Final week of the ACC regular season kicked off last night as Duke held off Wake Forest in Winston-Salem 79-71. The Blue Devils finished 8-0 on the road in the ACC, the third team in school history to do that. Wake rallied from a 23 point deficit to cut the game to 6, but didnt get any closer.
NC State vs Miami. This is a must win for both teams, if they have any chance of making the NCAA Tournament. Especially State,as they are trying to snap their 4 game losing streak. Reggie Johnson was reinstated by the NCAA for Miami. It is Senior Night at the RBC Center for C.J. Williams, Kendall Smith & Alex Johnson.
It is also Senior Night in Chapel Hill as UNC takes on Maryland. Last game at home for ACC POY candidate Tyler Zeller, Justin Watts and three other UNC seniors. Â The Tar Heels will be wearing their Nike Platinum uniforms for the game tonight.
Also,
Georgia Tech visits Boston College.
Bitter writer (from Virginia) calls for boycott of ACC basketball games because of UNC/Duke bias.
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I need State to get to the dance because the Huskies screwed the pooch last night with that debacle against cough! cough! effing Providence. Unless they show up big in the BET, no way they’re going to waltz.
I read the letter from the VA guy. It sounds like controlled angst. I do not believe there is a deliberate bias. There was a never a meeting between refs and the league where the league said something akin to, “Look, we need these two blue teams to remain on top, whistle accordingly.”
I do believe that both coaches know better than other coaches when to tell what ref to look for what foul against what player. Yet, that’s just smart coaching and strategy. There is more to winning than being able to control the players. To me, ref communication is similar to clock management, rule knowledge and other forms of esoteric tactics needed to help your team win.
Bottom line is UNC and Duke have the two best coaches in the league. Like them or hate them. There is not a ref bias or ACC suit bias to hold down the 10 other schools. That is just stupid, so is boycotting.
We saw what happened when UNC had an inexperienced coach at the helm.
Same with State. Sidney Lowe is an ACC legend and all, but he was not a good basketball coach at all. Gott has the same players playing better and I really believe in the next few years, State will be back, why, because they finally have a good coach.
It used to be Dean, Cremins, Lefty, Terry Donahue, Jimmy V, Gary Williams, K, Roy,etc… most of the ACC had really good head coaches.
IMO, NXSU has no shot at the dance regardless of the outcome of tonight’s game. Unless they win the ACCT, of course. Befort that murderers row of dook, FSU, and UNX we were all saying they needed to win at least one of those games to get in. They didn’t and even did us one better by losing their next game as well. I’m not sure why we’re still discussing them as a bubble team.
The Clemson loss pretty much killed their NCCAT chances. Unless they win the ACCT.
Saw a recent bracket watch that had 5 ACC teams in. UNC,Duke,FSU,Miami,UVa
State has to win the ACC tourney at this point, so losing to Miami won’t be that big a deal.
it took that writer how long to figure out the ACC has a Carolina bias? really?
This talk of bias and conspiracy is completely asinine. It makes no fiscal sense for a conference to hold back any amount of teams while helping out one or two other teams. That is tantamount to throwing money away willingly. And if the conference is so willing to help out UNX and dook in bball, why not do it in football too? After all, that is where the REAL money is.
There is a way State can still dance without winning the ACCT.
If we win our last two games and secure a winning ACC record, then somehow defeat both UNX and Duke (with at least one of those HAVING to be in a convincing fashion). As long as the team that beats us in the final is either FSU, Virginia or Miami, I believe the State makes the NCAAT as one of the play-in teams.
Obviously this will happen.
@fT, the one thing I admire the most about NXSU fans is their optimism. Mainly because it almost always leads them to awesome melt downs when NC State sheeeeet happens. But still, I dig that you hold out hope year after year.
That being said, I wouldn’t buy your NCAAT tickets just yet if I were you.
