GREENSBORO – Well, here we are back courtside at the second day of the ACC Tournament here at the Greensboro Coliseum and I must say the internet (lowercase i on purpose) issues have been cleared up. Thank God!
The traffic seemed much heaver today than yesterday, though when I look in this expansive arena, it’s 50 percent full. I thought they couldn’t hold the tournament in Charlotte because the arena downtown is too small. Um, thus far, the tournament could’ve been held Bojangles Coliseum, which holds right around 10,000.
No. 9 Virginia vs. No. 1 Duke
The game is underway and we’re nearly four minutes into the game and neither team has scored. Duke is 0-for-5 from the field, including 0-for-3 from 3-point range and UVA is 0-for-4.
Hey, whatda know, just as I wrote that, Jon Scheyer just nailed a 3 from the corner. We have a score!
Well, Duke has started making its shots and now leads 12-6 with 11-plus left in the first half. Not only that, but UVA already has five team fouls. UVA is in a critical stretch right now. It’s endanger of getting blown out early. The Cavaliers need to find a way to withstand this early Duke surge if they’re going to make this game competitive.
Besides, if it’s a blowout early, that means I’ll have to find something to make fun of, which, as you people know, I don’t like to do.
Duke builds the lead to eight and UVA makes a nice little run and has trimmed it to two. Scheyer is cold and Nolan Smith is carrying the Blue Devils right now. This crowd of 10,000 is split down the middle on who it’s cheering for. There are a surprising number of UVA fans here, to be honest. Then you’ve got all the N.C. State and Maryland fans cheering for the Cavs, too.
UVA actually took the lead twice in the final two minutes, but Scheyer has scored five straight points and Duke holds a two-point lead with a minute to play. The Cavahoos did exactly what they needed to do, which is make this game decided in the second half.
Scheyer is struggling with his shot. At one point, he was 1-for-9 from the field. He’s now 2-for-10.
TIED AT THE HALF 27-27…Good, after all the dog games we saw yesterday, I’m glad this one has been exciting thus far. Wonder if UVA can keep it up for another 20 minutes.
SECOND HALF
After being tied at 33, Duke has gone on a 10-2 run and now leads by eight with just under 12 minutes to play. Singler has stepped up in the second half big time, while UVA has gone cold.
OK, who told Scheyer to try and pass like Magic Johnson? Holy cow. He just made an awesome, over-the-head, no-look pass, which led to a UVA foul.
It’s a tough situation for the Cavahoos without their top player Sylvan Landesburg. The genius was suspended at the end of the season for academic reasons. Brilliant!
Scheyer is now 2-for-14. OUCH!
And just like that, UVA is only down two with six to play. Incredible. This is Krzyskewski worst nightmare. I’m sure he wanted to be able to rest his players some this weekend and sort of take the Roy Williams approach.
When everything is going against Duke, Singler gets two HUGE offensive rebounds and pushes Duke’s lead back to eight points with just over four to play.
Scheyer comes alive again and now Duke is up 12 wtih 150 seconds remaining. Ball game!
Some Coach K video coming up next.
JON SCHEYER INTERVIEW
COACH K INTERVIEW
No. 12 Miami vs. No. 4 Virginia Tech
The one thing that is blatantly obvious about these two teams is that they are both extremely athletically gifted. There’s a lot of high-flying going on here. And more importantly, it’s a good game.
The Hokies jumped to an early lead, but Miami clawed its way back and now we’re going to go into the half with a very good game on our hands as Dorenzo Hudson pumped in 15 points to lead the Hokies to a 37-35 lead at intermission.
They just had a halftime show where a guy had a chance to win a million dollars if he sank a halfcourt shot. He threw it like a baseball instead of getting a running start and fired up an air ball, which brought down a chorus of boos upon him. Kind of funny and kind of sad.
There’s 14 minutes to play and it’s still a good game, though the Hokies continue to hold just the slightest of leads. Every time I look at Miami, whether it be this year or years past, I continue to wonder how in the world is this team not better. Seriously, how is this team not better than what it is every single year?
I like Miami’s uniforms, its athleticism and its cheerleaders and dance team. I think the Canes are my new favorite team in college hoops. OK, maybe not. But I like them, nonetheless.
Just under four minutes to play and the game is tied. It really is pretty exciting.
OK, you’ve heard Packer a million times refer to Bazooka Friday, meaning you could fire a bazooka at the radio station and not hit anybody because people have a tendency to take it off. Well, this tournament thus far it’s an Atom Bomb Thursday and Friday.
This place is dead and not even half full at this point. Very, very sad.
Less than 30 seconds and Miami is at the free throw line shooting two and up one. Great game.
Miami up three with 25.7 to play. Hokies have the ball. Wonder if Delaney is going to take the last shot. He passed it off and the shot was missed. Canes get ball, get fouled and sink free throws. Up five with 17.5. This baby is over!
Final: 70-65, Miami
No. 7 Georgia Tech vs. No. 2 Maryland
I’ve been looking forward to this game all day. Here’s Georgia Tech, the team with the most NBA talent in the ACC, which just also so happens to have the worst coach in the league, going against Maryland, a team that most don’t consider to be that good, but which has the league’s Coach and Player of the Year.
Early on, this game hasn’t disappointed as the Yellow Jackets are flexing their muscle and winning 19-13 with just under 10 minutes to play in the first half.
Is it just going to be a matter of time before Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt screws this up sideways?
The Yellow Jackets are up 34-19 with 3:29 left.
Halftime: Georgia Tech 41, Maryland 25.
Maryland has made a mini charge here to open the second half, trailing only by 11 with just under 17 left to play. The Terps are hitting shots and there are a lot more Maryland fans here than Tech fans. The Turtle fans are very loud.
