Frday January 17, 2003 michigandaily.com sportsdesk@umich.edu ibe £idRiguuSail 10 By N Daily Al supr seas majo ball from cone row On Ten, shout the V Valu Can Michigan bumpth strealk t 1 aweed Sikora with it Wednesday night, but it won't Sports Editor work every night. "It was very difficult," said Blan- fter putting forth its most chard of having to sit down so early. eme defensive team effort of the "I don't know how much I played on and coming away with another then, but the guys really stepped up in r road win, the Michigan basket- my absence, and that really speaks for team must swallow the emotion the family atmosphere we have - 1its 10th-straight victory and that I could go out with foul trouble entrate on getting No. 11 tomor- and they can pick it up and do fine." afternoon at Northwestern. Poise and self-control on defense paper, Northwestern (0-3 Big should correct Michigan's first-half 8-6 overall) at Welsh Ryan Arena troubles. But the Wolverines must Id be a much easier opponent for maintain the intensity that allowed Wolverines than Ohio State at them to pull away from the Buckeyes e City Arena. But this is still the late in the game. By Daniel Bremmer Daily Sports Writer recent work ethic will carry over to the games. But that is easier said than done. "There might be some people that are struggling a little bit with their con- fidence" Guevara said. "I've just tried In an effort to take better care of the ball, Michigan women's basketball coach Sue Guevara has implemented a new system in practice. "We have a ball rack, and we have 18 balls," for- CRISLr ward Tabitha Pool said. "Throughout the whole Who: Michig practice, she throws away a Ten, 9-5 ove ball every time we get a When:24) turnover." Latest: Mic When the team is out of cut down on balls, it spends significant per game in time running. play) agains This new practice policy Big Ten chan is a result of Michigan's second mid-season collapse in a row. The Wolverines opened the season by winning eight of their first nine games, but have since lost four of their last five. During the slump, turnovers have been a problem for the Wolverines, who are averaging 23.7 per game over their last three. Michigan will need to take better care of the ball against Indi- ana if it hopes to come out on top. "We're never going to play a game where we have no turnovers," Guevara said. "But aggressive turnovers, I understand. You're driving to the basket and maybe it goes off your foot. Well, okay, we can work on ball handling." But Guevara believes her team is committing too many sloppy turnovers and not enough aggressive turnovers. Overall, Guevara is happy with the way her team has been practicing with the new policy. She is hoping that the ER ARENA gan (0-3 Big ral) vs. Indiana M. higan hopes to nturnovers (22 conference t the defending mps. Guevara taking cagers to the rack for Indiana to be very positive, and to let this team know that I have a lot of confidence in each one of them. I have faith that we can pull it together and cut down!on our mistakes." Michigan will have an opportunity to gain some confidence and its first win of the Big Ten season when Indiana comes to Crisler Arena on Sunday. '#1 Big Ten, and it's still away from home. In a game 10 0 sandwiched between a WELSH RY statement win over the - Buckeyes and competitive h: Michiga home games against Min- western 0-3, nesota and Michigan wen(0-3, State next week, the Latest: TheW( Wolverines' minds could are riding the be wandering. of a 10-game Both teams are head- streak after be ing in complete opposite season 0-6. directions as they pre- pare to butt heads in Evanston tomor- row. Michigan (3-0, 10-6) is still flying high, with confidence at a pre- mium. The Wolverines haven't been 3- 0 in the Big Ten since 1993-94, when Michigan rattled off nine consecutive conference victories. The last time the Wolverines won 11 straight games was 1992-93, when the team went 12 straight without losing. So what must Michigan do to keep the ball rolling and come back home with the winning streak intact? The first thing is to stay out of foul trouble. This was the one area in which the Wolverines got into trou- ble in Columbus, and early on it seemed that it was going tocost them the win. 7Michigan can't afford to sit lead- ing scorer LaVell Blanchard less than two minutes into the game because of foul trouble anymore. The Wolverines managed to get away YAN ARENA n(3-0 Big rall) at North- 8-6) Nolverines momentum winning eginning the Michigan coach Tommy Amaker's strategy of wip- ing the slate clean after the 0-6 start has sparked an incredible run, and he must maintain his fire on the bench to keep his players motivated for tomorrow. "I think Coach Amaker has shown a lot of enthu- siasm in practice and for the team in the