Is it OK to Root Against UNC?

Some people say you should root for your conference. But I find that kind of difficult tonight as the Tar Heels go for a national title against Michigan State. The Tar Heels represent a last shot at ACC redemption for 2009, but at the same time I really want them to lose.

I don't want Tyler Hansbrough to win a national title in his final college game. I don't want Roy Williams to cut down the nets after spoiling Tech's shot at the Tournament. And I don't want Carolina to get the satisfaction of a national title after taking out both the Hokies and my alma mater.

Most of the time I'll root for the ACC. But I find this Carolina team too hate-able. I cheered for the Heels at the 2005 Final Four. But a lot of that had to do with how rude Illinois fans were that weekend.

It's the same with my love/hate of UConn. I wanted its 2004 team to win the title because of how much I like Okafor and Gordon. But I rooted against its 2006 team probably more so than any other college basketball team in my life because I couldn't tolerate the sight of Gay, Boone, Armstrong and Marcus Williams in the Final Four. I celebrated George Mason's Elite Eight win as if the Hokies were going to the Final Four.

I might do the same again tonight if Sparty can pull the upset.

What about you guys? Are you cheering for conference pride? Or for the Heels to go down in flames?

GO GREEN.

Linkage

Hokies

- Tech is facing lofty expectations this year. (VT Fan)
- Seth Greenberg to Arizona? (Tech Hoops)
- Tyrod's hitch has apparently been ditched. (Roanoke Times)

Atlantic Coast Conference

- Joe is missing the point on our hatred of the Hansbrough Child. He hasn't overstayed his welcome. He was never welcome to begin with.
- Carolina and MSU are familiar foes. (Carolina March)
- A title game preview from Tar Heel Fan. (Tar Heel Fan)
- Christian Ponder struggled in FSU's spring game. (Tomahawk Nation)
- Da'Rel Sc'ott had a ridiculous 14 ypc in Maryland's scrimmage. (Testudo Times)
- NC State's pxp guy offers some chicken soup for your soul. (StateFans Nation)

Stuff Only I Care About

- Opening Day will have to wait. (Extra Bases)
- The Sabres are all but eliminated. (Die by the Blade)
- See Sid fight. (Puck Daddy)

The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Bracket

Here it is:



Those on Facebook are cordially invited to join The 4th Annual Teddy Dupay Memorial Basketball Pool.

Midwest Region

First Round

Lewwwwwvulllll over Whoever Won Last Night Morehead State
Siena over Ohio State
Arizona over Utah
Wake Forest over Cleveland State
West Virginia over Dayton
Kansas over NDSU
Boston College over USC
Michigan State over Robert Morris

Second Round

Louisville over Siena
Wake over Arizona
West Virginia over Kansas
Michigan State over BC

Sweet 16

Louisville over Wake
Michigan State over West Virginia

Elite Eight

Louisville over Michigan State

West Region

First Round

UConn over Chattanooga
BYU over Texas A&M
Purdue over Northern Iowa
Washington over Mississippi State
Utah State over Marquette
Missouri over Cornell
Cal over Maryland
Memphis over CS-Northridge

Second Round

UConn over BYU
Washington over Purdue
Utah State over Mizzou
Memphis over Cal

Sweet 16

Washington over UConn
Memphis over Utah State

Elite Eight

Memphis over Washington

East Region

First Round

Pitt over ETSU
Tennessee over OSU
Florida State over Wisconsin
Xavier over Portland State
UCLA over VCU
Villanova over American
Texas over Minnesota
Duke over Binghamton

Second Round

Pitt over Tennessee
Florida State over Xavier
UCLA over Villanova
Texas over Duke

Sweet 16

Florida State over Pitt
Texas over UCLA

Elite Eight

Florida State over Texas

South Region

First Round

North Carolina over Radford
Butler over Elleshoe
WKU over Illinois
Gonzaga over Akron
Arizona State over Temple
Syracuse over SFA
Michigan over Clemson
Oklahoma over Morgan State

