The Confidential

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Archive for the tag “Boston College”

09 Jan 2012

ACC Basketball Rankings: January 9, 2012

This is particularly complex with Pitt and Syracuse not yet in the ACC, but it can still be done.  Here is how we view the ACC basketball schools as of January 9, 2012:

1.  Syracuse (17-0)  Wins over Providence on the road and #20 Marquette at home have Syracuse at 17-0.  They travel to Villanova this week, before hosting Providence.

2. North Carolina (15-2)  The Tar Heels are starting to find their groove again.  This weeks foes, Miami and Florida State, have not gotten off to the starts that they wanted/needed.

3. Duke (13-2)  The loss to Temple was disappointing, but not terrible.  The win over Georgia Tech is not that informative.  The next game, Virginia, is for #3.

4. Virginia (14-1)  Virginia has now won 12 straight games.  If the Cavs can beat Duke, that will get everyone’s attention.

5. North Carolina State (12-4)  The win over much-improved Maryland was nice.  Gives the Wolfpack the edge over Virginia Tech, who lost to Wake Forest.

6. Virginia Tech (11-4)  Road loss to Wake Forest was a disappointment, but not the end of the world.  Virginia Tech still has a decent resume overall.

7. Maryland (10-4) Road loss to NC State was a disappointment.  The Terps host Wake Forest and can solidify the #7 spot with a win.

8. Wake Forest (10-4) Up a few notches after beating Virginia Tech.  Beating Maryland on the road would be even more impressive.

9. Miami (9-5)  Miami lost its conference opener in a tough road loss to Virginia.  And now they travel to North Carolina on Tuesday.  Tough start to the conference schedule.

10. Pittsburgh (11-5)  Not only have the wheels fallen off, they are rolling around somewhere nowhere near Pitt.  That’s what happens when you lose to DePaul.

11. Clemson (9-6)  Looked very good against Florida State.  Clemson gets Boston College this week for a chance to get that 10th win.

12. Florida State (9-6)  Beating Auburn was nice.  Losing to Clemson was tough.  Losing by 20 was inexcusable.  The Seminoles travel to Virginia Tech before hosting North Carolina this week.  Uh-oh.

13. Georgia Tech (7-8) After getting decimated by Alabama, the Yellow Jackets held their own against Duke.  At least for a while.

14. Boston College (5-10)  It is unfortunate when the worst team in the league has to open its conference schedule at North Carolina.

Agree?  Disagree?  Let us know!

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
07 Jan 2012

ACC Football: Early Entry Draft Update

With the ACC football season coming to a conclusion, ’tis the season for underclassmen to announce that they are foregoing the excitement of playing college football.  The dollars of the NFL, or perhaps the nickels of the CFL or AFL or any other initialed FL out there, are the lure.  For some players, they are ready and it is a smart decision.  For others, it is a head-scratcher. In any event, here is where things stand for some of the ACC’s top players.

  • ACC Player of the Year David Wilson, Virginia Tech running back, has announced that he will head to the NFL.
  • ACC Defensive Player of the Year Luke Kuechly, Boston College linebacker, has announced that he will head to the NFL. For more on his decision, check out BC Interruption.
  • Dwayne Allen, Clemson tight end
  • Lamar Miller, Miami running back.  For more on his decision, check out The 7th Floor.
  • Brandon Washington, Miami guard
  • Jayron Hosely, Virginia Tech cornerback
  • Chandler Jones, Syracuse defensive end.  For more on his decision, check out Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician.
  • Sylvester Williams, North Carolina defensive tackle
  • Chris Givens, Wake Forest wide receiver.  For more on his decision, check out Blogger So Dear.
  • Stephen Hill, Georgia Tech wide receiver.  For more on his decision, check out From the Rumble Seat.
  • Terrell Manning, North Carolina State linebacker.  For more on his decision, check out Backing the Pack.
  • Tommy Streeter, Miami wide receiver
  • Marcus Forston, Miami defensive tackle
  • Olivier Vernon, Miami defensive end
  • Donte Paige-Moss, North Carolina defensive end.  For more on his decision, check out Carolina March.