games," Blanchard said. "Every RYAN WEINER/Dary Michigan senior forward LaVell Blanchard goes to the hole. Blanchard has been a key part of the Wolverines' current 10-game winning streak. [Chumps to Champs? "Winning helps everything," Gue- vara said. Indiana is 9-4 overall, including a 2- 1 record in Big Ten play. Last Sunday, Indiana defeated Ohio State 54-50 in Bloomington. Another key for the Wolverines will be center LeeAnn Bies, who has been quiet recently. After averaging 14.2 points and 6.3 rebounds over the team's first nine games, Bies has put up just half the points and half the rebounds in the team's last five. Guevara believes Bies' struggles have been due to a loss of intensity, and she went so far as to not start her last weekend in Purdue. According to Guevara, she hoped "to get Bies a little bit hungrier. To get her a little bit more aggressive, calling for the ball, wanting the ball, scoring and rebounding." aspect of the team and the family atmosphere that has grown has been important for us." Nortwestern coach Bill Carmody has a completely different situation on his hands. He must figure out how to dig the Wildcats out of their con- ference slump before it's too late. Freshman point guard T.J. Parker, who is averaging 12.9 points per game, has been one of the lone bright spots for the Wildcats so far this sea- son. Senior Winston Blake, who played an instrumental role in North- western's win over the Wolverines last year at Crisler Arena, hasn't lived up to his billing. Bl ake is, averaging just under eight points in 30 minutes of playing time per game. The last time these teams met, the Wolverines soundly defeated the Wildcats in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, 72-51. Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon on ESPN's Pardon The Interruption predicted 10 straight wins will propel Michigan to the NCAA Tournament this season. While the streak may not magical- ly lift the self-imposed sanctions, it does give fans reason to celebrate the future at Crisler. Record Points-per-game Opponents points-per-game Horton's game like. Amaker "virtues" on display Can brag about ... Rutherford helped by all-Athlete, high school First 6 Games Last 10 games 0-6 10-0 63.5 76.3 Dirty diaper Be Michigan Temperature in the Virgin Islands 75.4 62 Diaper Dandy Passion, patience Wins over Wisconsin and Ohio State Grapplers getting closer to full strength By Sharad Mattu Daily Sports Writer The Michigan wrestling team is closer to full strength than it's been all year, and it couldn't come at a bet- "It feels real good to be back with the team," the fifth-year senior said. "It was hard at first - I didn't even know if I was going to be able to come back. But now I'm healthy and ready to go. ter time. When the ninth- ranked Wolverines head to Columbus this week- end for the Cliff Keen/NWCA National Dual Meet Champi- onships, Ryan Bertin, Ryan Churella and Mike Kulczycki will all be back in action, giv- ing the Wolverines their full lineup for the first time this season. COLUMBUS What: The National Dual Team Championships Who: Michigan (3-1) vs. Boise State (2-1) When: Tomorrow and Sun- day Latest: If Michigan advances, it faces the winner of Central Michigan against Iowa. "We're at about the halfway point in the sea- son and our real big matches are coming up. This weekend is going to be a good test for us with so many good teams there." Michigan opens the tournament against No. 20 Boise State. One matchup to watch will be between No. 7 A.J. Grant To do well at the National Duals, Michigan will need a good weekend from 133-pounder junior Foley Dowd, who is having a great year with a record of 18-1. Every year, the top 16 teams are invited to the National Duals, so the field is always deep. Michigan will be one of eight top-10 teams in Columbus this weekend. The field also includes a number of familiar foes for Michigan - No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Minnesota, No. 5 Ohio State and No. 22 Michigan State. Should the Wolverines prevail against Boise State, they will likely face the Hawkeyes in the second round. With five Big Ten teams in the tournament and the conference schedule starting next week, Michi- gan would like to use this weekend to send a message to its rivals. With wrestlers returning from injury, Michigan coach Joe McFar- Kulczycki, sidelined since October with a knee injury, can hardly wait to begin his final season in maize and blue. of Michigan and No. 4 Ben Vombaur of Boise State at 125 pounds. Grant is 17-4 for the Wolverines this year and is one win shy of 100 for his career. land will also use the weekend to find a lineup that works. Last year, Kul- czycki and Bertin wrestled at 149 and 157 pounds, respectively, but this year, they will split duties at 157 and 