MEN'S NCAA VASKETBALL 3) Cincinnati at NC CHARLOTTE, inc. (4) Stanford at SOUTHERN CAL, inc. (8) Arizona at ARIZONA ST., inc. California at 12) UCLA. inc. (24) TCU at WYOMING, inc. WOMEN'S NCAA BASKETBALL (4) Georgia at (1) TENNESSEE, inc. Arkansas St. at (5) LA. TECH. inc. (8) Colorado Tech at TCU, inc. (10) UCLA at CALIFORNIA, inc. (12) Clemson at (16) DUKE, inc. West Virginia at (13) RUTGERS, inc ftfe wtmxDali Tracking 'M' teams Don't miss the Michigan track teams, which venture indoors to host Indiana, Michigan State and Kansas in the second indoor track meet of the season for both squads. Races start at noon tomorrow. Friday January 15, 1999 X5::1 ...,.....f ...... The M Boston College transfer ghty Penn MARGARET MYERS/Daily Josh Langfeld and the Michigan hockey team will have their hands full with Ferris State for the third straight game. Last weekend, the Wolverines squeaked out a des sweep of the Bulldogs. F Icers wary of Ferris. Ul Dog Pound leads Buckeye turnaround By Josh Kleinbaum to an 8-22 record, just 1-15 in the P Daily Sports Editor Ten, good enough for last place. James "Scoonie" Penn watched help- But stumbling and Buckeyes are lessly as his Boston College basketball longer synonymous, thanks to Per team fell apart after the 1997 season. When he leads the Buckeyes into Cris First, Penn saw his coach, Jim Arena for a noon game tomorrow, th O'Brien, quit to take over the Ohio State will be 3-1 in the Big Ten, good enou program. Then, with O'Brien gone, most for second place, and 13-4 overall. of the Eagles' prize recruits opted to go "We spent a lot of time worryi elsewhere, too. The outlook was dim for about beating the press last yea the Eagles. O'Brien said. "With Scoonie, we do: So Penn, Boston College's star who have to worry about that. He's goodc averaged 13.1 points and 3.1 assists as a the dribble, has the ability to pull up f sophomore, had to choose: stay or go? the shot, plays hard-nosed defense and "His first question was, 'What about an excellent team leader." me?"' said O'Brien, now in his second Ohio State's turnaround has been not year coaching the Buckeyes. "He had to ing short of remarkable. The Buckey think about his future." are playing their best basketball since t So Penn thought about his future and days of Lawrence Funderburke in t decided that it wasn't in Boston. early '90s, and have even found then O'Brien jumped at the opportunity selves in the top 25 for the first time sin "Once he decided to transfer, I sug- 1993 with a No. 21 ranking. gested he come to Ohio State," O'Brien Despite all that Penn does for the tea said. on the court, it's probably what he do Penn was wary. Born in Salem, Mass., off the court that makes the biggest di the then-sophomore had lived on the ference, although his 14.6 points and 4 East Coast. Ohio? Isn't that just a big, assists per game couldn't hurt. Penn h cold, Midwestern state that you have to quickly become a leader on this Bucke3 drive through to get anywhere? team. Even while redshirting last seaso But Ohio State offered Penn familiar- Penn established himself in that role - ity in O'Brien. If he transferred there, he he was voted as a team captain befo didn't have to take a gamble as to ever playing a game for Ohio State. whether he'd be happy with the visit. O'Brien said that the younger playe On O'Brien's urging, Penn decided to respond well to Penn, and he has tak take an official recruiting visit to Ohio several of them under his wing, inclui State - no commitment, no strings ing last year's Big Ten freshman of th attached. And on that visit in the spring year, Michael Redd, and current fresl of '97, he fell in love with Columbus. man Brian Brown. "He didn't even go home this sum- "He's very positive and very team-or mer," O'Brien said. ented," O'Brien said. "He looks out fc For the past year, Penn sat on the side- everyone, especially the younger guy lines and watched his new team stumble He pushes everyone to do a lot more" Big no nn. ler ey gh ng it," n't off for is h- yes he he m- ce m es [if- .6 as ye )n, re rs en d- he ;h- i- or s. -'' 0 Chris Duprey Daily Sports Writer To Josh Blackburn, Mike Comrie and the rest of the Michigan hockey freshmen: Welcome to the Dog Pound. The Wolverines make the trip to Ferris State tonight to meet the Bulldogs for the third time in eight days, and will be greeted by the rau- cous canine crowd known as the Dog und. Although the name is a copy of the former