ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, December 28, 1995 TAG: 9512280047
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
FOR THE FIRST TIME in 13 years, Virginia and Va. Tech are both ranked heading into tonight's meeting before a sellout crowd at the Roanoke Civic Center.
Virginia Tech basketball coach Bill Foster doesn't want to be reminded about the last time his team played Virginia. Shawn Smith doesn't need to be.
When the Hokies blew a seven-point lead in the final 21/2 minutes and lost to the Cavaliers 63-62 on Feb.28 at the Richmond Coliseum, it may have ended their chances for a bid in the NCAA Tournament.
``There was so much riding on that game last year,'' said Smith, who missed a pair of free throws with 1:18 left in that game. ``If we had won, it would've helped get us in the NCAA. A committee could've looked at the game and saw we beat a quality team. ...We'll always have lingering in our minds the sting of that Virginia loss. It left a bad taste in our mouths.''
Tech committed three turnovers in the final two minutes and Virginia won it with a short jumper in the lane. The Hokies had a shot to win, but Smith's off-balance jumper rimmed out and Ace Custis couldn't handle the rebound.
``I try not to dwell on the past,'' Foster said. ``It's painful enough without bringing it up. They gave us every opportunity to win it, but we didn't want it.''
For three weeks that loss haunted the Hokies and Smith. That is, until they captured the National Invitation Tournament championship by beating Marquette 65-64 in overtime on Smith's two free throws with 0.7 seconds left.
Redemption was sweet.
The Virginia loss ``was a turning point for me,'' said Smith, a 6-foot-6, 250-pound senior forward from Gastonia, N.C. ``I came back from that to knock down the two biggest free throws of my life.''
There doesn't seem to be that much riding on tonight's Tech-UVa game - no post-season bids are at stake - but don't tell that to the sellout crowd of 9,996 at the Roanoke Civic Center when the teams tip off at 7.
Even though both schools' football teams are in bowl games this week (Tech's in the Sugar Bowl Sunday, UVa's in the Peach on Saturday) and many fans are preparing to travel to bowl destinations, tonight's game will be the first UVa-Tech sellout since 1990.
``On paper, this is the worst time we could've played this game,'' Foster said. ``This could've been a year where this game wouldn't draw well. But it's the best crowd we've had in the five years I've been here. It's good to play a game like this now, right before conference play. This is a conference-level game.''
It may not be early March, but tonight's game is certainly interesting, considering it is the first time the teams have met as ranked opponents in 13 years. The teams are next to each other in the polls - Tech is No.21, UVa is No.22 - and the outcome could be just as close.
Both teams are stingy; Virginia (4-2) is giving up just 62 points per game while holding opponents to 35 percent accuracy from the floor, and Tech (4-1) is holding opponents to 65 points and 42 percent field-goal shooting.
``We both play that good, aggressive man-to-man defense,'' Smith said.
A win would put Foster one victory away from No.500. In his 29th season, Foster, 59, is 498-304 in a career that began at Shorter College in Rome, Ga., in 1962 and included stops at UNC Charlotte (1970-75), Clemson (1975-84), Miami, Fla., (1985-90) and Tech (since 1991).
Only 14 other active coaches have eclipsed the 500-victory mark.
``Some people are trying to make it out to be [a big deal], but it ain't no big deal,'' Foster said. ``The big deal is having a good job after losing 304.''
Foster was still at Clemson the last time Tech and UVa played while ranked. That was on Jan.19, 1983, back when the Associated Press ranked only the top 20 teams, the Hokies were coached by Charlie Moir and featured a freshman guard named Dell Curry, and the Cavaliers were coached by Terry Holland and led by Ralph Sampson.
That year, Tech was 14-1 and had debuted in the rankings at No.17 after upsetting No.1-ranked Memphis State 69-56. UVa was 13-2 and had fallen to No.7 after losing 101-95 to a North Carolina club that included Michael Jordan and Sam Perkins. It was the Cavaliers' first tumble out of the top five in two years.
The Cavaliers won the game 74-64 at the Richmond Coliseum.
Virginia leads 66-43 in a series that began in 1915. UVa has won six of the last seven meetings and has dominated the series since 1976, winning 19 of the last 25 games against Tech, including a run of nine straight wins from 1978-1984.
LENGTH: Medium: 83 linesby CNB