SPORTS sportsdesk@umich.edu THURSDAY MARCH 14, 2002 8A Defense a surprising strength for 'M' icers STEVE By Naweed Sikora Daily Sports Writer During playoff time, one defensive mistake might not just cost a team a goal, it might cost it a season. The Michigan hockey team almost saw its season end last Friday night when a few key defensive mis- takes led to four Lake Superior goals and a loss. But Michigan was able to win the series and advance to the CCHA Super 6 Tournament this weekend in Detroit. The Wolverines' defense was expected to be the strength of this year's team. That, for the most part, has held true. Senior Jay Vancik has been a consistent force for Michigan at the blue line, while sophomores Mike Komisarek and Andy Burnes have also provided depth and experience. Junior Mike Roemensky strug- gled during the season, but appears to be picking up his game now that playoff time has come around (he posted a plus-2 in the Lake Superior series). Even freshman defensemen like Eric Wener, Bran- don Rogers and Nick Martens have been making sig- nificant contributions. After 39 games this season, the Wolverines have held opponents to 23.9 shots and 2.3 goals per game, while averaging 32.7 and 3.5 themselves. These num- bers are slightly better than last season wlIen they held opponents to 24.1 shots and 2.4 goals per game. Considering that Michigan lost nine seniors to grad- uation and junior defenseman Jeff Jillson to the NH's San Jose Sharks, the fact that it has been able to main- tain the same defensive numbers is impressive. The Wolverines' stinginess has helped them to a CCHA regular season title. But the playoffs, of course, are a different story. No matter how many shots a team allows, one bad defensive play might end it all. "Mistakes are bound to happen," Burnes said. "But (Michigan) coach (Red Berenson) harps on eliminat- ing breakdowns because they're simple to prevent." Said Roemensky: "As long as we don't give them anything, they're not going to get anything. If we take that approach, we'll be successful in the playoffs and hopefully the NCAA Tournament." The Wolverines definitely gave the Lakers some gifts this past weekend -two breakaways in the first See DEFENSE, Page 12A Holding them down Even though they lost nine seniors to graduation and two underclassmen (Andy Hilbert and Jeff Jillson) to the NHL, the Wolverines have not missed a beat on defense. Here are some of the key opponents' statistics against Michigan. JACKSON Follow the rules and make March a pro fitable month Shots per game Goals per game Powerplay pct. 2000-01 (40 games) 24.1 2. 2.4 12.5 2001-02 (39 games) 23.9 2.3 10.7 I Cagers end season in embarrassment By Jim Weber Daily Sports Writer A season that turned bad quickly ended last night with a thud. The Wolverines, who were a presea- son favorite to win the Big Ten title, lost 62-49 to Val-_ paraiso last 4N VALPARAISO 62 night in the first round of MICHIGAN 49 the women's NIT. It was the third lowest point total for the Wolverines all season. Jennifer Smith led Michigan with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. The rest of the Wolverines shot just 24 percent from the floor. Not even Smith could match Val- paraiso's 6-foot-5 center Marlous Nieuwveen, who scored a game-high 26 points. She made all nine of her field goals and all eight of her free throws. Guard Katie Boone followed with 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, nine of which came in the second half. Trailing by four points with five minutes remaining, the Wolverines allowed Valparaiso (13-1 Mid-Conti- nent, 25-6 overall) to pull away with a four-point possession. Jeanette Gray failed to convert a three-point play, but the Crusaders got their own offensive rebound. Tabitha Pool was called for a foul on Nieuwveen after what appeared to be a clean block, and Nieuwveen made both shots from the charity stripe. Michigan (6-10, 17-13) scored just four points in the final five minutes of its season. The game ended the careers of sen- iors Alayne Ingram, Heather Oesterle and Susana Jara. Ingram, who was in tears after the game, shot just 2-of-16 from the field. The Michigan career 3-point shooting leader was also 0-for-5 from behind the arc and had five turnovers. "(I went) into the lockerroom and realized it's not my lockerroom any- more, and that's hard," Ingram said. She was especially disappointed after how well the team played at the Big Ten Tournament. Michigan beat Illinois by 20 points and took Big Ten Champion Purdue intoovertime before bowing out in the second round. "It's disappointing," Ingram said. "It hurts and it sucks" See CRUSADERS, Page 12A day' is the day. All the stars have finally aligned, and the basketball gods have blessed us with the greatest gift of all time. It's tourney time! Every single sports fan with a pulse knows