Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, March 18, 1995                   TAG: 9503210049
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: STORRS, CONN.                                 LENGTH: Long

TECH'S WOMEN ARE FACING THEIR NO. 1 CHALLENGE

Better get those slingshots loaded, Virginia Tech. The giant of women's basketball comes next.

In a true David vs. Goliath matchup, Tech (22-8) faces the Herculean task of facing No.1-ranked Connecticut (30-0) in today's second round of the NCAA East Region tournament.

When the ball goes up at 1 p.m. at UConn's Gampel Pavilion, there will be few - if any - in a sellout crowd of 8,241 who give the Hokies a chance of winning.

``Hey, nobody believes we can win this game,'' Tech coach Carol Alfano said Friday.

``No, take that back, maybe my mother ... she's the only person I know that thinks we can win.''

Forget slingshots. A load of bazookas might not be enough for Tech to overcome UConn's overstocked arsenal at its home base.

Consider:

UConn's 30-game winning streak is the nation's longest. The Huskies have won 34 straight at Gampel, the country's third-longest such run.

UConn just doesn't win, it annihilates people. The Huskies' average victory margin is a nation's-best 34.9 points per game. UConn's closest game this season was a 10-point win over Kansas in Kansas City. It beat Tennessee by 11. None of the other 28 opponents has come closer than 22. Eight wins came by 40 or more.

UConn leads the nation in perhaps the three most significant team statistical categories - field-goal percentage (50.9), field-goal percentage defense (31.4) and rebound margin (14.7).

By the way, UConn starts three All-Americans, including national player of the year Rebecca Lobo, a 6-foot-4 senior forward. The Huskies have a coach, too. Gene Auriemma was named the coach of the year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.

That said, what's Tech doing here?

The Hokies, who advanced with their first NCAA Tournament victory, a 62-52 decision over St. Joseph's on Thursday, say they have no plans to simply mail this one in, no matter the odds.

``The people who are going to be on that bench think we can win, and that's all that counts,'' said Jenny Root, Tech's star senior center.

After a close-up inspection of UConn's size, talent and depth in the Huskies' 105-75 first-round rout of Maine, Alfano came to one conclusion:

``We've got to play a perfect game to win,'' she said. ``We've got to play the game of our lives to win or simply have a chance to win. But, hey, that's what March Madness is all about - upsets, baby.''

In typical coach's fashion, Auriemma isn't blowing Tech off as just another small speed bump on the Huskies' road to the Final Four. The Huskies may be the big dog, but an underdog still can bite, Auriemma said.

``Tech's kids are going to be more excited than they've ever been in their whole lives,'' Auriemma said. ``If they're not, they're going to get blown out right away.

``[The Hokies] should be excited, they should be scared, they should be ready to play, they should be anxious, they should be apprehensive, they should be thinking, `Hey, we're going to knock off the No.1 team in the country.'

``That's what makes it fun. That's why we have upsets. That's what the tournament is all about. It's about dreams coming true. And if they don't have that dream, they shouldn't be here. So I'm assuming that they do. I know I would if I was them.

``Because we're 30 and 0, it doesn't mean we're going to beat them. And because they're whatever they are, it doesn't mean they're going to lose.''

Nevertheless, if Las Vegas posted odds on this one, the number might rival the temperature at game time. The forecast today calls for temps in the high 30s to low 40s.

``Obviously, the deck is stacked against us,'' Alfano said. ``We're a No.8 seed playing the No.1 seed in its own building in front of all of its fans.

``But this team has risen to a lot of challenges. If we can come out and stay close the first five or six minutes, I think we'll be OK.''

The Hokies know they have a chance of a lifetime. If they get whipped by 40, so what.

``We wouldn't be the first ones on that list,'' Alfano said. ``We're planning on coming out loose, letting it all hang out and taking our best shot. What's so bad about that? There are some others teams across the country that would kill to be in our shoes right now.''

TECH TIDBITS: The two teams played one common opponent this season. UConn beat Tennessee 77-66 in Storrs. Tech lost to the Volunteers 66-33 in Blacksburg ... Tech's best shot to hang close will be to shorten the game and limit the number of possessions. The Hokies hope to accomplish this by milking the 30-second shot clock on offense. ``We need about a 4-minute shot clock this time,'' Alfano said. ``We've got to get good shots, then limit them to one shot on defense.'' ... The Hokies worked on handling the press Friday, an area that hurt them against St.Joe's. ``We're concerned the about their press,'' Alfano said. ``But really it's all about execution, I don't care whether you're playing UConn or St. Mary's Home for the Blind.'' ... Root will spend her 22nd birthday battling 6-foot-7, three-time All-American Kara Wolters in the low post.