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31 Mar 2013
4 Comments

Orange Crush!

What a great run the past few days for the Orange.  Boeheim always seems to do better when they are not supposed to win.  Both wins were done in such impressive fashion the OrangeNation can truly celebrate this season.  For all the Boeheim flaws, people have to respect how understated he is.  When he said a week or so ago that this was his best defensive team he meant it. 

As Lenville hinted to me in an earlier post it could be Louisville – Syracuse Game # 4 this season!  I think this is Louisville’s tournament to lose as I thought going in Louisville was probably the best team and they certainly have done nothing to make me think otherwise.   I hope MCW and company can lead them to at least the championship game.  I attended the 1987 and 1996 Final Fours when Syracuse lost in the finals.  I did not attend the 2003 Final Four when they won.  As much as I would like to go to Atlanta, I will stay away to see if the 2003 history can repeat itself.

Three straight Final Fours without an ACC team but at least two newcomers help out.  How hard do you think the Big East office in Providence was rooting for Marquette? 

Trey Burke of Michigan vs Michael Carter-Williams on Saturday night – a great point guard matchup that should determine the winner. 

What do you think – does a Syracuse championship get Boeheim to change his mind and retire?  As much as he said he’s not done, its reasonable to think he would reconsider if the Orange wins the whole thing.

Posted by tjcuseacc in Uncategorized
30 Mar 2013

NCAA Tournament- Elite Eight Conference Breakdown

Eight teams remain. Just like that, the field has been cut in half again. After an up-and-down second round filled with blowouts and surprises, the Sweet Sixteen proved to be just as exciting, producing the Tournament’s first overtime game. Are these the best eight teams in the country? Maybe, maybe not. But they’re the best eight in this tournament.

ACC

Tournament Teams (4)- Duke, Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina State

Remaining Tournament Teams (1)- Duke

Verdict- Miami just couldn’t take care of business. Forget that Reggie Johnson couldn’t play due to injury, this is a team that scored only 16-points in the first half of Thursday’s loss against Marquette. That’s a not a winning formula. Now they must seek to replace departing seniors Julian Gamble,  Kenny Kadji, Garrius Adams, Trey McKinney-Jones, Durand Scott and Johnson, while dealing with the real possibility that star sophomore point guard Shane Larkin still has time to enter the NBA Draft. Looking at the team’s roster, that’s just about every single player who got significant minutes this season. They just didn’t capitalize on the rare experience that they had, and the opportunity to do so has passed. Duke, on the hand, is leaning hard on its veterans to great success, as five out the seven players in Duke’s tight rotation are upperclassmen. Led by senior wingman Seth Curry, the Blue Devils looked confident in their first win against Power-Six competition this tournament.  Say what you will about Duke always receiving favorable seeding (and they do, just look at the 2010 Championship cakewalk), but they don’t often lose to teams that they shouldn’t, and they have the ability to overachieve when they need to. Next up is a strong Louisville team, which will be a preview of future ACC matchups when the Cardinals officially join the conference in 2014. With powerful scorers on both sides, look for this to be the most exciting game of Sunday’s lineup.

Big 12

Tournament Teams (5)- Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Kansas

Remaining Tournament Teams (0)-

Verdict- With just three minutes left in the Jayhawks’ game against Michigan, it looked like the boys from Lawrence were going to walk their way into the next round of the Big Dance. A healthy lead, and a favorable clock, were only two of the factors working in their favor. But then they worked against themselves. They got lazy. They got content. That’s when Trey Burke took over. After a scoreless first half, he exploded in the second half, and made a capped off Michigan’s unlikely run when he made a three-pointer to tie the game with 4.3 seconds left. The Big 12 has now been eliminated from the NCAA Tournament. It’s easy to think that the ceiling for this Kansas team was higher, but they lost focus when it counted the most. And it cost them their season.

