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Sports desk: 763-2459
sportsdesk@umich.edu
SECTION B
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'M' opens spring practice, 12th game still possible
By Joe Smith
Daily Sports Editor
Senior Steve Hutchinson found himself in
an unfamiliar position when the Michigan
football team kicked off spring practice Satur-
day morning - on the sidelines.
The All-America offensive lineman and
former Michigan captain woke up early and
trudged through the snow in order to get a
ak peak at his former teammates and
aches inside the warm, friendly confines of
Oosterbaan Fieldhouse.
"It's kind of different," said Hutchinson,
who is a projected first-round pick in the
upcoming NFL Draft. "But it's good watching
the guys that I've played with the past couple
years go through it."
Coincidentally, Hutchinson and Michigan
coach Lloyd Carr were both keeping a close
e on the offensive lineman. With three
ential first-round draft picks leaving -
Hutchinson, Jeff Backus and Maurice
Williams, Carr is trying to plug the holes.
"You don't replace those guys overnight,"
Carr said, "because they took so much experi-
ence with them."
The departure of former captain Hutchin-
son, Backus, Williams and David Brandt, will
leave a major hole to fill in a front seven that
will be depended on to create clear routes for
running backs while keeping fierce lineback-
ers off senior quarterback Drew Henson's
back.
But Hutchinson said that spring practice is
exactly the time for the younger guys to learn
and improve and build on the rich tradition
Michigan has of successful offensive lineman.
"That's what spring practice is for, the
younger guys,' Hutchinson said. "During the
season a lot of the backup positions don't get
a lot of repetitions. So spring practice is a
good time for them to step up their game, step
up their technique, and get their timing down.
They'll keep listening and watching film."
Michigan has a mix of experience and
young talent returning on the offensive line.
Ben Mast and Jonathan Goodwin have some
experience as starters, while Hutchinson said
that younger guys like Tony Pape and Deme-
terius Solomon will step up to add some
depth.
Dave Petruziello moved from defensive
end to the offensive line, which should add
another body for the coaching staff to work
with.
"If he can get his stuff down pat, he's going
to be another guy who can raise the level of
competition and have another body in there
either start or be a backup " Hutchinson said."
EXTRA GAME: Carr and Michigan athletic
director Bill Martin said last week that there
is a "50-50" chance that Michigan will host a
preseason game on August 25th at Michigan
Stadium called the Michigan Charities Clas-
sic.
"We've contacted a number of schools that
we feel would be outstanding opponents,"
Carr said. "But the discussions are ongoing.
There's not a lot of interest in coming to
Michigan Stadium to play."
Although the financial benefits and televi-
sion exposure are some positives for having
the game, Carr said there's always going to be
consequences.
"I will tell you this," Carr said. "You have
to win. If you play that game and lose, now
you have to win seven games (to be bowl eli-
gible) and if you look at the history - the last
two years in the Big Ten, there is pretty good
evidence that is a risk."
CARR MUM: In Michigan's search for a
new basketball coach looming, there have
been questions if the new coach should be
paid more than the football coach, along with
what type of person does the Athletic Depart-
ment want to bring in. Everyone has his or
her own opinions, including Carr.
"Let me say that there have been a lot of
developments in the last few weeks," Carr
said. "I have very strong opinions on these.
But I don't want to share them."
"I know exactly who I want to hire."
But when asked if he would share his con-
cerns with Martin, Carr replied: "If I'm
asked. But I don't expect to be asked."
Still
dreaming
0
"/r C 17: MICHIGAN 81, VIRGINIA 71 (OT)
Tonight,
Blue faces
'top-seeded
Notre Dame
By Bentauin Singer
Daily Sports Writer
NOTRE DAME - The first two
rounds in the NCAA Tournament are
stepping-stones for more than just the
road to the Final Four in the mind of
Michigan coach Sue Guevara. They
are building blocks for the future of the
women's basketball team.
Two of the past three years, Guevara
has taken her Wolverines to the NCAA
Tournament only to lose in the first
game. In the week leading up to the
tournament, she had heard quite a few
reminders of her history. She made
sure she doesn't have to hear about it
the next time she goes to the NCAAs
after her 81-71 overtime victory
against Virginia on Saturday.
"Everybody in the media (said),
'Well, Guevara got her team (in the
tournament) but they haven't won a
game,"' Guevara said. "Well, guess
what. We did. So this is a nice step for
our program.
"It's a step and it's what we have to
take for our program to build what
Notre Dame has here with their
women."
The question becomes, is one first-
round win enough to be able to com-
pete with the top-seeded Fighting Irish
on their home court in tonight's game?
Notre Dame (28-2) is the No. 2 team
in the country after No. 1 Connecticut
avenged its loss to the Irish from earli-
er in the season with a win in the Big
East Championship.
All-America and Big East Player of
the Year Ruth Riley is likely to give
Michigan the most trouble. The center
recorded 17.8 points and 7.6 rebounds
per game.
"It's going to be a challenge,
probably the biggest challenge I'vz
ever faced in my basketball career,"
Michigan center Jennifer Smith said.
See IRISH, Page 3B
JEFF HURVITZ/Daiy
Michigan State captured the West Regional's No. seed
- and the CCHA trophy - with its 2-0 win over Michigan.
Icers get third
seed in west,
draw Mercyhurt
By Joe Smith
Daily Sports Editor
After weeks of hoping for an NCAA Tournament
bye, Michigan finally found its destination yesterday -
the No. 3 seed in the West Regional in Grand Rapids.
And Michigan's insight on its opponent, Mercyhurst,
proves to continue the trend of ambiguity.
