The Confidential

The ACC Sports Blog

Archive for the category “Conference News”

29 Jan 2014
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Tar Heel Fans…Meet the Radio

According to a tweet from ESPN’s Bob Wischusen, tonight’s ESPN2 broadcast of the North Carolina/Georgia Tech men’s basketball game, originally slated for 7pm, has been cancelled due to safety concerns from this week’s inclement weather.

More information can be seen on Bob’s twitter account here- https://twitter.com/espnbob

This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. While it is uncommon for television companies to change plans so close to game time, it’s not unheard of, and it makes sense in this case. Due to a number of different factors, lack of preparation and a surprise storm path among them, the City of Atlanta, the site of tonight’s game, was hit particularly hard. Reports of families spending the night in cars and students being stranded on buses and at school were not uncommon, and the mayor’s handling of the situation has come under fire in national media. Despite the fact that the game is still on, it’s not a stretch to see why ESPN called it a day.

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Posted by Mr. Tar Heel in ACC only, Basketball, Conference News, ESPN, Schedule, UNC Correspondent
27 Jan 2014
2 Comments

The Streak Prevails

Clemson Men’s Basketball starts the week after an ugly loss to UNC last night, improving their record to 57-0. That record of course being the Tarheels have won 57 times against the Tigers while in the Dean Dome, the Tigers never seeing a victory.

UNC is off to a slow start in ACC play but now improves to 12-7 overall and 2-4 in the ACC. Clemson started off hot, being 4-1 in the conference just last week, now drops to 13-6, 4-3 after two consecutive losses to Pitt and Carolina. The Tigers have a tough conference schedule coming up, facing FSU, Syracuse, and Notre Dame on the road.

To note any highlights from last night’s game from a Clemson standpoint, would be a disservice to our readers. The Tigers played flat on defense and hesitant on offense. Seeing it first hand in the Dean Dome was taxing. Stops on defense were rare and the Tigers shot 34% from the field. That’s 18 field goals made out of 53 attempts. It was not a great night for the Tiger offense, to say the least.

Leading scorer, KJ McDaniels, came up with 13 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. He was the game leader across the board for the Tigers. McDaniels has proven to be an offensive leader this season, but he can’t do it on his own. Adonis Filer came up with 12 points of his own, as did Landry Nnoko. Nnoko is improving but between him and Sidy Djitte at center, too many passes slipped through their hands down low in the paint for would be easy points.

To end on a high note, the Tigers finished the night 19-25 at the line, giving them a 76% free throw percentage for the night.

Clemson at UNC

This Clemson team is young, consisting of four freshman, four sophomores, and five juniors to make up the Tiger squad. Playing on the road, especially in Chapel Hill, is tough and the Tigers have their work cut out for them in the coming weeks.

In other Clemson news, a non-basketball related highlight of the evening was having Clemson football coach, Dabo Swinney, in the Dean Dome last night. Sitting a few rows behind the Clemson bench, the dynamite coach just signed a new 8-year contract with Clemson, keeping him a Tiger through the 2021 season. At halftime, Clemson fans throughout the dome stopped by to take pictures with the Orange Bowl Champion, including yours truly. It’s a check off my bucket list and as much as it pains me to say, I guess I have Chapel Hill to thank for that.

Clemson takes on Florida State this Saturday in Tallahassee. Catch the ACC matchup at 3pm on ESPN2.

Posted by marystewartb in ACC Network, ACC only, Basketball, Clemson correspondent, Conference News, Correspondents, Game Review, News, Opinion, Results and tagged , , , , , ,
22 Jan 2014
2 Comments

2014 ACC Football Schedule Released…Tar Heel, Hokie, Eagle fans rejoice!

Even though it’s still basketball season, it’s NEVER too early to start thinking about football- especially if you’re the ACC. Or a fan of a disappointing basketball team. Coming off a historic season, with 2 BCS wins and a National Championship, the conference looks to keep its momentum going with an impressive  collection of conference and non-conference games this fall. Today’s release of the 2014 ACC football schedule shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Yes, the release is earlier than usual. But with more buzz surrounding the league than ever before, it’s no wonder that John Swofford wanted to pull the trigger and make some noise. And looking at the schedule, that’s exactly what the ACC has an opportunity to do.

