The Confidential

The ACC Sports Blog

Archive for the tag “The Big Dance”

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

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 , ,
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 , ,
21 Mar 2013
6 Comments

And Down Goes Pitt…

Once upon a time, Pitt’s football team was the sole source of disappointment.  Year after year, the decent recruits at Pitt have failed to live up to the hype.  They have more trips to Birmingham than the BCS.  But now the basketball team is joining the football team in mediocrity.  This year, Pitt was insulted (by some) to have received “only” an 8-seed, and then went out and lost by 18 to the 9th-seeded Wichita St. Shockers.

All you need to do is go here to read the comments from the Pitt fans.  They seem to be losing some faith in Jamie Dixon.  Of course, they should also recognize that Syracuse fans had lost faith in Jim Boeheim after 10 seasons too.  And even in the 1990s, Syracuse fans questioned whether Boeheim could win a national title.  For Dixon, he needs to just get the Panthers to a Final Four first.

But the 2012-2013 season was not about that.  From a Big Dance standpoint, losing to Wichita State is not the end of the world.  It is highly disappointing, however, to lose by 18.  So it is understandable if Panthers fans are frustrated.  Dixon is getting the recruits… like the football team, those recruits need to start meeting their potential.

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Opinion and tagged , , , ,
20 Mar 2013
8 Comments

One Recommended NCAA Tournament Change

The Confidential thinks that one particular NCAA Tournament change is in order.  This one is going to be controversial, but the Confidential believes that the reigning national champion should get an automatic invite to the Big Dance, so long as they meet the minimum criteria of, say, 18 wins.

This year, Kentucky went 21-11 overall and 12-6 in conference, albeit in the admittedly weak SEC.  For that, they were rewarded with a trip to the NIT.  Really?  Would it have been THAT awful to slap an 11 seed on the Wildcats?  Give someone a chance to upset the reigning champion?  This is a no-brainer to the Confidential.  With 68 teams, many of whom are mediocre and/or only there based on “automatic” bids, there is plenty of room for one more automatic bid.  The Earth will stay on its axis–just be a bit more fun.  Let’s see someone dethrone the prior champ, regardless of how easy or hard it is to do.

The cons are obvious, but not without flaws.

Con #1.  Only the best 68 teams should be in the tournament.

Bull. Crap.  Bullcrap.  Liberty is 15-20 and validly in the tournament.  And that rule should not change either.  If nobody from Liberty’s conference (probably should have looked that up) can beat Liberty in its tournament, nobody else deserves the spot.  Might as well be Liberty.  It’s what makes March madness an event.  But if Liberty is OK, then why not Kentucky?  Who is more likely to make a run?  Let’s not pretend that this is exclusively about only the top teams participating.

Con #2.  OK, if you don’t win your tournament, then you must be one of the best at-large teams.

Now we are really splitting hairs here aren’t we?  To include Kentucky would be to exclude Boise State.  Is everyone 100% sure that Kentucky is worse than Boise State.  This is like deciding between two 6-6 football teams.  Let’s give the nod to the team that will juice up the tournament the most.  Moreover, while we all love the underdog story (at least until it reached the point where you feel weird picking Butler to lose and/or a 5 seed to win), we love watching the elite teams lose even more.  Admit it… which interests you more… Lehigh winning or Duke losing?  Most people would take the latter.  It’s as much about schadenfreude as it is rooting for the underdog.  C’mon, let’s see a Kentucky cheerleader cry!

Con #3.  Why are we screwing over the midmajors?

Who is screwing over a midmajor?  Virginia and Maryland were among the teams left out of the Big Dance.  The NIT is full of major conference schools.  More likely than not, allowing a national champion to enter the bracket would exclude a team that was around .500 in a major conference.  This is essentially trading a .500 team that is interesting for a .500 team that is not.  Let someone enjoy beating Kentucky rather than sigh after beating some other middle of the pack big conference mediocrity.

Con #4.  You just like Kentucky, don’t you?

