4 Tuesday February 17 2004 sports.michigandaily.com sports@michigandaily. corn SPORTS 8 4 Michigan hopes to turn over new leaf Columnist.takes off hat for a big head scratcher By Daniel Bremne, Daily Sports Editor The Michigan basketball team realizes that its window of opportuni- ty to earn an NCAA Tournament bid is rapidly closing. Currently on a two-game losing streak, the team has suffered from inconsistency since the Big Ten season began. And that inconsistency seems to be at an all-time high when the Wolverines hit the YR Y O road, where they have won just one of their five conference games. Luckily for Michigan, it returns home to Crisler Arena for its next four games, beginning tomorrow with Penn State. "We have to take care of our home court and win these four games if we want to have a shot at making the (NCAA) Tournament," freshman guard Dion Harris said. "And we all want to have a shot" The sense of urgency in the upcom- ing homestand is prevalent among Wolverines, especially senior Bernard Robinson. Robinson has been around long enough to know the difference between important games and "must- win" games. And he knows the signifi- cance of these home games. "We know that this stretch right here is the most important stretch of the sea- son;" the 6-foot-6 wing said. "We can't win one, (then) lose one. There's no room for mistakes. We gotta take it like our life is on the line." Michigan's NCAA Tournament life may be on the line. In a year when many college basketball analysts and fans view the Big Ten as a weaker con- ference, many expect just four or five Big Ten teams to earn bids to the Big Dance. Currently, Michigan (4-6 Big Ten, 13-8 overall) sits eighth in the confer- ence - one spot behind perennial cel- lar-dweller Northwestern (6-5, 11-11), and barely above Ohio State (3-7, 11- 12), Penn State (3-7, 9-12) and Min- nesota (1-10, 9-14). But the Wolverines are still clinging to their hopes of earning a tournament bid. And a path to that bid would have to include eliminating the inconsistency that has plagued them throughout the conference season - something that has stemmed from turnovers and poor shot selection. Every Michigan player has struggled with turning the ball over, as the team combined for 21 giveaways against Iowa on Saturday. Seven different play- ers turned the ball over two or more times in the 69-61 loss. "Everything is contagious in the game of basketball" Robinson said. "One person turns it over, and then two people turn it over. The next thing you know, the whole team turns it over." Robinson also said the team needs to work on stopping opponents' runs before they get out of hand, which he believes can be done by communicating more on defense and staying calm on offense - especially later in the game. "When the second half comes, we seem to do things that we aren't used to," he said. LFE'S A BEACH: The Athletic Depart- ment and the Maize Rage have teamed up to give students a chance to relax at the beach during tomorrow's game against Penn State. Well, not exactly. But the two organizations have organized a "Hawaiian Night" theme for the game, to give students a leisurely break from studying for midterms. Students are encouraged to wear hats, sandals, shorts or any other beach-related items to the game. The Maize Rage organized a similar event for the Penn State game two years ago, according to Peter Lund, head of the organization. "It was an 11 a.m. game on the weekend, and (the Athletic Depart- ment) wanted to do something a little DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily Junior Bernard Robinson and the Wolverines are looking to take better care of the bali throughout the remainder of the season. NAWEED SIKORA Blowin' Smoke After watching the Michigan basket- ball team's most recent collapse at Iowa on Saturday, I forced myself to get my mind off the program. It wasn't healthy to yell that much at the TV The best way for me to get my mind off what's bugging me is to think about my child- hood - back when things were much simpler, more black and white. So, I started thinking about the first time my parents took my brother and me to Universal Studios Hollywood. This was safe. There is no way thinking about that day could ever make me think of Michigan hoops, right? It turned out to be one of the best days of my life. We rode the rides all day, saw the shows and had lunch. At the end of the day, my dad even bought me a souvenir hat. It was black, and said Universal Studios across the front. I remember wearing it all the time. I would not take it off, and I protected it like it was made of gold. At home it was easy to keep it safe. Within the Sikora household, everyone was happy to see me wearing it. Some- times they would even cheer me on. Occasionally, people would come over, and I had to be careful that they didn't take the hat. I kept it close to me, never taking it off or taking my eye -off these intruders. At any moment, they could try and take it from me. But since this was my house, it was easy for me to protect my hat, and these people were intimidated to take it because of the support I had at home. But outside the house, it was a com- pletely different story. I didn't have the support of my family. I was no longer within those protective walls or that comfort zone that I was used to. I had to be extra careful when wearing the hat outside because anything could take it away from me. A robber, a jealous friend, or even a strong gust of wind could whisk it away in the blink of an eye. Then I would be left with nothing. Of course, I loved that hat, and know- ing that wearing it out was so danger- ous, I was extremely careful with it. Sometimes I even used two hands to hold it, just to be safe. When I went to a friend's house for a party, everyone eyed my hat like they needed it. One person even asked if he could try it on. But it was mine, and I wasn't going to give it up so foolishly, especially away from home. If this guy wanted it, he had to take it away from me, or foul me - I mean hurt me trying. That hat was the key to my happiness. When I was wearing it, I was confident and under control. I was a winner. At this point, I realized that I had failed to get my mind off the basket- ball team. The reason