10 - Tuesday, March 30, 2010 The Michigan Daily -- michigandailyxorn AkI 10 - Tuesday, March 30, 2010 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom a 'owl JOIN DAILY SPORTS E-mail: rkartje@umich.edu WNIT was the better option ?I0LY WEEK AT? G'NT ERtBY ?l SdlI Thursday, April 1st - lgsnps Supjsmc 5:30 p.m. A simple Mediterranean meal in commemoration of The Last Supper. Friday, April 2nd - L d Txicr y sccyy 5:30 p.m. Featuring a reading of the Passion Gospel by the women of Canterbury House. Friday, April 2nd - Thu Z o Fd j 21.1 151ght Tusus Mluviu Moralson atud ?ajaccss ?esisy 8:00 p.m. The life of Jesus has inspired films ranging from "The Greatest Story Ever Told" to "The Life of Brian." Bring your jammies and a pillow! Saturday, April 3rd -'The Essa e fss Ifi2 8:00 p.m. A culmination of the Holy Week celebration, with fire-juggling and the re-telling in scripture and music of the When I tried to convince my friends to come to the Michigan women's basketball WNIT semifinal round against Miami (Fla.) at ZAK Crisler Arena PYZIK Wednesday at 7 p.m., they On Women's laughed. Basketball Many con- sider the WNIT less of an accom- plishment than qualifying for the Women's NCAA Tournament. Is making the WNIT some- thing to scoff at? Or maybe the better question is, is it always better for a team to go to the NCAA Tournament instead of the WNIT? I ran into freshman guard Dayeesha Hollins when walking to South Quad on Sunday morn- ing before the Wolverines' 78-52 quarterfinal annihilation of Syra- cuse. Hollins told me that she was nervous for this game - possibly more nervous than she's been for any other matchup this year. If Michigan had qualified for the NCAA Tournament, would they still be playing in big games? Would they still be getting opportunities to play through the nerves that Hollins experienced? Probably not. It's possible that the Wolver- ines could have upset some higher seeds - they had already beaten Xavier earlier in the year and had two close matchups against Ohio State, both top-10 teams. While the Musketeers are still battling, Ohio State lost in the second round. Michigan State - who swept Wolverines in three games this season - also fell in round two. So while this Michigan squad is better than average, it most likely wouldn't have gone to the Final Four of the NCAA Tourna- ment. Instead, the Wolverines have made the semifinal in the WNIT. Michigan has blown out all four of its tournament opponents, including a Northwestern squad that beat them twice in the regu- lar season. Michigan remains the only Big Ten team left in either of the two major tournaments. The Wolverines continue to add dates to their schedule, and that means the six freshmen that function as the base for the Mich- igan program are gettingto play in some extra games. The nerves of Hollins and the other freshmen are a result of being so deep in a legitimate national tournament. That will help her and her teammates in the near future, when the big-time tournament presents itself to the Wolverines. Hollins, freshman guard Jenny Ryan, sophomore forward Car- men Reynolds and junior guard Veronica Hicks have all accumu- lated more than 1,000 minutes this season. Last season the Wol- verines had just one player record more than a 1,000, then-senior guard Jessica Minnfield. The point is, Michigan gains much more in the WNIT than it ever would in the NCAA Tourna- ment, especially this year. In the WNIT, they have gained valu- able experience in high-pressure situations. If they had made the NCAA Tournament, the season most likely would have ended three weeks ago. So next year, as the Wolverines progress through their schedule, they will face a lot of teams with a weaker foundation from the pre- vious season, especially in confer- ence play. I doubt that then, anyone will be laughing at Michigan's 2009- 10 WNIT run. 6 6 $38 MOVING KIT FAST FREE SHIPPING Student Moving Pack Includes: * 2 very large boxes * tape, packing paper *5 large boxes * marker & knife *9 medium boxes * I I All Inclusive If-Storage Packages! r All Maize packages include: Package 6 montrent Starting at: $229 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - toxes Roll of tape Lock Administration Fee Insurance #1 Airey Court 734-669-8880 #2 Lohr Circle 7';4-76q-nl 1lq 14 G A Bus r 1_ i .. y cf aarn,_Blvd . c -*c the STORAGE CHEST #4 Jackson Rd. #3 734-222-0277 734-747-9060 #5 734-222-0277