The Cavalier daily :: Friday, January 8, 1971 :: University of Virginia Library

Coming off their Virginia Tech
debacle somewhat embarrassed but
unwavering in their resolve to
reacquire the winning habit.
Virginia's suddenly vincible
basketball team prepares, starting
Saturday night, to enter into their
most critical home stand.

The Cavs' dreams of Top
Twenty recognition temporarily
sidetracked, the three conference
games at U Hall before exam break,
Clemson tomorrow night, powerful
South Carolina Monday evening,
and Wake Forest next Wednesday,
take on make-or-break significance.
Winning two of the three seems
almost imperative if the Wahoos are
to keep in sight their visions of
ACC glory. A clean sweep,
entailing, of course, the defeat of
Frank McGuire's South Brooklyn
Gamecocks, is a much-desired
occurrence.

The Clemson game marks the
Cavs' first return to league play
since a December defeat at North
Carolina, New Tiger headman
Taylor "Tates" Locke has shown an
ability to win almost everywhere
he's coached but may have met his
match with this year's Clemson
squad. After winning their first two
games the Tigers have lost three of
their last four and fallen to a 3-3
mark. Their last effort was a 72-55
loss at Georgia Tech on Wednesday.

Cavalier Coach Bill Gibson is
wary, however, of the Tiger
defense, best in the conference, and
cites guard John Coakley's
playmaking and soph center Dave
Angel's scoring as Clemson's chief
threats. He also noted that forward
Dickie Foster "ain't" in his opinion
"bad either." Other Tiger starters
include guard Dave Thomas and
forward Pete Weddell.

Gamecocks Seem Loaded

Reams could be written about
Monday's South Carolina clash and
probably will should Virginia win.
The Gamecocks seem to have
everything. All-ACC forward Tom
Owens anchors a solid front line
including 6-10 pivot man Tom
Riker and muscular rebounder John
Ribock. The Cavs will be hard
pressed to counter Owens' scoring,
Riker's inside play, or Ribock's left
hook. John Roche and whomever
else he plays with (almost always
star sophomore Kevin Joyce) form
the ACC's best backcourt.

Gibson Reveals Strategy

Coach Gibson sees his game plan
as being one of "bringing their big
men out from under the boards"
and using a direct attack against
SC's 2-1-2 zone, a defense that
Coach Gibson says "will give you a
shot." On Wednesday night South
Carolina rolled over Temple 84-71
and they beat Tech in Blacksburg
too.

Wake Forest is Wednesday
evening's opponent and the
Deacons, although bowing by one
point to Duke Wednesday, were
previously seen winning by a single
marker over Jacksonville and Artis
Gilmore. ACC points leader Charlie
Davis keys the Wake attack and gets
powerful board support from Gil
McGregor. Bobby Rhoads will man
a forward post with Neal Pastushok
at a guard. John Orenczak, the hero
of the Jacksonville game, could be
the other forward.

Coach Gibson calls the Deacs a
"basically man-for-man" team and
hopes to "channel" Davis. If the
Deacs' run-and-shoot style seems to
be troubling the Cavaliers the
Coach said he "will not hesitate to
go to a 2-1-2 zone" to calm the
game down.

All games will begin at eight
p.m. and all will have freshman
preliminaries at 5:55. Despite the
unsettling effects of the Tech loss
the Cavaliers look forward to these
games as a chance to better their
record in front of home crowds.