THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 19, 1995 TAG: 9501190486
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
Last season, Norfolk State rolled through December and early January, winning 11 games in a row and piling up a 13-1 record.
But it wasn't until the Spartans traveled to Richmond and won their 12th in a row, beating perennial power Virginia Union, 75-71, that Norfolk State was certified as a team to contend with on the national level.
``That gave us legitimacy,'' coach Mike Bernard said.
A year later, the Spartans have won eight in a row after a slow start. A victory over No. 5 Virginia Union at 8 p.m. tonight would do a lot for Norfolk State's credibility this year as well.
``Winning this game would do the same thing,'' Bernard said.
The Spartans, picked by Sports Illustrated to win the national championship, opened at No. 2 in the Division II poll. They dropped two of their first five games, however, and fell out of the rankings. Recently, they've been climbing in through the back door, coming in at No. 14 last week and at No. 11 this week.
For all the talk of national polls, however, tonight's game is important to the Spartans for a more basic reason: A win would give them a leg up in the CIAA's Northern Division.
``This is the time of year when people start to separate themselves from the pack,'' Bernard said. ``This is a very important game that could separate us from the pack in the Northern Division.''
Virginia Union (12-1, 4-1 in the North) has done a good job of separating itself from the CIAA pack over the last few years. The Panthers won a national title in 1992 and went unbeaten in the CIAA the following year.
Last year, Norfolk State traded wins with Virginia Union. The Spartans won in Richmond, Virginia Union won in Norfolk, and the teams split on neutral sites.
Norfolk State had the last word, however. The Spartans' 71-69 victory in the South Atlantic Regional championship game sent them to the Elite Eight - and sent the Panthers home for the summer.
This year, Norfolk State assumed the front-runner's mantle, while Virginia Union was picked third in the Northern Division.
That makes Virginia Union's 12-1 start surprising to some, including coach Dave Robbins, who says he isn't sure if his team is for real.
``We started out hotter than people thought,'' he said. ``But now we're in the meat of our schedule, and we'll find out if we were just new and hot and people were taking us lightly.''
Given preseason expectations, Robbins is trying to play the underdog's role tonight.
``I just felt like with what Norfolk State had returning and what Mike (Bernard) brought in, that they were going to be awesome,'' he said. ``I still think they're head and shoulders above our conference, and I would say we are definitely the underdog coming in.''
If Virginia Union wants to play the underdog, fine, Bernard said.
``People like to be underdogs psychologically,'' he said. ``We're not concerned with that. We're concerned with going out and executing.''
Points of emphasis in practice this week have been free-throw shooting and defense. The Spartans hit just 30 of 45 free throws against St. Paul's on Saturday - not enough to win a close game, Bernard said.
As for defense, the Spartans have turned it up in recent weeks, and offense has started to flow from defense. They'll need to keep up the intensity against Virginia Union, which is shooting 49 percent from the field.
The Panthers, who are not as big as they've been in recent years, have made up for it with quickness. Guard Thomas Meredith leads the team at 18 points per game, while center Ben Wallace leads the conference in blocked shots and is second in rebounds.
As they did last year, the Panthers can go about eight deep. But so can Norfolk State.
``We've got a bench full of starters,'' point guard Maurice Whitfield said.
And Norfolk State, like Virginia Union, shoots about 49 percent from the field. Corey Williams, a preseason All-American, leads the Spartans in scoring at 19.4 points per game. Derrick Bryant leads the league in field-goal percentage and is averaging 17.5 points and 8.8 rebounds.
``It's a great rivalry,'' Bernard said. And a game that is certain to pack Echols Arena. Five of the eight largest crowds in Echols history have been for Virginia Union.
``Our kids enjoy coming to Norfolk,'' Robbins said. ``We enjoy coming in there and being booed and being the villain.''
Spartans fans undoubtedly will oblige them tonight. by CNB