Sorry to threadjack, but I just saw this story on SI. What a fascinating look into the demise of UCLA.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/magazine/02/28/ucla/index.html?eref=sihp&sct=hp_t11_a2
Reeves Nelson is currently preparing for the NBA draft? Good luck with that.
I’m not being optimistic, pat. I clearly just laid out a pathway for State to make the NCAAT without winning the ACCT. When it comes to NC State athletics, I’m probably the most pessimistic a fan could get.
My statement encompasses all State fan, fT. Not just you. And I am being completely serious when I say that your (State fans’) optimism is something I admire about you (State fans).
” And if the conference is so willing to help out UNX and dook in bball, why not do it in football too? ”
because the level of intervention required to make those two football programs successful would be way too obvious.
I think our optimism is what also causes us problems. We are so optimistic and set such high expectations, when they don’t materialize we act irrationally and conjure up things like conspiracy theories. Now we all know the ACC is out to get NC State, but most of the others are false.
I actually understand the frustration because everytime the Heels play Duke I see a multitude of fouls, flops and now travels that make me cuss and scream. Add to that, Coach K’s smirks, raised arms and the little cronies in black suits on the bench acting like doooshh-bags.
So when I see the video of the fouls on Scott Saturday, I get UVA’s frustration. I did take a look at the HD recording, I have to say that Scott was using his left arm to clear space on one foul and the other he did put his left elbow in Hensons throat. However, as a fan, I wish they wouldn’t let the flop/head jerk Henson did to affect the call.
The writer fails to mention that UVA missed their last 11 3 point shots and had plenty of opportunities to win the game despite the calls. I will say that about UNC’s loss to Dook in the DES Center 4 weeks ago.
In a related topic, I think SFN or Pack Pride has a chart up about foul shooting margins over the past 10 years, pumping up the argument that UNC has an unfair advantage. If you REALLY look at it, you will discover that Wake had the advantage during the Chris Paul years, BC had the advantage while Jared Dudley, Tyrece Rice, Craig Smith, etc were on the roster. UNC had the advantage while Hansbrough ruled, etc…. Duke NEVER has the advantage because they FOUL everytime down the court and at some point it catches up with them.
pat, you either need to hang out with more Statefan, or stop going to PackPride. If you did both, I’m sure you’d have a different view on us.
I know among my group of friends, the phrase “Stateshit” has become its own entity. Like a little fairy that goes along sprinkling “FAIL” all over our entire athletic department.
It has to be true. It’s somewhere in Lamentations, or Revelation, I’m sure of it.
Look I despise UNC and Duke just as much as non-fan, but to act like there is a pro-UNC/pro-Duke conspiracy in the ACC is asinine. People gotta realize that Deano and yes K both run a good program that relies on fundamentals, team-building, teamwork, and solid (anti-Calipari-esque) recruiting…when you get all that over time, the institution becomes a brand and the recruiting is maintained and as long as there is a solid coach at the helm UNC and Duke will remain powerhouses without the help of the refs.
Statefan is torn down and bitter because NCSU used to be something, but has struggled mightily. Any attempts to regain that stature via new coaches has been hindered by the fact that NCSU is 15 mins from the two preiminent programs in college b-ball. It is what it is.
I hang out with more State fan than I do UNX fans. EVERY year all the State fans I know, and a lot of them on this very blog, always say “THIS, this is the year. We have the coach, we have the team, and we are going to finally do it this year” before the season. Every. Year. And it seems like every year they are disappointed. But that repetition never ever stops them from renewing their optimism before the next season each and every year.
Duke goes undefeated on the ACC road. Do those count as “TRUE” road games?
So, any chance Coach K can conspire to get the UNC game played at
the Dean DomeThree Rivers Stadium again??The dook “TRUE road game” argument is only for OOC games and does not include the ACC Bigwhatever Challenge, Big J. And you know this. Also, that argument holds some serious water. dook has only played THREE true road games since 2001: Michigan in 01 (a win), Georgetown in 06 (a loss), and Michigan again in 08 (another loss).