Cleveland Browns' den, the combination of the Pound and the cramped confines of Eweigleben Ice Arena should make quite an unfriendly atmosphere for the Wolverines - especially the freshmen, who haven't made the trip to Big Rapids yet in their careers. *It's a lot like the old Ohio State arena. It's not your typical college rink," Michigan assistant captain Bobby Hayes said. "They've got a good team. We can't judge a team by what kind of building it plays in." A lot is at stake for Michigan. With a win, the Wolverines will sweep the season series against Ferris State for the third time in the past four years. And Michigan must gather all the stories it can get to keep pace with Michigan State, which leads the CCHA by one point and has played one more game than the Wolverines. Michigan might be able to catch Ferris State a little winded tonight. The Bulldogs had an unusual Tuesday night game at home against Alaska-Fairbanks, scheduled only to accommodate the Nanooks in the midst of a lengthy roa4 swing. While Ferris State was a 4-1 win- ner Tuesday, it might find itself run- ning a little tired should it draw the Wolverines into a high-energy, fast- paced contest tonight. The key for the Wolverines in last weekend's victories was their suc- cess at neutralizing Ferris State's top two scorers, winger Geoff Bennetts and top-line center Kevin Swider. Neither scored a goal, and the Bulldogs' secondary scorers weren't able to produce enough to pick up the slack. "The only thing they get is what we give them," Hayes said. "We just want to go out and play the same game we played the previous two times." Almost lost in the importance of Michigan's road trip to Ferris State is tomorrow night's home contest against Western Michigan. While Michigan is fighting for first place in the CCHA, the Broncos are trying to hold onto eighth place, which also represents the final conference play- off spot.' The Michigan-Western Michigan matchup could be one of many this season. Michigan travels to Kalamazoo for two games in two weeks against the Broncos next month, and the two have a very realistic chance of being paired against each other in the first round of the CCHA playoffs. k , $-L q 4 ' . fa a. AP PHOTO Ohio State guard Scoonle Penn, who transferred from Boston College after the 1997 season, has pumped some life Into Ohio State's basketball team. Guevara, squad look to end three-game skid By Geoff Gagnon Daily Sports Writer One of the most celebrated squads in the Big Ten one month ago, the Michigan women's basketball team has had little to celebrate yet in 1999. Rather than ringing in the New Year, the team has found itself stinging in the New Year. After opening the season with the best start in team history, coach Sue Guevara and her squad have found their momen- tum stalled and will be looking to put an end to the three-game losing skid they've found themselves in as they travel tonight to Madison to face the Badgers of Wisconsin in an important matchup for both teams. Reeling on the heels of a loss to Indiana Sunday night, the Badgers can relate to Michigan's struggles - they've dropped a trio of consecutive conference contests, posting a 2-4 mark in the Big Ten en route to a 7-8 record overall. For Michigan, a team desperately searching for answers, tonight's game will provide an opportunity for redemp- tion after a week of struggle. Guevara and her squad watched a school-best nine-game winning streak be replaced by a losing streak that has baffled critics and befuddled opponents. "I think it shows that, more than any- thing, on any given night anyone in this conference can win," Minnesota coach Cheryl Littlejohn said after her Gophers upended Michigan Sunday night. "You just have to be prepared." And prepared, the Wolverines were not. They faced Littlejohn's team Sunday only to come up short in their second game in as many days after falling to Louisiana Tech in front of a CBS televi- sion audience the previous afternoon. Last weekend's poor performance, coupled with a loss to Illinois the previ- ous week, marked a Wolverine free-fall in the conference standings to the sev- enth spot. In the loss to Minnesota, the Wolverines mustered their poorest offen- sive showing of the year, tallying a mere 44 points. Tonight, Michigan finds itself looking to claw its way back to the top of the conference standings, while hoping to end the team's longest winless streak since 1996. To do that, however, Guevara