10 - The Michigan Daily-_Friday,_February 23, 2001
FRIDAY Focus
Appropriately enough, this
Leonardo da Vinci sculpted
statue can be found in
Grand Rapids, home of
the women s Big Ten
i~14 e cu
Basketball Tournament. As
teams jockey for
postseason position,
the end of the regular
season has become a
horse race.
tyoU
First thing s first: the Lions den
By David Roth
Daily Sports Writer
As if it were standing with one leg
on each side of the San Andreas Fault
when the Big One erupts, the Michi-
gan women's basketball team must
make the jump.
The leap east would find the
Wolverines staying back with the rest
of the country's mediocre teams in a
WNIT bid. But a leap west would find
Michigan afloat on an island with the
elite.
Registering first on coach Sue Gue-
vara's seismograph is an ESPN-tele-
vised game against No. 18 Penn State
this Sunday. Second is the Big Ten
Tournament, which starts March 1, in
Grand Rapids.
"There's only two games left we're
guaranteed of playing - that's it,"
Guevara said.
The Wolverines head to State Col-
lege fairly unsure of their status.
Although Michigan has already beaten
Penn State once this season, its most
recent result was an embarrassing loss
to Indiana last Sunday.
Against Indiana, "there wasn't one
player that could have hit a layup, let
alone an open jumper," Guevara said.
"I know that they're upset enough with
themselves that they'll respond. We've
been able to rebound from a loss like
that and play well."
Freshman Stephanie Gandy doesn't
:need to have experience like Guevara's
under her belt to realize the impor-
tance of the Penn State game.
"It's a must-win," Gandy said. "But
we've got to practice our defense so
when we get in the game we can con-
tain all the good players that they
have."
To beat the Nittany Lions, Michigan
must put an effort of a caliber equal to
its 71-62 win against them on Jan. 11.
"I'm looking for the same type of
defensive pressure and intensity that I
saw the first time we played Penn
State, Guevara said. "Right now we're
pretty optimistic about Penn State and
that's about as far as I want them to
think."
The Wolverines are fully aware that
a season-defining tournament lurks
only days away.
"We all have a passion for basket-
ball and we don't want to see our sea-
son end any time soon," co-captain
Anne Thorius said.
For that to happen, Michigan can't
let its emotions take over. Be it coinci-
dence or not, a pattern has developed
where the Wolverines follow a huge
win with a horrible defeat. Any defeat
in the tournament would give Guevara
and her crew an early checkout.
"Obviously it's not something we do
on purpose, but it's time to for us find
the consistency within ourselves,"
Thorius said.
If Michigan beats Penn State and
makes progress in the Tournament,
there's a good chance the Wolver-
ines can make the NCAA Tourna-
ment. Michigan has 16 wins to date,
and Guevara feels that it will take
18 to get an invitation to the Big
Dance.
Two wins almost ensure a bid, while
two losses ensure a WNIT bid.
"If we lose our next two games,
The ladies in maize and
blue have a legitimate shot
to take home a Big Ten
Tournament crown and win
an automatic NCAA
Tournament bid if they can
throw their inconsistent
play out te, window on
their bus to Grand Rapids.
With freshmen Jennifer
Smith and Stephanie Gandy
coming of age, senior co-
captain Anne Thorius
flaunting her status as the
assister sister and Alayne !*
Ingram finding herself
within striking distance
from anywhere on the
court, Michigan hopes to
find its stride for the
postseason.
The Workhorses *
Back (court) of the pack
Anne Thoxius
The senior co-captain acted as the primary
source of leadership this year on a team that
was sorely lacking in that department Thorius
became the first Michigan player to reach 500
ssists for her career on senior night at Crisler.
Handucappang the field
Ak fid
The Darkhorses
OWNER: Ohio State
TRAINER (COACH): Beth Burns
Top JOCKEY: Jamie .Lewis (8.1 apg)
VERSUS MICHIGAN: Jan. 14, W (76-68);
Jan. 21, L 63-76
FINAL GAME: Sun., at Wisconsin
SEED: No. 8
OWNER: Michigan State
TRAINER (COACH): Joanne McCallie
Toe JOCKEY: Julie Pagel (7.9 rpg)
VERSUS MICHIGAN: Jan. 25, L (49-58)
FINAL GAME: Sun., vs. Minnesota
SEED: No. 9
OWNER: Minnesota
TRAINER (COACH): Cheryl Littlejohn
ToP JOCKEY: Lindsey Whalen (17.1 ppg)
VERSUS MICHIGAN: Feb. 1, L (51-69)
FINAL GAME: Sun., at Minnesota
SEED: No. 10
OWNER: Northwestern
TRAINER (COACH): June Olkowski
JOCKEY: Emily Butler (12.7 ppg)
VERSUS MICHIGAN: Jan. 18, L (41-83); Jan.
