MEN'S NCAA BASKETBALL (13)MIAMI, FLA. 85, Pittsburgh 52 (14) N. CAROLINA 68, Wake Forest 65 (OT) (19) IOWA 65, Northwestern 48 (22) PURDUE 54, (25) Minnesota 42 WOMEN'S NCAA BASKETBALL (5) Connecticut 105, SYRACUSE 43 (8) Rutgers 88, WEST VIRGINIA 59 (10) NOTRE DAME 89, Miami, Fla. 62 (17) IOWA STATE 84, Missouri 58 (25) Florida Intl. 84, ARKANSAS STATE 64 t 1Jzu cIiuik Check out the Michigan women's tennis team tomorrow night at the Varsity Tennis Center. They face * MiChigan State tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. to begin the Big Ten season. Wednesday February 22, 1999 8 Class Bullock a truneleader for M' Louis Bullock sat silently, toying with the sheet of paper in front of him. He didn't want to look at it, but at the ame time he couldn't avert his eyes. You can't blame him. The box score from Michigan's loss to Michigan State last week was not a pretty sight. The Spartans handed Michigan a 15-point loss, and notched their first victory in Crisler Arena since Bullock arrived in Ann Arbor. Even more discouraging was the fact that Bullock's first home loss to the hated Spartans seemed like it was played in East Lansing, with Michigan State fans packing the upper reaches of Crisler Arena. The soft-spoken captain was diplo- matic after the game, thanking the; Michigan fans for their support. AN nice gesture, considering they sat idlez while chants of "C-B-A" from the Michigan State fans rained down upon Bullock in his own building. But such gratitude is no surprise. Bullock has been a class act all sea- ANDY son. LATACK He spends the entire game battling Counter defenders who grab, push and check Latack him - before he even gets the ball. Everyone in the building knows that Bullock is the Michigan offense, and he nevertheless man- ages to get open and score over 20 points per game. Still, the most impressive thing about Bullock cannot be seen from the stands. It takes place in tiny rooms, far removed from the court, in Crisler and places like Assembly Hall and Cameron Indoor Stadium. This is where Bullock patiently endures questions about each Michigan loss, from Sunday's two-point heartbreaker against Indiana to December's 44-point drubbing by Duke. Just once, you want to see him vent some anger. Blast his teammates. Criticize the officiating. Snap at a reporter. You or I would have done it long ago. Yet Bullock never loses his cool. No matter how disap- pointing the loss, the team leader finds cause to be optimistic. And so he talks about what the Wolverines did well. He compliments his teammates. Even when he admits that a loss is discouraging - as he did after the Michigan State game - he does with a compo- sure that could be mistaken for indifference. But Bullock cares, deeply, about this team. It would be so easy for him to take a rest from being the go-to-guy, even for just a game. With the way opposing teams zero in on him, he could just chalk it up to good defense. Instead, Bullock works so hard to get open that by the time he does get the ball, its a wonder he can do anything with it. After the game, Bullock's attitude is equally impressive. He admits that this isn't how he envisioned his final days as a Wolverine, yet still he keeps his chin up. And forgotten amidst the disappointment of this year is the fact that Michigan is losing a truly great player. So Crisler fans take note: Tonight is Bullock's last home game. He has given himself to Michigan basketball for four years, and never more so than in this tumultuous season. Unless you're a diehard, this is your last chance to see him play. You don't want the disaster against the Spartans to be his final memory of Crisler Arena. Got a midterm tomorrow? Lou has midterms, too. In fact, this season Lou's had papers, exams and CRISP appoint- ments, just like all the rest of you. The difference is that he hasn't given up on the season, even though everyone else has. Even though he won't tell you himself, you owe it to Sweet Lou to show up and say goodbye tonight. -Andy Latack can be reached via e-mail at latack@umich.edu. UNSTOPPABLE FORCE BY UMA SUBRAMANIAN DAILY SPORTS WRITER Anne Thorius can't get enough of basket- ball. No matter how much she watches t, or how much she plays it, she's always ready for more. With Michigan's 1998-99 season winding down, and NCAA Tournament hopes ques- tionable, some would say that basketball was over for the year. Not Thorius. "I love