Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 22, 1995 TAG: 9503220072
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A chance to play twice on the hallowed hardwood of Madison Square Garden.
An opportunity to check out New York City and maybe even catch Michael Jordan's act.
Does Virginia Tech (22-10) need any more incentive to beat New Mexico State (25-9) in tonight's NIT quarterfinal basketball game at Cassell Coliseum?
``Well, there is one more thing,'' Tech junior Shawn Smith duly noted. ``You know, we've got a chance to win more games than any team in Tech history.''
With two more victories, Tech will break the school record of 23, set in former Hokies great Dell Curry's freshman season of 1982-83.
Of course, to win two, the Hokies have to win one. In order to get to the Big Apple, Tech first has to get through the Big West.
Thanks to a huge assist from the NIT, Tech is at home and the favorite tonight. After Tech won at Providence 91-78 and New Mexico State survived 92-89 in overtime at Texas-El Paso on Monday, the NIT brass dealt the Aggies the short straw of having to travel Tuesday.
After making the 40-minute haul back home to Las Cruces, N.M., following Monday's game, the Aggies bused back Tuesday to El Paso, where they flew out at 1:46 p.m. After layover stops in Dallas and Pittsburgh, they landed in Roanoke at 10:40 p.m. By the time they got in their motel beds in Blacksburg, it was today - game day.
After approximately 2,000 miles and 12 hours on buses and airplanes, the Aggies may feel like they've been on a weeklong cattle drive by the 7:35 p.m. opening tip-off.
The Hokies, who arrived back in Blacksburg at 1 p.m. Tuesday from Providence, are glad to be home. Still, they can't be lulled into a false sense of security, coach Bill Foster said Tuesday.
In other words, they'd better not be singing, ``New York, New York'' just yet.
``I told the kids don't get all excited just because we're playing at home,'' Foster said. ``Don't get me wrong, we're glad we're home, but it's no automatic. Four home teams lost in this tournament Monday night.''
If there's any bunch that knows how to travel, it's Neil McCarthy's club. The Aggies have piled up the frequent-flier points this season, including a recent eight-day Big West sojourn that was documented on ESPN's ``Outside The Lines.''
``At this time of year, I don't know if [the travel] makes that much difference,'' Foster said. ``Now they had to come a little farther than we did. But I'm sure that group is used to it. They've been on the road so much that this is not that big a deal.''
After what the Aggies have been through this season, a little all-day jaunt from Las Cruces to Blacksburg is nothing. Talk about Team Turmoil.
McCarthy is down to seven scholarship players after he suspended reserve forward Crafton Ferguson for a violation of team rules following the Aggies' NIT opener, a 97-83 victory over visiting Colorado.
McCarthy dismissed guard Keith Johnson from the team in late February. Two weeks earlier, forward Paul Jarrett quit the club.
Nevertheless, Foster is worried about the Aggies' athleticism. In similar matchups, Tech often has had problems this season.
``They try to wear you out,'' Foster said. ``They'll beat on you and don't worry too much about fouls.''
But the Hokies might be immune tonight. There's too much on the line to back down now.
``We've got to keep our fist tight for 40 more minutes to get Madison Square Garden,'' Smith said.
``Last year, we were sitting at home right now watching everybody else play. Now it's our turn to play and show people what we can do.''
NIT BITS: Guard Rodney Walker, one of five seniors in McCarthy's top seven, leads the Aggies in scoring at 15.7 points per game. Senior forward Thomas Wyatt is the only other double-figure scorer at 13.6. ... New Mexico State, which had made the NCAA field the past five years, is playing in its third NIT. In the Aggies' first appearance in 1939, they lost in the first round before beating Roanoke College in a consolation game. ... New Mexico State went 13-5 and finished second in the Big West Conference behind Utah State during the regular season. It spent nine consecutive weeks ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll from late November to late January. ... After drawing 6,621 at Cassell for Friday's first-round victory over Clemson, Tech is expecting a huge crowd tonight with the students back on campus from spring break. The school sold 5,500 tickets Tuesday. ... Tonight's winner will face the Canisius-Washington State survivor in a semifinal Monday night at Madison Square Garden. The NIT title game will be played March 29. ... The NIT scheduled this game tonight for television (ESPN) purposes and to keep from going head-to-head with the NCAA Tournament later in the week.
by CNB