Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 16, 1990 TAG: 9003162100
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: ATLANTA LENGTH: Medium
"Coach [Dick] Tarrant is out trying to park the car," senior guard Ken Atkinson said Thursday before the Spiders' workout at the Omni. "He ran five traffic lights coming over here."
But once Richmond reaches what Tarrant calls "the big tent," the Spiders usually settle down and pack a basketball Goliath's bags.
That's because this Cinderella's coach never turns into a pumpkin.
"We're here with a nothing-to-lose attitude," Atkinson said. "That's a big factor, and it goes back to Coach Tarrant. He makes you think you can beat a team that's more talented.
"Unfortunately, Duke isn't a team that will go out and beat itself. They not only have talent, they're very well-coached."
Today's noon assignment for Richmond (22-9) isn't any more intimidating than some of the Spiders' other NCAA matchups in the 1980s. Tarrant's program owns wins over Charles Barkley-led Auburn, Bobby Knight-coached Indiana and ACC power Georgia Tech.
"They've played great in the NCAA, but this is a different team," said Mike Krzyzewski, Duke's coach. "The common denominator is Dick Tarrant. His teams are always well-prepared.
"One thing, they won't be in awe of the tournament. The big thing is not the opponent, but the tournament."
The Blue Devils (24-8) have lost four of their last six games but are 14-point favorites because Krzyzewski's point about this being a "different" Richmond team is well-taken. The Spiders, who are in the NCAA East first round only because they won the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament, are even smaller than their undersized clubs of the past.
"I'm just happy as hell to be here," said Tarrant, who has guided the Spiders to four NCAA berths and two NIT trips in the last seven seasons. "The first question someone asked me at the victory party after we won [the Colonial] was who I wanted to play.
"I told them I wouldn't care if it were the Detroit Pistons on the moon. As it turns out, we're playing someone just a notch lower than the Pistons - Duke.
"Watching the pairings Sunday, when I saw our name there on the board with Duke, I said, `Oh, no, Duke.' Of course, it was, `Oh, no, Auburn' the first time [1984], and, `Oh, no, Indiana,' after that. When you're the 14th seed, they're all oh-nos."
If anything, Tarrant's teams are even more precise in NCAA play than during the regular season.
"We have to be," Tarrant said. "We have to play almost flawlessly. We have to take care of the ball, with few turnovers; we have to hit 50-60 percent of our shots and 75-80 percent of our free throws.
"You know we'll get killed on the boards. Our guys will look like five guards out there. We have to keep Duke on defense for long periods of time. That's how we win. The question, with Duke's pressure, whether we can keep them on defense long enough."
The Spiders' problem in the first of four NCAA games at the Omni today is that Tarrant's permed gray hair has become too familiar advancing in the field of 64. Richmond is no Robert Morris or North Carolina A&T.
"This is my first time in the NCAA, but I think the reason Coach Tarrant's teams have won before is that his kind of coaching prepares you for these kinds of games," said Spiders guard Curtis Blair, a sophomore from Roanoke.
"We have so much discipline, period, and so much discipline in our offense and defense. This, for us, is just the next level. From Oct. 15, you prepare for this day, right here."
Blair, who emerged to make the CAA all-tournament team after struggling in the first half of the season, said Tarrant's system is based on getting the most from a club that - in terms of ability - would strike fear in few opponents.
"We have about 40 plays," said Atkinson, who leads Richmond with a 19.1-point average. "They use cards to signal them in. Sometimes they hold two cards together, and then something after it, like a paragraph."
It's complicated, but it works. Richmond has won nine of 10, and anybody who saw the Spiders destroyed by 34 in the Feb. 2 "Midnight Massacre" at James Madison never would have figured Tarrant to lead his Lilliputian lineup past the CAA tournament.
"When you're seeded 14th, what the hell's the difference?" Tarrant said.
by CNB