I Soccer recruits The women's soccer team signed four recruits for the 2000 season. Take a look at the newest Wolverines. 3AW) Lg michigandaily.com /sports FRIDAY FEBRUARY 11, 2000 10" ,4, 1 1 Hoosier 9: invasion Groninger gets another crack at Indiana By Jacob Wheeler Daily Sports Editor JESSICA JOHNSON/Daily Junior Scott Matzka said Michigan "needs to get a little roll going (against Western Michigan) and get some momentum" in order to earn an NCAA berth. CCHA leaders, in mUst-wln scenano By Uma Subramanian Daily Sports Writer In mid-February 1998, the Michigan hockey team was in the driver's seat in the CCHA-conference race heading into the final stretch of regular season play. Heading into this weekend's series with Western Michigan, the scenario is the same. In 1998, the Wolverines were in first place in the standings with Michigan State close on Tof their heels. With three YOSTl weeks left, the teams' fates Who: No. were to be decided in a two- 1) rs. Weste game series that pitted No. 1 14-3) against No. 2. When: 7:35 Michigan State came out p.m. Sarrd victorious in both contests Latest: To v going on to claim the regu- crown. Mid lar season and tournament ackon the conference crowns. But Michigan fans don't remember that. Why would they? After all, that year Michigan overcame all odds and won the NCAA Championship, silencing every critic. This year, with four weeks left in the season, Michigan (15-5-1 CCHA, 20-7-1 overall) has become the team to beat. Last weekend with a victory over Ferris State on Friday, the Wolverines clinched a CCHA playoff berth. Crunch time begins now. The Wolverines host the Broncos this weekend for the first time this season. The puck will drop at 7:35 p.m. on Friday and 7:05 p.m. on Saturday. f Even though Western may seem like a weaker opponent after having been oblit- erated by Northern Michigan, 6-3 and 7- 1, with seven games left in conference play, the Wolverines cannot relinquish anything. They must win every contest in order to experience what only the current senior class has ever done - win a CCHA crown. "We haven't been in this position my EN Ic 5M w first two years," Michigan junior center Mark Kosick said. "It's exciting; at this time last year Michigan State pretty much had (the conference title) all wrapped up. This year we have a chance to get first place which is huge." Standing in the Wolverines' way are Northern Michigan (14-4-2, 19-7-2) and Michigan State (13-7-1, 18-9-2) - teams that currently occupy the number two and three spots in the conference respectively. 4lGHT And in a series that has :E ARENA huge CCHA post-season Aichigan (20.7- implications, the n Michigan (9- Spartans and Wildcats face off twice this week- .m. toa y, 7:05 end in East Lansing. The ideal scenario for the itheCCHA Wolverines would be a on must get series split or a pair of inning track. ties. But Michigan can pray as much as it wants for a particular outcome, but none of it will matter if the Wolverines can't take care of business at home against the Broncos. "This is an exciting weekend," junior forward Scott Matzka said. "We've got to take care of ourselves. Now is the time to start going and getting better. "We need to get a little roll going and get some momentum. If we win this weekend and win next weekend, then it's not just our league, but the country we must focus on" The last couple of weeks, Michigan has struggled offensively failing to con- vert on numerous opportunities - a rather strange scenario for one of the country's most prolific offenses. Part of that may have been fueled by a slew of injuries that held three of Michigan's top forwards - Josh Langfeld, Mark Kosick and Geoff Koch - out of last Saturday's loss to Ferris. This weekend, Kosick and Koch have been placed back on the roster, but Langfeld's absence caused the Michigan coaches to shift the lines around in the hopes of finding more offense. "The last three games we've been struggling to score," Matzka said. "Things have gotten a little stale and they decided to switch it up a bit. We just have to score the goals." All week long the coaches have stressed the importance of the weekend seies. The players understand. "We have to win our games," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "It's as simple as that. We're in control of our own destiny; we don't have to hope that someone wins or loses. Our challenge is to play better than we've played and to win our home games." Have you ever' seen the movie Hoosiers? Set in 1951, the classic film about small-town high school basketball in Hickory, Ind. exposes a state's addiction to the game of roundball. Basketball means everything to Hickory coach Norman Dale, played by Gene Hackman, an ex-college coach who