Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 7, 1993 TAG: 9301070095
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
METRO BATHING IN MEDIOCRITY
The Metro Conference has the terrible two blues.Last year, the revamped league surprised college basketball observers by sending four teams to the NCAA Tournament - without an automatic bid for the league tournament winner. Toddlerhood, however, hasn't been so easy.
In its second season after losing four schools and adding three, the Metro is 35-26 (.574) against non-conference competition and doesn't have a representative in The Associated Press Top 25. Before an 8-0 mark by Metro teams last weekend, the league was 25-25.
Last season at this time, the Metro was 48-20 (.706), and on Jan. 13 UNC Charlotte (No. 18), Tulane (No. 19) and Louisville (No. 25) were ranked.
"We've lost to some other leagues that we customarily don't lose to and lost some games we customarily don't lose," said Southern Mississippi coach M.K. Turk, whose team plays host to Virginia Tech tonight. "If you look at the Ws and Ls, we don't stack up very good."
Last season, the new Metro made early statements when league members beat Alabama, DePaul, Florida State, Louisiana State, Maryland and Richmond - victories that helped the Metro's power rating, which in turn helped Tulane, UNCC, Louisville and South Florida get at-large bids to the NCAA.
This year, embarrassing losses by Metro teams are more common than notable victories, and the Metro begins conference play this week having to prove itself again to gain at-large bids in March.
One balm, however, is that the Metro has its automatic bid back this year and is guaranteed one tournament team.
"If we were having the same [lack of] success a year ago without the automatic bid and the new look, it really would have been a concern," Tech coach Bill Foster said. "It's not nearly as critical this year as it was last year."
Three Metro schools - Tech, South Florida and Virginia Commonwealth - are integrating more than a half-dozen new players. Southern Mississippi is recovering from the loss of three-time league player of the year Clarence Weatherspoon. Tulane had to shuffle its lineup after losing guard Kim Lewis to a knee injury in the season's third game. UNC Charlotte coach Jeff Mullins' new big lineup wasn't winning, and he's made changes.
And Louisville, predicted to have one of its best teams in recent years, is 3-4 with losses to No. 2 Kentucky, No. 10 Georgia Tech, No. 18 Vanderbilt and Maryland, which is 8-2.
"Some of us need to get on a roll," Cardinals coach Denny Crum said. "The records aren't good, but that doesn't mean our teams aren't very good.
"I don't think impression has anything to do with it. There's a formula to select teams [for the NCAA Tournament]. It's probably way too early to determine whether we're going to be successful getting three or four [bids]."
Because the NCAA distributes money from its seven-year, $1 billion contract with CBS based on how many games league members play over a six-year period, more teams in the NCAA Tournament means more games played and more money for the league. Last year, the Metro got $1.02 million. Each game played in the tournament is worth about $40,000.
Although VCU is making noise with a 7-3 mark, Tulane (9-3) and Louisville remain the coaches' favorites to haggle for the Metro regular-season title and are the league's best prospects for postseason play.
Tulane coach Perry Clark, whose team is host to Tech on Saturday, said Lewis' injury forced him to rearrange the five-man substitution pattern he favors. Pointer Williams, Lewis and Makeba Perry had moved from "The Posse" into the starting lineup, but Clark has moved Perry back to the bench and is starting G.J. Hunter alongside Williams, the point guard.
"Chemistry is important to our players," Clark said. "We're starting to get better chemistry and continuity with our system."