“So, any chance Coach K can conspire to get the UNC game played at the Dean Dome”
Probably. Since they have lost four out of the last six at
Hansbrough Indoor Stadium
I had no clue what the Augusta Free Press was until I saw this article the other day, but if you look into the info about the site it’s basically a glorified blog co-owned by a married couple that seem to fancy themselves some sort of new media pioneers.
As for the article itself, what an epic troll that was. Sure, Duke/UNC are the class of the league, but it’s not a conspiracy.
And ditto Durham’s comments about football.
“because the level of intervention required to make those two football programs successful would be way too obvious.”
Is it really? Is the ONLY way the ACC is “biased” towards the blues referee malfeasance? Isn’t promoting the teams actively by giving them more national exposure, thereby making them more attractive to big time recruits, an equally effective way to make sure the teams remain on top? Better recruits lead to a better team way more than a few questionable calls, so isn’t TV exposure a better way to “push” the team?
August Free Press??? Isn’t it about 6 months early?
better recruits…acquired WITHOUT violating NCAA rules…
Tacos, your hypothetical tournament run is impossible.
Either UNC or Duke will be the #1 seed, and the other will be #2. There’s no way to beat them both and not win the ACCT.
New ‘heels unis blow. Chunks. Consistently.
Please change to normal home unis @ halftime.
Carry on….
Dan, if UNX were to lose tonight and lose to Duke, and FSU were to win out, they’d both be 12-4 and the tie-breaker and the #2 seed would go to FSU, no?
…but then again, I’m not sure anymore of what seeds would play each other by that Saturday anyway. It’s not like it really matters, I guess.
Sorry…I never imagined a scenario where UNC lost to Maryland on senior night.
Now that UNX has blown Maryland out of the water how does State get to the tourney, fT?
Not trying to be a smartass, BTW. Curious if you still see a path that doesn’t include winning the ACCT.
Almost forgot: if Zeller isn’t ACC POY something is really, really wrong. Hands down best player in the conference.
That Da U v NXSU game last night was on point. Great game to watch and a big win for the Pack. Hell of a game.
I thought it was Maryland that was supposed to be the ones inventing stupid uniforms…
Comment of the evening by John Saunders during UNC-Md game: “One of these days John Calipari will get to have a Senior night.” LMFAO….
Tyler Zeller is arguably not even the best Zeller, it’d be another indictment of the ACC in hoops if he won POY. Not saying he’s undeserving, though.
I believe right now Tyler is a better player than his little brother. That could,of course, eventually change.
How can you say Z winning would be an “indictment of the ACC” and say he’s not undeserving immediately after? It seems to me that those two sentences are incongruous.
In my opinion there is not another player in the ACC that is more deserving of the award than Zeller. If you don’t agree, who do you think should win the award?
“Great game to watch and a big win for the Pack. Hell of a game.”
Now they will go out and lose to VT.
My point is that if the ACC’s best is only as good as an extremely similar player, his brother to be precise, who’s a freshman in another conference that won’t get any consideration for said conference’s POY, it’s an indictment on the quality of player in the ACC this season. It’s not to say that Tyler would not deserve the award, but if he’s the best the ACC has to offer, it reflects poorly on the talent level of the conference.
Nate, I don’t think I’d argue Cody is better either, but on purely stat based comparison they are close enough to be considered equivalent within a statistical margin of error.
I get you now, Kev. I think what your stat comparison fails to take into consideration is that Zeller gets his stats on a team that has Henson and Barnes also putting up big numbers, while little bro doesn’t have that level of “competition” for stats on his team.
