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?IW. THE GAMECOCK ~ ~~ 5nn|)i - ? ? ^pOltS February 27, 1985 - Page 11 Sorry, Big East more Acceptable The Atlantic Coast Conference has always been among the elite in college basketball, and probably will be for a long time. But this season, the Big East has continued its steady rise to the top. rve oeen able to see Big East games i at home in New Jersey during vacations the past few years, and I think that it is the top conference in the nation. The league boasts the top two teams in the universe, who face each other tonight. For my money, St. John's (24-1) and Georgetown (25-2) are in a class by themselves. They are legitimite threats for the national championship. Syracuse (19-6) is a perennial national power, while Boston College (18-9) and Villanova (17-8) have been ranked in the Top 20 this year. All three are sure bets for the NCAA tournament. Pittsburgh, at 16-9, is a tough team that will surely play in a post-season tournament, probably the NIT. Connecticut (13-13) is also competitive, having beaten some good teams, including Boston College Monday. Providence (10-18) and Seton Hall (9-16) are the league's weakest teams and will have the spring off. In the ACC, Duke (20-5), Georgia Tech (19-6), North Carolina (21-6), N.C. State (18-7) and Maryland (21-10) will all play in the NCAA. Clenison (15-10), Virginia (15-12) and Wake Forest (14-11) may receive bids from the NIT. What the ACC lacks though, is a dominating team that plays consistently well. Duke and Georgia Tech have shown moments of brilliance this year, but have a^? displayed moments of sur- I pitting nicuiucrny. Joo tnaoy ACC match-ups arc v decidedly the home crowd. Teams that look unbeatable at home crumble on the road. Georgia Tech's loss at Duke last weekend and Clemson's 84-50 loss at North Carolina after beating Maryland the week before come to mind. In the Big East, on the other hand, games have been close regardless of where they've been played. - Remember Georgetown's narrow wins over B.C. and Villanova, and St. John's close victories over those , three.? 1 When the NCAA tournament begins in April, both conferences will be well represented. Both should send four or five teams to the NCAA and one or two to th<? NIT It seems improbable that both Georgetown and St. John's will lose before the NCAA finals. One of them will be there. Syracuse could be there, too. It will be interesting to see how long Duke, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and the rest of the ACC survives. Gregg Lasky is The Gamecock assistant news editor. CORRECTIC The 1985-86 Housing Rti the February 20, 1985 isa read: NADA, 814 & 625 Hend cot-op Halrstyllng ; Carolina Mall 777-23 Wednesday Afternoon | Special A Color Analysis and J j Make-over c i.. ot; m, IUI uiuy :=^ Make-over only -$10 By make-up artist Grace Sloan %$? Appointments requested but not necessary. Good Feb. 27, March 6, It 13. ^ ^ fairstyling Specials \ 20% off guys haircuts'" reg. $10.00 w/coupon $8.00 20% off girls wet cuts pj reg. $10.00 w/coupon 3>8.00 Kg offer valid through |i March 31, 1985 with coupon Ija. CUT-UPS HairatyHnf . jj Carolina Mall 777-2301X'" i I Stopped Coli Baseball te By John Melton Armstrong State College didn't use any relief pitchers in its 8-2 victory over the Gamecocks yesterday, but its starting pitcher still gave credit for a save. Chalk this one up to Old Man Winter. junior pitcner Chuck Christopher, now 2-2, shut the Gamecocks down on five hits, striking out 12 with a tantalizing assortment of offspeed curves and let-ups, and he gave a big nod to the cool, overcast weather at Sarge Fryc Field. "I'VE HAD A KIND of tenderness in my shoulder" ever since the Pirates lost to Miami two weeks ago, he said after the game. "I liked the temperature and weather" yesterday. USC coach June Raines had to agree after seeing his Gamecocks ? who had averaged 14 runs in getting off to a 2-0 start on the season ? flail futilely at Christopher's curveballs. "It was a day for the Gamecocks just like the weather," Raines said. Armstrong State, a tiny school playing out of the equally tiny Big South Conference, brought a deceiving 3-5 record into the game ? deceiving beause two of the losses came on the road to perennial powers Florida State and Miami ? and they jumped on Gamecock starter Casey Reed, now 0-1, in the first inning and never let up. With two down in the First, second baseman Ken Williams singled home Kevin Stafford, who had walked. The Pirates added one in the second on a solo homer to dead centerfield by catcher Bill Fortner, two in the third on solo / I > ;*??.. '* . .*,^< I ** .;/'. : r~- --..; I m "*l'l!a^ttiU&, A , # # South Carolina will host the 1985 Metro C day at the Carolina Natatorium. USC's men's and Swimmers def By Charles Bloom In c For the second consecutive year, USC USC will play host to the Metro Conference challer Swimming and Diving Championships. "W< This year's event starts today and runs the N through Saturday at the Carolina Tech,' Natatorium in the Sol Blatt P.E. Center. Florid; USC's men's and women's squads toughc won the Metro title last season, and, ac- and Ti cording to head coach Steve Collins, be a d another title is not too far away. FOI "WE HAVE HAD a pretty good to dep season so far," Colins said. "If we con- not se< tinue to perform better each meet, like Fou we have been doing, the Metro title is asked certainly within our grasp." nould, The Gamecocks finished th .cgular Glenn season ai o-z ana ranxca lotn in tne na- Arn tion while the Lady Gamecocks ended at distan* 10-0 and are currently ranked 11th. times i )N M ites printed in Mm ue should have Sales p time or dab,e'' pie, Vei ;j person | 1314 xx and/or n I APS * General ss ( ^ ^j available I d am falls, 8-2 shots by Williams and shortstop