THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 11, 1995 TAG: 9501110561
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
Here's how wacky the ACC basketball season is after one week of league play:
Clemson, picked to finish last in the conference, is one of only two Division I teams in the nation still unbeaten.
Virginia, one of only three ACC teams not ranked, is on top of the conference with a 2-0 record.
Duke, ranked 16th, is at the bottom of the standings with an 0-2 league record.
So far, we have more questions than answers.
Is Clemson for real?
Are the Blue Devils in big trouble with coach Mike Krzyzewski off the sidelines because of a bad back?
And are the Cavaliers a solid contender to win the league?
Virginia will try to shed light on these questions in games against the Tigers tonight in Charlottesville and Duke on Saturday in Durham.
``We have made some progress recently and, hopefully, are ready for the challenge,'' Virginia coach Jeff Jones said.
After falling out of the polls - they had been ranked as high as No. 14 - the Cavaliers began conference play with victories at Florida State and North Carolina State, winning as many ACC road games in one week as they did all last season.
Clemson, meanwhile, opened conference play with a victory over Duke, which was only its fourth ACC road win in the last five years.
Although 6-foot-7 freshman Iker Iturbe is the tallest starter, the Tigers have been a genuine headache for opponents.
``We have played Arizona State and Tulane, and Clemson is as good as those teams,'' Texas A&M coach Tony Barone said after a 66-41 loss to the Tigers.
After looking at film, Jones said he is impressed by how well Clemson executes its game plan.
``They force teams to become impatient, and it becomes a battle of wills when you try to guard them,'' Jones said. ``If you are not patient on defense, they wind up with open perimeter shots or beat you off the dribble.''
As for his own team's improvement, Jones says it is simply a case of his players making better decisions.
MR. BARNES, AT LAST: New Clemson coach Rick Barnes, who once thought he'd like to coach at Virginia, will be making his first visit to University Hall tonight.
Five years ago, Barnes accepted and then rejected the Virginia head-coaching job when Terry Holland left. The position eventually was awarded to Jones, one of Holland's assistants.
Barnes, who was at Providence for six years before taking the Clemson job, has faced the Cavaliers only once, losing to them in the NCAA playoffs in 1989.
Barnes coached Providence to the Big East tournament championship last year.
LAST AGAIN, TOO: Although Virginia is off to one of its best conference starts, one thing hasn't changed: The Cavaliers are still the worst-shooting team in the league, making only 43.8 percent of their field-goal attempts.
Maryland leads the ACC with a 53.1 percentage.
STACKING POINTS: North Carolina sophomore Jerry Stackhouse could become the first Tar Heels to lead the ACC in scoring since Michael Jordan in 1984.
Stackhouse leads the league, but barely, with a 21.8 average. Florida State's Bob Sura is second, at 21.7.
RECRUITING CHANGE: ACC coaches are hopeful that legislation approved at the NCAA convention will lead to their being able to recruit prospects who do not fully meet freshman-eligibility requirements.
The NCAA now will permit freshmen who partially qualify to receive an athletic scholarship and practice but not play their first year. ACC schools are not allowed to recruit athletes who do not comply with all entrance requirements.
Associate commissioner Tom Mickle said the league probably would re-evaluate its position.
``I hope it changes,'' Maryland coach Gary Williams said. ``It would have an adverse effect on recruiting in our league if not.''
A RINGER: A handful of former jayvee players who are now varsity subs and a guy who showed up at the gym teamed up to defeat North Carolina's regulars during a recent practice session.
The ``other guy'' was former Carolina UNC All-American Michael Jordan, back in Chapel Hill to watch the Heels defeat Maryland last Saturday night.
Coach Dean Smith says Jordan hit a shot at the buzzer to win the scrimmage game. The Carolina regulars won a rematch, though. by CNB