6B- The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday, March 5, 2001 BIG TEN Continued from Page 1B which is more than we've had in a long time: There were definite highlights for the Wolverines. Though Otto Olson was the lode champion, the team received a stoig performance from sophomore Mike Kulczvcki. Kulczvcki moved up from his fifth seed to finish third, aveng- ing two Big Ten losses to wrestlers from l6wa-and Ohio State. 'Mike had a great tournament," McFarland said. "I really thought he wtdstled fantastic" Th'e- Michigan freshmen had mixed 'results in their first Big Ten Tournament. Foley- Dowd and Clark Forward both lost s'eventh place matches, just missing th&'t for NCAAs. 'But freshman 157-pounder Pat Owen continued his recent improve- ment by finishing seventh and qualify- ing for nationals. " t'hink this will be a great experience foi him, to get there as a freshman," MPhrland said. "There's no pressure on him, so he can just get there and wrestle as hard as he can." Minnesota captured the team title thanks to balanced scoring throughout its lirieup. No Golden Gopher finished l0Weithan fifth, and eight were in the top three. Illinois was the surprise team of the tournament, finishing second. The Illini, like Minnesota, were able to place five wrestlers in the championship matches. Michigan's Joe DeGain, wrestling in his final Big Ten tournament, finished fourth with- a 4-2 record. He will have the opportunity to finish his career at nationals in two weeks. "I'm real excited for Joe," McFarland said. "He's a real hard worker, and he's one of the leaders of the team. And 197 pounds is a crazy weight. I think Joe is going to be a force at the nationals" Though the Wolverines were disap- pointed with their finish, the team'did improve from last season, and the pro- gram continues to grow. "We want to stay in the groove, and make improvements both for nationals and for next season," McFarland said. Final Big Ten standings TEAM SCORE 1. Minnesota 154 2. Ilinois 130.5 3. Iowa 129.5 4. Michigan 109 5. Ohio State 104.5 6. Wisconsin 75 7. Michigan State 65 8. Indiana 59.5 9. Purdue 50 10. Penn State 35- 11. Northwestern 6 Duke smokes 'Heels for ACC title, 95-81 A CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - No. 2 Duke hasn't dominated the ACC the past five seasons by backing down from a challenge. The Blue Devils were determined not give ground against their biggest rival yesterday. Duke (26-4, 13-3), playing at a breakneck offensive pace without its top inside threat, made Atlantic Coast Conference history by winning or tying for their fifth straight regular-season title with a 95-81 victory over No. 4 North Carolina. "This is the result of coming to work every single day with the dedication needed to be a champion," said Duke's Shane Battier, who was spectacular in his final regular-season ACC game. "Not once, but five times. That will be something to look back on." Duke lost by two points to the Tar Heels (23-5, 13-3) in Durham a month ago, missing 14 of 27 free throws, but remained alive for a No. I seed in the NCAA tournament with a dominating offensive show in the Smith Center. "We're Duke, this is a championship program," freshman Chris Duhon said. "We're not going to lay down and lose to anybody. We came together as a team and showed why we're still pretty good. "We came into this game not worry- ing about Xs and Os," added Duhon,. who scored 15 points and had four assists in his first career start "Thist' game was more about heart and desire and a will to win. We knew we were outsized, we knew we were going against the world, but we had a bigger heart, a bigger will to come out and quiet all the critics." Duke's two stars were the heroes in the Tobacco Road rematch as the Blue Devils were 14-for-38 from 3-point range without center Carlos Boozer who watched from the bench with a broken bone in his right foot. Jason Williams scored 33 points and Battier added 25 points, 1 I rebounds and five blocks as Duke won its third straight in Chapel Hill. Many counted the Blue Devils out of this one as soon as Boozer went down in Tuesday's loss to Maryland. DAVID KATZ/Daily Michigan wrestling coach Joe McFarland rallies the troops in preparation for Saturday's matches in the Big Ten Championship. Olson returns, wins Big Ten title By Nathan Unsley Daily Sports Witer EVANSTON - In a season that almost never happened because of a horrific knee injury a year ago, Michigan's Otto Olson amazed fans from around the country with yet