Chicago Tribune from Chicago, Illinois • 25

Chicago Tribune, Monday, March 20, 1989 Section 3 COLLEGE BASKETBALL i Elliott-led Arizona doesn't fool around 2 'SI ,1 AP Laserphoto Iowa's Wade Lookingbill and two other Chucky Brown during Sunday's game. N.C. Hawkeyes surround North Carolina State's State won 102-96 in double oVertTme. hi onrce's heroics carry By Bill Jauss Chicago Tribune BOISE, Idaho A poignant moment lingers from a weekend when Sean Elliott and his Arizona teammates breezed through the first two rounds of the NCAA West Regional. The No.

1-ranked Wildcats were far in front in a romp over Robert Morris when a substitute guard, getting some garbage time, tried a hot-dog blind flip behind his back when an ordinary pass would have sufficed. Coach Lute Olson rebuked the young sub, explaining that he did it "because we teach them to play the game right whether we're ahead by 60 or behind by 60 or tied." What his players do on the playground from April to September is their own business, Olson said. "But when they wear A-R-I-Z-O-N-A across their chest, they do things the -right way." The "Wildcats are doing things right, all right, especially the silky smooth 6-foot-8-inch Elliott Nevada-Las Vegas coach Jerry Tarkanian had good reason to shudder about the prospect of his Run-nin' Rebels' rematch Thursday with Arizona in the West Regional semifinals in Denver. Elliott singlehan-dedly beat UNLV in Tucson early this year when, Tarkanian said, "he played like he invented the game." Unlike other stars in this NCAA field, Elliott can beat an opponent either from the inside or the outside. He went 4 for 4 from three-point range in the first half when he scored 27 against Robert Morris.

Then on Saturday, with Clemson's trick defenses concentrating on his outside shooting, he took the ball inside and scored 26 points. Olson was asked if Elliott, like Danny Manning at Kansas last year, could take his team to the NCAA West rtegionsl title while he was surrounded by a rather mediocre cast "First of all, I liked some of the players Danny played with last year," Olson said. "Obviously, I like our players this year. We're better defensively than last year. "But this is Sean's team.

The situation is fairly similar to Kansas and Danny." Two of Elliott's "mediocre" teammates sparked the man-to-man defense that Olson felt triggered the rout of Clcmson. Forward Jay Buechler, a 6-6 banger, took 6-9 Dale Davis, who had scored 18 points in the second half against St Mary's, and held him to 2 points. And 6-2 soph Matt Muehlebach, Olson's fifth guard a year ago, took David Young, who nit five three-pointers against St. Mary's, and limited him to 2 points. Muehlebach, urged on by Elliott, who was double-teamed, scored 19 points.

"We call Muehlebach 'the Olson said. "His mental toughness is ferocious. He never lets up on defense." Arizona's other starters are talented, too. Anthony Cook, the 6-8 center, utilizes quickness and quick jumping to offset opponents with more muscle. And Olson said 5-1 1 Ken Lofton, from Washington High in East Chicago, "plays Eke seven men because he never stops moving." "We're not quite as experienced as last year," said Elliott, one of two returning starters from the team that reached the Final Four last year.

"But we can be better, a lot better, because we're so much better on N.C. State past Iowa East Regional By Skip Myslenski Chicago Tribune PROVIDENCE, R.I. His name is Rodney Monroe, and here's a bit of what he did Sunday while leading North Carolina State to a 102-96 double-overtime victory over Iowa. With 4 seconds remaining in regulation and his team down by 2, he knifed to the right baseline and nailed a 12-footer over the Hawkeyes' B.J. Armstrong and Matt Bullard.

"A tough shot. He deserves a lot of credit," Armstrong said. Then, again with 4 seconds remaining and his team down by 2 in the first overtime, Monroe wheeled to the left baseline and buried a 15-footer over Armstrong and Brian Garner. "I've never seen anyone shoot like that. He scored almost at will, Iowa guard Roy Marble said.

Finally, in the second overtime, Monroe scored 9 of the Wolfpack's first 1 1 points, and 11 of the 17 they scored in those last five minutes. "He's a true scoring guard, and he was certainly the story today, Hawkeye coach Tom Davis said. "We knew where they were going everytime they needed a basket, and we still couldn't stop him. That's the sign of a great player." "We've come to expect this type of performance from Rodney," said N.C. State coach Jim Valvano.

