University of Virginia Library

Wahoos To Visit
Deacons Saturday

By John Markon
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Fresh from two inspiring U Hall
wins against Maryland and N.C.
State, Bill Gibson and his Amazin'
Cavaliers take their show on
Tobacco Road for three vital ACC
contests in North Carolina. Wake
Forest, Duke and N.C. State must
all be reckoned with before a return
to the extremely friendly confines
of University Hall.

Tomorrow night's Wake Forest
game is the first stop on the trip
and all eyes will be on Virginia, as
the Cavs have yet to prove their
ability to win on the road, a
prerequisite for any serious dreams
of ACC glory. They will be facing a
team that has played well outside
their league but, except for one
glorious afternoon against North
Carolina, hasn't found ACC life
easy.

The Deacons own victories over
non-conference powerhouses
Jacksonville, Davidson and
Georgetown and only a loss to Top
20 ranked Tennessee mars their 8-1
extracurricular record. The ACC
standings, however, rank them
seventh out of the eight teams and
indicate that they have somehow
managed to win only two of seven
games.

By their conspicuous failure to
do well the Deacons have
disappointed and surprised many
observers. This team does, after all,
contain Charlie Davis, a 27 points
per game shooter, and big Gil
McGregor, always tough under the
boards and the conqueror of Artis
Gilmore. Other Deacon starters,
Niel Pastushok, Rich Habeggar, and
Bob Rhoads, while not contending
for All-ACC honors, can at least be
termed reliable performers.

In the first meeting of the two
teams, won by Virginia 86-81,
Wake played and shot rather well
but their inability to penetrate
Virginia's zone and a second half
cold spell sealed the Deacons'
doom. In their latest outing they
limped out of Duke Indoor
Stadium as losers to the Blue Devils
by an identical score.

Basketball at Wake Forest, once
regarded as a growth stock, seems
to have a rocky road ahead of it.
With the heart of what turned out
to be a good but not that good
team destined to graduate (or at
least destined not to come back)
many Deacon boosters saw this as
their team's last chance year. It
could still be. Wake has two games
with Clemson remaining and, with a
slight turnaround, could make the
ACC first division.

Virginia stands in their way and,
by all indications, will be hard to
move out. Only a very good team
could take apart a fellow league
member like the Cavaliers
disassembled Maryland and State.
But winning in "God's Country"
won't be easy as the Wahoos have
learned on other Southern forays.

Wake Forest is, however, the
kind of short-forwards team that
Virginia substitute Jim Hobgood
should do well against so he could
also see a good deal of playing time.
The contest will start at 8 p.m. and
will be played in Memorial
Coliseum, Winston-Salem.