another title: 174-pound Big Ten Champion. "I've changed some things about my wrestling style, and I'm going out there and having fun," Olson said. "I'm just doing what I have done for 18 years now." Olson claimed his first-ever Big Ten title. The accomplished senior finished third during his sophomore season, when he was the NCAA runner-up. Last year, Olson had to watch the competition from the sidelines while nursing his potentially career-ending inj ury. "Last year I was in tears watching these guys compete, and I wasn't able to help," Olson said. Olson had a bye in the first round before recording his fastest fall of the season in 1:05 against Ryan Lewis of Wisconsin. In the semifinals, Olson escaped with a 3-2 decision against Jacob Volkmann of Minnesota. Olson faced sixth-seeded Ryan Hieber of Ohio State in the finals. Hieber upset second-seeded Gabe McMahan of Iowa in the semifinals. "(Hieber is) a real good upper body greco wrestler. He's got a lot of throws," Olson said. "That's how he won his semifinal match, and that's why I was a little more cautious out there." Olson scored an early takedown in the match and never trailed en route to a 6-3 victory. The usually ultra-intense Olson adopted a more laid-back attitude for the tournament. He could often be seen joking around with his teammates and cheering on other Wolverines while waiting for his matches. In the past, Olson would spend most of the time between bouts focusing his intensity for the rest of the day. Even though he was unusually relaxed, Olson said that he was still very nervous before the final. "Especially in the first period - The glass is half full ... Despite finishing fourth in the BTT; No. 3 Michigan managed to qualify an impressive eight wrestlers for NCAA's. How Michigan's wrestlers finished: Wrestler Seed Finish Otto Olson 1 1 Mike Kulczycki 5 3 Matt Brink 3 4 Joe DeGain 4 4 Andy Hrovat 4 5 AJ. Grant 5 5 Charles Martelli 5 5 Pat Owen 7 7 Foley Dowd 5 8 Clark Forward 8 8 0 that's when guys get nervous, or freoze up, and that's when the other guy can get some offense going," Olson said. The No. 2 wrestler in the nation, Olson will look to continue his success at the NCAA Tournament in two weeks. "I'm not going to sit back and be happy for this win," Olson said. "That's not my goal -- to be a Big Ten champi- on, but to be an NCAA champion." DAVID KATZ 'Da.y Michigan's Mike Kulczycki goes to work on Northwestern's Ryan Cumbee en route to an 18-6 major decision win in the first round of the Big Ten Championships. The Wolverines' 149-pounder finished third in the conference. NCAA concerned with college gambling f 0 Where's the beef? Baseball homerless CA RSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - A top hTAA official told Nevada law- make on Friday that legal and ille- gal Tetting is threatening the inteity of every college game. William Saum, the NCAA's direc- tor f Agent and Gambling Activties, also told Nevada legisla- tors,Vcgulators and gambling indus- try ffares that point-shaving is the best tample of how college sports bettif ruins games. "I ave witnessed students, their famies and institutions publicly humrnIated," Saum said. "1 Pave seen students expelled fron ollege, lose athletics scholar- ship;worth thousands of dollars, and _,pardize any hope of a profes- sionacareer in athletics." Tlw NCAA has been lobbying Congess to pass a law banning all bettig on college and amateur sportj Mgflbers of the state's Assembly Judiipry Committee reacted by pronrgtly passing a resolution urg- ing Gongress not to outlaw Nevada's legaIorts betting industry. Tl~estate's Senate is expected to do AX same when they receive the Ass ibly resolution. Sct Dina Titus, a professor at UNLV, said she has never heard that student gambling was a problem. If it is, she said the NCAA should focus on getting universities to do something instead of trying to place regulations on Nevada, the only state to allow such betting. Lawmakers also said Nevada's strict regulation of legal sports gam- bling prevents point-shaving from happening more often. State Gaming Commission chair- man Brian Sandoval said the NCAA's efforts to ban sports betting would "eliminate Nevada's watch- dog role in this whole process." Bill Bible, head of the Nevada Resort Association, which repre- sents major hotel-casinos, said Saum and the NCAA 'are using Nevada as a scapegoat for their nadequacies.' "To say the least, we are insulted and disappointed by the NCAA's bewildering position," Bible said. Legislators