Big East

Tournament Teams (8)- Louisville, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Villanova, Georgetown, Syracuse, Marquette

Remaining Tournament Teams (3)- Louisville, Syracuse, Marquette

Verdict- Suddenly, the Big East has gone from an afterthought, to a real threat in this tournament (if you ignore the fact that Louisville and Syracuse are now ACC teams). Marquette didn’t just hang on in this round, as they had against Davidson and Butler, they destroyed a hapless Miami team that fell to the inconsistency that has plagued them all season. Louisville and Syracuse looked strong in wins over tough competition, with the Orange taking out the second number one seed, the Indian Hoosiers. In the Elite Eight, the Big East will face a problem that it often encounters this time of year- Syracuse and Marquette are playing each other, which means that only two Big East teams can advance to the Final Four.  With a tough matchup against a veteran Duke team, the Louisville Cardinals must stay focused if they want to make it to Atlanta too.

 Big Ten

Tournament Teams (7)- Michigan State, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan, Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois

Remaining Tournament Teams (2)-  Ohio State, Michigan

 Verdict- For the first time since the Fab Five, Michigan will be in the Elite Eight. Think about that for a minute. That’s twenty years. Where have they been? It’s hard not to be impressed with the program that John Beilein is building in Ann Arbor though, especially after an unlikely comeback against a dominant Kansas team. A once proud program, the Wolverines now carry the banner for the conference with their longtime rivals, the Ohio State Buckeyes. While Big Ten fans will still point to their league’s dominance this year, their tournament success has now been eclipsed by the resurgent Big East, which has three teams still dancing. In order to defend the title of “best conference” bestowed on them this season, the Big Ten must come out strong in the Elite Eight. A favorable matchup against a well-coached Wichita State team could have Ohio State looking ahead at the wrong time, while Michigan needs to stay focused in order to not fall prey to their own success.

 Pac-12

Tournament Teams (5)- Oregon, Arizona, UCLA, California, Colorado

Remaining Tournament Teams (0)-

Verdict- Much like the Big 12, the Pac-12 is now without a representative in the Big Dance. Neither loss was surprising, as both schools lost to higher-seeded teams. Yet, while Oregon can hang their heads high after a surprising run in the Tournament, Arizona probably can’t help but think that the opportunity to advance got away from them. Long before LaQuinton Ross’ last-second shot, an early 11-point lead quickly became only a four-point lead at halftime. The killer instinct seen in the first few minutes of the game, was replaced by a frantic effort to keep up, and the Wildcats just couldn’t hang on. While the conference might have had a better-than-expected tournament, it has to be disappointing nevertheless.

 SEC

Tournament Teams (3) – Missouri, Ole Miss, Florida, Kentucky

Remaining Tournament Teams (1)- Florida

Verdict- Florida is now the bad guy. After taking out Tournament-darling, and pseudo in-state rival Florida Gulf Coast, the Gators now have a target on their back. Everyone loves a Cinderella. No one likes the team that beats them. In order to advance to the Final Four, Florida must embrace this role and run with it. They face a Michigan team that just completed a surprising run of its own; the unexpected Cinderella of the third round. If they can use their position as a strength, it would not be surprising to see the Gators in Atlanta next weekend.

It’s hard to believe that it took this long to get an overtime game in the Tournament. While there have been numerous buzzer-beaters, an all-out, grind-fest hasn’t been seen until now. Here’s to hoping that the Elite Eight can reach the bar that has just been set.

Posted by Mr. Tar Heel in Basketball, March Madness, UNC Correspondent, Uncategorized
28 Mar 2013
2 Comments

State of the Pack: The Pursuit of Gottfried

Yesterday it was reported by several outlets that Wolfpack Coach Mark Gottfried was THE choice among UCLA alumni for their head coaching vacancy.  Some also said he would take the job if offered.

IMHO the UCLA job is a step down.  Not to demean them, historically they have us beat, but the John Wooden era is long over.  Heck, moving from any ACC school to another conference is probably a step in the wrong direction, at least when it comes to basketball.

