North Carolina State University Athletics
BACK TO '83: Whittenburg, Pack Fall Against Virginia, 88-80
1/12/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 12, 1983
BY TIM PEELER
He may have taken the 19th-ranked Wolfpack’s hopes for a more successful season with him.
Whittenburg, who scorched the Cavaliers for 27 points in the first half by making seven 3-pointers, went up for a jumper in the corner of the court at Reynolds Coliseum, but landed on the foot of Virginia point guard Othell Wilson.
He went down on the court, immediately knowing that he had suffered a serious injury, just as he had four years ago during his senior season at
Team doctor Don Reibel confirmed after the game that Whittenburg suffered a broken foot and could be lost for the season.
“With this type of injury, it’s going to be tough to get him back soon,” Reibel said. “These things tend to heel very slowly.”
When the 6-foot-1 guard departed, the Wolfpack was left without its best outside shooter and its fiery team leader, and the 16-point lead that had so entertained the howling, sell-out crowd of 12,400 slowly slipped away.
With 5:57 remaining, the Cavaliers took the lead and held on for a crazy final stretch that included a technical foul on NC State’s Alvin Battle for pushing Sampson with the game tied at 80-80 and eight consecutive Cavalier free throws in the final 3:04 to complete the comeback win.
“Certainly, the call could have gone either way,” Valvano said. “It was obvious to everyone that both players were fouling each other for 30 seconds before the call. The best thing would have been for an official to stop the game, tell them to cut it out and resume play. The call marred a great game.”
But from the moment Whittenburg, who was taken to
Sampson, the two-time All-America center for the Cavaliers, became even more dominant, finishing the game with 33 points and 21 rebounds. The Wolfpack team became more despondent, losing what had been as much as a 16-point lead in the first half.
“Ralph was absolutely awesome what else can you say?” Valvano said. “He deserves every accolade he receives.”
With Whittenburg out of the game, the Cavaliers were able to slow down Bailey with a tightly packed zone defense, without the threat of long-range shots. The Wolfpack was able to muster just nine field goals in 32 attempts, a 28.1 shooting percentage, and did not score a point in the game’s final four minutes and 49 seconds.
With the score tied at 80, the Wolfpack could not convert on three chances to retake the lead, as Lowe and Bailey missed jumpers and
“In the first half, we concentrated on stopping Whittenburg and Bailey and they still combined for 45 points between them,”
But the normally diplomatic Valvano uncharacteristically blamed the game officials for allowing the Cavaliers to overtake the Wolfpack, especially when
“I shouldn't say this, but there were some real questionable calls,” said Valvano, well aware that his counterpart,
Whittenburg was seemingly unstoppable in the first half, when he made seven of eight 3-point attempts to help the Wolfpack build a 50-34 advantage. His only negative was being slapped with a technical late in the first half that allowed
Whittenburg and
Stokes hit three consecutive free throws, and by halftime the Cavs closed the gap to 54-48.
“I thought on both technicals, all the players were very active in what was going on,” Valvano said. “A little warning to them would have made a lot of common sense. The calls could have gone either way, anybody could see that.
“I think the 3-point shot and the 30-second clock should determine the outcome of the game, not the fouls. It was a great game marred by the fouls that were called.”
Now, the Wolfpack must get ready to face the rest of the season without Whittenburg, beginning Saturday against Georgia Tech at Reynolds Coliseum.
“For us to lose Whittenburg, it is akin to them losing Sampson,” Valvano said. “We can’t lose a player of Dereck’s caliber for any period of time.”
The post-game lockerroom was somber, depressed and a little despondent over another close loss to a highly ranked team.
“We’ve lost some tough ones in my career here,” said senior point guard Sidney Lowe. “It seems like in my four years here, we can never win the big one, the one that cane get us started down the road. We always play well and never win.
“When we do, it’s gonna make a big difference. It’s coming it’s got to.”
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
