Big East revels in ACC Woes

ACC having a rotten year

By Joe Starkey
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, March 30, 2007

The way it's getting beaten around by the Big East in football and basketball these days, the ACC might as well change its name to the Atlantic Toast Conference.

Georgetown's dramatic Elite Eight victory over North Carolina last weekend was the latest major blow the ACC has absorbed at the hands of the very conference it ransacked nearly three years ago.

Call it the Big Feast.

Here's the head-to-head tally from last football season and this basketball season, including Louisville's victory over ACC champ Wake Forest in the Orange Bowl and West Virginia's 78-73 victory over Clemson on Thursday night in the NIT title game:

Big East 20, ACC 11.

July 1 will mark the three-year anniversary of Miami and Virginia Tech joining the ACC and the two-year anniversary of Boston College's arrival, but I'm guessing the ACC will be in no mood to celebrate.

Not after a sports year in which its football championship game -- the game that was supposed to bring much gold and glory -- pitted Wake Forest against Georgia Tech in a two-thirds-full stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.

Not after a sports year in which the ACC went 3-7 against the Big East in football (including two bowl losses) and 8-13 in basketball (including two NCAA Tournament losses).

Not after a sports year in which the ACC, for the first time in 25 years, placed only one basketball team in the regional semifinals and was shut out from the Final Four and the AP All-America first team.

And not after a sports year in which the once-fabled ACC basketball tournament was played in Tampa, Fla. -- hardly hoops heaven.

What in the name of Dean Smith is going on here?

Maybe it's bad karma.

The ACC executed the robbery three years ago with eyes wide open, knowing full well its actions could destroy the Big East. That didn't happen, but the move did prompt the Big East to raid Conference USA, which then raided two other conferences.

Maybe it's just bad luck.

Who knew Miami and Virginia Tech would suddenly take a downturn in football, or that Duke would have such a subpar year in basketball, including a first-round loss to Virginia Commonwealth in the NCAA Tournament?

Things don't figure to change all that much this football season.

Contrary to the dire predictions of 2004, the Big East is trending upward fast. It had three teams -- Louisville, West Virginia and Rutgers -- ranked well ahead of the highest-ranked ACC team -- No. 18 Wake Forest -- in last year's final AP Top 25 and could easily do the same this season.

The Big East boasts four Heisman Trophy candidates -- Louisville's Brian Brohm, West Virginia's Pat White and Steve Slaton and Rutgers' Ray Rice -- while the ACC might have one in Clemson's C.J. Spiller.

Funny, the rationale behind the ACC heist was to increase its membership from nine to 12 teams, thereby enabling it to stage a football title game. That was the Holy Grail. That was the game which would captivate the entire country and fill the conference coffers.

Wake Forest against Georgia Tech, anyone?

Not that the Big East is going to boast.

Whenever I've spoken with conference commissioner Mike Tranghese about issues such as the sorry state of Miami's football program, he's careful not to gloat. He knows things change quickly in college sports and that the best-laid plans often go up in smoke.

The ACC knows it, too.

Joe Starkey is a sports writer for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He can be reached at jstarkey@tribweb.com

I could learn to hate West Virginia

West Virginia 78, Clemson 73
WRDW-TV, GA - 18 hours ago
NEW YORK (AP) -- Frank Young and the West Virginia Mountaineers shot past Clemson to their first NIT title in 65 years. Young scored 24 points, ...
Clemson is Mountaineered in NYC Spartanburg Herald Journal (subscription)
West Virginia 78, Clemson 73 WHDH-TV
Sizzling West Virginia shoots down Clemson in NIT final


I was in Myrtle Beach on game night and could have sworn I was in Florida given how little they cared about the game. I went out to dinner, and the game wasn't on. Stopped at a cigar shop and it was after the game, ESPN was on with something, and the guy couldn't tell me for sure who had one. Stopped at a bar that had ESPN on, and asked 2 people working there, including a brother bouncer type, and he had no clue.


Did you hear about the NIT T Shirt?

This T-shirt spells trouble for Mountaineers

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -Ouch! These T-shirts are hardly worthy of the NIT champions.

They say "West Virgina.'' That's right, no "i'' before the "a.''

The Mountaineers wore them anyway after their 78-73 victory over Clemson on Thursday night.

WVU sports information director Shelly Poe said the NIT printed the shirts. Calls to tournament officials were not immediately returned Friday.

West Virginia coach John Beilein also could not be reached for comment. He and the team were on their way back to West Virginia after winning their first NIT title in 65 years.

It Was 25 Years Ago Today...

Carolina 63, Georgetown 62

Man... I'm getting old.

Michael Wilbon had a nice story on the game that points out how many superstars were on both teams.

The Tar Heels, remember, featured Worthy, who would be the No. 1 overall
pick in the 1982 draft, Jordan (No. 3 in 1984), Sam Perkins (No. 4 in 1984) and
point guard Jimmy Black. Georgetown featured Patrick Ewing (No. 1 overall pick
in 1985), Eric "Sleepy" Floyd (No. 13 in 1982) and Bill Martin. Both head
coaches, Smith and Thompson, have coached the U.S. Olympic team and are in the
Basketball Hall of Fame. Worthy, Jordan and Ewing were voted among the 50
greatest NBA players ever. more...

These teams would kill any of this year's Final Four teams.

Copies of the Jordan poster are available at Sportsposterwarehouse.com.

