1I Hockey top 10 online Schigan ranks fifth in the latest SCHO hockey poll. Go to the Daily sports website to see how the new top 10 shake out. PIdigoN TUESDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2000 9 michigandaily.com/sports I. * tage against Cleaves stays a Spartan icon she Maize Rage takes on Izzone By Jacob Wheeler Daily Sports Editor EAST LANSING - Yesterday at Tom Izzo's weekly press conference, the Michigan State coach tried to imag- ine life at the Breslin Center next sea- son without heralded senior Mateen Cleaves. "I told my coaches in a meeting, 'Life is not going to be as good without him around," Izzo said, reflecting on the Spartans' catalyst who has sparked Michigan State's re-emergence among college basketball's elite. "He is one of the best players ever at Michigan State and in the Big Ten. How will we keep a guy like that all four years in the future?" Another point guard has come through East Lansing and dazzled col- lege basketball with no-look passes which have pushed the Spartans deep into the NCAA Tournament every March. Earvin "Magic" Johnson's smiling face still peers up from the Red Cedar River on campus. But these days, very few marquee players stay for their senior season. In Cleaves and fellow senior Morris Peterson, Izzo has retained two of the puzzle pieces from the team that reached the Final Four last season. That means that going back to the Big Dance is more than an attainable goal for Michigan State - it's an expectation. If the Spartans aren't one f four teams in Indianapolis on April 3, the last chance for the dynasty that Izzo built mostly out of players from Flint will be considered a failure. Cleaves scared the Spartan faithful before the season when he suffered a stress fracture in his right foot, because they knew Michigan State wasn't a Final Four-caliber team without him. Without Cleaves on the court during the season's first 13 games, the Spartans struggled. They finished 9-4 in the non conference season and lost in embarrassing fashion at Wright State a week before Cleaves returned. The point guard returned for the Big Ten opener on Jan. 5. But Cleaves did- n't play at full strength immediately. After just 21 minutes against Penn State, his playing time slowly increased each game, and the Spartans regained last year's confidence accordingly. . Cleaves put on a show this past Sunday against Illinois, leaving no doubt that his defensive intensity and determination to find Michigan State's best shot on offense are back. "I feel better," the point guard said, after scoring 13 points and dishing out 12 assists in the 91-66 victory. "I think this is the best game we've played since I've been back." Cleaves looked like an All-American again, driving through a hole in the Illinois defense for a pretty layup, forc- ing a turnover on the ensuing stand and finding teammate Peterson for three. His return to form as one of the best guards in the nation came just in time for the Spartans, who face archrival Michigan tonight in Ann Arbor and host No. 6 Connecticut on Saturday. The Michigan State fans, aware that their beloved Spartans could leapfrog the preseason No. 1 Huskies and land back in the top five with two victories this week, chanted "We want UConn" as time ran out on the Illini on Sunday. But first come the Wolverines. Cleaves and junior Charlie Bell will face down a couple of freshman guards, Kevin Gaines and Jamal Crawford. who, until the Indiana deba- cle a week ago, have had no trouble scoring this season. By Mark Francescutti Daily Sports Editor The last time the Spartans and Wolverines met on the Crisler Arena court remains a black hole for many Michigan basketball fans. For one night, Feb. 18, 1999, Sparty fans ruled Ann Arbor. The Izzone, th' Michigan State fan club, sent several busloads of Spartan- friendly fans south to cheer on their team's 73-58 victory over the Wolverines. Michigan State not only clinched the Big Ten title in the process, but embarrassed the home crowd, as the Spartan fans outcheered the Michigan faithful. Rows of Michigan State fans lined Crisler seats, and when the game fell out of reach, cries of"We own Crisler" were audible throughout the rafters. "The Michigan fans must have been so embarrassed," said Michigan State sophomore Steve Young, also a member of the Izzone. "The Michigan fans could hardly hear their own cheersi" This past November, the Michigan Athletic Department tried to ensure a Michigan atmosphere when it placed a four-ticket purchasing limit for tonight's Michigan State game. To prevent further intrusion, the department took 2,4(X) remaining tickets offthe market in late November. In December, ticket sales resumed, but only for Michigan students and staff who showed an M-Card at time of purchase. Michigan