This play during Thursday's Florida State-Wake Forest game is causing a lot of controversy in ACC circles:
That was Florida State sophomore forward Ryan Reid knocking Wake Forest sophomore center Chas McFarland to the ground in the first half. Reid was ejected for it, and I know there are some Wake Forest fans who thought he should have been suspended, too.
But I don't know. It looked like McFarland was trying to grab Reid with his right hand to slow him down, and that Reid was trying to get McFarland off him. That doesn't justify what Reid did, but it does explain it. And anyway, McFarland is a tough guy who had the last laugh, leading the Deacons to victory with his first career double-double while Reid sat in the locker room.
As they do after every big win, the extended Wake Forest community gathered in the quad last night to "roll" the trees. But this time it wasn't in celebration of a defeat of the Heels or Devils, it was in mourning of their lost coach.
Wake is one of the smallest and most closely knit schools in all of major college sports, and Skip Prosser was a beloved and respected figure on campus. Nearly every student or staff member had had some form of contact with him, and his patience, kindness and willingness to talk with anyone were legendary. At Wake, his loss will be felt by everyone at a personal level.
With several of his former players on hand (including Chris Paul), the quad was poignantly rolled for Skip for the final time. The sad and poignant pictures tell the tale of a University that lost a beloved family member yesterday.
Compared to the loss suffered by the family of Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser, who died today at 56, this is a minor point. But Prosser had landed an outstanding recruiting class for 2008, and it's a real shame that he'll never get to coach those players.
With forward Al-Farouq Aminu and centers Ty Walker and Tony Woods committed to Wake, Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis declared last week that the Demon Deacons "will have the league's top front line in two years." Although Prosser, by rule, couldn't talk publicly about his recruits, the Winston-Salem Journal noted last week that the recruiting class had likely saved Prosser's job.
Prosser's Demon Deacons had fallen on hard times lately, winning just eight ACC games the last two years. But he left the program on the way back up.
Prosser had coached Wake since 2001. Prosser's career record was 291-146. He was the 2003 ACC coach of the year. Prosser was 126-68 in six seasons at Wake Forest. He previously spent seven seasons coaching at Xavier and one season at Loyola of Maryland.
Prosser began his career as a high school teacher and high school coach and always considered himself a teacher first and a coach second, said his friend Jay Bilas, the ESPN basketball analyst.
He is survived by his wife, Nancy, and two sons: Scott and Mark, both in their 20s. Mark is an assistant basketball coach at Bucknell.
This will be a transition year for most of the ACC. Pretty much everyone took a hit this offseason, with only four teams really looking like locks for the NCAA tournament. There is little doubt that North Carolina will be the favorite ... but remember that this was the case last year ... and UNC was nearly the #5 seed in the ACC tournament. NC State, Duke and Clemson have the best shot at giving the Heels trouble for the title
1-North Carolina: Sometimes subtraction isn't a bad thing. The Heels lose Brandan Wright and Reyshawn Terry, but the rotation should be tighter and everyone more understanding of their roles. If UNC is going to make its title run, they better do it now before Ty Lawson and Tyler Hansbrough bolt.
2-NC State: Brandon Costner is my pick for ACC Player of the Year. With JJ Hickson running alongside him in the paint, Costner is free to show his entire game [similar to how Wright helped Hansbrough last year in Chapel Hill]. This team is ready to break out and get back into the ACC's elite. At issue is finding Engin Atsur's replacement ... since he was so key in the success of the Pack last year.
3-Duke: With Kyle Singler and Taylor King coming in, expect Duke to go back to its gun-slinging ways. Last year's team wasn't normal Duke: they struggled to find their offense and were very inconsistent shooting. The big issue this year is ... well, what happens if they keep missing those threes? Josh McRoberts is gone and there really isn't anyone reliable in the paint to score or rebound.
4-Clemson: Can the Tigers get back that team that was scorching the early part of the season? Well, they have four returning starters and has one of the better frontcourts in the conference. They just need to get their minds right. This team has the talent ... they just need to tighten the bolts and clean the sawdust.
5-Virginia: Dave Leitao better thank God that Sean Singletary came back. The ACC player of the year candidate will be asked to do even more with JR Reynolds and Jason Cain gone.
6-Maryland: Gotta love those Terps! The head-scratchers are gone, with their understudies ready to take their place. The team will rely on James Gist and Greivis Vasquez to become leaders on and off the floor. However, this streaky team must find someone who can hit a shot.
Okay, the ACC tournament is done with UNC's 89-80 win over a very impressive NC State team today. One this we are certain of is that North Carolina will be in the dance. After that, there are teams pretty much in, but who knows how the committee views them or views this conference.