Duke, We NEED YOU - Hurry Back

Duke's Kyle Singler scored 10 in last nights McDonald's All-American Game. (State's JJ Hickson looked like a Stud).

I've been thinking about this a bit. I really enjoyed this season where Duke wasn't dominant, could be beaten some, and even NC State finally gets a Duke win. But break is over. As a real ACC Fan, I've come to realize we need Duke. We need Duke to be powerful. To make truly strong showings in the NCAA tournament, we need both Duke and Carolina to be 1 or 2 seeds, to be locks for the Sweet 16, and for both to at least have a shot at making final four runs. Sure, every two or 3 years someone else can pop up with a strong team, like Maryland or GaTech in years past, hopefully like State will soon, but for March Madness to truly be fun all the way to the end, we need a strong Duke to match what I expect to be a strong Carolina for years to come.

South Carolina Basketball Fans More Patient than Most?

Couldn't resist posting Dave Odom's coaching resume' after we mentioned South Carolina missing the chance to 3-peat in the NIT. I guess 20 wins is 20 wins, no matter how many losses you have to go along with them. Odom's profile on South Carolina's Athletic Site states that,

Odom, who also began his fourth decade as a collegiate coach and his third decade as a head coach, finished the season at 23-15, posting his fourth 20 win season in five years at the helm. He joins the legendary Frank McGuire as the only (South) Carolina coaches to post four 20 win seasons during their careers. McGuire did it six times in 16 years, while Odom has done it four times in five years.

Like I said Gamecock fans must be more patient than most when it comes to hoops. Odom's coaching record since Tim Duncan's departure from Wake Forest is 187-140. Needless to say, USC will not be getting a call from Kentucky asking for permission to discuss their coaching job with Odom.

My favorite Dave Odom moment came during Tom Gugliotta's last game in Reynolds. Goog's was injured in the 2nd half and the pack was down by 10 to the Deacs at the 8-minute media timeout. I looked down at the Wake Forest bench and sure enough, Dave Odom was coaching his players. I exclaimed, "Look, Odom's coaching! We've got a chance!" Sure enough the Pack came back to win 77-74.

College Coaching Experience

Wake Forest (3 years): assistant coach, 1976-79
East Carolina (3 years): head coach, 1979-82
Virginia (7 years): assistant coach, 1982-89
Wake Forest (12 years): head coach, 1989-2001
South Carolina (5 years): head coach, 2001-present

Coaching Honors
SEC Coach of the Year: 2004
ACC Coach of the Year: 1991, 1994, 1995
District Coach of the Year: 1991, 1993, 1994
National Coach of the Year: 1995


Dave Odom Coaching Resume

WAKE FOREST ASSISTANT COACH
Year Record Post-Season
1976-77 22-8 NCAA Elite Eight
1977-78 19-10 None
1978-79 12-15 None
3 Years 53-33 1 NCAA


EAST CAROLINA HEAD COACH
Year Record Post-Season
1979-80 16-11 None
1980-81 12-14 None
1981-82 10-17 None
3 Years 38-42 None


VIRGINIA ASSISTANT COACH
Year Record Post-Season
1982-83 29-5 NCAA Sweet 16
1983-84 21-12 NCAA Final Four
1984-85 17-16 NIT Quarterfinals
1985-86 19-11 NCAA
1986-87 21-10 NCAA
1987-88 13-18 None
1988-89 22-11 NCAA Elite Eight
7 Years 142-83 5 NCAA, 1 NIT


WAKE FOREST HEAD COACH
Year Record Post-Season
1989-90 12-16 None
1990-91 19-11 NCAA
1991-92 17-12 NCAA
1992-93 21-9 NCAA Sweet 16
1993-94 21-12 NCAA
1994-95 26-6 NCAA Sweet 16
1995-96 26-6 NCAA Elite Eight
1996-97 24-7 NCAA
1997-98 16-15 NIT
1998-99 17-14 NIT
1999-00 22-14 NIT Champions
2000-01 19-11 NCAA
12 Years 240-132 8 NCAA, 3 NIT (1 NIT Title)


SOUTH CAROLINA HEAD COACH Year Record Post-Season
2001-02 22-15 NIT Championship Game
2002-03 12-16 None
2003-04 23-11 NCAA
2004-05 20-13 NIT Champions
2005-06 23-15 NIT Champions, SEC title game

2000-07 13-16 None
5 Years 113-86 1 NCAA, 2 NIT (1 NIT Title)


OVERALL HEAD COACHING RECORD
21 Years 391-260 9 NCAA, 6 NIT (3 NIT Titles)


OVERALL COLLEGE RECORD (As an assistant and head coach)
30 Years 573-360 15 NCAA, 7 NIT (3 NIT Titles)

Sidney Lowe's Son in Trouble

Hate reporting things like this

Wolfpack Coach Thankful for Support After Son's Arrest

By JOEDY McCREARY
AP Sports Writer

Posted: Today at 11:17 a.m.
Updated: 36 minutes ago

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina State coach Sidney Lowe asked Wolfpack fans for "support and understanding" Wednesday after his son was charged with crimes ranging from armed robbery to drug possession.

"This is a difficult time for my son, myself and my family," Lowe said in a statement issued by the school. "We appreciate the support and understanding of the Wolfpack family." More...

