THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 7, 1996 TAG: 9603070590
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Tom Robinson
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
The biggest, toughest names in the Atlantic 10 will be there as usual - Massachusetts. Temple. George Washington.
The question is whether the mind and game of newcomer Virginia Tech will join them at the Philadelphia Civic Center for the A-10 conference basketball tournament.
You'd think so, naturally. This is the first tournament in this league for Tech, which plays tonight at 7 against the winner of Wednesday's Rhode Island-La Salle contest.
Certainly, the Hokies want to give a quality performances to match their No. 15 national ranking and confirm the respect they've earned this season.
Plus, the A-10 rivals mentioned above have handed the 22-4 Hokies three of their losses, one apiece. And as Tech's floor leader, the Eastern Shore's Ace Custis, says, ``You gotta be hone-gry. You don't want anybody beating you twice.''
With UMass and George Washington in the opposite bracket and Temple on their side, the Hokies have a chance to make a couple paybacks.
But you have to wonder if, with the NCAA tournament ready to welcome them for the first time in years, Tech can look as sharp as they'll need to be to take a run at the title in Philly.
If the Hokies get caught looking ahead a week, well, considering their program's past, they could be forgiven. There's a lot to look forward to.
A little history: It's nearly 10 years to the day of Tech's last NCAA tournament appearance. On March 13, 1986, in Baton Rouge, La., Villanova dealt the Hokies a 71-62 first-round loss.
The defeat ushered in a postseason drought for Tech that only broke last year, when the Hokies made the National Invitation Tournament and won it. Now the NCAA absence is poised to end.
``I don't think even if we lose in the first round it'll knock us out of the (NCAA) boat,'' Tech coach Bill Foster says of the A-10 tourney.
On the other end, a good weekend could bump up the Hokies' NCAA seeding.
They'll have to do something with Temple first, though. Tech is in line to play coach John Chaney's club in the semifinals, should the Owls get past Xavier.
That smells like trouble. Temple's vaunted zone laid a nightmare on Tech the Sunday before last, holding the Hokies to 30.8 percent shooting from the floor in a 57-41 wipeout.
``The second time around you always play a team better,'' Custis insists. ``We know their defense and how they want to play. We'll approach it different. We'll be more relaxed. And we'll be on a neutral court, though we are playing in Philadelphia.''
Yet the Civic Center's rims were already rude once to Tech this year - the Hokies slipped past woeful La Salle (6-23) there by five points, shooting 40.4 percent.
Virginia Tech has ample motivation it simply must act upon, for obvious reasons and then some. One large, inviting factor for Foster when the A-10 became Tech's new home last spring was the recruiting presence it would give Tech in the talent-rich Northeast.
What better way to heighten awareness in those high schools than a solid showing now?
``We have a better entree into the East now,'' Foster said. ``We've had a couple kids from the East in for official visits, and two or three will probably visit in the spring.
``That probably wouldn't have been the case if we played predominantly in the South. We've opened some doors. Now we have to see if we can close them.'' by CNB