Heck no.  The opposite.  You cannot let hate cloud your judgment.  This is about seeing Kentucky be both part of the Big Dance and losing.  Let’s see who gets to take down the former Goliath.  That is a lot more exciting than some other 12 seed.  And it gives the tournament just that much more excitement.

Con #5.  This Kentucky team looks nothing like last year’s team, so why bother?

Well, we are all just rooting for jerseys anyway.  Does it matter than 5 guys left and were replaced with 5 new guys?  In theory.  But it is still Kentucky’s championship to lose until someone beats them.  At least it could be.  That would be neat.

Con #6.  Who cares, how often could this possibly happen?

According to this article, only 5 times in the past 25 or so years.  But three of those have been since 2008.  This is a new trend.  It will likely happen more and more as the NBA continues to draft kids with potential instead of men with a flaw here or there.  And if it truly is are, what is the problem?  If anything, rarity is a benefit to the change.  After all, it would not be that much of a burden to make the switch.

Con #7.  Did you see that Kentucky just lost to Robert Morris?  There goes that theory. 

Hardly.  The fun is (a) having Kentucky rally around its championship and play better than they have all season; and (b) giving some other team the thrill of eliminating them.  Every year, we see good teams “give up” at NIT time.  It is perplexing, but the disappointment of not being in the Big Dance can lead to some surprises.  So it does not matter than Kentucky lost.  Except that those kids lost out on a chance to play more and develop character.  Of course, it also shows how hard it is to play a true road game.  For those who defend neutral site games, there is nothing like playing in a small, packed gym.  Teams better than Kentucky might have wilted under that pressure.

Finally, this is NOT about this Kentucky team, but about the principle.  Let the champion have an automatic bid.

What say you?  Is there a better reason to include the prior year’s champ?  Disagree vehemently?  Let us know…

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Opinion and tagged , , , ,
12 Mar 2013

State of the Pack: What has gone before…

So we, the Wolfpack nation, were reduced to this:  pulling for the Maryland Quitterpins vs the favored Virginia Cavaliers.  To make matter worse, the Terps teased us, at times controlling the game before falling short by only four points.  So that was that; no first-round bye in the Acc Tournament, instead a meeting with Virginia Tech on Thursday afternoon.

But how did we get to this point? Time for a (not very) nostalgic look back at the 2013 season…

It started with rampant optimism.  Many prognosticators had NCSU winning the conference, with at least one preaseason magazine picking the Pack to make the Final Four.  The first sign that this might be inacurate came on the sunny isle of Puerto Rico, where State came out flat and lost to Oklahoma State 76-56 in a rout that may not have been as close as the score indicated.  While the Cowboys would prove better than expected, the Pack would not meet their lofty expectations at all.

Still, the ship seemed to be righted on January 12th when State dominated then-number-one Duke 84-76.  Standing at 14-2 and 3-0 in conference play, the Pack looked like they could handle anybody.

At least until the following Wednesday, when the game that perhaps defined this maddening rollercoaster ride occured:  the 51-50 loss at Maryland.  That’s when we all had to admit that despite the great recruiting class, despite the preseason predictions, despite last season’s surprise Sweet 16 appearance, this was no Final Four candidate.

There would be other peaks and valleys this year, beating North Carolina in Raleigh, losing to Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, but the Pack slid slowly down the ratings from a preseason #6  to the current position of a team unranked but at least certain of an NCAA bid.

If force to give this team a letter grade based solely on the regular season, I would go B-.  C+ if not for the split with both Duke and Carolina, B+ if not for the losses to Wake and Maryland, and to FSU when the bye was still ours to lose.

I am a bit disturbed as I check out State message boards around the net.  Some are already howling for Mark Gottfried’s head.  While much did go wrong this year, I urge patience.  We are pretty much guaranteed a second straight trip to the Dance, and as all State fans know, once you get there, who knows?  Our lack of depth is all that is holding us back at this point.