that he or she has just two jobs today - fill out a bracket and watch CBS till their shape has been perma- nently molded to the seat. You could have a midterm tomorrow, an afternoon shift at work, a hot date tonight, or even a protest to attend. But frankly, my friends, none of that matters. Once my picks have been set in stone, I'll be firmly planted in front of the television, eating cheese balls and enjoying a Nate Newton size container of my favorite beverage. But before anyone can reach that nir- vana of March Madness bliss, he must first tackle the michigandailycom/ Pizza House Challenge, or one of the thousands of pools like it. Because I knoi that a number of you have been too busy listening to the Dan Dickau song (available on the audio page of gozags.com) to fill out a brack- et, I have summarized my basic rules of the road so that you too may avoid los- ing to somebody's dog this year. Rule No. 1- Right now, before you think about how badly Gonzaga got screwed, before you find your favorite (non-Michigan) team, before you do anything other than find a pen - put Duke into the Final Four. It's a done deal. Unfortunately, we will all be sub- jected to Dick Vitale drooling all over the Dukies for the rest of the month. Rule No. 2 - Don't predict four No. 1 seeds to reach Atlanta. First of all, it's about as original of an idea as opening another New York style pizza place on East William Street. Secondly, you want to at least try to avoid picking the same teams as your neighbor's hamster, and most impor- tantly - it's never happened. This sort of thing is possible in the women's tournament, but last time I checked just 10,345 people cared about women's hoops. (Note this number was determined using the athletic depart- ment's random number generator, which is ordinarily reserved for men's basketball attendance figures). Rule No. 3 - Identify perennial chokers. Kansas, Indiana and Cincin- nati, I'm looking at you here. Choker points are also awarded to top-four seeds that have no players that are rec- ognizable outside of their immediate geographic region. Oregon and Ohio State fit that description nicely. You should look for a good place to knock these jokers out before they get too far. A first-round upset isn't always the answer, but you must beware. Rule No. 4 - Educate yourself. There is just one difference between the average sports fan and the members of the selection committee. Every single sports fan can scour collegeRPI.com and watch SportsCenter to make intelli- gent decisions about how good a team like, say, No. 6 Gonzaga actually is. For example, if you saw any of the Bulldogs' games this year, you would know that Dickau's fiancee, Heather Nevenner, is absolutely scorching. CBS may rig a game or two just to keep her on camera. Rule No. 5 - Make your decisions and stick with them. I have /monoga- mous relationship with my picks. I never fill out five brackets with five dif- ferent champions. I love the feeling that my money is riding on every game in the early going. I have my "Picks of Destiny" and I will live or die with them. Even if I lose out to some crack- head's 22nd different entry. Rule No. 6 -Pick one team simply because of its mascot. Last year, I took Kent State just because I wanted to cheer for the Golden Flashes. But this year, the Salukis of Southern Illinois are .in a class by themselves. As an added bonus, the Salukis will face Bobby Knight (choker) in the first round -in Chicago. Knight is a coaching genius, but any team built around junior college trans- fers and two guys named "Mikey" is ripe for an early exit. Steve Jacksons "Picks ofDestiny" say that Maryland will cut down the nets. He can be reached at siackso@umich.edu. 4 0 BRENDAN O'DONNELL/Daily Michigan forward Heather Oesterle played her last game as a Wolverine last night in a 62-49 loss at the hands of Valparaiso. -41 0 Blue not the same team without Guevara By Bob Hunt Daily Sports Writer The Michigan women's basketball team may have been on the floor with Valparaiso last night, but its mind was elsewhere. Michigan coach Sue Guevara was not in atten- dance to see her team end its season last night because she BASKETBALL had to tend to her ailing moth- er who had a relapse of cancer, Notebook a disease that she has been battling for quite some time. Guevara was at prac- tice yesterday but had to leave after her mother's condition got worse. Associate head coach Angela Jackson took over, but things were obviously not the same as Gue- vara's feisty attitude was missed. "When you're used to one way, it's definitely different," Jackson said. Guevara followed the game over the Internet and phoned into the bench frequently, "We defi- antly felt her presence, she just wasn't in the build- ing," Jackson said. Guevara is the reason many of these players came to Michigan. She