"He's the type of player when the ball leaves his hand, I expect it to go in. I get angry when he misses. He's got the true shooter's mentality. He feels hot when he wakes up in the morning." On this Sunday, he was hot enough to score a career-high 40 points, but it was all of the Wolfpack players who put the heat on Iowa at the very start. A box-and-one, a 1-3 zone with a chaser and other junk defenses were containing Armstrong while State, as they say, was shooting the lights out With the score 7-6 just 2:29 into the game, the Wolfpack went on a seven-minute spree, scoring 18 straight points, to open a 2S-6 lead.

"We looked a step slow," Davis said. "Some of our guys, not the seniors, tightened up. It was largely a matter of our inexperience." But with his team deep in a hole, Davis' experienced Hawkeyes rose to the occasion. First it was Marble, who would finish with 24 points. He hit three baskets and a three-pointer, and that helped close the gap to 16.

Then it was Armstrong (20 points) and forward Ed Horton (a career-high 32 points and 12 rebounds). They combined to score Iowa's next 16 points, and now it was within eight, The Hawkeyes had pulled out of the zone the Wolfpack had riddled at game's start, and their press and man-to-man defense was disrupting State. It committed three straight turnovers, and a Marble layup off a steal pulled Iowa even at 37 with 1:48 remaining in the half, which ended with the teams tied at 41. Then came a second half memorable for its ferocity. An early burst keyed by Monroe put State up by 6, but Iowa rallied behind Horton to tie it at SI.

An Armstrong three-pointer put the Hawkeyes up by 3, but State rallied behind Monroe to tie it at 56. It was tied at 58, 60, 62, 64 and once again at 73 when Monroe hit a foul-line jumper with 1:07 left in the game. Forty-six seconds later, State fouled Gamer, and then called time to try to ice the freshman from Milwaukee. "We said in the huddle that if he makes them, it's okay. Rodney will tie it for us," said "That's how confident we were in him today." Garner, a 42-percent free-throw shooter, did make them, and that set the stage for the first of Monroe's miracles.

Then, after Marble and Horton combined to give the Hawkeyes an 83-81 lead late in the first overtime, came another Monroe miracle. Finally, in the second overtime, he changed his modus, blitzed Iowa early and allowed State to breeze home. "When I made my first basket, I knew I was in the groove," Monroe said. "You want to know how good a groove he was in?" said Marble. "I took his arm off on a shot one time, and it still went in.

When I saw that 1 ill SI "I AP Laserphoto North Carolina State coach Jim Valvano' likes what he sees during the first half of the Wolfpack's double-overtime win. just thought, 'Awww, NORTH CAROLINA STATE 102)-Hcward 8-12 00 16, Brown 5-7 3-4 14, Lester 4-7 2-2 10, CorohtarH 6-6 4- 16, Monroe 13-21 10-11 40, Weems 1-1 00 2, D'Amloo 0-1 0-0 0, Hainan! 0-0 4-4 4, Lee 00 00 0. 36-57 23-27 102. IOWA (96) Horton 13-22 6-8 32, Bullard 2-9 4-4 8, Jepsen 2-3 00 4, Armstrong 7-13 4-4 20, Marble 10-23 2-3 24, Mooes 0-4 00 0, Gamer 0-0 2-2 2, Looklngbil 2-2 2-2 6. 36-76 20-21 86.

Halftime Iowa 41, N.C, Slate 41. Regutatlon low 78, N.C.ir3I 75. First overtime Iowa 83, N.C. State 63. Three-point ooale-ROi I State 7-13 (Monroe 4-10, CorcWanl 2-2, Brown 1-1), Iowa 4-13 (Ann-, strong 2-4, Marble 2-5, Horton Ol, Bullard 03).

Fouled out Browmi Rebounds N.C. State 27 (Lester 9), Iowa 36 (Horton 12). AaaistB-r-NjSA, State 19 (CorchlanJ 10), Iowa 22 (Armstrong, Garner 6). Total touts-r-Nff- Stale 20. Iowa 22.

A 12,106. Vxl De Paul adds maturity, talent for bright future AP Laserphoto UCLA's Darrin Dafney and North Carolina's King Rice go after a loose ball during Sunday's game. North Carolina won 88-81. Win over UCLA makes a point for N. Carolina veterans who were contenders to start before injuries sidelined them for the season.

