Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 13, 1992 TAG: 9203130059
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
The Yellow Jackets have beaten Virginia five straight times dating to the ACC championship game in 1990, then-coach Terry Holland's last year at UVa.
Georgia Tech will be favored to make it six in a row when the Yellow Jackets (20-10 overall, 8-8 in the ACC) meet Virginia (15-12, 8-8) at noon today in the ACC quarterfinals.
The other game this afternoon will pit top-ranked Duke (25-2, 14-2) against either eighth-seeded Maryland or ninth-seeded Clemson at 2. The Terps and Tigers met Thursday night in the only first-round game.
In the night session, it will be Florida State (19-8, 11-5) against North Carolina State (12-17, 6-10) at 7 p.m, followed by North Carolina (19-8, 9-7) and Wake Forest (17-10, 7-9) at 9.
Although Holland's teams were successful against Georgia Tech, winning seven of nine games before the 1990 final, the Yellow Jackets are the only ACC team UVa has not beaten under second-year coach Jeff Jones.
A good reason for that is the height advantage the Yellow Jackets have with 7-foot senior Matt Geiger and 6-11 junior Malcolm Mackey. UVa's tallest starter, junior center Ted Jeffries, is 6-9.
Nevertheless, Virginia led in the second half of both games against Georgia Tech this year before losing 75-71 in Atlanta and 52-49 less than three weeks ago in Charlottesville, Va.
"We've yet to play a really good game against Georgia Tech, and the fact we've had a chance to win either game is, on the one hand, very encouraging," Jones said. "On the other hand, when you look at the matchups, there's probably a very good reason why we haven't put together a very good game."
Virginia, which has won its opening tournament game three years in a row and five of the past six, can take a big step toward an at-large NCAA Tournament bid with a victory.
"I've heard all kinds of theories, [but] anybody thinking even remotely that we need two wins is way off base," Jones said. "I think one win would definitely do it."
There are those who think the Cavaliers might get a bid if they lose.
"Do I think [a loss] would completely rule us out?" Jones said, "No. Do I think there's a possibility we wouldn't go? Certainly."
Only Duke enters the tournament with a longer winning streak than Virginia, which has won three games in a row. However, Georgia Tech has won four of five starting with the victory at UVa.
The Yellow Jackets had lost four of five before that, prompting a meeting called by assistant coach Kevin Cantwell, who voiced a few concerns, then left the room.
"He basically said, `If this keeps up, you guys are going down the tubes; maybe you'll win one more game,' " Barry said.
One of the complaints was that players were being selfish and talking behind teammates' backs. There was a feeling that Barry was hurting the team with poor shot selection.
Barry took only seven shots against Virginia but hit two late 3-pointers. Georgia Tech spent most of the game trying to feed its inside players.
"In the game here, it was clear from the beginning that they were going to be very deliberate," Jones said. "They wanted a half-court game. They didn't want to take quick shots, and they wanted to make us face a set defense."
In an effort to offset Georgia Tech's inside strength, Virginia has used Bryant Stith to help the post defenders - Jeffries and Junior Burrough. There's some risk involved because Stith's man, James Forrest, is scoring 13.5 points per game for Georgia Tech.
"We've pretty much decided that we have to make James Forrest beat us," Stith said. "I'd much rather have James Forrest shooting 15- and 16-footers than Matt Geiger or Malcolm Mackey dunking the ball down low."
Forrest, a leading candidate for ACC rookie-of-the-year honors, is the top scorer among the conference's freshmen. Second is Burrough, who missed practice Tuesday and Wednesday with "community-acquired pneumonia."
Burrough went through Thursday's one-hour workout and said he wouldn't miss the opportunity to play at the coliseum in his hometown of Charlotte.
"In Greensboro, I was playing close to home and had a good game [against Georgetown]," Burrough said. "Now that I'm all the way home, maybe I can do even better."
by CNB