Um, make that a six-point game as it’s now 44-38. Could this be the official Hewitt meltdown?
You know, N.C. State and Clemson fans take a lot of grief about being rednecks, and UNC fans take heat for being wine and cheese, and Duke fans are supposedly all from New Jersey, however Maryland fans continue to be the worst and most obnoxious fan base in the ACC. I swear they’re all white trash. If you’ve ever been to College Park or Baltimore, you know what I mean. People that go to Maryland are generally the ones that couldn’t get into Georgetown, George Washington or American and are a little smarter than those that go to Towson (Sorry Mac). When’s the last time you heard someone say, “Oh, you went to Maryland? That’s a great academic school.” Or how about this, “Oh, you went to Maryland? Man, there’s a lot of hot chicks that go there.”
Back to the game for a second.
Maryland has just cut the lead to two points with about 14 minutes left to play. The Jackets went from being up 19 to only two. Paul Hewitt rocks!
Georgia Tech built the lead back up to eight, but it now stands at four. Georgia Tech has 21 turnovers and Maryland has 10. That’s the only reason the Terps are in this game.
Back to Maryland’s being a crap hole school.
How many Maryland students does it take to screw in a light bulb? One, but he gets three credits.
It was reported earlier that hoops coach Gary Williams was only going to dress six basketball players for the game. The rest had to dress themselves.
What does the average Maryland student get on his SAT? Drool.
How many Maryland freshmen does it take to screw in a light bulb? None, it’s a sophomore course.
Back to the game: Tech up three with 2:32 left to play. Maryland has the ball. The Yellow Jackets are just barely hanging on. They look tired.
Terps down two with the ball with seven seconds on shot clock and POY shots an air ball and GT makes two free throws to go up four.
Jackets win. Two questions: Where was this effort by GT all year? Will Gary Williams blame the refs for the loss? Off to the press room to see if Gary has a meltdown. I kind of hope he does.
Well, he didn’t have one. Dang it. He was calm, cool and collected. Crap.
No. 11 N.C. State vs. No. 3 Florida State
It’s early here in the first half and I’m debating whether or not to leave at halftime. I think I’m heading back to Charlotte tonight and I really don’t feel like getting home at 2:30 a.m.
A little more than six minutes to play in the first half and the Seminoles are winning by two.
Sidney Lowe wearing the pimp jacket again. Seriously, I wouldn’t mind it if he wore only occasionally or on special occasions, but he wears that dang thing all the time.
Another tight game in the first half. It means that it’s likely going to come down to the end, which means I may be here until midnight again. UGH!
By the way, last night as I’m walking in the media hotel and headed to the media hospitality suite, where there’s free adult beverages for the media, the FSU cheerleaders were practicing in a side lobby in this massive hotel. What was surprising is that it was 12:45 in the morning or at night, however you want to look at it. And before you even ask, no they weren’t wearing their outfits or shorts. They were all wearing sweatsuits.
And just in case you weren’t sure, they are SMOKING HOT! Seriously. Between them, Miami and UNC…Good Lord!!!
The worst here are Clemson, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. N.C. State, Virginia and Duke aren’t that great, either, but they’re not the worst. Now let’s make sure you understand that I mean cheerleaders only, not the dance teams because the Clemson dance team known as the Rally Cats are incredibly hot, too, as are the UVA dancers.
Halftime here and its FSU 28, NCSU 25
Second half underway and NCSU is up five. The Wolfies are making their shots. I just caught a State fan standing up in the stands doing is little hand-puppet imitation of a wolf barking. You know where the thumb touches the middle and ring fingers, while the pinky and index finger our pointing upward. Then you move the fingers touching your thumb up and down like he’s barking. I really hate that. It just looks so stupid, especially when grown people are doing it.
Florida State can’t make a shot.
OK, everyone knows I’m not the biggest Paul Hewitt fan, but let’s just hypothetically suppose he’s not the worst coach in the ACC, then who would be? I think the argument is rather easy and that it’d be either Leonard Hamilton of FSU and Gastonia native, or Frank Haith of Miami. However, Dino Gaudio is quickly gaining a reputation as somebody that may not have the coaching skills, either. I’m not a big Seth Greenberg guy, either.
NCSU up by eight. Geez, Scott Wood, one of the best pure shooters in the league and who is only a freshman, is 5-of-7 from 3-point range.
Make that 6-of-8 from 3-point land. Wolfies up nine with 13:24 to play.
JUST BECAUSE
I am not kidding when I say this game could be played at 10,000-seat Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke and it still wouldn’t be full. This is completely embarrassing for the ACC. Half full for N.C. State, Duke and UNC.
N.C. State is 7-of-15 from 3-point range. FSU is 3-of-12.
I will say this, I’ve always like the N.C. State mascot guy and girl. Not a big fan of the name Mr. Wuf. But I’ve always thought that and Buzz at Georgia Tech were the two best mascots. The Terp isn’t bad, either. Not a big fan of Ramses, the Blue Devil or the Tiger.
By the way, I know a reporter that dated Ms. Wuf while at N.C. State. True story. I’ll let you come up with your own jokes about that one.
Just less than two and a half minutes and State is up four, though FSU has the ball. This game and day is never going to end.
I’m still here and so is Erin Andrews, who’s looking rather lovely this evening. She’s wearing nice spandex-type pants. Almost look like those skin-tight pants that people wear while jogging.
N.C. State is going to win this dang thing. All it has to do is make free throws.
I’m sure the fans are happy, but at the same point are asking where in the world was this back in January.
This means there will be a 12-seed, 11-seed, 7-seed and 1-seed in the semifinals. Just goes to show that there are no great teams in this league and only one really good team.
Congrats, Sidney. You’ve done a nice job coaching this weekend. And that fact that you’re going to be matched up against Hewitt tomorrow means there’s a real chance you’ll be playing on Sunday for the right to go to the NCAA Tournament.
