The Michigan Daily - Friday, March 22, 2002 - 9 'M' travels to prep for Big Ten By Brian Schick Daily Spots Writer A week after the Michigan women's tennis team won its first conference match, the Wolverines take a break from the Big Ten by heading to Milwaukee this weekend. Michigan (1-3 Big Ten, 5-6 overall) will face Marquette tomorrow at the Helfaer Tennis Center and Tulane on Sunday in a neutral site matchup. Michigan faces nonconference opponents in four of its next five matches, then finishes the season against Big Ten foes. Because the conference hasn't treated the Wolver- ines kindly thus far, coach Bitsy Ritt feels the break from the Big Ten comes at a good time, and it will help the team into the second half of the season. "We can build on what we did in our Minnesota match," Ritt said. "Nonconference matches are much better than taking a week off from competition." Ritt feels that those matches are a good time to work on skills in game settings rather than in practice. She feels that working to improve skills in matches will help their chances when returning to conference action. Ritt particularly hopes to increase consis- tency, as the Wolverines have not won more than two matches in a row this season. "We've been a little inconsistent match-to-match and I hope we can give it two solid efforts (this week- end)," Ritt said. Inconsistency has been one of the biggest problems facing the Wolver- ines this season. After all three of its Price is right in win over 'Zona SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - Superstition gave Hollis Price his new hands and Oklahoma its chance to advance. Price, off target during the pregame warmups, had 26 points and a season-high six 3-pointers as Oklahoma beat ArizonaI 88-67 last night in the West Regional semi- finals. "I've got a superstition. If I'm not hitting in warmups, I'll come in the locker room, and I'll wash my hands," Price said. "I came TOM FELDKAMP/Daily Senior Jen Vaughn and the Wolverines will look to extend their winning streak beyond two for the first time this season with matches at Marquette and Tulane. four wins this season, Michigan dropped the following match by scores of 5-2 or worse. Ritt hopes that the Wolverines will come out ready to play against Marquette after their win last Sunday, calling her team's 6-1 loss to Wisconsin Satur- day "one of the weakest performances of the MILN year. Who: Michig Michigan's first test of Ten, 5-6 over improving consistency quette (2-10 will come against Mar- (9-4) quette (2-10), an interest- when: 1 p.m ing nonconference p.m. Sunday opponent. Although it is a Latest: Michi member of Conference wintwostrai USA, Marquette has thefirsttime faced seven Big Ten opponents, yet hasn't faced a foe from Conference USA. The Golden Eagles could pass for a member of the Big Ten and as a result Marquette is a perfect noncon- ference opponent for Michigan to play in the middle of the season. In the past, Marquette has been one of the top teams in the region, yet it has struggled mightily this season, as it has just six women on its roster. A difficult schedule this season has been tough on the Golden Eagles, who have already faced three teams in the out with a new set of hands." Second-seeded Oklahoma will play in its first regional final since 1988. Third-seeded Arizona, which lost to Duke in last year's NCAA championship game, could not overcome the Sooners' tough defense or Price, whose accurate outside shooting kept Oklahoma in it early before a sustained second-half rally. "In the end I don't think there was any question," Arizona coach Lute Olson said. "Oklahoma was quicker and a whole lot more explosive." Jason Gardner, probably playing his last college game, led the Wildcats with 14 points. Luke Walton, the son of former UCLA and NBA great Bill Walton, had nine points and eight assists. With Duke's loss to Indiana coming not long after the Wildcats were eliminated, both participants of last season's final were knocked out of this year's NCAA Tourna- ment within 30 minutes. Indiana coach Mike Davis Top PERFORMANCES: Indiana's Jarred Jeffries. Th scintillating sophomore scored 24 points and cor- ralled 15 reb'ounds to lead the Hoosiers past top-seed Duke 74-73 in the biggest upset of the tournament. J fries attacked