Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 19, 1992 TAG: 9203190199
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK SPORTS COLUMNIST
DATELINE: CINCINNATI LENGTH: Medium
\ Mike Williams found his experience at VMI invaluable this week in preparation for the NCAA Tournament.
When Williams' Miami of Ohio teammates have sought knowledge of the North Carolina Tar Heels, the source is the Keydets transfer who once played in the ACC's area of influence.
"After we found out we'd be playing North Carolina, everyone started talking about Michael Jordan and their other players in the past," said Williams. "If we pay attention to the Carolina mystique, we're in trouble."
Williams, a Miami senior, will get his first NCAA experience today at Riverfront Coliseum when the Redskins (23-7) meet the Tar Heels (21-9) in a Southeast Regional opener at 12:15 p.m. It starts a four-game day that also includes Alabama-Stanford, Ohio State-Mississippi Valley State and Connecticut-Nebraska.
The Tar Heels' foe may be seeded 13th in the Southeast field, but the Redskins don't look at themselves as underdogs. Miami points to Sweet 16 advances by the last two Mid-American Conference champs - Ball State in 1990 and Eastern Michigan last year - as proof their league plays good hoops.
"I don't think our league gets the kind of credit it deserves," said Miami coach Joby Wright. "When you consider what MAC teams have done in the tournament recently, and the fact the MAC had three schools win 20 games for the first time in history this year, I thought we might have a couple teams in the NCAA."
Wright came from Bobby Knight's staff at Indiana only one month before last year's preseason practice. Wright took over when Jerry Pierson was fired after it was revealed he had a player's academic grade changed.
Wright immediately showed the Redskins that he learned much from Knight as a former Hoosiers player and assistant coach. After several losses on the road, Wright ran eye-opening practices the minute his team returned to its nearby Oxford campus.
"The thing that happened was that because of Coach Wright's having been associated with Coach Knight, things that happened sounded a lot worse than they turned out," Williams said. "What we learned then helped get us here.
"We have basically the same players as last year, but we have a different mindset. Last year, we thought like contenders. Now, we think like champions."
Miami won the MAC regular-season and tournament titles with a team built on perimeter shooting and offensive patience. The Redskins take a nine-game winning streak into their first NCAA trip since 1986, and their top two scorers - 6-foot-7 David Scott and 6-6 Williams - are seniors who rarely start.
Williams, from Dayton, played 1 1/2 seasons at VMI before moving closer to home. Last year, in his first season for the Redskins after sitting out, he averaged 6.2 points. Now, he leads the MAC with a .690 field-goal percentage and is second in the league in blocks.
He admits frustration, however, with a lack of rebounds, averaging only 3.0 per game. He knows board play will be crucial today.
"I guess we have two advantages on North Carolina, and that's it," Williams said. "Definitely, outside shooting is one, and I think everyone knows that.
"The other is that North Carolina is here every year [the Tar Heels are making their 18th consecutive NCAA trip]. It's like it's part of their season.
"They can't be as psyched up as we are. For us, it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing, or, at least it has been a once-in-a-lifetime thing for Miami players until now."
Wright said Williams has the right idea about playing the nation's 18th-ranked team.
"What we have to do is make sure we realize we're playing North Carolina," said the Redskins' coach. "We're not playing Michael Jordan, James Worthy and Sam Perkins."
Keywords:
BASKETBALL
by CNB