NORTH CAROLINA: IN. [RPI: 3, SOS: 5] They are in by winning the ACC tournament and will be, at worst, a #2 seed and will most likely play in the Winston-Salem pod next weekend. With UCLA losing two in a row [both to unranked teams] and depending on the outcome of the Big Ten tournament [UNC probably needs Ohio State to win that one] the Tar Heels could be looking at a #1 seed.
MARYLAND: IN. [RPI: 16, SOS: 10] The Terps have been very impressive over the 2nd half of the ACC season, and they probably won't get caught up by their loss to Miami on Thursday due to the overall weirdness of the ACC tournament. Right now, they are probably a #5 seed, but hopes to be a #4 that can get to that Winston-Salem pod.
DUKE: IN. [RPI: 15, SOS: 3]. Despite what people may hope, Duke is definitely in. I mean, their computer numbers are outstanding and it isn't like they've been losing to horrid teams. Still, there will be much debate about where Duke should be placed in the NCAA tournament. I feel either the #8 or #9 seed ... which, of course, should peeve off whomever the #1 seed in their bracket is.
BOSTON COLLEGE: IN. [RPI: 33, SOS: 12]. BC has pretty good computer numbers but has really fallen on hard times of late. Is their physical style getting them worn out? This should be around a #7 or #8 seed.
VIRGINIA TECH: IN [RPI: 32, SOS: 22]. Tech's biggest moments have come in their two wins over UNC and a big win at Duke. However, they've lost 3 of 4 and 4 of 6 which should drop them down in the same #7-#8 range that BC is in.
VIRGINIA: IN. [RPI: 54, SOS: 50]. If this team wasn't co-ACC champions, they'd be a marked team on the bubble. They played the weakest ACC schedule, were clipped in their first ACC tournament game and lost a huge game against Wake Forest to end their season. Their record says a #5 seed, but their numbers say a #7-#9 seed.
Wow. What a day in the Tampa Bay area today. The ACC sent it's beloved tournament down to the Sunshine State for some good ol' fashioned fun. And, boy, was there some fun.
Four games. Four upsets.
Game one wasn't that big of an upset as the #9 Florida State Seminoles beat the #8 Clemson Tigers, 67-66. Probably the most talked about moment was from this game, as an iffy foul call with 1.5 seconds remaining gave Al Thornton a free throw to win the game for the Noles ... and most likely send Clemson packing for the NIT. Also, where else but college sports could you see the most dominant player in a game being interviewed, smile, and all you see are braces?
Next, the biggest of all the upsets. Miami, the last place team in the ACC, beat Maryland, 67-62, who entered the game as the hottest team in the nation. The Terps can beat Duke and UNC, but not Miami?
On to the Duke-NC State game, where the 10th seeded Wolfpack beat the Blue Devils, meaning this will be the first ACC finals in a decade that won't have Duke in it.
Finally, #11 Wake Forest beats Georgia Tech in double overtime, 114-112. Wake's Harvey Hale scored 1 point in regulation then 21 points in the two overtimes. This game also set ACC tournament records for most points scored by a team and most points scored in a game.
So we had Maryland, Duke, Clemson and Georgia Tech clocking out and going home today. All those teams have been ranked at some point and all were looking at getting into the NCAA tournament. Now, there could be some doubt about all of those teams. Entering the day, Florida State, NC State, Miami and Wake Forest were on the outside looking in. Really, only FSU has a look at it ... but if any of the others get on a nice roll, they could take the ACC title and an automatic bid. You just don't know this year.
Meanwhile, North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Boston College sat in hotel rooms thinking to themselves that the road to an ACC championship just got a lot easier. Or that the first day of action proves that anything can happen.
In my personal ACC awards, I pretty much nailed what would ultimately be what the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association voters named for their awards.
Like me, they named Boston College forward Jared Dudley the Player of the Year. Dudley had a stranglehold of this honor for most of the ACC season. There was some late sentiment for Virginia's Sean Singletary [who had a great season as well] due to the Cavs' run for a share of the ACC title.
Both Dudley and Singletary did end up on the All-ACC team. They are joined by North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough, Florida State's Al Thornton [who did end up 2nd in POY voting] and Virginia Tech's Zabian Dowdell. Again, no surprises at all here. In fact, I nailed that one with my mid-season awards I made in January. The 2nd team was made up of Virginia's J.R. Reynolds, Maryland's D.J. Strawberry, Boston College's Tyrese Rice, Duke's Josh McRoberts and North Carolina's Brandan Wright. The 3rd team is Wake Forest's Kyle Visser, Georgia Tech's Javaris Crittenton, NC State's Brandon Costner, Virginia Tech's Jamon Gordon and Miami's Jack McClinton.
