12 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, February 14, 2001 t One last tuneup for track before Big Tens By Adam Kaplan A Daily Sports Writer HAWKEYES Continued from Page 11 Since that Jan. 20 evening, Michigan (3-8 Big Ten, 9- 13 overall) has won only won more game, a 72-65 victo- ry over conference bottom-dweller Northwestern. Sunday's loss to Indiana was Michigan's fourth consecu- tive defeat. Michigan will retake the court against Iowa (6-4, 17-6) tonight in Crisler Arena, hoping to relocate some of the magic discovered in the first contest. The team remains optimistic that the season can still be salvaged, despite the fact that Michigan has to win nearly all of its games to even qualify for the NIT. "There have been so many other things that have been taken out of context that it puts such a drab on the entire situation," Ellerbe said Monday. "We've lost basketball games, we haven't lost life. We haven't lost the opportu- nity. We still have the opportunity to play some games and have a good season." Since the last time Michigan played Iowa, the Hawkeyes lost their leading scorer, Luke Recker, for the season with a leg injury. Recker, the Hawkeye's leading scorer, put up 18 points in the previous meeting, and was largely responsible for Iowa's near comeback. The Hawkeyes are in a mini-slump without Recker, having lost two straight contests - the latest of which was a 69-61 loss to Northwestern. It was the Wildcats' first conference win of this season or last. The Michigan women's track team is 10 days away from competing in the Big Ten Championships, but it has one short stride to make. "The foundation has been laid," liichigan coach James Henry said. 'qt is a matter of putting the final touches on our work." The Wolverines will host the Harold Silverston Invitational, a non-scoring meet, starting at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. Two Canadian teams, four clubs teams, and Detroit- Mercy will be among the numerous participants. For Michigan, this meet gives them a change of pace. "Many of our athletes will be run- ning outside of their events," Henry said. Henry is tinkering with the lineup to enhance the season's work. For instance, sprinters will run at longer distances than they normally would in Big Ten action. "I am not concerned about how we perform in particular events, although a few kids need work," Henry said. "We are refining our skills, so our focus is on speed." For Junior Tasha Phillips, who competes in multiple events, this INDOOR TRACK BUILDING What: Harold Silverston Invitational When: 10:30 a.m. Saturday Latest: In a non-scoring event, Michigan will face Detroit-Mercy, two Canadian teams and four club teams are a few of the teams com- peting in the meet. The Wolverines look to tweak its lineup as it prepares for the Big Ten Championships in West Lafayette in just 10 days. weekend will be another step in recovering from.a minor injury. She will only compete in one event in this meet. "Two weeks is not enough time for her," Henry said. "She has been test- ing it in practice." Henry indicated that the team will need Phillips to compete well down the stretch. To a large degree, the Wolverines are looking forward to the Big Ten Championships, but this does not mean that the upcoming non-scoring meet is not important. "It will be the dawn before the storm," Henry said. Next weekend, Michigan will bat- tle a balanced Big Ten conference, one that has lots of parity. "Physically, we are ready," Henry said. "We will see if we are psycho- logically and mentally prepared." Rainout gives women's golf title after one day Michigan women's golf team fin- ished as co-champions of the Lady Aztec Invitational after the second and final round of the tournament was canceled due to rain. Michigan and Brigham Young were awarded the title after both shot a low score of 311 in the first round of the tournament. Although this was the first tournament victory for the Lady Wolverines in six years, the team had mixed emotions. In a released statement, Coach Kathy Teichert said, "It's a great win for us, but at the same time I wish we could have gotten another competitive round under our belts." - Jim Weber ® AROUND THE TOP 25 Upset city For the Daily. . BIG TENS Continued from Page 11 6 - HAPPY VALLEY HEROES: No. 13 Penn State (4-0, 8-0) has been on a roll recently, led by arguably the best breast- stroker in the nation - Kristen Wooding. Richardson views this team as "by far the deepest squad in the con- ference." The Nittany Lions are an up- arid-coming program under the direc- tion of Bill Dorenkott - last year's Big Ten Coach of the Year. After compiling its first undefeated record in dual meets, Penn State should give the Wolverines all they can handle this weekend -- and more. 7 - THE RED ARMY: They are the home team and are ranked No. 21. Those two simple facts give the Hoosiers (5-1, 8-1) a shot at moving past some of the more established pro- grams in the conference. Indiana placed sixth last season, but it has lost virtually none of its core-point scorers. Expect improvement from the ladies in red. 8 - BOILING up: No. 26 Purdue (4- 4, 11-4) is the consensus choice as the most improved team this season. The Boilermakers have posted dual meet wins over Michigan State, Iowa, Illinois and Ohio State. 