As the above list shows, Miami stands to lose a ton of players to the NFL.  Of course, once upon a time, Miami would lose a ton of players to the NFL and simply reload.

It is difficult to envision Boston College and Syracuse not suffering on defense with the loss of their best overall players.  Wake Forest and Georgia Tech will also suffer offensively without their standout wide receivers.  But the loss of all of these guys will hurt their respective teams.  They are potential NFL players because of their talent, after all.

 

 

 

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
03 Jan 2012

#21 Virginia Defeats LSU, Improves to 13-1

At the beginning of the year, the ACC only had two ranked teams–Duke and North Carolina.  Virginia has climbed into the rankings with a solid November and December.  Virginia’s January got off to a great start, as the #21 Cavaliers traveled to Baton Rouge to defeat LSU, 57-52, to improve to 13-1.

This game was a very close, defensive struggle as both teams shot less than 45% from the field.  It was tied at halftime, 26-26.  And, with five minutes to go, the Cavs trailed 47-46.  But Virginia was fairly clutch down the stretch with its free throw shooting and three-point shots to pull off the victory.

Virginia was led by Sammy Zeglinski’s 17 points.  Joe Harris added 14 points, while Mike Scott had 12 points and 9 rebounds.  Virginia opens the ACC schedule on Saturday against Miami.

Speaking of Miami, the ended the out-of-conference schedule with a 99-89 win over North Carolina-Greensboro.  Kenny Kadji scored led Miami with 30 points and 12 rebounds.  Three other Hurricanes finished in double-digits in scoring.

But the rest of the ACC fared poorly. Wake Forest lost some significant momentum by losing to Wofford, at home, 56-52.   Wake Forest had won 3 in a row and was looking to get its 10th overall win.  With the loss, Wake drops to 9-5 as it heads into conference play.

Meanwhile, Boston College continued to cement its position as the cellar-dweller in the ACC, losing to Rhode Island in double-overtime, 78-72.  The Eagles dropped to 5-9 with the home loss to the Rams (who improved to 3-12).  It’s going to be a very long season for Boston College.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball and tagged , , , , , ,
02 Jan 2012

ACC Basketball Rankings: January 2, 2012

This is particularly complex with Pitt and Syracuse not yet in the ACC, but it can still be done.  Here is how we view the ACC basketball schools as of January 2, 2012:

1.  Syracuse (15-0)  Still rolling.  #1 in the country and just picked up a win in Chicago over DePaul.

2. North Carolina (13-2)  The Tar Heels are still winding their way through a weak part of the schedule.

3. Duke (12-1)  Temple and Georgia Tech this week.  The OOC is almost over.

4. Virginia (12-1)  Things are looking good for the Cavs.  12-1, with conference play on the horizon.

5. Virginia Tech (11-3)  Great win over Oklahoma State in Stillwater.  Wake Forest looms this weekend.

6. North Carolina State (10-4) 4-0 since losing to Syracuse.  One more OOC to plod through before the conference games start.

7. Maryland (9-3) 6 wins in a row, with Cornell up next.

8. Florida State (8-5)  Loss to Florida was disappointing.  Lost to Princeton is a serious blow.

9. Pittsburgh (11-4)  Another loss.  Wheels are starting to fall off here.

10. Wake Forest (9-4)  Record is nice, but the level of opponents is just not there.

11. Miami (8-4)  The Hurricanes need to do some damage in early conference play.

12. Georgia Tech (7-6) The wheels have fallen off.   This team is too good to be struggling at .500.

13. Clemson (8-6)  13th, but a lot of room to move up.  Clemson may be better than a few teams ahead of them.

14. Boston College (5-8)  Still in the cellar.

Agree?  Disagree?  Let us know!

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
30 Dec 2011

ACC Basketball Recap: December 29, 2011

December 29 was a tough night for the ACC, as two of its five teams in action suffered defeats.