needs a fresh start in a town where no one knows him. Hickory soon discovers how intense and passionate Dale is on the court. Hackman's controversial, yet heroic character has become a household name in Indiana, igniting basketball dreams in kids born and raised in the Hoosier state - like current Michigan guard Gavin Groninger. Groninger grew up in Plainfield, Ind. - 45 minutes away from Indianapolis - watching Hoosiers, his favorite movie, every chance he got. It pumped him up; it brought tears to his eyes. And by the time Groninger began playing basketball at Plainfield High School, the movie and the state-wide atmosphere Hoosiers induced, had turned him into an excellent shooter. Indiana is known for its great shoot- ers, past and present. The Pacers' Reggie Miller has spent most of his NBA career in an unconscious zone from behind the three-point arch in Market Square Arena. Indiana's best player, A.J. Guyton, is feared for his shooting touch. But Groninger, the runner-up for Indiana's Mr. Basketball as a senior at Plainfield High, opted elsewhere when it came time for college ball. He turned down Indiana coach Bobby Knight - the real-life Norman Dale with similar motivational tactics and a legendary temper - and Purdue coach Gene Keady, two men who have experienced plenty of success during their tenures. Instead Groninger came to Michigan to play for Brian Ellerbe, the third-year coach who's as nimble-legged as a spring chicken compared to Knight and Keady. He came to a program known in the past for its bruising big men in the post. In fact, the Wolverines' best 3-point shooter in recent times, Louis Bullock, didn't even make it in the NBA. But in Ann Arbor, Groninger found a place where he could play immediately. The Hoosiers and Boilermakers are experienced teams which may go far in the NCAA Tournament this March, Michigan is a freshman-laden team in a rebuilding stage. Groninger also preferred Ellerbe's "players' 'coach" style to Knight's unpredictable scare tactids and shock- the-world attitude. "I trusted Ellerbe," the sharp-shooter said. "At Michigan I had a great oppor- tunity to play every day. "I wasn't sure what to think of (Bobby Knight). For the most part I had a positive experience when I visited Indiana, but going into the lockerroom at halftime, I thought about his chair- throwing and player head-butting tirades in the past." But Groninger's Indiana homecom- ing on Jan. 25 was not a happy one, as the Wolverines fell to Knight's Hoosiers by a ghastly 35 points in Bloomington. The kid from Plainfield never found the shooting touch he-perfected for six 3- pointers against Georgia Tech on Dec. 1, going 0-for-6 from the field against Indiana's stifling defense. The embarrassing loss set off a five- game losing streak from which Michigan has yet to recover. But the downtrodden Wolverines will try to end this miserable stretch, Sunday, when they host the Hoosiers at Crisler Arena. Since the last meeting Michigan has plummeted into second-to-last place in the Big Ten with a 3-6 record, due in part to the absence of leading scorer Jamal Crawford. Indiana meanwhile is putting together a phenomenal season. With a 7-3 conference record, the Hoosiers trail top dogs Michigan State and Ohio State by only one game. SUNDAY CRISLER ARENA Who: Indiana (7-3 Big Ten, 17-4 overall) at Michigan (3-6,12-8) When: I p.m. Absences: Jamal Crawford (suspended) TV: CBS Radio: WVKA 1050 AM, WJR 760 AM The Latest: Michigan wasembaassed in Blkonington by 35 points, beginning its horrid five-game losing streak. And it gets wose:leading scorer Jamal Crawfxrd played in that game. Indiana, meanwhile, ts only agameout of first place in the tough Big Ten. History book A closer look at the last three Michigan-Indiana matchups in Ann Arbor: JAN. 5, 1999. MICHIGAN 82, INDIANA 70: The Wolverines ral- lied behind 6-for-13 second half three-point shooting to stun No. 8 Indiana and give themselves an improbable 2-1 Big Ten record. It didn't last. FEB. 26, 1998. MICHIGAN 112, INDIANA 64: Sleeper forward Jerod Ward scored a career-high 24 points as the Wolverines pulled into a fourth-place tie with the Hoosiers. The win, and another against Penn State, catapulted Michigan which won the inaugural Big Ten Tournament the following week. FEB. 16, 1997. INDIANA 84, MICHIGAN 81 (OT): The Wolverines blew a 20-point half- time lead as Indiana's sharpshoot- ing freshman A.J. Guyton torched the Michigan backcourt for 31 points. "' t j M1 f 4 .. > DANNY KALICK/Daily Gavin Groninger hopes to show Indiana that talent'can get away. Women expect to extend streak By Arun Gopal Daily Sports Wnter A line from the late Big Pun's "Still Not a Playa," is a fitting description for this season's Michigan women's