Basketball jockeys for tourney position

Break out the horses and let the jockeying begin.

With just two games left in the regular season and the Big Ten Tournament looming eight days away, the Michigan men's basketball team's meeting with Penn State tonight at Crisler Arena at 8 p.m. isn't just another battle between two lower division conference teams. Tournament seeds are on the line.

The Wolverines (4-10 Big Ten, 10-17 overall) and Nittany Lions (3-11, 11-13) are in ninth and 10th place in the conference, respectively. On the line tonight? Nothing less than the all-important ninth seed.

In all likelihood, barring any upsets in the team's final games, tonight's winner will earn a No. 9 seed, while the loser must settle for No. 10.

Michigan forward Brandon Smithand his teammates are playing for the ninth-seed in the Big Ten tournament.

But do the Wolverines really want to win this game?

A victory means the Wolverines get the dubious distinction of facing Northwestern in the Big Ten tourney's first round, complete with its beast of a center, Evan Eschmeyer. When the two teams met earlier this season in Evanston, Michigan found itself unable to defend Eschmeyer en route to an embarrassing 58-34 loss, one of Michigan's worst of the season. The sixth-year senior scored 29 points, 15 of them from the free throw line.

And if the Wolverines get by Northwestern. No less than mighty top-seeded Michigan State, ranked third in the country, will likely be the next matchup.

But a loss could give Michigan an easier path in the tournament. If the Wolverines take the tenth seed, they will likely face Minnesota, a team they've already beaten at home and almost upset on the road. After that? Ohio State, another team Michigan has knocked off before.

But Michigan coach Brian Ellerbe insists that the Wolverines aren't looking ahead to the tournament, and are just working on winning the rest of their games.

"We haven't really looked ahead," Ellerbe said. "It'll shape up on its own. What's important for us is to do some things (on the court) that may enhance our chance to be a Cinderella tournament team."

But Ellerbe is looking at tonight's game. The Lions already beat Michigan in what Ellerbe called "one of our poorest performances" last January in State College by beating Michigan, 70-52.

"It was very difficult to watch," Ellerbe said. "We were very flat."

The Lions pose a potent inside-outside threat with center Calvin Booth, guards Joe Crispin and Dan Earl and forward Titus Ivory.

"They remind me of us last year," Ellerbe said. "They surround Calvin with two or three great shooters."

LOUIS BROWN/Daily

02-24-99