NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT : MIDWEST REGIONAL : 3 Years Later, Valvano’s ‘Pack Is Back

Who can ever forget the mad, mad scene of Jim Valvano running onto the court and trying to find someone to hug in the chaos that followed the championship game of the 1983 NCAA basketball tournament.

It was an improbable ending to the tournament for Valvano’s North Carolina State team, which had escaped from seemingly certain defeat time and again, then won once more on a stuff shot at the buzzer.

North Carolina State’s stunning victory over favored Houston was a nice, schmaltzy piece of tournament history. Let it rest.

But Valvano and his Wolfpack are back again, winning in the same manner as in 1983. North Carolina State beat Iowa in a first-round game of the Midwest Regional, 66-64, and then got to the semifinals with an 80-66 double-overtime victory over Arkansas Little Rock.

What’s going on here? Surely, Valvano, the ebullient New York Italian, can’t match the run he made with his team in 1983.

His luck will most surely run out at Kemper Arena, which is a Big Eight stronghold, this weekend. Won’t it?

That’s the way it looks. If North Carolina State beats Iowa State tonight, it will most likely play Kansas Sunday and all this nonsense will come to an end. Kansas is heavily favored to beat Michigan State in the other semifinal game on its way to the Final Four.

Not only is Kansas the top-seeded team in the Midwest and ranked No. 2 in the final Associated Press poll, but its home base is only 40 miles away in Lawrence, Kan. Larry Brown’s team probably doesn’t need a home-court advantage, but it has it.

But is Valvano getting that old feeling? In 1983, his team beat Pepperdine in double overtime in the first round, then trailed Nevada Las Vegas for 39 minutes 57 seconds before winning.

“Other than the fact we’ve won with comebacks and one was a double-overtime win this year, I don’t have the same feeling as I did in ’83 because this team is so different,” Valvano said. “Our 1983 team was a perimeter-oriented team, short with good outside shooting, just like its coach.

“We handled the ball especially well. We didn’t have a power game but we were able to dictate tempo because we had good ballhandlers.

“This club is totally different. We’re big, powerful and stronger. Our shortest starter is 6-4. We’re inside-oriented and not a pretty team. Our ’83 team was good looking because it could pass and move. This team wins ugly. We pound it inside and go after it. We don’t have great speed and quickness. So in that regard it’s hard to get the same feel for this club as I did in ’83.

“But our student bookstore has printed up some shirts that say, ‘The Pack is Back, just like ‘83,’ that kind of stuff. So a lot of people are thinking that way.”

Valvano’s front line consists of 6-11 Chris Washburn, 6-10 Charles Shackleford and 6-7 Bennie Bolton. Washburn is a sophomore, but he’s practically a freshman in playing time because he played in only seven games last season and was suspended from the team for being involved in the theft of another student’s stereo. Shackleford is a freshman who missed the first six games with an injury. Bolton is a junior starting for the first time.

“We have two seniors, Nate McMillan and Ernie Myers, but neither are pure point guards,” Valvano said. “So we’ve got two out of position and two who haven’t really played. We don’t have what coaches like to call chemistry. But we’re winning anyway.

“Last year, I thought we had a team that could win it all with Spud Webb and Lorenzo Charles, but we lost in the West Regional finals to St. John’s. This year’s club is so young that I never imagined that we would be in this position.”

The Atlantic Coast Conference has every regional covered with North Carolina in the West, Duke in the East, Georgia Tech in the Southeast and North Carolina State in the Midwest.

The coaches in this regional are tournament tested, and all have been to the Final Four. Kansas’ Larry Brown and Iowa State’s Johnny Orr got there while coaching at UCLA and Michigan, respectively. Michigan State’s Jud Heathcote won in 1979 with Magic Johnson, and Valvano won in 1983.

Orr, not Valvano, could have the Cinderella team this year. His Cyclones beat Miami of Ohio in the first round on point guard Jeff Hornacek’s whirling jump shot at the buzzer, 81-79.

Then, Iowa State surprised fifth-ranked Michigan, 72-69, in the second round as Orr came back to haunt the school where he coached for 12 years.

“Our game with Iowa State is a classic matchup of speed vs. size,” Valvano said. “Iowa State is probably the quickest team we’ve met.”

Valvano said he is especially impressed by the Cyclones’ Jeff Grayer, a 6-5 sophomore forward, who is averaging 20.7 points a game.

“He is as exciting and talented a player as I’ve seen,” Valvano said.

Midwest Notes North Carolina State will play Iowa State at 4:37 p.m., PST, with Kansas meeting Michigan State at 7:10 p.m. . . . All the coaches here except Larry Brown concede that Kansas is the clear favorite. “Kansas appears to be a team without a weakness,” Jud Heathcote said. “We looked at films and tried to analyze what they can’t do. So far, I haven’t thought of a thing.” . . . Kansas is led by 6-11 forward Danny Manning, who is averaging 16.9 points a game and was the Big Eight player of the year. He is complemented by 7-1 center Greg Dreiling, who is averaging 11.6 points; 6-5 forward Ron Kellogg, 15.9, and guards Cedric Hunter, 9.3, and Calvin Thompson, 13.2. . . . Michigan State is the only Big Ten team left in the tournament. If it is stay around, it must get another outstanding performance from 6-1 guard Scott Skiles, who has been called the Larry Bird of college basketball. Skiles helped the Spartans beat Washington in the first round with two last-second free throws, 72-70. He got 31 points in that game and then scored 24--18 in the second half--in leading his team to an 80-68 victory over Georgetown in the second round.