Second Round

UNC over Butler
Gonzaga over WKU
Arizona State over Syracuse
Oklahoma over Michigan

Sweet 16

Gonzaga over UNC
Arizona State over Oklahoma

Elite Eight

Arizona State over Gonzaga

Final Four

Memphis over Louisville
Florida State over Arizona State

National Championship

Memphis over Florida State

The Fran Fraschilla Drinking Game

Living in Big 12 country, I have to watch a lot of basketball games involving ESPN color commentator and former New Mexico head coach Fran Fraschilla. What has amused me about Fraschilla's broadcasting the last few years is he seems to be interviewing for his next head coaching job throughout each telecast.

I'm sure there's a lot of color guys who do this, but Fraschilla is the most blatant. Well, as if you needed another reason to drink on Wednesday, Coach Fran will be calling the Notre Dame-UAB game at 9 p.m. on ESPN. If I'm conscious, I'll play along. But, I haven't lasted 'til 9 p.m. in many a St. Patrick's Day.

Fran Fraschilla Drinking Game

Coaching

One Drink: Fran needlessly over analyzes a mundane situation with coach-speak.
Two Drinks: Fran draws up his own play in an end-game situation.
Three Drinks: Fran mentions he coaches at a lot of summer camps.

Sucking Up

One Drink: Fran mentions the AD of a team involved in his game.
Two Drinks: Fran mentions the coach of another sport of a school involved in his game.
Three Drinks: Fran praises the town/facilities/fans of a school involved in his game.

Players

One Drink: Fran mentions a player as a conference award candidate.
Two Drinks: Fran mentions a player as a national award candidate.
Three Drinks: "I would have won a lot more games if I had (name of player) on my teams."
Finish your drink: Fran takes credit for improving a player at a summer camp.

So there you go. No complicated rules. Just straight forward drinking for when Coach Fran calls a hoops game. Enjoy.

Hokies Among 9 ACC Teams in Postseason

The Hokies are going to the NIT as expected and will host Duquesne at 7 p.m. Wednesday on ESPNU. The Hokies are the No. 2 seed in Auburn's corner of the bracket and if they keep winning, are going to get at least two home games on the road to MSG. Last year, the Hokies were one win away from a trip to New York before losing to Ole Miss.

Duquesne fell one game short of the NCAA Tournament, losing to Temple in th A10 final Saturday. The Dukes are 21-11 and 8-6 on the road this year. They don't have any impressive non-conference wins, but have faced Duke, Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Old Dominion this year.

Only one play from the infamous September 2006 shooting of five Duquesne players is still on the roster, guard Aaron Jackson. Jackson is the Dukes' leading scorer, averaging 18.5 points per game.

If the Hokies win Wednesday, they will face the Baylor-Georgetown winner. The Hokies match-up better against the Bears, but I'd love a shot at the Hoyas in the Cassell.

Pithy Thoughts on the Other ACC Postseason Teams

NCAA Tournament

North Carolina
1 Seed - South Region
vs. 16 Radford Thursday in Greensboro

I expect the Tar Heels to come out of the Memphis bracket and possibly win the national title. They sat Ty Lawson in the ACC tournament like UConn did with Emeka Okafor in 2004. It was a smart move. UNC will avoid the athletic guards that give them trouble until a possible match-up with Jeremy Pargo and Gonzaga in the Sweet 16.

Duke
2 Seed - East Region
vs. 15 Binghamton Thursday in Greensboro

I think the East region will see a lot of chaos. I don't trust Pitt or Duke despite seemingly easy roads to the Elite Eight.

Wake Forest
4 Seed - Midwest Region
vs. 13 Cleveland State Friday in Miami

Wake will either go to the Elite Eight or lose to Cleveland State. There is no in between with this bunch.