Thanks for reading everybody and I hope you enjoyed the pictures.
GREENSBORO – Before I get started with blogging about the ACC Tournament, let first just say that I hope that somebody will actually see this because the internet here at the Greensboro Coliseum has been down for just about the entire day. It will work for about 10 minutes then go down. So, here’s hoping that these posts will actually make it to the World Wide Web.
The ACC Tournament has officially started as No. 9 seed Virginia just beat No. 8 seed Boston College 68-62. But honestly, if no one is around to watch it, did the game really happen. It’s sort of like the tree falling in a forest type thing.
Virginia will now play No. 1 seed Duke Friday at noon. The last time the Cavaliers beat Duke in an ACC Tournament game was in 1994. Good luck tomorrow. You’re going to need it.
Hopefully, the second game, which features No. 5 Wake Forest against No. 12 Miami will provide a little bit better atmosphere. I would think it will since Wake is just down the road in Winston-Salem.
Throughout the day, I’ll be providing game notes, quotes, video interviews and what I hope are funny tidbits.
Here are what other media members think is going to happen in this tournament:
Barry Curlee, publisher of Southern Sports Journal - Duke beats Maryland in finals.
Richard Walker, Gaston Gazette - Virginia Tech beats Florida State in finals.
Ed Hardin, Greensboro News & Record - Duke beats Clemson in finals.
Greg Wallace, Anderson Independent-Mail - Duke beats Maryland in finals.
Brian Hall, WWNC Radio - Duke beats Maryland in finals.
Phil Kornblut, S.C. Radio Network - Duke beats Clemson in finals.
Norm Wood, Newport News Daily News - Duke beats UNC in finals.
NO. 5 WAKE FOREST VS. NO. 12 MIAMI
The Hurricanes are completely embarrassing Wake Forest, who is about to be kicked out of the NCAA Tournament. The Deacs are on a massive losing streak despite beating Clemson in the final game of the season. Three of Wake’s losses down the stretch also came to the bottom three teams in the league.
And it’s not just that Wake is losing, they are losing by 22 freaking points with 17 minutes to play. and all this without Miami’s best inside guy and leading scorer Dwayne Collins.
Wake looks slow, while the Canes look like the team fighting for an NCAA Tournament berth. Absolutely shameful!
I find it kind of funny how the wake fans are moaning at the refs, but I got news for you: It’s one thing to complain when you’re down by a basket or two, but when you’re getting beat down by 20, you can’t say a single thing to the refs.
UPDATE: Miami 56, Wake Forest 39 with 12:30 left to play
Sorry I took a break for a second, but the internet went down again. By the way, can someone explain to me why in the world you’re supposed to use a capital “I” when typing the word Internet? I think it’s stupid, so I used the lowercase instead.
Well, it’s official - Wake Forest has laid the proverbial egg by getting waxed by an undermanned and bad Miami team 83-62.
I just spoke to some of the Wake players and they still seem to think they deserve a trip to the NCAA Tournament. They are a very talented lot, but to lose five-of-six down the stretch, with four of those losses coming to UNC, NCSU and two to Miami, I say they are on the outside looking in … or at least should be.
Wake Forest now needs UNC to beat Georgia Tech tonight.
Dino Gaudio quotes on the NCAA Tournament: “I’m not what the guys in Indianapolis will be talking about. But all I look at is our body of work. I’d hope our body of work would be significant enough. After the Clemson game we had a 31 RPI, our non-conference strength of schedule was incredibly high, having won at Gonzaga, vs. Xavier and Richmond, nine wins in the ACC. But it remains to be seen. We have to wait and see like everyone else.”
Here is Al-Faroq Aminu after being benched in the second half and talking about his team’s chances to make the NCAA Tournament:
No. 10 UNC vs. No. 7 Georgia Tech
OK, back online. Thank, God! The net has only been down 90 minutes. Ugh!
Let’s catch up, shall we?
UNC played very well in the first half and held a 34-24 lead. In reality, it should have been more, but Marcus Ginyard isn’t any good and blew one uncontested layup and an uncontested dunk.
Nonetheless, things were going well for the Heels. Then the second half started and UNC looks like the same team they have all season. With 10 minutes to play in the game, Georgia Tech leads 52-50.
Everyone has ripped UNC all season for being gutless and heartless. The Heels are down six with six to play. Let’s see if they have heart or if the critics are right.
Well, UNC didn’t have it once again, or should I say the backcourt. The starting combination of Will Graves, Larry Drew and Marcus Ginyard went a combined 5-for-29.
Next stop for UNC…NIT…maybe.
No. 6 Clemson vs. No. 11 N.C. State
The last game is underway and it’s a quaint setting. It’s me and about five thousand of my closest friends watching this game in person. UGH!
N.C. State lead at intermission 25-21 and it was a very, very ugly game. If Clemson is an NCAA lock, then this just goes to show you what absolute garbage the ACC is this year. N.C. State is an awful, awful team and yet Clemson’s got nothing for the Wolfies.
I’ve never been so happy to a day at the ACC Tourney come to an end. This might have been the worst day in ACC history. All the games were bad and all the teams were equally as bad.
N.C. State got up 10 with 12:52 left to play, but the Tigers have scored five straight and have the ball just 90 seconds later. Did I mention how bad these teams are?
There’s a little over four minutes to play and N.C. State still holds a four-point lead. N.C. State is shooting 50 percent and Clemson is shooting 37 percent. A-W-F-U-L!
Apparently I’m not the only one that thinks ACC hoops is bad. Given the fact that there are only five thousand people here. By the way, this needs to be mentioned just how the refs in this game have been equally as bad as the teams.
