gNovember tournys reign Check out the new men's basketball AP poll online, as preseason touma- ent season begins to heat up. nichigandaily.com/sports ep(kbizad TUESDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2000 11 Carr cherishes opportunity to coach at Shoe By Stephanie Offen Daily Sports Editor Quarterback Drew Henson says that if Michigan coach Lloyd Carr could pick one scenario to end his season, it would be the one that will take place this Saturday. The biggest rivalry in college football coupled with a chance for a share of the Big Ten title makes this the Ohio State-Michigan game Carr has anticipated all season. "You hope it goes down to the last few minutes and SATURDAY OHIO STADIUM - Who: Michigan (11) vs. Ohio State (2-2) When: Noon Latest: The winner will have at least a share of the Big Ten title TV/Radio: ABC-TV (Channel 7); WJR 760 AM only spans the amount of someone on vour team finds a way to win," Carr said. But the tradition of this rivalry isn't common knowl- edge for some of the Michigan players. Senior running back Anthony Thomas wouldn't comment yesterday on his thoughts about Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler, saving that his knowledge of this rivalry f time he played for his team. Women close preseason with victory By David Horn Daily Sports Writer Houston, we may have a problem. Last night at Crisler Arena, the Michigan women's basketball team played its final preseason exhibition against the Houston Jaguars ---- a team made up of former college players. Michigan was vic- torious, enjoying the better end of an 86-74 tally, but the game was more competitive than the final score indicates. Qnly the impressive play of senior guard Alayne Ingram down the stretch kept the Wolverines out of reach for the Jaguars, and ensured an undefeated preseason as they pre- pare for their regular season opener, Friday night against No. 9 Louisiana Tech. "We were up by 12 at one point," Ingram said. "We let them get back, and we let them get easy shots We didn't do very well with penetration: We knew we had to tighten up on defense, and that's what we tried to do." After building steadily toward a 44-37 lead at halftime, the Wolverines allowed Houston to creep back to within two points with 7:16 remaining. Following a time-out, Ingram scored a field goal on the Wolverines' second possession. But after a turnover by sophomore LeeAnn Bies, Jaguar sharpshooter Jlamika Jones buried a 3-pointer to make the score 73-72. Ingram responded with a trey of her own, putting Michigan back'up by four. "We executed down the stretch in a tight' game, Michigan coach Sue Guevara said. Ingram finished the game with 22 points and three assists in 37 minutes. She was one of five Wolverines with a dou- ble-digit point total, but distinguished herself as the go-to player on the offensive end and a leader on both sides of the court. "Alayne Ingram wants that role," Guevara said. "She and (senior guard) Anna Thorius compliment each other so well. Anna knows that when Alayne is hot, she can pene- trate and she knows that Alayne is going to be spotting ready. It's a nice combination of guards to have. Thorius, despite Guevara's earlier wishes to keep her minutes low, played all but the final minute of the first half. Her 12 points and eight assists kept the Michigan offensive attack balanced throughout the game. Her 39 minutes were a concern for Guevara after the game. "I don't want to do that, but we needed to win the game today," Guevara said. See JAGUARS, Page 14 DAVID KATZ/Day Anthony Thomas and Michigan were able to pull out a 24-17 win last year against the Buckeyes in Ann Arbor. The road will be tougher this time, with Nate Clements and 'the Kaiser,' Matt Wilhelm, anchoring a stingy Ohio State defense. CUoer caut10us regardn hpe And senior center David Brandt admits to never watching college football while in high school. He said he would sleep in on those cold November afternoons while the two teams faced off. But Carr will make sure that all players will know the meaning of this rivalry by Saturday. If the intensi- ty of the other players doesn't rub off on them, the coach will tell the team stories of Ohio State memories - of victories and mistakes that teams made - throughout the week. THE SHOE FACTOR: Ask any Michigan football play- er and they will all have the response: "Ohio State will be the loudest place we will play all season." Last time the Wolverines visited the Horseshoe, Michigan lost 31-16 and the fans made sure to rub it in. The Ohio State fans' reaction is a memory the team - especially the seniors - will never forget. "The intensity of the crowd, the fans, just the way the fans rushed the field, that sticks in my mind," senior offensive lineman Jeff Backus said. Senior Steve Hutchinson added his memory of the See RIVALRY, Page 13 By Mark Francescutti Dally Sports Editor Let's face it, John Cooper still wants to beat Michigan - badly. But after recovering from a dismal 6-6 season in 1999, Cooper seems to feel more at ease with his team's standing and the prospects of his Buckeyes in Saturday's game against Michigan. "I hope I'm not too relaxed, and I know I'm not," Cooper said. "But I've come to know that the team that plays the best that day wins the game - not the team that talks the most, hypes the game the most." Cooper may not hype up one of the greatest rivalries in col- lege football, but his nine losses in 12 tries against the Wolverines are haunting blemishes on the 63-year old coach. This season, Cooper can relish the fact that his team is right up there with the Wolverines. After last season's dropoff into the bowlless realm at 6-6, the Buckeyes are 8-2 overall, and 5- 2 in the conference. Ohio State rests in a four-way tie with Purdue, Northwestern and Michigan. The Buckeyes need only a Purdue loss and a win over the Wolverines to earn a Rose Bowl bid. Most oddsmakers agree the Buckeyes are back as well, posting Ohio State as a three-point favorite, the usual three points of insurance given to a home team in a pick-em game. That's much higher than last year when Michigan was favored by 12 or 13 and won 24-17. Cooper is playing his cards, if anything, cautiously. Cooper said that running back Derek Combs and wide receivers Ken- Yon Rambo and Reggie Germany all are questionable for the Michigan game after suffering leg injuries in a 24-21 win at Illinois. "I cannot honestly tell you today on Monday if these guys will play," Cooper told reporters. "However, from the injury report I got, I think we'll be in pretty good shape." Meanwhile, Carr doesn't seem to be taking the bait. "That's baloney," Carr said of the injury report. "They'll all play." See COOPER, Page 13 What about your ideas? Do they keep you up at night? Once you fall asleep, do they become your dreams? When you wake up, are they then action items? Ideas mean the world to us at hp. A diversity of ideas means even more. Invent the new hp. Join us. Hewlett-Packard Reception All Majors Welcome Tuesday, November 14th 5pm-7pm Pendleton Room at Michigan Union Please bring your resume. We will be raffling off a Jornada! www.jobs.hp.com y C' t" m