Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 16, 1991 TAG: 9103160116
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN SMALLWOOD SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: COLLEGE PARK, MD. LENGTH: Medium
With second-seeded Syracuse back in upstate New York, courtesy of its NCAA history-making loss to 15th-seeded Richmond on Thursday, the sixth-seeded Wolfpack find themselves in a position to go from dark horse to favorite to advance out their bracket in the East Region of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
N.C. State (20-10) plays third-seeded Oklahoma State (23-7) at 2:35 p.m. today at Cole Field House with a chance to move to the Sweet 16. In the early game at 12:25, Richmond (22-9) and Temple (22-9) square off.
A victory by the Wolfpack moves them to East Rutherford, N.J. for the region semifinals to face the Richmond-Temple survivor. They should be favored in that game.
The scenario for State being one of the final eight teams has coach Les Robinson guarding against his team looking past Oklahoma State.
"That's always a danger when a high seed like Syracuse loses," said Robinson. "I will try desperately to get them to think about nothing but Oklahoma State."
The Wolfpack is rolling. They scored an East Region record 114 points Thursday in demolishing Southern Mississippi.
State shot 54.3 percent and made 12 3-pointers. Led by senior guards Rodney Monroe and Chris Corchiani, all six regulars scored in double figures.
"I'm sure glad we didn't play N.C. State on [Thursday]," said Oklahoma State Eddie Sutton, who is the first coach to take four different schools to the NCAA tournament. "I'm not sure anybody in the field, except [No. 1 ranked Nevada-Las Vegas], could have beaten them.
"They're as good a ball club as we'll play all season. Defensively, they present a lot of problems for us."
Oklahoma State wasn't impressive in advancing over New Mexico. The Cowboys won by 13 but shot 33.9 percent and committed 17 turnovers.
The Cowboys average 80.4 points a game, and N.C. State is 15-1 when holding an opponent under 85 points.
Once again N.C. State's defense will center around containing the opposition's big man inside - this time OSU's 6-foot-7 center Byron Houston, who averages 22.9 points and 10.6 rebounds. As he did against Southern Miss' Clarence Weatherspoon, Robinson will try to wear down Houston by double-teaming him with forward's Tom Gugliotta (6-9) and Bryant Feggins (6-6).
Temple and Richmond have met once before in tournament play. In 1988, the Owls, then 31-1 and ranked No. 1 in the nation, ended the Spiders' upset run in the Sweet 16 round 69-47.
Chaney said he has wasn't shocked by Richmond's victory.
"Whether Dick Tarrant and Richmond are a marquee name or not," Chaney said. "You better not think he's a David because he's a Goliath.
"They turned Syracuse inside out, and they can do the same thing to us."
Chaney said he doesn't think about the Richmond team he beat in 1988, rather the one that beat him 70-56 in the 1989 NIT.
"The only thing I know about Richmond is that they kicked our [butts] the last time we played them."
Tarrant said they also aren't satisfied just because they beat Syracuse.
"They'll be no letdown," he said. "We know we're playing another tough team. Temple at No. 10 has to be better than Richmond at No. 15 unless somebody failed mathematics. Our kids will be ready to play."
by CNB