THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 6, 1996 TAG: 9603060691
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 104 lines
ACC fans got what they wanted when Maryland beat Florida State to set up a rematch between North Carolina and Clemson in the tournament quarterfinals, but both coaches insisted Tuesday their feud is behind them.
Clemson's Rick Barnes and UNC's Dean Smith went toe-to-toe and jaw-to-jaw during their quarterfinal game last year, and the feud carried over to this season.
North Carolina would have played Maryland instead of Clemson if the Terps had not beaten FSU in Monday's final regular-season game.
That probably would have suited commissioner Gene Corrigan, who admittedly is getting tired of playing peacemaker between the two coaches.
Corrigan fined both after last year's tournament incident, and called them to his home for a summit after another squabble last month at Clemson.
Smith triggered both incidents by shouting at Clemson players during the games.
Both coaches said during the league's weekly media conference that the feud is behind them.
Barnes: ``We settled that two weeks ago (in the meeting with Corrigan). It is over and done with.''
Smith: ``As he (Barnes) said, it is over.''
Maybe, but we've heard that before, haven't we?
ANTICLIMACTIC: Georgia Tech's Stephon Marbury, who on Monday was named to the All-ACC first team, Tuesday was a unanimous selection on the All-ACC freshman team. He was joined on the freshman team by another first-team pick, Antawn Jamison of North Carolina.
Other selections: Virginia guard Courtney Alexander, Clemson guard Terrell McIntyre and Duke forward Taymon Domzalski.
RUMOR DEPT.: Atlanta sportscaster Craig Sager started a big one when he reported that Marbury had told coach Bobby Cremins he was going pro after this season.
Sager claimed Cremins asked him to fill in at a speaking engagement because he had to rush to New Jersey on an emergency scouting mission since Marbury was not returning next year.
Cremins denies such a conversation took place. He says he was not scheduled for a speech Monday and his trip to New Jersey had been planned for a month.
``I know Fred. He's a friend. Maybe he was joking,'' Cremins said.
Interestingly, Cremins added he could ``care less if Marbury goes or stays.''
COLLINS DOUBTFUL: Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski says he is not counting on team leader Chris Collins playing in the opening tournament game against Maryland.
Collins injured an ankle in Sunday's win over North Carolina.
The Blue Devils are so thin that Krzyzewski will rely on walk-ons for relief help.
HOT PROPERTY: Wake Forest coach Dave Odom insists he is not interested in any of the jobs opening up across the nation, but Deacons fans are rightfully concerned that the university is not making more of an effort to keep him happy.
A Deacon Club member complained to Winston-Salem columnist Lenox Rawlings that the school should show the same consideration for Odom as for football coach Jim Caldwell, who recently was awarded a new contract.
``It is amazing we could take care of a 1-10 football coach and not take care of a guy (Odom) who has taken us to heights we have not seen in 30 years,'' said the Deacons' supporter.
Odom, reportedly the lowest-paid coach in the ACC, was named the league's top coach in 1994 and 1995, and will be taking the Deacs to a sixth straight NCAA postseason appearance.
Some schools, even in the league, are willing to pay bigtime for a coach like that.
AMEN CORNER: Every coach in the league has offered support for North Carolina State's embattled Les Robinson, but none has done it more eloquently in a few short words than Virginia's Jeff Jones.
To critics who suggest Robinson is too nice to be a good coach, Jones replies, ``There is nothing wrong with being a nice guy. There's too many jerks in this profession, anyway.''
GO FIGURE: Let's see. Clemson beats the top two teams in the league and has the fourth-best overall won-lost percentage, but gets no players on the three All-ACC teams.
Does that mean the Tigers did it with mirrors, or Rick Barnes did the best coaching job in the league?
We'll find out when coaching honors are announced next week.
TAINTED HIGHLIGHT: That shot from behind the backboard by Wake Forest's Tony Rutland against North Carolina will look good on a highlight film, but it should have been disallowed.
Rutland made the acrobatic flip after intercepting an inbounds pass and tossing the ball over the backboard.
Officials counted it although there is a rule stating ``the ball is out of bounds if it passes over the backboard in any direction.''
CHANGE COMING: The ACC schedule, which has remained pretty much the same for several years, will get a reshuffling next season.
That should offer some relief for Virginia, which annually has had to face back-to-back home and away games against Duke and North Carolina.
One date that will remain the same, though, is Duke and Carolina playing on the final regular-season weekend.
Some conference games are expected to be played in December next season because the Final Four tournament will be played a week earlier. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
ASSOCIATED PRESS
UNC's Dean Smith, right, and Clemson's Rick Barnes shook hands
before a January game. Now, they say, their feud is over.
by CNB