Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 4, 1994 TAG: 9404040011
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By JACK BOGACZYK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C. LENGTH: Long
The Razorbacks have a lot of ingredients on a 30-3 team, and confidence is one of them. The Devils obviously do not remind Arkansas of UNC.
"Duke is good," said Arkansas forward Dwight Stewart. "But it's not like they have five Michael Jordans. They can be beat. We have no fear at all."
\ THREE-DIMENSIONAL: One of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski's biggest concerns about the bigger Razorbacks is the smaller Hogs and their 3-point marksmanship.
The Razorbacks have averaged nine 3-pointers made and 23 attempted for the season and are 42-of-99 from beyond the arc in five NCAA games.
"One thing we've been very good about all year is not giving opponents open looks [at the basket]," Krzyzewski said. "I hate it when a kid has an open 3-pointer.
"We can't give Arkansas that. They shoot 23 a game and make nine. That's a lot, 27 points from 3-point range in a game. We can't let them do that."
Duke opponents are shooting .297 percent from 3-point range. Arkansas' 296 3-pointers is the third-highest total in Southeastern Conference history, behind Kentucky's 340 and 317 in 1992-93 and 1991-92, respectively.
\ TOP SEEDS: Arkansas was the only regional No. 1 seed to reach the Final Four. Duke will be seeking its eighth victory over an NCAA top seed since the field first was seeded in 1979. North Carolina and Indiana rank second with four victories each over No. 1 seeds.
\ YIPES, STRIPES: Duke gives the Atlantic Coast Conference an NCAA title-game participant for the fifth consecutive year. That's more than can be said about the championship game officiating crews.
For years, ACC officials have been considered among the best. However, the ACC hasn't had one of its regular officials in the NCAA final since 1987, when Joe Forte and Nolan Fine got the assignment before moving to the NBA. Tim Higgins worked the '90 final, but he had only a few ACC games that season.
No ACC official worked either of Saturday's semifinal games, although Frank Scagliotta was the alternate for both games.
\ VMI UPDATE: The word circulating in the coaches' convention headquarters at the Final Four is that Old Dominion assistant Pete Strickland will interview with VMI athletic director Davis Babb today for the Keydets' vacancy.
Strickland, a former VMI assistant, is considered a prominent candidate to replace Joe Cantafio. Another name that has surfaced in the VMI search is Wyoming assistant Kevin Purcell, a former assistant at The Citadel.
\ BIG SOUTH: The Salem Civic Center is expected to land the Big South Conference tournament when the league chooses a site next month, according to a source familiar with the league.
Liberty's following at the Big South championship game in March at the North Charleston (S.C.) Coliseum will help Salem's bid to move the tournament there in 1995.
\ BIGGER EAST: This is the fifth consecutive Final Four without a Big East team, but conference officials are feeling good about their future.
The league had six bids and sent Boston College to the East Regional final. In Connecticut and Syracuse, it had two other Sweet 16 qualifiers, and Villanova won the NIT championship.
Then, in the past six days, Big East members Providence and Pitt made solid coaching hires in Pete Gillen from Xavier and Ralph Willard from Western Kentucky, respectively. Both coaches use exciting styles and are very media-conscious.
St. John's has gotten a commitment from New York City's Felipe Lopez, considered the nation's best high school player. And, if All-America forward Donyell Marshall decides to return to UConn for his senior season rather than head for the NBA, the Huskies will be a top 10 team again.
\ MOVING UP: With Duke's semifinal victory over Florida, Krzyzewski passed his mentor, Indiana coach Bobby Knight, on the NCAA Tournament victories list. Krzyzewski is 39-8 in tournament history. Only North Carolina's Dean Smith (56) and former UCLA coach John Wooden (47) have more victories.
Krzyzewski's .830 winning percentage among active coaches trails only Michigan's Steve Fisher (.833, 20-4), who has coached only half as many NCAA games as the Duke boss.
Krzyzewski's five NCAA championship game appearances ties him for second with Smith and late Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp, behind Wooden's 10.
\ TITLES: Duke will be seeking the ACC's eighth NCAA title tonight. It would be the Devils' fourth in a row and sixth in 13 seasons. Arkansas is playing for the SEC's sixth title. Kentucky has all five, the last in 1978 over Duke. The Pacific-10 is the conference leader in NCAA titles, with 13, 10 from the UCLA dynasty.
\ STREAKING: Tonight's championship game winner will enter next season with the nation's longest winning streak, six games. The finalists are tied with NIT champ Villanova at five consecutive victories.
\ IMPROVING: With the 70-65 victory over Florida, Duke is 6-2 in games decided by five or fewer points this season. The Blue Devils were 1-5 in such games last season.
Keywords:
BASKETBALL
by CNB