The Confidential

The ACC Sports Blog

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21 Apr 2012

2012 ACC Men’s Lacrosse Championship Game Set

The Championship Game for the 2012 ACC Men’s Lacrosse Championship is now set.  Following Friday’s two semifinal games, Duke will be playing North Carolina for the Championship.

In the 2-3 game between North Carolina and Virginia, the Cavaliers continued their late season swoon by falling to the Tar Heels, 11-9.  The game was a see-saw affair for the first three quarters, as neither team was able to mount a lead of more than 1 goal.  However, once North Carolina got to a 7-6 lead, it never trailed again.    Attackman Marcus Holman was the leading goal scorer for North Carolina with three goals, while Joey Sankey added five points with two goals and three assists.  Steele Stanwick of Virginia scored 7 points to lead the Cavaliers.  For North Carolina, it was its first win over Virginia since 2004.

In the other semifinal game, red-hot Duke defeated suddenly surging Maryland 6-5.  The low scoring affair was close throughout.  Duke did have a 6-4 lead, before allowing Maryland to get within one goal.  And then Maryland had a few opportunities in the final minutes to tie, before ultimately falling short.  Duke’s Josh Dionne was a star for the Blue Devils with a hat trick.  In the end, Duke protects its number 1 seed and will move on to Sunday’s Championship game against rival North Carolina.

Championship Game details:  Duke v North Carolina.  3 p.m.  The game will be televised on ESPNU and ESPN3.  Good luck to both teams.

 

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Game Review, Lacrosse and tagged , , , , , , ,
20 Apr 2012

ACC Lacrosse Weekly Report 8, April 20, 2012

The ACC Lacrosse season continues to progress…

News/Rankings:

The big news this week was Duke defeating Virginia 13-5.  Duke has been on a roll, so a win over Virginia would not have been entirely shocking.  But to win by 8 goals?  NOBODY saw that coming.

With all the losses, Loyola of Maryland and Massachusetts are atop the standings right now.  Both teams are undefeated.

The Inside Lacrosse poll has Duke at #5, with no first place votes.  Virginia is #6, Maryland is #8, North Carolina is #9, and Syracuse is #14.

In the USILA Coaches Poll, Virginia is #4 with 4 of the 0 first place votes.  Duke is #7, Maryland is #8, North Carolina is #9, and Syracuse is #15.

Recent Scores:

Tuesday, April 10, 2012:

Cornell 12-Syracuse 6, Recap

Friday, April 13, 2012:

Duke 13-Virginia 5, Recap

Saturday, April 14, 2012:

Syracuse 19-Rutgers 6, Recap

North Carolina 12-Hofstra 9, Recap

Maryland 9-Johns Hopkins 6, Recap

Tuesday, April 17, 2012:

Syracuse 13-Hobart 12, Recap

Upcoming Games:

The 2012 ACC Men’s Lacrosse Championship Tournament:

Friday, April 20, 2012 (semifinals)

#4 Maryland v #1 Duke, 5:00 p.m.

#3 North Carolina v #2 Virginia, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Championship, 3:00 p.m.

Other Games:

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Georgetown @ Syracuse, 3 p.m.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Maryland @ Mount Saint Mary’s, 7:00 p.m.

 

Records:

Virginia 10-2 (2-1 in conference).

Duke 11-3 (2-1 in conference)

North Carolina 9-4 (1-2 in conference)

Maryland 7-3 (1-2 in conference)

Syracuse 7-5

 

The Confidential’s ACC Lacrosse Rankings:

1.  Duke (11-3).  After a tough start, Duke has rebounded and dominated Virginia.

2.  Virginia (10-2).  After a great start, Virginia is fading a bit.  Collapsed against Duke.

3.  North Carolina (9-4).  With a win over Maryland and more wins, North Carolina gets the edge.

4.  Maryland (7-3).  Maryland has an extra few games to show it deserves an upgrade.

5.  Syracuse (7-5).  Too many losses.  And not enough impressive wins.

If you have any comments on the ACC Lacrosse season or this entry, please feel free to share!

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Lacrosse and tagged , , , , , , , ,
09 Apr 2012

Boston College Wins Hockey National Championship

The Confidential does not cover many sports outside of football, basketball, and lacrosse–but it is always noteworthy when an ACC school wins a national title.  Thus, congratulations are in order for Boston College, who won its third national title in five years by defeating Ferris State University (of Michigan), 4-1.  It was the Eagles’ fifth national championship overall.

