Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 26, 1995 TAG: 9503270084
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Compiled by Joe Sirera and Bruce Stanton
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
GETTING IT DONE: Canisius coach John Beilein is the only active coach to have won at least 20 games at four different levels - junior college, NAIA, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division I. Beilein, in his third year with the Golden Griffins, has 311 college victories.
DEEP THREAT: Virginia Tech has made at least one 3-point field goal in every game since the rule took effect in the 1986-87 season. The Hokies have made 3-pointers in 262 straight games. Former Tech guard Wally Lancaster holds the NCAA record for consecutive games making a 3-pointer with 73 from 1986-89. The Hokies' latest 3-pointer, courtesy of Travis Jackson, gave them a 64-61 victory over New Mexico State in the quarterfinals on Friday.
LONG TIME, NO PLAY: Virginia Tech won the only meeting between the Hokies and Canisius. Tech won 85-70 on Jan. 14, 1978 at Cassell Coliseum. In games against the other NIT semifinalists, Tech is 3-5 against Marquette, having won 57-54 in Milwaukee this season, and 4-0 against Penn State.
POSTSEASON PARADE: Virginia Tech is one of 11 schools to qualify for postseason play in the three major revenue sports of football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The football Hokies lost to Tennessee in the Gator Bowl, the women's basketball team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to No.1 Connecticut, and the men's basketball team is in the NIT final four. The other schools which accomplished this feat are Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, Oregon, Penn State, Texas Tech, Utah and Virginia.
NEVER OUT OF IT: Canisius, located in Buffalo, N.Y., has rallied from double-digit deficits to post victories five times this season. The largest comeback came against Cincinnati, when the Golden Griffins overcame a 20-point deficit to defeat the Bearcats 72-69.
SOLID SCHEDULES: Twenty of Tech's 33 games were played against teams that made either the NIT or NCAA Tournament. The Hokies were 3-7 against NCAA teams, beating Xavier, UNC Charlotte and Tulane. Tech is 8-2 against teams that made the NIT field. Canisius played 18 of its 33 games against teams that made the postseason. The Griffins had victories against five NCAA Tournament teams: Cincinnati, St.Peter's, Colgate, Manhattan, UNC Charlotte and Penn. All of the victories came on the road. The Griffins' non-conference schedule was ranked 15th-toughest in the RPI ratings. Canisius was 6-6 against NCAA Tournament teams.
DROUGHT ENDS: Canisius' win over Cincinnati was the Griffins' first victory over a ranked team since upsetting Syracuse on Feb.25, 1967.
ACE IS THE PLACE: Ace Custis' 18 rebounds against New Mexico State are the most pulled down by a Tech player in the NIT. Custis broke the record of 15 held by Allan Bristow, the Charlotte Hornets coach. Bristow recorded his total in Tech's 1973 NIT championship game victory over Notre Dame.
BIG DEAL: The Big Ten took a big fall in the NCAA Tournament, but that was nothing new to Marquette. The Golden Eagles were 3-0 against the league, beating Ohio State, Northwestern and Wisconsin. Marquette, which lost to NIT semifinalist Virginia Tech, plays Penn State of the Big Ten in its semifinal game.
A REAL WISE GUY: Canisius' Craig Wise, a 6-foot-4 senior forward, was the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference player of the year. Wise, a Philadelphia native, had several big games this season, including a 30-point, seven 3-pointer effort against Fairfield, a 28-point output in an NIT win over Seton Hall and a 12-rebound effort against Bradley in the NIT. He also hit the game-winning shot against the Braves at the buzzer in the second round. Wise ranks second on the Golden Griffins' all-time scoring list with 1,758 points and second on the all-time rebounding list with 775. He is first in 3-pointers with 133 and has scored in double figures in 102 of his 119 games at Canisius.
NO TRASH TALKIN': Penn State's John Amaechi, the team's leading rebounder and scorer, said he doesn't ``talk trash'' during games. ``It sounds dumb with an English accent,'' said Amaechi, a native of Manchester, England.
TECH IN THE POSTSEASON
1966, NIT: Temple 88, Tech 73.
1967, NCAA: Tech 82, Toledo 76; Tech 79, Indiana 70; Dayton 71, Tech 66, OT.
1973, NIT: Tech 65, New Mexico 63; Tech 77, Fairfield 76; Tech 74, Alabama 73; Tech 92, Notre Dame 91, OT (Tech wins championship).
1976, NCAA: Western Michigan 77, Tech 67, OT.
1977, NIT: Tech 83, Georgetown 79; Alabama 79, Tech 72.
1979, NCAA: Tech 70, Jacksonville 53; Indiana State 86, Tech 69.
1980, NCAA: Tech 89, Western Kentucky 85, OT; Indiana 68, Tech 59.
1982, NIT: Tech 69, Fordam 58; Tech 61, Mississippi 59; Georgia 90, Tech 73.
1983, NIT: Tech 85, William and Mary 79; South Carolina 75, Tech 68.
1984, NIT: Tech 77, Georgia Tech 74; Tech 68, South Alabama 66; Tech 72, Tennessee 68; Michigan 78, Tech 76; Tech 71, Southwestern Louisiana 70 (Tech wins third place).
1985, NCAA: Temple 60, Tech 57.
1986, NCAA: Villanova 71, Tech 62.
1995, NIT: Tech 62, Clemson 54; Tech 91, Providence 78; Tech 64, New Mexico State 61.
Record in NCAA: 4-6. Record in NIT: 15-5.
by CNB