Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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AtintiW Coast -Sta Cpredictios 1* N.C. State 2. North Corolina 3. Maryland .,Clemson Duke 6. Wake Forest 7. Virginia ********* **** HOLIDAY SI e4 -I i.., ERI *nsi *D -I ID Conference aoro BY STEVE PARKER Sports Editor For years the Atlantie Coast Conference has. been m a claim as- the strongest ba=~etu grouping in the nation, and at last it appears as if everyone is acce pting the fact. After years of talk of superstar players-Lef Chappell, Art Heyman, Charlie Scott-the likes of David Thompson, Tom Burleson, Tom McMillan, Len Elmore, and Bobby Jones finally, got the league to the point where It once occupied three of the top four places in the press ser'vice's weekly rankings. Now, all but one of those players are graduated, .but the league i * PORTS WEAR * * bree coordinaing peces sha~des of 'm~a feek' ue ... adds holiday charm sporty dressing. OWNTOWN ICHLAND MALL UTCH SQUiARE d to re still the one dominate group among the various polls published by magazines ad newspapers. With North - Carolina State ranked first in several polls, Maryland ranked as high as fourth in some post-Moses Malone polls, North Carolina breaking the top ten in most and surpassing Maryland in most, and Clemson entering the initial 20* in several, the league has achieved. the recognition it has long strived for. Even the lower three teams in the league are helping to establish the reputation, Only Virginia had a losing record against non-rival teams. This season the ACC's schedule allows for further building of outside recognition, and thereby, better poll positions. Among non ACC games this year involving powers are Pittsburgh (Duke, North Carolina State, Virginia); UCLA (Maryland); Notre Dame (Maryland); and Carolina (Duke). With Malone opting for pro ball rather than the collegiate circuit, Maryland not only lost con siderable power in its hopes of upsetting UCLA, but also dropped back two or three notches in the ACC rankings. put sor1 bud1 go gami University Diningu main c Now the major match-up with UCLA could well belong to North Carolina State in the postseason nationals. - The Wolfpack, easily the class of the ACC, returns everybody's All-America, All-pro or whatever in David Thompson, perhaps the best athlete ever to play in the conference and soon to become the richest. State won it all last year, in pressure overtimes against the Uclans before dropping Marquette in the final game. And with Thompson's 26 points and almost eight rebounds a game back the Wolfpack is again the best. Mo Rivers, Monte Towe (an All ACC guard), Tim Stoddard and Phil Spence provide a more than adequate supporting cast for Thompson s traveling scoring show. North Carolina returns Walter Davis' 14 points a game and Mitch Kupchak's 10, along with a promise of at least that many from fresh man guard Phil Ford. A strong bench and Dean Smith's coaching should propel the Tar Heels right past Maryland tdIis season. But Maryland, with perhaps the best backcourt in the nation in John Lucas and Mo Howard, is not to be pitied. The Terps will make e points ? let scorebt eat oN c icocks! hamps their presence known to aH, and with some untested freshmen Coach .Lefty Dese codUd f fectively spell a frontUn that Ues some of last year's teserves. 'be league's sbocker Is mMOMn, which doesn't have the atside recognition of the others btt ceuld gain it with some league upsets and outside wins. Tree Rollins, in only his sophomore season, inherits All ACC center honors because of the graduation of last year's clan fed at the slot. Last year's other leading scorers, Van Gregg with 1 points and Wayne Croft with 1n poInts are back, and a strong recruIting year which included the haring of Darlington's Colon Abraham and from .Dunbar of Baltimore Skip Wise, should aid considerably. Virginia, coming on strng last year, lost Gus Gerard and should sink back with Wake ad Dube. But Virginia's losses are enough to make it the weskedt of the ACC also-rans, and so the Cavaliers will quite likely fall to the cellar of the grouping . Wake's fans should be hamv that football season finally ende, but the power of the conference should make that happiness only minimal with the Deacons just ,=caping the basement. on your )ard ampus! pitt