the basket in the second half and made huge shots down the stretc to carry the Hoosiers. Oklahoma's Hollis Price. Th dynamic guard scored 26 points on 9-16 shooting. TI Junior drained six three-poii ers on the night, including five in the first half to lead the Sooners into the Elite Eight for the first time sinc 1988. Williams chokes as Dukies fall LEXINGTON, Kent. (AP) - With a never- give-up rally and a wild ending, Indiana pro- duced. an upset of Duke as stunning as any in the Hoosiers' hoops history. Chipping away persistently at a deficit that was as big as 17 points, Indiana took advantage of another Jason Williams mis- cue at the foul line and beat the defending national champion Blue Devils 74-73 in the South Regional semifinals last night. Top-seeded Duke had a chance to tie it with 4.2 seconds left when Williams - a unanimous All-American - was fouled as he made a long 3-pointer to get the Blue e Devils within a point. But he missed the free throw, and Carlos Boozer couldn't con- vert a follow shot. Indiana, seeded fifth, makes it first trip to ed a regional final since Bob Knight took them to the final eight in 1993. ef- "No one believed in us, that we could win n this basketball game," Hoosiers coach Mike Davis said. ch "I hope now that people know I can coach." 1e It was the most significant victory of his tenure, which began when Knight was fired he in 2000. nt- Davis jumped high in the air and raced onto the court with his players to celebrate the victory over Duke, which returned four starters from last year's title team. e Williams, only a 67 percent free-throw shooter, left the Rupp Arena court in tears. WAUKEE an (1-3 Big rall) vs. Mar- ) and Tulane .tomorrow, 12 V" gan will try to iht matches for this season. top 10. "They've done well in the past, but it's no secret they've struggled this year," Ritt said. "It's a good match to have on our schedule, as they play so many Big Ten teams." Sunday's matchup with Tulane (9-4) is the first ever meeting between the U In ELLS two schools. Michigan will face a challenge from the Green Wave, one of the top teams in Conference USA. Yet Tulane has struggled lately, drop- ping three of its last four, and - like Michigan - has only won a single match against teams ranked in the ITA's top 25 poll. HARTIGAN Continued from Page 8 made sure to focus on his No. 1 goal of winning the national cham- pionship. Before talking about his own skills and the Hobey Baker, he Sgives credit to his teammates. S s"The greatest thing about hockey ishaving a team around you," Har- tigan said. "I'll do anything for them and they'll do anything for me." Said coach Craig Dahl: "He's most considerate of others, not the typical superstar that some people like to associate with that term. If you have daughters, if they bring a guy like that home, you'll be alright." HUSKIES Continued from Page 8 "I think we're coming in with the underdog role," said Cammalleri of his team's No. 4 seed. "All year people have been counting us out. Nobody picked us to win the league and we won the league. Nobody picked us to win the playoffs and we won the playoffs." A comic opera by Rossini Sung in Italian with English supertides Conducted by Martin Katz Directed by Nicolette Molnar True love triumphs and inner beauty prevails in this vivacious opera by the composer ofThe Barber of Seville. March 21 - 23at 8pm - March 24 at 2pm Mendelssohn Theatre Tickets $20 & $15 * Students $7 w/ID League Ticket Office Charge it! 734-764-2538 e U R Enjoy an oboe recital of 20th century music with & electronic accompaniment on Saturday March 23rd featuring: Kate Eakin Show starts at 8 p.m. Admission is $5,$3for students,with proceeds benefiting the Ann Arbor Hunger Coalition Sunday evening Jazz Mass at s p.m. Alternative Worship featuring live music by Stephen Rush and Quartex UM School of Music Opera Theatre As CONTROLLER FO A MAJOR FASHION HOUSE YOU START HERE. GO PLACES. SPEND $6300,000ON A SHOW THAT LASTS *112 MINUTES TRAVEL 6,760 MILES TO OPEN A FLAGSHIP STORE IN TOKYO CHARGE $ 1, 699 FOR A PIECE OF FABRIC 4 FT LONG If you know business and accounting, you can get a job anywhere. Because the skills you learn in business - strategic and analytical thinking, communication, and leadership - are alwavs in demand. c) c c 73 I