THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, February 5, 1996 TAG: 9602050115
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
They play every year. Twice. Often three times.
Some seasons, Norfolk State and Virginia Union have had to get it on four times, turning fans every which way but loose, adding to the legacy of one of college basketball's epic rivalries.
NorfolkStateVirginiaUnion.
UnionNorfolkState.
So closely linked are the schools, so intimately associated are they with each other's success and frustrations, it is difficult to think of one without the other.
Until now.
With undefeated Virginia Union in town tonight, fans should begin savoring this series as if it were the last drops of a rare vintage.
Just in case.
``Playing Union,'' says Norfolk State coach Mike Bernard, ``has always been a barometer of excellence for our program.''
``The Union-Norfolk State game,'' Union coach Dave Robbins says, ``is the best ticket in the league.''
But plans are under way for Norfolk State to change leagues - divisions, for that matter. When the Spartans move on up to Division I athletics in 1997, they may have to punch Union's ticket for the last time.
``Hampton University said they would continue to play us when they went to Division I,'' Robbins says. ``They haven't.''
For now, Norfolk State can't imagine dropping Union from its schedule.
``If there would be any chance to maintain some of our old rivalries, we would,'' Bernard says. ``If you lose your natural rivalries, fans might lose some of their interest.''
Besides, it's a big-money game for both schools.
``We average a fair amount of fans,'' Bernard says. ``But when we play them, everybody comes out. It's an event. For us here and in Richmond.''
Best intentions notwithstanding, it can be difficult for a former Division II school to go back to the old neighborhood. Hampton is an example of that.
In any case, the rivalry can't be the same - it can't carry as much weight - with Norfolk State in a higher division.
In each of the last two seasons, the Spartans split four games with Robbins' team but beat Union in the NCAA regional playoffs to advance to the national Elite Eight. As a program in NCAA transition - read limbo - Norfolk State is denied another opportunity to play for the Division II title.
This makes tonight's game even more intriguing - if that's possible. Norfolk State intends to avenge its January loss to Union, then win the season series in a hoped-for CIAA tournament title game.
``We can make a statement, by beating Union two out of three times, that we can't make this year in the NCAA tournament,'' Bernard says.
Without a national title to play for, Bernard feels he has been denied a major motivational device.
``It's been my most challenging year,'' he says. ``My major goal is the national championship. It always has been. Without that opportunity, something is missing. You can see it in the seniors' eyes. What are we here for? It's been very difficult keeping the players focused.''
But not this week.
Beating an excellent Union team - ``We legitimately have a chance to win the national title,'' says Robbins - can be a memorable consolation prize.
``Getting the edge on them,'' Bernard says, ``is almost like a mini-national championship for our guys.''
This is the sort of hype that precedes all games between great antagonists.
But in two seasons, what will become of the Union-Norfolk State series? Can it possibly remain as riveting? Will it exist at all?
Sip slowly. Savor what is left of this unique rivalry. by CNB