basketball team. The Wolverines began as a young, unheralded team picked for the middle of the Big Ten pack. No Michigan players were named first- or second- team all-conference in the preseason, and the general opinion amongst prog- nosticators was that the Wolverines were a certified WNIT candidate. Now, Michigan is crushing the opposition on a regular basis. To the surprise of everyone but themselves, the Wolverines are 8-3 in the Big Ten and 16-6 overall. They completed Michigan's third-ever sweep of Illinois and also defeated defending national champion Purdue. "We always want to control our own destiny," sophomore forward Raina Goodlow said. "We've got five games left. It starts on Sunday." The Wolverines will look to con- tinue their winning ways on Sunday, when they face the Indiana Hoosiers at Crisler Arena at 4 p.m.. Although the Hoosiers have a less- than-spectacular record (4-6 Big Ten, 9-12 overall), there is no risk of Michigan taking this game lightly -- after all, Indiana beat the Wolverines, 77-72, in Bloomington on Jan. 6. "Sure, there's a revenge factor, but only in that we lost to them," Michigan assistant coach Eileen Shea said. "I think that the kids knew what they want to do with five games left. They're thinking about taking care of the next game and about defending our home court" A big factor in the first meeting was the absence of point guard Anne Thorius, who sustained a leg injury during the gameday shootaround. Thorius' absence allowed Hoosier guards Heather Cassady and Jill Hartman to freely penetrate the Wolverine defense. Ifthey didn't score themselves, they repeatedly found center Jill Chapman standing alone underneath the basket. Chapman's 29 points and 10 boards, along with Cassady's 23 points, keyed Indiana's upset victory. In order for Michigan to avoid an encore performance, Thorius will have to play a significant role in the Wolverines' perimeter defense. "We saw some film, and we noticed how they kept penetrating on us," guard Anne Thorius added. "Cassady had about 25 points, and what they were was penetration and three-point shots. Definitely, we're looking to take away her strengths. This game is the first in a series of winnable games to close out Michigan's season. The only game in which the Wolverines might be an underdog will be when Michigan trav- els to East Lansing to play Michigan State (7-4 Big Ten, 16-6 overall). "They are teams that we can defi- nitely beat" Thorius said. "But, we need to just go into the games and be ready to play. E t i t DANNY KALICK/Daily Senior Stacey Thomas hopes to keep Michigan's winning streak alive this weekend. WIDE WORLD SPORTS CENrER WINTER 2 SOCCER LEAGUE Registration Deadline: February 13th Season: February 27th - April 22nd Ages: U7 through Adult Teame Fee: $7501/8 Gamnes Individual Registrations Welcome. SPRING ROLLER HOCKEY Registration Deadline: March 3rd Season: March 4th- May 12th Ages: 6 through Adult Team Fee: $900 Individual Fee: $95 Adult League Forum: 10 Games, Playoffs *Drop In Roller Hockey Available For more Details Call (734) 913-4625 or Visit Our Website www.wwsprts.com Big Ten seedings on the line for grapplers By Dan Williams Daily Sports Writer With four weekends'and four dual meets separating the Michigan wrestling team from the Big Ten tournament, jockeying for seeds is on the grappler's minds as they head into weekend matches against No. 2 Minnesota and No. 23 Indiana. The meet with the Golden Gophers figures to have a big impact on tour- nament seeding. Every Michigan wrestler scheduled to face at least one ranked opponent. The Golden Gophers provide Michigan with its toughest challenge of the dual match season. All ten of Minnesota's wrestlers are ranked in the top 20, and three THIS WEEKEND CLIFF KEEN ARENA Who: No. 10 Michigan vs. No. 2 Minnesota and No. 23 Indiana When:7:00 p.m. tonight, 7:00p.m Saturday Latest: Senior Joe Warren returns to the Lineu after missing two months oft action challenge for Michigan. He faces Herculean heavyweight, Brock Lesnor, who is ranked No. 1 in the nation. "(Lesnor) is a horse," Michigan coach Joe McFarland said. "He's a big imposing figure and a great heavyweight, but i think Matt will be ready other end of the weight spectrum, 125-pound freshman A.J. Grant expects an equally large chal- lenge from a much smaller wrestler in Minnesota's third-ranked Leroy Vega. Grant hopes to rebound from two punishing matches against top fif- teen opponents two weeks ago. HeO lost a major decision to No. 9 Jason Silverstein of Purdue two days after, being pinned by No. 12 Ryan Escobar of Illinois. See GOPHERS, Page 11 ----I are ranked in the top five. Senior Matt Brink has the toughest for him." At the _ ; The ideal Valentine's Day gift!