basketball," the Michigan gurad said. "Even during the summer when you're supposed to take a break, I just can't. I have to go practice. My friends and I meet up every day just to play. "I can't live without it." Thorius grew up playing the game in the relaxed atmosphere cultivated in Denmark. The Danish view the game as just that - a game. In Denmark, basketball is not a profession, nor is it a billion dollar industry. As a result, basketball and sports in general are viewed more as social gatherings than as competitive outings. The life of a potential collegiate basketball player is also different in Scandanavia. Young players don't play in schools, instead they play in clubs that only practice three times a week. "I remember the first year I was there, after a game the team sat in the sauna and drank soda pop. It was a real social thing." said Michigan assistant coach Eileen Shea, who coached Thorius' club team for three years. Also, the players are on the court entirely because they want to be. "The parents over there are a lot different," Shea said. "The whole makeup is different. The kids did it because they wanted to, not because their parents pressed them into it. Nobody's trying to be better than anybody else. It's more of a team thing." But though she grew up in an environment where basketball was only a minor part of life, Thorius wanted to make it more. After going as far as possible with her club Michigan forward Brandon Smithand his teammates are playing for the ninth-seed in the Big Ten tourna- ment. LOUIS BROWN/Daily team at home, Thorius spent her senior year of high school at a school in Sweden that had an excellent basketball program. Basketball wasn't always the obvious choice. Before discovering the sport, Thorius tried out several other sports including soccer, badminton, swimming and European hand- ball. Finally, one day while shooting around in the gym after watching her brother play, somone noticed. "One day this lady was like, 'Anne you should try and play,"' Thorius said. Since then, she hasn't looked back. Through it all, Thorius has made a number of fans. But the three people most devoted to her game are her parents and brother. In Denmark, they attended every game, even drove all across Europe to watch her play. Even now, separated by 4,000 miles and one very large ocean, Thorius' family is still actively involved in her basketball career. "Her parents are always really good sup- porters;' Shea said. "Her dad really got into it, and would drive everyone everywhere. He follows all the games on the Internet. Her mom said she can't sleep at night until she knows how the game went. "We have a deal where he gives me money and I go out and buy blank video tapes and make a copy of every game and send them to him. They want the team to do well, it's not just about Anne. " Thorius' parents also try to attend games at least once a year, most recently witnessing Michigan's matchup against Lousiana Tech back in January. Michigan is well known throughout Denmark. "When the Fab Five were here, there were Chris Webber shirts all over Denmark," Thorius said. "The first time I came over, I bought five Michigan shirts and sold them right away. "There was a little girl that said 'Anne, Anne I want your shirt.' I was like 'I'm sorry I can't give you my jersey, but I"11 buy you a shirt."' But though Thorius was exposed to life in Ann Arbor, when she first arrived she had what could best be described as culture shock. "It was kind of an adjustment for her when she came over here;' Michigan coach Sue Guevara said. "She didn't know where BFE was. That's what the kids would say, and I said 'I'm not going to explain that to her. Someone else is going to have to explain that to her.' "But she's adjusted really well. She's very independent. I'm really glad she's here." Thorius also found another element of life in the United States a little bizarre - dating. "In Denmark, you don't see people asking each other out even to go eat," Thorius said. "You usually don't end up with a boyfriend unless you hook up at a party first." Thorius said she prefers the American sys- tem. Over the past year and a half, Thorius has not only adjusted to life in the United States, but has also developed into an on-the-court leader. She can't stop practicing, and that's been good for her game. 1998-99 was a breakout season for her, and over the course of the win- ter, she