Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 11, 1994 TAG: 9403110113
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
There was a certain evasiveness to Jeff Jones' response Thursday when the coach was asked if he was contemplating a change in Virginia's starting lineup.
"We're still working on that," he said.
Seemingly, Jones had more in mind than freshman Harold Deane returning to the starting role he yielded to senior Chris Havlicek for three games.
"You figure it out," said Jones, who in 1992-93 used the same starting lineup in all 31 games.
The implication was that there could be a second change, with freshman Jamal Robinson possibly making his first start when the Cavaliers meet Maryland in the quarterfinal round of the ACC Tournament.
It will be the second game between the teams in six days, with Virginia (15-11) hoping to avenge a 70-68 loss to the Terrapins (16-10) in College Park, Md.
It marked the 19th consecutive year in which Maryland and Virginia have met in the final game of the regular season, but this will be the first time the teams have played in consecutive games.
The last Maryland-Virginia game in the ACC Tournament was a 1981 semifinal, and they have played only three times since 1959, when they met in the first round for the fourth time in five years.
Virginia and Maryland, who tied for fourth place in the conference standings at 8-8, will meet in the noon game at the Charlotte Coliseum. The afternoon's second quarterfinal will pit top-seeded Duke (22-4) against the winner of Thursday night's play-in game between Clemson (15-14) and North Carolina State (11-18).
In the evening session, second-seeded North Carolina (23-7) will meet No. 7 Florida Stete (13-13) at 7. The nightcap matches third-seeded Wake Forest (19-10) and No. 6 Georgia Tech (16-11).
Virginia could have an eye on the Wake-Georgia Tech game, particularly if the Cavaliers fail to get past Maryland. UVa is ahead of Maryland and Tech according to power ratings similar to those used by the NCAA Tournament's selection committee, but that could change if the Terrapins and Yellow Jackets win today.
"We've talked about the NCAA [Tournament] now for a couple of weeks and how important it is that we do everything in our power to prepare ourselves to play well," Jones said.
That could account for a switch to Robinson, who came off the bench Saturday to score a career-high 16 points. If he starts, it would be in place of foul-plagued junior Jason Williford.
"Maryland is one of the teams I've had trouble against," said Williford, who has picked up four or more fouls in 13 of 26 games, "but I promise I'm only getting one foul [today]."
Williford claimed no special knowledge of the NCAA selection process and seemed surprised by speculation that UVa might have a bid already.
"How can we be in?" he asked.
No team has received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament with fewer than 16 victories, although Georgetown made the field in 1991 when two of its 16 were against non-Division I opposition, which supposedly don't count.
"Everybody from my father to Dick Vitale to reporters to fans has an opinion about whether us or any team can get in with 15 or 16 wins," Jones said. "The bottom line is, I don't think anybody but the members of the committee really knows."
The consensus is that Maryland clinched an NCAA berth with its victory Saturday, or at least that's what the students thought when they rushed the court in celebration. The Terps haven't been to the NCAA Tournament since 1988.
"There was a great deal of pressure before Saturday's game," said Gary Williams, Maryland's coach. "I felt, if we went below .500 in the conference, we would not get in."
Williams has been disappointed before, when his 1990 team was snubbed at 18-13. In 1992, Virginia became the only team since the NCAA field was expanded to 64 teams to go 8-8 or better in ACC play and not be invited.
The Cavaliers, who entered the 1992 ACC Tournament at 15-12, shot 24.7 percent in losing to Georgia Tech 68-56 in a quarterfinal. That was the low by a Jones-coached team until UVa shot 22.6 against Connecticut this season.
"I think we were very tight [in 1992]," Jones said. "When we came out, we played hard, but we were just awful. This can be a great opportunity for our kids to do something nobody expected. I'd rather look at it in those terms, instead of `What if we lose?' "
Keywords:
BASKETBALL
by CNB