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Archive for the category “Game Review”

13 May 2013
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Lacrosse: Syracuse & Duke win, “Traitorpins” Lose

A great day for ACC lacrosse yesterday, as Syracuse and Duke both won… while the traitorous Maryland Terrapins Traitorpins were upset by Cornell.  As you can see from the official NCAA bracket, this means that four teams with ACC ties are still alive in the NCAA elite-eight: Duke, North Carolina, Notre Dame, and Syracuse.

It was not easy for Syracuse, who trailed Bryant, 4-0, before rallying to a 12-7 win.  Syracuse also had to overcome losing 22 of 23 faceoffs to Bryant’s Kevin Massa.  As Syracuse’s official press release noted, “Sophomore attackman Kevin Rice led the Orange with four points (two goals, two assists) and redshirt freshman Dylan Donahue scored a team-high three goals.”  Picking up the win in the crease was Dominic Lamolinara.  Syracuse will play Yale in Maryland next weekend.

Duke had it even tougher, as the #7 seeded Blue Devils needed two overtimes to dispatch reigning national champion, Loyola Maryland, 12-11.  The hero was freshman attackman Case Matheis, who scored with only 1:40 remaining in the second overtime.  But there were many heroes:

Brendan Fowler spearheaded the Blue Devil effort by winning 19 of 26 faceoffs and securing nine ground balls. Josh Dionne and Wolf added two goals apiece, while David Lawson chipped in one goal and three assists as the Blue Devils took 61 shots compared to Loyola’s total of 37. Kyle Turri posted 13 saves between the pipes.

Duke will move on to play Notre Dame in Indianapolis next weekend.

And let’s tall take a moment to laugh at the loss suffered by #6 seeded Maryland.  The traitors were not only upset by unseeded Cornell, they were thoroughly demolished–16-8.  At home.  Given Maryland’s inability to manage an athletic department, it is probably a good thing that they do not need to play any more games.  It costs a lot to keep the lights on, etc.  Oh well.  Those Big 10 partial revenue sharing checks will be coming soon enough.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Game Review, Lacrosse and tagged , , , , , , , ,
12 May 2013

Lacrosse: North Carolina Defeats Lehigh, Advances

The 2013 NCAA championship tournament is underway in mens lacrosse and the ACC Champion North Carolina Tar Heels are advancing.  The #5 seeded Tar Heels defeated Lehigh impressively at home by a score of 16-7.  With the win, North Carolina will move on to face the #4 seeded Denver Pioneers in Indianapolis.  Denver defeated Albany in a 19-14 shootout on Saturday.

Although Lehigh jumped out to a 2-1 advantage, it was all North Carolina the rest of the way.  The NCAA update included the following summary:

Marcus Holman led Carolina with a goal and four assists while Jimmy Bitter and Chad Tutton each had three goals and an assist. Steve Pontrello added a pair of goals as Carolina piled on the goals against a Lehigh defense which came into the match allowing only 7.44 goals per game, tied for second in the nation. Other goal scorers for UNC were Greg McBride, Walker Chafee, R.G. Keenan, Davey Emala, Ryan Creighton, Spencer Parks and Patrick Kelly.  Joey Sankey had a trio of assists for Carolina while Jake Matthai and Greg McBride also had helpers.

A very impressive win for North Carolina.

And there was more for ACC fans to rejoice in, as the #2 seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated Detroit, 9-7.  In the other matchup from Saturday, Yale upset #8 seeded Penn State, 10-7.  Keep track of the NCAA tournament here.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Game Review, Lacrosse and tagged , , , ,
20 Apr 2013
1 Comment

NC State Spring Football Game

Just finished watching the Kay Yow Spring Game on ESPN3. Not sure why Duke gets an HD broadcast on ESPNU and we Pack fans have to watch blocky streaming video, but we will have to wait for the ACC Network to correct that one.

This was definitely a game of two halves.  Both the Red (first string) and White (everybody else) looked sluggish through thirty minutes, with only Nick Sade scoring as the teams were tied 3-3 at the break.

In the second, though, the switch to a running clock brought out the no-huddle and this is definitely the way for the Pack to go.  Both squads had their moments on both sides of the ball with the Red ending up winning 20-10.

The QB battle wasn’t really very close.  Don’t have official stats, but Pete Thomas looked much more comfortable than Manny Stocker. Thomas reminded me of Erik Kramer; not fiery like Phillip Rivers, but cool and calm in the pocket.  Stocker, however, was handicapped as he is more of a mobile guy in a game of touch where quarterbacks are concerned, so it may yet turn out to be a horse race.