Florida State
5 Seed - East Region
vs. 12 Wisconsin Friday in Boise

Boise hasn't been historically kind to the Badgers. I think the Seminoles are a team that could make a Final Four run if presented with the right match-ups. I think a game between them and Pitt would be fun to watch.

Boston College
7 Seed - Midwest Region
vs. 10 USC Friday in Minneapolis

BC went to Minneapolis for a regional in 2006 and lost in the Sweet 16 to Villanova by one point in overtime. I think the Eagles will beat USC and possibly Michigan State if Tyrese Rice takes over.

Clemson
7 Seed - South Region
vs. 10 Michigan Thursday in Kansas City

First-round exit.

Maryland
10 Seed - West Region
vs. 7 California Thursday in Kansas City

The Terps are playing well and could beat Cal, but won't make it out of KC.

NIT

Miami
4 Seed - Florida Bracket
at 5 Providence Wednesday on ESPN2

The 'Canes have to travel to the Dunkies Center despite being the higher seed. They're a threat to make it to NYC if Jack McClinton is healthy.

I don't want to talk about it.

Talk amongst yourselves.

Giglio: Keep VT, Boot BC and Miami

JP Giglio of ACC Now wrote another one of those columns that waxes poetic about the salad days of the ACC when all that mattered was basketball and every basketball team played each other twice. It's the same type of column you see about five or six times every ACC basketball season. It's so common there's pretty much a formula for it.

All of them start with getting rid of the three Big East teams that ruined everything and going back to being a nine-team league. Except, in this case, Giglio didn't get the memo. He'd be OK with a 10 team league. The team he'd keep?

Give back the football money, ACC. Seriously, it's not too late.

We all make mistakes. Just admit you made one in expansion and give Boston College and Miami back to the Big East (but keep Virginia Tech, please).

Ten teams is all you need. The only casualty would be the colossal failure that is the ACC Championship Game in football.

The upside? A true football championship, with every team actually playing each other, and the return of the round-robin in basketball.

You like us! You really like us!

ACC Best of the Blogs: Scheduling and Hoops

Because it's the off-season, these posts are infrequent and irregular. But, here's what's going on around the ACC. Sadly, the ACC lost a great blogger last week when Jeff from BC Interruption decided to end his own life ... by getting married. Our condolences to Brian.

BOSTON COLLEGE

BC All Access: Boston College Upsets Duke
"The atmosphere in Conte Forum was electric as the Eagles dazzled the sellout crowd. Fans packed the arena early and created a hostile environment throughout the game. The victory brought upon a massive rush of students as they stormed the court in celebration."

BC Interruption: Role Play: BC Hoops, ACC Football Sched and Gaylord Hotels
"Brian as ACC scheduler: Well, we had to wait to see how some of these out of conference games were going to pan out. We wanted to wait until the teams from North Carolina gorge themselves on creampuff opponents in early September. And we also want to take an extra amount of time to ensure teams like Florida State, Virginia Tech and Miami (FL) have the most favorable schedule possible. Because those programs sell! Some say we have a football perception problem. What better way to fix that than give those programs the easiest schedule possible in terms of when who plays who and screw the little guys! I'm looking at you, Duke, Wake Forest and Boston College!"

Eagle in Atlanta: First (delayed ) reaction to 2009 schedule
"Considering we already knew the opponents this is a dream slate for Spaz's first year. I think we get nearly every team when and where we want them. We don't deal with any awkward trips or Thursday night games. Seven games are at home. The toughest road game is at Virginia Tech, but we know we can win there (neutral fields with the Hokies are a different story)."

CLEMSON

Block-C: 2009 Clemson Football Schedule
"The Tigers will face out of conference foes from Middle Tennessee State, Central Michigan, Coastal Carolina, and Sakerlina. The Tigers will face their regular Thursday embarrassment early this year, traveling to Atlanta on September 10 to face Georgia Tech."

