NCAA Basketball FanHouse http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com NCAA Basketball FanHouse http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/media/feedlogo.gif NCAA Basketball FanHouse http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/ACC Players, Coaches Wag Finger at New Taunting Rulehttp://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/25/acc-players-coaches-wag-finger-at-new-taunting-rule/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/25/acc-players-coaches-wag-finger-at-new-taunting-rule/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/25/acc-players-coaches-wag-finger-at-new-taunting-rule/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,

ACC referee Karl HessGREENSBORO, N.C. -- The talk of the Atlantic Coast Conference's basketball media day Sunday was the trouble a player could get into if he talked too much.

Or said the wrong thing, or gestured the wrong way, or celebrated excessively, or did anything else that might be considered "unsporting behavior,'' according to a new zero-tolerance policy approved for this season by the NCAA.

Many of the players and coaches gathered at Greensboro's Grandover Resort bluntly said they either did not like the change, didn't understand why it was necessary, or both. The biggest issue: there is too much room left for the wrong interpretation.

"If you dunk on someone or whatever -- that's just someone's game. They take pride in it, "insisted Virginia Tech guard Malcolm Delaney. "They don't mean to disrespect people, but that's sometimes how it comes out.

"I think they should have done a survey with the players, asked us for our input,'' he added. "We're the ones playing, and they wouldn't know how we feel about it unless they ask us. They wouldn't know how it affects how we play if they don't ask how we feel."

Said Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez -- formally voted by the media as preseason first-team all-ACC, and informally picked as the player most constrained by the new rule -- "What if you dunk on someone, and it's a crazy dunk, and you can't keep the emotions inside of you? I guess that's what they want us to do. But, that's why they have rules.''

Not even a coach's reputation as "old school'' kept him from being perplexed by the new rules, which call for a technical if an official -- at his discretion -- deems a player's actions as over the line.

"That's why college basketball is a great game, because of that exuberance,'' Maryland coach Gary Williams said, adding that there is a distinct difference between celebration and taunting. "These are 18-and-22-year-old kids who have grown up playing a certain way. It may not be the way I grew up playing it, but it's a great way to play.

"And I hope nobody gets penalized for making a great play and being penalized for it. You've seen it in football already,'' he added. "Hopefully, nobody loses a game over something like that.''

Williams was referring to the infamous "excessive celebration'' football penalty that essentially cost Georgia a victory over LSU earlier this month, a mistake the Southeastern Conference later had to admit to and for which the officiating crew was suspended. Georgia Tech's Paul Hewitt also recalled that play, and laughed when asked about the new basketball rule.

"You always teach your players to respect the game, so I think it's important that you're serious about that -- but I'm smiling, because you're putting a lot on the officials,'' Hewitt said. "They're officiating the best athletes in college sports ... This is just another thing you're piling on their plates.''


The taunting rule is one of a handful of changes or areas of emphasis to be put into play this season. There now will be a specific blocking-charging area under the basket, but one that will not be marked by a line as in the NBA. Also, the use of replay will be expanded to determine whether certain fouls are called flagrant, intentional or technicals; three-seconds will be scrutinized more; excessively swinging elbows by a player with the ball will be subject to flagrant fouls; the choices coaches have in picking a replacement foul shooter when the fouled player is injured were narrowed, and distracting free-throw shooters once they are at the line was outlawed.

Even as he was explaining the new taunting rules, ACC officiating supervisor John Clougherty admitted that the Georgia-LSU situation "went too far.'' On the other hand, he said, the basketball officials would now have wide latitude on calling, for example, pointing at an opponent or standing over him after a dunk, flexing muscles, posing, speaking or gesturing to him.

The players would have to walk a fine line between celebrating with teammates and inspiring a home crowd, Clougherty said, and acting unsportsmanlike. As a guide, he said, "Act like you've been there, don't embarrass your opponent.''

Coaches and players don't mind the obvious unsportsmanlike acts being whistled, but they said there are too many that are being confused with normal expressions of excitement. With those, they said, there's no good reason to halt them anyway.

"You're not doing anything wrong, you're just showing the love of the game,'' Williams said. "It doesn't bother me. Obviously it bothers some people ... This is the 2009-2010 season. We're not playing in the 1960s, where everybody wears a crew cut.''