Wright won the rookie of the year award, much to no one's surprise. This is the third straight season a Tar Heel has won this award. In 2005, Marvin Williams won it, while Tyler Hansbrough won it last season. Joining Wright on the All-Freshman team is teammate Ty Lawson, Georgia Tech's Crittenden, NC State's Costner and Duke's Jon Scheyer.
And...ho-hum...Virginia's Dave Leitao ended up as the Coach of the Year. Leitao took a team that many picked in the bottom half of the ACC and made them into co-champions.
This is it. Come Thursday, the ACC tournament begins which will be the last time we'll see a few of these teams. It also means that there are minimal chances to play your way off the NCAA bubble and a couple of chances to improve/blow your seeding. So here is the lineup:
Saturday
Florida State at Miami [RSN, noon]: This is a huge game for Florida State. Rumors are that Toney Douglas will be back, and if FSU can show that they can pop off this game, plus a run in the ACC tournament, they may be able to play their way in. The Selection Committee does take into account injuries. Of course, a loss to Miami would just kill off any shot. Pick: Florida State
Virginia at Wake Forest [Raycom, 1pm]: A win here for the Cavs and they'll be only the 2nd team from outside the state of North Carolina to get a #1 seed in the ACC tournament since 1997 [Maryland was the top seed in their 2002 National title season]....and their first title since 1981. Wake Forest needs a win here and a run in the ACC tournament to reach the postseason [either NIT or NCAA] for the 17th straight season. Pick: Virginia
NC State at Maryland [ABC, 3:30p]: Maryland has an outside shot at getting a bye in the ACC tournament, if they win and some other things happen around the league. Right now, the Terps are just playing for NCAA tournament seeding, and finishing off a magical run to end the season would be icing on the cake. Pick: Maryland
Sunday
Clemson at Virginia Tech [Raycom, 1pm]: Clemson needs this win. They are 6-9 in the ACC and it's hard to believe they could make the dance with 10 Ls, especially with the second half of the season they've had. Va Tech is in the tournament, still fighting for a bye in the ACC dance and trying to build up a better seed. Pick: Va Tech
Boston College at Georgia Tech [Fox Sports Net, 3pm]: Huge game here. Tech is in the middle of a wonderful week, after demolishing North Carolina and trying to build an NCAA tournament resume. They are about as on the fence as you can get. BC is in the tournament, but hard to figure out right now. Pick: Ga Tech
Duke at North Carolina [CBS, 4pm]: The two bitter rivals meet again to end an ACC season. UNC will know what it can do before this game, but as the weekend began, they could finish in 1st or could fall all the way down to 5th. UNC has been very average lately, going just 4-4 in the last month and pretty much shutting themselves out of a #1 seed [and working on screwing up their #2 seed]. Duke can't get an ACC bye, and could fall as far as 7th in the conference. Upset Pick: Duke
Normally, I do my Br-ACC-ketology on Monday mornings....but with one game left in the regular season, it's a good time to take a quick look to see who needs what this weekend.
LOCKED IN
North Carolina. They are in....but are falling out the race for a #1 seed
Maryland. The hottest team in the ACC beat UNC and Duke in back-to-back games.
Duke. They are 4-4 at home in conference play and have been unremarkable....but they, somehow, have solid numbers.
Virginia. You win 11 ACC games: you are in!
Virginia Tech. Yeah, 10 conference wins should be a lock, too.
Boston College. See above.
ON THE BUBBLE
Georgia Tech. Their RPI isn't that good, but they do have big wins over UNC, Memphis and Duke. They need to beat BC and get at least one win in the ACC tournament to make sure of it.
Clemson. The overtime win over Miami stops the bleeding, but it really didn't instill confidence with the selection committee. They have to beat Virginia Tech this weekend. If not, they'd be 6-10 in the ACC and that just isn't going to work.
Florida State. FSU is in major trouble here....just on the basis that both Ga Tech and Clemson swept them this year. If they are in a tiebreaker type situation, that would kill them. Plus that signature win over Florida doesn't seem as big of a deal as it once did.
CRAPPED OUT
NC State, Miami, Wake Forest. At least State can try to get into the NIT.
Compared to the loss suffered by the family of 
Wake Forest basketball coach Skip Prosser 
This will be a transition year for most of the ACC. Pretty much everyone took a hit this offseason, with only four teams really looking like locks for the NCAA tournament. There is little doubt that North Carolina will be the favorite ... but remember that this was the case last year ... and UNC was nearly the #5 seed in the ACC tournament. NC State, Duke and Clemson have the best shot at giving the Heels trouble for the title
