Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 1, 1992 TAG: 9203010187
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: HARRISONBURG LENGTH: Medium
James Madison was muscling and intimidating Richmond, with a 13-2 lead 5 1/2 minutes into the latest renewal of the CAA's only glamour basketball matchup.
Then, Spiders guard Curtis Blair drove for the hoop and was fouled across the face by JMU rookie Kent Culuko. The hoop-and-harm ended up hurting the Dukes.
Blair went to the line and emotionally motioned to his nose, demonstrably telling his somnolent teammates about his facial. To that point, the Spiders had produced three fouls and five turnovers in seven possessions.
"I was really emotional," Blair said. "I told the guys, `This ain't no joke. You have to play against these guys. They'll try to be tough with us, and we have to be tough back.' "
The Spiders' guard from Roanoke contributed more than a wake-up call to coach Dick Tarrant's team. Blair finished with 27 points on 9-of-15 shooting and ran UR's attack as its only true guard on the floor. Richmond's 69-66 victory was rooted in grit.
One of the happiest people in the crowd of 7,400 at the JMU Convocation Center had to be CAA commissioner Tom Yeager. No doubt, the Spiders' ability not only to play with JMU - but also win after being ripped by the Dukes a month ago - likely sold some Richmond Coliseum seats for next weekend's CAA tournament.
However, what did Richmond's victory mean in the big picture - the NCAA's 64-team bracket? Probably not much. The CAA, ranked about two-thirds of the way down conference power ratings, likely will get only its tournament champion in the NCAA.
JMU, 18-9 with William and Mary to play Monday, was 65th in the power ratings last week, 20 spots ahead of Richmond (21-6). No one else in the CAA was better than No. 184, and the Dukes and the Spiders lack quality wins against non-conference opposition.
"I don't know what this game means in terms of the NCAA," said Blair, the likely CAA player of the year. "I really don't look at stuff like that much. What this does mean is that we now know we can beat JMU. We didn't know that after our last game. They bullied us.
"Mentally is where this was important."
James Madison is 34-7 in the CAA regular season in the past three years but hasn't won the league tournament. If the Dukes play against a zone defense the way they misfired and stood around against the Spiders, coach Lefty Driesell's fourth season in the Shenandoah Valley will end in the NIT again.
"If we had won this one I thought we'd have enough wins to get in the NCAA whatever happened from here," Driesell said. "I still think we're good enough to get in there, but now we'll have to wait and see what happens in the [CAA] tournament."
In their meeting a month earlier at Robins Center, JMU center Jeff Chambers had 19 rebounds in the Dukes' 61-45 triumph, a rout that included a 27-point lead by Driesell's team.
On the home glass, the Dukes were windexed as their big men fouled their way to Driesell's side. JMU shot 29 percent in the second half, defeating the purpose of the Dukes' aggressive defense that bothered Richmond's offense with its precise cuts and screens.
Chambers had six points, five fouls and no rebounds in 32 minutes.
"I can get one rebound," said Driesell, who would rather have an NCAA bid.
by CNB