Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 6, 1990 TAG: 9006060032
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL BRILL EXECUTIVE SPORTS EDITOR
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The only exception is opening night, Dec. 3, when Virginia will play Pitt in the first game of the series at Richmond Coliseum. Maryland and Boston College play the second game, the only one not televised live by ESPN.
ACC Commissioner Gene Corrigan said Maryland's game likely would be shown on tape-delay. The Terps are on NCAA probation and cannot appear on a live broadcast.
North Carolina, seeded No. 1 by ACC coaches, and Syracuse will get on-campus games. The Tar Heels will play defending Big East champion Connecticut in the Dec. 6 nightcap after Wake Forest plays Villanova. Syracuse will play in its Carrier Dome against North Carolina State on Dec. 4. The opener that night will match Clemson against Seton Hall.
No. 2 seeds Duke and Georgetown will meet in the Dec. 5 nightcap at the Capital Centre in Landover, Md., where the Hoyas play their home games. Georgia Tech and St. John's play the opener.
Last year's event wound up with a 4-4 split between the leagues, but the only sellout was at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J., where North Carolina played Georgetown.
With tickets going for $30 for each doubleheader, crowds were smaller than anticipated the other three nights, which included back-to-back doubleheaders in Greensboro, N.C. The first doubleheader attracted a crowd of only 6,937.
Corrigan and outgoing Big East Commissioner Dave Gavitt defended the changes and said the ticket price would be determined by the management of the various buildings.
Pairings were determined by the commissioners after a vote of coaches in each league. No rematches were permitted, and teams that played on the road last year were kept at home this time as much as possible.
The ACC coaches, who voted May 29, chose North Carolina first, followed by Duke and a three-way tie for third among Virginia, N.C. State and Georgia Tech. Clemson was chosen sixth, Wake Forest seventh and troubled Maryland last.
The Big East coaches picked Connecticut, which returns 12 of its 13 players, over Georgetown. There was a tie between Syracuse and Pitt, with St. John's fifth, Seton Hall sixth and Villanova seventh. Providence was chosen No. 8 and Boston College ninth.
Boston College sat out last year's challenge, so this time Providence won't play.
"Georgia Tech and Pitt couldn't play [because they met in '89]," Corrigan said, "and Virginia and Pitt have more starters back than anybody. We think that's a very good game."
As for the format change, Corrigan said, "We decided we were going to move this around.
"Two nights in Greensboro was awfully, awfully tough. We said one of these years, we ought to try campus sites. This looked like a good time to do that."
He said Richmond was chosen partly because "they played the NCAA there [in March] and got rave reviews."
UVa, 20-12 last year, played two NCAA games in Richmond, beating Notre Dame and losing to Syracuse. The Cavaliers also won the Times-Dispatch tournament by defeating Virginia Commonwealth and Richmond.
"It's a bit of a surprise we're going to be playing in the Richmond Coliseum, albeit a pleasant surprise," said rookie coach Jeff Jones.
"I'm sure that was a misprint," Connecticut Coach Jim Calhoun said when he learned the Huskies would play North Carolina on the court named after its coach, Dean Smith.
"The Big East-ACC Challenge is now making, in some way forcing schools to play tough, early season games," Calhoun said. "Not that I necessarily want to visit Dean in a building named after him. That really tells me everything I need to know."
Dec. 3 - At Richmond: Virginia-Pitt, 7 p.m.; Maryland-Boston College, 9.
Dec. 4 - At Syracuse: Clemson-Seton Hall, 7; N.C. State-Syracuse, 9.
Dec. 5 - At Landover, Md.: Georgia Tech-St. John's, 7; Duke-Georgetown, 9.
Dec. 6 - At Chapel Hill, N.C.: Wake Forest-Villanova, 7; North Carolina-Connecticut, 9.
by CNB