Temple`s John Chaney and Louisiana State`s Dale Brown rank with Purdue firebrand Gene Keady when it comes to coaching intensity.
On the other end of the spectrum are Joey Meyer of De Paul and Lou Carnesecca. Regardless of styles, all of these coaches agreed Thursday that it`s up to the players from now on.
”Coach Brown motivates us, but he can`t put the ball in the basket,”
said LSU guard Anthony Wilson. ”The way we surprised the country by getting to the Final Four last year proves how far desire can take a team in the NCAA.”
For four of the teams in Friday`s double-headers at the Horizon, winning will be the first step on a hard road to the Final Four in New Orleans. For the losers, the broken dreams will be tossed into their suitcases.
That`s the glamor and the heartbreak of the NCAA tournament. Friday`s winners will meet Sunday in the Horizon for the right to advance to the Midwest Regional next weekend in Cincinnati.
The feast begins with Temple vs. Southern at 12:07 p.m., followed by Georgia Tech-LSU at 2:37. Wichita State meets St. John`s at 7:07. De Paul, with starting guards Rod Strickland and Kevin Edwards trying to shake off a virus, tackles Louisiana Tech at 9:37.
”The NCAA tournament is really special,” said Georgia Tech coach Bobby Cremins. ”Last year, LSU took away our Final Four dream. Here we go again.” Georgia Tech (16-12) will shoot for revenge against the Tigers (21-14). The Yellow Jackets are slight favorites, despite losing 52-49 at LSU on Dec. 13.
The opener between Temple (31-3) and Southern (19-11) could be the day`s only blowout. The run-and-gun Jaguars finished the season with five straight 100-point totals, but can`t match Temple`s poise, depth and defense.
”We`re not that good,” admitted Southern coach Ben Jobe, who steered his team to victory in the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament in his first year. ”But ask me if we have a chance to beat Temple, and I`ll tell you we have a great chance.”
The Jaguars` upset hopes rest with playmaker Avery Johnson (10.8 assists a game, second-highest in Division I) feeding four starters averaging more than 14 points. Guard Nate Blackwell (19.8 points a game) is Temple`s leader, but he`s recovering from the same virus that kept Strickland and Edwards out of De Paul practices.
Pure emotion should decide the Georgia Tech-LSU battle. Brown concedes a talent edge to Tech, but intends to overcome it with the ”freak defense” he used to reach the 1986 NCAA semifinals.
”It`s a combination of eight or nine defenses, implemented by an entry pass, a hand signal or by a player on the court,” Brown explained. ”We have a smart, disciplined team that can change the call depending on where the ball comes in or who gets it.”
The Yellow Jackets will need strong games from forward Tom Hammonds and guard Bruce Dalrymple. Cremins admitted he didn`t expect to be back at the Horizon so soon after his team was routed by De Paul 87-64 last month.
”We had five tough road games in a row, and De Paul ran us out of gas in the second half,” Cremins said. ”If we don`t play better tomorrow, we`ll be packing our bags.”
Wichita State (22-10) is expected to do the same thing after the evening opener, but the Shockers are capable of shocking St. John`s (20-8). Eddie Fogler made a successful transition to the head coaching ranks after 13 years as an assistant to Dean Smith at North Carolina.
State won its last seven games and the Missouri Valley Conference tourney to earn an NCAA berth. This kind of pressure is nothing new to the Redmen
(20-8). Carnesecca will take them into postseason action for the 42d time, an NCAA record.
Meyer winced when he heard De Paul rated as 10-point favorites over Louisiana Tech. He was hoping the virus that hit his backcourt also would banish any lingering traces of overconfidence.
”There are two sides to the coin of playing at home,” cautioned Chaney. ”It puts extra pressure on the players, because the fans` expectations are so high.”
Coach Tommy Joe Eagles also will have Louisiana Tech ready for its first meeting with De Paul. The Bulldogs are powered by 6-foot-5-inch forward Robert Godbolt (15.9 points) and guard Kelvin Lewis (6.3 assists a game). They also have rebounding strength in Louis Cook and Randy White, both 6-8.
”Louisiana Tech is an experienced team with explosive scoring potential,” said Jim Molinari, De Paul`s assistant coach. ”I thought being seeded No. 3 in the Midwest Regional would give us somebody easier to play.”
