8 - Friday, November 30, 2007 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Wolverines stall in College Station By CHRIS MESZAROS Daily Sports Writer Texas A&M started the game on fire. Andthe MICHIGAN 41 Michigan TEXAS A&M 69 women's - basketball team never could extinguish those flames. The Aggies dominated the game from the opening tip-off at Reed Arena in College Station, Texas. Texas A&M started the game with an 11-0 run in its 69-41 win over Michigan. The score was typical for No. 12 Texas A&M, which prides itself on tough defense and physical play. Michigan committed an abysmal 33 turnovers and shot just 31 percent from the floor. The Aggies finished the game with nine steals. "We threw the ball away 40 times," Michigan coach Kevin Borseth said. "We couldn't get to the basket. We really couldn't get much of anything going. That was really frustrating." The Wolverines had no play- ers scored double digits. Michigan seniors Janelle Cooper and Ta'Shia Walker led the Wolverines with nine points each. In addition to a tough Aggie defense, the Wolverines could not stop the Texas A&M offense. Texas A&M shot 49 percent compared to Michigan's 28 percent in the first half. Michigan cut the deficit to 22-14, when it went on an 8-0 run thanks to eight free throws. But the Wolverines' reliance on the whistle was not sustained; the Aggies continued to clamp down on defense to take a 35-22 lead at halftime. "(Texas A&M) plays very good defense," Cooper said. "They pres- sured us really well." Texas A&M continued to thrash Michigan in the second half,;when it started with a 17-3 run. "We have to start faster," Bors- eth said. "We just don't start fast. They start to score baskets, and it begins to fuel runs. We want to start fast but it just isn't working." The Aggies dominated in near- ly every facet of the game. Most important, they shut down Michi- gan's perimeter threat. The Wolver- ines went 1-for-9 from three-point range, shutting down an integral part of their offense. The Aggies cruised through- out the second half, never letting Michigan within 24 points. The game against Texas A&M was the fifth of Michigan's six straight road contests, and all but one has been against a major con- ference team. Although, a loss like yesterday's hurts, Borseth knows that playing quality teams is some- thing his team must do. "You can't mask wins by playing bad teams," Borseth said. "You've got to beat good teams even though these games are frustrating, but, in the end, we hope that we can figure things by the end of the season." 4 4 Rivalry or not: Michigan not looking past Buckeyes By MICHAEL EISENSTEIN Daily Sports Writer Everyone knows the tradition of the Michigan- Ohio State rivalry. In football, The Game often decides the Big Ten Champion, and Ohio State has downright dominated the matchup in the last few years. But in hockey, the rivalry has had a different vibe. "They've been downalittle bit the last couple years," Michigan associate head coach Mel Pearson said. "In order to have a real healthy rivalry, both teams have to be playing well, winning a lot." By a healthy rivalry, Pearson meant one similar to Michigan's with perennial CCHA Championship contender Michigan State - not the one with the Buckeyes, who haven't finished above seventh in the conference the last two seasons. But the rivalry is anything but one sided. The past three series between the two teams have been split, despite Michigan's (8-0 CCHA, 13-1 overall) signifi- cantly better season-long success. "Obviously, it starts with the football team," fresh- man Matt Rust said. "Everyone just thinks it's a foot- ball rivalry between two top powerhouses in football. It's just as deep and just as fierce in hockey." That's the type of attitude Michigan - which hasn't swept Ohio State since 2004 - will need to bring to this weekend's matchup at Yost Ice Arena. It would be easy for the Wolverines to overlook a team averaging just more than two goals a game com- pared to Michigan's four-plus scores a contest. And the Wolverines shined in their biggest test last week- end when they knocked off two top-15teams, Wiscon- sin and Minnesota. While it's impossible to look past those teams in preparation, Ohio State's talent doesn't compare to what Michigan just faced. "It could be a trap weekend, definitely," Kolarik said. "We just had a great weekend, and we've won like 12 in a row or something like that, soit's definitely size enough to be something like that." But it's not just the Buckeyes (1-7, 3-10-1), and their chance to knock off the nation's No. 2 team, that have a lot to gain this weekend. With a sweep, Michigan will take over first place in the CCHA and will tie its best start ever. Is there any way Ohio State could sneak up on the Wolverines this year? "In the past, I might have said 'Yes,' but I think with this team they've shown so far that they've been real dialed in on the team's they've played and focused," Pearson said. And if the intensity from the end of last season's after-the-whistle brawl from a cheap shot on Wolver- ine Kevin Porter is a reflection, the Michigan-Ohio State hockey rivalry is anything but slacking. Unlike two weeks ago, Michigan looks as if they have a good chance of sending the Buckeyes out of Ann Arbor without a win. 4 Former Michigan coach and current Harvardcoach Tommy Amaker welcomes his old team to Boston tomorrow. MAWKWAR D' Matchup with old coach stokes conflicting emotions By MARK GIANNOTTO Daily Sports Writer It stuck out like that proverbial sore thumb. This game would be the giant elephant in the room nobody wanted to talk about. When Michigan's nonconference schedule was released in September, there was no way the team didn't notice tomorrow's road trip to Bos- ton to face Harvard (3-4). The Crimson have a new head coach this sea- son that Wolverine fans may be familiar with. His finger twirl to initiate the motion offense became synonymous with players clumsily han- dlinA the ball far from the basket before forcing