Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 19, 1993 TAG: 9303190219
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SYRACUSE, N.Y. LENGTH: Medium
ALEXANDER REALIZES A DREAM
As a youngster growing up in Waynesboro, Va., Cory Alexander rooted for Syracuse and dreamed of playing at the Carrier Dome.What he'd really like now is to play there twice.
Alexander eventually lost interest in the Orangemen - "Something about the cold weather," he explained - but he gets his chance to play at the Carrier Dome courtesy of the NCAA Tournament selection committee.
Whether Virginia has an extended stay could well depend on Alexander, the Cavaliers' sophomore point guard, who for the first time in his career has scored 20 points or more in four straight games.
The Cavaliers, seeded sixth in the East Region, begin play at approximately 2:45 p.m. today against 11th-seeded Manhattan, which is returning to the tournament after a 35-year absence.
The Virginia-Manhattan winner will face the winner of today's first game at 12:30 p.m. between Massachusetts (23-6) and Pennsylvania (22-4).
The second session will feature New Mexico State (25-7) against Nebraska (20-10) at 7:35 p.m., followed by Cincinnati (24-4) against Coppin State (22-7).
Virginia (19-9) is a 7 1/2-point favorite to beat Manhattan, which has won 17 of its past 19 games. The Jaspers (23-6) received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Metro Atlantic Athletic Association championship.
By all estimates it should be a low-scoring affair. Virginia and Manhattan led their respective conferences in field-goal percentage defense and it has been 10 games since anybody shot 50 percent against the Cavaliers.
On the other hand, Virginia has shot 50 percent only once during that time. The Cavaliers, who averaged nearly 80 points for the first 20 games, have scored more than 61 points only twice in the past eight games.
Sophomore forward Junior Burrough has averaged 12 points over that span - a dropoff of nearly four points per game. Junior guard Cornel Parker has scored in double figures once in the past eight games; he did it 14 times in the first 20 games.
"Our team is not scoring as much, so it only makes sense that certain individuals aren't scoring as much," UVa coach Jeff Jones said. "Typically, as the games become more important, there are fewer and fewer possessions."
Also, there aren't as many opportunities to score in transition, which is Parker's game. But, if UVa's scoring is down, why is Alexander still getting 20 points a game?
"We definitely would like to have more balance," Jones said. "It's important to get [inside players] Junior Burrough and Ted Jeffries to elevate their play."
Jones laughed earlier this week when asked if Virginia would need to rely on Alexander against Manhattan.
"It would be difficult to rely on Cory any more than we already do," he said.
Is it possible the Cavaliers are relying on Alexander too much?
"We want to win, so, `No,' " Jones responded.
Two of the keys for Virginia, Jones said, will be free-throw shooting and rebounding. The Cavaliers have hit 47 of 89 free throws (52.8 percent) in the past four games, but have won three of them.
"Turnovers have hurt our team at various times throughout the year," added Jones, whose team has had as few as four turnovers and as many as 18 in the past 10 games.
"I think we've had some examples recently when we've turned the ball over, particularly in transition, when we've had the numbers [3-on-2 or 2-on-1]. Those type of turnovers are definitely frustrating."
First-year Manhattan coach Fran Fraschilla said defense and rebounding would be the key for the Jaspers, who have four double-figure scorers, led by MAAC player of the year Keith Bullock.
Bullock, a 6-foot-7, 245-pounder, leads the Jaspers in scoring (18.4) and rebounding (11.1), but the UVa staff is equally concerned with swingman Carey Edwards, who has made 43 of 102 3-pointers.
Fraschilla, previously an assistant at Providence, said he saw Virginia on television several times during the season but never gave any thought to an eventual matchup with the Cavaliers.
"Now that I've seen them on film, they're better than I thought," he said. "We've got a lot of respect for Virginia. [They] beat Duke twice and we beat Niagara twice. That puts things in perspective."
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