This correspondent was outraged that he might consider such a move. I was going to write a scathing post, but real life intervened and I didn’t have time yesterday.

By this afternoon, the news had changed somewhat.  Coach G tweeted last night that he is committed to State, and UCLA is apparently moving in a different direction, wooing Butler’s Brad Stevens.  So I took a deep breath and wadded up my mental notebook paper, missing the trash can as usual, even in my mind.  For now, this looks like a non-issue.

More basketball news:  Lorenzo Brown announced today his intent to skip his senior season and enter the NBA draft.  He and Gottfried feel that he will be a first-round pick; I think second round is more realistic.  While we will of course miss him, we thank him for his time at State and wish him the best.  He can probably learn more about the NBA and what it will take to succeed there by making the jump, even if it means riding the pine for a while.

That’s it for now.  Enjoy the tournament and I hope your team makes the Final Four, especially if it is one of the two remaining ACC or one of the “future” teams.  And have a great Easter weekend.

Posted by mikemab2000 in ACC only, Basketball, March Madness, NC State Correspondent, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
25 Mar 2013

Ranking College Basketball Programs in Florida

OK, unless you have been living under a particularly large rock, you know that Florida Gulf Coast beat Georgetown (i.e. the team picked by this author to win a bracket or two) and then beat San Diego State to make it to the Sweet 16.  You also know that the FGCU’s coach’s wife was a supermodel.  Or is.  Not sure if that is like being President, where you always get to call yourself a supermodel.  So, yeah, quite a story!  But, with FGCU beating Miami and playing Florida this week in the Sweet 16, how do YOU rank the Florida college basketball programs?

First, let’s identify all the schools by conference:

  • ACC: Florida State, Miami
  • Atlantic Sun: FGC, Stetson, Jacksonville, North Florida
  • Big East (old): South Florida
  • Conference USA: Central Florida
  • MEAC: Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M
  • SEC: Florida
  • Sun Belt: Florida Atlantic, Florida International

Second, let’s cull the list to eliminate those who have never made the big dance: Bethune Cookman, Stetson, and North Florida.  That reduces things to 10 teams.

Third, let’s rank the remaining 10 teams:

  1. Florida.  4 Final Fours.  2 National Championships.  A 70% winning percentage in NCAA tournament games.  Conference championships!  Very easy selection.
  2. Florida State.  The Seminoles have been invited to 10 Big Dances.  The 10-10 record means an average of at least one win per invite.  Not too shabby.  Had a nice ACC run last year too.
  3. Miami.  In the last 33 years, Miami has been invited to 5 NCAA tournaments, with a record of 4-5 (and counting).
  4. South Florida.  The USF Bulls have only been invited to 3 NCAA tournaments, and are 2-3 overall.  Struggling to get anywhere in the loaded Big East.
  5. Florida Gulf Coast.  The Eagles have never lost in the NCAA tournament!  Who can top that?  Have to put these guys at #5 already.
  6. Florida A&M.  With a 1-3 record in their 3 appearances, Florida A&M nestles right in behind FGC.
  7. Central Florida has had four one-and-dones in the NCAA tournament.  Still looking for that first win in March Madness though.  Gotta put them below the Eagles.
  8. Florida Atlantic.  One tournament appearance, about a dozen years ago.  Yawn.
  9. Florida International.  Coached by Richard Pitino, the last and only NCAA tournament appearance was in 1995.
  10. Jacksonville State.  Like the two schools above them, they had a one and done, albeit in 1986.

As you can see, Florida Gulf Coast is already #5 on the list of NCAA tournament wins.  An argument could be made that they are now the #4 program in the state.  Only a matter of time before conference realignment turns its eye towards these guys.  Conference USA?

What do you think?  Is too much credit being given for this one year?  Too little?