28, L 59-74
FINAL GAME: Sun., vs. Indiana
SEED: No. 11
OWNER: Purdue
TRAINER (COACH): Kristy Curry
Top JOCKEY: Camille Cooper (14.2
ppg)
VERSUS MICHIGAN: Dec. 30, W (65-54);
Feb. 4, W (73-64)
FINAL BIG TEN RECORD: 14-2
SEED: No. 1
OWNER: IOWa
TRAINER (COACH): Lisa Blunder
ToP JOCKEY: Lindsey Meder (17.4 ppg)
VERSUS MICHIGAN: Jan. 7, W (79-
58); Feb. 15, L (78-80)
FINAL GAME: Sun., at Illinois
POSSIBLE SEEDS: No. 2-4
OWNER: Penn State
TRAINER (COACH): Rene Portland
Top JOCKEY: Kelly Mazzante (19 ppg)
VERSUS MICHIGAN: Jan. 11, L (62-71)
FINAL GAME: Sun., vs. Mich.
POSSIBLE SEEDS: No. 2-4
OWNER: Wisconsin
TRAINER (COACH): Jane Albright
ToP JOCKEY: Jessie Stomski (16
ppg)
VERSUS MICHIGAN: Jan. 4, W (85-
52)
FINAL GAME: Sun., vs. Ohio State
POSSIBLE SEEDS: No.2-4
OWNER: Michigan
TRAINER (COACH): Sue Guevara
Top JOCKEY: Anne Thorius (5 apg)
FINAL GAME:: Sun., at Penn State
POSSIBLE SEEDS: No. 5-7
OWNER: Illinois
TRAINER (COACH): Theresa Grentz
TOP JOCKEY: Allison Curtin (14.2 ppg)
VERSUS MICHIGAN: Dec. 28 L (57-
68); Feb. 11, L (60-74)
CHUM. flAuc. Cn irov Iw
Purdue is no Secretariat but still clinched the Big Ten
regular season handily last weekend by more than
doubling up Minnesota. With two losses and a dou-
ble overtime win t Ohio State, the Boilermak-
ers are vulnerable, epite being a national power.
Iowa is the Cinderella of the Big Ten. With
wins over perennial conference powers Pur-
due and Penn State, the Hawkeyes have
emerged as a lock for the big dance. As a
team without national attenton, look for them
to give the Boilermakers and Nittany Lions a
run for their money, again.
Penn State has been the Big Ten's biggest
disappointment this season. After reaching
the Final Four in Philadelphia last year, the
Nittany Lions have dropped some eycon-
ference es. Its spot at the dance assured,
look for nn State to stake their claim of a
high bid at the BTT.
The Badgers are the biggest team in the
conference, and their height ays bi divi-
dends on the court. Last yea s cham-
pions handed Mchig its worst loss of the
year with a 33-po'i nlowout. Wisconsin
dominated the olverines on the inside at
both ends of the court
Anne Tholdus
JESSICA JOHNSON/Daily
post positions
Stephanie Candy
The "Gandy Dancer" has been a dia-
per dandy in her first year. She
earned a place in the starting lineup
by shooting .492 from the field.
Her versatility and scrappy
rebounding have been an
unexpectedblessing.
Jennifer smith
At 6-foot-3, the freshman has made an
immediate impact in the post. Her 26-
point effort against No.25 Iowa in the
final horn game propelled the Wolver
ines towar s a muc needed upset
LeeAnn Dies
Bies has been, until recently, the most
consistent player for Michigan. After
makin wve asone of te tofrs
man in the conference last year, Bies has
contributed by leading the team in
rebounding and points.
Raina Coodlow
The six-foot-two Goodlow is one of
three "Gentle Giants that have lacked
the intensity that coach Sue Guevara
has yearned for all season. Her 10.7
pots and 4.8 rebounds per game keep Raina Goodlow
hier a vital part of the rotation. MARJORIE MARSHALL/Daily
Alayne Ingram
Ingram, a junior, started the year at
shooting guard but can bring the ball
up the court. On occasion, her energy
will serve as a spark for the team -
~particularly in big games like the 71-62
t of Penn State on January 11.
heather Oestere
Oesterle has been in and out of the
rotation due to inconsistent shooting.
She is one of the team's primary 3-
point threats. A smart player prone
to cold streaks, Oesterle has the
potential to make some noise.
In order to secure the No. 5 seed for
the Big Ten Tournament, Michigan
must win at Penn State - which is
coming off a victory over Purdue -
and needs Iowa to defeat Illinois this
Sunday. The No. 5 seed gets a first-
round-bye.
Illinois was ranked in the preseason
Associated Press poll but has yet to
fulfill expectations. Its biggest victo-
ry came st Penn State. Illinois
will likelyve to win at least two
4,
The Trainer
Coach Sue Guevara is four
wins shy of being the most
prolific Michigan women's
Conference
Overall Team
I I w I ~uI I
W AM
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