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'' ...... n. .. ... .:.: .:.::::..::.:: x:p ,v?.:.. ....... .. ............. r: %..v:: Y:vvvx:4:::: y:; .:. ...............:n..r...... .r .....i.. . g !j M n 2 4!........ ,..... ............ ...:..........r ..n... ... t ,........v r......<.v 5v. n...... Y }.... , ...v..........h ...............................n... ...nnv...n.A ,....:::::x;.v...,v S;r"v. .::.r..v. 'T ... a ..............:....:............v...i ...n.. n... ..,......................v:::::.v.v::::;: r::.^.v.v}:{4)i)}}51:451. n:.v.,......... n.....:........: Best bet Wisconsin Southern Cal. Kansas State Oregon Record but week (Best bets) 8-6-1(1-0) 9-5-1(0-1) 10-4-1(0-1) 7-7-1(1-0) PROCRASTINATION STATION MICHIGAN 28 OHIO STATE 16 Before every football game this season, two of the Daily football writers will take the weekend's matchup to the PlayStation 2. For this week's matchup, coach Jeff Phillips led the Wolverines and David Horn took the reigns of the Buckeyes. Play of the game - In his outrageous first half, RB No. 23 ran for 80 yards, breaking several Buckeyes' tackles in the process. Most unrealistic play of the game - A la QB No. 7 versus Ohio State two years ago, QB No. 16 saw daylight and tucked the ball away for 3-yard touch- down run. Player of the game - RB No. 23. In an obvious choice, the Michigan running back dominated the first half, gaining 150 yards and scored the Wolverines lone second half touchdown. Michigan key stats Passing: QB No. 16 - 5-of-13, 136 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT Rushing: RB No. 23 - 22 carries, 194 yards, 2 TD Receiving: TE No. 83 - 2 receptions, 41 yards; WR No. 19 - 2 receptions, 76 yards, 1 TD Defense: SS No. 24 - 5 tackles, 1 INT; CB No. 3 -14 tackles, 1 INT Ohio State key stats Passing: QB No. 16 - 12-of-24, 201 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT Rushing: RB No. 30 - 8 carries, 50 yards, 1 TD Receiving: WR No. 12 - 3 receptions, 77 yards, 1 TD; WR No. 4 - 2 recep- tions, 52 yards Defense: SS No. 2 - 5 tackles, 2 INT; CB No. 1 - safety PRESS CONFERENCE OUOTES: Ohio State head coach David Hom: They came. They saw. They kicked my ass. Did you bet for Ohio State to cover the spread in the second half? We did; won the second by two, 9-7. The spread was ... oh let's say ... Moe. I mean 1 1/2. You would think after 99 games in this storied rivalry the Buckeyes' coach wouldn't have to pay for his own Bell's chicken parm sub. You'd be wrong. Ohio State CB No. 1 tackled Michigan P No. 39 for a safety late in the fourth. Yippee. Playoffs!!?!?!?!! Playoffs??!?!?!V! Michigan head coach Jeff Phillips: Like a crackwhore coming back for one last trick, coach Horn foolishly came back to pla me. So I smacked him in the face and took his money ... I'm sorry, I've been desensitized by American video games. After being denied a bid in the Michigan Daily-Michigan football team challenge, I took out my frustration on a coach Horn: opponent, friend, and whipping boy. Overall record (Best bets) 83-79-3 (6-5) 85-77-3 (4-7) 89-73-3 (6-5) 71-91-3 (4-7) At Yost, Notre Dame lacks luck of the Irish By Courtney Lewis Daily Sports Writer With its rich tradition and infamous student section, Yost Ice Arena is the highlight of the road schedule for most CCHA teams. Michigan coach Red Berenson thinks the arena "brings out the " best" in opponents. YOST ICE Notre Dame would disagree. Who: Michiga The 1997-98 squad beat the Wolver- CHA &1-1 o ines at Yost in a CCHA playoff game, but Notre Dame ( Notre Dame hasn't won there in the reg- When: 7:35 p. ular season since 1982. In their past 10 7:35 p.m. tom seasons, the Irish have accumulated a Latest: The W dismal 1-14-1 record at Yost. haven't lost ar Berenson said Notre Dame's struggles son home gam at Yost may be partly psychological. Fighting Irish s "If you're a player that plays in a pro- gram for four years and you never win a game at Michigan, that kind of sets in pretty deep in that team," Berenson said. "And then the freshmen see that ... and pretty soon it becomes more than it really is" ye; 3-3 m. orr olv reg :e t inc But Notre Dame coach Dave Poulin thinks the prob- lem is simpler - it's not the venue, but the team that plays there, that gives the Irish fits. The fifth-ranked Wolverines are 6-0 at home this season, and that can't be good news for Notre Dame, which visits Ann Arbor for a two-game series this weekend. With a bye last week- ARENA end, the Irish have had two weeks to prepare 5--1 for Michigan, but Poulin said teams can't do rail) vs much to get ready for Yost. -0 432) "There's no way to simulate it," Poulin tonight, said. "The only way to prepare for it is to ow play in it." erines Poulin hopes that a road game against ular sea- No. 1 Boston College, which also draws a o the large crowd, gave Notre Dame experience e 1982. that will help it handle Yost. Notre Dame also has a goalie that might help. "If there was a question mark in the Notre Dame program in the last number of years, it always seemed to hinge on their goalkeeping," Berenson said. "Now, there's no question about that." Berenson referred to Morgan Cey, Notre Dame's sophomore goalie who set a school record with his .910 save percentage last season. Cey (3-2-2) made a career- high 44 saves in his last outing Nov. 9. The Irish hope to get a boost this weekend from freshman winger Mike Walsh and senior center Jake Wiegand, who are expected to play after missing much of the season with injuries. Michigan, on the other hand, is glad its lineup isn't changing. The Wolverines have shuffled players in and out all season because of injuries and a suspension, and although captain Jed Ortmeyer remains sidelined with a knee injury, the Wolverines finally have managed to get through a week without losing any more players. That stability could help Michigan's powerplay. The Wolverines have not produced as much as they would like with the man advantage. Michigan is 11 of 56, and Notre Dame has killed off 14 of 15 penalties in its last five games. Notre Dame is "scary on the powerplay," Berenson said. "The whole weekend could come down to special teams and goalkeeping." Swimmers prepared for top-ranked 'Horns By Megan Kolodgy Daily Sports Writer The Texas men's swimming team ha record holder and two American rec The Longhorns have won the NCAA Championship the past two years and are currently ranked first in the nation. These numbers would likely have most teams shivering in their suits, but Michigan coach Jon Urbanchek said his team is ready to meet the challenge head-on. "We're excited to face the No. 1 team," Urbanchek said. "They're favored on paper, but we're swimming on the water, so anything can happen." In addition to its superstars, Texas other assets. "Texas' strength lies in relays and shoe Urbanchek said. "They're definitely ahe, gan in the relays. They are extremely stro They basically have no weaknesses." Michigan is arguably stronger than the Long- horns in distance events, but this will probably s one world not be enough to give Michigan the edge. ord holders. "Unfortunately, the outcome of dual meets usu- ally favors the stronger sprinting team," Urbanchek explained. AUSTIN, TEXAS In spite of this fact, the Wolverines Who: No. 5 Michigan vs. are eyeing a number of races in which No.1 Texas the two teams are separated by mere When: 7 p.m. today, 2 p.m. fractions of a second. tomorrow "We are looking forward to great Latest: Michigan will go up one-on-one racing" Urbanchek said. against the top team in the One event that should be closely nation and last year's contested is the 200-yard freestyle, in NCAA Championship win- which Texas' NCAA runner-up, Chris nti e Kemp, will match up against Michi- has several gan's Dan Ketchum, who came in seventh at the NCAAs last year. Another exciting race will be rt distances" between two freshmen, Michigan's Chris DeJong ad of Michi- and Texas' Aaron Peirsol, the current world ng in diving. record holder in the 200-yard backstroke. DeJong's personal best this year is faster than Peirsol's by .23 seconds. Although this meet will certainly be one of the most difficult duals of the season, the Wolverines are not altering their training methods. "Dual meets at the top 10 level are just prepa- ration for championship meets, so neither team is giving up training time," Urbanchek said. Since the season is well underway, practices are taxing on the athletes, and often include sev- eral miles per day in the pool. "This meet will be a chance to see how both teams fare under midseason, hardworking condi- tions," Urbanchek said. "We will see how fast they can swim when they're tired, and how much they're willing to hurt themselves." Though the Wolverines are clearly the under- dog, Urbanchek said he is prepared to go up against the best the Longhorns have to offer. "We're putting our best up against their best," Urbanchek said. "We'll just have to see who can put their fingertips on the touch pad first." WM' hosts Pepperdine in NCAA Sweet 16 match With seven more points, captain LaVell Blanchard will overcome Maceo Baston (1995-98) for nineteenth place on Michigan's alltime scoring list. Cagers start probation season in Paradise Jam By Eric Chan Daily Sports Writer By Nawoed Sikora Daily Sports Editor What would you give to get out of frigid Ann Arbor this weekend and spend a few days lounging on warm and beautiful beaches, surrounded by hun- dreds of Virgins? That's exactly where the Michigan men's basketball team will be - except the Wolverines won't be doing much lounging. For the first time in four years, Michigan will sT. THOMAS, v open its regular season at a preseason tournament.what: Paradis It will be competing at Mhn ond a the University of the Vir- h Mona gin Islands Paradise Jam a preseason t in St. Thomas, Virgin the first time i Islands with five other opens the wei schools. Four years ago, St. Bonaventu the Wolverines were p.m. tomorrow invited to the Maui Invi- tational, where they finished 1-2. "When you look at the field of teams, everyone is going into this tour- nament feeling they have a chance to win" Michigan coach Tommy Amaker said. "I think that's a fair statement. I think this tournament could be a springboard for any one of the teams." Michigan will compete in the St. John's bracket with St. Bonaventure and Virginia Tech. The Wolverines will IR e J ow gan, our n f ;eke ire