Return of the
Women want first NCAA Tou
By David Hoam
Daily Sports Writer
Michigan women's basketball coach Sue
Guevara has coached five seasons for the Maize
and Blue. Her team has reached the postseason
four of those five seasons, and she has won more
Big Ten games than any previous coach of the
team. She is one win shy of being the all-time
leader among Michigan women's basketball
coaches.
But not one of her 92 victories has been in the
NCAA tournament.
Last year, as an eight seed, the Wolverines lost
a first-round game to Stanford, in overtime, 81-
74. This year it's like deja vu, as another year has
earned the team another eight seed and a game
against No. 9 seed Virginia, and it seems like an
omen for another tournament failure.
But Guevara and her team are aware of their
recent sub-par postseason performances, and
have no intention of continuing them this week-
end
"This has to be a little different,"Guevara said.
"The difference is this team will have the experi-
ence factor. There's no substitute (for) that. They
have a better idea of how to prepare and what to
expect."
Senior captain Anne Thorius will be playing in
her fourth postseason in four years. Her leader-
ship will be a vital part of the team's effort, but
she has faith in her teammates' experience as
well.
"Each year you get better and get a little more
experienced," Thorius said. "It might have been
the WNIT Alayne's freshman year, or the
NCAA's last year, b
thing, as far as eff
game."
Michigan had r
once before Gueva
1989-90 season th
fied but won the or
in the program's hi
Oklahoma.
Since coming tol
a team that is consi
Big Ten, finishing
ence every year
Continued success
Guevara knows that
dancing queens
mament win in the Guevara .ra
but each year you take some- it's better for them knowing that we arion ESPN
Fort, or how you approach a because the whole country is watching. We'vc
got to go in feeling confident in our dame plan
eached the Big Dance only and confident in our ability."
ara's coaching tenure. In the Back to the Dance they go, and tt-fime the
e Wolverines not only quali- Wolverines want, and more importatt for the
ily NCAA Tournament game team, need, a victory to keep tlfeprogram
story - a 77-68 win against advancing in the right direction. 2r
"I think it's ok if (the team) waat ko think
Michigan, Guevara has built (about advancing past the first round);Ristead of
stently among the best in the thinking we are just happy to be here;.Guevara
in the top-half of the confer- said. "Last year were taking picturs,~down on
since her second season. the court next to the tournament seal.But (being
breeds future success, and at the tournament) is not a novelty anymore.
t her team needs to keep mak- Let's get a win."
ing the tournament, and eventually win there, if
it is going to make the leap to the next level.
"You aren't going to win a national champi-
onship until you have gone to the tournament
year in and year out,"Guevara said. "You have to
take those baby steps to climb the ladder to the to
the top. Then down the road someone will look
at Michigan and see that we are getting better.
They will come here to help us make that next
step to the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight.'
The success that Michigan has had during this
regular season and last has been quiet, and
Guevara has complained about the lack of
respect her team earns in national polls. But the
Wolverines' seed is appropriate, by Guevara's
measure, and their third appearance on national
television this season should help the team gain
exposure.
"I think last year I was angry because of our
seed," Guevara said. "This year we are very
deserving of an eight seed. I think (for) the kids,
(All-) American Woean
There were no Wolverines among the
Associated Press All-America team, but
they will meet one - Ruth Riley, the 6-
foot-5 senior center from Notre Dame -
in the second round of the NCAA tourna-
ment if the seeding holds form.
Player
Ruth Riley
Jackie Stiles
Katie Douglas
Kelly Miller
Stacey Dales
Team
Notre Dame
SW Missouri St.
Purdue
Georgia
Oklahoma
Po.
C
G
G/F
G
G
ALYSSA WOUD/Daily
Captain Anne Thorus will be playing in her fourth and final postseason. She has won only one postsea-
son game, though - a 7364 win at Central Michigan In the first round of the 1999 WNIT.
- I
Streaking
golfers to
head south
By Courtney Lewis
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan men's golf team is
on a roll.
It had a great fall season when it
- posted three top-five finishes and
Scott Hayes earned medalist honors
for the first time in his collegiate
career. Then the Wolverines, led by
Andrew Chapman's individual first-
place finish, started the spring sea-
son with a win at the Wolverine
South Invitational.
Now Michigan is hoping that
1early success carries over into its
1 biggest tournament yet - the El
Diablo Intercollegiate. Scott
Carlton, Kyle Kilcherman, Andy
-Matthews, Chapman and Hayes will
represent the Wolverines this week-
end at the El Diablo Golf Club in
Citrus Springs, Florida, and coach
Jim Carras likes their chances.
"Any one of the five is capable of
being a medalist," Carras said. "No
'*question."
That depth will be crucial for
Michigan. The 24-team field,
including Baylor, Nebraska and
Rice, is the toughest Michigan has
competed against all year, and the
tournament vill be played on a
course unfamiliar to the Wolverines.
"We're certainly on the upbeat
side of the ledger, but we can't get
overconfident," Carras said. "We
need to play well in order to stay on
;;top of the field."
Lack of quality practice time
could be a factor in this tournament.
Michigan had last week off, but was
unable to practice outdoors. That
can make a big difference because
players can't work on the full range
of shots inside. A key to Michigan's
win earlier this year was they were
able to practice on the course the
Oweek before ;because of spring
break.
One of Michigan's biggest
strengths is its chemistry - some-
thing extremely valuable and not
- always common in an individual
sport. The Wolverines are anchored
by experienced upperclassmen, but
don't have just one guy who serves
as team leader and motivator.
Instead, they all encourage and learn
from each other.
0 "It's a team thing," Carrass said.
"They're cohesive and they feed off
of one another. It's not like other
sports where everybody relies
directly on each other, but every-
one's results affect the team.
Without any one of them, we're not
going to be successful."
Confidence can make a huge dif-
ference in golf, and Michigan is
*brimming with it after its hot start.
The team's goal is to win at least two
tournaments this year and the
Wolverines would love to accom-
plish that with back-to-back victo-
ries so early in the spring season.
But their primary focus is playing
well consistently, because one or
:#
.... 4