The best of the batch was Florida transfer Jacoby Brissett.  Even with the no-tackle restriction, his speed allowed him to get outside once and get a few yards, and he was the most accurate of the group.  Of course, he cannot play this season and will have to wait until 2014 to be a factor.

In this kind of game, you look for the unexpected player.  In this one, it was Jr running back Milton Hall.  The White squad went down the field in the second half largely on his shoulders. It was Hall up the middle and Hall up the middle again until they moved inside the Red five yard line.  There Stocker rushed a throw into the end zone and the drive ended in a pick.  One more handoff and the White team would likely have scored.

The coaches must have felt the same way.  When the Red team moved downfield deep into White territory on the ensuing drive, they were joined by Hall in a red mesh covering the white jersey and he got his TD after all.  He has a strong ability to find the holes combined with speed and should give Shadrach Thornton and Tony Creecy a run for their money once the season starts.

On defense Freshman CB Cole Burroughs was impressive.  Every time Thomas tried to throw the deep ball to Quintin Payton, Burroughs was there, as he was on several other occasions.  The defense as a whole looked good, but Burroughs was the bright spot.

Another thing that impressed me was the sideline interviews with several members of the new staff, particularly DCoordinator Dave Huxtable.  They were energetic and enthusiastic, and not in a Chuck Amato kind of way.  Of course we will need to see them in adverse situations before we can really judge, but frankly, first impressions were…wow.
So that’s it.  This correspondent has gone from cautious optimism about the 2013 season to the feeling that if this team does manage to claw their way up the Atlantic Division standings, they might not fall back down like other recent Pack teams.

Posted by mikemab2000 in ACC Network, ACC only, Football, Game Review, NC State Correspondent, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
24 Jan 2013
2 Comments

Great 24 hours for the Miami Hurricanes

Why is it a great day as a Cane?

Yesterday, at 12:oo PM, the NCAA discovered improper conduct in its investigation against Miami. Many people are speaking out against the NCAA, could the NCAA just drop the case overall?  It is now investigating itself. The NOA (Notice of Allegations) is not expected anytime soon.

A few hours later The Canes pulled off one of the greatest upsets in College Basketball history. Miami was a heavy underdog against Duke, but just beat the ranked #1 Blue Devils 90-63. Durand Scott scored 25 points for Miami, and Kenny Kadjishot  added 22. Shane Larkin had 10 rebounds, and dropped 18 points. Julian Gamble also got 10 rebounds. But one of the big stories of the night was Reggie Johnson’s unexpected return. Although he scored just 2 point, his 5 rebounds in just 16 minutes really fueled the Canes. It was one of the biggest losses ever suffered by a number one team and  the first time Miami has beat a team ranked 1 in College Basketball.

This morning, James Coley, Florida State’s Offensive Coordinator, accepted a job offer from Miami at the same position. Not really a surprise, Miami will give him a chance to call the plays. FSU, didn’t, Head Coach Jimbo Fisher called the plays when he was at FSU

The only time Coley has actually called plays, was at FIU in 2007, FIU went 1-11 that year and finished dead last in scoring offense, they averaged just 15.5 ppg. Although this is attributed to the lack of talent FIU had at the time, we won’t know until next year if he’s a capable play caller. On a more positive note, Coley is praised as an elite recruiter though. Only time will tell if this is a good hire.

Posted by jakekess in Basketball, Football, Game Review and tagged , , ,
19 Jan 2013

Canes update: January 19, 2013

Jedd Fisch is apparently, gone. Yup, the Jacksonville Jaguars offered him a position as OC. Fisch led one of the most potent offenses’ in the ACC last season, so the Golden will spend much time looking for a viable replacement.

The Hurricanes will be returning Brandon Linder, Curtis Porter, and Seantrel Henderson. Probably a good thing for both sides.

Seantrel Henderson and Curtis Porter were injured for most of their careers at Miami. But, they have shown flashes of talent.

Brandon Linder played inconsistently at times, but overall, one of the best Gaurds in the ACC, and was on many ALL-ACC lists.

Curtis Porter has just started 3 games in his entire career, and has played in 15 overall. He has 24 total tackles.

Meanwhile, Seantrel Henderson was a top recruit coming out of High School. He was orignally committed to USC, but when USC recieved sanctions, he decommitted and came to Miami. Many people expected him to leave because of Miami’s oncoming sanctions. But he surprisingly decided to stay. Although he just started 7 games at Right Tackle this season, he was also mentioned on many All-ACC lists. Overall, this helps Miami out very much.

