March 24, 1999
NEW YORK - Clemson is looking for its first postseason
championship in
60 years. California has been waiting 40 years.
On Thursday night, the drought will end for one of them when the Tigers
(20-14) and Golden Bears (21-11) play for the National Invitation Tournament
title at Madison Square Garden.
"It's significant for us to be in a tournament," California coach Ben
Braun said Wednesday. "This team takes pride in its performance and wants to
go out on a winning note."
So does Clemson.
"Even though we didn't make the NCAA tournament, we got selected for the
NIT and decided we would try to go out there and win it," Tigers guard Terrell
McIntyre said.
In Tuesday night's semifinals, Clemson held off a furious comeback by
Xavier
and won 79-76 despite blowing s 24-point lead with under 15 minutes to play.
California had an easier time as Michael Gill scored 17 of his
career-high
22 points in the first nine minutes of the second half and the Golden Bears
beat Pac-10 rival Oregon 85-69.
The NIT may be perceived as loser's event, but the finalists certainly
don't
see it that way. A win would be a fitting sendoff for the seniors as well as
provide a building block for next season.
"We're feeling confident right now," Clemson first-year coach Larry
Shyatt
said. "Our older players don't want it to end and the younger players are
enjoying the ride."
For California, there's an even bigger reward for senior starters
Francisco
Elson, Thomas Kilgore, Geno Carlisle and Gill. The foursome came to Cal two
years ago knowing the school was facing NCAA sanctions.
"I'm really happy for them," Braun said. "They came to our program and
they came at a tough time. Now they have an opportunity to go out winners.
This
tournament is very important to our program and players."
Two years ago, the Golden Bears reached the final 16 of the NCAA
tournament,
but were banned from postseason play last year for an alleged illegal payment
by former coach Todd Bozeman's staff to a recruit.
Not one of California's current players had played in a postseason game
before this season.
After California avenged two regular-season losses to Oregon, Elson said:
"We did not want to go out with a loss. We wanted to win the championship. We
want to keep playing for something. We didn't want to finish third or fourth.
We just wanted to win."
Clemson may have finished 5-11 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but
winning
the NIT would ease the pain of an inconsistent season.
"Throughout the season we weren't having as much fun as we did our first
three years, and that showed in our play," McIntyre, the 5-foot-9 senior who
scored 20 points against Xavier. "We just want to go out and have fun and
that's what we're doing."
Clemson's only postseason title came 60 years ago when the Tigers won the
Southern Conference; California won the NCAA tournament in 1959.
Xavier (24-11) plays Oregon (19-12) for third place before the NIT title
game.
By RICHARD ROSENBLATT
AP Sports Writer