One of the few players who believed it would not alter how he plays was North Carolina forward Deon Thompson: "Not with our team. Our coaches don't like when our team dunks in a guy's face and taunts him -- he doesn't like that,'' meaning head coach Roy Williams.

Hewitt pointed out that with the way players grow up playing ball nowadays, traveling all over the country and building friendships in competition that continue as they move to differing college teams, what might look like trash-talk might be a completely innocent exchange between long-time acquaintances. "I don't think that was considered when they put this in,'' Hewitt said, adding that it would not have hurt for coaches as well as players to be "consulted'' on such a move.

Ironically, Thompson has such a bond with Clemson's Trevor Booker, a teammate on the United States' under-19 World University Games squad in Belgrade last summer; Booker, also a preseason all-ACC pick, boasted of what he and his team would do to Thompson's Tar Heels, and said of the rule, "That's a big one for me; I like showing my emotions ... They have to let you get your crowd into it.''

North Carolina, the defending regular-season and NCAA champs, and Duke, winners of last year's ACC tournament, tied for first in the preseason voting, the first time there has been a tie in 41 years of media voting. Duke's Kyle Singler was chosen player of the year and was joined on the all-conference first team by Vasquez, Booker, Delaney and North Carolina's Ed Davis. Georgia Tech's Derrick Favors was the overwhelming pick for rookie of the year.

The 2012 tournament, already awarded to Atlanta, will be played in Philips Arena rather than the Georgia Dome, the site the last two times the city hosted it, conference officials announced. The two preceding it and the three following it will be held at the Greensboro Coliseum.

ACC Players, Coaches Wag Finger at New Taunting Rule originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Derrick FavorsEd DavisGary WilliamsKyle SinglerKyleSinglerPaul HewittDavid SteeleSun, 25 Oct 2009 22:30:00 EST Boom Goes the Bubblehttp://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/03/05/boom-goes-the-bubble/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/03/05/boom-goes-the-bubble/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/03/05/boom-goes-the-bubble/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,

March started days ago. The Madness started Wednesday night.

On an evening where bubble teams could've punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament and boosters could've started humming bars of "One Shining Moment," teams turned down invitations like they were to a wedding without an open bar or the People's Choice Awards.

A memo, fellows. This isn't an invitation to a candlelight dinner with Randy Johnson. "Big Dance" doesn't mean you're cutting a rug with Mark Madsen or waltzing cheek-to-cheek with Mike Tyson.

You actually want to go to this thing.

Yet any team with bubble aspirations did its best impersonation of your 401k.

Virginia Tech had the equivalent of a print-at-home ticket to the Big Dance, but had no more luck finding their way into the tournament than coach Seth Greenberg would have recommending a good barber. But at least they lost to North Carolina. What's your excuse, Boston College?

The Eagles, who have already cleared a whole carton of egg of their face by losing to Harvard in a something that doesn't involve fractals, lost to N.C. State, a team that could only generously be described as a bubble team if, in fact the NIT has a bubble.

The formerly storied Kentucky Wildcats lost to a Georgia team that's 11th in what might be a three-bid conference and long ago fired its coach. Then again, that's what playing with the passion of a man waiting on a bus will do to you.

Miami, which made Duke and North Carolina sweat like Gary Williams in back-to-back games in early February, and looked like a possible Sweet 16 team a month ago, ensured its postseason wouldn't get in the way of Spring Break, falling to Georgia Tech.

Minnesota, a borderline-out bubble team beat Wisconsin, a borderline-in bubble team in the Big Ten, officially giving the league more possibly qualifiers than the total of points some of its teams have scored in a half this season.

And then there was the Gators, a team that just two years ago was flirting with Tom Emanski territory as back-to-back national champions.

Florida lost to Mississippi State in a game that wasn't even as close as its 80-71 score indicates. The Bulldogs took a nine-point lead in at the half, led by 16 in the second and never once so much as had the Gators in drafting distance in the final frame. The Bulldogs, we're fairly certain, could tell you where the CBI will be held without looking it up.