And De Paul has signed two excellent recruits 6-7 Deryl Cunningham of St Joseph High School in Westchester and 6-2 point guard B.J. Tyler of state champion Lincoln High in Port Arthur, Tex. Tyler could solve the problem at a position that gave the Demons the most trouble this year. Meyer will open next season with two major tasks: (1) try to replace the scoring, rebounding and leadership of Greene and Brandy, and (2) develop a starring lineup out of several good players who appear to have skills suited for a platoon By Bill Jauss Chicago Tribune BOISE, Idaho De Paul had a lot of reasons to feel good about this season and the future despite being run out of the NCAA tournament Saturday by Nevada-Las Vegas. Senior co-captain Terence.

Greene, after his 29-point farewell performance in the 85-70 defeat, best summarized De Paul's 21-12 season when he called his teammates "overachievers." "We overachieved all season," Greene said. "People didnt expect much of us, and when we were 10-9 in the middle of the season, I don't think anybody thought we Meyer operated a type of platoon system at three positions late in the season. At center, Hamby represented defense, while Howard was the shooter. Booth, a scorer who cannot be denied, shared a forward spot with Price, a tough defensive man. Murphy ran a smoother offense from the point than Foster, who was more athletic and more active on defense.

Could Meyer have "too many" good players next year? Nine returnees plus Holland, Heppner, Cunningham and Tyler add up to 13, and as many as 11 are potential starters, It's a problem most coaches would love to have. had a chance to make the tournament "We didn't have much experience. Stan Brandy and I were the only ones who had played. But these kids grew up fast Greene referred to five first-year players who helped the Demons win 11 of their last 14 games: David Booth, Curtis Price, Stephen Howard, Melvon Foster and Chuckie Murphy. All are expected back next year.

So are 7-foot-l-inch James Hamby, who developed into a defensive force late in the season, and Brad Niemann, the team's best three-point shooter. Coach Joey Meyer also expects to have back a healthy Kevin Holland and Bill Heppner, two 6-8 -it Nebraska waiting for 2d shot at Ohio Sis HIT From Chicago Trlbunt wtre ATLANTA North Carolina advanced to the semifinals of the Southeast Regional and produced its own little morality play at the same time Sunday. The Tar Heel players, suspended their biggest star Saturday and then proceeded to outlast UCLA 88-81 Sunday. The victory, achieved without junior J.R. Reid, lifts the Tar Heels (29-7) into the "Sweet 16." They will face Michigan Thursday at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.

The Tar Heels looked to senior swing man Steve Bucknall down the stretch, with UCLA frantically fouling and North Carolina clinging to a three- to six-point lead. And Bucknall took over, hitting 7 of 8 free throws to protect the victory. Reid was suspended for one game for missing 1 am. curfew by several minutes. "Coach Dean Smith gave us seniors the decision," Bucknall said.

"The seniors made the rule at the beginning of the season, and we're not gonna change it now just because it was J.R. Reid." It was pointed out to Bucknall that Reid's absence could have cost the Tar Heels a crack at the national title. "If we had lost, we would have gone on about our lives knowing we had made the right decision," Bucknall said. Without Reid, the Tar Heels faced a UCLA team they had dismantled 104-78 Dec 17 in Chapel HilL The Bruins have improved rapidly since then and were bent on revenge. In the first half, it appeared they might get it, With North Carolina shooting poorly against UCLA's 2-3 zone, the Bruins took a 52-44 halftime lead.

At that pint, UCLA (21-10) was shooting 64.3 percent "We were playing terrible basket- ball; we had madeibout 20 bad de- Southeast Regional cisions," Bucknall said. "But in the locker room at halftime, we put our hands together, and that seemed to help. In the second half, we made maybe one or two bad decisions." The Tar Heels became more patient on offense, looking for the pass inside instead of launching the three-pointer. "They started pounding the ball inside," said UCLA point guard Jerome "Pooh" Richardson. In Reid's absence, 6-foot-4-inch Kevin Madden moved back to the low post, where he played while Reid was hurt in the season's first nine games.

He was successful again, using his quickness and leaping ability to score 22 points. Richardson, Don MacLean and Trevor Wilson were 14 of 21 from the floor in the first half. In the second half, they were 4 of 18. Wilson finished with 21 points. "They defended us well in the second half; their defense picked up dramatically," Richardson said.

"They extended it more so we couldn't get the open three-pointers." UCLA hung within a point until Scott Williams scored with 4:06 left, making it 78-75. Next time down, Bucknall added two free throws, and the Bruins got no closer than three the rest of the way. UCLA (1)-Wltion B-13 t-1S 21, MacLean 7-13 24 16, Walker 3-4 17, Martin 2-6 04 4, Richardson s-13 1-4 14, RocheHn 3-4 0-0 7. Owana 1-1 0-0 2. 29-56 16-27 61.