ACC Not Done Yet - Clemson Wins Again

Tigers to Face West Virginia in NIT Championship Thursday Night

3/28/2007 - M. Basketball

Clemson goes for its 26th win of the season on Thursday night against West Virginia in the championship game of the NIT. The game at Madison Square Gardens will tip off at 7:00 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN. A victory over the Mountaineers would establish a school record for victories in a season. The win over Air Force tied the school record of 25 that was set in 1986-87. That Clemson team led by ACC Player of the Year Horace Grant finished with a 25-6 record.

Read More >

Zebra Watch...

ACC Referees Also Take a Pounding in the NCAA Tournament

ACC teams weren't the only conference representatives who made early exits from the NCAA Tournament. Of the ten conference referees who were invited to work the tournament, only two were around for the second weekend of March Madness. Jamie Luckie worked the Tennessee-Ohio State game, while Karl Hess worked the Texas A&M - Memphis game. The SEC led the way with seven officials working in the sweet sixteen and elite eight rounds. Six Big East officials advanced to the second weekend of play, while five Big 12 and PAC 10 officials advanced.

Nine officials from this weekend's action will be selected to work the Final Four. My guess is that PAC 10 officials Richard Cartmell, Vern Harris and Randy McCall will not be among those working the Final Four. They were the crew that missed the traveling call at the end of the Vanderbilt-Georgetown game. In my Zebra Sightings post last week, I indicated that the crew from the Xavier -Ohio State game would not be back after missing the intentional foul at the end of the game. I was partially correct. Mike Wood and Les Jones stayed home this past weekend while John Cahill called the Butler-Florida game only to be blasted by an anonymous poster who wasn't quite sure which conference Cahill represented.

Mike Roberts and Mike Littlewood advanced to the sweet sixteen despite not calling second round games. I had thought if a referee didn't work in the second round, they were done for the tournament, but apparently any of the 96 officials who worked the first weekend can advance to the second weekend.

I found a good article on how the selection process works for officials:

'Talent Prevails' when referees are judged fit for NCAA tourney

Among the top officials who did not advance to the second weekend of the tournament are Frank Scagliotta, Rick Hartzell, Jim Burr and Ted Hillary.

Sweet 16 and Elite 8 Referees by Conference
Official.............Conference.....Sweet 16.....Elite 8
Luckie, Jamie........ACC............UT-OSU.
Hess, Karl...........ACC*...........TX AM-MEM.
Hughes, John.........Atlantic 10....TX AM-MEM.
Perone, Ray..........Atlantic 10....SIU-KU.
Roberts, Mike........Atlantic 10*...USC-UNC.
Corbet, Ed...........Big East.......UNLV-Ore.
Greenwood, Reggie....Big East.......UNLV-Ore.
Higgins, Tim.........Big East....................MEM-OSU
Cahill, John.........Big East*......But-Fla.
Driscoll, Pat........Big East*......UT-OSU.
Kitts, Michael.......Big East*...................MEM-OSU
Collins, JD..........Big Ten........But-Fla.
Janssen, Paul........Big Ten.....................UCLA-KU
Sanzere, Mike........Big Ten........USC-UNC.
Gray, Donnee.........Big Ten*....................MEM-OSU
Hall. David..........Big-12.........UNLV-Ore.
Whitehead, Mark......Big-12......................UCLA-KU
Higgins, John........Big-12*.....................Gtown-UNC
Shaw, Curtis.........Big-12*.....................Gtown-UNC
Thornley, Scott......Big-12*.......Pitt-UCLA.
O'Neill, Tom.........C-USA*......................Ore-Fla
Rose, Larry..........C-USA*........Pitt-UCLA.
Wymer, Terry.........MAC*........................Ore-Fla
Littlewood, Mike.....MWC...........But-Fla.
Harris, Vern.........Pac 10........Vandy-Gtown.
McCall, Randy........Pac 10........Vandy-Gtown.
Scyphers, Mike.......Pac 10......................Gtown-UNC
Cartmell, Richard....Pac 10*.......Vandy-Gtown.
Libbey, David........Pac 10*.......UT-OSU.
Eades, Tom...........SEC...........Pitt-UCLA.
Lindsay, Joe.........SEC...........TX AM-MEM.
Lopes, Tom...........SEC...........USC-UNC.
Shows, Doug..........SEC...........SIU-KU.
Valentine, Ted.......SEC.........................UCLA-KU
Greene, Tony.........SEC*..........SIU-KU.
Stuart, Mike.........SEC*........................Ore-Fla

Damn! Heels Lose

They had this game won. All you can really point to is shot selection as how they lost it. Danny Green had 2 terrible 3's that should have never been shot, and that seemed to trigger an abandonment of the inside game completely. 2 of 21 from the field to end the game.

Roy was very emotional in the press conference. He really loves this team. Tyler had clearly been crying and was having trouble keeping his composure through the entire process. I think for a lot of fans it is hard to imagin and understand why people could be so emotional over a loss, but if you think about the hours and work they've put into it, it kind of makes sense. I honestly doubt I've ever worked as hard at anything as the average college basketball player does during the year, and for a team to be so close to getting serious dreams coming true, it has to be hard.

You can watch the press conference at
http://all-access.cstv.com/cstv/player/player.html?code=ncaa&sport=m-baskbl&category=Press%20Conference%20%28MediaType%29
but have to register (free).

Barton Wins Division II Title

AP Photo Courtesy of WRAL.COM

Barton 77 (Atlantic Christian College for you old-schoolers), Winona State 75

Barton's fantastic finish stuns reigning champs in D-II finale

Barton Believes In Miracles

Atkinson sparks rally that gives Barton Division II title

Tom Ham column — Yes, I believe!

