4 6B - Monday, March 24, 2008 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Blue heads for Albany regional Phillips looks for consistency From page lB captain Kevin Porter said. "Those were the teams we wanted to play. Everyone's going to be good in the tournament, but I think we're in a great bracket. "To play Niagara in our first game is great, especially having to play North Dakota the last two years. I mean, they're going to be a good team, but it's nice not having to play North Dakota in the firstgame." While the Wolverines (31-5-4) may be relieved to see anyone but the Fighting Sioux in their bracket, theyknow Niagaraisn't ateamthey can take lightly. The Purple Eagles boast an explosive and opportunis- tic offense, averaging more than 3.5 goals per game and converting 23.3 percent of their power play chances. Led by forwards Vince Rocco and Matt Caruana (45 and 38 points, respectively), Niagara went undefeated this year against CCHA opponents. The Purple Eagles post- ed awin againstBowlingGreen and two against Western Michigan. Michigan coach Red Berenson admitted that he and his staff don't know too much about Niagara yet. Earlier this season, the Purple Eagles played Wayne State in the Palace of Auburn Hills before Michigan took on Notre Dame in the same building, and Berenson caught a few minutes of that game. Other than saying Niagara looked far better than Wayne State, Berenson didn't want to offer an opinion on the Wolverines first- round opponent until he could break down some film. In the NCAA tournament two years ago, No. 1 overall seed Min- nesota was upset by Holy Cross. Michigan, the two-seed in that regional, was in the building. "No one thought it could hap- pen, especially Minnesota," Por- ter said. "They had a great team. All they could think about was the next game. I think that gave them some trouble. We can't do that this year." Berenson knows the upcoming weekend won't depend on prior successes. It's a whole new game. "This is the part of the year you're going to be judged by, not what you've done up until now," Berenson said. Heading into the WNIT, the Wolverines need Phillips to bring her best game By CHRIS MESZAROS Daily Sports Writer As Michigan center Krista Phillips goes, so goes the Michigan women's basketball team. And if the Wolverines hope to make a deep run in the Women's National Invitation Tour- nament, the sophomore will have tobe at her best. Michigan plays Virginia VCU at Commonwealth in the first Michigan round of the WNIT tonight. The Rams dominated in a Matcup: 13-point win over Charlotte Michigan 17-13 on Saturday and come into Crisler Arena on a seven- When: Tonight game winning streak. But will Phillips be at her Where: best? The 6-foot-6 center Crisler Arena has been inconsistent this season. At times, the sophomore played solid basketball, making a buzzer-beating 40-foot three-pointer against Wisconsin and dominat- ing Penn State with a double-double. But instead of building on those perfor- mances, she took a step back with awful late- season games against Minnesota and Iowa. For Phillips, the second tallest starter in the Big Ten, success always came easily in high school. "I was that much bigger than people," Phil- lips said. "I was a pin, catch, score kind of girl. But I like the contact. I'll go at someone and kind of draw contact and its been a change for me." The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native eas- ily outmatched her high school competition. Phillips averaged 19.2 ppg as a senior and was the runner-up for Canada's Miss Basketball award. But during her first two years at Michigan, she has struggled at times to adapt to the phys- ical play of some Big Ten teams. In response, Phillips has begun to adapt to a different play- ing style. Michigan's late-season losses to Minnesota and Iowa affirmed how important Phillips isto her team. The sophomore was limited to just 13 points and two rebounds in both contests combined. It is Phillips' dedication to the team that has allowed her to come back from these slumps. In the game after Minnesota, Phillips domi- nated Penn State, scoring a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. "Oh my goodness, she's done a great job," Michigan senior Krista Clement said. "I think MARCH 24-28, 2008 three weeks in one... Earth Week Campus Safety Week Disabilities Awareness Week For more information, visit www.msa.umich.edu. 4 Sophomore Krista Phillips goes for a shot against Minnesota earlier this month. that being a 6-6 girl, we put a lot of pressure on her. I pass it in to her and say, 'Hey KP, go against everyone.'" All of the Wolverines have spent extra time in the gym, but Phillips has gone the extra mile. During the final men's basketball game against Purdue, Phillips was waiting in the tunnel for the game to end so she could take shooting practice. The sophomore worked on her shot for more than an hour after the game, taking shots from the top of the key and from the wing. Michigan coach Kevin Borseth has tried to develop Phillips into a dual-threat player. The sophomore routinely shoots more than 300 shots per practice, many of them threes. And Phillips has rarely shied away from an oppor- tunity to take a shot from downtown. "It's important to be versatile," Phillips said. "There's a lot of big people that can't do both. That's one of the perks of my game and one of the things coach Borseth has been pushing. If you can shoot, then you are that much of a bet- ter player." Phillips's dual-threat ability and post pres- ence can carry Michigan deep into the tourna- ment, but her inconsistency could easily cut it short. What's going onP The Graduate Employees' Organization represents approximately 1,700 Graduate Student Instructors and Graduate Student Staff Assistants who work throughout the University. GEO began renegotiating its contract with the University in November 2007. What Is GEG asking forP GEO's members currently earn $781 less than the University's financial aid estimate for the cost of living in Ann Arbor for 8 months. Its members ask for a living wage that keeps up with inflation, affordable health care, and an equitable workplace. Can the University afford thisP Tuition does not increase because of our wages. In 2006, increased tuition and fees brought the University $57 million in additional revenue. That year, the total raises given to GEO's members cost less than $800,000! In addition to an annual operatin budget of $1.3 billion, the University has a $7 billion endowment. Recently, universities such as Duke and Brown with smaller endowments have begun giving free tuition to low- and middle-income students. Our position is that the University should invest in both its undergraduate students and its graduate employees. Will there be a walkoutP GEO's contract expired March I. Its members voted to extend the contract twice in order to continue bargaining in good faith with the University. Today the contract expires. GEO members are prepared to walk out if an agreement cannot be reached. P1 If there is a walkout, GEO's members will ask the community not to cross their picket lines. The fooing organizations Ak M M Asupport GEO: Lecturers' Employee Organization Students Organizing for Labor and Economic Equality Michigan Student Assembly University of Michigan Professional Nurses Council House Officers Association University of Michigan All Campus Labor Council American Federation of Teachers - Michigan American Federation of Teachers - National AFL-CIO - Michigan AFL-CIO - National Alliance of Graduate Employee Locals Washtenaw County Workers Center Huron Valley Central Labor Council Washtenaw County Local Skilled Building Trades Council Black Men In Unions Michigan Summer School for Women Workers Latino Workers Leaders Institute United Leadership of Labor and Community Industrial Workers of the World - Detroit Branch Teamsters Coalition of Graduate Employee Unions Sheet Metal Workers Local #80 Graduate Employees Union - Michigan State University Wayne State University Union of Part-Time Faculty 0