THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 14, 1996 TAG: 9602140550
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines
Every week it seems a different ACC team is getting hit with the question, ``What's wrong?''
This week, it's North Carolina, loser of three straight games.
Last week it was Florida State. The week before, Virginia. The week before that, Maryland.
What is wrong?
With the league more balanced than ever before, in most cases the slumps are a result of nothing more than scheduling - catching teams when they are hot - or a last-second shot bouncing in or out.
The only team that hasn't lost consecutive games this season is Wake Forest, but based on the schedule, it might be the next to be asked ``what's wrong?''
The Deacons' next two games are are at Maryland, which has lost only one home game (in overtime to North Carolina) the last two seasons, and at Georgia Tech on Saturday.
INTROS NOT NEEDED: A sellout crowd poised to boo will be disappointed, but North Carolina coach Dean Smith won't get his usual pregame introduction tonight in Clemson's Littlejohn Coliseum.
Clemson fans have been anticipating the arrival of the Tar Heels coach since last year's ACC tournament when Smith instigated a jaw-to-jaw confrontation with Tigers coach Rick Barnes by yelling at a Clemson player.
Barnes expected to get a verbal jousting from North Carolina fans last month when the Tigers played in Chapel Hill, but was spared because Smith does not permit pregame introductions of coaches in the Dean Dome.
Barnes thought that was a good idea, so he began the same policy at Clemson. Smith, though, knows Clemson fans will get in their verbal punches one way or another.
``It shouldn't make any difference, as long as they (fans) don't come out on the court, where the game should be decided,'' Smith said.
Despite key injuries and having to play with mostly freshmen, Clemson has a 12-1 home record that includes victories over ACC leaders Wake Forest and Georgia Tech.
The latest injury was to 6-foot-8 Harold Jamison. He twisted a knee against Virginia and may not play tonight.
STREAKS: As remarkable as Wake Forest's eight-game winning streak against Duke is, it's not the longest period of dominance over Blue Devils teams coached by Mike Krzyzewski.
Virginia won nine straight games against Coach K's team between 1980 and 1983.
Then the Cavaliers lost the next 16 games in the series when Krzyzewski got his program going.
The flow has turned again, though, and Virginia will be trying to win a fifth straight against the Blue Devils tonight in Durham.
THE LAST TIME: When Georgia Tech defeated North Carolina last Saturday, the Yellow Jackets became the first team to sweep both Duke and the Tar Heels in the same season since Virginia in 1981.
That was the year Virginia went to the Final Four and lost to North Carolina in the NCAA semifinals.
COMING ATTRACTION: The CBS television movie about former N.C. State coach Jim Valvano, who died in 1993, is scheduled for April 2, the night after the NCAA championship game.
Some filming is being done this week at N.C. State's Reynolds Coliseum.
JERRY'S PLACE: Chapel Hill, which has the Dean Dome, soon will have the ``Stack House'' too.
Philadelphia 76ers rookie Jerry Stackhouse, who stopped by UNC on his way to the NBA, was in town last week to check on the progress of the house he is building.
FUNNY ``BONES'': Humorist and former Wake Forest coach Bones McKinney, 77, is recovering nicely from recent intestinal surgery and is as funny as ever.
``I asked my doctor if I could play golf when he released me about two weeks ago,'' McKinney said, ``and he said I could.
``I told him, `That's good. I couldn't play before.' ''
ALUM NEWS: Former North Carolina State guard Chris Corchiani is averaging 19 points and eight assists for the Bayer Leverkusen team in Germany. by CNB