estimated that legal sports betting represents less than I percent, or S2.5 billion, of an esti- mate S380 billion bet around the nation every year on sports. One-fourth of the Nevada betting involves college games. Saum estimated that 25 percent of AVN The NCAA continues to push for a law banning gambling on contests such as yesterday's Duke-North Carolina game. student basketball and football ath- letes bet on their games, and the NCAA has been urging universities to do mores tostop sports betting. This isn't about the NCAA against the state of Nevada,' Saum said. "We have never said that if Nevada makes sports gambling ille- gal that the problem will go away - but that a piece of the problem will go away. U.S. Senators Sam Brownback, R- Kan., and John McCain, R-Ariz., first introduced legislation in Congress a year ago targeting legal betting in Nevada. The NCAA-backed bill stalled in. committee, but they plan to reintro- duce it this year. By Steve Jackson Daily Sports Writer TAMPA, Fla. --- The Michigan baseball team had all its bags when it landed in sunny Florida, but its power game never arrived. After the first nine games of the season, the Wolverines were without a homerun as Michigan posted a 3-5 record against Western Michigan, No. 23 Stetson, South Florida and Boston College over break. And while coach Geoff Zahn acknowledged that the long ball would not be a strength for the team, lie wasn't losing any sleep over the matter either. "We're not a big power hitting team," Zahn said. "We're more of a gap hitting team. "I think (the homeruns) will start to come, but I'm very happy that they aren't trying to hit them. They're trying to hit the ball hard, and that a lot of times is more effec- Without the luxury of the periodic three-run homer, the Wolverines have been extra aggressive on the basepaths. "You've got to go with what you have," Zahn said. "We've got a little more speed on this club. We are not going to be shy about running. We like to put the pressure on the defense." The plan has worked well so far -- Michigan has been successful in 80 percent of its attempts to steal (12-15). Shortstop Bill LaRosa leads the team with four steals in as many attempts. The fifth year senior also extend- ed his club-leading hitting streak to 17 games by hitting safely in all seven of his games in Florida. The team may be fast, but its real strength lies in its talented pitching staff. Led by senior captain Nick Alexander and right-hander Bobby Korecky, the hurlers will shoulder miwh o~f the. loadclfor the Wolverines "The pitching will be strong, and' it could carry this team," said Daviid* Parrish, the MVP catcher fro m Michigan's 2000 campaign who was in attendance for two of the games in Florida. Alexander (1-0) started two of the Wolverines' three wins. He current- lv leads all Michigan starters with a 3.65 ERA. But the newest addition to the staff, freshman Jim Brauer turned the most heads. The 2000 Indiana Mr. Baseball has yet to yield a run, boasting si* strikeouts in his five innings of work that included a save against Souti Florida. "Brauer took big steps today; Zahn said after the South Florida win. "He was impressive." But even Michigan's strong suit fell on hard times at the end of the week. The Wolverines allowed at least eight runs in their last three consec utive losses. Another early-season problem f6r Michigan has been fielding. The" Wolverines committed 13 errors, mostly on aggressive late throws and miscommunications. But their opponents didn't catch the bobble bug, posting just two errors. "Although we made some errors in the last couple games, I think thisO team will prove to be pretty strong defensively." Zahn said. Michigan is already looking- "pretty strong" compared to last sea- son. In the 2000 home opener against Minnesota, the Wolverines botched, dropped, and threw away ai astounding 18 balls in the four-game series. EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY FRIDAY MARCH 23, 2001 Food For Thought Who was the better fighter? American pilots took tremendous losses while being forced to fly one of five corridors into North Vietnam, often bombing what were nothing more than already bombed-out buildings, just so the reports showed that X number of sorties were flown that day. More to come in future ads. tr I illie R. Acncr 0 A week in the swamp' The Michigan baseball team ran its record to 3-5 by opening its season in Florida last week. Here is a synopsis of each series. ur<.. - i-- - .-rh Ainvrna n . m M ,