With the likely elimination of the strict championship game rules, the table is set for the ACC to go way out of its way to make football more competitive. In fact, one option is to go to three divisions. From there, the two best teams could play for the ACC Championship. The Confidential loves this idea. First, it paves the way for ND football to be more intertwined with ACC football. Second, it increases the likelihood that the two best ACC teams play for the right to move on to the playoffs. Here are the Confidential’s other thoughts…
As a Syracuse fan and now an ACC fan, I have always had a loyalty to Jim Boeheim and a healthy degree of healthy, spirited dislike for Coach K and Duke. I am not saying that Duke is not a great program. I would be hard-pressed to make an argument that any other coach in college basketball is superior to Coach K. 1,000 wins and (now) five championships speak for themselves. Still, to me, Duke is the New York Yankees of college basketball… when you meet a non-alum fan living outside the region, you cannot help but think “fair weather.” And it is beyond debate that Duke seemingly “gets the calls” as much as any team in any sport. Somewhere along the way, Dick Vitale converted from a basketball knowledge savant to a Coach K agent and Duke promoter, which grew intolerable. So, if any praise for Duke and Coach K comes from this writer, it is a brand new feeling. But here it goes… props to Coach K and Duke for the national championship this year.
Although there is one more game to play, Gross Misconduct has an insurmountable lead and will win the contest. If Wisconsin wins tonight, he will get 21 more points. If Duke wins, the entrants with Duke winning cannot catch him. So congrats to M Caffrey–Gross Misconduct–on winning the bracket contest & prize. And thanks to all that entered….
Update: As you may recall, we are trying to decide the active coaching Mount Rushmore (see below or click here). So far, we have selected Coach K, Tom Izzo, and Rick Pitino. We need help deciding the fourth member of the group. We have had good arguments for Jim Boeheim, John Calipari, Billy Donovan, and Roy Williams. We will decide via the following poll. As they say in Chicago, vote early and often… ha ha ha. Thanks in advance.
Thanks again!
Original article:
In the past, the Confidential had some fun with Mount Rushmores for each ACC school. We picked three spots and let fans pick the 4th spot. Today, the focus is on college basketball as a whole–specifically, the active coaches. It should be pretty easy to guess a few of the names, but rounding out the 4th (and eliminating the others in the process) may be difficult. In any event, here is the list… you can vote on who gets #4.
The first spot… Coach K.
There is no need to reinvent the wheel here. This is how we described him over a year ago:
If it needs to be explained, you haven’t been following sports since Jimmy Carter was running the country. You want longevity? 30+ years at Duke. You want success? The most wins of any mens’ basketball coach ever. You want national titles? How about four of them for Duke in his tenure. Throw in some gold medals and the absence of serious controversy, and you’ve got yourself one of the easiest Mount Rushmore spots ever.
This applies to active basketball coaching as well. More recently, he is now over 1,000 wins and is back in the running for another national title.
The second spot… Tom Izzo.
Sure, this is a bit knee-jerk. But Izzo just took a 7-seed to the Final Four. “Only” one national championship, but how about seven Final Fours in 20 years of coaching. And 9 Elite Eights and 13 Sweet Sixteens. Other than Coach K, who else has that kind of resume?
Well, maybe the next guy. The third spot… Rick Pitino.
Pitino has two championships, one with Kentucky and one with Louisville. Pitino also has seven Final Fours, including one with Providence. Like Izzo, there is a sense (well-founded) that Louisville will be a better team in March than December.
The fourth spot? The Confidential will leave this to you. Here are some names to consider voting for the 4th spot:
Jim Boeheim
Roy Williams
John Calipari
Billy Donovan
Bill Self
Thad Matta
Bob Huggins
Anyone else?
Anyway, let us know who deserves the 4th spot and why…
In the past, the Confidential had some fun with Mount Rushmores for each ACC school. We picked three spots and let fans pick the 4th spot. Today, the focus is on college basketball as a whole–specifically, the active coaches. It should be pretty easy to guess a few of the names, but rounding out the 4th (and eliminating the others in the process) may be difficult. In any event, here is the list… you can vote on who gets #4.
While most folks are concentrating on March Madness, the Syracuse Orange faithful have turned to mens lacrosse–where, other than perhaps Johns Hopkins–nobody has more tradition. But recent years have been fairly lean for the Orange. 2015, however, is off to a great start. So a lot of eyes were on yesterday’s matchup between the Orange and the two-time reigning champion Duke Blue Devils. And Syracuse dominated, winning 19-7 over #4 Duke in the Carrier Dome.
The Confidential 