The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, March 03, 1999, Page Page 7, Image 7
| Wednesday, March 3, 1999
Georgia win
provides
needed lift
btlMIUKS continued from page 6
matter what the athletics director or
alumni association say.
We, USC's true fans, watched spellbound
as our five seniors started the
game and immediately excited the
crowd with a breakaway William Gallman
dunk.
The game progressed smoothly, as
USC actually led almost the entire first
half and then proceeded to whip the
Bullpuppies back to Athens at the start
of the second half.
Of course, BJ the Great was the
game's leading scorer, with 22, but the
game featured so much more than
his trademark baskets.
Who can forget the alley-oop pass
from Aaron Lucas that Herbert Lee
Davis jammed home to give us the lead
with three minutes left?
Lee's head was above the rim when
he caught the ball, leaving many fans
J ! 1_ _ J i 1 r i i r i
wonaenng wnat ne ate ior DreaKiast
that morning.
Outstanding defense dominated the
game, as Bud "The Stud" Johnson continually
blocked out the Georgia big
men anil began to show flashes of 1995,
when he was a rebounding machine.
(For loyal readers of this column,
you know how hard it is for me to say
this, but I'm giving credit where it's
due.)
Also, even though Frank McGuire
Arena was only halfilled, the heart and
emotion of 1997 were back for the
game's entire 45 minutes.
For one brief moment, the crowd
and the team possessed the spirit
and drive of the past two years as the
Gamecocks shot, ran and blocked like
demons in pursuit of a final gift for the
seniors.
Even the referees and their hor
rendousiy awtul calling couldn t deter
the outcome or beauty of finally winning
a quality game.
Even when UGA's D.A. Layne tried
to provoke a fight with McKie, the refs
couldn't stop the Gamecocks from getting
even with a few well-placed elbows.
Also, when Mac tried to win the
game on the famous drive, spin and
shoot, the refs negated the basket with
a highly questionable charge.
Of course, that just goes to show
the SEC refs are really YMCA
wannabes just brought up from the Ivy
League.
The bottom line is, Saturday was
what the Gamecocks had been looking
for all season: a hard-fought, emotional
game to show they really did mean
business.
We sent our seniors out on a winning
note, but who's to say the team
couldn't go all the way, win the SEC
Tournament and make the Big Dance?
This season is not over yet.
All I'm asking is for USC to show
the nothing-to-lose-and-everything-togain
attitude that was present Saturday.
Just think, seniors, this could very
well be the last time you pull on that
jersey.
If you want it to end against a
bunch of Ole Miss rednecks, then so be
it.
However, if you want to win and
^ ,1 i <1 i i r n* j i
snow tne nation tne Kina 01 uinaereila
stories Valparaiso, Fairfield and Villanova
have shown in the past, the opportunity
is there.
All you guys have to do is give 150
percent, the one thing missing from
your past two NCAA berths.
I promise you a team with a little
talent and a lot of heart can go far in
this tournament, but you have to make
it happen.
You owe it to yourselves to accomplish
something besides 8-20.
Go for it.
^ou >
u
**j3^
CKB
^ 1^32
THE CAR<
SATURDAY
SPRIN
CAMC
FORT
SPECIAL F
1
USC tracl
continues
Track Review h
Special to The Gamecock
The USC 18
H men's and
women's track ^
and field squads n
left quite an impression
two p]
weeks ago at the
pionships. s(
cocks left
NIXON Gainesville, Fla.,
with several in- te
dividual conference titles and new S?
conference records.
Brad Snyder captured his fourth b(
straight SEC indoor shot put title,
throwing a distance of 65 7', a new tc
O'Connell Center record.
In the process, Snyder became the
first male and-second athlete to win
an event four consecutive years.
Snyder is in the company of
Olvmoic star Gwen Torrance, the on- sc
ly other person to accomplish the feat, al
"It's an honor to be named in the
same sentence with Gwen Torrance,"
Snyder said. w
"I feel really good going into na- ja
tionals now." ^
Winning the 35-pound toss was
Columbia native Bert Sorin.
Sorin, a former walk-on at USC,
threw 72 1', a personal best by four
feet and a new SEC record by nearly T^
two feet. of
That throw beat out teammate *
Ryan Harrison, who led until that m
throw with a mark of 71 - 9 1/2.
"I've been every place but first at
SECs. To win it on mv last throw is
storybook," Sorin said.
Hurdler Terrence Trammell broke
his own SEC record in the 55-meter
Fi
Blue Devils
take ACC Tc
by Michael Strickland
Senior Writer fix
The granddaddy of all conference
tournaments, according to the late th
JimValvano, opens Thursday night N.
at the Charlotte Coliseum. lii
The 46th annual ACC Tourna- se
ment kicks off at 7 p.m., as'No. 7-seeded
Clemson faces eighth-seeded Florida
State. 011
This year, the only question is:
"Can anyone beat Duke?" So far, the de
answer has been a resounding "no."
