Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 11, 1995 TAG: 9503140060
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: GREENSBORO, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
Dean Smith, in his 75th ACC tournament game as a coach, and Rick Barnes, in his first, went nose-to-nose in front of the scorer's table as fourth-ranked North Carolina downed Clemson 78-62.
With the teams still simmering after verbal clashes during their two regular-season games, the altercation turned incendiary with UNC ahead 69-53 and 3:10 remaining.
After Clemson's Iker Iturbe fouled Jerry Stackhouse, Smith began pointing at the Tigers' freshman and yelling at him in front of the Carolina bench.
Barnes took exception and walked part of the way down the sideline, telling official Rick Hartzell he wanted to talk with Smith. Referee Frank Scagliotta brought Smith and Barnes together at midcourt.
With Scagliotta and Hartzell between the coaches, Barnes began heatedly talking to Smith. The UNC coach appeared to answer. Afterward, neither coach would say what Smith said during the exchange.
``I told him, `You coach your team and I'll coach mine,''' Barnes said in the interview room after the game. ``I told him, `You have no right talking to any of my players.' It might be different if it were a flagrant foul, but it wasn't.''
Iturbe got a personal foul. Barnes got a technical. Smith didn't, ``and I'm not sure why he didn't,'' Barnes said.
Barnes, however, had left the coaching box. Smith didn't, until he was brought to midcourt by Scagliotta.
When the coaches got together, the benches also emptied. Security guards ran onto the floor, but the end of this incident wasn't the end of the problems.
As the game ended, UNC's Donald Williams went up for an alley-oop pass.
He was hit by Clemson's Billy Harder. No foul was called and the ball didn't go through the hoop, but UNC's Pat Sullivan went after Harder. Then, UNC reserve Shammond Williams and Clemson guard Merl Code began shoving each other.
Both teams headed for another altercation. Scagliotta stepped in. Coliseum security and Greensboro city police officers ran onto the floor, as did fans.
When the floor was cleared, UNC had its 11th consecutive ACC tournament victory over the Tigers (15-12), who likely are headed for the NIT. The Tar Heels (23-4) meet the Maryland-Florida State winner in today's 4 p.m. semifinal.
ACC commissioner Gene Corrigan and associate commissioner Fred Barakat were reviewing videotape of the incidents late Friday night and considering a possible suspension of an unidentified player believed to be a UNC team member. ACC director of media relations Brian Morrison confirmed that the tape was being reviewed but would not comment on which player was the subject of scrutiny.
In Barnes' first game as Clemson's coach against the Heels, in South Carolina in January, he was ejected. UNC shot 51 free throws, Clemson seven. Barnes said he told Barakat, the league's officiating supervisor, the Heels should have spent the day at the stripe.
Then, after the return game at UNC in February - a 27-point Heels victory - Carolina players were quoted as saying the Tigers ``played dirty.''
Barnes disagrees.
``I don't understand it,'' he said. ``We haven't played any differently against North Carolina than we have against anybody else. We don't have the physical size or the talent. We can't lay down and say, `Do what you want to do.' We have to play hard.
The Tar Heels shot 55 percent and had four scorers in double figures, led by Donald Williams' 15 points.
Keywords:
BASKETBALL
by CNB