Posted by acaffrey in Basketball, Opinion, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , ,
25 Mar 2013
5 Comments

Duke, Miami, Syracuse, and Louisville

keith_smart_shot

And then there were 4 (current or future ACC members) remaining.

The Big East showing in the tournament has been a disaster other than Louisville and Syracuse who have both looked very strong.  The road does not get much easier for any of these four teams.  Louisville and Miami both have legitimate chances to make it to the Elite 8 but it is possible that no current or future ACC member makes the Final Four.  Louisville has the best chance against Oregon and Miami should be able to hold off a tough Marquette squad.  However, Duke and Syracuse both have tough games against Michigan State and Indiana respectively.  Having been at the 1987 championship game to watch Keith Smart’s shot sail over Howard Triche’s outstretched arm, the ball fall through the hoop, and then inexplicably NOBODY call timeout – there is nothing more I would enjoy seeing then Syracuse knocking Indiana out of the tournament.  If Howard Triche’s nephew, Brandon, can hit the winning shot – that would be even better!  It was a torturous ride home from New Orleans to Syracuse after that one.

One way to guarantee current/future ACC representation in the Final Four would be for all four teams to win this round, which would then guarantee two teams in the Final Four, and then we would have a Louisville-Duke matchup and a Syracuse-Miami matchup.  Those would both be great games with some conference bragging rights on the line.  Let’s hope it happens!

Posted by tjcuseacc in Uncategorized
23 Mar 2013
1 Comment

NCAA Tournament- Round of 32 Conference Breakdown

Now that the real first round of the tournament is done (we won’t count the First Four), it’s time to see how each power conference is doing. While we all love the Cinderellas of the A-10, we’re going to focus on the big guys for now. As usual, the Big East has had a tough first two days.

ACC

Tournament Teams (4)- Duke, Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina State

Remaining Tournament Teams (3)- Duke, Miami, North Carolina

Verdict- NC State didn’t live up to the hype this year. With so much talent returning, and a highly heralded recruiting class in tow, the Wolfpack were expected to challenge for the ACC title this season. Instead, they stumbled to the finish and played on Thursday in the conference tournament. Fittingly, they lost in the first round of the NCAAs too. Duke and Miami looked strong in convincing first-round wins, while North Carolina can only hope to become more consistent after it gave up a 20-point lead against Villanova. Next up, its tournament nemesis, Kansas.

Big 12

Tournament Teams (5)- Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Kansas

Remaining Tournament Teams (3)- Iowa State, Kansas

Verdict- The first round wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t as good as it should have been for the Big 12. Marcus Smart and the Oklahoma State Cowboys looked lost against an Oregon Ducks team that, despite its decent 26-8 record, wasn’t expected to be much of a force in the tournament. Kansas State suffered a disappointing loss to La Salle, while Oklahoma was outmatched by San Diego State from the stronger Mountain West. All eyes will be on Kansas City as the Jayhawks look to continue their hot streak against former coach Roy Williams and the Tar Heels.

Big East

Tournament Teams (8)- Louisville, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Villanova, Georgetown, Syracuse, Marquette

Remaining Tournament Teams (3)- Louisville, Syracuse, Marquette

Verdict- It’s been another bad tournament for the Big East, which has had very little success in the first round the past few years. Marquette barely squeaked by Davidson, Georgetown lost to tournament first-timer Florida Gulf Coast, Cincinnati couldn’t hold on against Creighton and Villanova’s comeback just wasn’t enough against North Carolina. In the last year of its current configuration, the old Big East went out in typical fashion. The lone bright spots were wins by future ACC members Louisville and Syracuse.

Big Ten

Tournament Teams (7)- Michigan State, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan, Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois

Remaining Tournament Teams (6)- Michigan State, Ohio State, Michigan, Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois

Verdict- The Big Ten has lived up to the hype so far, having virtually no trouble with its first slate of games. Wisconsin’s early exit came at the hands of Marshall Henderson and a hot Ole Miss team who was one three #12 seeds to beat a #5 seed this year.

