Three weekends ago, after his Virginia Tech team beat Cal at Haas Pavilion, coach Mike Young groaned a bit about the challenging coast-to-coast travel that is part of the new Atlantic Coast Conference.
Then he chuckled when reminded the Hokies only have one cross-country journey this season while Cal and Stanford each have four such treks, plus this week’s flight to Dallas to play SMU.
“This travel can wear players down,” Cal coach Mark Madsen said. “I know if I’m tired and I don’t have to play a single minute, I know the players are feeling tired.”
The ACC’s two Bay Area newcomers already have made two cross-country flights and they will travel to play Duke and Georgia Tech in two weeks, before one more trip the first week of March.
So, how is it going for the league’s weary travelers? It’s a small sample size, but teams crossing the country in either direction for ACC matchups are just 3-13 so far.
Stanford is 4-0 at home in conference play, but 1-3 on the road, aside from its Dec. 7 victory at Cal. “And it took a buzzer-beater,” Cardinal coach Kyle Smith said of the 72-71 win at North Carolina on Jaylen Blakes’ game-winning shot with 1.5 seconds left.
Cal is 3-2 at home (including the Stanford defeat), just 1-3 on the road.
The first four ACC teams asked to travel west — Virginia Tech, Virginia Florida State and Miami — went 1-7 in the Bay Area.
Smith said Stanford had a better idea of what to expect on its second road trip but didn’t change much. “I just think we’re (now) more comfortable with the travel,” he said. “Trying to keep things as routine as possible is good.”
Madsen, who played or coached in the NBA for 15 years, said this travel schedule has a familiar feel but with a twist.
“The only difference is in the NBA when you go east, typically you have five or six games on the East Coast,” he said. “We’re going back and forth every (other) week, so in some ways it’s more challenging than an NBA schedule.”
Madsen’s suggestions for the ACC schedule-makers going forward include tipping off the Saturday road games at mid-day or early afternoon. The Bears played an 8:30 p.m. ET game at Clemson on Jan. 4 and players weren’t in bed back home until Sunday at 6:30 a.m.
He also would love to see each trip east include four games, perhaps even six, in order to reduce the frequency of travel. That idea, Madsen guesses, will never fly with rival ACC schools.
But he’s adamant that Cal and Stanford should get two road trips over the first three weeks of the schedule each season — while in semester break — to minimize the impact of travel on academics.
“This one should always be able to be done,” he said.
Gaels, Zags resume rivalry
Saint Mary’s (18-3, 8-0 WCC) and Gonzaga (15-6, 6-2) meet for the first time this season on Saturday night (8 p.m. on ESPN) at Moraga in what is the 64th coaching clash between the Gaels’ Randy Bennett and the Zags’ Mark Few.
Few’s teams have a 48-15 edge in the series dating back to the 2001-02 season, but the rivals have split the past eight games with Saint Mary’s winning two of three last year, including the conference tournament title game.
Viewed another way: No other current member of the WCC has beaten a Few-coached Gonzaga team more than four times over the past 24 seasons. The game is a sellout.
Wilkinson keeping good company
Jeremiah Wilkinson was named ACC co-Rookie of the Week after his 30-point performance in Cal’s 98-94 overtime win over Miami. Wilkinson became just the sixth Cal freshman to score 30 points in a game, joining Amit Tamir, who set the program’s frosh record with 39 against Oregon in 2001-02, and Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who reached the 30-point milestone four times in 1995-96.
Another Top 25 duel
Cal’s women (18-3, 6-2 ACC) climbed three spots to No. 19 in this week’s AP Top 25 heading into their home game Thursday against No. 15 North Carolina (18-4, 6-3). This will be the fourth matchup against a ranked opponent for the Bears, who beat Alabama and North Carolina State but lost at Duke. Tipoff is 7 p.m.