ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, March 17, 1996 TAG: 9603180068
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-6 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: TECH NOTES
DATELINE: DALLAS
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
Virginia Tech may have hung around the NCAA Tournament a little longer if it had received a higher seed.
The Hokies' No.9 seed forced an early meeting with Kentucky, which sent the Hokies packing with an 84-60 victory Saturday at Reunion Arena.
Despite its gaudy record and lofty ranking, Tech was a No.9 in part because of its weak non-conference schedule.
Next season, Tech's schedule outside the Atlantic 10 Conference improves with the addition of Wake Forest of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Tech will play at Wake in the first game of a two-year series that will bring the Deacons to Blacksburg in 1997-98.
The remainder of Tech's non-league schedule for next season includes Liberty (away), West Virginia (away), Virginia (Richmond), Georgia (home), UNC Greensboro (home), Coastal Carolina (home) and VMI (home). A Blacksburg date with William and Mary is questionable because the Tribe wants out.
At the request of the A-10, Tech is holding two dates against likely high-profile opponents for television purposes. Filling one of those dates would enable W&M to drop off the schedule.
Tech will open the season in Hawaii, where it plays three games in the eight-team Big Island Invitational. Other participants are Louisville, Auburn, Colorado, Lamar, Montana State, Texas Christian University and host Hawaii-Hilo.
Tech coach Bill Foster has attempted to schedule more high-profile non-league games at home, but not many top clubs want to make the trip to Blacksburg. The ones that will usually want two games in return at their place, and Foster refuses to concede that.
``This is probably one of the five toughest places to schedule in the country,'' Foster said. ``You've got to change planes twice to get [to Blacksburg], it's a tough place to win and it's not a big media center. That's just the facts.
``For those reasons, I don't know if you're ever going to see a big-time attractive schedule at Cassell.''
ACE LIKE WORM: Kentucky's Walter McCarty likened Tech's Ace Custis to Dennis Rodman, the Chicago Bulls' rebounding machine.
``He's a great rebounder,'' McCarty said of Custis. ``Whenever you notice him around, he's always on the rim getting every rebound.''
Custis, a 6-foot-7 junior who has led the Hokies in rebounding in all but 23 of his 91 games at Tech, appreciated the comparison to Rodman, the NBA's No.1 rebounder.
``I have everything but the hair, I guess,'' Custis said.
NOT NEW ORLEANS: While Tech took some 30,000 fans to New Orleans for its football team's appearance in the Sugar Bowl, the Hokies had a contingent of only 300 or so in Dallas.
Each of the eight schools received 350 tickets apiece. Tech didn't sell all of its allocation, Hokies athletic director Dave Braine said.
SLAM DUNKS: Tech had won six consecutive postseason games before Saturday's loss. Tech ran off five straight victories in winning last year's NIT. ... Tech is now 5-7 in NCAA Tournament play. Foster, whose 1980 Clemson team made the final eight, is 4-2. ... This is only the third Tech squad ever to win 23 games in a season. The 1982-83 club, led by Dell Curry, was 23-11. Last season's team was 25-10. ... The victory was Kentucky's 30th. The Wildcats have won 30 or more eight times, an NCAA record.
LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Kentucky coach Rick Pitino congratulates Wildcatsby CNBforward Walter McCarty after their 84-60 victory over Virginia Tech
in the Midwest Regional on Saturday.