MIDWEST REGIONAL AT A GLANCE

SITE--Kansas City, Mo.; SEMIFINALS--Today: North Carolina State (20-12) vs. Iowa State (22-10), 4:37 p.m. PST; Kansas (33-3) vs. Michigan State (23-7), 7:10 p.m. PST; FINAL--Sunday, 1:03 p.m. PST; TODAY’S TV--North Carolina State vs. Iowa State, ESPN, 4:30 p.m.

KANSAS (33-3) How qualified--Won Big Eight Conference tournament.

NCAA tournament record--26-16 in 16 appearances (champion in 1952).

1986 tournament record--Defeated North Carolina A&T;, 71-46; defeated Temple, 65-43.

Coach--Larry Brown.

Probable starters--Danny Manning, 6-11, 16.9 ppg; Ron Kellogg, 6-5, 16.7; Greg Dreiling, 7-1, 11.5; Calvin Thompson, 6-6, 13.5; Cedric Hunter, 6-0, 9.5.

Strengths--Can beat you outside with Kellogg and Thompson or inside with Manning and Dreiling. Jayhawks play aggressive man-to-man defense, with Kellogg usually drawing top scorer.

Weaknesses--Little depth, with only one player (Archie Marshall) and two warm bodies (Mark Turgeon, Chris Piper) on the bench.

Outlook--Pounded first two opponents. Now comes the first real test and an indication of how far this team can go. Cannot afford to turn passive. If anyone can quiet Scott Skiles of Michigan State, it may be Kansas.

MICHIGAN STATE (23-7) How qualified--At-large bid (Big Ten Conference).

NCAA tournament record--12-5 in 7 appearances (champion in 1979).

1986 tournament record--Defeated Washington, 72-70; defeated Georgetown, 80-68.

Coach--Jud Heathcote.

Probable starters--Barry Fordham 6-8, 2.3 ppg; Larry Polec, 6-8, 10.5; Scott Skiles, 6-1, 27.7; Darryl Johnson, 6-2, 16.8; Vernon Carr, 6-6, 13.6.

Strengths--Great scoring from Skiles. Team strikes off the break. Spartans shot 56 percent--third best in country and fourth best in NCAA history. Best in nation at free throws (81%).

Weaknesses--No center, goes with three-guard offense. Vulnerable up front.

Outlook--Beware a team that believes in itself--and has a few victories to show for it. Skiles’ ferocious confidence rubs off. There are believers everywhere after the Georgetown victory.

NORTH CAROLINA ST. (20-12) How qualified--At-large bid (Atlantic Coast Conference).

NCAA tournament record--23-11 in 13 appearances (champion in 1974, 1983).

1986 tournament record--Defeated Iowa, 66-64; defeated Arkansas Little Rock, 80-66 (ot).

Coach--Jim Valvano.

Probable starters--Bennie Bolton, 6-7, 7.7 ppg; Charles Shackleford, 6-9, 9.1; Chris Washburn, 6-11, 17.3; Nate McMillan, 6-5; 9.5; Ernie Myers, 6-5, 9.7.

Strengths--Solid front court. All five starters capable of striking on offense. Freshman guard Walker Lambiotte is valuable off the bench. Team always plays best against the best.

Weaknesses--Inconsistent backcourt. Team can play below par against weaker squads. Has lacked concentration.

Outlook--Echoes of Albuquerque? Wolfpack has beaten Nevada Las Vegas, Louisville and Kentucky, so it clearly can play. Made perilous escape against Arkansas Little Rock. Rallied in five of its six games in 1983 title season, but needs crisper game against Iowa State.

IOWA STATE (22-10) How qualified--At-large bid (Big Eight Conference).

NCAA tournament record--3-2 in 3 appearances.

1986 tournament record--Defeated Miami (Ohio), 81-79; defeated Michigan, 70-64.

Coach--Johnny Orr.

Probable starters--Jeff Grayer, 6-5, 21.2 ppg; Ron Virgil, 6-4, 7.6; Sam Hill, 6-9, 9.0; Jeff Hornacek, 6-3, 14.4; Gary Thompkins, 6-3, 9.0.

Strengths--Cyclones run and play solid man-to-man defense. Good bench led by 6-5 Elmer Robinson, 6-7 Tom Schafer and 6-9 David Moss.

Weaknesses--Little size, leaving Cyclones vulnerable on boards.

Outlook--Cyclones are carrying a lot more kick than expected. Must box out and crash the boards like mad against North CarolinaState. But if all goes well, this regional could turn into a Big Eight barn dance.