This game is the textbook example of why you never, ever change channels when a team is within 10 points at the end of a game.

Fortunately for me, and the other idiots who switched channels, CBS Sportsline as posted the game highlights.

Barton, located in Wilson, NC, won 9 overtime games this season in route to the Division II Title. All three games that Barton played in the Division Two Elite Eight were thrillers.

Barton 83, Grand Valley State 81 (OT)

Barton Is One Away From NCAA Title

26 Pt. Comeback

OK, not exactly, but I was struck by the fact that they went from 16 down to 10 up in a flash, as the Tarheels advance to the final 8. For 30 minutes USC was fantastic and it really looked like Carolina had run into a faster team and that would be their undoing. But, and offensive rebounds started turning into points, USC started bricking the tough shots they were nailing in the 1st half, and USC seemed to just run out of gas.

I think most people who watched this game would credit Roy's use of his deep bench for this win. I assume all those saying Roy was playing too many people all year will admit they were wrong today? Guess I won't hold my breath.

Wake Transfers

Doesn't appear they are losing much time/production wise, but still makes you wonder if everything it ok at Wake:

Crawford, Dukes leaving Wake Forest basketball team

WINSTON-SALEM --

Wake Forest reserves Casey Crawford and Shamaine Dukes are transferring from the Demon Deacons, coach Skip Prosser said Friday.

Crawford, a freshman forward, and Dukes, a sophomore guard, will leave the school after the spring semester.

"Casey and Joe are first and foremost, outstanding young men," Prosser said. "Our entire coaching staff truly appreciates their contributions to the program and wish them nothing but the best in their future endeavors."

Crawford, a 6-foot-9 forward from Overland Park, Kan., averaged 1.1 points and 0.4 rebounds in nine games, scoring a career-high five points in November against Air Force.

Dukes, a 6-1 guard from Cuthbert, Ga., was the Demon Deacons' backup point guard this season, starting a total six games during two seasons. He averaged 2.7 points and had 37 assists this season for Wake Forest.

Handing Over the Reigns?

Multiple sources are reporting that Tubby Smith has resigned from Kentucky and accepted the coaching position at Minnesota.

ESPN
CBS SportsLine

Gee… where have we seen a coaching move like this before? Maybe no one is taking notes when Herb Sendek talks about the finer points of hanging onto a lead late in a game, but apparently Steve Alford and Tubby Smith were paying attention when he discussed exit strategies.

Coaches will be listening to Tubby Smith’s exit strategy lectures in the future. Reports indicate that Kentucky will pay Smith the $1.3 million bonus he was due on April 3.

Does this open the door for Rick Pitino’s return to Lexington? Thomas Wolf said, “You can’t go home again.” Maybe in this day and age you can, if the price is right… Only time will tell.

McRobert's Gone. Who is Next?

I'm shocked, but then again, I'm not sure Duke had a lot of fun this year.


News 14 CarolinaDuke's McRoberts goes for NBA draft
Indianapolis Star, IN - 1 hour ago
McRoberts, a 6-10 forward who just completed his sophomore season at Duke, is widely projected as a first-round selection due to his versatile skills. ...
Duke's McRoberts declares for NBA draft USA Today
Report: McRoberts to NBA Rivals.com (subscription)
Report: Duke's Josh McRoberts Heading to NBA AOL SPORTS
All Headline News - Greensboro News Record
all 65 news articles »

West Virginia Trip Report

I wasn't going to make the trip, I was going to save up for NY, but my wife warned me, this could be the last chance to see them, and that if they lost I'd blame myself, so I headed off from Raleigh to Morgantown. I generally HATE driving in WV, the radio you can receive is terrible, the interstate is too curvy, and you can go an hour sometimes without seeing a Burger King. I had hoped XM Radio would help, but between the mountains and the fact that my antenna isn't mounted well because the wires are in an ugly tangle, I kept getting dropouts. It was at least bearable once WLW would come in.

I'm also more than a little irritated that XMRadio doesn't carry the ACC games in either NIT or NCAA tournament, because I was hoping to listen to the FSU game before, and the state post game. As it stood, I had to tune in wptf for post game and caught a few words every 30 seconds.

I grabbed a room 30 miles south of Morgantown and because I wanted to watch a bit of the FSU/Mississippi State game. Normally when I go to a new arena I'd try to get there 90 minutes or more early to scope out parking and the ticket situation, but I cut it close this time. I thought the parking at Duke was tough, Morgantown is a complete mess. The traffic was awful and seriously, everyone just seems to park anywhere they can. I sat at an intersection for like 20 minutes waiting for the foot traffic to clear up, and during that, at least 10 SUVs, just left the street, crossed a big curb and pulled right into a lot bypassing the people checking permits. Starting at least a mile out, people are parking on both sides of the 4 lane road. The crowd seemed to arrive really early. I eventually had to keep driving beyond the arena about a mile and park within inches of the guard-rail on the 4 lane road, which left me so close to the 4 lane road that I had to wait a few minutes for cars to stop coming so I could open the door.

Because time was short, I didn't really scout the ticket scene, but found a scalper pretty quick and got a $25 downstairs ticket. My guess is I could have easily found below $15 face for upstairs if I wanted.