Boston College lost to Harvard at home, 67-46.  That Boston College lost was not surprising, as Harvard is 11-1 on the year now and ranked in the top 25.  What is disappointing is that, according to CBS, it was “the fourth straight season that Harvard has beaten Boston College on the Eagles’ home court.”  That is how far things have fallen for the Eagles.  Losing to Harvard is part of a trend, not an anomaly.  With the loss, Boston College drops to 5-8 on the season.

Georgia Tech lost to Fordham, 72-66.   If there is a good news, it is that Georgia Tech did not lose at home.  Still, this is a Fordham team that is now 6-6 and has already lost to Monmouth and Lehigh.  There is no reason for an ACC school to lose a game like this.  With the loss, the Yellow Jackets drop to a disappointing 7-6.  Jason Morris came off the bench to lead Georgia Tech with 17 points.

Wake Forest had some serious trouble with Yale, before ultimately winning 72-71.  Actually, at one point, Wake Forest had a 19 point lead over the visitors.  And Wake Forest never trailed in the game.  Nevertheless, Yale rallied to close the gap during the second half to make for some antacid moments down the stretch.  With the loss, Yale drops to a respectable 8-3.  With the win, Wake Forest improves to 9-4.  CJ Harris led the Demon Deacons with 23 points.

North Carolina State also improved to 9-4 with its 87-81 victory over visiting Campbell.  Lorenzo Brown led the Wolfpack with 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists.  Richard Howell had 17 points and 17 rebounds.  Yes, that is not a misprint…. 17 rebounds.  In fact, North Carolina State outrebounded Campbell 40-22.  They also went an impressive 28 for 31 from the free throw line.  Only Campbell’s hot shooting–50.9% from the field and 64.3% from three-point range–kept this game close.

Finally, #5 North Carolina improved to 12-2 by defeating overmatched Elon, 100-62.  No surprises here.  The Tar Heels held Elon to 33.3% shooting, outrebounded them 57-31, had a 25-5 free throw attempt advantage, and only committed 8 fouls en route to a blowout win.  The usual suspects did the early damage, as Tyler Zeller had 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Harrison Barnes added 18 points.

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball and tagged , , , , , ,
29 Dec 2011
1 Comment

ACC Basketball Rankings: December 29, 2011

This is particularly complex with Pitt and Syracuse not yet in the ACC, but it can still be done.  Here is how we view the ACC basketball schools as of December 29, 2011:

1.  Syracuse (14-0)  Still rolling.  Destroyed a decent Seton Hall team in the conference opener.

2. North Carolina (12-2)  The Tar Heels don’t play a ranked team until February 8th against Duke.

3. Duke (10-1)  If Duke wins the next five, including games against Temple and Virginia, they have to move ahead of North Carolina.

4. Virginia (11-1)  The Confidential moved the Cavs ahead of Pittsburgh in the last rankings… and Virginia is now ranked in the polls too.

5. Virginia Tech (10-3)  An upcoming game against Oklahoma State is a rare in-season rematch against an OOC foe.

6. Florida State (8-4)  Loss to Florida was disappointing.  But Florida is really, really good this year.

7. Pittsburgh (11-3)  No excuse for loss to Wagner.  Even the loss at Notre Dame is a head shaker.

8.  North Carolina State (8-4) 2-0 since losing to Syracuse.  All winnable games for a few more weeks.  Need to keep the momentum going.

9. Maryland (8-3) Maryland rises another spot–the Terps have won FIVE in a row now.

10. Wake Forest (8-4)  A few wins in a row now against middling competition.

11. Miami (7-4) Played some tough opponents, but Miami needs to start stringing together wins.

12. Georgia Tech (7-5) Lost to Mercer was unacceptable.

13. Clemson (7-6)  Just not winning enough.  Got to win early in the season to have a chance.

14. Boston College (5-7)  Three in a row going into game against ranked Harvard.

Agree?  Disagree?  Let us know!

