Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 11, 1990 TAG: 9003112762
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTE, N.C. LENGTH: Long
The more the Cavaliers miss, however, the more they keep winning.
UVa failed to convert six one-and-ones in the final 1:15, but lived to laugh about it Saturday afternoon after defeating top-seeded Clemson 69-66 in an ACC Tournament semifinal.
Fifth-seeded Virginia (19-10) advanced to the championship game for the fifth time under 16-year coach Terry Holland. The Cavalierswill meet third-seeded Georgia Tech (23-6) at 1 p.m. at the Charlotte Coliseum.
It will mark the first time in the conference's 37-year history that the final has matched two schools from outside North Carolina.
The Yellow Jackets, 83-72 winners over Duke, dropped both regular-season meetings with Virginia. But the same situation existed Saturday for UVa, which had lost both of its regular-season games with Clemson.
"I can't say I loved the idea of playing Clemson again, but I felt very confident," said John Crotty, Virginia's point guard. "Having lost to them twice, I felt the edge in intensity."
The Cavaliers, who led 69-60 after a one-and-one by Crotty with 1:35 left, might have beaten Clemson comfortably if they hadn't gone 21-of-37 from the line.
"I'd rather miss them and win than make them and lose," said Tom Perrin, a UVa assistant coach. "I'd hate to start making free throws and start losing close games."
Virginia also had problems at the line in two of its biggest regular-season victories, over Duke (72-69) and North Carolina (81-80). The Cavaliers were 22-of-39 against Duke and missed three one-and-ones in the final 31 seconds against UNC.
"This particular team seems to enjoy creating its own disasters and then surviving them," said Holland, who recalled an overtime victory over Marquette when the Cavaliers lost a seven-point lead in the last 37 seconds of regulation time.
The Cavaliers faced a potential disaster - maybe of their own making - when star Bryant Stith was knocked to the floor with 14:46 remaining and was taken to the dressing room for observation.
There was some question whether Stith was felled by Clemson's Dale Davis or by teammate Matt Blundin, but UVa seemed to rally in Stith's absence, outscoring Clemson 10-3 while he was out of the game.
"It's never a positive losing a player like Bryant, but the team did seem to come together," Holland said. "That could have been the turning point."
The Cavaliers had four scorers in double figures, led by Crotty with 16 points, including nine of 18 free throws. Kenny Turner scored 15, Stith had 14 and Anthony Oliver finished with 12.
Oliver, the hero of Virginia's 92-85 overtime victory over North Carolina in the first round, had a critical steal that he turned into a layup that put the Cavaliers ahead 67-58 with 2:16 left.
After missing all the free throws, Virginia gave Clemson one last chance when Blundin, a football quarterback, was long and wide on an inbounds pass with 2.8 seconds left.
Clemson called two timeouts before Colby Brown's inbounds pass to David Young went out of bounds in front of the Tigers' bench and Virginia regained possession with less than one second left.
Brown blamed himself for throwing the ball too hard, but Clemson coach Cliff Ellis thought the Tigers had a reasonable chance for a game-tying 3-pointer. "It was just a matter of catching it," he said. "The ball was catchable."
Clemson got 21 points and 11 rebounds from Davis, but illness and injury limited the playing time of Clemson's two other power players, Elden Campbell and Sean Tyson.
Campbell has strep throat and did not start, although he played 30 minutes. Campbell had to play when Tyson, his replacement in the starting lineup, aggravated an ankle injury and did not play in the second half.
"That was the last thing we needed," said Ellis. "We're at the weakest point we've been all season. Whatever the circumstances, wherever we go, we're taking two days away from basketball."
Virginia, which had outrebounded North Carolina 40-31, had a 41-32 margin over Clemson on the boards. Blundin, who has not scored from the field in the tournament, had eight rebounds for the second game in a row.
"If you can beat Dale Davis and Elden Campbell on the boards - keep them from getting many tip-ins - that's what it takes to beat them," Blundin said.
The Virginia players have never said they were playing this tournament - or any other part of the season - for Holland. It will be the first appearance in the championship game since 1983 for the Cavaliers, whose lone title was in 1976.
Holland, 47, announced during the summer that he would step down after the season to become the athletic director at his alma mater, Davidson. The Cavaliers were picked to finish seventh in the conference in the preseason poll, partly out of skepticism over their coach's lame-duck status.
"We pretty much have to go to the NCAAs," Turner said. "At least I'd hope so. So, whether we win or lose [against Georgia Tech], he'll be going out on a good note."
by CNB