Well, N.C. State held on for the two-point win. Clemson has another collapse. It’s the fourth time in the last five tournaments that the Tigers have lost an opening round game, and all came as the higher seed.
Another stat for you, in the last five tournaments, the 11 and 12 seeds are a combined 7-3 on the first day.
CHARLOTTE – Packman has just finished his show from TWC Arena and the Lakers and Bobcats are set to do battle. Just in case you didn’t know, the Bobcats are only one of two teams in the NBA not to have a losing record against LA. The other is Boston.
Took the train to the arena from the radio station and the train was filled with 40 percent Laker fans. A damn shame.
Was right beside Kobe Bryant back near the locker rooms as he was stretching and this just in: He’s a big dude. TV doesn’t do him justice.
GAME TIME
Every time Kobe touches the ball, the crowd cheers. It really a shame that nearly half this crowd are here cheering for the Lakers.
Sitting next to Hitman, Packman, Shelly and Big D. It’s definitely interesting sitting next to my man Tony during games.
The first quarter saw Kobe score four points, Raymond Felton eight and Stephen Jackson seven.
The score at the end of the first quarter:
Lakers 26, Bobcats 23
The second quarter has seen the Bobcats take the lead and it’s gone back and forth the first six minutes of the quarter. But I think it’s worth nothing that there was an actual Gerald Henderson sighting. He actually got playing time and the game wasn’t already over. WOW!
Michael Jordan is in the house again tonight. That makes two straight games. WooHoo.
Bobcats up three with just under four minutes to play.
Time for the ever popular: Did You Know?
Did you know that Phil Jackson’s girlfriend Jeannie Buss, who operates the the Lakers, appeared in Playboy? Do a google search, you’ll thank me.
(Half the crowd just gave Kobe a standing ovation for a special move. That can’t make Jordan happy)
Did you know that Kobe’s make-up ring he bought for his wife after screwing around with that hotel chick in Colorado was smaller than the engagement ring his teammate Lamar Odom bought his new wife Khloe Kardashian. Odom’s was 12.5 carats, while Kobe’s was 8 carats. The ring Kobe bought was with a gold band, while Odom’s was platinum. Kobe’s was four million. No price yet on Odom’s.
Halftime score Bobcats 49, Lakers 43
OK, the third quarter has started and the Bobcats are up 16 freaking points. Unreal. Good for them. The question is, can they continue to win?
Here it is the fourth quarter and the Bobcats are going to win in a big way. Amazing. Now they need to follow this up by beating a crappy Golden State Warriors Saturday night.
Sorry for the short blog, but got caught up chatting with some Bobcats personnel.
Be sure to head to the Fox and Hound in south Charlotte tomorrow for the UNC-Duke viewing party.
CHARLOTTE — Well, here we are coming to you live from the Bobcats game against the Dallas Mavericks here at TWC Arena. There is a very good team in town and the arena is maybe a third full. It really is disappointing. I really don’t understand what’s wrong with this town. A team that’s winning against a team that’s very good and full of stars and there’s nobody here. I just don’t get it.
Nonetheless, I’m here and glad to be so.
New Bobcats owner Michael Jordan is in the house. It’s his first game as the team’s owner and he’s here, which is nice. The question is whether or not he’s going to make this a regular thing or if he’s just showing up as a PR thing.
On to the game:
The Bobcats grabbed a quick 20-9 lead with just over six minutes left to play. But Dallas made a little comeback and by the end of the first quarter, had trimmed the lead to 28-24.
The second quarter saw a tight game until Charlotte managed to pull away in the final minutes and took a 53-43 lead into halftime.
There wasn’t a lot of great action in the first half, thus instead of breaking it down, I’ll offer some thoughts on certain players on the court.
First, a shout out to long-time NBA player and current Dallas assistant coach Darrell Armstrong, who sat next to me in history class in high school. We graduated from Ashbrook High together and he looks pretty much the same now as he did then.
This just in: Dirk Nowitzki is good.
This just in: Jason Kidd is old.
This just in: Jose Barea is short.
This just in: I’ve never heard of Jose Barea before tonight.
The third quarter is underway and Charlotte is up by five with five to play. It amazes me that they’re playing as well as they are considering this place is as dead as the RBC Centre with a game between N.C. State and Coppin State. No life whatsoever.
It’s the end of the third quarter and Charlotte holds a scant two-point lead at 68-66. Charlotte really needs to win this game as it continues its push for its first-ever trip to the NBA playoffs.
There’s about nine minutes left to play and the Bobcats are still holding a two-point lead.
With Jordan buying the team, there’s been a lot of talk about changing the name from the Bobcats to the Flight. First off, there are a few things wrong with doing this.
1) This isn’t a fantasy football team where you can change the name every year.
2) I hate nicknames that don’t end in the letter ‘S’ such as the Stanford Cardinal, Orlando Magic and Miami Heat.
3) People say the Bobcats were named because the previous owner, Bob Johnson, wanted to name the team after him and now that Jordan owns it, it should reflect him. What if Jordan sells the team in five years, should the name change again?
Leave the name as is. Act like grown ups.
Dallas is on a mini run and leads 78-75 with just over six minutes left to play.
Charlotte had a chance to cut the lead to either one or two points, but Boris Diaw fired up an wide open three-pointer that drew nothing but air.
Well, the Bobcats had another chance to make it a one- or two-point game and couldn’t score. Less than 25 seconds to play and it looks as though Dallas is going to win, even though Charlotte led for 80 percent of the game.
And to answer the question about MJ, it doesn’t appear as though he’s going to be holding a press conference after the game. I’ve been told that he won’t speak to the media until his ownership becomes official by the NBA.
Well, I’ll be back for the Lakers game on Friday, as well as doing the Frank and Buck Show. See ya then.