And Florida's loss could be magnified for all the teams that counted the Gators among their top-50 RPI wins, like Syracuse and South Carolina. The Gators were 49th in the RPI before falling to the Bulldogs. And that number will certainly gain a few pounds after getting dumped by Mississippi State. In fact, should the Gamecocks lose tonight against Tennessee, they could conceivably enter Selection Sunday with double-digit SEC wins and zero victories over the RPI top 50.

Of course, this is America. There's always a reward for kicking back and laughing at the misery of others (This, we suppose, is why Detroit Lion games make it on television). So who benefits from the bubble burst?

Maryland, who has four wins in four tries over N.C. State, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, and whose two top wins over North Carolina and Michigan State match up with anyone on the bubble, should get a bump out of all the wreckage, provided the Terps beat ACC doormat Virginia this weekend. Providence might find its way in now with a solid league record and, like Maryland, a recent marquee win, over Pittsburgh. Michigan can play the big-win card too, with victories over Duke and UCLA, but the Wolverines' most notable victory in the past two months, Purdue, perhaps predictably for last night, lost to Northwestern, a team whose good old days involve Evan Eschmeyer.

And Penn State, who has no great wins to speak of, must look a lot more attractive this morning because the Nittany Lions have nothing that's even in the same Congressional district as a bad loss. If last night proved anything, it's that avoiding embarrassment might be the toughest thing to do in college basketball.

That, or get Wojciechowksi spelled correctly in caligraphy.

But each of those teams are written in pencil, and lightly at that.

So who was the real winner? The conference tournaments. These weekend events were usually three and four-day practices for the NCAA Tournament, an exercise in seeding and souvenir programs. Now they'll be stage for nearly every team to play their way onto, or off, the bubble.

And, of course, the college basketball fan. Beacuse the Madness is finally here.

Boom Goes the Bubble originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 05 Mar 2009 07:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>boston collegeflorida gatorsgeorgia bulldogsmarylandmaryland terrapinsmiamimiami hurricanesmississippi stateNC statencaa tournamentvirginia techRay HollomanThu, 05 Mar 2009 07:00:00 EST Onion Peels: Duke, Carolina Have Similar Sunday Games, Different Endingshttp://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/02/16/onion-peels-duke-carolina-have-similar-sunday-games-with-diffe/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/02/16/onion-peels-duke-carolina-have-similar-sunday-games-with-diffe/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/02/16/onion-peels-duke-carolina-have-similar-sunday-games-with-diffe/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Onion Peels is a recap of last night's action and an unofficial Bill Raftery blog.

Duke and North Carolina were separated by a single game in the ACC standings heading into Sunday; little did Duke know it, but they nearly had a chance to tie the Tar Heels again. However, games against Boston College and Miami, respectively, ended the wrong way for the Devils.

Boston College 80, Duke 74: The same problems that have plagued the Blue Devils all season -- point guard play as well as lack of an inside presence -- came into play again Sunday afternoon.

Another problem, the ability to close teams out, was acknowledged by Gerald Henderson after the game:
"You can't mess around. If you have a team down you have to step on their throats," Henderson said. "That's been a problem with us this year - we haven't approached leads like that, so we need to change that."
Of course, the bigger problem again is at the point position. Greg Paulus played a whopping 25 minutes but only registered two points, two assists and dealing with four fouls. Additionally, Tyrese Rice was nearly unstoppable, hitting big shot after big shot down the stretch en route to 21 points, six boards and six assists. Joe Trapani, held to just five points in a loss to Clemson, posted 20 in 37 minutes while adding five blocks and seven boards.

North Carolina 69, Miami 65: The fact that Miami was 14-0 this season when holding opponents under 70 points didn't seem to bother the Tar Heels, even though Jack McClinton, with 35 points last night, was a pretty big thorn. In the end though, it was Ty Lawson who again looked like Carolina's MVP and -- despite being sick -- managed to score 21 points while dropping what amounted to the game winning three pointer with just over 10 seconds remaining. Miami's a dangerous team, obviously, but the Tar Heels holding on gave them a two game ACC lead and seemingly, based on their remaining schedule, locked sights on this year's conference title.

Elsewhere: Arizona State, behind Jeff Pendergraph's double-double, helped kick Southern Cal a little further off the bubble. Virginia managed to really honor Sean Singletary, upsetting No. 12 Clemson at home. Nationally ranked Butler stumbled for the second time in two weeks, despite Matt Howard's 30 points, as they head into a February 21 matchup with Davidson, this time to Loyola-Chicago and Jordan Hicks, who poured in 23 for Loyola. Illinois took care of Indiana by double figures in a game that should really be more important.

