Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 12, 1995 TAG: 9501130034
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Louisville, a staple of Virginia Tech men's basketball schedules since 1980, likely will be making its final visit to Cassell Coliseum when it meets the Hokies at 7:30 p.m.
After this season, the longtime Metro Conference foes figure to head in different directions.
Louisville is one of three - five if UNC Charlotte and South Florida are admitted - Metro members set to join the Great Midwest Conference schools in a new all-sports league for the 1995-96 school year. Tech's best bet for next season appears to be the Atlantic 10 Conference.
Unless they schedule a non-conference matchup - a long shot, at best - the Cardinals and Hokies will bump heads during the regular season for the final time Jan.26 in Louisville, Ky.
Unlike most visiting coaches, Crum may hate crossing Blacksburg off his yearly travel itinerary. The Cards are 12-3 in a building where the Hokies are 333-75.
Louisville (8-4 overall, 0-1 Metro) has beaten Tech (11-2, 1-1) in 17 of their past 19 meetings, including the past seven. The Cardinals lead the overall series 26-8.
Crum's young team has been strung on a yo-yo this season. As an example, Louisville stunned seventh-ranked Kentucky 88-86 on Jan.1, then was awful in a 67-63 upset loss at Virginia Commonwealth four days later.
``Because they are young, they will sometimes play in spurts ... they will have two or three good games, then maybe an off-night,'' said Bill Foster, Tech's coach. ``The team is just going to get better as the year goes along, so I'm kind of glad we're getting 'em twice in January.''
Crum, who starts two sophomores and two freshmen, said Louisville is the only club in the seven-team Metro ``that isn't better than it was a year ago.''
``We've played fairly well for a young team,'' he said. ``I was real pleased against Kentucky because we didn't know if we could play with those caliber teams. But we couldn't come off cloud nine for VCU, didn't play well and got beat.''
The game's most interesting matchup will pit Samaki Walker, Louisville's 6-foot-9 freshman, against Ace Custis, Tech's 6-7 rebounding machine.
Walker, arguably the nation's top freshman big man, had a triple-double in the Kentucky victory, scoring 14 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and posting a school-record 11 blocks.
Custis, meanwhile, leads the Metro in rebounding (12.0 per game) and ranks eighth in scoring (17.2 points per game).
``It should be quite a battle,'' Foster said. ``Travis Jackson will have [Walker] some of the time, but I think it comes down to team defense. I don't think one guy necessarily stops one guy.''
LEAGUE TALK: At the NCAA convention in San Diego on Tuesday, VCU president Eugene Trani asked that the Rams be considered for membership in the new 10-team league that will include fellow Metro members Louisville, Southern Mississippi and Tulane.
Two more Metro schools, South Florida and UNC Charlotte, made their formal presentations to the new league Tuesday, but no final decision was rendered on whether the league would expand to 12 schools.
If South Florida and UNC Charlotte don't get into the new league, the Metro could proceed as a four-team conference (with Tech and VCU), with the possible addition of Dayton, which also is shopping for a new home.
TECH TIDBITS: The best way to defend Walker is to foul him. The freshman has hit only 37 of 81 free throws (45.7 percent), including a woeful 2-of-16 performance in Saturday's 80-72 victory over Notre Dame. Louisville hit only 22 of 43 free throws against the Fighting Irish. When asked if he had hired a free-throw coach, Crum said, ``No, but I've fired the one I had.'' ... Tech junior forward Shawn Smith leads the Metro in scoring at 18.6. ... The Hokies top the Metro in field-goal percentage defense (.387). ... Tech entertains surprising VCU at noon Saturday. The Rams are 2-0 for the first time in Metro play.
by CNB