Women hunting for 'magic 18' at Big Ten tournament

18 wins. That's the "magic number" that Michigan women's basketball coach Sue Guevara put in the minds of her team on the first day of the season.

Now, Guevara must remind her team of 18 again as they head to Indianapolis this weekend for the Big Ten Tournament.

In order to receive a bid to the NCAA Tournament, Guevara believes that the Wolverines will need 18 wins. Right now they are two short.

For Guevara's squad, it all comes down to this weekend. The Wolverines finished the regular season with a record of 16-10, receiving a No. 6 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.

Michigan was just edged out of a first-round bye, and will face the No. 11 seed, Minnesota, tomorrow in the first round. But the Wolverines are right where they want to be.

"I'm glad for the Big Ten Tournament," Guevara said. "For our team right now we know are backs are up against the wall and we know we are facing a very hungry and aggressive Minnesota team.

"I think that we are a better team when we are on the hunt instead of being hunted."

The Wolverines should beware of the camouflage and rifles of the fierce Gophers. Minnesota defeated Michigan earlier this year, one of only two wins it had all season.

If Michigan happens to come up with a victory tomorrow, the team will face the No. 3 seed Illinois tomorrow.

The Fighting Illini disrupted the Wolverines' nine-game winning streak earlier in the season, beating them in overtime.

But the Wolverines have already tasted revenge. Anne Thorius contributed a last-second shot to defeat Illinois 81-79 on Feb. 12.

The Wolverines ended their regular season with a much needed home victory against Indiana, opening the door just a little bit more on the NCAA Tournament.

"It's a good confidence builder to go out with a win on your home court," freshman Alayne Ingram said. "You need to let them (the fans) see the Wolverines they wanted to see, the team that ran and the team that came out on top. That is what is going to help us keep our intensity up."

And the magic number 18 will be reached if the Wolverines are able to keep up that intensity this weekend.

But the real team to beat in the Big Ten Tournament will be Purdue. The Boilermakers have caught the attention of the nation by earning the No. 1 ranking. Michigan came close to defeating the Boilermakers in West Lafayette earlier in the season, and will look to pull out an upset victory.

"It's been a long time since we've had a team ranked No. 1," Guevara said. "It gives the conference respect. If Purdue can get a national championship, it is a major reflection on the rest of the conference."

But before the Wolverines begin to hunt the feared Boilermakers, they need to focus on the games at hand.

Michigan has proven that it can beat anyone this season, with an almost-upset of Purdue and huge wins over ranked teams, Ohio State and Illinois.

"It's been kind of like a Jekyll and Hyde," Guevara said. "We need to play from the tip and we need to have balanced scoring and defense. I want some consistency for 40 minutes."

And for the women's basketball team, the magic number of 18 is just 80 minutes of consistent play away.

Pairing them up

Here are the pairings for the tournament:

Game 1: No. 8 Iowa vs. No. 9 Northwestern

Game 2: No. 7 Michigan St. vs. No. 10

Indiana

Game 3: No. 6 Michigan vs. No. 11 Minnesota

Game 4: No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 5 Wisconsin

Game 5: No. 1 Purdue vs. Game 1 winner

Game 6: No. 2 Penn State vs. Game 2 winner

Game 7: No. 3 Illinois vs. Game 3 winner

Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner

Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner

Game 10: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner

02-26-99