Also, on the talent level in the ACC, I’d say that just based on the eye test the talent is pretty strong. Just off the top of my head there is Z, Henson, Barnes, Marshall (all projected to go high, possibly as lottery picks, in the first round of the draft), Rivers, Curry, Stoglin, M Scott, and CJ Leslie (he’s been a big time player for NXSU lately). That’s not taking into account the kid from WF or anyone in Florida. I know in the past we’ve been spoiled with amazing talent in the ACC and, by the usual standard, this could be considered a “down” year, but I don’t think Z being the best in the conference is any sort of indictment. I’ve seen him mentioned as a National POY. If that’s the case is it an indictment of college basketball as a whole?
I think Henson and Zeller almost cancel each out out. In terms of MVP to his team, for Carolina I think it’s Marshall, hands down. If I was playing Carolina and could eliminate one guy, Marshall would be the guy.
Anyone legitimate mentioning Zeller as national POY? Not being facetious, I just haven’t heard it in my limited exposure to NCAA hoops. This article has him 10th on odds to win, behind fellow ACCers Barnes & Scott.
Anyway, I’m one to think that stat based evaluation in college sports are not real good for comparison purposes, but I am saying they are a pretty big factor in media based awards, so regardless of how Zeller gets them he’s not what I’d call an elite player on the national level. That’s just my opinion.
I think talent is down in college basketball as a whole, but that’s not a new phenomenon this year… it’s just odd to see the ACC without a dominant force in the national landscape (potential placement in the draft excluded).
I think Zeller is smart enough and has the skills to do his thing against most of the competition in the country and the dance will show that. (At least up until the Sweet 16.) He being ACC player of the year would be by no means a stretch but yes, in terms of value to the Heels, Marshall is the guy. I would take him over Henson & Barnes (attorney’s at law?) because he has that little mid-range jumper and is always around the basket when he needs to be.
“Henson & Barnes (attorney’s at law?)”
Or a bookstore
“Henson & Barnes”
Or a farmer’s inventory sheet…he needs more chickens.
I think NCSU can get into the discussion if they beat VT, then win 2 at the ACCT (assuming they don’t somehow luck into the 4th seed). I think they would be in if they could make the ACCT finals.
Of course, assuming NCSU finishes 5th, they would probably need Duke to win against UNC this weekend to have a real shot. I still believe that UNC is just a horrible, horrible matchup for NCSU. Duke’s bigs are not as good, and that’s where UNC kills State.
L’il Zeller isn’t better than his brother, he just has a larger role. If Tyler went to NCSU, he’d probably be scoring 25 points a game because he’d always get the ball. It says a lot about him (and UNC) that he’s playing on a team with (at least) 2 lottery picks and is having the season he’s having.
UNC fans will enjoy this. I heard a guy on Cowherd yesterday re: the UCLA debacle. He was talking about the “UNC cast-offs” that couldn’t make it in the ACC and how they became UCLA’s top guys. In other words, UCLA was basing its team around guys who couldn’t hang at UNC, so how are they going to become relevant again?
Come to think of it, Drew and the Where the hell are we twins have pretty much disappeared.
^Because they weren’t that good to begin with. And Larry Drew II’s mom can go to hell. Loud mouthed bitch running down UNX while UXLA is letting all that shit go on. I hope she trips and falls.
Threadjack…. Dook sux! And swallows….
gORSK, that would suggest that dook does a blowjob correctly and well–I think that as in bball, they would cheat and take short cuts leaving the recipient of said BJ wanting and therefore pissed off at dook.
Must…resist…making…”UNC fan can give tips on how to give a BJ”….joke…..
Must…resist…replying…”I wouldn’t want one from the cows/women commonly found at NC State”…joke…
Todd’s was better. Max, kind of stretching it, probably out of desperation to respond. Let the insult come naturally. If you have to look for it, it won’t work. Like Costanza’s “Jerk store” comeback.
I’m out this weekend, sorry I won’t be around for the festivities at HIS. The Grandest Canyon awaits the tread of my hiking boots.
Go … No One! All my teams suck.
Yeah, I was totally desperate due to yet another, old, tired joke about UNC fans being gay… It really got to me.