9 - NORTHWESTERN IS GOOD: Really! Often the butt of jokes from other Big Ten schools, Northwestern (2-2, 4-2) proved its athletic ability in the pool with a win over Michigan just two weeks ago. The Wildcats are hold- ing onto a No. 18 ranking in the polls. 10 - NOWHERE TO GO BUT UP: Michigan State finished a ghastly 100 points short of 10th place in last year's meet. With a new coach and a new atti- tude, good things will happen for the Spartans eventually. But they will have great difficulty moving up against such formidable competition. TONIGHT, 7 P.M. ESPN, NO.3 DUKE AT NO. 12 VIRGINIA: Virginia is cur- rently suffering from a two game los- ing streak and has a losing record in ACC play at 5-6. Point guard Donald Hand was a disastrous 0-for-9 from the field in the Cavaliers' most recent loss to unranked Georgia Tech. Virginia desperately needs a win and is glad to be returning to University Hall to try to get it. Unfortunately for Virginia, the Blue Devils of Duke are the ones coming up to Charlottesville to see them. Duke is trying to regain its supremacy over the ACC, and what better team to do it against than the team it beat 103-61 earlier this year? Virginia has the talent and ability to beat Duke tonight. Duke is not very deep and - as was evident in last year's tournament game against Florida - it can beat the trap, but begins to tire at the end of the game. Virginia runs the trap as well as Billy Donovan's Gators and will use it to wear out the Blue Devils. The key to this game will be point- guard play. Hand must come back from his most recent debacle and play the smothering defense he is capable of against Jason Williams. If Williams can not beat the trap, Duke cannot beat Viginia. Virginia 102, Duke 92 SATURDAY, CBS 1 P.M., No. 6 KANSAS AT No. 9 IOWA STATE: Big 12 foes square off to see who is the best of the West in this matinee matchup. Kansas is coming off an embarrass- ing loss to unranked Baylor and is looking for something to crush to vali- date its No. 6 ranking nationally. Standing in its way is senior Jamaal Tinsley and Iowa State. However, maybe Kansas is standing in the Cyclones' way. Iowa State leads the Big 12 after Kansas' loss, and this would be the justification that it is the best team in the conference. The Cyclones are undefeated at home this year, and a lot of that can be attrib- uted to Tinsley's 15 points and six assists per game. Also averaging 87 points per game at home as a team is a great bonus. Stern okays relocation for NBA's Grizzlies VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) - After six years of losing hun- dreds of games on the court and millions of dollars at the bank, the Grizzlies look ready to leave Vancouver - possibly as early as next season. NBA commissioner David Stern met with team owner Michael Heisley in Washington Monday and agreed that, considering the money the team is los- ing, it's time for the Grizzlies to find a new home. "We've agreed to assist Mr. Heisley in exploring what other North American cities might be appropriate for the Grizzlies to relocate to, Stern said. It didn't take long for potential U.S. homes to begin wooing the Grizzlies. New Orleans, which once lost the Jazz to Salt Lake City, was first to show interest. Doug Thornton, general man- ager of the New Orleans Arena, said officials plan to contact Heisley. "Sources tell us that he is interested in relocating the franchise, rather than selling it,' Thornton said. "That's the challenge of a professional sports fran- chise, securing ownership." AP PHOTO Duke's Shane Battier and Mike Dunleavy will try and dismante Virginia as well as they did in the teams' first meeting. Camp Michigania Aluni Association of the University of Michigan Working at the University of Michigan alumni camp is a rewarding and exciting opportunity. Since 1961, Camp Michigania has been a treasured experience for thousands of UM alumni and their families. Those who serve as staff members have countless opportunities for personal and pro- fessional growth. Meet and work with visiting UM faculty. Network with UM Alumni. Make lifelong faendsh ips Develop leadership skills. Work in specialized program areas: Compare that to the 77 points per game Kansas averages on the road and it looks bad for the Jayhawks. Kenny Gregory will have to score more than his average of 16 for Kansas to reclaim the top spot in the confer- ence. Do not be