CHARLOTTE – OK, I know this is a little out of the norm, but I thought it’d be fun to see some other teams that don’t play inside the crappy ACC this year. Thus, here I am at homecoming for Queens University as the Royals play host to Coker at the Grady Cole Center. I gotta admit, there is a vast difference between going to Cameron Indoor Stadium and sitting courtside here. Nonetheless, I’m here to blog during the game, make extremely fascinating points and, of course, mock people, calls and situations as much as humanly possible.
And I hope the fine people at Queens don’t get too upset. I know the administration may not be used to such intense media scrutiny from such a famous entity, but such is life is the bright spotlight.
So, without further ado, here we go:
The last time I was blogging, I was at the Duke-UNC game in Chapel Hill. And I have to admit, when I first decided to blog from a Queens game, I was looking rather forward to seeing all the hot, rich chicks for which Queens is known.
Ummm, can someone tell me where they’re at? From what I’ve seen thus far, I have to admit that it seems that nobody at Queens goes hungry.
I have to announce that this blog may be cut very, very short if the peeps here don’t get me an outlet to plug my laptop in to. They’ve promised me one and said one was on the way, but let’s just say I’m not holding my breath. I guess you could say I’m cautiously optimistic.
OK, one cool thing that I was totally down with was that when I was parking, there were a fairly decent size of people tailgating. Tailgating for a Queens game? Way cool.
My battery is getting pretty low. I would be willing to bet a six pack that my computer isn’t going to last until halftime. My kingdom for an outlet!
On to the game:
I have to get this out of my system before my computer dies — there’s this cat for Coker, a guard named Thomas Wright, who hales from Sydney, Australia, that may have the ugliest haircut in the history of college basketball. I can’t say mankind because we do live in the South, home of the mullet.
The shot clock screwed up and a delay ensued to fix it. Queens coach Wes Long suggested that they should just call the game because his team had a small lead just a couple minutes into it. The Coker coach fired back that Long should, “go look for your third wife.” The refs said everyone should just go to the Blackeye Peas concert.
If there is no outlet provided in the next few minutes, I’m done. I think the hunt for an outlet/extension cord has ceased to exist.
Such is life in Division II basketball.
OK, no I’m sitting on some folded up bleachers next to an outlet, with the laptop on my lap. Um, OK. I’m a professional and will do whatever it takes.
UPDATE: Queens 14, Coker 7, with 12:19 left in the first half
Back at the media table as an outlet was found. Woohoo!!!!! The blog can continue.
Seriously, there must be something in the water at Coker. The center for the Cobras looks completely like somebody you’d see in a psycho flick. Shaved head and stocky. Man, that is a scary looking dude.
The theme for homecoming is Jamaican. The motto on the back of the shirts say, “Feel the rhythm. Feel the rhyme.” Really? That’s what you came up with? I’d like to speak to the person in charge of the homecoming committee.
UPDATE: QUEENS 25, COKER 19, with 8:49 left in the first half
Some Queens tidbits:
Did you know that the Royals have only two seniors and one junior on their entire roster? There are a combined 12 freshmen and sophomores on the roster. WOW! This team is younger than most boy scout troops. But that shouldn’t be surprising considering that when Wes Long was hired last year, he was the youngest coach in the NCAA, regardless of division. He and team are growing together.
UPDATE: QUEENS 33, COKER 23, with 2:54 left in the first half
Every so often the internet service here at Grady Cole resets itself, which means sometimes when you try to save it that you lose everything you’ve just written because it asks you if you accept all the terms to using the net. Pain in my rear.
HALFTIME: QUEENS 33, COKER 25
They just had their homecoming court and I have to admit, I’ve never seen a homecoming court introduced at a basketball game. Then when they crowned the winner, the crown kept falling to the floor as opposed to staying on her head.
Queens shot 54.5 percent from the field and made 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. Pretty strong shooting. They Royals also played solid defense, holding Coker to just 39.3 percent shooting.
The second half has started and it is very, very apparent that the Royals are much faster and quicker than Coker. Freshman Antonio Stabler could be pretty darn special by his senior year if he develops his outside game to 15 feet or more. An outside shot will open up drives to the hole, where he can leap and is always going to be quicker than most guarding him.
Queens calls a timeout with 16:35 left to play as they seemed to have a case of UNC-itis, it’s making turnover after turnover.
UPDATE: QUEENS 37, COKER 35
Queens is clearly so much better than this team it’s not even funny. The Royals should be up by 10 or more, but they can’t hang on to the ball. They’ve turned it over more than Jake Delhomme.
Is it just me or does Coker look like a bunch of players picked up from the local playground in Gastonia?
UPDATE: QUEENS 41, COKER 41, with 13:41 left to play
OK, there’s a guy that plays for Coker whose last name is Cabbagestalk. No, seriously. Other great names are Earofcorn, Headoflettuce and Peasinapod.
It has to be said, these refs are brutal. Now I know why they’re reffing D-II games. Holy cow! Matt Smythe, Michael Reese and Quentin Williams, boys you’ve got a long ways to go and I wouldn’t plan on doing that Duke-UNC game anytime soon. In fact, I wouldn’t plan on doing that Independence-Ashbrook game anytime soon, either. (Shout out to the Green Wave!)
Queens is settling for outside shots as opposed to taking to the rim. Conversely, Coker is driving and either kicking it out for open looks or putting up shots from close by.
UPDATE: Coker 51, Queens 47 with 8:33 left to play
Seriously, I really can’t get over the hair of Thomas Wright. Here’s some Australia jokes for you:
If it takes an IQ of 60 to tie shoelaces, why do so many Australians wear thongs?
What is the difference between yogurt and Australia? Yogurt has some culture.
What do you call an Aussie with half a brain? Gifted.