Marketing Director Tom Brooks deemed the ,ampaign a success, as he expects a full pro-Michigan crowd at the game. H is d partment also has sev- eral pronotional giveaways, including 5,000 Jamal Crawford-style white head- bands and a chance for a lucky student to win a car or a free Michigan tuition. The Maize Rage, 400 members larger this season, also has a few select activities planned, including handing out 7-Eleven Big Gulp cups -to taunt Michigan State point guard Mateen Cleaves since he was arrested for shoplifting at a 7-Eleven last year - and a special two-page edition of the Full Court Press - its newsletter. "I'm not going to class,' LSA senior Jason McMann said. "We need a couple hours to prepare and to paint faces. I did- n't come to Michigan because I like Intro to Psychology. I came here because I like Michigan basketball." But will the Izzone make an encore infiltration of Crisler this year? The group will hold a pep rally outside of Crisler Arena before the game. Some Michigan State fans even plan to travel to Ann Arbor without tickets. "I know there will be a bunch of us, maybe 100 or so, tailgating outside Crisler," said Michigan State freshman Sean Galvin, an Izzone member. The Izzone won't blanket Crisler as easily this time around due to the new Michigan ticket policy. "We were thinking about doing it again, but because of the ticket limit, we couldn't," Galvin said. "Most of us com- ing down won't have tickets. No one I know has tickets." Several Izzone members denied reports that more than 1,000 Michigan State fans would try to engulf the pep rally, despite Izzone president Kevin Udy telling the Ann Arbor News yesterday that "We will take over Crisler again." The Izzone is planning a bus trip to Wisconsin with 200-300 members for Michigan State's game against the Badgers next week. "Wisconsin is one of the schools that was stupid enough to sell us a lot of tick- ets," Izzone member Cary Grimm said. "We would have snatched (tickets) up at Michigan too, but it wouldn't let us." LOUIS BROWN/Daiy Senior All-America point guard Mateen Cleaves (12) dissected Michigan last year at Crisler Arena in a 73-58 Spartan victory. Cleaves had 19 points in the game. On the other hand, Gaines and Crawford obviously have never tried to guard or penetrate past cleaves bef ore. "I'm a little older so I know more tricks," the most prolific Spartan said about facing Michigan's freshmen. "If a guy doesn't know me yet, I want him to get to know me real well." Cleaves has been Michigan's Achilles' heel ever since he turned down a chance to play for the Wolverines. Cleaves lit up the Michigan dcfense in two Michigan State wins last season, scoring 25 points in an 81-67 win in East Lansing, and then scoring 19 points in a 73-58 victory in Ann Arbor. r aWith new faces, gymnasts vault near top of polls By Sarah Ensor Daily Sports Writer Benjamin Disraeli once said that "almost everything that is great has been done by youth." He must have been thinking of the Michigan women's gymnastics team. Many outside observers expected this to be a rebuilding season for the No. 3 Wolverines, the 1999 national runners-up. Michigan lost five seniors to graduation, including five-time All-American Nikki Peters, three-time All- American Beth Amelkovich and Big Tin All- Around Champion Lisa Simes. The current roster of 16 gymnasts includes four freshmen and five sophomores. Even those who believed in Michigan's chance for success this season assumed that it would take some time for the new gymnasts to reach their potential. What gymnastics fans did not expect was the caliber and competitiveness of this new crop of Wolverines. Four of the sophomores and three of the freshmen have stepped into the heat of the battle, ranking among the team leaders in almost every statistical category. In Michigan's commanding 197.5-192.05 victory over Kentucky Friday night, the under- classmen quickly made their presence felt. Freshman Tara Tagliarino delivered a career- best performance on the uneven bars, scoring a 9.925 on her way to first-place honors. She was followed by sophomores Melissa Peterson and Shannon MacKenzie on the balance beam. who scored 9.95 and 9.875, respectively, to fin- ish first and third in the event. "I continue to be impressed with the fresh- men and sophomores,' Michigan coach Bev , Plocki said after the meet. "So many of these routines are in the lineup for the first time this year, and they continue to go out there week after week and really go after it." Peterson, one of the few sophomores to compete as a freshman last season, agreed. "It's very hard losing over half of your rou- tines (to graduation)," Peterson said. "But with the strength of our freshmen, we've been able to replace those. Everyone has been working very hard