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Posted by Mr. Tar Heel in ACC only, Conference News, Football, Schedule, UNC Correspondent
06 Jan 2014
1 Comment

With Strong gone, who’s next for the Cards?

The Cards are set to begin a new era as they join the ACC this July and now they will have to do it with a new head football coach. Former coach Charlie Strong was named the new head coach of the Texas Longhorns. At Louisville, Strong went 37-15 & 22-3 the last two years. He certainly left the program in better shape than he found it, both on the field and in the classroom. Despite it not seemingly to be the right fit for Texas we wish Strong well and hope he succeeds at his dream job. Go Stronghorns!

With his departure  Louisville AD Tom Jurich will need to find Strongs replacement in a hurry with the recruiting dead period coming to an end soon. So far a vast majority of the Cards commitments are staying with the Cards but decision time is rapidly approaching. Jurich is known to be well prepared in his coaching searches but this time around it will be different. This time his pool of candidates will be larger with the additional draw and resources that comes with the ACC. There has been dozens of names thrown out by the media but only Jurich knows who’s on his list. Lets take a look at the probable favorites.

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Posted by lenvillecards in ACC only, Conference News, Football, Louisville Correspondent, News and tagged , , ,
06 Jan 2014
2 Comments

Highlights of the 2014 BCS Discover Orange Bowl

 

1.       Winning the 2014 BCS Orange Bowl—Awwwww yeah! It literally came down to the last minute when Ohio State was down 40-35 with the ball at the 50 yard line. Braxton Miller threw a beautiful interception, caught by Clemson’s own Stephone Anthony. This sealed the deal for the Tigers and bonus points: Urban Meyer didn’t react by punching Anthony in the throat.

2.       Tajh Boyd—In his final game as a Clemson Tiger, Tajh went out with a bang. As Dabo Swinney said, “He put an exclamation point on his legacy.” Tajh finished the game with five touchdowns and 505 all-purpose yards, 78 more yards than the Ohio State Buckeyes. We’re really going to miss his leadership and I can’t wait to see him play on Sunday’s.

3.       Dabo Swinney—You could probably make a highlight reel of just Dabo after the game, he was animated to say the least. Personally, his best moment was this magnificent sound bite, “we are the first team from the state of South Carolina to ever win a BCS game”. Ah yes, not only did we get the sweet victory but getting to rub it in Steve Spurrier’s face doesn’t hurt either. For whatever reason, if any Gamecocks are reading this, I say, suck it up. Spurrier is no angel in this fight. You’re mad because Dabo’s comment was the truth and it was said on a bigger national stage. You know, seeing as it was the stage of a BCS Bowl. BOOM, roasted.*

4. Sammy Watkins—Saving the best for last. Sammy set an Orange Bowl record with 16 receptions and a Clemson and Orange Bowl record with 227 receiving yards. He was unbelievable. With an average of 14.2 yards per catch, he was Tajh Boyd’s go to receiver and his talent is going to be greatly missed. As a true junior, Sammy has declared for the NFL Draft. While we’ll miss his lightning speed and magnetic hands, he’ll represent Clemson well in the NFL next season.

Honorable Mentions:

  • The Clemson Defense—While the score might reflect a shootout, it was truly entertaining watching the Tigers contain Ohio State QB, Braxton Miller, to a mere 35 yards rushing. They completely shut him down on the ground. With 18 carries, he rushed an average 1.9 yards per carry, his lowest of the season.
  • Santa Claus—if you read my last article, the only thing on my Christmas list was a Clemson win. Ole’ Saint Nick pulled through. Thanks big guy.
  • The Referee’s—One song comes to mind when trying to describe the officiating from Friday night, “these boys can’t hold us back, these boys can’t hold us back, we too deep (ay, ay)”. The anthem of a generation Clemson Football. Good try ref’s, you’ll need some more flags to stop this excessive celebration.