Pac-12

Tournament Teams (5)- Oregon, Arizona, UCLA, California, Colorado

Remaining Tournament Teams (3)- Oregon, Arizona, California

Verdict- If you had told me at the start of the season that UCLA would lose in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, I would have said you were crazy. Not with Shabazz. Not when they’re starting to turn things around. But the University of Carolina at Los Angeles (See Larry Drew, David Wear, Travis Wear) has just been too inconsistent, despite a late season surge. Coach Ben Howland’s place on the hot seat doesn’t look like it’s going to change anytime soon…unless he’s fired.

SEC

Tournament Teams (3) – Missouri, Ole Miss, Florida, Kentucky

Remaining Tournament Teams (2)- Ole Miss, Florida

Verdict- Where’s Kentucky? The year’s worst (major) basketball conference finished the first round almost exactly as predicted. Missouri lost early and Florida, predictably, blew out their opponent. But Ole Miss’s stunning upset of Wisconsin has the Big Ten on the clock.

So far, the 2013 NCAA Tournament has been one of the most exciting in recent years. From stunning upsets by tournament first-timers, to old-fashioned brawlers, it’s been a perfect way to end an unpredictable season. With five current, or future, ACC teams still in the mix, the conference is in a prime position to bring home another title to college basketball’s greatest conference.

Posted by Mr. Tar Heel in Basketball, March Madness, Rankings, UNC Correspondent, Uncategorized, Weekend Preview
22 Mar 2013

State of the Pack: Tournament Postmortem

One and done.  The saddest words in NCAA Basketball fandom.

This year, they apply to the Wolfpack.  Yes, I am going to once more whine about What Went Wrong, but first the all-important Disclaimer:

No disrespect intended to the Temple Owls.  They are a very good team and played an excellent game.  Hey, they were a Nine seed; can we really be surprised that they upset an Eight?  Not me, folks; I had them to win this one in my bracket.  It’s one of the few things that are going right there, and the one thing I wanted to be wrong about.

As usual, the Pack came out with an air of entitlement, as if they could just walk out there and would be awarded victory.  They didn’t realize until they were down 18 that this was a bad plan.  When they did, they went to the usual Plan B:  Scott Wood.

Unfortunately, Temple remembered to guard Wood, and he was stifled until late in the 2nd.  Meanwhile, the Owls had a three-point threat of their own in Jake O’Brien, and he dropped 4 of 6 from behind the arc for 12 of his 18 pts.  State rarely got a hand up against him.  Frankly, it seems the Pack had one player who played defense with any consistency all year, that being Richard Howell.

Just when all seemed lost, State started to rally.  Wood began to hit, starting with a couple of free throws followed by threes on two successive possesions. But it was late in the second half by then.  Still, Pack nation had new hope.

Things really got interesting when the lead was cut to two on a Lorenzo Brown three-changed-to-two with two seconds left (no gripe though, his foot was clearly on the line per the replay).  But Temple guard Khalif Wyatt would have none of it.  When he was fouled on the next possession, he calmly sank two free throws to bury the Pack.  Wyatt finished with 31 points to lead all scorers, while Lorenzo Brown led State with 22.

In addition to the forementioned problems, State could not buy a free throw of their own.  This had been a season-long problem as well, and is inexcusable.  Only Wood gets a pass on this one; the rest of the team should spend the entire summer shooting free throws.

So goes another season, and it is not likely anyone will be picking State to win the conference next year.  That won’t be a bad thing, as we seem to fare better when we can sneak up on people.  Except for 1974, and David Thompson isn’t coming back.

So what now?  I suggest the usual:  watch and root for (or against, if you are one of those nobody-but-us fans)  Carolina, Miami and yes, even Duke.  Enjoy the upsets.  Writhe in pain as your bracket inevitably crumbles (or maybe that’s just me).

