ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, March 11, 1996 TAG: 9603110060
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
After hearing all season long how overrated it was, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team heard it again Sunday.
This time the opinion came from somebody who counted - the NCAA Tournament's selection committee.
The Hokies, ranked as high as No.8 in the country in late January and currently No.15 in the Associated Press poll, were somewhat stunned Sunday to learn they had been seeded ninth in the Midwest Region.
Tech (22-5) opens NCAA play Thursday against Midwest No.8 seed Wisconsin-Green Bay (25-3) at Dallas' Reunion Arena. The time of the game will be relased today.
Should Tech beat the Midwestern Collegiate Conference regular-season champion, its second-round opponent Saturday figures to be none other than top-ranked Kentucky, gauged by most as the strongest entry in the entire 64-team draw.
The Wildcats (28-2), who had won 28 consecutive games before being upset by Mississippi State in Sunday's Southeastern Conference tournament championship game, face No.16 seed San Jose State (12-16), the surprise winner of the Big West Conference tourmanent, on Thursday.
Needless to say, Tech's first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1986 is not exactly a bargain. The Hokies had figured on being anywhere from a No.5 to a No.7 seed, which would have made early life in the NCAA a bit easier.
``We dropped more than I thought we would,'' said Bill Foster, Tech's coach. ``But I think a lot of other teams and scores had a lot to do with that.
``I think the loss in the Atlantic 10 tournament [77-71 to Rhode Island in a quarterfinal] dropped us some, but we probably wouldn't have been as high as we'd thought if we'd won a game. We probably never were a [No.]4, unless we'd gone to the final of the tournament. At best, we were probably a 5 or a 6, and I think that loss dropped us down.''
The Hokies players, who gathered with the coaches and school officials to watch Sunday's selection show, took the news with little fanfare. Suffice it to say, there were no loud shouts of joy.
``I'm going to be honest; I'm very disappointed,'' said Shawn Smith, a senior forward. ``I felt like we should get a better seed than that. I'm seeing other teams that they talked about being on the bubble and they got 6 or 7 seeds.
``We've been ranked the whole year and we get a 9 seed? I don't understand that.
``We'll take it and we'll play our best. We've got a tough game against Wisconsin-Green Bay, and if we win, people are going to write us off against Kentucky. We're going to take our shots and take our chances. We did it last year [en route to the National Invitation Tournament title] and we're going to keep on doing it.''
Senior center Travis Jackson said he thought the Hokies would get a better shake, but noted, ``beggars can't be choosy.''
``We just wanted to get in the field; that's the one thing we've been thinking about,'' Jackson said.
Wisconsin-Green Bay is making its third consecutive trip to the tournament and its fourth in six years. The Phoenix lost to Purdue 49-48 in last year's first round. In 1994, Green Bay stunned California before losing by five to Syracuse in the second round.
The Phoenix, under first-year coach Mike Heideman, starts four seniors who have played together in 119 consecutive games. Jeff Nordgaard, a 6-foot-7 forward, is Green Bay's main gun, averaging 22.6 points and 6.4 rebounds a game. Guard Ben Berlowski, like Nordgaard an All-Midwestern Collegiate Conference first-team selection, averages 15.2 points and is the club's primary 3-point threat.
``We're going to have our hands full with those guys,'' Foster said. ``They don't beat themselves, they play a tight halfcourt-man [defense] and like to stay patient. There are other teams you'd rather play, believe me.''
Foster, who is making his first NCAA Tournament trip since 1980 at Clemson, said he doesn't have a lot of complaints. At least his club got an invitation. That didn't happen the past two years after 18-10 and 20-10 campaigns.
``After the pull we've had to go through, just getting to the party is great,'' Foster said. ``We can't expect to be the toast of the town. Hey, I'm just glad to be in there.''
LENGTH: Medium: 81 linesby CNB