has known most of the Wolverines since before they were teenagers play- ing AAU. The Wolverines had a great deal more talent than Valparaiso. But without Guevara the team looked like it was in another place. "We came to play for her," junior center Jennifer Smith said. "It just didn't work out." FALLING FLAT: The women's NIT was supposed to be a springboard to next season for the Michigan women's basketball team, but that was until its fire was taken away. While Michigan had advantage on the glass, Valparaiso tracked down almost every loose ball. Valparaiso guard Katie Boone tracked down eight offensive rebounds of her own. But that was possibly because Valparaiso had a lot more to play for. After winning 20 out of 21 games, the Crusaders lost to Oakland in the Mid- Continent Tournament, keeping them out of the NCAA Tournament. So they had something to prove in the WNIT. And while they had beaten some major conference teams at home, the Cru- saders had never beaten a major opponent on the road. Winning against the Wolverines was a his- toric victory for their program. "I felt like we were in a good position," Val- paraiso coach Keith Freeman said. "I'm so happy for our school and for our program. We're happy to be here, we're excited." For Michigan, such a disappointing loss hurt even more after the Big Ten Tournament. After playing so well against Illinois and Purdue, Michi- gan came out with no desire. Other than a solid 20-point performance by Smith, the Wolverines showed just about nothing. The team's new lineup got off to a horrid start, falling down by 10, less than five minutes into the game. Michigan had no points off the bench and only four combined points from Alayne Ingram and Heather Oesterle in their final game at Michigan. "We didn't play like we played at the Big Ten Tournament," Jackson said. For a team that was supposed to finish at the top of the Big Ten, Michigan is going to have to start from sqdare one after finishing ninth in the con- ference. It had the talent to succeed against just about any team in the conference but came out flat on countless occasions, turning over the ball and playing lackluster defense. "We have to push ourselves harder," Gandy said. "So we don't end up like we did this year." France invades Cliff Keen Arena tomorrow By Dan Rosen Daily Sports Writer For the second season in a row, the Michigan men's gymnastics team will face one of Europe's best national teams. Last season, the Wolverines used solid all-around perforrhances from juniors Scott Vetere, Daniel Diaz-Luong and Brad Kenna to defeat the Spanish National Team on its home floor in Madrid, Spain. Tomorrow, the Wolverines' trip will be slightly short- er, as they welcome the French Nation- al Team to Cliff Keen Arena for the Corritore Classic. In addition to last season's interna- tional success, Michigan can be opti- mistic because its senior leaders seem to be peaking at the right time. In the Wolverines last meet, an upset of No. 5 California-Berkeley on Mar. 3, Kenna and fellow senior Justin Toman I tify your future. DAILY PouRTs: BRAcKETS DUE AT NOON TODAY* CLIFF KEEN ARENA Who: No. 8 Michigan (3-2 Big Ten, 7-5 overall) vs. the French National Team When: 7 p.m. Latest: The Wolverines get their first look at international competition in their final home meet of the season. combined for four first-place finishes to lead the Wolverines to victory. Diaz- Luong has performed well enough at practice over the last two weeks to earn extra attention from his coach. "(He) seems to really be stepping up," Michigan coach Kurt Golder said. "It's even possible that he'll work the all-around this weekend:' Golder says that he does not expect a let down after the team's big win because the athletes have had so much time to refocus. The long break has allowed Michigan to rest some of its injuries and make some minor adjust- ments entering the final home meet of the season. "(Kenna) took a full week off (from) training and so did Geoff Corrigan," Golder said. "So, I think having those 12 days off can be nothing but a plus for us. The primary concern for the Wolverines is the amount of extra preparation time that a national team has to train as compared to a See FRENCH, Page 12A Food for Thought Manipulating Opinion If ybu're a student ready for real-world projects and rewards, let Kellogg Company enhance your mind and talents. r Undergraduate Finance Internships Battle Creek, Michigan 'These challenging, fun and rewarding opportunities will olfer real business exposure to various areas of finance such as financial planning and reporting, supply chain finance, innovation financial analysis, and marketing budgeting. Additionally, cross-functional interaction and management exposure are an integral part of our everyday culture. 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