The arena is round, old. I won't call it a dump, just say that it is very old. The lone retired jersey isn't a jersey, but a big "44 Jerry West" sigh up in the corner. Also, really old, simple scoreboard. I guess there isn't a lot to do in WV because they really turn out, and ALL wear the colors. The place was probably 85% full, over 11K. The girls really turn out too, higher percentage than in NC, and almost all of them have all their teeth.

I won't go into great detail to break down the game, since most of you saw it. Courtney was terrible, and we just didn't shoot well. The 1st half was the worst half of basketball I've seen all year. I sent a text message to a friend back in Raleigh who was watching, noting that there "was a reason these teams were in the NIT". Sidney's normal offensive play calling skills seemed to be of no use against the WV zone.

Some random things that you may not have been able to see on TV.

• When Beilein and Lowe shook hands before the game, there was an extended conversation and some laughing. Would love to know what was said and if either brought up how close things came to Beilein having Sidney's job.
• There was an extra 3 minute delay before the start of the game waiting for TV, I guess FSU ran long. The players just sat on the benches waiting.
  
• Sidney spent 90% of one TV timeout with his arm around a ref talking about a missed call.
• The crowd was one of the nicest, most polite I've ever seen, until late in the 2nd half when it seemed like 3 or 4 questionable calls went State's way. Then came the "don't throw stuff on the floor" announcement.
• At the end of the half, moments after the buzzer, their Daniel Boone looking mascot fires a musket. It is, and sounds exactly like a real gun. Scared the crap out of me and I imagine out of the State players who were no more than 15 feet away from it. Reminded me a bit of a scene I think from Fast Break, where a player thinks someone is going to shoot him, and when the camera flash bulbs go off, he drops to the floor. (unrelated but it triggered a memory - Did I dream this or does anyone remember back when Duke played Kentucky for the national championship, that there was a death threat against Gene Banks before that game?)
• State came out from half-time with about 6 minutes before the start of the half. While State ran layups, Brandon Costner just sat alone on the bench.
• While McCauley wasn't effective in the game and Horner played pretty good, there were at least 6 or 7 times when Lowe called a play and Horner looked confused, had to get help from Gavin to know where to go or looked to the bench for them to point to a spot.
• You may remember that McCauley took a big charge late in the game. What you probably didn't see was about 10 seconds before that drive, Lowe whistles to get Ben's attention, then motions for him to lay off his man and drop back under the basket.

Great Run to end the year. I'm sat to see Engin go, but the future sure looks bright.

Mid-Tournament Ramblings…

Boy, talk about tough weekends… not only did my bracket have to endure losses by BC, Duke, Ga Tech, Maryland, UVa, and Va Tech, I was involved in a wreck on the way back to work from lunch Friday afternoon. I knew I should have taken the afternoon off to watch hoops. Just before the crash I was listening to Westwood One’s coverage of the Albany – UVa game. My last thought just before locking down the brakes and holding on for dear life was, “Man, Pete Gillian is worse at doing color commentary than he was at coaching...” At least I got home in time to watch the end of the Winthrop – Notre Dame game.

Roy Williams has been complaining about the late starting times the Heels have faced in the tournament. There is a place for 10 pm east coast starting times… It’s called the west coast. CBS used to have late-night 1st round games. The late games on the west coast did not start until 11:00 or later. Anyone remember the Pepperdine game that started the magical tournament run for the Cardiac Pack? That game wasn’t over until sometime early Saturday morning. We may complain about the starting times that CBS dictates, but it could be worse… we could be trying to figure out which local station is picking up Host Communication’s syndicated coverage of the 1st round games.

Did anyone really think the Ohio State was going to lose it’s 2nd round game to Xavier? Panic set in at my brother’s house when Xavier went up 11 with about eight minutes to go. Everyone just knew that their brackets were headed for the trash can when I proclaimed that Ohio State would win the game. My brother and dad thought I had lost my mind until I asked who was coaching Xavier. When they said Sean Miller, I asked who Sean had coached under… The light bulb came on when they said Herb Sendek. I reminded them that Sean Miller had learned at the feet of the master. No lead was safe when Herb was on the sidelines. Sure enough, what followed was classic Herb. Bad shots at the end of the shot clock, missed free-throws, iffy strategies and missed calls by the referees. I really feel for Sean Miller. He and his team deserved a better fate. Miller is one of the up and coming coaches in the NCAA. Hopefully he will learn from what happened at the end of the Ohio State game and become a better coach for it.

The Regional Semi-Finals really stink from TV perspective. At least this year we don’t have to worry about ACC teams playing at the same time. Unless you have one of the packages that allows you to see both of CBS’s feeds and a DVR, you are going to miss large chunks of 2 games each night. I don’t guess the NCAA and CBS are willing to play 2 of the regional semi finals in the afternoon… Again, at least we’re not having to deal with Host Communications.

Not that I’ve been able to figure out the Women’s Tournament, but hats off to the ACC Women’s teams. Duke and Carolina were expected to be in the Sweet 16. Based on the seeding, State was expected to be there, but before Kay Yow returned to the bench, the Wolfpack was headed nowhere… The biggest shockers so far were #10 seed Florida State advancing and #2 seed Maryland going home… 29 turnovers will do that to you.

Clemson will be the only ACC team in New York for the NIT Semi’s. What a strange game with Syracuse. It sort of reflects Clemson’s season… fast start… sudden collapse... Hopefully the way they managed to win when it looked like they had given the game away will be a good omen for the trip to New York

Zebra Sightings...

