The last time the Michigan women's basketball team played at Crisler Arena, the Wolverines were trounced by Penn State, 65-47 on senior night. Now Michigan has one more chance to make a stand at home as it takes on Valparaiso in the first round of the WNIT tonight.

One of the major differences between the WNIT and the Women's NCAA Tournament is that after the first two rounds WNIT games are still played at campus locations. After the embarrassment at the hands of Penn State, Michigan is anxious to get back on the court at Crisler and defend its turf.

"I think it is going to be nice to play a couple of tournament games at home," senior guard Alayne Ingram said. "It is just good that we get another chance to win on our own court."

Michigan earned the right to host the first-round game and has petitioned to host its remaining games as well. Part of what will determine whether Michigan continues to host games is the attendance tonight.

"With the WNIT, in the second round, a lot of times it is based on attendance," Michigan coach Sue Guevara said. "I'm hoping we can get a decent crowd in here and we play well and that we will be playing here on the weekend too."

Michigan hopes its strong performance in the Big Ten Tournament over spring break, including a first-round upset over Illinois and an overtime loss to top- seeded Purdue, will bring the fans to Crisler.

"Our faithful are going to show up," Michigan junior center LeeAnn Bies said. "We can get a pretty nice crowd in here to support us."

Bies and Ingram were both named to the All-Big Ten second team this season, and both are glad to have the chance to play at least one more game in Crisler this season. Michigan hopes to put on a better show than it did against Penn State.

"I think it is great, because for the seniors, we didn't have a good senior night for them," Bies said. "I think it is a second chance for us to play better for them and for them to have another chance to play at Crisler for a win."

If Michigan wins the game tonight it will play the winner of the Ball State/Louisville game, and the Wolverines may have to travel to either campus site depending on the WNIT committee's decision. Regardless of where the team plays, Guevara knows her players will relish the opportunity to play one more time with maize and blue on their backs.

Michigan has high expectations for itself going into the tournament. The Big Ten is ranked third among conferences in the RPI, and with their success in the conference tournament, the Wolverines are excited about their chances.

"As long as we keep playing the way we ended the season, we should go pretty far," Ingram said. "(But) we gotta knock down this first game."