of eight-minute peri- ods. Even though the competition was tough, Guevara was pleased. "I'm happy with the way we played," Guevara said. "We were executing our offense well and our pressure defense created a lot of opportunities for us. We also cut down our turnovers by more than half." In its first exhibition game, the Wolverines faced a hapless Swiss National team that didn't present much of a challenge. Consequently, the game against the veterans gave the team a chance to see how it would actually hold up in the face of competition. "We're getting reading to play against a 2-3 matchup and a pressure defense," Guevara said. "That game was good practice for us. But, like I told the team, the exhibitions were quizzes; (today) is our first exam." Another disadvantage for Michigan is that it is leaving two critical players at home in the windy weather. Anne Lemire, the lone senior, is serving the second game of her three-game suspen- sion for a team violation, and junior Kenisha Walker severely sprained her ankle and may not make the trip. Walker has suffered a season-threat- ening injury early in every season throughout her career at Michigan. The biggest threat from the Commodores' side of the court will appear in the form of a 6-foot-4 center named Katie Janky. Janky, who compris- es the majority of Vanderbilt's post game, is not only dominant in the paint, but can shoot from just about anywhere. In the first minute of the Commodores' exhibition game against Klub Levice - a team from Slovenia --_ Janky scored six points that came from a lay-up in the paint, a shot from the free throw line and a jump shot from just inside 3-point range. Her versatility, good for a big player, makes Janky a dangerous threat to a small Wolverine team that doesn't have a single player over 6-2. But "our post game is starting to come together," Guevara said. "On Monday we were playing against (former Michigan star) Pollyanna Johns and Cheryl Williams. But you never know till you're in a game ... Now it's time to go. It's time to play." FILE PHOTO Michigan guard Stacey Thomas may have already finished her midterms, but her biggest test Is yet to come. The Wolverines face No. 20 Vanderbilt on the road tonight - no more time for cramming. Al lION* SENIOR HISTORY CONCENTRATORS Colloquium sign-up for winter term 1999 is Tuesday, November 17, 9:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. In 1024 Tisch Nab Women's swimming eads to Evanston By Philip Maguran For the Daily Judging from the weather outside this past week, it is a good thing that the pool in Evanston is indoors for the Big Ten All-Star meet to be held omorrow at Northwestern. This will be the Lady Wolverines' second trip to Evanston in two weeks, With the previous trip being for the Northwestern relays on Nov. 1. The defending Big Ten champion Wolverines have a lot to live up to this year. But following an impressive per- formance at the North Carolina Invitational, the team is ready to defend the title, and also to have a stel- lar performance at the NCAAs this pring. Strong meets were had by junior - Shannon Shakespeare, who took home first place in the 100 free, and sopho- mores Missy Sugar and Jen Crisman in the 200 free and 50 free, respective- ly. Michigan won one of the three dual meets, beating South Carolina, but los- ing to powerhouses North Carolina and Minnesota. *9 The Michigan-Minnesota show- down could be a preview of the top two teams in the Big Ten this year. Other Big Ten results posted thus far by Michigan include victories over both Northwestern and Illinois. The majority of the team will get the weekeprind ff- with a*cit fe'w swim. Freshman Kerrianne Kalbko will be competing in the backstroke and free, while fellow freshman Lindsey Carlberg will swim in the back and IM. Senior Jennie Eberwein will also be competing in the 100 free. Each swimmer is looking forward to proving herself as one of the Big Ten's best, and it is a unique opportu- nity for the freshmen to start making an impression early in their careers. The general consensus amongst the Wolverines is that while this year's team may not be the best in recent years, it is definitely the closest. "We are a smaller team this year, but we have more unity. This is the closest we have been in the four years I have been here," Olivadoti said. time to Come Home? CHECK OUT THE DAILY'S MICHIGAN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PREVIEW IN THE NEXT SPORTSMONDAY. m Ma