FLORIDA STATE

Tomahawk Nation: How can FSU fill their wide receiver void?
"We discussed Jimbo's extensive use of the depth chart throughout the season and despite our concerns (that Ponder and his wideouts couldn't get in rhythm because the reps were spread too thin), it looks like it might be paying off. Many players got significant reps last year, and despite losing three more wideouts than we expected (Carr was a senior), those losses might not be as bad because of the valuable experience gained by the backups."

GEORGIA TECH

The Legacy x4: 2009 Yellow Jacket football schedule is out
"I kind of wrinkled my nose at the idea of not playing Clemson closer to mid-season, but the more I think about it, the more I like it. We get a nice warm up game, then hit the ground running by playing people we love to hate and hate to love."

MARYLAND

Testudo Times: 2009 Football Schedule Announced
"It's going to be tough to open the season at California. It would have been nice to get a game against James Madison under our belt first, but it will be a good, early test for this team."

Turtle Soup: Franklin to Replace Friedgen (Eventually)
"I think it’s a great move for all the reason’s they discussed above and Franklin seems to have a passion for the University, saying he can’t think of another school that can offer all the things Maryland can offer a student-athlete. Will that be enough to get the blue chip recruits? It hasn’t so far, but with the class we just got and this ‘continuity’ announced today, perhaps we can take that next step."

MIAMI

The 7th Floor: Like a doll's eyes
"Aside from former linebacker Brandon Marti joining Robert Marve in proving that we really, really, reeeeeeeally need to stop recruiting white guys, all of yesterday's news comes from Lovett's presser. Lovett acknowledged the challenge of arriving 12 days before the start of spring ball, but said he's already hit the ground running and "all the kids I have met have exceeded my expectation in terms of how to present themselves." Team MVP Matt Bosher will shatter this illusion later when he uses his entrée fork to eat a salad, and suffers the humiliation of being shown to the door by the footman."

All Canes: What's new at the U
"Kirby Hocutt joined Shannon at the function and it was stated that Miami's athletic department raised upwards of $4.5M last year with the move to Dolphin Stadium. Though the stadium needs more bodies in seats, it's hard to argue with the bottom line. The Canes left the Orange Bowl for money and for a strapped program, it's hard to argue with almost a $5M increase... in a down economy, no less."

NORTH CAROLINA

Carolina March: UNC 101, Duke 87
"Four straight wins at Cameron. With the turnover in college basketball, there won't be that many players at UNC next season who have played with guys who have lost in Durham. There's no fear there. Thompson and Davis both, 60% free throw shooters that they are buried four from the line in the faces of a screaming crowd. Neither of the freshman seemed lost for long - only Drew when he kept losing his footing on the wet Duke floor - and Thompson was positively gleeful for most of the first half."

Tar Heel Fan: Oh Yeah…The Football Schedule Came Out
"There is also the matter of UNC playing two I-AA teams this season. The 2nd game came about when Butch Davis canceled a home-and-home with Colorado but could not find a suitable I-A opponent willing to come into Chapel Hill. Playing two I-AA teams means only one of those games can count towards bowl eligibility. At least Duke and NCSU are doing the same thing sparing us any trash talk about the schedule."

NC STATE

StateFans Nation: 2009 Football Schedule Released
"End with Carolina, so it looks like the ACC is finally starting to see the marketability of this rivalry rather than the contrived nature of the Carolina-Duke football “rivalry.” Also, since we’re apparently marked for a Thanksgiving Weekend home game every season, then making it the biggest game of the season is the most practical solution to ensure a max-capacity crowd."

Yet Another...: A look at the 2009 football schedule
"What a wonderful, wonderful site to behold: The front offices of the ACC acknowledging that this game -- not the Duke/Carolina matchup for the Victory Bell -- is the state's most significant college football game."

VIRGINIA

From Old Virginia: The schedule, obviously
"No long stretches of home games or away games - only two each consecutively. The only time we don't have a home game after a road game is early, after the Southern Miss game, which I feel like we should win. All this strikes me as a good thing. As schizoid as we were last year, and for the most part still pretty bad on the road, I think coming home after all the road games is a good way to re-align the psyche if/when we take another dump on somebody's field."