Onion Peels: Duke, Carolina Have Similar Sunday Games, Different Endings originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>gerald hendersonGeraldHendersongreg paulusGregPaulusjack mcclintonJackMcclintonjeff pendergraphJeffPendergraphjoe trapaniJoeTrapanionionpeelssean singletarySeanSingletaryty lawsonTyLawsontyrese riceTyreseRiceWill BrinsonMon, 16 Feb 2009 11:00:00 EST Wake Rebounds Big Over Boston Collegehttp://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/02/08/wake-rebounds-over-bc/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/02/08/wake-rebounds-over-bc/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/02/08/wake-rebounds-over-bc/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Wake Forest was on a very unexpected two-game losing streak heading into today's game against Boston College, following losses to Miami and Georgia Tech. The Eagles, meanwhile, were surprisingly all alone in third place in the league.

But a funny thing happened on the way to a tight battle of teams near the top of the ACC -- Wake drubbed Boston College 93-76.

The Demon Deacons were aided significantly by Jeff Teague's 22 first-half points, but were actually down by a point heading into halftime after the sophomore's best single half output. It was Tyrese Rice's inability to ever get going -- he shot just 7-of-17 and turned the ball over six times -- that really let the Deacs pull away.

Al Farouq-Aminu's career-high 26 points didn't hurt either, as Wake moved into a four-way tie for third place in the ACC, behind Duke and North Carolina, both at 7-2. It was a critical game for both teams; Wake desperately needed to rebound after two inexplicable losses (and three of their last four) while BC, after starting the ACC season 1-3, was looking to win their seventh straight conference game.

That didn't happen, of course, after the Deacs turned up the defense in the second half, and now the Eagles face Clemson and Duke in their next two games. Needless to say, three straight losses, a free-fall in the standings could be coming.

Wake Rebounds Big Over Boston College originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 08 Feb 2009 18:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>al farouq aminuAlFarouqAminujeff teagueJeffTeaguetyrese riceTyreseRiceWill BrinsonSun, 08 Feb 2009 18:40:00 EST Ranking the Rankings: Wake Forest Claims the Top Spot; ACC, Big East Rulehttp://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/01/19/rankings-ranking-wake-forest-claims-the-top-spot-acc-big-east/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/01/19/rankings-ranking-wake-forest-claims-the-top-spot-acc-big-east/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/01/19/rankings-ranking-wake-forest-claims-the-top-spot-acc-big-east/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ranking the rankings criticizes the critics as soon as the polls come out.

It shouldn't come as a tremendous surprise that the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, the nation's only remaining undefeated team, are the consensus number one team in the nation. Oh wait, what's that? They're not the consensus team? Interesting.

They are close though -- Duke garnered four AP first place votes and six votes in the coaches poll to lock up the second overall ranking in both polls, while Connecticut and Pittsburgh rounded out the top four. Perhaps Coach K's media scathing resonated with more than just the News & Observer.

This is, the first time that Wake has been No. 1 since Chris Paul graced the hardwood of Lawrence Joel, but it's an interesting change because this is a completely different Deacon team, and one that's dominated by a youthful demeanor.

But, yes, in other words, when it comes to college basketball this year, there is the ACC, there is the Big East, and then there is everyone else. That's not to say that the ACC is necessarily better overall than the Big East; it's probably telling that the latter's two "best" (by record) teams are ranked lower (Louisville is 9 in the AP, 12 in the coaches', while Marquette is 11 and 10, respectively) than the two teams everyone else considers to be the favorites: UConn and Pitt.

North Carolina and Oklahoma round out the top five and while, yes, I may be known for piling on the Tar Heels ... well, I'm going to do it again. They whipped up on two bad teams in Virginia and Miami, they've lost both their tests and they're just not as tough on defense without Marcus Ginyard, who won't be around for the Clemson game. I understand that people have a really, really, really hard time not putting them in the top 10, and that's somewhat understandable, but putting them above Oklahoma, who recently pummeled Texas, seems like a bit of a stretch.

