Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 7, 1991 TAG: 9103070455
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Bill Brill
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Nothing unusual about that, except that Louisville comes in as No. 8. That's last place.
That would be like North Carolina finishing on the bottom of the ACC, Indiana 10th in the Big Ten or Georgetown pulling up the rear in the Big East. (Come to think of it, the Hoyas tried this year.)
When you think of the Metro, you automatically consider Louisville - the only team in the league to win the NCAA Tournament, and the Cardinals did it twice during the 1980s.
The team that has the longest streak of winning seasons in college basketball will see that run end at 46 unless it wins the Metro, then a couple of games in the NCAA Tournament. Louisville won its last three games just to get to a 12-15 record, which, Denny would confess, was pretty Crum-my.
But that tells you a lot about the event that begins today at the Roanoke Civic Center, where ticket sales have picked up since they broke them into single sessions. (I wonder how the folks who shelled out $87 for tournament books and can't go this afternoon feel about that?)
The coaches were offering the standard party line at lunch Wednesday, which was that any of the eight teams could win. For a change, it wasn't hype.
This is the Metro, where the flagship school finishes eighth and the team with the second-most overall victories [South Carolina, 19] comes in seventh.
This is the Metro, where only the coach from Joisey, Florida's State's Pat Kennedy, can understand the coach from the Bronx, South Carolina's George Felton. Fortunately, they play each other tonight, so Kennedy can act as interpreter.
This is the Metro, where there are Stays (Louisville, Southern Mississippi, Tulane and Virginia Tech) and Gones (Florida State, South Carolina, Cincinnati and Memphis State) and Wanna-bes (UNC Charlotte and South Florida, to be announced officially shortly).
This is the Metro, where the league's best player, Clarence Weatherspoon, not only looks like Charles Barkley, but plays like him, which is definitely a plus. Can't you hear those NBA public-address types yelling, "Spoooooooooon." And wouldn't you like to be his agent when he turns pro?
This is the Metro, which somehow managed to be one of the few tournaments not carried by ESPN, although that wouldn't matter to one of the visiting teams. It is staying at a Roanoke motel that doesn't have ESPN. Isn't that illegal or immoral or something? I thought it was a rule that all motels had to have ESPN. Otherwise, why would you stay there?
And this is Roanoke, which is so happy to have the tournament that it actually spiffed up the civic center and has done everything right except sell out the joint.
That still can be remedied, of course.
\ METRO RANKINGS SAGARIN'S 296 TEAMS\ 53. Cincinnati 81.31\ 56. Southern Miss. 81.21\ 64. Florida State 80.49\ 67. Tulane 80.08\ 84. Louisville 78.71\ 87. Memphis State 78.11\ 95. South Carolina 77.30\ 134. Virginia Tech 73.5\ USA Today\ \ METRO SCHEDULES STRENGTH IN SAGARIN POLL\ 1. Louisville 79.04\ 2. Virginia Tech 77.51\ 3. Florida State 76.63\ 4. Memphis State 75.93\ 5. Southern Miss. 75.86\ 6. South Carolina 75.32\ 7. Cincinnati 75.28\ 8. Tulane 75.01\ USA Today
\ CONFERENCE RANK SAGARIN RATINGS\ 1. ACC 86.29\ 2. Big Eight 86.17\ 3. Big East 83.69\ 4. Big Ten 83.10\ 5. Southeastern 82.36\ 6. Pacific 10 82.35\ 7. Metro 78.88\ 8. Southwest 78.68\ 9. Atlantic 10 77.55\ 10. Big West 75.68\ 11. Western Ath. 75.19\ 12. Mid-American 74.64\ 13. American South 74.19 \ 14. Missouri Valley 73.45 \ 15. Sun Belt 72.70\ USA Today
by CNB