The Confidential

The ACC Sports Blog

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
25 Mar 2013

Confidential Bracket: Update 3/25/13

Who is in the running for the prize?  At the Sweet Sixteen, here is the top 25:

Round
Rank
Bracket
1
2
3
4
Semis
Finals
Bonus Pts
Total Pts
1
WinnersBracket
 48 39 – – – Louisville 28 115
2
Florida State
 50 30 – – – Kansas 24 104
3
TheEssentialsOfCool.com
 48 30 – – – Louisville 20 98
4
Boeheimian Rhapsody
 50 27 – – – Syracuse 20 97
5
KC’s Bracket
 46 33 – – – Louisville 16 95
6
LenVILLE
 48 30 – – – Louisville 16 94
6
Cuse Stormin the ACC
 48 30 – – – Syracuse 16 94
8
Goop’s Bracket
 40 33 – – – Miami (FL) 20 93
9
Bye Bye Big East
 46 33 – – – Georgetown 12 91
10
Rebecca’s Dandy Bracket
 40 30 – – – Duke 16 86
10
win prizes
 40 30 – – – Gonzaga 16 86
10
BracketBuster.
 46 24 – – – Kansas 16 86
10
Boeheims possible farewell
 44 30 – – – Syracuse 12 86
14
Will Bonn’s Bracket
 42 27 – – – Indiana 16 85
15
Da Cuseman Cometh
 42 30 – – – Syracuse 12 84
16
Maverick
 44 30 – – – Louisville 8 82
17
Cards 80 86 13?
 44 21 – – – Louisville 12 77
18
My Legit Bracket
 42 33 – – – Louisville 0 75
18
BeerThirty
 40 27 – – – Miami (FL) 8 75
18
Allen’s Bracket
 40 27 – – – Louisville 8 75
18
Otto the Great and Powerful
 42 33 – – – Louisville 0 75
22
KAOS
 36 30 – – – Georgetown 8 74
23
mikemab wolf
 42 27 – – – Ohio St. 4 73
23
*Commander Caffrey
 38 27 – – – Indiana 8 73
25
Mr. Tar Heel
 36 24 – – – Saint Louis 8 68
Posted by acaffrey in Basketball, Bracket Contest and tagged , ,
24 Mar 2013

Confidential Bracket: Update 3/24/13

Who is in the running for the prize?  With a long way to go (the now-desperate rationalization of a team at the bottom).

Here is the top 25:

1
WinnersBracket
 48 21 – – – Louisville 28 97
2
Florida State
 50 18 – – – Kansas 24 92
3
TheEssentialsOfCool.com
 48 15 – – – Louisville 20 83
4
LenVILLE
 48 18 – – – Louisville 16 82
5
KC’s Bracket
 46 18 – – – Louisville 16 80
6
Boeheimian Rhapsody
 50 9 – – – Syracuse 20 79
7
Cuse Stormin the ACC
 48 12 – – – Syracuse 16 76
8
Goop’s Bracket
 40 15 – – – Miami (FL) 20 75
9
Bye Bye Big East
 46 15 – – – Georgetown 12 73
10
Cards 80 86 13?
 44 15 – – – Louisville 12 71
10
Rebecca’s Dandy Bracket
 40 15 – – – Duke 16 71
10
BracketBuster.
 46 9 – – – Kansas 16 71
13
Will Bonn’s Bracket
 42 12 – – – Indiana 16 70
14
Da Cuseman Cometh
 42 15 – – – Syracuse 12 69
15
win prizes
 40 12 – – – Gonzaga 16 68
15
Boeheims possible farewell
 44 12 – – – Syracuse 12 68
17
Maverick
 44 15 – – – Louisville 8 67
18
Allen’s Bracket
 40 12 – – – Louisville 8 60
19
mikemab wolf
 42 12 – – – Ohio St. 4 58
20
My Legit Bracket
 42 15 – – – Louisville 0 57
20
BeerThirty
 40 9 – – – Miami (FL) 8 57
20
Otto the Great and Powerful
 42 15 – – – Louisville 0 57
23
KAOS
 36 12 – – – Georgetown 8 56
24
*Commander Caffrey
 38 9 – – – Indiana 8 55
25
Mr. Tar Heel
 36 9 – – – Saint Louis 8 53
Posted by acaffrey in Basketball, Bracket Contest and tagged , ,
23 Mar 2013
2 Comments

Wake Forest Has New Helmets

Check them out.  http://www.sbnation.com/2013/3/23/4139104/wake-forest-is-breaking-new-ground-in-furious-people-wearing-top-hats

This is for everyone who says that Wake Forest is under-reported around here.

