Tuesday March 30, 2004 sports.michigandaily.com sports@michigandaily.com PORTSc~na 8 Cagers look to keep rolling against Ducks Baseball season will be bright, I can see it By Chris Burke Daily Sports Editor With the month of March winding to a close, there are just eight men's college basketball teams still play- ing - and Michigan is one of them. Tonight, the Wolverines (9-9 Big Ten, 21-11 overall) will try to tion's top offensive threat. Tonight, that means Robinson draws Jackson. "I think he's similar in a lot of regards to Bernard," Amaker said. "He's bigger than Bernard, and he shoots the three a little bit more and better. "I think (Jackson is) one of the best all-around basketball players in extend their season for game, as they take on Oregon (9-9 Pac 10, 18-12 overall) in the semifinals of the NIT at Madison Square Gar- den in New York. "We're in it to win it," Michigan coach Tommy Amaker said. "It would be a very sig- nificant achievement." The Wolverines will1 one more TONIGHT Michigan vs. Oregon Tune: 9:30 p.m. MadisonSquare Garden ESPN2 the country. We've very concerned - it sounds like he took over down the stretch against Notre Dame." Jackson scored the final six points of the Ducks' victory over the Irish. "I know he's a great scorer and can really fill RYN EIN E R aily Michigan senior forward Bernard Robinson will attempt to shut down second-team Al-American Luke Jackson at tonight's NIT semifinals against Oregon. have their hands full tonight against the Ducks. Oregon is brimming with confidence after a 65-61 road win over Notre Dame in the quarterfi- nals propelled the Ducks to the Big Apple. Front and center in tonight's con- test will be the matchup between two seniors: Oregon's Luke Jackson and Michigan's Bernard Robinson. Jackson, an All-Pac-10 performer this year, averages 21.3 points and more than seven rebounds per game and also paces the Ducks in several other statistical categories. Robin- son, Michigan's "Mr. Everything," leads the Wolverines in rebounds, assists and steals, while frequently being asked to guard the opposi- it up," Robinson said. While Jackson will be a huge challenge, perhaps the biggest test for Michigan is proving that it can grab a win away from the friendly confines of Crisler Arena. The Wolverines rode the raucous home crowds in their three earlier NIT wins, but they were a mere 5-8 away from Crisler this season. "We know that's the next step for us to be successful, to perform the same way (on the road)," Robinson said. "I know that's what Coach is going to be harping us, to play the same way we've been playing at home on the road." Easing Michigan's transition is the fact that the Wolverines have already played - and won - at Madison Square Garden this year, in a 66-43 trouncing of Fairfield on Jan. 3. The large Michigan alumni base in New York helped turn the arena into a pro-Michigan atmos- phere on that day, and the Wolver- ines are hoping for the same reception tonight. "I hope we have a great crowd," said Michigan point guard Daniel Horton of the alumni in the area. "I doubt it will be the same atmos- phere as Crisler, but I'm sure it will be pretty good." The winner of tonight's Michi- gan-Oregon game will be back at the Garden on Thursday to battle with the winner of tonight's Rut- gers-Iowa State game. If the Wolverines can come away with two victories, then they will capture their first postseason title since 1989's NCAA championship (the 1997 NIT title won by Michigan was vacated due to self-imposed sanctions). "We would love to come out of New York as NIT champs," Amaker said. "We haven't been in the post- season in a while - I think it's obvious - some of the things that we've gone through. We reminded our players that it wasn't an NCAA ban that was lifted; it was a postsea- son ban. And so we're very fortu- nate and pleased to have taken advantage of that good fortune for our ballclub." 0 WOMEN'S GOLF Olin, 'M' both capture crown at Saluki Invite By Seth Gordon For the Daily For the Michigan women's golf team, success comes in bunches. The Wolverines captured a tournament team title, while junior captain Laura Olin earned indi- vidual medalist honors. It is the second time Olin has accomplished the feat this season. Michigan turned in a strong performance and cruised to a 22-stroke victory at the Saluki Invitational, which featured 17 teams. Olin carded a two-day total of 148 (73-75), which was good enough for a two- stroke victory over Murray State's Cuyler Hedley. Olin found herself one stroke behind Illinois State's Hilary Anderson after shooting a first- round 73. But Anderson stumbled with an 80 in the second round, which opened the door for Olin to post a 75 and take home the victory. Once again the team's destiny seemed tied to Olin's. The win was her first since the Wolverine Invitational in October, which was also the last win for the Wolverines. The Wolverines have not finished out of the top 10 in any tournament this season and are improving in the spring portion of their schedule. Coming off a fourth-place performance at the UC Irvine Anteater Invitational, Michigan had high expectations for this tournament. "The quality of our play is significantly improving," coach Kathy Teichert said. "Our goal was to come in and win, and we did." Michigan's performance also included two other top-10 performances. Freshman Ali Stinson captured seventh place, while sophomore Amy Schmucker finished tied for 10th. Despite feeling good about the team, Teichert sees plenty of room for improvement. The Wolverines took advantage of favorable condi- tions, posting a tournament low score of 310 and jumping out to a seven-stroke lead after the first round on Sunday. Michigan followed this up with a team total of 312 yesterday, but still won the event. "I'm a bit disappointed by how we finished," Teichert said. "You get to a point where you are play- ing very well, and you want to see that continue." Olin's sentiments about the tournament echoed that of her coach: happy, but not satisfied. "I feel like I played pretty well," Olin said. "I felt really comfortable over the ball, hit the ball well, and my putting was good. It was disap- pointing that