University of Virginia Library

Face Hokies Tomorrow

Cavs Near Top Twenty

Cavalier Scott McCandlish Surrounded By Duke Giants

Rough Play By ACC Big Men Has Received Much Publicity

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa
Claus. For the first time in Cavalier
history Virginia's basketball team
has received votes for the nation's
top 20. In an Associated Press poll
published December 22 the cagers
were listed among eight teams
which did not receive enough votes
to break into the top 20.

Since that poll there has been
one other, in which the list of
also-rans had swollen to 18. "We
should be close to the top 20."
affirmed Coach Gibson. And from
the Christmastide events the
Cavalier mentor could be right.
Three members of the top 20 had
unusually rough vacations. Number
nine Drake lost twice to unranked
teams, seventeenth ranked North
Carolina tumbled before a mediocre
Utah squad, and number 19 St.
John's has fallen into such a
horrendous two week slump that
they have lost all consideration for
the top 20.

The latest UPI and AP polls
should be in this afternoon's
papers. But for now Coach Gibson
is more concerned with Virginia
Tech's Gobblers and their home
court record. Playing tomorrow
night at Blacksburg, the coach
notes that the Hokies have not lost
a home game to a state team since
1957. In fact the Techmen had a
four year home winning streak
snapped just two short weeks ago
when South Carolina edged the
Hokies 78-76 in a game they should
have lost.

But, still, Coach Gibson is
"looking forward to the game,"
figuring that a win over Tech
coupled with a Saturday night win
over Clemson should "certainly put
Virginia in the top 20."