Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 19, 1994 TAG: 9403190100
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SACRAMENTO, CALIF. LENGTH: Medium
In describing the performance of teammate Junior Burrough, Virginia forward Jason Williford used one shoe company's slogan to promote another.
"It's the shoes," said Williford, after Burrough unveiled a new pair of black Reebok high-tops and scored 20 points during the Cavaliers' 57-54 victory over New Mexico in the NCAA Tournament.
Burrough was the only UVa player to wear the shoes, which were delivered to ARCO Arena before one of the Cavaliers' practices.
"Jason was going to wear them, but he backed out on me," Burrough said. "I'm not really superstitious, but the ball hasn't been going in for me with the shoes I've been wearing."
Coach Jeff Jones said it was not his idea to change footwear before the tournament, but the new shoes - black instead of the Cavaliers' customary blue-and-white - are supposed to be state of the art.
"Junior said he liked how they fit," Williford said. "If he can play like that in them, then I'm going to try and play like that in them Sunday."
Seventh-seeded Virginia (18-12) will meet second-seeded Arizona (26-5) at 3 p.m. Sunday. The Wildcats trounced Loyola (Md.) 81-55 in advancing to the second round for the first time in three years.
Williford spent most of Friday's game on the bench because of foul trouble and scored only five points, but it was his stick-back with 46 seconds left that gave Virginia the lead, 55-54.
It was probably the most important basket of Williford's career.
"Maybe so," said Williford, whose rebound was his eighth in 18 minutes, six coming at the offensive end, "but I look at Harold Deane's free throws as the game-winning [shots]."
Deane, who made a point of saying he will continue to wear his old blue-and-white low-tops, pushed Virginia's lead to three when he made both ends of a one-and-one with 23.3 seconds left.
New Mexico, forced to foul when Virginia regained the lead, was called for a hold on Cornel Parker with 24.6 seconds left, but it was only the sixth foul, so UVa did not go to the free-throw line.
"The [assistant] coaches said, `Get it to Harold,' " Jones said, "but we weren't shooting. The second time, you could hear New Mexico screaming to [Greg] Brown, `Don't let him catch it, don't let him catch it,' but it was too late."
Deane was shooting 70.5 percent - decent, not great - but none of the Cavaliers is better in the clutch. He hit a pair of free throws late in the Cavaliers' 66-61 upset of Duke in an ACC tournament semifinal.
An hour after Friday's game, Jones still was wearing a sheepish grin, no doubt realizing how close the Cavaliers had come to elimination. They made 11 of their first 39 field-goal attempts in falling behind 41-26.
"It wasn't a matter of anything we were doing right or wrong strategically," Jones said. "It was a matter of [the Lobos] being more aggressive, more active. We didn't have any life.
"We were tight. There was no question we were tight. I'm not a great comedian, but I was trying my hardest to joke around. They just weren't buying it."
Keywords:
BASKETBALL
by CNB