The ACC had this to say about the game:

Top-seed Boston College scored twice in the first period and sealed the fifth national championship in program history, 4-1, with two more goals in the third. Junior goaltender Parker Milner recorded 27 saves en route to being named the 2012 Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player on Saturday night at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.

* * *

Steven Whitney led the Eagles with two goals, scoring the first on a put-back at 3:18 in the first. Senior forward Barry Almeida won a loose puck near the crease and put a shot on net. The puck deflected off a Bulldog skate, landing in front of the Reading, Mass. native.

While Boston College is the ACC’s only hockey team, it is nevertheless a source of pride that the ACC now has the best team.  Let’s hope that starts carrying over to the revenue sports.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Hockey and tagged , , ,
08 Apr 2012

ACC Lacrosse Weekly Report 7, April 8, 2012

The ACC Lacrosse season continues to progress…

News/Rankings:

The big news this week was North Carolina defeating John Hopkins 13-9, allowing Virginia to return to #1.

The Inside Lacrosse poll has Virginia #1, again–receiving 11 of the 20 first place votes.  Duke is #8 and North Carolina is #9.  Maryland is #12 and Syracuse has dropped all the way to #17.

In the USILA Coaches Poll, Virginia is #1 with 4 of the 10 first place votes.  The rest is the same as the Inside Lacrosse Poll, except that North Carolina and Syracuse are tied in their rankings.

Recent Scores:

Saturday, March 31, 2012:

Virginia 12-Maryland 8.  Recap.

Sunday, April 1, 2012:

Duke 12-Syracuse 10.  Recap.

North Carolina 13-Johns Hopkins 9.  Recap.

Friday, April 6, 2012:

Maryland 13-Navy 6.  Recap.

Saturday, April 7, 2012:

Virginia 15-North Carolina 10.  Recap.

Duke 11-Marist 10.  Recap.

Syracuse 10-Princeton 9.  Recap.

Upcoming Games:

Tuesday, April 10, 2012:

Syracuse @ Cornell, 7:00 p.m.

Friday, April 13, 2012:

Duke @ Virginia, 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 14, 2012:

Rutgers @ Syracuse, 11:00 a.m.

Hofstra @ North Carolina, 1;30 p.m.

Maryland @ Johns Hopkins, 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012:

Syracuse @ Hobart, 7:00 p.m.

Records:

Virginia 10-1 (2-0 in conference).

Duke 10-3 (1-1 in conference)

North Carolina 8-4 (1-2 in conference)

Maryland 6-3 (1-2 in conference)

Syracuse 5-4

The Confidential’s ACC Lacrosse Rankings:

1.  Virginia (10-1).  Rebounded nicely with wins over Maryland and North Carolina.

2.  Duke (10-3).  Duke just keeps on winning.  Took care of Syracuse and Marist.

3.  North Carolina (8-4).  With a win over Maryland and more wins, North Carolina gets the edge.

4.  Maryland (6-3).  See above.

5.  Syracuse (5-4).  Syracuse has not looked good when winning and played poorly in losing.

If you have any comments on the ACC Lacrosse season or this entry, please feel free to share!

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Lacrosse and tagged , , , , , , , ,
07 Apr 2012

Mel Kiper’s Latest Mock Draft

ESPN’s NFL Draft guru, Mel Kiper, has issued a mock draft that goes two rounds deep–63 projected selections.  The draft is very heavy on ACC players.

Kiper has the first ACC player off the board in pick #11, with Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College to Kansas City:

Kuechly is a rare talent at linebacker — instinctive, explosive, able to make plays from sideline to sideline, but very sound in reading plays into the backfield and making stops. Kansas City has a need here, and Kuechly is a safe pick, a guy who can get on the field early and pick up the nuances of the NFL game right away. A tackling machine at linebacker, he’ll make any defense better.

At #12, Kiper goes right back to the ACC with Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina, to Seattle:

Even if Kuechly is still on the board, it would be tough for Seattle to pass on perhaps the safest 4-3 DE option available. Coples has prototypical size, can play every down as a pass-rusher and has a solid arsenal of moves to get to opposing quarterbacks, but with the size and discipline to be a force against the run. Seattle can’t go wrong here with either the top LB or DE available. This defense is close to being considered among the NFL’s finest.