we didn't finish well, but it is always a good feeling when you win." The Wolverines will head out on the road again the next two weekends, facing Big Ten foes Indi- ana and Purdue to finish the season. The Wolver- ines will then head for the Big Ten Tournament from April 23 to 25, and possibly the NCAA Regional Tournament from June 6 to 8. KYLE O'NEILL The Daily Janitor Baseball starts today! And I'm excited, even though the first game will be played in Tokyo, and the sea- son will be clouded by continuing steroid accusations. The game will feature the worst (Tampa Bay Devil Rays) and best (New York Death Star) teams in the league - likely leading to Alex Rodriguez going 7- for-9 with two jacks into the new Tokyo Dome stands. Despite some of the negatives, this will be a season of positives for base- ball in its continuing efforts to re-sup- plant football as America's pastime. How do I know this season won't be a disappointment? Well, because I know how this season is going to go, day-by- day. It's nothing that I'm trying to flaunt - it's just an extreme that makes up for my complete lack of knowledge of college basketball. So, let my prog- nosticating begin. April 4 (real Opening Day): Nomar Garciaparra plays against Baltimore despite his inflamed right Achilles' tendon. By the seventh inning, he's 2- for-3 with five RBI's, and the Red Sox are up 10-2. New Boston manager Terry Francona takes a phone call from Grady Little, who tells him to keep Nomar in, insisting there is noth- ing bad that could happen. Francona puts Nomar in a plastic bubble, pulls Pedro and wins his first game. April 5: Detroit is 1-0 after Pudge Rodriguez and Rondell White combine for two homeruns in their debuts. New utility man Brandon Inge knocks in three runs as well. Dominik Hasek is in attendance. April 11: The Giants play at San Diego. Barry Bonds lights up for the first three-homerun game of the season. He tests positive for low cholesterol. April 16: The Yankees play at Boston. Joe Torre cuts off Curt Schilling's non throwing hand and reveals to him that he is his father. New York takes six of seven games in 10 days as half of Boston falls into a coma-like state of depression. May 1: Enjoying a 15-8 April, the Tigers enjoy a rain out at home against Seattle. Hasek is seen at the ballpark talking with owner Mike Ilitch and general manager Dave Dombrowski. May 4: After a 4-for-4 day at the plate (including two jacks) against the Mets, Bonds is the homerun leader with 18. He tests positive for having a liver. Mike Piazza official- ly hears the 15,000th joke about him possibly being homosexual - he responds by beating up Enrique Iglesias and marrying Anna Kournikova. May 27: The Tigers complete a sweep of Kansas City to take sole pos- session of first place in the American League Central Division. Hasek is seen taking batting practice before the game. June 7: Interleague play begins. Cincinnati plays at Oakland. Ken Grif- fey Jr. single-handedly wins the 3-0 game by going 3-for-4 with three homers, making five over-the-wall catches and by healing eight different knee injuries that he inquired in that game alone. July 1: The Tigers sit eight games up, Pudge is an MVP candidate and Inge is looking to nab a Golden Glove. Hasek signs a five-year, $3 million deal to be Paws, Detroit's mas- cot. Hell, Mich., (it is a city) begins to freeze over. July 13: The All-Star Game is advertised with the catch phrase, "It doesn't matter if it counts, it's the only All-Star game worth watching." Bonds and Jason Giambi each hit a homerun in contest. Bonds tests posi- tive for taking protein supplements while Giambi shows the world his new 180-pound frame. July 23: The Yankees freeze Garcia- parra in carbonite and turn him over to Jabba the Hutt. Mia Hamm is captured by Jabba as the Yankees sweep the three-game series. August 6: Barry Bonds hits his 55th homerun against Chicago. He tests positive for a hang nail. Sammy Sosa's bat breaks in the loss to reveal the remains of Steve Bartman. August 31: Detroit clinches the Central and the NHL goes on strike. Sept. 17: Despite losing three to the Yankees, Boston clinches a playoff spot. Schilling rescues Nomar and Mia from Jabba's clutches and declares himself a full-fledged Jedi. Oct. 1: Detroit 4, Tampa Bay 3. Despite blowing most of their lead in the Central, the Tigers clinch with two games remaining. Steve Yzerman, Pavel Datsyuk, Manny Legace and Brett Hull all join their Detroit brethren as middle-relief help. Oct. 5: On the National League side of the playoffs, Philadelphia plays Houston and San Francisco faces Chicago. In the American League Divisional, the Tigers begin play against New York. Top-seeded Oakland begins play against Boston. Oct.11: Bonds uses steroids for the first time ever in game three against the Cubs and loses, proving that cheaters never win. The Cubs, Astros, Yankees and Red Sox all advance. Oct. 12-21: The Red Sox are down 3-0 when Ewoks put Kevin Brown's back out of commission for a game four win. In game five, the Red Sox ground crew uses blasters to clear the Yankees off the field and bring the series to 3-2. The next day, Manny Ramirez and Chewbac- ca homer off the Yankees to even the series at three. In the deciding game seven, Schilling throws a per- fect game into the ninth when Stein- brenner offers him a contract to join the dark side. Schilling refuses as the Boss electrocutes the pitcher with his hands. Torre throws Stein- brenner into a thousand-foot crevice, and Schilling completes his perfect game. Oct. 18: The Astros win in six - Steve Bartman's family is reported missing. Oct. 22: Griffey and Pudge split MVP awards. Inge wins a Gold Glove. Mark Prior wins a Cy Young, as does Barry Zito. Oct. 23: Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens combine for four wins and the World Series title after six games. Boston spontaneously combusts. Trust me, it happens. - Kyle O'Neill was wrong about the Big Ten. His argument/orrthe conference get- ting screwed over on the lack of bids looks as good as his bracket right now - women's bracket, too. But, Michigan's still alive and throwing it up strong. 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