Check out the video here:

 

 

*Let the record show I have a much deeper opinion on this matter but for lack of reader attention span will not disclose it here.

Posted by marystewartb in ACC Network, Bowls, Clemson correspondent, Conference News, Correspondents, ESPN, Football, Game Review, Opinion, Orange Bowl, Results, Sarcasm, Something Positive and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
27 Sep 2013

Breaking News on D4

The board of reps for D1 has proposed D4. Here is the CBS article. What are your thoughts?
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/dennis-dodd/23874003/faculty-athletics-representatives-formally-proposes-division-4-for-ncaa

Posted by lenvillecards in Conference News, Conference Realignment, Football, Louisville Correspondent, News
29 Aug 2013
1 Comment

Clemson and FSU will set Reputation of ACC for 2013

I can hear the comments now from the four letter network’s talking heads: “The ACC loses more BCS conference match ups….”  The presumption is that the ACC is a weak football conference if they lose lopsided match ups like unranked Virginia Tech vs. #1 Alabama.  I’m not convinced.  Conferences should not be judged by the performance of middle or bottom tier teams.  Would an Illinois victory over Kentucky indicate that the Big 10 is a better conference than the SEC?  No way.

The biggest game this weekend for the ACC is Clemson vs. Georgia.  As a matter of fact, it is the only game that really matters on the national front.

A Clemson victory would likely catapult them into the Top 5, put them in the national title conversation, and set up a nationally relevant game against Florida State on October 18th.  Florida State, the other ranked ACC team, has it’s own responsibility for carrying the ACC flag.  The Noles need to win their games against inferior competition and continue their presence near the Top 10 for a majority of the season.

How many years has it been since an ACC football team has been in the national title conversation in November?  It’s up to you Clemson and Florida State to buck the trend.

Non-Conference Schedule

How many non-conference ranked opponents will be played by conferences this year?

ACC:  11

Big 12: 2

Big 10: 4

Pac 12:  8

SEC:  who cares

Winston Debut

As Florida State finishes up preparations for the Pittsburgh Panthers, most fans are eagerly anticipating the debut of freshman QB Jameis Winston.  Winston has generated a significant amount of hype since his MVP winning Elite 11 camp in 2011.  The hype reached epic proportions after Winston’s spring game performance highlighted by a 58 yd strike against All-ACC conference corner Lamarcus Joyner.

Posted by wtnoleacc in ACC Network, ACC only, Bowls, Clemson correspondent, Conference News, ESPN, Football, FSU Correspondent, Game Review, News, Opinion, Predictions, Rankings, Recruiting, Schedule, Something Positive, This Day in ACC, Today in the ACC, Uncategorized, Weekend Preview, Weekly Updates
22 Jul 2013
1 Comment

ACC Quick Hitters: July 22, 2013

Finally!  The ACC media days have come and gone–and that means one thing: FOOTBALL!   Nobody wants summer to end, but if there is one silver lining within the cloud of August around the corner, it is that the college football season follows right behind it.  Yeah, the NFL is OK too.  But college football is something else entirely.

In any event, let’s take a look at what is going on in the ACC today:

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Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Conference News, Conference Realignment, News, Quick Hitters and tagged , , , , , , , ,
22 Jul 2013
1 Comment

Monday Poll: Who IS the ACC?

The Confidential was started shortly after the ACC announced plans to add Syracuse and Pittsburgh.  From day one, the Confidential approached the ACC as the then-current teams, plus Syracuse and Pittsburgh.  Our rankings reflected 14 teams.

Now, of course, Syracuse and Pitt are officially part of the ACC.  But then Maryland will soon be replaced by Louisville.  And whither Notre Dame, with its 5-game football schedule preventing full membership.

What is your opinion as to the simple question–as of today, who do YOU consider to be part of the ACC?

Thanks for sharing.

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Conference News, Conference Realignment, Opinion and tagged , , , , , ,
21 Jul 2013

ACC Week in Review: July 21, 2013

As we noted previously, followers and non-followers of this blog can now get weekly updates of the blog entries.  Here is this week’s recap:

Read more…

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Conference News, Weekly Updates and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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