As promised, we've been keeping track of not only ACC officials, but every official working the field of 64. Keep in mind that officials work in multiple conferences. We have listed the conference tournament that officials worked. In many cases, officials worked multiple conferences tournaments (What was that Bob Knight was saying?) When that has occurred, we tried to indicate the highest level conference tournament worked. Crews who worked conference championship games have * listed by the conference name.

In the past, the officials who have graded the highest have advanced in the tournament. In general, if an official did not work a second round game, he is not going to be around for the regionals.

I think Mike Wood, Les Jones and John Cahill can make other plans this weekend. They were the crew that worked the Xavier-OSU game. Many feel that Greg Oden's foul at the end of the game should gave been called intentional or flagrant, giving Xavier 2 shots and the ball. As it turned out Xavier only hit one of two and OSU tied the game with a 3-pointer. In the past, if a crew missed a call that cost a team a game, that crew went home as well.

If the NCAA continues with what they have done in recent years, three crews will be assigned to each regional. Two crews will work the regional semis while a third crew will work the regional finals. The top 3 crews from the regionals will advance to the Final Four.

Official...............Conference.....1st Round.....2nd Round
Ayers, Roger...........ACC............NMS-Tx
Clinton, Bernard.......ACC............TAMUCC-Wis
Eades, Mike............ACC............Xav-BYU
Jones, Les.............ACC............CCS-OSU.......Xav-OSU
Luckie, Jamie..........ACC............TAMUCC-Wis....UNLV-Wis
Natili, Ray............ACC............GW-Van
Wood, Mike.............ACC............Stan-Lou......Xav-OSU
Hess, Karl.............ACC*...........PU-Az.........PU-Fla
Kersey, Brian..........ACC*...........MSU-MQ........BC-Gtown
Maxwell, Gary..........ACC*...........Stan-Lou......Lou-TxA&M
Stehpens, Michael......Am East........Pen-TxA&M
Carstensen, DJ.........Atlantic 10....MSU-MQ
Connolly, Fran.........Atlantic 10....NTx-Mem
Demayo, Joe............Atlantic 10....Stan-Lou
Faia, Paul.............Atlantic 10....GT-UNLV
Hughes, John...........Atlantic 10....VCU-DU........BU-UMD
Perone, Ray............Atlantic 10....NMS-Tx........Winth-Ore
Simpson, Lamar.........Atlantic 10....Ark-USC
Roberts, Mike..........Atlantic 10*...TT-BC
Scagliotta, Frank......Atlantic 10*...PU-Az
Staratore, Gene........Atlantic 10*...Albany-UVa
Clark, Jeff............Big East.......WS-UCLA.......Van-WSU
Corbet, Ed.............Big East.......GT-UNLV.......UK-KU
Donato, Bob............Big East.......NMS-Tx........USC-Tx
Greenwood, Reggie......Big East.......NTx-Mem.......Nev-Mem
Higgins, Tim...........Big East.......HC-SouIll.....VT-SouIll
O'Connell, Brian.......Big East.......ORU-WSU.......Ind-UCLA
Walton, Earl...........Big East.......LBSU-Ten
Cahill, John...........Big East*......Pen-TxA&M.....Xav-OSU
Driscoll, Pat..........Big East*......TT-BC.........MSU-UNC
Kitts, Michael.........Big East*......MSU-MQ........BC-Gtown
Scofield, Bob..........Big Sky........Nia-KU
Curry, Eric............Big Sky*.......VCU-DU
Collins, JD............Big Ten........GW-Van........Van-WSU
Hartzell, Rick.........Big Ten........Ark-USC
Janssen, Paul..........Big Ten........LBSU-Ten......UVa-UT
Rodeheffer, Sid........Big Ten........HC-SouIll
Sanzere, Mike..........Big Ten........Ark-USC.......USC-Tx
Skiles, Steve..........Big Ten........GW-Van........Van-WSU
Steed, Zelton..........Big Ten........VCU-DU........VCU-Pitt
Burr, Jim..............Big Ten*.......ORU-WSU
Gray, Donnee...........Big Ten*.......Nia-KU........UK-KU
Hillary, Ted...........Big Ten*.......Cre-Nev.......Nev-Mem
Hall. David............Big-12.........JS-Fla........PU-Fla
Moore, Terry...........Big-12.........Mia-Ore
Pollard, Gerry.........Big-12.........CCS-OSU
Randall, Rick..........Big-12.........GT-UNLV
Self, Kelly............Big-12.........WS-UCLA
Thibodeaux, Mike.......Big-12.........Ill-VT
Welmer, Steve..........Big-12.........EKU-UNC
Whitehead, Mark........Big-12.........WS-UCLA.......Ind-UCLA
Higgins, John..........Big-12*........LBSU-Ten......UVa-UT
Shaw, Curtis...........Big-12*........Xav-BYU.......Lou-TxA&M
Thornley, Scott........Big-12*........Nova-UK.......UNLV-Wis
Edsall, Duke...........C-USA..........WrS-Pitt
Husk, Hal..............C-USA..........Albany-Uva....UVa-UT
Pyatt, Steven..........C-USA..........Mia-Ore
Olson, Steve...........C-USA*.........Cre-Nev
O'Neill, Tom...........C-USA*.........Cre-Nev.......Nev-Mem
Rose, Larry............C-USA*.........Ill-VT........VT-SouIll
Wymer, Terry...........MAC*...........Xav-BYU.......Lou-TxA&M
Covington, William.....MEAC*..........Dav-MD
Gladden, Dwayne........MEAC*..........Gon-IND
Littlewood, Mike.......Mtn West.......CCS-OSU
Eggers, Michael........Pac 10.........ODU-BU
Harris, Vern...........Pac 10.........EKU-UNC.......BC-Gtown
Hicks, Bruce...........Pac 10.........EKU-UNC
McCall, Randy..........Pac 10.........Bel-Gtown.....MSU-UNC
Rastatter, Chris.......Pac 10.........Nia-KU
Reed, Michael..........Pac 10.........NTx-Mem
Scyphers, Mike.........Pac 10.........Dav-MD........BU-UMD
Vinovich, Bill.........Pac 10.........Ill-VT
Cartmell, Richard......Pac 10*........WrS-Pitt......BU-UMD
Libbey, David..........Pac 10*........Dav-MD........VCU-Pitt
Reischling, Mark.......Pac 10*........Nova-UK
Giallella, Rich........Patriot*.......Bel-Gtown
Adams, Pat.............SEC............Pen-TxA&M
Caldwell, JB...........SEC............Gon-IND
Clougherty, Tim........SEC............ORU-WSU
Eades, Tom.............SEC............Winth-ND......USC-Tx
Forte, Brian...........SEC............JS-Fla
Lindsay, Joe...........SEC............Nova-UK.......UNLV-Wis
Lopes, Tom.............SEC............Albany-Uva....VT-SouIll
Nance, Mike............SEC............HC-SouIll
Petty, Antinio.........SEC............JS-Fla
Shows, Doug............SEC............ODU-BU........VCU-Pitt
Smith, Bert............SEC............ODU-BU
Valentine, Ted.........SEC............Winth-ND......Winth-Ore
Greene, Tony...........SEC*...........Gon-IND.......Ind-UCLA
Sirmons, Doug..........SEC*...........TT-BC.........MSU-UNC
Stuart, Mike...........SEC*...........Mia-Ore.......Winth-Ore
Staffen, Bob...........WAC............TAMUCC-Wis....UK-KU
Ditty, Ken.............WCC*...........WrS-Pitt
Adams, Robert.........................Bel-Gtown
Evans, Pat............................PU-Az.........PU-Fla
Nichols, Tom..........................Winth-ND.