NORTH CAROLINA (66) Bucknall 6-10 7-6 16, Fox 6-12 6-6 16, William 6-7 2-3 14, Ubo 4-6 1-3 12, RIM 1-6 OO 3, Maddsn 6-13 6-10 22, ChUoutt 0-0 0-0 0, Davit 0-2 0-0 0, Danny 0-0 0-0 0. 30-66 21-30 68. Halttlma UCLA 62, Norm Carolina 44. Thtoa-potnt Roala UCLA 6-16 (Walkar 4-7, Richardson 3-6, ocrnim 1-2, Martin 0-2), North Carolina 7-23 (Labo 3-6, BucKnaH 2-6, Fox 1-3, Rice 1-4, Davit 02)! Fouled out MacLean. Rebounds UCLA 33 (Wilson 6), North Carolina 37 (Williams, Madden, Cniloitl 8) Assists UCLA 16 (Richardson 6), North Carolina 22 (Bucknall 11).

Total toula UCLA 24, North Carolina 21. A (12,621. power rating is awefully high, and we know they were on the bubble for the NCAA tournament. The path for Grawer hasn't been easy. He took over the Billikens' program seven years ago and had to struggle with tough losses and player conflicts before building the team into a contender.

"That first season, we won five games and finished the season with six players," he recalled. "I threw everybody off the team who didnt want to conform. 1 knew it was just survival. After that year, I thought it would take me to the year 2000 to reach the .500 mark." But St. Louis responded quickly.

It has won 81 games the last four seasons. "When you think about it, there are 294 Division 1 schools, and by Monday night, 16 will be left in the NCAA and 16. in the NIT," Grawer said. "Thank God we're one of them. That says something." Wisconsin also has discovered new success after struggling under coach Steve Yodcr.

The Badgers are playing in their first postseason tournament in 42 years. Wisconsin sophomore Simms also is looking for respeft Simms, whose erratic play early Hi' the season earned him a spot' b'n'J the bench, has matured quickly and become a new offensive weajHi' on. "I guess I'm playing the wayl'i playing because I'm trying to taKei; more responsibility," Simms "I'm just giving everyone a sneak preview of the next two years." 5 i The Wichita State-Michigan; i State also might be a preview -of' sorts. Shockers coach Eddie Foder' has been rumored as a for the Michigan job. "At this time of the year, gopd; young coaches, the Foglere, Pete Gillens, the Jim Crews, tha Mike Deanes, are rumored, for every job that opens up," jahf Spartan coach Jud Hcathcoto.

'-'I don't think it's a distraction at All a coach has to do is assure his players that he's staying. Then, when the season's over, he may look around." Foglcr, in his third year with the Shockers, refuses to talk about the possibility of moving to Ann Arbcf. From Chicago Tribune wires Nebraska gets a chance to get even Monday when the Comhuskcrs take their team and a rather distasteful memory to Columbus, Ohio, for a second-round National Invitation Tournament game against Ohio State. Last time the teams met, on Dec. 14, Ohio State won 103-76, but that was with a healthy Jay Burson, who injured his neck six weeks ago and is out for the season.

The Buckeyes lost eight in a row going into the NIT until they whipped Akron 81-70 Wednesday. "I'm sure Nebraska wants to play us again," Ohio State coach Gary Williams said. Nebraska won its first-round game Thursday, beating Arkansas State 81-79 after blowing a 17-point lead. "Wc need to play better defense against them this time," said Nebraska forward Dapreis Owens, an Ohio native. "This is a second chance for us." Owens played in St.

John Arena during the state tournament in March, 198S, as a freshman at Mansfield Senior High School. I "Wc have to be much more in- tense and just be at the top of our game," Owens said. "It's really unfortunate for them that they lost Jay Burson, but I feel like they're still a good team." Five other games are scheduled Monday: St. Louis at Wisconsin, Wichita State at Michigan State, Alabama-Birmingham at Richmond, California at Connecticut and Penn State at Villanova. Two second-round games Tuesday have Oklahoma State at St.

John's and Pepperdine at New Mexico. St. Louis coach Rich Grawer is hoping a good showing against Wisconsin will help his team get a few Big 10 schools on his regular-season schedule. "We've tried to get a homc-and-home series with Wisconsin but haven't been able to," Grawer said. "Purdue is going to play us home-and-home the next two years, and we appreciate coach Gene Keady doing that.

"Our kids are excited about playing Wisconsin. We know their.