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Indiana-Michigan Western Division Face-Off Live on the Internet
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The city of Bloomington, Indiana is normally the hotbed of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Men's Basketball Championship tournament this time of year.
The home to one of the most successful men's basketball programs in the nation, the Hoosiers biggest game this weekend will neither be on the hardcourt, feature men's athletes, feature Clark Kellogg or Vern Lundquist, nor have a three-point play.
No, this game won't be a dance - it will be a war - as Indiana will broadcast water polo action to the world live over the Internet from Counsilman Billingsley Natatorium starting at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 28 for potentially the biggest game of the Collegiate Water Polo Association Women's Western Division schedule: Michigan-Indiana.
The game will be broadcast live on Indiana's CBS College Sports Video Service beginning at 7:00 p.m. It will mark the second internationally broadcast CWPA game of the day as Princeton Unviersity's game against Bucknell University in Princeton will be carried live starting at 11:00 a.m. on ESPNU television.
One of the most heated rivalries in the league, the two schools will both have one thing on their mind: Victory and the No. 1 seed for the Western Division Championship on April 18-19 back in Bloomington.
For No. 14-nationally ranked Michigan (6-0 CWPA West), it is simple: Win and you are the No. 1 seed as the Wolverines will finish the league regular season schedule against the No. 18-ranked Hoosiers.
Indiana (4-0 CWPA West), which will still need to get by Gannon University and Mercyhurst College on April 3 on the road in Erie, can set itself up to move up the national rankings and potentially take the No. 1 seed with a victory over Michigan.
The defending CWPA Western Division and Eastern Champion Wolverines and Indiana are no strangers to one another as this will mark the 47th meeting between the two programs.
Michigan, which holds a 33-11-2 advantage in the all-time series, is in the midst of a two-game winning streak over the Hoosiers, downing Indiana 6-5 in their regular season meeting and 11-3 in the Western Division title game at Grove City College.
Since 2006, the teams have traded games with the Wolverines holding a narrow 6-4 lead, including a 1-1 record in Bloomington.
Indiana, which last defeated Michigan 5-3 on April 29, 2007 as in the third place game of the 2007 Eastern Championship hosted by Princeton Unviersity, has not hosted Michigan since a 4-3 loss on April 23, 2006. Overall, Indiana is 3-7-1 against Michigan at home, including a 5-5 tie in their first meeting on January 31, 1998.
Even the coaching staffs have a connection as Michigan coach Matt Anderson served as an assistant coach under Indiana head coach Barry King during the 2001 season before taking over the Wolverines in 2002.
For Indiana and Michigan, the rivalry may be old, but the action never stops.