said she may be forced make some per- sonnel changes. "Maybe I'm going to have to do something with the starting lineup. You know, shake them up," Guevara said. "I just don't know what else to do. We've got to get the freshmen playing because we're not getting any help off the bench." With each of Michigan's four fresh- men having started at least once this sea- son, Guevara is hoping that new combi- nations of players could help ignite a resurgent offensive effort while restoring a Wolverine squad that still has the bulk of its Big Ten season left to play. "We don't have instant energy, we don't have help coming off the bench," Guevara said. "These kids have to be ready to play." More than simply altering the starting lineup, Guevara says she knows that in order to get back on track, the Wolverines will have to concentrate on fundamentals. Not the least of their concerns, according to Guevara, is her team's pass- ing. In committing 19 turnovers against Minnesota, Guevara said ball movement would be addressed in preparation for tonight's game. "Why can't we pass the ball? We had a couple of times we got a steal on the other end, we were coming down on the break and just'hrew it out of bounds," Guevara said. Wherever answers may lie for Guevara and her team, what is known is that tonight's matchup with Wisconsin is sure to be a test. The Badgers, hungry to avenge four conference losses in five tries, welcome Michigan to the new Kohl Center having won nine of the past 10 meetings between these schools. Guevara realizes a win in Madison would provide a lift for her team and she said the players will decide the future of the season. "Good teams know how to refocus for the next day, for the next opponent, Guevara said. "I'll see how smart these Michigan kids really are, I'll see if they respond. Aloha! 'M' netters get away from snow Young blood hits the courts As the Michigan women's tennis team begins its regular dual meet season this weekend, one of the underlying themes of this year's squad will be its youth. The Wolverines are left with no seniors - Jennifer Boylan is a senior, but has junior eligibility. Here's the scoop on this year's squad along with last season's dual-meet record. WI Kiu. AVOID THE HASSLES WORKOUT AT ONE ON ONE: + 1,3,4 and 6 month membership available + 30+ Aerobic classes per week + Free kick boxing lasses + Spinning classes + Area's largest selection of exercise equip- By Raphael Goodstein Daily Sports Writer Aloha, again. [ike many other Michigan sports this t year, the Michigan women's tennis team heads off to the land of leis, Hawai'i, to play three meets in three days. The Wolverines will battle No. 8 Brigham Young tomorrow, followed by Fresno State on Sunday and then the Cougars again on Monday. The Cougars are led in singles by regionally ranked No. 10 Eline Chiew, No. 98 Adrien Alder Jenkins and Gee Garvin. Earlier this season, Chiew advanced to the round of 16 at the ITA National Clay Courts Championship. Garvin also could stifle the Wolverines after winning the singles title at the University of Nevada Las Vegas tAunament. Boylan and freshman Jen Vaughn. Lund finished runner-up at the International Tennis Association (ITA) Midwest Regional Championship. She carries a 5-1 regional record into the meet against Brigham Young. Lund also plays doubles with Hart. The duo is looking to improve upon its disappointing National Clay Courts appearance, when the women were upset in the first round by South Alabama. Lund and Hart started the year ranked eighth in the ITA preseason poll. The two finished last year ranked 25th. Improvement is also on the minds of Boylan and Vaughn. The two netters hope to rebound from the ITA Midwest Regional Championships, in which they posted a 1-2 record. After Hawai'i, the Wolverines will come back to Ann Arbor to face Western Michigan at the Varsity Tennis Center. Juniors (3): Brooke Hart, Jennifer Boylan, Danielle Lund, Erryn Weggenman Sophomore (1): Alison Sinclair, Redshirt Freshmen (2): Maya Canfield, Marya Farah Freshman (): Jennifer Vaughn 1998 Record: (8-6 Big Ten, 11-13 overall) + + + + * + + + + :.t ant Tanning & massage 3-Basketball courts & volleyball 6-Racquetball courts & I -squash court Large free weight area Free yoga classes Cardio-boxing classes The area's top personal training Weight loss program Boxing instruction-private Ladies weight training classes Personalized exercise program Childeare facilities