THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 8, 1995 TAG: 9502080652
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
Patience may be a virtue, but Virginia coach Jeff Jones is tired of having to wait until the second half, or overtime, for his team to play well.
The Cavaliers, who play North Carolina State tonight in University Hall, have won two double overtime games and one in single overtime this season.
Jones has told the Cavaliers he wants to see an improvement in their first-half play or else.
Or else what?
``There is a lot I can do,'' said Jones.
``I have been looking at the lineup, our substitution rotation, and the number of players we are using in the first half.''
But Jones said the players should take it upon themselves to be mentally prepared and play aggressively from the beginning.
``You can look at our stats and see we shoot better in the second half, score more points in the second half, and rebound better,'' Jones said.
``If we are going to be a second-half team, fine. But we should at least play well in the first half and take it from there.''
The Cavaliers have won eight straight overtime games and 16 of their last 18.
HOT STREAK: Virginia forward Junior Burrough has averaged 19.9 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in his last nine games.
The senior forward is one of only three players in school history to score more than 1,600 points and grab more than 700 rebounds.
Others were All-Americans Ralph Sampson and Bryant Smith.
COLD STREAK: North Carolina State, which promised great things when it opened the league season by beating No. 1-ranked North Carolina, has lost its last five games.
Coach Les Robinson blames poor shot selection for the failure of his team to improve, but injuries have had an effect, too.
The Wolfpack have lost their last six games at Virginia and 15 of the last 17.
NO HALO: The question most asked of North Carolina center Rasheed Wallace is if he'll go pro at the end of the season.
Wallace isn't answering that one just yet, but he does reply to what may be the next most frequent question - just what is that light colored patch of hair on the back of his head?
``It is a birthmark,'' says Wallace. ``At first it was black, but it started changing when I was a freshman in high school.''
Wallace has come to appreciate the birthmark.
``It adds character,'' he says.
KEEPING IT CLOSE: Twenty-five of the first 40 ACC games were decided by 10 points or less; 16 by seven points or less, three by two points and three by one point.
SOFT SELL: Georgia Tech coach Bobby Cremins has the reputation as a slick recruiter, but that wasn't how the Yellow Jackets wound up with productive freshman Matt Harpring.
Cremins admits he first suggested to Harpring that he consider playing in the Southern Conference, and later recommended Harpring to Northwestern when he learned that school was recruiting him for football.
Cremins finally agreed to give Harpring a scholarship after losing some other recruits and at the urging of his assistant coaches.
As a freshman, Harpring is averaging 37 minutes a game, 12 points, and 6.8 rebounds.
REMEMBERING: Former All-American Grant Hill says he realized something wasn't right with the college game when he had to pay $85 for a $10 jersey with his name on it at the Duke bookstore when he was a Blue Devil.
BUSY WEEKEND: Virginia's Jones is not crazy about the team's weekend schedule. The Cavaliers play at Clemson on Saturday afternoon and must rush home for a 4 p.m. game on Sunday against Nevada-Las Vegas.
The UNLV game originally was set up for television, but that fell through when the Rebels went on probation.
Jones says efforts to reschedule either the Clemson or Nevada games were not successful. by CNB