because we know we have to step it up. Freshman Janessa Grieco has been one of those "stepping it up" since day one. She ranks in the top three on the team on the vault, bal- ance beam and floor exercise - consistently scoring at least a 9.8 on each apparatus. She is ranked in the top 10 regionally on both the vault and the floor exercise. Sophomores Amy Kuczera and Jodie Rosenberg have demonstrated an equal propensity for success. Rosenberg finished second on the floor exercise in the Wolverines' win over Michigan State earlier this season. Meanwhile, Kuczera routinely ranks among Michigan's leaders in the uneven bars. The outstanding performances of the fresh- men and sophomores have been recognized and appreciated by the coaches and gymnasts. "It's great to watch (the underclassmen), and motivating to the rest of the team," junior Karina Senior said. "There are a lot of people who didn't get to compete last year. We had big people last year, and they left, so now people have their chance to shine - and they're shin- ing." With the performances of the Michigan underclassmen helping the Wolverines achieve the two highest team scores in the nation yet this year, there is no telling how far this team can go. "I am very excited about what the future holds for us because of the way they're com- peting;' Plocki said. "If they continue to com- pete the way they do, we'll get better." SAM HOLLENSHEAD/Daily A large youth movement has been a crucial reason for the Eichigan women's gymnastics team's surprising success. Swimmers alter routine for Big Ten finals By Benjamin Singer Daily Sports Writer All season long, the importance of - al meets has been downplayed and referred to as "stepping stones" for the Big Ten Championship by the Wolverines. Last Saturday against Indiana was more than a stepping stone - it was a simulation. The swimming Big Ten Championships - which will take place in Ann Arbor Feb. 24-26 - is on the horizon and is Michigan's top pri- oritv. Previously this season at Canham *atatorium, Michigan raced in events measured by meters instead of yards, in preparation for the Summer Olympics. For the first time in a home meet this season, Michigan used yards as the benchmark. "We're going to stay with yards now until after the Big Ten Championship because the Big Ten is going to be in yards," Michigan coach Jon Urbanchek said. "We might as well get used to it." Splitting the meet up into two sepa- rate sessions, with one starting at 10 a.m. and the other at 5 p.m., is another attempt to imitate the championship format. "It's preparation for the Big Ten Championship because you have morning and night," Urbanchek said. "It's important for these guys to be able to go two times in one day." The home meet against Michigan State and Ohio State next week was originally scheduled the same way, but the visitors decided against it so they could go home earlier on Saturday. Past dual meets had only 13 events, but in these two sessions the teams competed in a total of 19. The 800 freestyle is the only race the teams did not swim Saturday that will be at the Championship. The Wolverines did more than change the meet's format. "This meet gave people an opportu- nity to swim their second and third events because everybody is going to enter three events in the Big Ten Championship," Urbanchek said. Michigan also used this meet to test its weakness - relays. This was the first time that Michigan had its best combination of swimmers for its relays. "Three of the four relays were at their season's best time, which gives us a very good seed for the Big Ten Championship," Urbanchek said, "That was one of our goals today." Senior tri-captain Scott Meyer and freshman Tony Kurth were on all three of the relays that finished first for Michigan. Their fourth relay team was disqualified because Meyer dove too soon during the 400 medley. "It's a mental mistake and it hap- pens," Urbanchek said. "No big deal." Such errors will be ironed out before the championship now that the relay teams will be working more together. "Like I said earlier this year, our relays are going to be improved a great deal his year versus last year," Urbanchek said. "I think the biggest improvement I see will be the relays because of the addition of Kurth and (freshman Garrett) Mangieri." The Michigan men' s swimming team has been changing its rou- tine in prepara- tion for the upcoming Big Ten Championship, to be held in Ann Arbor next month. JOANNA PAINE/ Daily ~- -~ ~ T hursdays 7-9 p.m. FEBRUARY 3, 10, 17r24 r 662-5189 or 763-9044 UMifedto12particpaS. t pekt*QiuW Hoim~ 8 2 uoM ipnsored by Guild House and UM Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs b s CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEB DESIGN AT WWWMICD "'m a Am mN -,~ .... . .