VIRGINIA TECH

Beer Control Offense: Putting the Beer back in Beer Control Offense
"The dual party ass clowns might actually do something to help out us Beer drinkers ... via helping the brewer's themselves. Not sure how the BCO feels about this since I think 70% of the stimulus bill is horseshit, this looks like it may actually give some relief to breweries. Either way it's beer news."

College Game Balls: CGB Off-Topic: The Types of Drivers I Hate
"She sees you coming from 500 feet away. Plenty of time to turn onto the road you are barreling down. 400 feet. You can see it’s clear both ways yet she isn’t turning. 300 feet. If you want to turn now is the time. 200 feet. She must be extra cautious and is waiting for you to pass. 100 feet. She decides to turn now. You slam on you brakes to avoid an accident and curse."

Tech Sideline: Can I rant for just a second?
"Schmadtke’s mistake, assuming I’m interpreting his comments correctly (always a dicey assumption), is a common one made by college sportswriters, who also like to write that the difference between a school winning a conference championship and not winning one is the $17 million paid out by the BCS bowls. No, it’s not — BCS money goes to the conferences, not the schools. Get it right!"

VT Fan: I Picked a Bad Game to Watch the Hokies Up Close
"I’ve watched this team all year, and frankly that was the worst I’ve seen the Hokies so far. It wasn’t any one thing, they just didn’t have the enery, focus, or sharpness they’ve had most of the season on Saturday. Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen especially had bad first halfs. In many ways, it was a case of Maryland just coming out more ready to play, fresher, more energetic, and shooting the lights out."

WAKE FOREST

Blogger So Dear: Startling Statistic: Jeff Teague's last six games
"With Ish Smith on the floor, Teague far too often watches Ish and does not look to score. The two are good on the floor at once, but they could be better. In addition to this, it is incredibly hard to keep up the pace that Teague had. He was seeing a huge hoop and finishing a high percentage of his shots."

Jay Bilas on Expansion

Jay Bilas gave an extensive interview to ACC Sports Journal touching on a variety of topics. One of them was expansion. Jay isn't a fan.

ACCSports.com:
This summer was the five-year anniversary of ACC expansion. From a basketball standpoint, how did you feel about it then, and how do you feel about it now?

Bilas:
I thought it was a mistake when they did it. I still think it’s a mistake. I think the early results have borne that out.

You can make an argument that expansion has hurt ACC basketball. I’m not sure it’s done anything for ACC football, frankly. The Big East has come out the big winner in this. The Big East is the best basketball conference in the country this year, in my opinion, even though the ACC is very strong. I think the Big East has more quality teams top to bottom.

The thing I don’t like about it is, the elimination of the round-robin — playing everybody twice — I think was a big mistake. If money was the deciding factor or football was the deciding factor, then fine. But from a basketball perspective, I don’t think it has helped in any way.

Let's take a look at the records of the expansion teams in ACC basketball conference play before I tackle the really dumb part of Bilas' statement:

2004-05: 15-17 (.469 VT & UM only)
2005-06: 22-26 (.458)
2006-07: 24-24 (.500)
2007-08: 21-27 (.438)
2008-09: 15-13 (.536 through Feb. 9)
TOTAL: 97-107 (.475)

Does the guy have a point that it hasn't helped ACC hoops? Maybe. Looking at the standings since BC joined for the 2005-06 season, there have been two good teams and one craptacular team out of the expansion teams.

Until an expansion team contends for a regular season crown, wins the ACC tournament or makes a run in The Tournament, people like Bilas who pine for the salad days of ACC basketball will be able to make the argument that ACC basketball just isn't the same with the Hokies, 'Canes and Eagles included.

However, I'll disagree that the Big East is currently the best basketball conference. Sure, everything looked good when Notre Dame and Georgetown were highly ranked, but those two schools are solidly in the tank with big losses against UCLA and Duke, respectively, on its resumes.