What do you call an Aussie who scores well in an IQ test? A cheat.
Back to the game.
Queens can’t make a shot, no matter how wide open it is or how close it is to the basket. Meanwhile, the Royals can’t get a stop defensively as Coker seems to be making everything.
UPDATE: COKER 63, QUEENS 54, with 3:23 left to play
Queens is making a fast and furious comeback and has trimmed the lead to six with 2:14 to play. The Royals had a chance to cut it to three, but missed a 3-pointer.
Speaking of fast and furious, that reminds me of Tokyo Drift, maybe one of the worst movies ever made. Unfortunately my ex-girlfriend was a huge speed and car enthusiast and made me got to all of the movies in the series. I’m so glad we don’t date any more.
The Coker coach is a weasel, to put it rather bluntly. He’s snitching on people from Queens to the head ref. This is a true quote, “Hey Mike, he just emm effed you.” He said it four times. And this coming from the same guy that dropped eff bombs in the first half. It got so out of hand, even his own players asked him to be quiet. True story.
Dude, this isn’t the third grade. Seriously. Grow up.
This game is all but over. Turnovers and cold shooting did in the Royals. Too bad, because I was really looking forward to making fun of that Australian hump again.
FINAL: COKER 70, QUEENS 61
Well, it’s been certainly interesting, to say the least.
CHAPEL HILL — Hello from the Dean Dome here in Chapel Thrill. Anybody with any semblance of a brain will admit, whether they like the Tar Heels or not, that this is one of the best college towns in the country. I will say that it’s not as good as Athens, but that’s like saying Ketel One Vodka isn’t quite as good as Grey Goose. Both are still very good and better than most, though one just happens to be a little better than the rest.
On to the game:
Just what Carolina didn’t want to happen, Duke has come out and drilled three 3-pointers in the early going, with two of them coming from Singler. Carolina is in a running mode, for sure. The Heels are flying up and down the floor.
How’s this for a pregame story?
Prior to the game, I was fiddling with my computer bag and picked it up off the table and turned to walk while my head was pointing down. As I turned, my forehead plowed into the shoulder of Erin Andrews. I quickly apologized and prayed that the security guard that was by her side didn’t taser me.
Carolina isn’t making any outside shots and it absolutely has to if it is going to stay close.
Scheyer and Singler have all of Duke’s first 13 points.
What in the holy hell was Strickland thinking trying to dunk like that. Um, here’s a thought, lay it up for a bucket.
Tyler Hansbrough will have his number hoisted and retired at halftime. He’s wearing a gray suit and the fans were fawning all over him, as they should. What a difference a year makes.
Zoubek gets his second foul early. SHOCKER!!!!
UPDATE — Just under 12:00 left in first half, DUKE 13, UNC 8.
Just wondering, what in the world is Duke going to do without the stellar inside play of Zoubek next year, and what in the world is UNC going to do without the quality leadership of Ginyard next year?
Quick Groundhog Day joke for you: Earlier this week, Roy Williams saw his shadow, which means six more weeks of UNC sucking.
Duke has 16 points and 12 of them have come from 3s. UNC just made its first. The Heels totally need Graves to get hot.
One thing is becoming very, very clear: Duke has nothing inside for UNC and is going to have to drill a lot of 3s to win.
Once again, Graves drills another long-range shot. He is a major, major gun. Problem is he’s too streaky.
UPDATE…..DUKE 20, UNC 20 with 7:33 left in the first quarter
Some Did You Knows:
Did you know that Ginyard serves as president of UNC’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council? It’s nice to know that he’s a leader somewhere.
Did you know that Duke actually has a player on its team named Casey Peters? There’s no joke here, just the fact that he’s a junior and I’ve never heard of him.
Nolan Smith can’t throw it in the ocean right now.
What in the holy hell was that shot by Ginyard? Are you freaking serious? There are so many jokes I could use on that shot, but I’m not going to stoop to that level and say that even Frank Garcia would have at least hit the backboard.
Singler continues to be hot from the outside, drilling his third 3-pointer.
A Plumlee sighting!
UPDATE, DUKE 28, UNC 24 with 1:01 left in the first half.
Larry Drew II brings the house down with his steal and layup to cut the lead to 1 with 2.8 seconds left.
HALFTIME: DUKE 28, UNC 27
Just finished watching the whole Tyler Hansbrough retirement thing and then talking to him. I got some stuff from him on video that I’ll be posting later.
And just like that, another 3-pointer for Duke, but somehow that can’t be fully explained Ginyard drilled a 3-pointer and then made a driving layup to give the Heels the lead.
Scheyer and Singler have 25 of Duke’s 31 points.
Zoubek picks up his third three minutes into the second half.
UPDATE: UNC 34, DUKE 33 with 15:50 left in the second half.
Check this freaking stat out: Duke was 3-of-28 from 2-point distance in the first half and has started the second half 1-of-8. AND THE DEVILS ARE ONE FREAKING POINT DOWN. WOW.
Nolan Smith just made his first basket of the game. Nice of him to show up in such a big game.
Um, make that two in a row for Nolan.
Just occurred to me that the refs have totally swallowed their whistles. UNC had six fouls at half and Duke had seven. If this were Clemson, Trevor Booker would have picked up a foul just walking to the scorer’s table.
UPDATE: UNC 43, DUKE 39 with 11:46 left to play
Smith scores again and this bad boy is tied.
UPDATE: UNC 43, DUKE 43 with 10:09 left to play
Ummm, I don’t know how to explain this, but there four four guys wearing baby-blue suits with ties and hats and sun glasses banging on empty trash cans trying get the crowd alive. It was really odd, to say the least. They were beating them like drums. Glad that’s over with.
After being down by four, Duke has made a little surge and has scored four straight to tie it.