Lindsae Frick, and four more in the fourth as Williams delivered his third RBI on a single, knocking Keed out of the game in the process. BO TAYLOR AND Steve Boley held the Pirates to one run over the final 5 2-3 innings, but it was more than enough, as the Pirates accumulated 13 hits. Christopher stopped the hard-hitting Gamecocks cold, allowing only a solo homer by Keith Killian in the second before USC scratched out a run on a walk and two singles in the ninth. The Gamecocks' leading hitters, Jeff Morris and Joe Datin, went a collective one for six off Christopher, who said that was no coincidence. Christopher, a junior transfer from DeKalb South Community ColleRe in Atlanta, had fac ed Morris before when he played for DeKalb Central, and Datin when he was with Middle Georgia College. Raines looked at the defeat philosophically. "Those things happen in baseball," he said. "We get 19 hits Saturday (against North Carolina-Charlotte) and only six today." He added, "I thought we'd get to (Christopher)," but "everybody we play gets sky-high for us." USC hopes to thaw its bats out today against Newberry at Sarge Frye Field in a 3 p.m. game. Freshman Bruce Currie takes the mound for the Gamecocks. Armstrong State 112 406 000-8 13 1 South Carolina 010 000 001-2 5 0 Christopher and Fortner; Reed, Taylor (4), Boley (8) and Churchich, Nelson (9). W-Christopher, 2-2. t-Reed, 0-1. HRs?Williams, Fortner, Prick, KiUian. E-Brown. y. 'f. ^ .. '**+ * c v ... 0. ? inference Swimming and Diving Chmi|Monsliips ti I women's squads are both dofonding champions. end Metro titli )rder to capture the title again, also owns th< will have to field off strong freestyle witl lges from other Metro schools. is a top bacl e have not swum against most of top time in letro schools, except Virginia Randy Rosl ' Collins said. "We know that backstroker a State will probably be our on. rst competition, but Cincinnati Peoples ha jlane are coming up fast. It could 200-meter fri ogfight all the way through." a member ol team. Luxem I USC to do well, Collins will have free time th end on some newcomers that did 21.64. ; Metro action last season. r Gamecock freshmen who will be FOUR Ol to win points are Jean-Marie Ar- should be ab George Jurch, Greg Peoples and at the Met: Luxemberg. Taylor has tl ould is the Gamecocks' top butterfly, Pel :e freestyler and has USC's top in the 200-r n all distance freestyle events. He ELP WANTED erson needed in rapidly growing computer store. Part full-time. No experience necessary. Must be depen intelligent, personable, and enjoy working with peo ry interesting work. A great opportunity for the right Main St. * Across from IBM * 799-2086 S O F T B K NEED BIRTH CONTROL NFORMATION? mation strictly confidential examination including PAP smear ng/treatment including Herpes id blood testing gnancy testing ion treatment t pregnancy termination \ Family r Clinic of ies Clinic 254-7553 rnwell St. Columbia* S.C. ^ *Jv^:^ JOSEPH GARNETT I The Gamecock lion ?L!.J I " _ ii;? . . ? j? udb uiiiu ua?eiuuii ubvb nonins sets 10 scoop ine oaii in action against Armstrong State Collage yesterday. The Gamecocks face Newberry today at 3 p.m. T-- Men's hoop squad ' * ' ** to face Louisville From Staff and Wire Reports USC's men's basketball team knows what it has to do jtL tonight when it faces Metro Conference-rival Louisville. -X7First, the Gamecocks have to rebound from a 78-67 loss to Virginia Tech suffered Monday night at Carolina Coliseum. Second, they will have to hold off the revenge-minded Cardinals, who remember their 64-59 loss to USC earlier this season and are planning to return the favor. And third, the Gamecocks will have to win on the road, where they haven't claimed a victory in more than ii <^ear. Tonight's contest begins^ 8:05 p.m. at Freedom ^ will in Kentucky. V W *n USC's loss to the Hokies Monday, Virginia Tech JENNIFER W00TEN / Th. Gwrocock Charles Moir said patien^and some great shots ? sday through Satur- 153 his squad's 78"67 victory"These guys have^a great record at home and I feel that this was a great accomplishment to beat them ^ here," he said i "ter the game that pushed Tech's record * _ _B _ to 20-6 overall and 10-3 in the league. USC fell to 15-10 1Q TOdaV ?nd6-6. y "After all, they have lost only one game this season here and (they) were 6-0 against Metro teams (at home) e school record in the 1,650 before tonight," he said. i a time of 15:28.13. Jurch "We came out strong and played our offense well all cstroker for USC, with the night. In the first half, South Carolina did a great job the 200-meter backstroke, eith their zone offense and making us take bad shots, ler is also another top The second half, though, we were a little more patient the Gamecocks can depend and took some great shots." Dell Curry, who led Virginia Tech with 23 points, is the team's top time in the combined with Bobby Beecher for the first 17 Hokie sestyle, in addition to being points in the first half. Perry Young added a basket as f USC's 400-freestyle relay Virginia Tech opened up a 19-8 lead with 14:07 left, iberg owns the top 50-meter USC pulled to within five several times, but couldn't is season with a mark of get any closer, and the Hokies led 37-30 at intermission. South Carolina climbed back into the game and with rHERGamecock swimmers Virginia Tech leading 60-44, the Gamecocks went on a 1e to add to the point total 9-5 scoring spree and cut the lead to 65-53 with 5:28 to ro Championships. Mark go. le top time in the 100 meter But South Carolina could get no closer as the Hokies lie Lindvall has the top time hung on to earn the victory. neter butterfly, Jeff Alex- Linwood Moye led USC with 19 points and Mike Sea "Swimmers," page 12 Brittain added 10. \i~*^ : -^'^- r~ - > Irifcfe ^L . -fc. 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