If Linder and Henderson left, Miami would be short on depth on the Offensive Line. Returning Portis helps a struggling Defensive Line.  Disregarding injury, it would be very surprising if they didn’t improve draft stock.

In other news, The Canes downed Maryland in an ugly, Defensive battle. Trey McKinney Jones (12 pts, 8 rebs, 7 assists), Kenny Kadji (14 pts) and Julian Gamble (4 blocks, 9 rebs) led the Canes to their first 3-0 start in ACC play. The last time the Canes started 3-0 in conference play? 1998, in the Big East. But, the highlight of the night was probably this missed dunk by McKinney.

Stephen Ross and the Dolphins are looking to renovate Sun Life Stadium. If the proper funding happens, Sun Life Stadium, may become as enjoyable to watch games in as the Orange Bowl was. Quote from Stephen Ross about this “Our intention is to make Sun Life Stadium a world-class facility that is competition-ready for Super Bowls, college football championships, and global soccer events, as well as providing a better environment to watch the Dolphins, Hurricanes and Orange Bowl every year, I think our planned modernization will maintain the special outdoor flavor of Miami, while giving us the look of the best stadiums around the world.”

Finally, the Canes are expecting the NCAAs NOA (Notice of Allegations) sometime this week. Al Golden expects no surprises. It seems as if the worse the NCAA could do would be a one year bowl ban, 3 years of scholarship reductions and 4 years of probation. The case wasn’t nearly as big as expected, as the NCAA had a hard time proving anything.

Posted by jakekess in ACC only, Basketball, Football, Game Review
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 , , , , , , ,
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 , , , ,
30 Mar 2012

Pittsburgh Defeats Washington State, Wins CBI

The 2011-2012 edition of the Pittsburgh Panthers basketball team will not go down in history as a good one.  At one point, the team was 11-1 and looking like a fairly normal edition–except for a stunning home loss to Long Beach State.  And then Pitt lost to Wagner. And then Pitt lost its first 7 conference games.  By the end of the regular season, Pittsburgh was a pedestrian 16-15.  But, while this team will not go down in history as a great team, it will go down as the champions of the 2012 College Basketball Invitational after defeating Washington State 71-65.

The hero for Pittsburgh was Lamar Patterson, who scored 14 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished five assists en route to being named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.  Pittsburgh was able to win even without star Ashton Gibbs, who missed his second straight game with an ankle injury.  Of course, Washington State was playing without its leading scorer, Brock Motum, who injured his ankle against Oregon State.  Motum was the Pac 12’s leading scorer.

Even without the leading scorers, both teams played a competitive Best of 3 series.  The total margin of victory in all three games 11 points.  Tonight’s game was the most “lopsided,” if it can be called that.

All in all, Pitt coach Jamie Dixon has to be pleased with the ability to get his young team all these additional games.  The Panthers end the season with a 21-17 record.

And a trophy.  Nobody else in the ACC can say that.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Game Review and tagged , , ,
26 Mar 2012

North Carolina’s Great Season Comes to An End

The 2011-2012 edition of the North Carolina Tar Heels was a “National Championship or Bust” edition.  With that much future NBA talent, there was simply no result other than a championship that would have been enough.  Along the way, Dexter Strickland was lost to injury.  Then John Henson went down.  And just as Henson returned, Kendall Marshall suffered an injury and never returned.  Without a key component of the offense, it is not surprising that Kansas defeated North Carolina on Sunday, 80-67.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the game was that Kansas out-rebounded North Carolina 39-30.  With a frontcourt of Harrison Barnes, Tyler Zeller, and John Henson, the Tar Heels were used to putting up gaudy rebound totals.  The trio combined for only 14 against Kansas.  The Jayhawks had the size up front to hold their own and it helped take away a North Carolina strength.

James Michael McAdoo came off the bench to lead the Tar Heels with 15 points. Barnes added 13, while Zeller scored 12.  Henson only scored 10 points.  Ultimately, the big trip produced a disappointing total of 35 points and 14 rebounds–well off their season average of 48 and 25.

Notwithstanding the preseason hype, North Carolina still finished a respectable 32-6.  While the fans and team hoped for more, it is hard to lose a key player in March.  That North Carolina could not overcome that is not surprising.  Disappointing, but not surprising.

With Syracuse and North Carolina losing, the Final Four of Kentucky, Louisville, Ohio State, and Kansas will not feature any ACC teams.  For diehard ACC fans, Pittsburgh will play Washington State today in the CBI tournament.

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Game Review, March Madness and tagged , , , , , , ,

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