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19 May 2013

Men’s L-ACC-rosse: Duke beats ND, advances to Final Four

Image Regardless if you are a Duke fan, or a Notre Dame fan, Lacrosse fans in general were treated to a fantastic quarterfinal game that embodied what men’s lacrosse truly should be.

It was a physical game with countless hard hits, plenty of scores on both sides to keep the game tight, and an incredible effort right down to the final ticks of the clock. There is no love lost between this growing rivalry and Notre Dame was looking to avenge being knocked out of the tournament by Duke in 2 of the last 3 years. Read more…

Posted by Vinnie Saltine in Duke Correspondent, Lacrosse, Uncategorized and tagged , , , ,
18 May 2013
5 Comments

ACC Basketball: A Decade in Review and Prediction for the New ACC

The ACC records for the last decade of football was posted by acaffrey earlier this week so I thought it would be fun to see the numbers for the basketball side of the conference.  I believe the biggest surprise over the last decade of ACC basketball has been the emergence of Florida State as the third winningest program in the conference behind Duke and North Carolina, a period that includes an ACC tournament championship for the Noles.

1. Duke 123-39 76%:  Arguable one of the most successful decades in conference history.  Duke has won at least 10 conference games in 9 of the last 10 years.  During the last decade Duke has won one NCAA title, 3 ACC Regular Season titles, and 6 ACC Tournament titles.

2. North Carolina 117-45 72%:  The baby blue (UNC) and navy blue (Duke) have dominated the conference in hoops.  Although Duke has a better conference record, North Carolina won 2 NCAA titles during the Roy Williams era (which started in 2003-04).  The Heels have also won 6 ACC Regular Season titles and 2 ACC Tournament titles during that time.

3.  Florida State 85-77 52%:  How in the world did the biggest name in ACC college football climb so high in the basketball centric ACC?  Leonard Hamilton.  Hamilton’s teams consistently play above their talent level through hard work and relentless defense.  However, FSU could be hit the hardest from the most recent conference expansion as the competition for 3rd place in the conference gets considerably tougher.

Read more…

Posted by wtnoleacc in Basketball, March Madness, Opinion, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
14 May 2013
1 Comment

With Kansas, Andrew Wiggins Isn’t Maple Jordan

So decision day came and went and Andrew Wiggins will not be playing in the ACC next year. Both Florida State and North Carolina lost out this afternoon when the nation’s consensus #1 recruit picked the Kansas Jayhawks. Am I upset? I’m not sure yet. After reading up on Wiggins, I’m just not sure he’s the type of guy I want on my team. You’ll probably think I’m just bitter. Didn’t I write a glowing article about him yesterday? Stay with me. His decision, and the way he went about it, told me a lot that I didn’t think about before.

Throughout Wiggins’ recruitment I kept hearing that the reason he didn’t speak to the media was because he was “shy.” But if that was the case, why did he drag out his recruitment so long? Why did his coach and brother issue statements about him almost daily? And why did he have such a “low-profile” announcement? Certainly, he realized that by doing it all that way, he would get even MORE attention in the long run?

I totally understand that some things are out of his control. Maybe he didn’t ask for all of this, but his ability commands it. He’s a truly gifted player, perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime find for Bill Self. So the circus surrounding him is just the reality of the situation. But in waiting until the second-to-last day of the signing period, I really lost a lot of respect for him. I’m just going to be honest. Maybe he WAS truly on the fence. I apologize to him for being quick to judge. But that’s just not my impression. From what I’ve read, he’s been down to Kansas and Florida State for a while. So why drag it out? It just doesn’t seem fair to the other coaches, having them make visits and calls when he’s made up his mind. Spending good money, real money, on an effort that wouldn’t change anything. Yes, I even feel for John Calipari, who I’m sure you know that I do not have a lot of respect for.

I do realize that this was an important decision for Wiggins. I remember being in his shoes, at least somewhat, in deciding what to do with the rest of my life. But isn’t this just a pit-stop on the way to the NBA? A colleague of mine at work pointed me to a story today where Wiggins said that he didn’t want to enroll in summer school. That pretty much ruled out North Carolina before the announcement since that’s a requirement for incoming players. But I just don’t understand why Wiggins would think this, or even worse, say it. Doesn’t he want to be with his teammates? So I wasn’t too optimistic to begin with. But, why wouldn’t Wiggins want to enjoy the extremely shortened college experience that he’s going to have? That just doesn’t make sense. I do get this- his actions and words portray a player who is driven. A guy who’s extremely focused and motivated. Yet, a guy who’s is almost TOO inwardly motivated. TOO focused. Through his actions, he’s made a lot of people wait. In waiting, he’s made everything about himself. That doesn’t sound like a team player to me.

But most commentators will be quick to mention how much he will improve Kansas’ team. There’s no doubt they’re right. After all, the Jayhawks are losing the majority of their minutes from last year, including another superstar freshman, Ben McLemore. But most polls have them going from a borderline top-25 team to a top-5 team! I just don’t see it. There’s just not enough experience on that team to make a deep run. I’m be happy to be proven wrong, though. For all my skepticism surrounding Andrew Wiggins’ motivation, I absolutely respect him as a player. He’s certainly a sight to see and would have made an impact wherever he went. But his actions just don’t feel right to me. A good teammate is someone who doesn’t just want to make himself better, he wants to make everyone around him better; even at his own expense. Maybe Kansas will find this out. Think of some of the great point guards- Jason Kidd, Steve Nash…even Kendall Marshall from North Carolina. They have a pass-first mentality. A team mentality. They would want to be there for their teammates the very first second they could. And they would do everything in their power to make sure that the spotlight was on anyone but them.

I’m absolutely certain that Andrew Wiggins will have a great college career. He’ll use his brief time at Kansas to resume his rightful position as the #1 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft and go on to be an All-Star for years to come. But after some reflection on the latest “Decision,”  I can only hope that I’m wrong about him. I want to believe that Andrew Wiggins is the shy kid that everyone else talks about. Young men certainly need more role models that embody the trait of humility. But like everyone else, I’ll just have to wait and see. As I said yesterday, I hope that Wiggins is happy with his decision. Surprisingly, I am too.

Posted by Mr. Tar Heel in Basketball, UNC Correspondent, Uncategorized
13 May 2013
1 Comment

I’m Andrew Wiggins, and I’m a __________

At North Carolina, we have an awesome set of videos at the Dean Smith Center. During men’s basketball games, former Tar Heel greats appear on the video board in a montage where they take turns saying- I’m __________, and I’m a Tar Heel. Michael Jordan. Rasheed Wallace. Jerry Stackhouse. Antawn Jamison. Vince Carter. Tyler Hansbrough. It’s incredible. But there’s one guy that I want to see up there that isn’t there yet- Andrew Wiggins.

By now, you know who he is. The consensus #1 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. The best high school prospect since Lebron James. A guy they call “Maple Jordan.” Tomorrow is possibly the biggest day of the entire offseason for college basketball fans. At 12:15pm in a “low-key” ceremony, Wiggins will announce his decision between North Carolina, Florida State, Kentucky and Kansas. But where will he go?

I’m not sure. His coach says he’s not sure. Maybe even Wiggins himself doesn’t know….yet. But the official signing day window closes on Wednesday, so Wiggins is doing his due diligence and announcing at the last minute. In my opinion, there’s only one real option, and that’s to go to North Carolina. Stay with me, I know what you’re thinking. This guy’s name is “Mr. Tar Heel.” He’s a Carolina grad. He lives near Chapel Hill. OF COURSE he wants Wiggins to go to North Carolina. But no, really. It’s his best option.

Think about it. North Carolina is returning a suddenly veteran team with Marcus Paige, PJ Hairston and James Michael McAdoo. They’re receiving big-man help in top prospects Isaiah Hicks and Kennedy Meeks. They have an opening in the starting lineup that just happens to be at Wiggins’ position. And not only that, but the spot was vacated by a player from Kinston, NC- Wiggin’s father’s hometown. Wiggins’ North Carolina roots run deep. His father was raised here. He almost went to prep school here. And his father grew up wanting to play for North Carolina, only to be turned down by the legendary Dean Smith. So maybe the Wiggins’ family has a chip on their shoulder, I don’t know. Maybe his father still hates North Carolina? Or maybe he wants his son to realize the dream that he always had; to play on the biggest stage, with the best players, against the top teams. North Carolina is the only place he can do this.

If you ask anyone who’s not from the United States to name a college basketball player, they’ll almost always go back to Michael Jordan. Why? Because not only was he greatest ever, but he was the most visible ever. He made himself a brand. THE brand of college basketball. North Carolina is one of the most recognizable, if not THE most recognizable brands in all of college sports. Lebron James is on record stating that he wanted to go there. So is Kobe Bryant. And Dwight Howard. It’s not hard to see that Wiggins might like to be a part of that legend. So why not? Without Wiggins, the team’s ceiling is high for next year. With Wiggins, it’s immeasurable. Where else can he have this kind of schedule?-

Conference                        Non-Conference

Duke (twice)                      Kentucky

NC State (twice)               Michigan State

Syracuse                              Louisville (possible Hall of Fame Tip-off matchup)

Notre Dame (twice)

Virginia

Maryland

Pittsburgh

The answer? Nowhere. That’s basically a who’s who of NCAA tournament success past and present. And as any North Carolina fan knows, you can go ahead and add Kansas to that list too because the NCAA will continue to match us up with them in the Tournament until they disband. To be a star on the biggest stage, Wiggins has to be on the biggest stage.

He can’t do that at Kentucky. Sure, there’s a lot of hype surrounding John Calipari’s program right now. But did anyone watch last year’s NIT flame-out fiasco? It’s not like those players weren’t the top recruiting class either! Having great players doesn’t guarantee success. You have to have a great TEAM. Kentucky just hasn’t shown that, there’s too much ego. After all, Calipari just isn’t the kind of coach that people give him credit for. The reason he gets so many players to the NBA isn’t because he develops prospects into NBA stars. It’s not his own doing. These guys are ALREADY NBA-ready players. He just babysits them for one semester. If they didn’t have to go to college, they wouldn’t. The one reason they probably stay? Money. Yes, I said it! Think about it. What other coach has gotten so many Final Fours vacated? Right, Calipari stands alone. There has to be something going on. Of course he wasn’t “implicated” in any of the charges, but that’s a weak excuse. Neither was Butch Davis, or Cam Newton, but don’t tell me those guys didn’t do anything wrong. There was money exchanged. And the sin of omission is just as bad as the sin of commission. You can’t claim ignorance if it’s your job to know. If anything, John Calipari is guilty as charged with the utmost gross negligence. It’s his program. He should know what’s going on. Is he a bad coach? Absolutely not. It takes talent to get to the level that he’s on. Is he a nice guy? Maybe, I’m not sure, I’ve never met him. But he isn’t the Midas of the NBA draft. Kentucky isn’t guaranteed a title next year. Williams and Self are the better coaches in this bunch anyway.

But Kansas just doesn’t seem like a great fit for Wiggins either. The Big 12 is weak, and no, Marcus Smart’s return doesn’t change that. It only makes it a two-horse race. Kansas will probably walk through the conference again like they always do, because there’s really no competition outside of a few teams. The Jayhawks also lost a lot from last year’s squad. They just don’t have the veteran presence of some of the other teams on Wiggin’s list. Not to mention that there’s an ongoing scandal surrounding last year’s top player Ben McLemore now. Does Wiggins really want to be associated with that? What if the NCAA comes down hard on the Jayhawks in his only season? Don’t get me wrong, Bill Self IS a great coach. I’ve seen that enough times by watching his team beat my team in the NCAA tournament. But why go to a place that he really has no connection to? No family, no history, and really, a weaker roster than some of his other choices. It just doesn’t make sense.

Which brings me to Florida State. If he was going to go there because of his family connection, why didn’t he just decide that a long time ago? That would have saved a lot of people a lot of time, and a lot of money. It makes you wonder. One thing the Noles have going for them is a very similar schedule to North Carolina. In fact, they get to play North Carolina while the Tar Heels have to play an FSU team that looks weak with the loss of sharpshooter Michael Snaer. But if that wasn’t enough, Wiggins’ best friend Xavier Rathan-Mayes has already signed on to move to Tallahassee. So maybe that is enough for Wiggins. I’m a family guy, so I can totally respect that. I’d even cheer for him when he wasn’t playing North Carolina. But even with Wiggins, the Noles aren’t a Final Four contender. Sure, they’d be better. A LOT better. But they just don’t have the firepower, or experience needed to go all the way.

So what will he do? We’ll find out tomorrow afternoon. I hope that whatever he chooses, he’s happy. Certainly, everyone hopes for that. As a North Carolina fan and graduate, I’d love for him to come to my school. But if he didn’t, I wouldn’t regret it. I just hope he wouldn’t either.

Posted by Mr. Tar Heel in Basketball, March Madness, Opinion, UNC Correspondent, Uncategorized
08 May 2013
1 Comment

ACC-Big 10 Challenge Schedule

Listening to ESPN Radio on the way home from work and heard that the schedule for next season’s ACC-Big 10 Challenge had been released.

Here’s the lineup:

Tuesday, December 3

Florida State at Minnesota

Illinois at Georgia Tech

Indiana at Syracuse

Michigan at Duke

Notre Dame at Iowa

Penn State at Pittsburgh

Wednesday, December 4

Boston College at Purdue

Maryland at Ohio State

Miami, FL at Nebraska

North Carolina at Michigan State

Northwestern at North Carolina State

Wisconsin at Virginia

Admittedly NC State does not have the most attractive draw.  This is only right after the debacle of 2012/13; however I do believe the coming year will see a less star-laden but more focused Pack. Meaning, of course, this game is winnable, especially at Raleigh.

However there are some great matchups here.  Duke/Michigan and UNC/Michigan State, of course, but also the Battle of Pennsylvania, Pitt/Penn State; Syracuse/Indiana looks huge; and the first Challenge appearance of the Irish, Notre Dame/Iowa.

There is even a game in which I might end up rooting for the B1G team; er, go Buckeyes?

Posted by mikemab2000 in ACC only, Basketball, NC State Correspondent, Schedule, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
06 May 2013
1 Comment

Lacrosse Bracketology- The Road to Philadelphia

It doesn’t quite have the same following as the basketball tournament, but for diehards of lacrosse, this is just as important.  Here is the bracket from Inside Lacrosse: http://insidelacrosse.com/sites/default/files/2013_DI_Bracket.pdf.

Five future or current ACC teams made the 16 team tournament with future members Syracuse and Notre Dame # 1 and # 2 respectively.  Syracues has had an outstanding week and a half with two defeats of former # 1 Notre Dame and then avenged an earlier loss to Villanova to win the Big East title in their last year in the conference.

The big news was Johns Hopkins missing the tournament for the first time in ages.  The ESPNU hosts noted that there are several teams that can win this tournament.  Although the Orange are hot, it is not a typical dominating Orange team and the tournament is literally up for grabs.  Syracuse opens with 8-10 Bryant who happens to dominate at the x, which has been a Syracuse weak spot most of the season.  Notre Dame should not have a problem with Detroit, but the other games involving ACC teams should all be great games.  ESPNU or ESPN2 will cover all the games.  The higher seed is hosting the first round games with the Quarterfinals at either Maryland or Indianapolis the week of the following weekend.  The Final Four is in Philadelphia Memorial Day weekend. Having almost 1/3 of the teams in the tournament bodes well for the future of ACC lacrosse.

Posted by tjcuseacc in Uncategorized
05 May 2013
3 Comments

L-ACC-rosse

Current and Future members of the ACC were well-represented at the Sunday selection show for the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse tournament, as 5 of the 16 teams in this year’s tourney can lay claims to the ACC.

The #1 Overall seed, Syracuse, will officially join the ACC in just a few short weeks, and will be sure to bring the Big East Championship trophy (the fourth in as many years) with them to the eastern seaboard.

Despite losing to Syracuse in the Big East Tournament Semis, Notre Dame claimed the #2 overall seed and was closely followed by ACC Champion, North Carolina (#5), Big Ten-bound Maryland (#6), and Duke (#7).  The tournament match-ups are after the jump. Read more…

Posted by Vinnie Saltine in Uncategorized and tagged , , , , ,
01 May 2013

Notes from Recent Preseason Polls

On Monday, I noticed two offseason polls of interest: the first one was a post Spring football poll for 2013 by ESPN’s  Mark Schlabach  and the second poll was for college basketball on CBS Sportsline.

Here’s a quick breakdown of each:

Football Top 25

ACC (3) 4. Louisville, 12. Clemson, 14. Florida State

Big 10 (5)

Big 12 (5)

SEC (6)

Pac 12 (4)

Notre Dame was ranked #10.

I’m excited about the GOR signed last week, but I’m embarrassed by the lack of solid football programs in the conference.  The potential is there-I’m speaking about Miami, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, NC State-for the ACC to consistently have at least five teams in the Top 25.

Basketball Top 26

On the other hand, the new ACC received a ton of respect in the Sportline Poll.  Four ACC teams were ranked in the Top 11 and seven were ranked overall.

ACC (7) Louisville, Duke, UNC, Syracuse in Top 11

BIG 10 (5)

BIG 12 (1)

Pac 12 (2)

SEC (3)

Florida State and Louisville were the only ACC schools to appear in both (football and basketball) polls.  FSU will certainly move up in basketball if Andrew Wiggins picks the Seminoles in the next two weeks.

Strength in Basketball Helpful for ACC Network?

Most media pundits have pointed to the direct correlation between football performance and television money.  However, few mention the fact that conference network money is driven by “quality” inventory beyond football.  I believe the number of solid basketball programs with diehard fan bases will make the ACC Network viable for ESPN and profitable for all of the teams that recently made a commitment to the conference.  How many people are going to be watching the SEC network? (FYI: I will not watch.)  All of the notable football games are covered by the national networks.  Are people going to watch Alabama vs. Vanderbilt in basketball?  Meanwhile, the Big 10 has a similar advantage to the ACC with several viable non-football programs to provide year round inventory and interest.

Posted by wtnoleacc in ACC Network, Basketball, Football, FSU Correspondent, Rankings, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , ,
28 Apr 2013

And the ACC Dominates Again…

If you ignore the fact that it says that this article was posted on May 17, 2011, this is really great for the ACC. Actually, it’s really great for the author too, because apparently they can predict the future. A 50 Most Amazing College Campuses for 2013 list two years in advance? That’s really meeting your deadline. But no matter when it was published, it’s still true. The ACC has the best schools, and that starts on campus. Here’s how all of the major BCS Conferences ranked-

http://www.thebestcolleges.org/most-beautiful-campuses/

ACC (6)- #49 Wake Forest, #43 Florida State, #35 Duke, #27 North Carolina, #17 Virginia, #16 Notre Dame

Big 12 (0)- ……is anyone surprised?

Big Ten (4)- #50 Minnesota, #47 Northwestern, #29 Wisconsin, #15 Indiana

Pac-12 (3)- #48 Colorado, #20 Washington, #19 Stanford

SEC (3)- #44 Texas A&M, #33 Alabama, #28 Ole Miss

Random Private Schools (1,000,000)- Everyone else…

Posted by Mr. Tar Heel in Uncategorized
27 Apr 2013

Web (Internet) Gems

Here are some amusing sports-related things from across the Internet.

If you are lamenting how the middling sports of the Big 10 can become so rich, you are not alone.  The SEC is gazillions times better in football.  And, excepting 2012-2013, the ACC and Big East usually were better than the Big 10 in hoops.  So let’s all mock the Big 10 and its latest round of expansion.  Someone over at Every Day Should Be Saturday goes to the forefront of that mocking though:

Oompa Loompa doopity doo!

I’ve got another puzzle for you!
Oompa Loompa doopa-dee-dee
If you are wise you’ll listen to me.
What do you get when you guzzle down schools?
Buttgers, Lil’ Red, and a turtle that drools.
Your Fourteen teams make you terribly fat
What do you think will come of that?
I don’t like the look of it.
Oompa Loompa do-ba-de-da
Too bad Pasadena is so very far.
Don’t eat rotel and barbasol too
Like the Jim Delaney
Doopadedoo!

That is saxattack29 getting 55 recs and counting.  Head over there and get that number higher.  Oh, and while you are over there, reminisce about the Blockbuster days.  Good great stuff.

The Sportspickle has a couple of semi-amusing articles.  There is a rundown of some notable NFL busts–only the news articles describing their future right after being drafted.  And here are some draft philosophies for several NFL teams–sometimes the truth is pretty funny.

And if you can tolerate some NSFW humor–type Prevail and Ride into Google and check out some of the best entries by Thujone.  Do it at home though.  It may be cartoons drawn crudely, but it is what it is.  Just sayin’.

Enjoy.

Posted by acaffrey in Uncategorized

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