surprised if the Iowa State fans chant the Jayhawks off the court with "overrated" all the way to the Big 12 tourney. Iowa State 90, Kansas 78 SATURDAY, CBS 4 P.M., OHIO STATE AT NO. 17 ALABAMA: The Buckeyes are trying to prove they deserve respect with a record of 15-9 (7-5 Big Ten). They have wins over Wisconsin and Michigan State. Ohio State plays three guards - each of whom can shoot the long ball - but is by no means small with 6-11 Ken Johnson and his 4.25 blocks per game. The Crimson Tide is also a very bal- anced team, but the star is Rod Grizzard, a two-guard who is listed at 6-8 and can do it all. Grizzard aver- ages almost 19 points a game and is only a sophomore. Alabama also has another sophomore sensation in Erwin Dudley, a great power forward who knows how to work in the paint. This is going to be a great noncon- ference game to watch. These teams do not get to see each other very often and both. are ready to play. The edge goes to the Crimson Tide though due to their dominance at home this year, losing only one game all season in Tuscaloosa. Alabama 88, Ohio State 75 SUNDAY, CBS 2 P.M., No.9 FLORIDA AT NO. 13 TENNESSEE: This is a must win game for both teams as Florida is two games back and Tennessee is three games back from the SEC East's best, Kentucky. The loser of this game might as well pack its bags and forget about winning the division. The matchups in this game are incredible. Florida's Teddy Dupay, Matt Bonner and Udonis Haslem take on Tennessee's 'Tony Harris, Vincent Yarbrough and Charles Hathaway. The point guards lead their teams by running the offense and shooting the three when needed. The two forwards are scorers through and through with range from the perimeter to the interi- or. Do not forget the big guys either as they will control the boards and put up some points for their team. Florida will try to press the Volunteers, but Tennessee has a deep bench and the premiere sixth man in the country in Ron Slay. This will be a close game and Florida's 3-point shooters will need to be hot for them to beat Tennesee. Tennessee 82, Florida 79 Le-bad blood: Lemaire bad mouths Lemieux CANONSBURG, Pa (AP) - Of all the NHL players for Minnesota Wild coach Jacques Lemaire to pick a fight with, this might not have been the wis- est choice - Mario Lemieux. Lemieux said Tuesday the sore back that visibly bothered him in Sunday's 4- 2 loss at Minnesota feels much better, and he is looking forward to Wednesday's rematch with the Wild in Pittsburgh. After being shut out Sunday for only the second time in his 19 comeback games, Lemieux was critical of the Wild's offense-stifling clutching and grabbing, saying it wasn't what the NHL is trying to sell. "It's not a wide-open game, which they (the Penguins) would love," Lemaire said. "If we're not allowed to hit and not allowed to check, I'm com- ing back, too. I'm going to play in this league if nobody touches me, or nobody back-checks on me, and if they let me make plays and shoot on the net and get 2-on-Is and breakaways. Nobody else comes close." 0 _____________________________________________ U U A look underside at the of U of M Two former CBA execs suing Thomas 0 Arts & Crafts Field Sports Teen Program Archery Ropes Course Store Ceramics Sailing. Swimming Child Care Riflery Tennis If you are interested in sharing your knowledge and skills with adults and children of all ages, and want to have one of the best summers of your life....TCN email: michigania@umich.edu phone 231-582-919127 P T A R o m m - - - --s -o ---ag -u m m - m m m em www.universitysecrets.com -: - - - - - - -- NEW YORK (AP) - Two former executives with the now-defunct Continental Basketball Association's La Crosse, Wis., Bobcats are threaten- ing to sue Indiana Pacers coach Isiah Thomas, the league's last owner. The men claim Thomas owes their franchise more than $300,000 and 0 owes various league operators, fans and sponsors a total of more than $1 mil- lion, much of it in unfulfilled corporate sponsorships. "Hundreds of thousands of dollars this franchise is owed, plus more in operating expenses. Where is it? I know this: We don't have it," said Ken Koeller, former assistant general man- ager of the Bobcats. He said a number of angry former CBA operatives are also considering legal action against Thomas. Are You. independent? ResorfuI n g ener geti A Comfrtuahe both ii,, 'taking initiative working with a :>>> ::: ;. l_. is%%ik :.!,^,.!f.i':: ii::i}iii.. '- The ultimate real-life experio o in Israel and team? NCAA men's basketball Yesterday's results Miami 68, No.7SYRACUSE57 No. 9 Florida 81, LoUiSIANNA STATE 74 (OT) Co-ETiCUT No.1182, Boston College 71 No. 5 IwNos 68, No. 20 Wisconsin 67 NBA Yesterday's results Toronto 120, CLVEA ND 105 LA Lakers 113,Nw JERSEY 110 (OT) MiAMI 101, LA Clippers 99 (OT) Charlotte 77, INDIANA 66 Interested inbu riing a uniali0re a