To totally put the bow on this crazy night, Scheyer just missed back-to-back free throws. Unreal. He’s a 90.7 free throw shooter. Ed Davis just missed two for good measure. Then Singler followed that up by making only one of two.
Duke has the lead by one.
So much for eating the whistles. Duke now has seven team fouls. They’re also getting rebounds. UNC keeps going for the blocks and is leaving itself vulnerable.
The teams have combined to make 2 of their last 9 free throws.
UPDATE: DUKE 45, UNC 45 with 7:50 left to play
During the timeout, the video board showed a group of former UNC stars saying things like, “I’m James Worthy and I’m a Tar Heel.” They even showed Michael Jordan. But the video also included two players that sort of stood out like sore thumbs. “I’m Pat Sullivan and I’m a Tar Heel. I’m Serge Zwikker and I’m a Tar Heel.” The funniest thing I’ve seen all day.
Duke went on a 10-2 run to take a four-point lead, before Graves buries another 3. But Scheyer answers with one of his own.
Carolina looks like it could go into a scoring funk. Graves thinks he’s a star and tried to dunk a rebound with one hand. Um, you’re down by four, how about using both hands and just making sure it’s in the basket.
UPDATE: DUKE 54, UNC 48 with 3:59 left to play
This is a very low scoring game, which you would think would play into the hands of the Heels. But when you can’t score, that’s generally going to happen. Consider that Duke shot 22.5 percent from the field, while Carolina shot 32.3 percent from the field. The percentages haven’t gotten any better this half.
This is ugly, ugly basketball!!!!
UPDATE: DUKE 56, UNC 50 with 3:26 left to play
Some stats - UNC has 9 offensive rebounds, Duke has 19….Duke is shooting 31 percent from the field and UNC is shooting 36 percent.
Scheyer just killed the Heels with a big 3 and UNC is jacking up crazy shots.
Duke up 9 with 1:54 to play and with the ball. KISS THE BABY!!
Duke will now be 3-4 on the road this year.
Don’t forget that I will have video from both coaches posted.
Prior to the start of the season, UNC forward Marcus Ginyard sat down for an interview with Athlon Magazine and gave some very strong comments on Duke. I was stunned that very few people picked up on it and also shocked that he actually spoke his mind when asked about his thoughts on the Duke basketball team.
Click the “read more button” to see the really damning quotes from Ginyard. It’s not often you hear a UNC guy say something like this.
With Duke and UNC playing Wednesday night, I thought I’d be a neat idea to take a look at the NBA players each team has produced and what players are better. So, here’s a little game: Take all the active NBA players from Duke and UNC in a 7-game series. Consider starters, depth, size, skill, age, etc., and tell me who would win a seven-game series.
Before you come back with witty answers, take away all of the predetermined Duke/UNC bias on either side. I think this is a great, great argument to really consider as neither team looks all that impressive.
Obviously there are a few more players from each school in the NBA, but do we really need to list Josh McRoberts or Sean May?
Thoughts?
Duke Starters
PG: Chris Duhon
SG: Shane Battier
SF: Luol Deng
PF: Elton Brand
C: Carlos Boozer
Duke Bench
Dahntay Jones
JJ Redick
Grant Hill
Mike Dunleavy
Corey Maggette
Shelden Williams
UNC Starters PG: Raymond Felton
SG: Vince Carter
SF: Marvin Williams
PF: Antawn Jamison
C: Brandon Haywood
UNC Bench Ty Lawson
Jerry Stackhouse
Brandan Wright
Tyler Hansbrough
Rasheed Wallace
Rashad McCants
Maryland ’s Greivis Vasquez has been named ACC Player of the Week while Georgia Tech’s Derrick Favors has earned ACC Rookie of the Week recognition.
In earning the Player of the Week Award for the second time this season and for the sixth time in his career, Vasquez averaged 24.5 points, 9.0 assists and 6.0 rebounds as the Terps moved into sole possession of second place in the ACC with a pair of conference wins.
The Caracas, Venezuela, product led the Terps in points (23), rebounds (7) and assists (7) in a 71-67 road win at Florida State on Thursday. Three days later, Vasquez turned in his 11th career double-double with 26 points and 11 assists in a 92-71 victory over visiting North Carolina. Against the Tar Heels, the 6-6, 200-pound, senior guard was 6-for-11 from 3-point range and had five rebounds and a steal in 35 minutes.
In earning the Rookie of the Week award for the third time this season, Favors averaged 12.0 points and 7.5 rebounds as the Jackets split a pair of ACC games. In Wednesday’s 86-67 loss at No. 9 Duke, Favors had eight points, seven rebounds, one blocked shot and a steal. In Saturday’s 73-71 win over NC State, the Atlanta, Ga., freshman had 16 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. For the week, Favors made good on 10-of-12 (.833) field goal attempts.
Here are some news and notes concerning each team from the ACC. As we head into the second half of league play, it should be interesting to see if things sort of stay the way they are in terms of everybody being bunched up together. Odds are at least one or two teams will separate from the pack, while at least two will fall to the bottom. Even so, here are the notes on every team. Read the rest of this entry »
The Tar Heels open the season in Atlanta and will try to do what no team from the ACC has been able to do and that’s not get waxed by the opposing SEC team, let alone actually win. UNC faces LSU in the season opener in Atlanta and has to travel to Rutgers. The Heels also have to travel to Florida State and Miami, but at least they get Clemson, Virginia Tech and ECU at home. It’s not an easy schedule, but it’s not a killer, either.
Tom O’Brien said he doesn’t like playing North Carolina in the final game of the season because the two could meet up a week later in the ACC Championship Game. Well, Tom, you won’t have to worry about that this year, for sure. However, the Wolfpack do have a decent schedule where they seem to be catching teams just at the right time. Cincinnati, which is in flux, comes to town, and N.C. State travels to ECU, which is also in flux. Losing either one of those games will be bad, but if they lose at Central Florida in the second week of the season, you can classify this program as being below Wake and slightly ahead of Duke, but only slightly.