At #18, rapidly rising Chander Jones, DE, Syracuse, is projected to go to San Diego:

Listed as a defensive end at Syracuse, Jones has the talent, upside and a great frame to make the move to OLB in a pass-rushing role. He’s still a little raw, but the instincts are there and offensive linemen have a really tough time getting their hands on him. Could blossom into a star for the Chargers.

At #30, San Francisco goes for offense with Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech:

Hill is the biggest home run threat in the draft when you combine his speed and size, and it’s no secret the 49ers need some help at wide receiver, even with the additions of Randy Moss and Mario Manningham. He’ll need an adjustment period as he gets used to doing more in terms of scheme than he was asked at Georgia Tech, but he’s the kind of weapon this offense needs to expand.

Pretty interesting first round–not a single player from Miami, Florida State, Clemson, or Virginia Tech.

Here are Kiper’s second round projections:

Round 2
Pick Team Player Position School

42 Miami Andre Branch DE Clemson
A great fit in Miami’s adjusted scheme, Branch offers late-first-round value at this spot.

46 Philadelphia Zach Brown LB North Carolina
A great athlete who can fill a big need at linebacker for the Eagles. Even with DeMeco Ryans, they need help.

51 Philadelphia (from Ariz) Dwayne Allen TE Clemson
My top tight end for much of the year, Allen didn’t test well, but he’s there on tape.

60 Baltimore Terrell Manning LB N.C. State
They lost another good OLB this offseason, and Manning makes sense as a reinforcement.

63 New York Giants David Wilson RB Virginia Tech
They lose Brandon Jacobs, but Wilson will bring some power of his own, with a lot more explosiveness.

So Kiper sees nine ACC players going in the first two rounds.  Still nobody from Miami or Florida State though.  That is pretty shocking really.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , ,
06 Apr 2012

Good News/Bad News on Early Entries

One ACC team received good news with respect to the NBA Draft, while another ACC team received bad news.  The good news is that North Carolina’s James Michael McAdoo will be returning for his sophomore season.  The bad news is that Syracuse’s Fab Melo has declared his eligibility for the NBA Draft.  While both moves were expected, that does not lessen the impact.

For North Carolina, it is already looking at a season without Josh Henson, Harrison Barnes, Kendall Marshall, and ACC Player of the Year Tyler Zeller.  And there was talk that McAdoo would be a lottery pick.  That is somewhat surprising given that he averaged about 15 minutes a game, and only six points per game.  But the NBA is all about potential and McAdoo’s potential is clear.  Also, he played very well down the stretch.  This is a win-win, as North Carolina gets one more experienced player and McAdoo gets a chance to develop his game.

In Syracuse, the expectation that Fab Melo was finished does not lessen the impact.  Melo was the Big East Defensive Player of the Year.  However, he had eligibility troubles all year–making it unlikely that he would return to work on his improving, but subpar, offensive game.  Syracuse does have a few returning big men, plus incoming McDonald’s All-American DaJuan Coleman.  So all is not lost for the Orange.  Still, they would have preferred one more year of Melo.

 

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball and tagged , , , ,
05 Apr 2012

Football Spring Practice Updates

It is April.  That means that the college football season is just five months away.  In fact, August practices begin in… doing the math… four months.  Anyway, here are some snippets from what is taking place across the ACC.

In Miami, Al Golden is trying to toughen up the Hurricanes.  He implemented the “U Tough” program to get the kids into the gym in the offseason.  With all those 4 and 5 star kids roaming around Coral Gables, getting them focused on the gym only means bad things for the rest of the ACC.

Up north a few miles, Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher liked what he saw in the first scrimmage.  There was a lot of intensity, plus it was productive.  That does sound like a good mix.

Meanwhile, in Clemson, the first scrimmage led to only mixed reviews.  Apparently, the offense had little trouble overpowering the defense.  That will have to change.

In North Carolina State country, everyone is trying to figure out whether Mustafa Greene is still on the team.  It sure looks like just a suspension right now–it would have been easy for Tom O’Brien to just say he had been kicked off.

In Pittsburgh, three coaches in three years means that the depth charts are in flux.  The quarterback position is particularly unsettled.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football and tagged , , , , , ,
04 Apr 2012

Here comes the 2012-2013 Preseason Polls

While most of the college basketball world has shifted from the 2011-2012 season into preparing for the Mayan End of the World in December 2012, a few brave souls have decided to issue early pre-season basketball polls.

