Then there was One

Looks like Carolina is the last hope:


The Free Lance-StarRecap: Virginia Tech vs. Ole Miss
Kansas City Star, MO - 9 hours ago
By Sports Network Chris Warren scored 22 points and dished out six assists to lead the Ole Miss Rebels to an 81-72 victory over the Virginia Tech Hokies in ...
Ole Miss beats Virginia Tech in NIT quarterfinals Kansas City Star
Ole Miss (23-10) at Virginia Tech (21-13) Kansas City Star
Ole Miss muscles by TechDaily Press

Recap: Virginia vs. Bradley
Kansas City Star, MO - 10 hours ago
By Sports Network Jeremy Crouch poured in 27 points to lead the Bradley Braves to a 96-85 victory over the Virginia Cavaliers in semifinal round action of ...
Crouch's 27 points lead Bradley past Virginia in CBI semifinals International Herald Tribune
Bradley Rips Virginia, Advnaces to CBI Finals Central Illinois Proud
Bradley Braves vs. Virginia Cavaliers Offshore Insider

Virginia Teams still Alive

Not that anyone is really paying attention, but UVA and VaTech keep winning.

Singletary's heroics send UVa past ODU
News & Observer, NC - 11 hours ago
He then made a layup and free throw after a steal with four seconds left to give UVa (17-15) the lead for good at 78-75. Old Dominion (18-16) had a chance ...



Virginia Tech Collegiate Times Online EditionRecap: Virginia Tech vs. UAB
Kansas City Star, MO - 13 hours ago
By Sports Network AD Vassallo tallied a game-high 18 points as the Virginia Tech Hokies ran away from the UAB Blazers, 75-49, in the second round of the NIT ...
COL BKB: Virginia Tech 75, UAB 49 United Press International
Virginia Tech vs. Alabama Birmingham in second round of NIT WWBT
NCAA Basketball Betting Action – NIT Picks - Virginia Tech Hosts UAB BetUs.com

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)

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

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.

---

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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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)

ACC 3-0 in Post Season

With Clemson's 64-57 home win over East Tennessee State tonight following up NC State's big upset of Drexel and Florida State's 77-61 home pounding of Toledo, the ACC is off to a great post season. Who will be the first team to let us down? let's hope we don't find out until next week.

Also, Appalachian State tips off at 8pm at Mississippi in their first round NIT game, but it isn't on TV.

Lowe digs back deep for more History

3pm Update: Announcement and Ticket Details at GoPack.com

Official announcement coming soon, but ACCFanBlog has learned that NC State's upcoming NIT game, Friday Night at 9:30 will be in historic Reynolds Coliseum. Official announcement and Ticket Info coming soon.

5 games in 6 days, Pack Survives again

(Image courtesy of GoPack.com)
There is no other scenario in college basketball that could have N. C. State playing 5 games in 6 days other than the path they have taken. It wasn't easy and I'm sure is taking a toll on their body and emotions, but somehow the WolfPack was able to weather an early Drexel run and survive a tight one, winning 63-56 and advancing to the second round of the NIT.

They will play Friday Night at 9:30, against Marist or Oklahoma State. I'm sure there is building demand around the country to follow this team. Sidney has had more face time nationally in the last week than Herb had in 10 years. The game is once again slated to be on espnU. As noted previously, ESPNU isn't available to time-warner cable customers. ESPN is owned by Disney, and there has been a history of licensing issues between the two companies going back a few years ago when Time Warner pulled rebroadcast of local ABC Affiliates in areas where the ABC affiliates are owned directly by Disney. I somehow suspect this might be part of the reason that N. C. State has had a higher than statistically normal number of games on ESPNU this year. If the situation doesn't change by next season, we may have to mobilize some kind of effort to get to the bottom of things and shake them loose a little.

Here are way too many pictures (need some editing) from the game courtesy of Drexel Fan.


Drexel Men in the NIT vs NC State

Pack Headed to NIT...

NC State joins Clemson and Florida State in the field of 32.

The NIT brackets were announced Sunday Night.

NC State is seeded 6th in the East Bracket and will play at #3 Drexel on Tuesday night. The game will be televised on ESPNUnavailable... This is going to be a tough turnaround for the Pack after the four day run in the ACC Tournament. Hopefully the can get thier legs back... sorry Engin, no pun intended... Drexel was regarded by many as one of the top snubs left out of the NCAA tournament. The Dragons finished the regular season with a 23-8 record.

It will be up to Clemson if the Palmetto State is to win its 3rd straight NIT Championship. The Tigers are the #1 seed in the South Bracket and will open at home agaist East Tennessee State (24-9) on Wednesday. This game will also be shown (or not) on ESPNUnavailable.

Al Thornton will have another chance to display his skills before the NBA Draft as the North Bracket #2 seed Florida State Seminoles will face Toledo (18-12) in Tallahassee on Tuesday in yet another ESPNUnavailable game. Several of ESPN's pundits were disappointed the that 'Noles were left out of the NCAA Tournament. The ACC Fan Blog warned everyone of this possibility when Ken posted Sean Miller screws FSU Saturday.