ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, March 16, 1996 TAG: 9603180043
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: TECH NOTES
DATELINE: DALLAS
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
Virginia Tech coach Bill Foster has his fingers crossed that the prospect of playing against Kentucky will accelerate the healing process for two injured Hokies starters today in the Midwest Regional.
Whether Tech can pull the monumental upset or just keep from embarrassing itself against the powerful Wildcats will depend on the effectiveness of seniors Damon Watlington and Shawn Smith.
Watlington (sprained right ankle) and Smith (partially separated left shoulder) were at half-speed in Tech's 61-48 victory Thursday over Wisconsin-Green Bay. Two players who normally combine for 25 points had a collective two field goals in 14 shots and 11 points.
``We really need those guys to score a little bit,'' Foster said. ``Smitty is going to have [to] go inside and we need Damon clicking on all cylinders. I'm crossing my fingers he'll be healthy and have a big game.''
Watlington said Friday he was ``about 85 percent.''
``The ankle is still tender, so I've been staying off my feet as much as possible,'' he said. ``I'm hoping I'll be ready. I think I will be.''
Smith said he's ready to bite the bullet, no matter what.
``I have to get [getting hit in shoulder] out of my mind and go out and play,'' he said. ``I'm kind of being too tender on myself. There should be so much adrenaline flowing for this game that I won't feel it.''
RED-LINED: When asked Friday if his club would attempt to play at a faster pace due to Tech's injuries, Kentucky coach Rick Pitino said: ``We can't go any faster. If we do, we're going to trip over ourselves.''
FINALLY: Tech and Kentucky were scheduled to play Jan. 20 on ESPN at Rupp Arena. But Foster elected not to play unless Pitino agreed to a future trip to Blacksburg.
``We had a lot of dialogue on it,'' Foster said. ``But I didn't want to play one there with no return. Plus, it hit on a bad part of our schedule. It wasn't in our best interests, so the deal never materialized.''
BOTTLED UP: Tech's team had to wait almost two hours to leave Reunion Arena on Thursday after beating Green Bay.
The delay was created by Ace Custis taking a mandatory NCAA drug test.
``Just put it this way,'' said Dr. Duane Lagan, Tech's team physician, ``Ace sort of had a hard time playing under pressure.''
GOOD NUMBERS: Senior Shawn Good's career-high 25 points not only kept Tech's season alive but it also put him over 1,000 points for his career. Good (1,003) joined Smith (1,427), Custis (1,242) and Watlington (1,213) in Tech's 1,000-point club. No Tech team ever has had four 1,000-point scorers at once.
DEJA VU? If Tech wins today, it won't be its first major upset of Kentucky. The Hokies beat the Wildcats 80-77 in the schools' last meeting in the opening game of 1962. It was the only season-opening loss in the long career of legendary coach Adolph Rupp. Kentucky won the other meetings in 1924 and '56.
LENGTH: Medium: 58 lines KEYWORDS: BASKETBALLby CNB