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
20 Dec 2011

ACC Basketball Rankings: December 20, 2011

This is particularly complex with Pitt and Syracuse not yet in the ACC, but it can still be done.  Here is how we view the ACC basketball schools as of December 20, 2011:

1.  Syracuse (11-0)  The win over North Carolina State gives Syracuse that coveted win in a true road game.  Up this week?  Bucknell and surprising Tulane.

2. North Carolina (10-2) Win over Appalachian State does not move the dial.  Coasted in the second half too.

3. Duke (10-1) No games last week.  No reason to move them up or down.

4. Virginia (9-1) Other than Syracuse, Virginia had the best win of the week by taking down Oregon at Oregon.  Enough to crack the top 25.

5. Pittsburgh (10-1)  Not really tested this past week.  Only a game against South Carolina State.

6. Virginia Tech (9-3)  Two wins over overmatched foes is not nearly enough to break into the top 5.

7. Florida State (8-3)  As with most ACC teams, the Seminoles had an easy week with two rather easy opponents.

8.  North Carolina State (6-4) The Wolfpack held their own against Syracuse for most of the game.  Syracuse was just too much in the end.

9. Georgia Tech (7-4) No wins of significance in the past week.

10. Maryland (6-3) Maryland is starting to string some wins together.  As the difficulty level increases, so to will Maryland’s rank here.

11. Wake Forest (7-4)  The Demon Deacons climb a spot after beating George Washington.  This was one of the more impressive wins of the week.

12. Miami (6-4) But it took overtime for Miami to hold off Florida Atlantic.  Not a good sign.

13. Clemson (6-4)  Beat up a few creampuffs to get to 6-4.  Could be worse. 

14. Boston College (4-7)  Things are getting better for the Eagles.

Agree?  Disagree?  Let us know!

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
19 Dec 2011

Weekend ACC Basketball Recap: December 19, 2011

While the big news of the weekend was Syracuse defending its #1 ranking on the road against North Carolina State, there were plenty of other noteworthy results.

On Saturday, Miami survived a double-overtime thriller against Florida Atlantic, 93-90.  The big news for Miami was the return of Center Reggie Johnson, who made his season debut after undergoing right knee surgery in June, and filled up the box score: 15 points, nine rebounds, five blocks and five assists.  Three other players chipped in 15 points or more for the Hurricanes, led by Kenny Kadji’s 21 points.  With the win, Miami nudges up to 6-4.

Surprisingly, the next closest game of the day on Saturday was #5 North Carolina’s 97-82 victory over Appalachian State.  To be fair, the Tar Heels jumped out to a 16-point lead at halftime and coasted to the win.  Tyler Zeller scored 31 points and added 10 rebounds.  North Carolina is now 9-2.

In other Saturday games, Clemson improved to 5-4 by defeating Winthrop 60-40.  Virginia Tech defeated Campbell 85-60 to get to 8-3 overall.  It should also be noted that future ACC member, #15 Pittsburgh, defeated South Carolina State 69-55.  The Panthers are now 10-1.

On Sunday, the ACC went 4 for 4.  The big game was Virginia’s 67-54 road victory over Oregon.  The Ducks went into the game with a 6-2 record, with losses to only BYU and Vanderbilt.  But the Cavaliers continued their good early season performance by holding Oregon to 42.6% shooting.  Virginia also dominated the boards, capturing a 39-24 edge.  Mike Scott led Virginia with 17 points and 13 rebounds.  Virginia is now 9-1 on the season and poised to move into the top 25.

Florida State improved to 8-3 with a 77-61 victory over Loyola Marymount.  Once again, the ACC team dominated the boards as the Seminoles crashed the boards for a ridiculous 49 to 32 edge.  The teams helped those numbers by shooting below average, 49 for 123 between the two teams.  Bernard James led the Seminoles with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

In other Sunday action, Wake Forest defeated Gardner-Webb 67-59 to get to 7-4.  And how about those Boston College Eagles, who got their fourth win on the season with a 20-point romp over Bryant, 75-55.  That’s two wins in a row.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
17 Dec 2011

Good News for Maryland & Boston College Football

After tough 2011 football seasons, the Maryland Terrapins and Boston College Eagles received some good off-season news.   After finishing their seasons a combined 6-18, there was little to cheer about in 2011.  But the good news is thatnine of their football players were granted medical redshirts by the ACC conference.