WVU Prep Kit

Game preview
N.C. State seeks revenge against WVU

Game is 9pm on ESPN, following the FSU at Mississippi St. game which is at 7.

For those heading to the game from Raleigh, according to Google Maps, it is 454 miles and about 6 hours, 45 minutes. I personally hate driving in West Virginia. Thank god for Sattelite Radio.

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Some info about their building

WVU Coliseum

More than 35 years old, yet still impressive in its visual impact, the WVU Coliseum is one of the nation's supreme showcases for athletic events.

Whether it's during the day, when the sun shines down on the massive structure, or at night, when its golden lights make it an evening showcase, the Coliseum stands as one of West Virginia University's most striking facilities and played a significant role in the expansion of the area now known as the Evansdale Campus.

WVU Coliseum Facts and Figures

Opened: 1970 with a capacity of 14,000 Original Cost: $10.4 million Current Capacity: 14,000 Sports: Men's Basketball, women's basketball, volleyball, wrestling and gymnastics Renovations: Men's and women's basketball locker rooms, player's lounge and team video theater, expansion of strength and conditioning center, expansion of equipment and team training room, refurbishment of roof, construction of club seating area in main arena with private concessions, hospitality and rest rooms under lower level (2004) Usage: Nearly 100 offices, 13 lecture and seminar rooms, a dance studio, safety lab, racquetball and squash courts, Jerry West Mountaineer Room (handling as many as 150 people for meetings) comprise more than 10.5 million cubic feet of space. More than 1,000 individual locker units in various dressing rooms are available for students and staff. Weight Room: 3,000 square feet Scoreboard: Daktronics, Inc. (1995)

Some Parking Info HERE.

Tickets were still available yesterday but appear to be sold out today, so we'll just have to deal with scaplers. Face on an upper level ticket was $15.

Here is what I came up with for directions

From Interstate 79 (North and South)
• .Take .the .Star .City/WVU .exit .(155) .and .follow .signs .to .Morgantown
• .Cross .the .Star .City .bridge .and .proceed .up .Monongahela .Boulevard .toward .the .Coliseum.
• .The .WVU .Coliseum, .Hawley .Field, .Dick .Dlesk .Soccer .Stadium, .WVU .Natatorium, ................ ..Mountaineer .Track, .Shell .Building .and .Coliseum .Courts .are .located .on .the .right.
• .The .approximate .distance .from .I-79 .to .the .Coliseum .is .1.5 .miles.
• .To .go .on .to .Milan .Puskar .Stadium, .make .a .left .at .the .Coliseum .light .onto .Patteson .Drive.
• .Go .through .two .lights .on .Patteson .Drive, .which .then .becomes .Van .Voorhis .Road.
• Go through the first light on Van Voorhis Road and then bear right at the second light onto .Chestnut .Ridge .Road.
• .At .the .second .light .after .bearing .right .on .Van .Voorhis, .turn .right .onto .Don .Nehlen .Drive.
• Go through the next traffic light. Milan Puskar Stadium will be on your right. Enter at Rodgers

I think I'll have a "Big Orange"

You probably have to be from NC and be old to get that reference, but if you've never heard it, check out
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1405496

But, speaking of "Big Orange", you probably will be old before you ever see a matchup like this one again, given that these coaches would never schedule it on purpose.

