ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, February 15, 1996 TAG: 9602150067
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: TECH NOTES
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
``Overrated ... overrated ... overrated.''
In a season of close calls against some supposedly inferior opponents, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team has heard that tune more than once.
The Hokies heard it in Pittsburgh, in Olean, N.Y., in Washington, D.C., in Kingston, R.I.
Needless to say, they never figured on hearing it at home.
Well, that's just what happened Tuesday night. While upstart Liberty University was scaring the daylights out of 10th-ranked Tech on the court, approximately 100 to 125 fired-up Flames fans had the audacity to start serenading the Hokies.
When was the last time a Top-10 club, playing in its own barn, was subjected to such an indignity? Likely never.
The Hokies, down 41-36 when the Liberty fans went off with 111/2 minutes to play, couldn't help but hear the chant.
``Yeah, I heard it,'' said Shawn Good, a senior guard for Tech. ``It doesn't really bother me. I know it wasn't our fans doing it. That was the Liberty fans in here.''
Little wonder Tech coach Bill Foster recently has questioned the value of his club's Cassell Coliseum edge.
At least, the Tech student section had a creative response to the Flames fans. Only minutes later, the Hokies students retaliated with chants of ``never-rated, never-rated.''
NO SURPRISE HERE: Tech's three-point victory undoubtedly raised more than a few eyebrows when it hit the various national scoreboard shows.
A commentator on New York's WFAN-AM radio read the score late Tuesday night, then wise-cracked, ``Obviously, Liberty is No.11 in the nation.''
Foster, however, maintained it's just a sign of the times in the crazy world of college hoopdom.
``That's a team [Liberty] that beat Mount St.Mary's by 15 before [the Mountaineers] went to Atlanta and beat a Georgia Tech team that had just throttled Louisville,'' Foster said.
``A team comes in with a purpose and they're hitting the open shots. Your kids aren't loafing, but they just ... Hey, it happens. You can pick out 10 scores that were just like this today where somebody came off a big win and lost, forget playing close.''
Nevertheless, the close shave before Saturday's invasion by top-ranked Massachusetts couldn't have done much for Foster's nervous stomach.
Heading from the locker room to his postgame radio show, Foster glanced at several reporters and quipped, ``Boys, that will send you to the mountains a year early.''
RARE KUDOS: Senior center Travis Jackson, who has heard his share of criticism in the past from Foster, received a huge pat on the back from his coach for his performance against Liberty. In a career-high 37 minutes, Jackson posted the first double-double of his Hokies career, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
``I thought Travis had a whale of a game,'' Foster said. ``He was a key factor. He did a heck of a job on [Peter] Aluma [Liberty's 6-foot-10 center] the second half. If we're giving out game balls, Travis would probably get the one tonight.''
On Saturday against UMass, 6-8 Jackson will draw 6-10 Marcus Camby, the likely national player of the year.
``I just hope he's got some more of that left in him,'' Foster said of Jackson. ``Now he goes out of the frying pan and into the fire.''
STRUGGLING SMITTY: If Tech is going to have any chance at knocking off UMass, it likely will require a bigger contribution than it has been getting lately from Shawn Smith.
Smith, whose 16-point average led the Hokies in scoring last season, has posted outputs of four points, 11, seven, six and six in the past five games. In addition, the 6-6 senior has collected a total of only 14 rebounds in the same span.
``No doubt about it,'' Foster said, ``we've got to get some more help from Smitty.''
TECH TIDBITS: While the UMass has game been a sellout for months, there is one apparent outlet to get two tickets. In today's Roanoke Times classified section, somebody is offering two tickets for the showdown in exchange for a female English bulldog puppy. ... One Tech backer offered his own unique theory as to why the Hokies haven't drawn more fans at home lately. The fan theorized some Hokies fans may be broke. While the Hokies are unbeaten in nine games at Cassell this season, Tech hasn't covered the point spread a single time. The Hokies may be 19-2 overall, but it's 5-11 vs. the betting number. Commonwealth as the second state school to win twice at Cassell. Tech is 86-6 at Cassell vs. state foes.
LENGTH: Medium: 88 linesby CNB