As for the upcoming ACC tournament, we open, as mentioned above, on Thursday vs Virginia Tech at 2 pm.  We should expect to win that one.  Then it will be Virginia on Friday, and I am smelling a Pack victory there as well, although it would be something of an upset.  If so, Miami will likely be waiting in the semifinals, and that should be that.  But if, and I cannot see it happening, we somehow stun the Canes, either Duke or Carolina will be waiting.  I think Carolina; Duke tends to look ahead to the NCAAs and sometimes stumble in the conference tourney.

Anyway, the winner of State/Miami would then face the winner of Duke/UNC.  Any matchup of these four teams will be a final for the ages.  I think Miami vs UNC, and all bets are off.

Posted by mikemab2000 in ACC only, Basketball, NC State Correspondent, Opinion, Predictions, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , ,
13 Nov 2012

ACC Basketball Rankings: Week 1

While there is plenty of football left to be played, basketball is now started.  Here are the Confidential’s ACC basketball rankings in Week 1:

  1. Syracuse (1-0).  With a win over ranked San Diego State, in San Diego, the Orange rightfully claim this spot.  For now.
  2. North Carolina State (1-0).  The Wolfpack destroyed Miami (Ohio), retaining the #2 position easily.
  3. Duke (1-0).  Duke beat a cupcake, but the polls had North Carolina leapfrog them.  Too soon for that.
  4. North Carolina (2-0).  Although North Carolina beat two cupcakes to Duke’s one, plenty of season left for a true justification to swap the two teams.
  5. Notre Dame (1-0).  The Fighting Irish struggled to beat Evansville.  But they won.
  6. Pittsburgh (2-0).  The Panthers are off to a good start.  Last year started strong too, until it imploded.
  7. Virginia Tech (2-0).  The Hokies are off to a 2-0 start, including a nice win over Rhode Island.  
  8. Miami (1-0).  Miami started the season with a struggle to beat Stetson.  Baby steps.
  9. Boston College (1-0).  This team had so much difficulty last year–every win is worthy of note. 
  10. Wake Forest (1-0).  The Demon Deacons are young, but undefeated!
  11. Georgia Tech (1-0). The Yellow Jacket’s season started nicely with a win over Tulane.
  12. Clemson (1-0).  The Tigers really took care of Presbyterian to start off the season.  Up next is Furman.
  13. Maryland (1-1).  The Terps played very well against Kentucky.  Look for this team to start rising up the rankings.
  14. Virginia (1-1).  No shame in losing to George Mason.  The defense is as good as ever.
  15. Florida State (1-1).  You cannot lose at home to South Alabama and expect to be ranked ahead of any teams.  Sorry Seminoles.

So there it is.  Agree?  Disagree?

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
06 Nov 2012

Preseason ACC Basketball Rankings!

While there is plenty of football left to be played, basketball is ready to get started.  With that, here are the Confidential’s preseason ACC basketball rankings:

  1. Syracuse.  With apologies to North Carolina State, Duke, and North Carolina, Jim Boeheim has another great team.  And his best coaching jobs are when he has a young team that will listen to his advice.
  2. North Carolina State.  The Confidential is buying the hype.  If Florida State can win the ACC, why not the Wolfpack?  Looking forward to that early season tilt against Michigan too.
  3. Duke.  With the football team headed to a bowl game, fans have a reason to not pay full attention to the hoop squad.  But Dick Vitale will be smiling… Duke is loaded again.
  4. North Carolina.  Not many teams in college hoops have more talent than the Tar Heels.  #4 could be #1 if it all goes well.
  5. Florida State.  The Seminoles are looking to build off last season’s great finish.  These are good times to be a Florida State fan.
  6. Notre Dame.  If we are including Syracuse and Pitt, no reason not to include the Fighting Irish.  Mr. Brey has himself a decent squad again this year too.
  7. Miami.  Like Florida State, Miami is starting to take advantage of its ACC membership on the hardcourt.  Recruiting to Miami cannot be that hard, can it?
  8. Pittsburgh.  Last year has to be an anomaly, right?  Jamie Dixon is too good a coach to have two straight seasons without the Big Dance.
  9. Virginia.  Virginia’s unusual defensive schemes give offenses fits.  As the talent ramps up, this team will give many teams fits.
  10. Maryland.  The Terps have some talent and they certainly have a talented coaching staff.  Time to start winning more games.
  11. Virginia Tech.  The Hokies have a new coach, which could mean that they take a step back or a step forward from this projection.
  12. Georgia Tech. Things have to be better for the Yellow Jackets this year.  A new home arena should help juice the program up a bit.
  13. Clemson.  The Tigers are young.  But they have the depth to make some games very interesting this year.
  14. Boston College.  This team had to deal with youth last year.  This year will be a stepping stone to good things in 2013-2014.
  15. Wake Forest.  The Demon Deacons are very very young.  Going to be a long season, most likely.