the story of my hat popped into my mind at that moment was because I was frustrated that Michigan didn't value the basket- ball on the road like I valued my hat as a child. The Wolverines committed 21 turnovers at Iowa and 19 at Minneso- ta, both games in which these care- less giveaways were the difference between winning and losing. Prior to these games, the Wolverines had averaged 15 turnovers per game this season. Maybe it is youth, maybe it is inexpe- rience, or maybe it is overconfidence. But even as children, we all know the importance of keeping our precious toys, or hats, safe. Michigan should think back to how they protected those childhood hats, and treat the basketball the same way. And if you didn't have a hat, sorry. But you can't have mine. Naweed Sikora would like to have an "NCAA Tournament" hat. He can be reached at nsikora@umich.edu more exciting," Lund said of the game two years ago. "A lot of people have exams this week, so for the people who come out to the game, there will be a little more activity and fun for them." The Maize Rage is also organizing a trip to Northwestern for Michigan's game against the Wildcats on March 6 or 7 (the date of the game will be announced by CBS). The cost of a ticket is $20, and round-trip bus transportation is free, thanks to a donation made by coach Tommy Amaker. This is the second- straight year that Amaker has arranged for buses for the Maize Rage trip to Northwestern. Students can sign up for the trip at Crisler before the game tomorrow or online at maizerage.org. - JUST GIVEIT UP The number of turnovers in Michigan's last six contests has been a key factor in the games' outcomes. Lately, being careless with the ball has caused the Wolverines to drop critical matchups. LAST 6 GAMES Penn State 9 W Iowa 14 W Illinois 18 L Purdue 10 W Minnesota 19 L Iowa 21 L AVERAGE TURNOVERS IN THE 3 WINS: 11 AVERAGE TURNOVERS IN THE 3 LOSSES: 19.33 r- Presented by: / ao$o ' f From the mall store you love... Women's & Men's WVARE HOUSE CLOT HING"' SALE p Hunwick keeps it clean on ice4 By Michael Nisson Daily Sports Writer If you want to know what kind of a hockey player Matt Hunwick is when he steps on the ice, you don't need to look any further than how he carries himself in his dorm room. David Rohlfs, Hunwick's roommate and teammate, describes the Roseville native in a way that likens him to Felix from "The Odd Couple." "He's definitely neat," Rohlfs said. "(When) you come in our dorm room, you can definitely tell which side of the room is his and which side is mine. He keeps it clean." Hunwick is also a clean player on the ice. The fresh- man, who was paired with senior captain Andy Burnes at the beginning of the season, does not make many VISA .. a PRICES STARTING AT Tops. $6.99 Jeans....... $1299 8lazers.....$19.99 Shorts. $9-99 in the MICHIGAN UNION BAiROOM GOT CLOTHES? 1~ blunders that allow opposing forwards to find the back of the Michigan net. For this reason, he is also used on the penalty kill, when defenders pay for their mistakes dearly. "Hunwick came (to Michigan) as the top freshman defenseman (in his recruiting class)," Berenson said. "He's playing against the top forwards in the league ... and this kid is a freshman defenseman." The fact that Berenson decided to throw the freshman into the fire from day one showed the coach's confidence in his young defenseman. He has not had the time to develop physically and also faces players who know the college game better than he does. In spite of these disad- vantages, he says that it's something that "fires him up." "It's something to look forward to, something to take pride in - shutting the other team's top lines down," Hun- wick said. "It's a good feeling when you come away with the weekend and guys are only getting one or two points when they're used to getting twice that." So far this season, Hunwick has consistently excelled. His plus-minus ratio, a solid indicator of how a defense- man is faring on the ice, is at plus 12, which ties him for best on the team with junior forward Andrew Ebbett. The one thing that Hunwick has not done a lot of is score goals. In fact, he lit the lamp for the first time in his budding career during Saturday night's 8-5 victory over then CCHA-leading Miami. With 6:18 remaining in the second period, Hunwick, got a great feed from freshman winger T.J. Hensick in front of the net. He then wristed a shot into the right side of the goal. Hunwick noted that the elusive first goal was great to have, noting that it "was a long time coming." Berenson said that while he was happy for Hunwick, he also feels that the freshman has a ways to go before he reaches greatness. Said Berenson: "Is he a better player now than he was at the start (of the season)? Absolutely. But is he play- ing mistake-free hockey? No. Can he improve defen- sively? Yes." , j'' ""' . t s t r J. 4 { v ° ° ; . ... 1 FILE PHOTO Matt Hunwick has held his own, despite being an underclassman. Golfers take third in the desert By Stephanie Wright For the Daily Following a four-month break from competition, the Michigan men's golf team returned to action Saturday to par- ticipatein a tri-match with Arizona State and Purdue at Karsten Course in Tempe, Ariz. With the team focused on getting back into competition, Michigan fin- ished third with a team total of 299, hhndAirn at NO aond nArianna Mate was called due to darkness. Michigan head coach Andrew Sapp called the team's performance "fairly solid" for the beginning of the spring season, but said that the main goal of the match was to get back into the flow of competition after the winter off-season. "It has been absolutely great to get back out on a course and to play some competitive golf," Sapp said. "We wanted to focus on getting some nality nmnetition in and shake off a sistent at 72, rather than at 74 or 75." The Wolverines addressed some of these errors Sunday, as the team remained in Arizona to get in another practice round in the warm weather before returning to snowy Ann Arbor. In addition to working on its short game, the team was able to improve in some areas that caused problems on Saturday. Both the tri-match and the extra prac- tice allowed Michigan to prepare for the first true team comnetition of the snring thru