University of Virginia Library

ACC Lead At Stake

Cavaliers Face No. 2 UNC

By Ted McKean
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Duke fell Wednesday night.
Then Saturday, South Carolina felt
the wrath of Bill Gibson's upstart
Wahoos, to place Virginia at the top
of the ACC standings. The foes
have been formidable, but none so
mighty as tonight's opponent, the
North Carolina Tar Heels.

Carolina's credentials are
awesome. They are ranked number
two in the nation. They are
undefeated, sporting a 4-0 mark.
Four of five starters from last year's
NCAA finalist team again don the
Carolina blue. Gone only is
All-America Lany Miller.

Under one of the nation's finest
coaches, Dean Smith, the Tar Heels.
have established winning basketball
as a way of life in Chapel Hill. Over
the last two seasons, Carolina has
won 30 out of 34 Conference
games, captured two ACC
Championships, and won numerous
other tournament titles.

To replace a player of the
magnitude of Miller will not be an
easy task for Coach Smith. At 6′4″,
Miller was small for a forward, but
managed to rebound like a bull, and
score from inside and outside with
an uncanny skill, and frequency. He
now starts for the Los Angeles Stars
of the ABA.

Miller's loss should be
counteracted by the maturity of
the four other players who started
with him in '67-68: Rusty Clark,
Dick Grubar, Bill Bunting, and
Charlie Scott.

Clark is the team's leader in the
front court. He stands 6′10″, and
uses every bit of it to be the leading
rebounder for the Heels. In
addition, Clark managed to put the
ball in the hoop at a 15.8 clip per
game last season. Against Maryland,
he set a school record by pulling
down 30 rebounds.

Grubar is the Tar Heel floor
general. Although he only averaged
8.1 points per game last year, he
has proven a great clutch player,
and almost single handedly led
UNC over South Carolina in last
year's ACC tournament semi- finals
overtime contest. Defense is his
forte.

To team with Clark under the
basket is forward Bunting. In the
early games of this season, Bunting
has already established himself as
the most improved player on the
Heel squad. Averaging only eight
points a game previously, Bunting
has boosted this mark to 16.5
points a game this year. At 6′8″, he

gets the rebounds that Clark has
not already gathered in.

But Olympic star Charlie Scott
is the shining star of the Tar Heels.
In Mexico City, he started for the
USA gold medal winners. In Chapel
Hill last year, he pumped the ball
through the hoop for better than a
17 point average, hitting on 49.1%
of his shots. Scott was honored as a
sophomore last year by being
named to the All-ACC and All-ACC
tournament teams, and should be a
strong candidate for All-America
recognition this year. He works
from either the front or back court.

UNC's fifth starter is Eddie
Fogler, a junior guard. Fogler has
not been a prolific scorer this
season (6.5), and saw limited action
as a reserve last year. His primary
assets are his ability as a playmaker
and a tenacious defender.

Joe Brown, a 6′5″ senior, again
finds himself in the role of the sixth
man. He averaged around six points
a game last year, and is again
producing at a similar rate. Brown
is known for his fine shot from the
corner, and his strength as a
rebounder.

Carolina brings a 4-0 record into
the game, which is a sellout. The
Heels can boast of two victories
over Oregon, as well as impressive
triumphs over Kentucky (87-77),
and Vanderbilt (100-78). Scott has
been the team's leading scorer with
a 23.8 average.

The Cavaliers will have to put it
all together like they never have

before if they are to salvage an
upset. Virginia's fine defense, of
dubious quality in past seasons, will
have to come through again. Again,
the Cavaliers will operate at a
height disadvantage, but such a
situation has been overcome before.
Remember the Duke game.