has developed into what Guevara called "the most consistent player." Thorius and teammate Stacey Thomas are the backbone of the team. The tandem com- bine to generate the majority of Michigan's offense, but more importantly they set the examples for others to follow. "She's so awesome as a point guard," Thomas said. "She's so unselfish. That's what you love about point guards. Anne can see the floor and she's determined. She's just a great Basketbe 0 Michigan guard Anne Thorius can't get enough basketball, no matter what time * of year. DANA INNANE/Daily all-around player. "She's the floor general out there and can take over at any time. She's got great leader- ship abilities." During this regular season, Thorius aver- aged 11 points per game. But the most telling statistic is the 115 assists she dished out in the four months. Off the court, in her limited free time, Thorius cannot get enough of sports - espe- cially college basketball. With March Madness on the horizon, most people get ready for an intense dosage of bas- ketball. For Thorius that's all year long. ~li ockes for tourney position By Josh Kleinbaum Daily Sports Editor Break out the horses and let the jockeying begin. With just two games left in the regular season and the Big Ten Tournament looming eight days away, the Michigan men's basketball team's meeting with Penn State tonight at Crisler Arena at 8 p.m. isn't just another battle between two lower division conference teams. Tournament seeds are on the line. The Wolverines (4-10 Big Ten, 10- 17 overall) and Nittany Lions (3-11, 11-13) are in ninth and 10th place in the conference, respectively. On the line tonight? Nothing less than the all-important ninth seed. In all likelihood, barring any upsets in the team's final games, tonight's winner will earn a No. 9 seed, while the loser must settle for No. 10. But do the Wolverines really want to win this game? A victory means the Wolverines get the dubious distinction of facing Northwestern in the Big Ten tour- ney's first round, complete with its beast of a center, Evan Eschmeyer. When the two teams met earlier this season in Evanston, Michigan found itself unable to defend Eschmeyer en route to an embarrassing 58-34 loss, one of Michigan's worst of the sea- son. The sixth-year senior scored 29 points, 15 of them from the free throw line, 0% Fat and proud of it! r Cut the fat out of your budget You'II be in and out in no time * Automated Self-Serve *Resumes while you wait * Color copies in no time " Report binding in minutes Do you have a BACHELOR'S DEGREE? We need you! 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No less than mighty top-seeded Michigan State, ranked third in the country, will likely be the next matchup. But a loss could give Michigan an* easier path in the tournament. If the Wolverines take the tenth seed, they will likely face Minnesota, a team they've already beaten at home and almost upset on the road. After that? Ohio State, another team Michigan has knocked off before. But Michigan coach Brian Ellerbe insists that the Wolverines aren't looking ahead to the tournament, and are just working on winning the rest of their games. "We haven't really looked ahead," Ellerbe said. "It'll shape up on its own. What's important for us is to do some things (on the court) that may enhance our -chance to be a Cinderella tournament team." But Ellerbe is looking at tonight's game. The Lions already beat Michigan in what Ellerbe called "one of our poorest performances"0 last January in State College by beat- ing Michigan, 70-52. "It was very difficult to watch," Ellerbe said. "We were very flat." The Lions pose a potent inside- outside threat with center Calvin Booth, guards Joe Crispin and Dan Earl and forward Titus Ivory. "They remind me of us last year," Ellerbe said. "They surround Calvin with two or three great shooters." READ THE DAILY'S COVERAGE OF THE BIG TEN BASKETBALL ToURKAMENTS. There's a whole world out there! Explore it with Contiki- The #1 tour for 18,35 year olds An Exceptional Experience for eptional People. Become Part of "The Starbucks Expeience"! If you have a passion for providing outstanding customer service in a dynamic and innovative environment, apply in rr,Prn nt'. i (n,r C ngn r., mcpfo~ r h rlynnnrti ,itic, in riAnn Arbor market- Live with British students in the very center of Oxford as an Associate Student of a medieval Oxford college. EUROPE: