Key matchup:
Ricky Moore set to battle William Avery

By BOB HARIG

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 29, 1999

Tonight: 9:18, CBS-TV and Radio The Game Tonight's championship pairs the only two schools to hold the top ranking in the 1998-99 college basketball season. Story Gary Shelton On the brink of greatness Hubert Mizell Calhoun a winner with, without title Championship Q&A with Dick Vitale Basking in the Glow Five keys to victory for Duke Duke starters Duke reserves Duke coach Huskies' keys to the game UConn starters UConn reserves UConn coach More coverage Brand focused on title Moore and Avery: back to school Pollsters on target with Duke, UConn Hamilton keeps faith in Huskies, himself Matchups Key matchup: Ricky Moore set to battle William Avery Riots follow Michigan St. loss Today's Final Four Sports Calendar Press Picks Celebrity picks Duke spins Burton's cylinders The Scene Day Off, Party On Fans soak up the sun, sights, tunes and yes, hoops, on Sunday. Final Four planner gets rave review Bars and restaurants hustle for business Fans leave mounds of trash in their wake Volunteers drive Four success Private planes clog airports for games March madness extends to beaches Teams' losses don't rain on a sunny day Final 4 calendar Area, dome get little national press

They will not be pitted against one another on every possession, simply because of the versatility of the players on both teams. But when Connecticut's Ricky Moore picks up Duke's William Avery, the matchup promises to be special for several reasons.

Moore is considered one of the best defensive players in the country, often charged with shutting down the opponent's best perimeter player.

Avery is Duke's point guard, the team's third-highest scorer and the player who sets the pace for the game. Elton Brand may be a force underneath and Trajan Langdon may fire from the outside, but it is Avery who often gets them the ball.

Adding intrigue is the fact that Moore and Avery were high school teammates and friends in Augusta, Ga.

"It was memorable competing against him every day," Moore said. "I always wanted to compete and didn't want to play against other players in practice as much as I did him, because I knew that would make us a better team."

Moore is two years older than Avery, who is hoping to display to his friend the talents Moore helped nurture.

"I want to show him that I'm as good if not better," Avery said. "I've never competed against Ricky in an organized game before, so it's going to be different. The last time we were playing in a championship game we were in the same locker room. It's going to be strange."

Moore is not the scorer Avery is, averaging 6.6 points. But he has nearly as many assists as point guard Khalid El-Amin, and his defensive performances have been legendary. He held Michigan State's Mateen Cleaves to 2-for-15 shooting in December and Gonzaga's Matt Santangelo to 1-for-9 shooting in the West Region final. He limited Ohio State guard Scoonie Penn to 11 on 3-for-13 shooting Saturday.

Stopping Avery is an important component in beating Duke. He is the team's only true point guard. He averages 15 points and five assists, although he had no assists in the victory over Michigan State.

But there is no guarantee Moore will be guarding him tonight. The matchups remain a mystery, as neither coach Sunday was willing to offer up who will guard whom.

"All of our perimeter players will have to be ready to play all of their perimeter players because of how quick they take the ball from the defensive end to the offensive end," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "As a result, you might not have set matchups. You get back, and then it's who's there?"

"We'll rotate, as we have in the past, based upon situations," UConn coach Jim Calhoun said. "Duke is not a very, very difficult team to prepare for. They're just a difficult team to play."