Duke became the first ACC
Vil
team to go 16-0 during the regular
season since the conference's 1991 expansion
and is 31-1 in the league in
the past two seasons. stl
Its closest margins of victory Cc
this year in league play were an eight- wi
point win at Georgia Tech and a 10- an
point win at Wake Forest. All its other
wins were blowouts.
Duke is just 2-3 in tournament
play the past three seasons, howev- on
er, even losing as the top seed in the
first round in 1997. coi
Since their most recent title, in th
1992, the Blue Devils are 4-6 in the fo]
tournement.
This year, though, they seem ready
to avenge last year's postseason losses
to North Carolina and Kentucky. se'
Duke, who hasn't lost since Novemhpr
farps Virpinifl at 9 rvm TTmrs- 49
day. tie
Aside from Duke's dominance, this va
year's pairings offer several intriguing
matchups.
In possibly the most important en
game of the tournament, Wake For- na
est, the No. 4 seed, faces N.C. State
at noon Friday. er
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IGDALE RACE COUR
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6amccock ffports
c team
success To
urdles, with a time of 6.94 seconds.
His former record, which he set Thursday? Mar,
ist year, was 7.07.
Trammell's time was even more
lecial because it was the fastest time
jcorded in the world this year.
The run puts Trammel! in fourth
iace for the event worldwide. !tW j ic
Trammell also brought home the
5-meter dash championship with a - Wea
:hool-record time of 6.12.
"My goal last year was to win Game 1
le 55-meter hurdles and the 55-me;r
dash," the sophomore standout
lid- (Cr?)
"I have to thank God above for Easi
ith victories."
Sophomore Kylene Nixon, capired
the women's pole vault title derite
being a three-seed.
Her outdoor mark of 12 2' was ?
so a new SEC record.
"I was ranked third coming in here, ?am? 3 7.
11 knew I was going to have to re
ly fight," Nixon said.
"It's sweet-tasting victory." j&lrl
betting a personal best in tne ??
omen's 55 hurdles was junior Elkisha
Williamson, with a time of
69.
She also set the school record with
ir third-place finish.
In the men's pole vault, Pat
rarkunas placed second with a mark
17 3'- "W ?
"I am pleased with my perfor- v>uvD?Rmr.
ance," the junior said.
Michelle Fournier finished fourth
the women's shot put with a toss
it}1\ . ... Game 2 3:15
The Gamecocks will now compete
the NCAA Indoor Championships
"iday and Saturday.
Hi HI Wes1
look to 1M1
LSU
)urnement w
This will mark the Tobacco Road _ . _
Game 4 9:45
is' second meetmg this week, as the
jacs cruised to a 74-45 trouncing of
e 'Pack Sunday Winston-Salem,
n An NP!AA tnnrnampnt tiirl will
;ely go to the winner. The loser could
e its bubble burst.
North Carolina, seeded third, takes
t Georgia Tech at 7 p.m. Friday.
Tech was one of just four teams to
feat the Tar Heels this season.
While UNC has a postseason intation
locked up, the Jackets need I
run the tables to avoid the NIT.
This game should be marked by V
rong inside play, as Tech's Jason 9
illier and Alvin Jones must contend
th the Tar Heels' Brendan Haywood 9
id Kris Lang.
The winner of the Clemson-FloriState
game gets the task of taking
the two-seed Maryland Terrapins. 1
The Terrapins' Steve Francis and
mpany are poised to make a run for
eir third ACC title, and are hoping
r another shot at Duke.
Maryland hasn't won more than I
e game in the tournament since its
cond-ever title in 1984, however.
Overall, No. 1 seeds have won
' percent of ACC tournament ti- m n
is (22), while the No. 2 seed has pre- f i J
iled 10 times. A
Never has a team seeded fifth, sevth,
eighth or ninth won the tourKm
|
But this is the ACC, so you nev- ^j mm A
know.
k93.5f.m.
I E PARK H*
concert bali
he race:
IT FRIDAY Br
RACES
se'
3
;H 20
1999
lurnamen
ch 4 Friday, March 5
Western 1 '
item S
Game 5 1 p.m.
L p.m.
Eastern 2 ?ai
tem 6
Game 7 7:30 p.m. '
i p.m.
tem 3
1
ur
^ Eastern 1
em 5
Game 6 3:15 p.m.
p.m.
:ern 4 Game
Western 2
:em 6
Game 8 9:45 p.m.
p.m.
em 3
EEH
Page 7
SEC
t Bracket
Saturday, March 6 Sunday, March 7
ne 9 1 p.m.
Championship Game
Game 11 12:30 p.m. '
i
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. 5
1
10 3:15 p.m.
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