 

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football and tagged , ,
23 Mar 2013

Confidential Bracket: Update 3/23/13

Who is in the running for the prize?  With a long way to go (the rationalization of a team at the bottom), here is the top 25:

1
Florida State
 50 – – – – Kansas 24 74
2
Boeheimian Rhapsody
 50 – – – – Syracuse 20 70
3
WinnersBracket
 48 – – – – Louisville 20 68
4
TheEssentialsOfCool.com
 48 – – – – Louisville 16 64
4
Cuse Stormin the ACC
 48 – – – – Syracuse 16 64
6
BracketBuster.
 46 – – – – Kansas 16 62
7
LenVILLE
 48 – – – – Louisville 12 60
8
KC’s Bracket
 46 – – – – Louisville 12 58
8
Will Bonn’s Bracket
 42 – – – – Indiana 16 58
8
Bye Bye Big East
 46 – – – – Georgetown 12 58
11
Cards 80 86 13?
 44 – – – – Louisville 12 56
11
Goop’s Bracket
 40 – – – – Miami (FL) 16 56
11
Rebecca’s Dandy Bracket
 40 – – – – Duke 16 56
11
win prizes
 40 – – – – Gonzaga 16 56
11
Boeheims possible farewell
 44 – – – – Syracuse 12 56
16
Da Cuseman Cometh
 42 – – – – Syracuse 12 54
17
Maverick
 44 – – – – Louisville 8 52
18
BeerThirty
 40 – – – – Miami (FL) 8 48
18
Allen’s Bracket
 40 – – – – Louisville 8 48
20
mikemab wolf
 42 – – – – Ohio St. 4 46
20
*Commander Caffrey
 38 – – – – Indiana 8 46
22
KAOS
 36 – – – – Georgetown 8 44
22
Mr. Tar Heel
 36 – – – – Saint Louis 8 44
24
My Legit Bracket
 42 – – – – Louisville 0 42
24
Otto the Great and Powerful
 42 – – – – Louisville 0 42
Posted by acaffrey in Basketball, Bracket Contest and tagged , ,
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
22 Mar 2013
1 Comment

ESPN’s Big Monday (UPDATE)

UPDATE:  Our guest writer just pointed out that the Miami Herald reported the following:

The ACC says it likely will take the Big East’s 7 p.m. slot on ESPN’s Big Monday next season. The new Big East – including seven Big East defectors, Xavier, Creighton and Butler – is shifting to the new Fox Sports 1, a 24-hour-network that debuts in August, replacing Speed.

So it looks good for the ACC to get the Big Monday slot.  Good news there. 
Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Conference News, Conference Realignment, Opinion and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
22 Mar 2013
2 Comments

Confidential Bracket: Update 3/22/13

Who is in the running for the prize?  With a long way to go (the rationalization of a team at the bottom), here is the top 25:

1
Florida State
 28 – – – – Kansas 12 40
2
Rebecca’s Dandy Bracket
 26 – – – – Duke 12 38
2
WinnersBracket
 26 – – – – Louisville 12 38
4
LenVILLE
 28 – – – – Louisville 8 36
5
TheEssentialsOfCool.com
 24 – – – – Louisville 8 32
5
Boeheimian Rhapsody
 24 – – – – Syracuse 8 32
7
Goop’s Bracket
 22 – – – – Miami (FL) 8 30
7
BracketBuster.
 22 – – – – Kansas 8 30
9
Cards 80 86 13?
 24 – – – – Louisville 4 28
9
KC’s Bracket
 24 – – – – Louisville 4 28
9
Bye Bye Big East
 24 – – – – Georgetown 4 28
9
Da Cuseman Cometh
 24 – – – – Syracuse 4 28
9
Maverick
 24 – – – – Louisville 4 28
14
Cuse Stormin the ACC
 22 – – – – Syracuse 4 26
14
Boeheims possible farewell
 22 – – – – Syracuse 4 26
16
win prizes
 20 – – – – Gonzaga 4 24
17
My Legit Bracket
 22 – – – – Louisville 0 22
17
Will Bonn’s Bracket
 18 – – – – Indiana 4 22
17
Allen’s Bracket
 22 – – – – Louisville 0 22
17
QBcuse
 22 – – – – Louisville 0 22
17
Otto the Great and Powerful
 22 – – – – Louisville 0 22
22
mikemab wolf
 20 – – – – Ohio St. 0 20
22
Mr. Tar Heel
 16 – – – – Saint Louis 4 20
22
*Commander Caffrey
 20 – – – – Indiana 0 20
25
BeerThirty
 18 – – – – Miami (FL) 0 18
Posted by acaffrey in Basketball, Bracket Contest and tagged , ,

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