THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 12, 1997 TAG: 9702120827
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 76 lines
The ACC's decision to change its tournament format next year gets the approval of most coaches, but not all.
Instead of continuing with a lone Thursday ``play-in'' game, the tournament next year will have two games on Thursday - pitting the No. 1 seed against the No. 9 seed and the No. 7 seed against the No. 8 seed.
That round will be followed by three games on Friday, instead of the present four, and by the usual two games on Saturday and the championship game on Sunday.
The winner of the No. 1 vs No. 9 game on Thursday will receive a bye into Saturday's semifinals.
That is one part of the new format Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski does not like.
He thinks it is unfair for the ninth seed to have an opportunity to receive an extra day's rest and jump right into the semifinals.
Also, the No. 7 vs No. 8 winner would have to win four games to win the tournament while the ninth seed would have to win only three games.
Krzyzewski wonders if that might not encourage teams to finish ninth instead of seventh or eighth.
``The new format is not perfect, but it is better than sticking with what we now have,'' says Virginia coach Jeff Jones.
Wake Forest's Dave Odom, who led the crusade to do away with the play-in game, says the new format ``makes the first night meaningful without devaluing the other games.''
ACC OR NBA? George Shinn has jeopardized plans for the ACC tournament to be held in Charlotte in 1999, 2000, and 2002 with his demand that the city spend $192 million to replace its 23,000-seat coliseum with one that seats only 18,000.
Shinn, owner of the NBA Charlotte Hornets, also is demanding that the 23,000-seat coliseum be torn down so he won't have competition.
ACC officials say they are determined not to put the tournament in a building that seats fewer than 23,000.
Meanwhile, the ACC juggled its future schedule to award the Georgia Dome the tournament in 2001.
LIKES TIGERS: Maybe Wake Forest's Odom is just trying to sweeten up tonight's opponent Clemson, but he says the Tigers are the only team that deserves to have two players on the All-ACC team.
``If I had to vote today, I would put both Greg Buckner and Terrell McIntyre on the first team,'' Odom said Tuesday.
That differs with most observers who think the Deacons' Tim Duncan, Maryland's Keith Booth, North Carolina's Antawn Jamison, and Georgia Tech's Matt Harpring are first-team locks.
Who would Odom leave off to make room for both Tigers?
``Either Harpring, Jamison or Booth, but I won't say which,'' Odom replied.
Duke fans, of course, would argue any All-ACC team would be incomplete without Trajan Langdon.
NEWTON AILING: Duke center Greg Newton was not with the Blue Devils for their game Tuesday night against Virginia in Charlottesville.
Newton hurt his back Saturday against North Carolina State. He could be ready to play this Saturday against Florida State.
THORNTON HOT: N.C. State freshman Damon Thornton of Norfolk is averaging 11.3 points and 9.7 rebounds over his last six ACC games.
``I don't know if there is a better freshman in the league than Thornton,'' State coach Herb Sendek said.
Thornton won't be at full speed tonight against North Carolina after having a toe nail removed on Monday.
``It's very sore, but we expect him to play,'' Sendek said.
UNPRECEDENTED: For the first time, four ACC teams are ranked in the AP top 10 simultaneously for a third week during the season.
Wake Forest is No. 2, Duke No. 6, Clemson No. 7, and Maryland No. 10.
The league had four teams ranked in the top 10 during the 1993 and 1981 seasons, but not all in the same week.