No. 3 Michigan Looms for No. 14 Pepperdine : Midwest: But the Waves are simply glad to be in the field after recovering from slow start to their season.

For most of the season, the biggest question surrounding the Pepperdine basketball team wasn’t who the Waves would play in the NCAA tournament or what seeding they would draw.

The concern for Coach Tom Asbury was whether or not Pepperdine would make it to the tournament at all.

Pepperdine had to struggle simply to make it this far, winning its last seven games, including three in the West Coast Conference tournament to receive an automatic berth.

So when the pairings were finally announced, Asbury and his team didn’t appear fazed with the prospect of facing Big Ten power Michigan in the first round of the NCAA Midwest Regional at Wichita, Kan., on Thursday.

“What’s the next game?” Asbury joked. “We probably won’t look past Michigan for a day or so.”

Asbury said he was hoping the Waves (19-10) would be seeded a little higher than 14th in their regional and he wasn’t looking to play a high-profile team such as the third-seeded Wolverines (21-7).

All things considered, though, he wasn’t complaining.

Besides, Asbury said, he probably knows a lot more about the Wolverines than they know about his team.

What does Michigan Coach Steve Fisher think about the Waves?

“I know little or nothing about them,” Fisher said.

That might be the only advantage for Pepperdine.

But for all of the attention that the Wolverines have received with their back-to-back appearances in the NCAA championship game, Pepperdine’s players are not in awe of their opponents.

Maybe that’s because many of the Waves have been to the tournament before. It will be the third appearance in four seasons for Pepperdine, which lost to Memphis State in the first round of the Midwest Regional in its last appearance two years ago.

“Actually, I think we match up pretty well with them,” senior Damin Lopez said. “Even if our man-to-man (defense) doesn’t work, I think our zone will be pretty effective.”

That may be a little too much optimism against a team such as Michigan, even after its 97-93 loss to Northwestern at Evanston, Ill., on Saturday.

Michigan is led by 6-foot-8 junior guard Jalen Rose and 6-9 junior forward Juwan Howard. Rose averages 20.6 points and Howard 19.6 points and a team-leading 8.3 rebounds.

“They’re a load, and we knew we were going to draw a team like that in our first game,” Lopez said. “They’re a huge name and we’re going into the middle of basketball country, but we just want to play the game.”

For senior center Derek Noether, the fact that the Waves will be playing Michigan in the first round will be an added bonus.

“It’s not going to be easy for us, but that’s what it’s all about,” Noether said. “For myself, it just gives you a shot of adrenaline to play a team like that.”

Forward Dana Jones, who led Pepperdine in scoring with an 18.5-point average, said the Waves’ NCAA tournament experience will work in their favor.

“It’s normal that everybody’s going to be nervous at the start of the game,” Jones said. “But once we get past that initial nervousness, I think we can play with them.”

Despite his limited knowledge of the Waves, Howard promised the Wolverines will be ready.

“I can tell you that I’ll do my homework on Monday,” he said.