How would you like it if your team’s non-conference schedule consisted of Florida, Oklahoma and BYU? Well, that’s what Florida State has on is docket for 2010. But a year removed from having a brutal schedule, it actually sets up quite nice for the Seminoles, despite the hard non-ACC games. Clemson and North Carolina travel to Tallahassee, though Florida State does have to go to Miami. This is a very workable schedule and one that could land the Noles in the ACC Championship Game.
Yes, Clemson has two cream puffs on its schedule in North Texas and Presbyterian, but give head coach Dabo Swinney credit for not backing out of an away game at Auburn in the third game of the season. This is one of those important games for the image of the league. The Tigers have a fairly difficult ACC schedule, too, as they play Miami, North Carolina, Florida State and Georgia Tech. Of course, there’s also that season-ender against South Carolina. Should be a very interesting year in Tiger Town.
How’s this for a stretch of games? Wake Forest has a five-game stretch that is brutal. The Deacs travel to Stanford, then to Florida State, before coming home Georgia Tech and Navy, and then finishing it up at Virginia Tech. Wake Forest will do very well not to go 0-5 in that stretch and if it should somehow manage to win two of those five games, then Wake should be bowling once again.
It doesn’t look good for the Blue Devils to qualify for a bowl in 2010. Non-conference games against Alabama and Navy are the main reasons why. They could beat Wake, Maryland, Virginia, Boston College and Elon, but that means Duke still has to get a win against either Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Miami or Georgia Tech to qualify. The Blue Devils have to absolutely beat Navy to have a shot at a bowl. But I’m guessing it’s not going to happen this year.
The Hokies begin the 2010 season with a bang by playing Boise State at FedEx Field, which is home of the Washington Redskins. The game is on a Monday night and the entire nation will be watching. If the ACC is going to save any kind of face this season, the Hokies have to win what is essentially a home game. But the fact that 21 starters return from the team that finished second in the nation is going to make it very hard on the Hokies. They also have games against East Carolina and have to travel to Miami. However, Va. Tech gets the Yellow Jackets in Lane Stadium.
Two words completely describe the Miami football schedule for 2010: HOLY CRAP! The Hurricanes only have one easy game, which is the season opener against Florida A&M. But then three straight road games against Ohio State, Pitt and Clemson, followed by a home game against rival Florida State and you’ve just looked at the first five weeks of the schedule. The last three games of the season are against Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and South Florida. Hats off to coach Randy Shannon for making this schedule, but man it seems like he’s trying to lose his job.
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GREENSBORO – Before I get started with blogging about the ACC Tournament, let first just say that I hope that somebody will actually see this because the internet here at the Greensboro Coliseum has been down for just about the entire day. It will work for about 10 minutes then go down. So, here’s hoping that these posts will actually make it to the World Wide Web.
Maryland ’s Greivis Vasquez has been named ACC Player of the Week while Georgia Tech’s Derrick Favors has earned ACC Rookie of the Week recognition.
Tom O’Brien said he doesn’t like playing North Carolina in the final game of the season because the two could meet up a week later in the ACC Championship Game. Well, Tom, you won’t have to worry about that this year, for sure. However, the Wolfpack do have a decent schedule where they seem to be catching teams just at the right time. Cincinnati, which is in flux, comes to town, and N.C. State travels to ECU, which is also in flux. Losing either one of those games will be bad, but if they lose at Central Florida in the second week of the season, you can classify this program as being below Wake and slightly ahead of Duke, but only slightly.
How would you like it if your team’s non-conference schedule consisted of Florida, Oklahoma and BYU? Well, that’s what Florida State has on is docket for 2010. But a year removed from having a brutal schedule, it actually sets up quite nice for the Seminoles, despite the hard non-ACC games. Clemson and North Carolina travel to Tallahassee, though Florida State does have to go to Miami. This is a very workable schedule and one that could land the Noles in the ACC Championship Game.
Yes, Clemson has two cream puffs on its schedule in North Texas and Presbyterian, but give head coach Dabo Swinney credit for not backing out of an away game at Auburn in the third game of the season. This is one of those important games for the image of the league. The Tigers have a fairly difficult ACC schedule, too, as they play Miami, North Carolina, Florida State and Georgia Tech. Of course, there’s also that season-ender against South Carolina. Should be a very interesting year in Tiger Town.
How’s this for a stretch of games? Wake Forest has a five-game stretch that is brutal. The Deacs travel to Stanford, then to Florida State, before coming home Georgia Tech and Navy, and then finishing it up at Virginia Tech. Wake Forest will do very well not to go 0-5 in that stretch and if it should somehow manage to win two of those five games, then Wake should be bowling once again.
The Hokies begin the 2010 season with a bang by playing Boise State at FedEx Field, which is home of the Washington Redskins. The game is on a Monday night and the entire nation will be watching. If the ACC is going to save any kind of face this season, the Hokies have to win what is essentially a home game. But the fact that 21 starters return from the team that finished second in the nation is going to make it very hard on the Hokies. They also have games against East Carolina and have to travel to Miami. However, Va. Tech gets the Yellow Jackets in Lane Stadium.
Two words completely describe the Miami football schedule for 2010: HOLY CRAP! The Hurricanes only have one easy game, which is the season opener against Florida A&M. But then three straight road games against Ohio State, Pitt and Clemson, followed by a home game against rival Florida State and you’ve just looked at the first five weeks of the schedule. The last three games of the season are against Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and South Florida. Hats off to coach Randy Shannon for making this schedule, but man it seems like he’s trying to lose his job. 