a desperate heave when the shot clock was about to expire. He stomped his feet seemingly every possession, trying to inspire his team's defensive effort. And he helped stabilize a program that was in disarray following the fallout of a disas- trous scandal. That's right, former Michigan coach Tommy Amaker - who was fired last March after amass- ing a109-83 record over six seasons in Ann Arbor - was named Harvard's head coach last April. Since Amaker coached or recruited every single player on this year's Michigan (3-4) squad, his presence on the opposing bench makes tomorrow's game an unavoidable topic of discus- sion in the Wolverine locker room. "It's going to be awkward," senior Ron Cole- man said. "He coached me for three years, and I still have respect for him." Amaker actually scheduled the game as part of a home-and-home series that began last sea- son when Michigan defeated Harvard, 82-50, at Crisler Arena. At the time, there was no telling he would end up coaching the home team both times. It's not like Amaker is completely removed from Michigan, though. Some players say they still have some form of contact with their former coach. The parents of freshman K'Len Morris still talk with Amaker. Freshman Manny Harris said he would give the man who brought him to Ann Arbor a high five before stepping on the court. Sophomore Zack Gibson wants to have a couple words with the coach who convinced him to transfer from Rutgers after his freshman sea- son. "(Amaker) is one of the nicest men you'll ever meet," Morris said. "So he's always goingto keep in contact with the people that he made friend- ships with. I mean, he did bring us all here." He may have brought them to Ann Arbor, but they also played a part in his dismissal and sub- sequent move to Boston. While no players would ever directly criticize their former coach, some did discreetly insinuate their displeasure with the way Amaker ran the program last season. In praising the new style of Michigan coach John Beilein, it became clear- dissatisfaction was rampant a year ago. "Attitude and effort were definitely miss- ing last year," said sophomore DeShawn Sims at Michigan Media Day in October. "A lot was demanded from us, but there weren't really any consequences. Coach Beilein came in right away and did things that will lead up to us winning - very little things. Last year it wasn't established that way, so our mindsets are totally changed." Lost amid the talk of Amaker's reunion with his former team is just how important tomor- row's game is for Michigan. The Wolverines are coming off losses in four of their past five games and are in desperate search of avictory after fall- ing below .500 for the first time the season. For this reason, Beilein doesn't feel the need to mention Amaker to his players. "I won't even address it," Beilein said. "It's an away game. Let's go try and get a win and try and get better." The problem is that giant elephant will still be in the room whether the Wolverines want to dis- cuss it or not. This time, he's taken the shape of a finger twirling, foot stomping former coach. J i U MORE ONLINE at michigandaily com/thegame 4 BLOGS Live blogs from this weekend's hockey and basketball games. Blue gets home-court advantage to open tournament By NICOLE AUERBACH Daily Sports Writer The Michigan volleyball team has played in the NCAA tourna- ment six times, but it has never played host. Until now. Thehome-court advantage could be the key to early-round success for the Wolverines. At 22-10, Michigan finished with its best regular-season record in 26 years. Michigan coach Mark Rosen hopes hosting the first and second rounds of the tournament will help his team come out strong. Even though the team will still be at home, its weekend matchups will be played at Crisler Arena. "Certainly, we're excited about hosting the tournament," Rosen said. "We don't have to travel, and we get more practice time this week. It'll be fun to have our home crowd, and it'll be fun for the play- ers to have their family and friends here to support them." The Wolverines will face Miami (Ohio) at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the first round. Tickets are normally $6 for students, but the volleyball pro- gram received an anonymous dona- tion, which will cover admission for the first 500 Michigan students. With a first-round victory, the Wolverines would take on the win- ner of Illinois State and Colorado State. The second-round match, set for Saturday at 7 p.m., determines who will advance to the NCAA Regional in State College. Rosen said the team feels confi- dent it can have success against the opponents in the early part of the draw. The Wolverines faced Miami (Ohio) on Aug. 31, defeating the RedHawks 3-0 (30-23, 30-22, 30- 28). Michigan has not lost to the RedHawks since 1984 and has also beaten potential opponent Colora- do State earlier this season in four games. The Wolverines received a bid to the NCAA tournament in seven of the past nine years, but it has never made it past the second round. Michigan hopes to rebound from a 1-3 (21-30,22-30, 32-30,21-30) loss to No. 1 Penn State last Saturday in their final regular-season game. "We played a great third and fourth game against Penn State," senior co-captain Lyndsay Miller said. "I think that fired us up, play- ing really well against a good team. I think we're ready to go now. We definitely have momentum." The solid play and leadership by its seniors contributed to the team's end-of-season success, where the Wolverines won five out of their final eight contests - all against Big Ten teams. But Michigan has its sights set on an even stronger finish. "We've been playing really well this past month," Rosen said. "One of the goals the team has had from day one was not just to get into the tournament but to advance in the tournament." 0 Senior Lyndsay Miller and the Michigan volleyball team will host the first and sec- ond rounds of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.