"We've accumulated close to 40 games on tape as a
library of information on possible opponents, and I can
tell you that the one with the least amount of tape is
Mercyhurst," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "This
is because they're not televised as much and are not as
visible.
"They'll be a team like Niagara was, coming from an
unproven league and looking to prove something. I
know they'll be super-excited to play in the NCAA
Tournament."
Niagara came out of the less-established CHA con-
ference last year to stun 1999 NCAA runner-up New
Hampshire team in the first round of the NCAA Tour-
nament.
In the same way, Mercyhurst has something to prove.
After several years at the Division III and Division II
level, the Lakers will make their first-ever appearance in
the NCAA Tournament since gaining Division I status
just two years ago.
Mercyhurst, a small school located in Erie, Pa.,
joined the four-year old MAAC conference this season
- and just in time.
This is the first year the MAAC conference tourna-
ment winner gained one of the five automatic berths
into the NCAAs, to go along with the CCHA, WCHA,
ECAC, and CHA.
Although Berenson fully supports improving and
expanding college hockey, he and other coaches feel
that giving a new league a precious berth isn't always a
good thing.
"But I don't think anybody feels good about giving
them an automatic bid right now - if you take all the
coaches around the country, they're not too excited
about that:'
This still leaves Mercyhurst, MAAC conference and
Tournament champions, with the hunger to prove the
critics wrong, and show it deserves a bid.
"We're going to have to be ready to come out against
a team that will come out and give it everything it's got,
with a nothing-to-lose attitude," sophomore center Mike
Cammalleri said. "That's tough anytime you play
against a team that has nothing to lose and will throw
everything at you."
What Michigan will find out about these Lakers is
that they're a young, hard-skinned team that has dealt
with plenty of adversity, but is peaking at the right time
of year. This makes them a very dangerous opponent
for the nationally renowned Michigan team that is mak-
ing its record 1lth straight appearance in the tourna-
ment.
"I don't like to hear the mighty Michigan and the
unknown Mercyhurst, because we all know that story,"
Berenson said.
"So we just have to get our feet on the ground and get
ready to play against a good team - a team that is going
to play its tail off."
MARJORIE MARSHAL/daily
Junior Alayne Ingram refused to let another season end in overtime. Ingram scored a career-high 27 points, 15 more than her season average.
Michigan moves on with win over Cavs
By David Horn
Daily Sports Writer
NOTRE DAME - In the second half of
Saturday's NCAA Tournament first round
game against Virginia, junior guard Alayne
Ingram did everything she could to prolong
the career of teammate Anne Thorius.
Ingram, who led Michigan to an 81-71 over-
time win, scored 22 second-half points to
lead the Wolverines to their first tournament
victory in coach Sue Guevara's tenure.
"Anne and I talked a lot about what we
have to do in order for this team to win,"
Ingram said of her halftime conversation
with Thorius. "One of the things she said to
me that really stuck with me was I don't
want my career to be over today. I'm not
sick of playing with her yet."
Using a six-player rotation, Guevara's
team overcame a 33-22 halftime deficit, and
improved its record to 8-8 this season when
trailing at the intermission.
The first half saw a balanced attack from
the Cavaliers, which featured All-America
candidate Schuye LaRue, sophomore Mar-
cie Dickson and junior Telisha Quarles.
Dickson and Quarles posted 23 of the Cava-
liers' first-half points. But it was the Vir-
ginia defense that was most impressive,
forcing 22 Michigan turnovers, 13 of which
came in the first half.
"We played very good defense in the first
half," Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said.
"We came out in the first five minutes of the
second half and continued that. Then it
looked like the doors were locked for us
defensively. We couldn't handle anything -
we couldn't handle Ingram at all. She just
went on a tear in the second-half - hitting
all those threes."
Ingram's tear was the result of both her
own creativity, and an effective Michigan
offense.
"She came off the screen looking for
threes, and moved around on the court look-
ing for the open shot," LaRue said. "Then
once she hit a shot, she penetrated, so you
really didn't know what she was going to
do. She just read our defense well."
Ingram began the second half with the
aggressive offensive play that she has, in
several games this season, shown herself
See CAVALIERS, Page 3B
mp
Tweeners gone, Big Dance moves on to Sweet 16
This question has plagued high school
tweeners - those teens suave enough to
secure a prom date but lowly enough to
have to drive her home by midnight -
for generations.
Is it better to have danced and lost than
to never have danced at all?
"Sixty four to the Sweet 16" means
that 48 hopefuls were bounced like a bad
check. 2:12 p.m. Saturday: Enter contest
with Maryland with dreamy visions like a
kid on Christmas Eve. 4:20 p.m. Satur-
The
Michigan
ralily s
it's the jock's turn for tear-shedding.
And for the losing coaches, two
options present themselves:
1. Climb aboard the media machine -
providing commentary and critiquing
about the team that just ended your sea-
son days earlier - a la studio analyst
K(rzyzewski). What a nice alternative
route to the Final Four while your team
sulks at home.
2. Take to the Acura and hit the
recruiting trail, scouring remote villages
Michael singing "Careless Whisper."
"I'm never gonna dance again," a
remorseful Michael sings. A full 362
days of labor for a few hours of limelight
- who would?
Here's a swan song of our own to the
weekend's losers. Ohhhhhhh see ya!
The Big Ten: Grading a conference on
the basis of its tournament performance
is overrated, but in this case, the middle
of the Big Ten has been correctly
unmasked as mediocre.
Slauceifeur.
Idaho. Don't forget your toiletries or your
TransAmerica Athletic Conference
f..
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