Clemson to Face Syracuse in NIT Quarterfinals
		By Staff Report Posted Mar 20, 2007 Clemson (23-10) will face Syracuse (24-10) Wednesday night at 7:00 PM
Clemson (23-10) will face Syracuse (24-10) Wednesday night at 7:00 PM at Littlejohn Coliseum in the quarterfinals of the NIT Presented by Mastercard. The game will be televised by one of the ESPN networks. Tickets will be on sale at the Clemson ticket office at Memorial Stadium starting Tuesday morning at 8:30 AM. The prices will be $10 for adults and $4 for students 18 and under, and Clemson University Students. More...]

I only caught a few minutes of Clemson's game last night. Looked like the endzone's were empty, so if you are a fan of good basketball, the Syracuse game might be worth the drive. Speaking of old, I'm feeling it after seeing a bald Andy Kennedy on the sidelines for Ole Miss. Hadn't really seen him since Valvano ran him off by bringing in Rodney Monroe.

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Nothing Sweet about Sunday for the ACC

We'll look more about how the ACC stands compared to others shortly, but you'd have to say the State of Virginia has their own version of Black Sunday now. VaTech continued their mediocre play, and when J. R. Reynolds turned his ankle, that did in the Cavs.


Northwest HeraldHokies make a quiet exit
Washington Times, DC - 6 hours ago
The Salukis used an incredible shooting display from long distance while shutting down the Hokies 63-48 in the second round of the NCAA tournament at ...
Southern Illinois' defense, 3-point shooting prevent comeback by ... Richmond Times Dispatch
Salukis do what Hokies couldn't: make shots and win Philadelphia Daily News
West Region | Salukis pound down HokiesSeattle Times


Philadelphia InquirerLofton & Vols floor Virginia
New York Daily News, NY - 4 hours ago
Lofton was the one guy fourth-seeded Virginia (21-11) did not want to foul in the final moments. After Virginia guard Sean Singletary, who scored nine of ...
Tennessee 77, Virginia 74 WVEC.com (subscription)
Tennessee holds off Virginia to advance The Herald-Times (subscription)

BC/Maryland gone, Carolina Tough

BC gave it a good effort against Georgetown and had a chance. I think that was all you could ask of them. Maryland on the other hand should have, could have won, and just didn't do enough of the right things down the end. And finally, Carolina came up tough for a change. They've won a lot of games this year, but this one was tough, gritty, and a great building block.

Our NCAA Fate falls to UVA and VaTech today. Anything short of both winning and getting 3 into the sweet 16 is a disappointment for the league this year.

State, FSU, and Clemson are all still alive in the NIT as well, with games coming up Monday/Tuesday.


Seattle Post IntelligencerGeorgetown rallies to get past Boston College
Belleville News-Democrat, IL - 4 hours ago
WINSTON-SALEM, NC -- Boston College's Jared Dudley and Jessie Sapp of Georgetown went up for a rebound and then went nose-to-nose, jawing at each other.


Bismarck TribuneButler Pulls Away, Defeats Maryland
Hartford Courant, CT - 8 hours ago
Maryland (25-9), making its first tournament appearance since 2004, was undone by an aggressive and smaller team which kept its offense out of rhythm


Kane County ChronicleUNC Finally Manages to Slow Neitzel: Michigan State Standout ...
International News Service, Australia - 3 hours ago
PICKING UP THE PACE: Michigan State coach Tom Izzo called UNC's ability to push the ball upcourt "warp speed" before the game. His Spartans attempted to ...
UNC's Hansbrough finds offense, 33 points Atlanta Journal Constitution (subscription)
• MSU falls to UNC: Courage under pressure MLive.com
TOBACCO ROLLED: Izzo proud of effort, but UNC pace is too fastDetroit Free Press

Sunday's Schedule

Time	WRAL-TV	Over-the-Air 5.1 (Cable 257/150)	Over-the-Air 5.2 (Cable 256/151)	Over-the-Air 5.3 (Cable 258/152)	Over-the-Air 5.4 (Cable 259/153)
12:10 PM	UVA vs. Tennessee	UVA vs. Tennessee
2:40 PM	Virginia Tech vs. S. Illinois	Virginia Tech vs. S. Illinois	UNLV vs. Wisconsin (tip off 2:30 PM)	Florida vs. Purdue (tip off 2:15 PM)	Oregon Vs. Winthrop (tip off 2:50 PM)
5 PM	Kansas vs. Kentucky	Kansas vs. Kentucky	WRAL News @ 6	Memphis vs. Nevada (tip off 4:45 PM)	Texas vs. USC (tip off 5:15 PM)

Another K assistant Fired

I really like Tommy Amaker. I think he will be a great coach someday, but this situation just wasn't going to work. I think he was Michigan's Les Robinson. Someone squeeky clean to come in and clean up a complete mess, but then there just wasn't a way to get over the hump.

Are there any former Duke coaches with success? Mike Brey was bounced again in the first round, Quinn Snyder was a mess at Missouri, and now this.

So many games, so little time

Are we tired of this yet? Not quite. In case you blinked, here is a quick recap.

GaTech is just too young, it just didn't come together quick enough this year.


The SouthernUNLV 67, Georgia Tech 63