For Maryland, four players will get a medical redshirt.  According to umterps.com:

Maryland was notified Friday by the Atlantic Coast Conference office that wide receiver Tyrek Cheeseboro, defensive back Matt Robinson, defensive lineman Isaiah Ross and linebacker Kenny Tate were approved for medical hardship waivers.  

The three defensive players began the season as starters for Randy Edsall.  Tate, pictured below, was an all-ACC player in 2012.

Meanwhile, the Boston College athletics website is reporting that five players were granted medical redshirts.  The websites noted that the following five players had their medical hardship waivers approved: Montel Harris, Kaleb Ramsey, Ifeanyi Momah, C.J. Jones and Connor Wujciak.  The big name on this list is Harris, as noted by Boston College:

Harris, a senior running back who was the 2011 ACC preseason Player of the Year, missed the first three games of the season, then played in two games (vs. UMass and Wake Forest), sustaining a season-ending knee injury against the Demon Deacons. Before his injury, Harris broke the BC all-time rushing record with a 26-yard rush in the fourth quarter. He will have one year of eligibility remaining.

For both programs, they need as many playmakers as possible in every season moving forward.  So this news is really some good news after otherwise dreary 2011 campaigns.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football and tagged , , ,
12 Dec 2011

ACC Basketball Rankings: December 12, 2011

This is particularly complex with Pitt and Syracuse not yet in the ACC, but it can still be done.  Here is how we view the ACC basketball schools as of December 12, 2011:

1.  Syracuse–Not overly impressive in defeating Marshall, but an appropriately lopsided win over George Washington.  At 10-0, likely to be #1 in the nation.

2. North Carolina–At 8-2, the Tar Heels look to have righted things again.  The win over Long Beach State was closer than expected against even a battle-tested team.  Still, no reason to drop the Tar Heels yet.

3. Duke–Duke’s win over Washington was nice, but not enough to leapfrog North Carolina.  The Blue Devils are 9-1 on the season though.

4. Virginia–At 8-1, the Cavs had a light week this week.  But they took care of George Mason by 20 points.  No reason to drop them in the standings.

5. Pittsburgh–At 9-1, the Panthers have rebounded nicely from the loss to Long Beach State.  A very good win over Oklahoma on Saturday.

6. Virginia Tech–One of two 7-3 teams, the edge goes to the Hokies here.  They lost to a challenging Kansas State team, before rallying late in the week to beat Rhode Island and Norfolk State.

7. Florida State– The Seminoles are also 7-3, but remain in need of a quality win.  For now, this keeps Florida State behind Georgia Tech.

8.  North Carolina State–At 6-3, the Wolfpack will get their chance to make a move this week.  Syracuse visits on Saturday.

9. Georgia Tech–At 6-4, Georgia Tech had a nice rebound week by beating instate rival Georgia and instate foe Savannah State.

10. Maryland–At 5-3, Maryland is showing some life again.  The win over St. Mary was another step in the right direction.

11. Miami-At 5-4, Miami is reeling against tough competition.  Games against Memphis and West Virginia would be challenging for the top 5 teams in the conference, much less the Hurricanes.

12. Wake Forest– At 6-4, the Demon Deacons are a tough team to figure out.  After beating Texas Tech, there was hope that Wake could beat Seton Hall.  It was not to be.

13. Clemson–At 4-4, the Tigers last two losses were to South Carolina and Arizona.  They need an easier game soon to stop the current slump

14. Boston College--At 3-7, the only team in the ACC with a losing record.  For more on the Eagles, see this analysis.

Agree?  Disagree?  Let us know!

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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