Tuesday
March 1, 2003
michigandaily. corn
sportsdesk@umich.edu
ReTSidigalil
9
The Daily's
Do
and
Mott resigns as Blue assistant coach
Don'ts to the Madness
JEFF PHILLIPS
Ramble on
his is, without a doubt, the most
wonderful time of the year. For-
get Christmas. This is the time of
year where we should get school off
and businesses should shut down. Over
the next three weeks, students will
become distracted wondering how they
should fill out their brackets. Workers'
minds will wander as they constantly
check the web for updates. But all of
this is accepted. Everyone wants advice
on how to bet and wants to know the
insider information.
I have no insider information to offer.
So rather than boring you by repri-
manding the NCAA for forgetting that
Brigham Young doesn't roll on Sundays
and not respecting the Big East's best
teams, I will tell you how to make the
most of the next three weeks of ecstasy.
Without further ado, the "Do's" and
"Don'ts" to enjoying the NCAA Tour-
nament ...
Do make a bracket that takes up a
wall in your living room. There is no
better way to make the tournament
seem larger than life than blowing it up
on an 8-by-12 wall. You can either just
write plainly on the wall with a Sharpie
(although your landlord probably won't
like it and might have to paint it after-
wards) or you can go to Meijer and
build one from poster board. With an
exhibit like this, there is no forgetting
that the tournament is in the front of
everyone's mind. Plus, it's a conversa-
tion piece.
Don't talk about how good or bad
your bracket is going. Too often every
year I hear someone at a party say,
"God, if only Kansas didn't choke
again, I would be money" or "It's a
good thing I knew that Oklahoma was
so good." Save it. It will just piss off
anyone around you. In a tournament
pool, rarely do those who know the
most about basketball win and if they
do, it is plain luck. Just relax and have
fun with it. Don't claim that you knew
what would happen. Part of what
makes pools so great is that anyone can
win.
Do fill out as many brackets as
possible. I liken this to the old women
that play Bingo with five cards at a
time. Not only does it increase your
chances of winning, but it also helps
keep your interest for the entire day.
Also, since someone will come out of
nowhere to win an online bracket chal-
lenge, you have to make sure that your
entry is diverse. As with other brackets,
don't pick every No. 1-seed, pick a No.
12 over No. 5 upset, etc. That said, don't
make it ridiculous. It is so disappointing
to see yourself at the top of the
ESPN.com rankings after one round,
just to see that you have Southern Illi-
nois in the Final Four.
Don't bet on the NIT to pass the
time until the next NCAA Tournament
game. This is just bad business. The
NIT, while enjoyable in small doses, is
no way to make money. There is no
telling who will show up for a game
and who won't. The spreads are an
absolute crapshoot. If you must bet, bet
on a Big East team winning it all. Not
only does the conference make up half
the teams, but the NIT concludes back
at Madison Square Garden, home of the
Big East Tournament. Nevertheless, it is
perfectly acceptable to bet on an NCAA
Tournament game if your bracket is
already through.
Do hope that the United States
resolves its issues with Iraq quickly.
When it comes right down to it, some
things are just too important to inter-
rupt, and the NCAA Tournament is one
of them. CBS has said it will disrupt
coverage to report on a war. CBS
should know by now that it isn't a war
that unites the people, it is the NCAA
Tournament. Why would they pay $6
billion for something that will never be
aired?
Don't forget to make time to
bathe. I can't stress this enough
people. It is going to be a constant
struggle to eat, to go to the bath-
room and to get fresh air over the
next few weeks, just make sure that
you clean yourself. Your stomach
will survive without eating and your
kidney will function when over-
loaded, but your friends won't stand
for a dirty, funky, disgusting mess if
you come over to watch the games.
This is especially true if you sweat
when you get nervous.
If you follow these guidelines, you
- and your friends - will have plenty
to be happy about three weeks from
now, whether or not you have a winning
bracket. Good luck and Happy NCAA
Tournament!
-JeffPhillips can be reached at
jpphilli@umich.edu.
By Jim Weber
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan women's basketball
team has lost anoth-
er member of its
program.
A team that has
been plagued by
players leaving in
Sue Guevara's seven
seasons as head
coach lost assistant Mott
coach Ron Mott to resignation yester-
day, according to Associate Athletic
Director and Senior Women's Adminis-
trator Megan McCallister.
Mott, 66, confirmed he was no longer
with the team, but declined further com-
ment from his home in Okemos.
One player on this year's team, who
spoke on the condition of anonymity,
said last week that Mott was the most
encouraging coach on staff, which also
consists of Guevara, assistant coach
Molly Murray and associate head
coach Angela Jackson. The player also
said she didn't think Mott was treated
fairly by the others coaches, and that it
was "easily seen."
"In practice, when he would try and
show us a different play, or go through
a scouting report, other coaches would
be like, 'Next thing,' " the player said
last week.
Guevara could not be reached for
comment and McCallister declined to
elaborate on Mott's reason for leaving.
It should be noted that former assis-
tant Yvette Harris is a past assistant that
did not feel she was treated fairly. Har-
ris, an African American, is currently
suing the University for racial discrimi-
nation, age discrimination, defamation
and wrongful discharge in a $20-million
lawsuit after being fired in 2001.
This was Mott's third season at
Michigan. He focused on scouting,
practice planning, video exchange and
working with the post players.
Before coming to Michigan, Mott
was an assistant for the NCAA Divi-
sion III Alma Scots (1998-2000) after
coaching for 38 seasons at Okemos
High School. Mott compiled a 652-142
record in his time there. Last year, he
was inducted into the Michigan High
School Hall of Fame and the Greater
Lansing Hall of Fame because of his
accomplishments.
Regionals at Yost may be coming to a close
By Dan Rosen
Daily Sports Writer
Last season, Michigan rode its home crowd
straight to the Frozen Four in Minneapolis with
NCAA Tournament wins over St. Cloud State and
top-seeded Denver.
Next week, Yost Ice Arena will again play host to
the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament.
And if the Wolverines make the field, as is expect-
ed, they will remain in Ann Arbor by NCAA rule.
But Michigan fans should not get too comfort-
able with seeing their team play its most important
games of the season on home ice. As the NCAA
Tournament expands, new and more neutral sites
will be interested in hosting games. And the NCAA
would probably favor their use to help balance
competition.
"We haven't had enough options, particularly
out West, to consider more neutral facilities," Mass-
achusetts Athletic Director and NCAA selection
committee chair Ian McCaw said. "Most of the bids
we've received (for) Western Regional sites have
been on-campus buildings. But it is something,
again, that the committee has discussed."
This year's tournament will include 16 teams
(four more than last year) and two more regional
sites. The games in the two Eastern locations will be
played at neutral arenas in Providence, R.I. and
Worcester, Mass.
Mariucci Arena, home of the University of
Minnesota, and Yost Ice Arena are campus sites
that will host the Midwest and West brackets,
respectively.
As far as who else might take the ice in Ann
Arbor, the only thing that is decided is that Michi-
gan won't face another CCHA team in the first
round. The NCAA likes to mix things up when it
comes time to dance.
"We just feel it causes too much familiarity,"
McCaw said. "Part of what you want to do with a
national tournament is bring the different leagues
together where there is interleague play and try to
really have those crossover games."
There will be 10 at-large bids granted into the
field of 16. Wayne State and New Hampshire have
already clinched spots after winning their respec-
tive conference tournaments.
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