Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 29, 1994 TAG: 9406290109
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ANDREA KUHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The league formally announced Tuesday that it will split into two divisions for men's basketball starting next season, establishing Northern and Southern divisions that will produce separate regular-season champions.
The change allowed each school to add four non-conference games to their schedules. The Keydets will play at Chapel Hill, N.C., in the upcoming season and in 1995-96 before hosting the Tar Heels in 1996-97.
``UNC was done [after] I got here,'' said Bart Bellairs, the Keydets new basketball coach. ``But you have to give Davis [Babb, VMI's athletic director] credit on that. ... We were really in the right place at the right time.''
VMI's finalized schedule will not be released until July, but other schools tentatively placed are Virginia, Virginia Tech, Army, Navy, Alabama, Richmond, Radford, Centenary and Lynchburg.
Bellairs, who plans on scheduling a ``showcase'' game such as North Carolina in Lexington every season, said he was also ``in the talking stages'' on negotiations which could bring North Carolina State to Cameron Hall this coming season.
``I'm trying to keep them in the town of Lexington,'' he said. ``Not that we wouldn't play games in Roanoke or someplace else, but we want those to be neutral games. ... I want to give the people of Lexington something back for the opportunity they've given me.''
Bellairs said he approved of the conference's new divisional format, which groups the Keydets with Appalachian State, Davidson, East Tennessee State and Marshall in the Northern Division. The Southern Division consists of The Citadel, Georgia Southern, Tennessee-Chattanooga, Western Carolina and Furman, the new home of former VMI coach Joe Cantafio, who also gave the change his blessing.
``It's a good idea,'' said Cantafio, who has scheduled Georgia Tech and Stetson so far for 1994-95. ``It frees up four extra games, which is important as far as power ratings are concerned. You can pick up maybe an ACC or a Big East team.''
Under the new format, each school will play 14 conference games during the regular season. The teams will play each school in its division twice, a designated natural rival twice and a single game against the other four teams from the opposite division.
VMI's designated rival is The Citadel, which means Cantafio will not return to Lexington in his first season at Furman. The Keydets will play in Greenville, S.C., on Feb. 13.
The new format was designed to help heighten intensity and interest in the conference, although Bellairs said some league teams had opted to continue playing each other. The games would not count in the conference standings.
``It heightens the races and makes it more exciting for the fans,'' Bellairs said.
The conference tournament will be virtually unaffected by the change. Seedings will be determined by cross-matching higher and lower seeds from the two divisions. The two regular-season champions will receive first-round byes.
by CNB