So there it is.  Soon enough we’ll all find out whether the Confidential was on target.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Predictions, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
03 Apr 2012

Kentucky Wins National Title

If, by chance, you were living under a rock for the past 24 hours, you might not have noticed that Kentucky defeated Kansas to win the National Championship last night, 67-59.  For John Calipari, his recruitment of one-and-done players has finally panned out with a national title.  For the rest of college basketball, it is a bit disappointing that such a non-traditional roster was able to achieve what it did.  Still, there is no question that Kentucky was the best team in college basketball in 2011-2012.  The team deserves the title.

For most ACC fans, there is little to really complain about.  Other than North Carolina and Syracuse, nobody was going to beat Kentucky.  Not Duke.  Kentucky was that good.

For North Carolina and Syracuse, there is disappointment.  A healthy Tar Heels squad would have competed with Kentucky.  After all, Kentucky only beat North Carolina 73-72 when both teams were at full strength.  Of course, the Tar Heels were not healthy for most of the last several weeks of the season.  Ultimately, no rematch happened for the 32-6 Tar Heels.

Syracuse did not suffer injuries, but was plagued by the academic (allegedly) woes of Fab Melo.  The Orange battled valiantly without the Big East Defensive Player of the Year.  At the same time, the Kentucky front line would have given the 34-3 Syracuse Orange all it could handle.  Plus, Kentucky’s outside shooting last night suggested that the zone might not have posed much of a problem–especially without Melo.

In the end, it was Kentucky’s year.  Although bittersweet, it is what it is.

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

Syracuse’s Great Season Comes to an End

The 2011-2012 edition of Syracuse Basketball will undoubtedly go down as one of the best ever.   The team finished 34-3 overall, including 17-1 in Big East play.  But that season ended last night with a 77-70 loss to Ohio State.

As good as the Syracuse-Wisconsin game was, last night’s game was a harder game to watch.  The referees decided to impact the outcome.  Ohio State star center Jared Sullinger was whistled for his second foul with 13 minutes remaining in the first half on a play where he, at most, breathed on Syracuse’s Dion Waiters.  Conversely, Syracuse had 12 fouls in the first half compared to Ohio State’s six.  And with 12 minutes to go in the second half, Syracuse had 3 players with 4 fouls.  The referees just did not let these two great teams play.

Still, Syracuse had its chances to win.  It squandered the first half–when Sullinger was on the bench.  It settled to contested jump shots, rather than driving to the void at the basket left by Sullinger’s absence.  Syracuse also missed several layups.  And then down the stretch, Seniors Kris Joseph and Scoop Jardine had three consecutive turnovers to destroy any momentum.  A great season coming to a difficult end.

2012-2013 promises to be interesting for Syracuse.  There will be lots of questions.  Will Fab Melo come back?  Will Dion Waiters come back?  Who will replace Kris Joseph?  Who will replace Scoop Jardine?  Will Rakeem Christmas–who played better as a freshman than Fab Melo–make a similar leap in the off season?  The one thing that is likely is that a Jim Boeheim-coached team will find a way to keep Syracuse in the spotlight.

I guess one more question–will Syracuse officially be an ACC team for 2012-2013 or will it still be in the Big East?  These are interesting times.

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

Post Navigation

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →