University of Virginia Library

Wahoos Dismiss Pesky Tigers, Regain Elusive ACC Top Spot

By JOHN MARKON

While the exam grades
racked up by the Cavaliers
during January remain a
private matter between the
team players and their
instructors, the 14-1 Cavs
passed Bill Gibson's basketball
course with a B-plus, winning
four games and losing only to
powerful North Carolina.

The Wahoos are presently
holding down first place in the
ACC, one-half game ahead of
the Tar Heels, and have
regained Top Ten status in
both major polls. The UPI
coaches now allocate Virginia
ninth position with Associated
Press rating them seventh best.

Even these high rankings did
not take into account the
team's last victory, a tough
62-58 Atlantic Coast
Conference win at Clemson.
Virginia's other January
victims were N.C. State,
George Washington and Johns
Hopkins.

The 'Hoos were at their best
in the State game, played just
prior to the onset of reading
week. Frank DeWitt, a forward
and co-captain, played his
strongest game of the year
he and guard Barry Parkhill
combined for 49 points to key
the 84-73 road win.

State's 7-4 center Tommy
Burleson, who makes his initial
UHall appearance Saturday
night, was the game high scorer
with 36 points. He wasn't
nearly enough, though. The
Wolfpack never led in the game
and would have lost by far
more than eleven had the
Cavaliers not suffered through
a serious second half shooting
slump.

The GW game, a 97-76 win,
was billed as a North Carolina
"tune up" but both teams
played like they were missing
on a few cylinders. The Cavs
led the Colonials, then 2-10, by
only four points at halftime
and were generally unable to
handle guard Ronnie Nunn,
who scored an incredible 34
points.

Aside io Nunn, however,
there was no comparison
between the teams in ability.
Proving that talent will out, the
Cavs got then running game in
gear in the second half and
walked away easy winners.
Parkhill, or, if you prefer, "Mr.
BP," was again high school with
23 points.

North Carolina was the only
team to beat Virginia at UHall
last year and damn it they
didn't do it again. The Tar
Heels combined excellent foul
shooting, the strong inside play
of Robert McAdoo and some
good performances by second
stringers to take the "Big
Game", 85-79.

The Cavaliers did not have
the superior game necessary for
a win, playing much the same
way against Carolina as against

GW. For the first time this
season they got in serious foul
trouble, a difficulty
compounded by their only
average shooting and repeated
failures to take advantage of
opportunities to enlarge leads.
C'est la vie.

The Hopkins game was a
mismatch as the Cavs scooted
to a 51-17 lead and sent the
future doctors back to
Baltimore as 112-70 losers.
Everybody played, everybody
scored, everybody had a good
time.

Monday's Clemson game
was a more important contest.
Some clutch defense and
shooting in the final minute
were necessary but the
Cavaliers throttled the Tigers'
dreams of glory with the
four-point win. Forward Jim
Hobgood led the team in
scoring with 12 points and
guards Tim Rash and Barry
Parkhill had ten apiece.

With 42 seconds remaining a
Frank DeWitt foul shot gave
the Cavs a 60-58 lead and
Clemson decided to play for
one shot. That shot and a
subsequent tip-in attempt went
awry with Parkhill grabbing a
rebound, getting fouled and
adding the final two points.

The axiom of "As goes
Barry Parkhill so go the
Cavaliers" was disproven as the
other team members were able
to take up the slack when
Barry found himself struggling.
The play of Rash and his
replacement Chip Miller (nine
points) was signalled out for
special praise by Clemson boss
Tates Locke.

As the Cavaliers prepare for
the season's wind-up phase,
things all seem blissfully rosy,
the only serious trouble being a
neck injury to Scott
McCandlish, now the
University's all-time leading
rebounder. Post-season tourney
talk is now in the air but wise
heads should not be turned.
The team got to 14-1 by
playing "em one at a time" and,
according to Coach Gibson,
that's certainly how they'll
play the last ten.