Semifinal Saturday In Charlotte, North Carolina

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March 9, 2002

Semifinal Saturday in Charlotte, NC…

Well, the evening games last night provided two greatly contrasting styles of play. In the first game between Duke and North Carolina, the Tar Heels slowed the tempo of the game down the best they could. Coach Matt Doherty felt that would give his team the best chance to upset the Blue Devils. Carolina would often wait until the shot clock was under ten seconds before starting their offensive set. The strategy worked well as the Tar Heels were only down 28-22 at the break. But, in the end, it was third ranked Duke that held on to get the 60-48 victory.

The other game was anything but slow. Wake Forest came out of the gates firing up shots and led by seventeen over Georgia Tech at the break. But Tech senior, Tony Akins, refused to let his teammates toss in the towel. The Jackets came all the way back to within three points late in the second half, but they came up just a bit short 92-83.

Today’s semifinal games begin with NC State and Maryland competing followed by Wake Forest and Duke. Excitement here in the Queen City is really starting to pick up. Fans are lining up outside the arena looking for any available tickets. The final few games promise to bring many memorable moments.

Couple of Virginia notes… Virginia assistant coach Scott Sheppard’s father suffered a heart attack while in attendance yesterday afternoon. He is currently at a local hospital seeking medical care and in the process of recovering… A few of the Virginia players left for home last night with friends and family. The rest of the group will leave later this afternoon.

Bryan Wyker