CBS’s Dennis Dodd decided to go away out on a limb by projecting Kentucky #1.  Syracuse, at #7, is the highest ranking ACC team, while North Carolina is at #10.  North Carolina State at #15 edges out Duke at #18.  No other ACC team made Dodd’s list.

ESPN’s Andy Katz at least tries to do something different, projecting Indiana as #1.  Katz has North Carolina State at #6 and North Carolina at #11.  Syracuse and Duke are #14 and #15, respectfully.  He also has Florida State, Pitt, and Maryland “on the cusp.”

NBC’s Mike Miller also has Indiana as the projected #1.  So maybe Katz is right and Dodd is the one that is clueless.  Miller has North Carolina State #4, Duke #11, Syracuse #15, and North Carolina all the way down at #22.  Miller also “considered” Maryland, which is nice.

Combining these three polls, reveals the following results:

  • North Carolina State: #15, #6, and #4 = 25 pts
  • Syracuse: #7, #14, and #15 = 36 pts
  • North Carolina: #10, #11, and #22 = 43 pts
  • Duke #18, #15, and #11 = 44 pts

There it is, folks.  Looks like the North Carolina State Wolfpack are you early favorites to take home the ACC Championship in 2012-2013.  Assuming we make it that far, of course.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Predictions and tagged , , , , , , ,
03 Apr 2012

Kentucky Wins National Title

If, by chance, you were living under a rock for the past 24 hours, you might not have noticed that Kentucky defeated Kansas to win the National Championship last night, 67-59.  For John Calipari, his recruitment of one-and-done players has finally panned out with a national title.  For the rest of college basketball, it is a bit disappointing that such a non-traditional roster was able to achieve what it did.  Still, there is no question that Kentucky was the best team in college basketball in 2011-2012.  The team deserves the title.

For most ACC fans, there is little to really complain about.  Other than North Carolina and Syracuse, nobody was going to beat Kentucky.  Not Duke.  Kentucky was that good.

For North Carolina and Syracuse, there is disappointment.  A healthy Tar Heels squad would have competed with Kentucky.  After all, Kentucky only beat North Carolina 73-72 when both teams were at full strength.  Of course, the Tar Heels were not healthy for most of the last several weeks of the season.  Ultimately, no rematch happened for the 32-6 Tar Heels.

Syracuse did not suffer injuries, but was plagued by the academic (allegedly) woes of Fab Melo.  The Orange battled valiantly without the Big East Defensive Player of the Year.  At the same time, the Kentucky front line would have given the 34-3 Syracuse Orange all it could handle.  Plus, Kentucky’s outside shooting last night suggested that the zone might not have posed much of a problem–especially without Melo.

In the end, it was Kentucky’s year.  Although bittersweet, it is what it is.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Game Review and tagged , , , , ,
02 Apr 2012

Big City Classic at MetLife Stadium Recap

Sunday was a big day for college lacrosse as the Big City Classic at MetLife Stadium featured three games involving elite teams, including Duke, Syracuse, and North Carolina.

The big winner of the day was North Carolina, who knocked off previously #1 Johns Hopkins, 13-9.  R.G. Keenan won 18 face-offs, Jimmy Bitter scored three goals, and Marcus Holman added a two-goal, four-assist performance to lead the Tar Heels.  The game was 8-7 after three periods, but North Carolina outscored Hopkins 5-2 in the final period to win by a comfortable margin.  As Tarheelblue also noted:

R.G. Keenan was named the Konica Minolta Big City Classic MVP as he won 18 of 25 face-offs, the sixth time in his career and the third time this campaign he has won at least 18 draws in a game. He led both teams with nine ground balls. That was Keenan’s second highest ground ball total of the season, exceeded only by the 11 he had at Navy on February 25.

Congratulations to Keenan and the Tar Heels.

The other big winner of the day was Duke, who defeated Syracuse 12-10 to win its sixth straight game.  Duke senior Robert Rotanz tallied four goals to lead the team.  The teams were tied several times during the game, including at 9-9 and 10-10.  But each time Duke got a timely goal.  Syracuse has lost two straight games now–the first such streak since 2007.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Game Review, Lacrosse and tagged , , , ,

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