Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 10, 1995 TAG: 9503100060
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: GREENSBORO, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
Clearly, the players on Virginia's men's basketball team are not the people to ask about the Cavaliers' ACC tournament history.
The first question was an easy one: How many championships has UVa won?
``Two,'' senior Jason Williford said. ``Maybe.''
``I can't remember one,'' freshman Curtis Staples said. ``Have they won any?''
``None,'' sophomore Jamal Robinson said. ``No, one. They had to have won with Ralph Sampson.''
The Cavaliers wish.
Even when given the answer - one championship - none of the players could come close to the year.
``I've been watching Virginia basketball my whole life,'' sophomore guard Harold Deane said. ``If I can't remember, it's been awhile. I know it's about time.''
For the record, it was 1976.
``Is that right?'' senior forward Junior Burrough asked. ``Wow. I was three years old at the time.''
One of the Virginia players, Staples, wasn't even born when UVa won its lone title. The Cavaliers have finished second on five occasions since 1976, the last time when they fell to North Carolina 73-66 last year.
``That's a long time - 19 years,'' Staples said. ``This has been a year for Virginia to do a lot of things it hasn't done in awhile. Maybe we can get an ACC title as well.''
First, Virginia needs to worry about Georgia Tech, its opponent today at noon in the first quarterfinal at the Greensboro Coliseum. The Yellow Jackets defeated UVa nine straight times between 1990-94.
``There's no doubt we had their number,'' said Travis Best, a senior guard whose 20.2 scoring average ranks second in the ACC. ``We feel we know what it takes to beat this team, but it's a totally different [Virginia] team than the first two years.''
The Cavaliers' luck changed with a pair of overtime victories over the Yellow Jackets, and they made it three in a row Feb.22 with an 83-60 victory at Georgia Tech - the Jackets' worst loss of the season.
``That definitely makes them a little more frightening,'' Burrough said. ``No team likes to be embarrassed. I would have been embarrassed. If we had an opportunity to play that team again, I would be looking for revenge.''
One difference for the Yellow Jackets (18-11 overall, 8-8 ACC) is the return of junior guard Drew Barry, leading the ACC with 6.7 assists per game. Barry did not play due to a sprained ankle when Virginia visited Atlanta.
In Barry's absence, UVa dusted off a diamond-and-one defense it hadn't used all year and was able to shut down Best, who shot 4-of-16 from the field and finished with 12 points.
``Whenever I came off a screen, they doubled me,'' Best said. ``If I went to the hole, two people stepped out on me. Without Drew, it takes away that extra person to make decisions. We're too dangerous for them to do it again.''
Virginia coach Jeff Jones hasn't tipped his hand, but the word from the Cavaliers' camp was that UVa will take at least a look at the diamond-and-one before deciding whether to stay with it.
Georgia Tech coach Bobby Cremins called Virginia ``one of the hottest teams in the country,'' but the Cavaliers (21-7, 12-4) feel underappreciated after winning nine of their last 10 games.
As they entered their locker room before Thursday's practice, the UVa players noticed a copy of the odds in which they were listed as 7-2 choices to win the tournament, and the other three teams to tie for the regular-season title were 2-1.
``We're tied for first, and I still don't think people believe we're that good,'' Deane said. ``Every time we step out on the floor, I feel we've got something to prove. That's something we keep in the back of our minds and use as motivation to play hard.''
UVa was seeded fourth on the basis of its two regular-season losses to top-seeded Wake Forest. The Deacons (21-5, 12-4) will meet the winner of Thursday night's game between Duke and North Carolina State at 2:30 p.m.
Today's second session will pit second-seeded North Carolina (22-4, 12-4) against Clemson (15-11, 5-11) at 7 p.m., followed by third-seeded Maryland (23-6) and Florida State (12-14, 5-11) at 9:30.
Unlike past years, when postseason bids have been on the line, it appears five teams have sewed up NCAA Tournament bids and Clemson is headed to the NIT - unless one of the teams with losing records wins the tournament.
``I've decided to concentrate on the ACC tournament,'' said Cremins, whose Yellow Jackets failed the make the NCAA field last year at 16-12. ``My nights become sleepless when I start worrying about the NCAAs.''
by CNB