W. build on its success from last season. Its three returning starters - junior Marques Green, senior Patricio Prato and senior Robert Cheeks - should lead the way for the Bonnies this year. "(They are) a little unconventional at times, but you're going to face a team that's going to throw a lot of different things into the mix,"Amaker said. While anxious to begin the regular season, the Wolverines are still hoping to get healthy GIN ISLANDS before this weekend. Fresh- men centers Graham lam Brown and Chris Hunter through have never been at full iplaying in strength together. Hunter nament for got sick early in the week, our years, and Brown continues to and against suffer from back problems. at 7:30 In addition to these trou- bles, injuries have also hampered senior LaVell Blanchard, junior Bernard Robinson and freshman Lester Abram - Michi- gan's three top scorers thus far. Michigan is also looking for fresh- men Abram and Daniel Horton to con- tinue their consistent play. Abram, who has been the most solid contributor from Michigan's freshman class to this point, hit double digits in both presea- son games, and Horton led the team with six assists in his start against the The NCAA Tournament monkey is finally off the back of the Michi- gan women's soccer team. The last four years, Michigan won its first- round NCAA Tournament game only to be ousted in its second round matchup. By defeating Miami (Ohio) last Sunday, the Wolverines were able to put themselves in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Champi- onships for the first time in the pro- gram's eight-year history. At noon on Saturday, Michigan will try to upset No. 3-seed Pepperdine at the Varsity Field to continue its improb- able run toward the national title. "We're two teams with opposite styles of play, which should make for an interesting game," Michigan coach Debbie Rademacher said. Unless the Earth spins off its axis and the state of Michigan suddenly points directly at the sun, the game will likely be played in cold weath- er. One would think that cold weath- er would be a disadvantage for Pepperdine (being that its campus is in Malibu, Calif.). However, Pep- perdine assistant coach Kristy Walker doesn't think the weather will affect her team's play. "I don't think the weather is going to hurt us too much," Walker said. "We played in the snow in Wisconsin last weekend, and we did fine." The Wolverines will have to prepare their defense to shut down a Pepperdine attack offense that has outscored oppo- nents 55-15 this season. VARSITY FIELD Who: Michigan (15-6-1) vs. Pepperdine (18-1-2) When: Noon Latest After ending four straight seasons with second-round losses, Michigan will see Sweet 16 action for the first time in its eight-year history. "It should be a great game," Walker said. "We're a team that likes to keep the bail on the ground and keep possession of the ball. But from what I've heard about Michi- gan, they seem to play more direct." The Wolverines will need to play at the same level as they did against Miami. In that 4-0 victory, Michi- gan's offense was able to create dangerous situations while shutting down a strong Red Hawks offense that was led by 44-point scorer Danielle Berkmeier. Michigan is counting on the scoring ability of Big Ten Player of the Year Abby Crumpton to secure what would be perhaps the biggest victory in school history. SCOREKEEPERS SPORTSGRILL & PUB MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL $2 Pints All 25 Drafts of "wd Tuesdays NO coverI Seth's Summer Slam $4 Import Pitcher of the week $2 Dos Equls/Corona Techno/Tranz With DJ Mark C. Wednesudavs Half Pound Angus Burger and Ale Night Only $4.75 I And 'ill Close $2.50 Pints/All 25 Flavors Thursdays $ 2.50 Pitchers Killians ~ Coors light DI JOHN KING Friday Grill opens for Lunch @ 11am i{ppqa kmwi. epe0at4-ipe $1.75 Heineken/Amstel Light SATURDAYS COLLEGE FOOTBALL APPRECIATION DAY Spikers tackling final roadtrip of year By Ellen McGarrity For the Daily Coming off two difficult games at home last weekend, the Michigan volleyball team will have more obstacles to face on the and tomorrow. Michigan matches up against Purdue followed by Illinois. Last month the Wolverines crushed the Boilermakers in three straight games. But this match may not be so road today WEST LAF AND CHA Who: Michigan Ten, 15-11 over due (1-15 11-1 (5-11, 11-14) When: 6 p.m. tc Cliff Keen Arena. But tomorrow, Illinois' Huff Hall will be filled with many screaming Illini fans, which could make it tough to lock in a win. Michigan has won just two matches on the road this season. "It's always hard being on the road," Michigan sophomore Alicia Boswell said. "It's a huge mental challenge to play AYETTE when you're in someone MPAIGN else's gym and hear fans (9-7 Big yelling for the other ral) vs. Pur- team. But we are getting g), Illinois better at dealing with it." )day,8 p.m. _Middle blocker Katri- win at least two to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament, which starts Dec. 5. "This weekend and next weekend's games are critical," Michigan coach Mark Rosen said. "We need to win two of them, and three wins would put us in an even more secure position." HaigMM MM