Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 29, 1995 TAG: 9503290085
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Long
But as far as the Virginia Tech men's basketball team is concerned, the real Big Apple treat doesn't come until tonight at 8:30.
In front of thousands at Madison Square Garden and millions more on ESPN, the Hokies (24-10) meet Marquette (21-11) for the championship of the 58th National Invitation Tournament.
Tech is a slight favorite to capture its second NIT title in school history. In their first postseason tournament in 10 years, the Hokies don't have to be reminded that these opportunities don't come often.
``While we've definitely had a lot of fun in this place,'' said Tech's Ace Custis, ``we still want to win that championship. That's all we're here for. When you're this close, you've got to reach out and grab it now.''
The two clubs took separate paths to the final. Tech built a big lead early and held off Canisius 71-59, while Marquette rallied from 16 points down to upset Penn State in Monday's semifinals.
These two teams should know each other. On Jan.17 in Milwaukee, the Hokies staved off a late Golden Eagles comeback to win 57-54. Last season, Marquette won in Blacksburg, 55-48.
``It's been so many games since then that I had to look at the film to to get reacquainted with Marquette,'' Tech coach Bill Foster said Tuesday.
What Foster saw was a better Marquette club than it was 10 weeks ago.
``I think they're on a roll right now and really playing well. We'll have our hands full,'' Foster surmised.
Foster watched the Golden Eagles' game against Penn State twice to make certain Marquette coach Mike Deane hadn't slipped in a few ringers. Foster wanted to know the true identities of those imposters who hit nine of 11 3-point shots en route to 59 second-half points.
``They were awesome,'' Foster said. ``When you shoot 82 percent from 3s in the second half you're going to beat a lot of folks. Their defense got them going, and when it did, the basket got as big as a washtub.
``That's what we tell our guys. If you play defense it's amazing how big the basket gets. If you're not working on the defensive end, it's hard to see the basket. If they shoot well from 3s, they're an awfully difficult team to play because they're so strong and tough inside. Hopefully, they'll have all that out of their system [by tonight].''
If not, Tech is in trouble. The Golden Eagles, after shooting only 34 percent from beyond the stripe in their first 31 games, connected on a season-high 15-of-22 against Penn State.
Guard Anthony Pieper, whose missed a bomb at the buzzer that allowed Tech to escape in Milwaukee, was 7-of-9 from long distance, while forward Roney Eford made 4-of-5 and reserve guard Aaron Hutchins canned 3-of-5.
``We've haven't shot well all season,'' said Deane, whose club came to New York hitting 41 percent from the floor, only fifth-highest in the Great Midwest Conference.
``Then, just like that, presto. But I still don't know what Bill's talking about when he mentions the basket looking like a washtub. It looks like a thimble to me.''
In the January meeting, Tech built a 19-point lead in the first 171/2 minutes before having to hold on for dear life in the second half.
Both teams shot horrendously - Tech posted a season-low 34.5 percent (19-of-55), while Marquette hit 35 percent (20-of-57). A bigger factor was Marquette's 48-29 edge in rebounding, including a key 20-11 advantage on the offensive boards. It was the most rebounds Tech has permitted all season.
``They killed us on the offensive glass,'' Custis said. ``It's imperative we don't let that happen again.''
Tech looked strong on the boards Monday. Three Hokies - Shawn Smith (14), Travis Jackson and Custis (10 each) - hit double figures. Still, Tech's 50-37 rebounding edge came against a much smaller Canisius club.
``We've got to have everybody hitting the boards to win,'' Foster said. ``Against Canisius, each guard had five each and the three inside guys had double figures. I don't know if I've ever had a team where three guys on same night had double digits in rebounding. Hopefully, we can do that for 40 more minutes.''
NIT BITS: Foster is concerned about the recent emergence of Marquette reserve Aaron Hutchins. The 5-9 freshman guard is averaging nearly 17 points a game over the past five games. ``Their little waterbug guards really worry me,'' Foster said. ... Despite having a cold and headache, Custis joined the rest of the team Tuesday night watching Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls play the New York Knicks at the Garden. ``Just like this title game, nothing could keep me from that,'' Custis said. ``I didn't sleep well at all [Monday night]. I was all up all night taking medication. But come [tonight], I've got to put that behind me and come ready to play.'' ... Foster felt last year's 18-10 club got cheated by not getting an NIT bid, so he invited last year's five seniors - Jay Purcell, Corey Jackson, Donald Corker, Mike Davis and Jimmy Carruth - to New York. All four but Carruth, who is playing in the CBA, are here. ...The Warriors' 37.8 percent field-goal defense ranks second among the nation's 302 Division I schools.
If you'd like to see more photos, facts and stats on Virginia Tech's NIT appearance, check out our Internet site on the World Wide Web. The URL is http://www.bev.net/community/rketimes/NIT.html.|
by CNB