NIT Bracket
The Wolverines are out, but check
nline to see how the rest of the NIT is
shaking out.
P S
"ntihigandaily.com/sports
THURSDAY
MARCH 23, 2000
5a
MARCH 23. 2000 5A
-- - - - - 'w a a
.Freshmen yearn
for NCAA ring
r_"
Duprev'S
Congratulations to. Bill Davidson, opens up lanes for Brian Cardinal and
--,
By Stephanie Offen
Daily Sports Editor
The difference in their reactions
could be seen in their eyes.
For senior captain Sean Peach, this
week is about
preparation - his Hock
solemn tone and
1.
Straight glare show his /
intensity. g
On the other hand, fresh-
man John Shouneyia's reac-
tion to the mention of a
national championship for
his year's Michigan hockey team
ook on a completely different tone.
His eyes lit up at the mere thought
of wearing a national championship
ring around his finger in two short
weeks.
"Two classes have national cham-
pionship rings," Shouneyia said. "It
would be great for the two other
classes to have one too."
Each junior and senior on this
year's squad proudly wears the ring
e earned when the Wolverines won
he national championship two sea-
sons ago.
"It's something you see them wear
and you know it's a lot more then just
a ring on their finger," freshman
Mike Cammalleri said. "But they
gave us some insight on what it
takes, and it takes a lot. We're just
going to put our efforts forth and do
what it takes to get one of those for
Ourselves."
The upperclassmen have used this
season's most impressive victories
to show the freshmen how they must
play in their first NCAA
Tournament.
Michigan's two regular-season
wins over Michigan State and the 4-
I win over current No. 1 Wisconsin
are used as examples to remind the
freshmen what led to their success in
igh-intensity situations.
"They tell us (the NCAAs are) a
whole different game," Shouneyia
said. "It's as intense as either one of
the best games we played. It's actual-
ly higher intensity than that.
I,
To
Everyone has to play their best in all
aspects of the game."
Peach has been fielding questions
all week about how it feels to play in
the higher-level game.
"They ask me and we told them
what it takes to win,"
' Peach said. "You have
to do all the little things
right. Hopefully it can
be this year for them,
but if not, they have
some other years to try
N m to get a championship."
iurnament This year's large
freshman class seems to know exact-
ly how to do those little things. In
each of those high-intensity games it
was a freshman that sealed the game
for the Wolverines. This season, the
seven newcomers contributed almost
one-third of the team's points.
But even with those impressive
statistics, Michigan coach Red
Berenson is not expecting the NCAA
rookies to be responsible for taking
this team to Providence.
"Our freshmen shouldn't have to
lead our team," Berenson said. "The
pressure is really on our upperclass-
men. But the freshmen still need to
contribute and they've done that all
year. They're playing with enough
confidence and enough experience
that they are ready for a weekend
like this."
Even though Berenson tried to
alleviate some of the pressure, it is
no secret that in Michigan's past
trips to the NCAAs, it has been the
freshmen who have stepped it up and
led the team to victory.
From Josh Langfeld's overtime
goal in 1998 to Josh Blackburn's
impressive play in net last season,
freshmen have taken leadership roles
in the Wolverines' postseason runs.
And to continue the trend, this year's
group of seven is ready for the chal-
lenge.
"I'm really excited and enthusias-
tic about playing in that type of game
because I know it will be a really
intense and competitive fierce-
checking war," Cammalleri said.
owner of The Palace.
This is what you've
been waiting for - the
chance to host elite
events like the NCAA
Tournament. Knowing
the professional way in
which Davidson does
things, the NCAA will
soon be begging for him
to host every year.
TODAY
NCAA TOURNAMENT
Midwest
Michian Sate V.Syaaw 7:38 p.m.
[n) StteN UCLA 955p
West
Greg McQuay inside, a
bad day for Cornell is
dooming to the
Boilermakers.
This is a risky pick.
Gonzaga could go cold at
any time and make prog-
nosticators look foolish.
Gonzaga 78, Purdue
74
<LS t'5. Loi1isin
7:55pinf
7l5 p.m.
DANNY KAICK/Daily
Taking his first step toward earning a national championship ring, freshman Andy
Hilbert will play in his firstever NCAA tournament matchup Saturday against Colgate.
The seventh man
HOME-ICE ADVANTAGE.
mron, NA, home of the Colgate hockey team, is only a two-hour drive for fans to see their
Red R aider, tae on the Wolverineh s Sturda Will Colgate fans whut ou the 'MAize Out'? Or
will the MNf rifithful mkeits p ii,, :know?
V4 V r.
MWCHA EL GRASSIl yU
TICKET INFORMATION:
Ticket packages for the whole weekend can he purchased for $36. Single-session packages can also
be purchased for $16. Tickets are still available. Contact the Michigan Ticket Office at 764-0247.
WEST REGION
No. 4 LSU vs. No.8 WISCONSIN:
All of a sudden, the tournament's
most boring team is now its darling.
Wisconsin, a team that struggles to get
recruits that aren't raised in America's
Dairyland, is primed to take its no-non-
sense defense up against Stromile
Swift and LSU, one of the bracket's
biggest remaining threats.
The first 10 minutes will determine
the game. Either the Tigers sweat and
toil every possession, trying to find a
decent shot, or their superior talent
helps them roll right over Wisconsin.
One or the other.
No matter what though, I've never
jumped on the Badger Bandwagon and
I'm not about to start now.
LSU 71, Wisconsin 62
No. 6 PURDUE VS. No. 10 GONZAGA
Hopefully the gods of bansketball
will spare us another Wisconsin-
Purdue matchup, what would be the
fourth of the season. I saw the slugfest
these two teams played at the Big Ten
Tournament and wished I had taken the
shuttle back to the hotel early.
Purdue has been fortunate enough to
get good guard play out of Jaraan
Cornell for more than a one-game
stretch in this tournament.
Judging by Cornell's play this sea-
son, and with a little help from the law
of averages, I've determined it's not
possible for Cornell to play that well
again. And since his shooting is what
MIDWEST REGION
No. I MIcHIGAN STATE vs. No. 4
SYRACUSE
Maybe this would be a better game if
the selection committee hadn't handed
the Spartans a Willy Wonka's Golden
Ticket to the Final Four by letting them
play the next two rounds at home.
Not only does a seven-loss Michigan
State team get a No. I seed, it gets to
stay home and play in the Midwest.
Frances Cleaves and her gang of bas-
ketball mothers didn't have to drive far
to Cleveland, and they sure won't have
to do much commuting to Auburn
Hills to see son Mateen and his
Spartans at The Palace.
You might as well play this one at
Breslin Center. Palace concessionaires
must make sure there's enough beer on
hand to satisfy the Michigan State
faithful. That will be this game's
biggest concern.
Michigan State 80, Syracuse 65
No.2 IowA STATE vs. No.6 UCLA
Teams that rely solely on big men
have been struggling in the NCAA
Tournament. Marcus Fizer will get his
20 points for Iowa State, but he won't
shoot well and that will be costly. The
Cyclones are running into possibly the
nation's hottest team, and they played
the first two rounds as if the wins were
supposed to be handed to them.
Iowa State is cruising for a bruisin'.
The Bruins should be the ones to dish
it out.
UCLA 78. Iowa State 68
I
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