What I really take issue with is that Bilas said he doesn't think expansion has done anything for ACC football. He doesn't elaborate on that part, probably because he realized just how stupid that statement was. I'm sorry, but which two teams have played each other in the ACC title game the last two years?

The point can be made that basketball isn't as exciting for the blowhards like Bilas who want all the Tobacco Road teams to play each other twice a year, but I don't think the league has been hurt by the three expansion teams. But football without Tech, Miami and BC would be just plain ugly.

Hokies save season against Pack

Virginia Tech's season was in the process of going from slow decline to rapid free-fall for much of Sunday afternoon. The Hokies trailed by 18 points with 13 minutes to play and eight with two minutes left before an improbable (and perhaps referee-assisted) comeback gave them a 91-87 overtime win over NC State.

Tech needed this one. The win stopped a two-game losing streak, a six-game losing streak against State and moved them to 5-3 in conference. With its toughest stretch of conference games quickly approaching, there was a big difference between being 5-3 and 4-4 for the Hokies.

Nothing is going to be easy for this year's team. The Hokies are incapable of blowing anyone out, however they usually play well enough to keep themselves from getting blown out as well. This isn't the last we've seen of the Heartattack Hokies.

Tech is halfway through its ACC slate and has its two toughest remaining tests, Duke and UNC, at home. I think if the Hokies can win one of those two games and go 2-2 in their remaining conference road games, they will be an NCAA team.

Unfortunately for the Hokies, they are still getting minimal production from their supporting cast and are struggling on the boards. However, their free throw shooting has gotten better as Malcolm Delaney and AD Vassallo combined to go 15-for-15 at the line against NC State.

What others are saying...

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. At Tech Hoops, Niemo has a thorough breakdown of Sunday's win and where the Hokies need to improve.

We're flawed, but so is everyone else. Beer Control Offense thinks the Hokies can finish 10-6 in conference, but they could also collapse. And he asks for suggestions for the ACC All-Douche Bag Team.

Nuts and bolts, nuts and bolts... StateFans Nation has some gripes with the officiating. Just about all of them are substantiated.

...but back to bashing Sidney Lowe. Caulton Tudor says the Pack have no one to blame but themselves. Am I the only one who thinks Jeff Capel will be in Raleigh next season?

2008-09 ACC Hoops Preview

Predictions and thoughts on the upcoming season.

Standings

1. North Carolina
2. Wake Forest
3. Duke
4. Virginia Tech
5. Miami
6. Clemson
7. Georgia Tech
8. NC State
9. Maryland
10. Boston College
11. Florida State
12. Virginia

Awards

COY: Dino Gaudio, Wake Forest
POY: Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina (shocker)
ROY: Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest

All-ACC

Jack McClinton, Miami
Tyrese Rice, Boston College
Ty Lawson, North Carolina
Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina
Kyle Singler, Duke

Pithy Thoughts

- North Carolina is the best team in the country until further notice. However, they'll need to be healthy in order to live up to expectations. A lot of luck is involved in winning national titles.

- I put Duke No. 3 because I just couldn't stand the sight of having UNC No. 1 and Duke No. 2. Something unexpected has to happen.

- I like Wake because I'm a big fan of Dino Gaudio and a bigger fan of their young, gritty players. They'll also get a few newcomers in this year who can make an immediate impact.

- I'm not sold on Miami other than Jack McClinton, who is awesome. McClinton alone is good enough for No. 5 in the conference.

- The Hokies beefed up their non-conference schedule this year. They'll make the NCAA with a No. 4 finish this season.

- There's a big disparity between the Top 6 and the Bottom 6 in the conference, in my opinion. Although Georgia Tech could end up as a "swing" team that goes 8-8 and is on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament.

- While there are some good teams in the ACC this year, there are also some really bad ones that could hurt the conference RPI. The ACC isn't as strong as people think this year.