Football is coming.  And the expectations will be close to zero.

Just the way we like it.

Posted by mikemab2000 in ACC only, Basketball, March Madness, NC State Correspondent, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , ,
22 Mar 2013
1 Comment

Syracuse game # 2

This is the round that most Syracuse fans cringe over.  I’m sure the Syracuse haters will say it should be the first game by bringing up the 1991 #2 vs # 15 loss to Richmond  – which a co-worker (and Richmond alum) of mine brings up every year at this time even though I didn’t know him until a decade later.    However, several will remember a 1987 Championship game run surrounded by an early exit to Navy in 1986 and to URI in 1988.  While there are several other early exits that stung these two were the harshest.  Although Navy had David Robinson, the game was played at the DOME!  The URI loss was even worse because the expectations were higher for that season, and hey, why not another run deep into the tournament.  I was on vacation and recall desperately searching for an establishment with a TV in the afternoon running around frantically with a group of guys trying to get to see the game and the expected win.  At some point near the search, for the younger readers please understand – no iphones – we knew the game was close to being over and had no updates.  Suddenly, a group with URI on their shirts sees us with Syracuse shirts and blurts out, “Syracuse – ha, ha, we just beat you!”  Talk about an awful way to find out and not even have a chance to live through the agony of watching the game.

For a program like Syracuse, The Sweet 16 is considered a must.  Its easy to nit pick past that point, but getting the game 2 win is critical towards validation of at least a relatively successful season (and justification of the seed they got).  The defense looked great last night and hopefully this was the offensive awakening they need, but Cal is playing basically a home game tomorrow so this could be a game for Orange fans to sweat out.

On another note, the Orange Lax team is off to a very good start especially with an impressive win over Johns Hopkins on Saturday.  Looking forward to discussing lacrosse on here – I’m just holding out hope that the Orange will go deep into the tournament and the lax discussions can wait. 

 

Posted by tjcuseacc in Uncategorized
17 Mar 2013
4 Comments

…and the ACC continues to be disrespected

* This article is about the 2012-2013 ACC- Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Louisville are considered to be a part of the Big East Conference

Has anybody else noticed how unbelievably often the ACC is disrespected these days? From the endless message board rumors of our imminent demise, to the cheap shots about our football, it’s like we can’t catch a break about anything. ESPN pundits and national news sportscasters are too busy mouthing-off their own unfounded opinions that they fail to notice that we still have top-tier academics and the best overall athletic programs in the nation.  Our football is improving and our basketball might just be “back.” But, why say something good when you can hop on the bandwagon and put us down? I get it. We’re not the “flavor of the month. We’ll “never get better.” Our “sub-par TV deal reflects our sub-par product.” But is this actually what people would think if they did the research themselves instead of listening to ESPN? The Worldwide Leader is notorious for creating news. They pick a league, and make sure everyone thinks that it’s the best. For years, it’s been the Big East in basketball. Has the Big East been “bad” in basketball? Absolutely not. Has it been deserving of its one million bids that it seems to get every year? Not really, since most Big East teams flame out in the first few rounds. The ACC has the most NCAA basketball titles of any BCS conference in the past decade. Down or not, that says something.

But now the Big East is dead, so ESPN has hitched their train to the next big thing- The Big 10. I’ve already gone on record on this site many different times with my distaste for the Big 10. I believe I’ve even gone as far to say that if my school joined the Big 10 that I’d never watch college athletics again. It’s not necessarily the specific schools, it’s just that I can’t stand the complete arrogance that surrounds the conference. Are their academics bad? No. Are they better than ours? No. Is their football bad? Sure, it absolutely was this year. (But ESPN insists that the ACC was worse because they just can’t bear to say that we’re actually improving). I can accept those things. People make up their minds and won’t change them no matter what you say. But there’s one thing I just won’t accept- the absolutely unwarranted hype around Big 10 basketball this season.

