Camby

ATLANTA -- Carmelo Travieso started and tardy birthday celebrant Marcus Camby didn't, but every combination worked for Massachusetts last night, as the Minutemen coasted to a 79-63 victory over Arkansas in an NCAA East Regional semifinal.It was Late Night at the Georgia Dome, where a crowd of 34,614 was the largest ever to watch a game in this state. The second half didn't start until after midnight, but the suspense was over well before then, as top-seeded and top-ranked UMass scored the first 13 points, led 40-24 at the half and toyed with the young Razorbacks in the second half.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Central Florida knocked Marcus Camby down. They stepped on his midsection and scratched his face, but top-ranked Massachusetts overcame the woes of the leading candidate for Player of the Year and a first-half lapse, and pulled away to victory, 92-70.Camby had 17 rebounds and 14 points, but he missed 15 shots and needed four stitches on his forehead midway through the second half, courtesy of a misplaced swipe at the ball by Knights forward Reid Ketteler. Camby missed five minutes for the cut job and to change his bloody jersey, and his start wasn't so hot either, as he collapsed with just 2: 30 elapsed and writhed in pain for a minute.

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- If there was going to be a snow-filled pothole along the road to an undefeated regular season for the University of Massachusetts, this was going to be the time and place.Virginia Tech had been waiting for yesterday afternoon since it decided to move to the Atlantic 10 this season from the Metro Conference. The storm had forced the UMass itinerary to Plan B, a detour to Greensboro, N.C., late Thursday that disrupted the Minutemen's plans. A hostile crowd, a 10th-ranked opponent, a stressful trip.

PHILADELPHIA -- Maybe they'll fall at Virginia Tech in two weeks.Perhaps someone will knock them off in the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament.Or maybe nobody is going to beat Massachusetts, and the Minutemen are going to stay unbeaten right through the NCAA tournament.The nation's top-ranked team continued its perfection with a 59-35 victory over Temple at McGonigle Hall last night. Massachusetts (20-0, 8-0) handled its toughest road test of the season with aplomb, as the Minutemen crept to a 30-12 lead at the half and befuddled the Owls' offensive scheme.

BOSTON -- Physicians have apparently ruled out a seizure or other neurological disorder as the cause of star center Marcus Camby's collapse Sunday, and they were concentrating on tests of his heart and blood vessels in search of some elusive cardiovascular problem.Team doctor Daniel Clapp said the tests might include invasive procedures, such as angiography or snipping a piece of his heart muscle."We're still without an answer that's medically honest," Clapp said.

Dave Odom was there the last time."I remember sitting on the bench next to Terry Holland before the game, saying, 'I hope they both play well, but we win,' " Odom recalled this week. "In the first half, they tried to dunk everything. It wasn't a pretty sight."Odom, then an assistant at the University of Virginia, was talking about a showdown between Cavaliers All-American Ralph Sampson and Georgetown prodigy Patrick Ewing early in the 1982-83 season at the Capital Centre.Though the Cavaliers won, the Sampson-Ewing matchup didn't live up to its billing.

LANDOVER -- This was what Maryland wanted. Marcus Camby in first-half foul trouble, Massachusetts on its heels, a lead to nurse down the stretch.But that dream scheme turned into an afternoon nightmare when Maryland's 13-point second-half lead dissolved into a 50-47 loss to No. 5 UMass in the Franklin Bank Classic at USAir Arena yesterday.Consider it a painful reminder of what the Terps miss most with Joe Smith playing in the NBA this season."They just killed us on the offensive boards," Maryland guard Johnny Rhodes said of UMass' staggering 24 offensive rebounds.

Marcus Camby is to the University of Massachusetts what Joe Smith was to the University of Maryland a year ago. That is, an intimidator on defense, a finisher on offense, and Mr. Clutch in the game's critical moments.Camby put it all on display this week when he directed UMass' convincing 92-82 upset of No. 1 Kentucky at the Great Eight tournament in Auburn Hills, Mich.His performance was as remarkable for its dominance as its range. He scored 32 points -- often over double- and triple-team defenses -- rejected five shots and corralled nine rebounds.

AMHERST, Mass. -- The Towson State shock treatment in the preseason National Invitation Tournament ended abruptly last night.A bigger, quicker and deeper Massachusetts team dominated the Tigers in every phase of the game and brought them back to reality with an 82-55 romp before 9,122 at the Mullins Center.Towson was never in contention against the nation's 22nd-ranked team after the first few minutes, and the partisan fans -- sensing the hasty knockout -- were chanting "UNC . . . UNC" early in the second half of the lopsided matchup.