165 pounds. McFarland hasn't decided yet where the two will wrestle for the rest of the season. Churella will wrestle at 149 pounds this weekend. "I'm going to weigh in Kulczycki and Bertin at 157, but we will be moving both those guys around this weekend," McFarland said. "I know all three of them are excited to get out there and wrestle. They've really been itching to get back in the lineup." Michigan has been inconsistent so far this season, but now that the Wolverines have their full roster healthy, they hope they can generate momentum this weekend to carry them through what will be a demand- ing conference season. The season started with an impres- sive win in the final match in Lehigh's Grace Hall. In front of a raucous crowd, Michigan took a com- manding 23-0 lead and capped it when No. 6 Kyle Smith upset then- No. 1 Jon Trenge. Since then, the Wolverines have had their share of struggles, finishing seventh at the Cliff Keen Invitational and 10th at the Midlands Champi- onships. Their last meet was a 19-13 loss to Central Michigan on Jan. 5. But now the team is healthy and rested. "The team isn't at 100 percent as yet, but we're right there," Kulczycki said. "I think the team is going to be more ready to go knowing that every- one is back." By Jake Rosenwasser Daily Sports Writer Imagine a high school made up entirely of athletes. No Screech-like characters anywhere in -sight. It's tough to do. For Leanne Rutherford of the women's tennis team, this high school was a reality. She attended the NationalW Sports School in Cal- VARSTY TE gary, Alberta. The establishment was set Who: Michigan up for Canadian ath- ChicagoandDe letes who train to 1hen:tomorro achieve the finest per- 1..:toMcrrg formance at the build on itsexc Olympics, other major performance in games and world cham- Michigan Invita pionships. "The classes and curriculum are just like any other high school," Rutherford said. "They just give you more flexi- bility with your schedule so you can travel and compete when you need to." An average day for her was similar to that of a normal high school stu- dent athlete. After waking up, she would go to classes until 1 or 2 p.m. Then she would hit the courts to train, condition and work on her strokes. Sounds comparable to your average high school, but there is at least one big difference. "Some of my friends are trying to get into the Olympics," Rutherford said. "It's been their goal for a long time." dNS on ;an t ,elle las tio The school was-very accommodat- ing to the diverse schedules of its athletes. "Kids who played other sports- might train earlier and go to school later," Rutherford"said. "Fo nie though, it wasn't like that:'" Rutherford followed in the foot- steps of another family member. Her brother attended the National Sports School CONTER two years before her. He now plays tennis at Wis- .Illinois- consin. iau "He really liked it," ight and Rutherford said. "That hopesto helped me to make the ant decision to go. I really st week's enjoyed it also." nal. Last year, Rutherford made an immediate impact on the team. Playing primarily No. 4 singles, Rutherford compiled a record of 18-15 in her initial season. In dou- bles play, Rutherford teamed with Michelle DaCosta to amass a 19-15 record primarily at No. 1 doubles. This year, expectations are high for the sophomore duo, as they are cur- rently ranked eighth in the region. The tandem will begin competi- tion in dual matches against Illi- nois-Chicago and DePaul this weekend. They are going in with momen- tum from the Michigan Invitational last weekend, where they both com- piled a 3-0 record. 0 A Women's Tenn~is Fri., Jan. 17 Michigan vs1. Illnois-Chicago 68pm $ix#, Jan. 1' Michigan vs. DePauI 1 P.M. hen's Tennis Women's Basketball Sun., Jan. 19 Michigan vs. Indiana 2 p.m. Crisler Arena Featuring the Mascot Basketball Game at halftime! Tickets are $4 for adults and $2 for children & senior citizens. U-M students admitted FREE with a valid ID. To order tickets in advance, Wo men's Gymnastics Fri., ,Jas. 17 #7 Michigan vs. #12 Minnesota 7 p m. Pick up your copy of the 2003 Women's Gymnastics Calendar! Men's Swimming & Diving Fri., Jan. 17 #1 Michigan vs. Purdue 6 p.m. Sat., Jan. 18 #1 Michigan vs. Indiana 1 p.m. Home meets at Canham Natatorium Admission is FREE! Men's & Women's Track & Field BRETT MOUNTAIN/Daily Michigan sophomore Leanne Rutherford went to an all-athlete high school. Sat., Jan. 18 Michigan vs. Western Michigan 1Q a.m. Sun., Jan. 19 Sa., Jan. 18 Michigan vs. Oklahoma 7:30 p., Cheer on the Wolverines Coed Service. There's nothing we don't do. ii U U FOOD FOR THOUGHT How to Protest if you truly wish to prevent war, then do protest. Demand that Saddam Hussein disclose the status of his wennons of 1 - ray t y 1 Y t w +s, r y " ',> ,: ? ? i I. iii . I