Does the Big 10 have quality teams? Absolutely, even if their style of play is incredibly boring and hard to watch. Are they deserving of 7 bids and such high rankings, compared to the ACC’s four? I can’t say the word “no” enough. The snubs of Maryland and Virginia, two absolutely quality tournament-level teams, have been discussed enough and the specifics don’t need to be mentioned here. But to say that the Big 10 is just head and shoulders above everyone else is unbelievable. This is, the same Big 10 that the ACC tied in the ACC-Big 10 Challenge this year, isn’t it? This is, the same Big 10 that the ACC holds a winning 8-6 record against this season, with wins against “top teams” like Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Minnesota, isn’t it? ESPN can spit out all of the statistics that they want to- RPI, BPI…you name it. But it doesn’t matter if Ohio State ranks ahead of the ACC in every single category imaginable. If they still lose head-to-head they STILL LOSE. That’s the problem with the media. They like to over-analyze things when it’s really much simpler. Have certain ACC teams been down in recent years? Sure. But UNC and Duke both won multiple titles in the most recent decade. That’s four more than the Big 10. It doesn’t matter what your rebounding differential is, or what your pace is if you can’t replicate it on the floor each night. UNC averaged 7 made 3-pointers going into their regular season finale against Duke. So “statistically,” the Tar Heels shouldn’t have lost because with 7 3’s instead of 1 they would have won the game. But they didn’t, they got blown out. Statistics don’t matter during the game, the actual play is the only thing that does.

The most recent ESPN Magazine issue was a Big 10 love-fest. It states that certainly, “everyone” agrees that Trey Burke is the best point guard in the nation. Have these people watched Shane Larkin? My guess is that the only reason they think Burke is better is because he plays in the Big 10. Is Burke a bad point guard? Certainly not. I’m all about giving credit where credit is due. He’s in the top-3 this year no question. But I’m also about seeking the truth when bias gets in the way. I love the ACC. And I’m not delusional enough to think that we were the best conference this season in basketball, we probably weren’t. But I know one thing for certain- we deserved more bids than we got and we deserve more respect than we receive. That’s not a statistical matter, it’s just pure fact.

Posted by Mr. Tar Heel in Basketball, UNC Correspondent, Uncategorized
15 Mar 2013
1 Comment

ACC Bubble Watch: March 15, 2013

As the ACC tournament shifts into Day 2, the fortunes of the two ACC “bubble” teams, Virginia and Maryland, remain alive.  For Maryland, defeating Wake Forest was simply a necessity to stay in the discussion. 

ESPN has updated its bubble watch for Maryland as follows:

Maryland [21-11 (8-10), RPI: 82, SOS: 118] The Terps survived an NIT-guaranteeing potential loss against the typically dismal Wake Forest Demon Deacons Thursday, a win which nonetheless still leaves them outside serious bubble contention. After all, the Terps do have just four wins against teams ranked better than 150 in the RPI; that two of them came against Duke and NC State doesn’t really matter, given the utter softness of Maryland’s nonconference schedule (No. 297), ugly RPI and a sheet full of cupcakes. It’s easy to pick on, say, Southern Miss when we’re talking about the mediocrity on the bubble, but really, the fact that the Terps are even still in fringe contention for an at-large bid says it best. And with all of that discouragement out of the way, Maryland’s win Thursday did one thing: It gave them another crack at Duke. I’m not sure I?’d slot Maryland in the tournament even if they do win Friday, but that win obviously couldn’t hurt.

The commentary on Virginia is not all that positive either, noting Virginia’s glut of “bad losses.” 

But the great thing about the conference tournaments is that teams can control their own destinies by winning it all.  The late, great Jimmy Valvano proved that with North Carolina State.  And both Virginia and Maryland can still do so.

 

Posted by acaffrey in Uncategorized and tagged , , , ,

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