Ranking the Rankings: Wake Forest Claims the Top Spot; ACC, Big East Rule originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>chris paulChrisPaulmarcus ginyardMarcusGinyardRankingtheRankingsWill BrinsonMon, 19 Jan 2009 20:30:00 EST Miami Finally Ends Decade Long Dry Spell in Chestnut Hillhttp://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/01/10/miami-finally-ends-decade-long-dry-spell-in-chestnut-hill/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/01/10/miami-finally-ends-decade-long-dry-spell-in-chestnut-hill/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/01/10/miami-finally-ends-decade-long-dry-spell-in-chestnut-hill/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The Eagles had won 13-of-14 against the Hurricanes. Going back to their days in the Big East, it had been ten years since Miami won a game in Chestnut Hill. The drought came to an end tonight as Miami knocked off Boston College, 77-71.

The Hurricanes simply took and made better shots than the Eagles. Whether it was in the paint, from the perimeter or from the free throw line. Miami just shot better than Boston College. Miami spread it around with five players finishing in double-digits, but no player with more than thirteen points. The Hurricanes continually drove to the basket looking for shots inside. Dwayne Collins absolutely killed Boston College inside, drawing a slew of fouls that led to all but two of his thirten points coming from free throws.

Boston College, by contrast shot poorly and spent too much time launching threes. The Eagles launched 27 threes out of 55 shots and only made nine. The offense came almost exclusively from their guards and wing players. The Eagles spent much of the game settling for jumpers until late in the game, when they realized they were going to lose.

Sixteen top-25 teams were in action today. The ranked or higher ranked team won every game with this exception. It was a short stay in the rankings for Boston College. With this and their loss to Harvard earlier in the week, their upset of North Carolina looks a lot more like the exception not the expectation.

Miami Finally Ends Decade Long Dry Spell in Chestnut Hill originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 21:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Chas RichSat, 10 Jan 2009 21:45:00 EST Harvard Could Beat North Carolinahttp://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/01/07/harvard-could-beat-north-carolina/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/01/07/harvard-could-beat-north-carolina/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/01/07/harvard-could-beat-north-carolina/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Apparently they can play some ball in the Ivy League. Okay maybe Harvard wouldn't beat UNC, though, fellow Ivy Leaguer, Penn only lost by 15 to the Tar Heels.

Still the team that just went down to Chapel Hill to beat UNC comes home and loses at home to Harvard, 82-70. So, you could at least make connection. Or, you could chalk this one up to the classic let down game and/or looking past a presumed gimme.
''I tried to pre-warn them,'' said [Boston College coach, Al] Skinner after one of the Eagles' more disappointing regular season losses in many years. ''We were capable of being this team and capable of being another team.''
...
''I told them its a short trip from the main house to the big house to the out house,'' Skinner said.
Apparently, Coach Skinner tried to give them a message.

The Eagles were guaranteed to struggle when their best player, guard Tyrese Rice, was held to only 3 points for the first 36 minutes. The best guard tonight was Harvard's Jeremy Lin who went for 27 points and did his damage inside -- 9-11 shooting from inside the arc.

So BC follows up handing the top team in the country their first defeat by coming home and losing to what was a 7-6 Harvard team that had losses to Boston University, Northeastern and William and Mary. It doesn't erase the win from Sunday, but it sure makes it look like a fluke.

Harvard Could Beat North Carolina originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Chas RichWed, 07 Jan 2009 22:26:00 EST Boston College Upsets No. 1 North Carolinahttp://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/01/04/boston-college-upsets-no-1-north-carolina/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/01/04/boston-college-upsets-no-1-north-carolina/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/01/04/boston-college-upsets-no-1-north-carolina/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

ACC play has officially begun. In their first conference game of the season, the No. 1 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels were beaten by unranked Boston College, 85-78.

How the Eagles did it was pretty simple: BC was on fire from behind the arc and clamped down on the Heels defensively. The Eagles also fought on the offensive glass and kept UNC from getting into its deadly transition game. That fact caused the normally poised Tar Heels to take frustration shots and make frustration fouls, which fed the deficit.

This was the first time all season that the Tar Heels have been truly tested. In every other game, they went on huge runs to create distance from their opponents. Of course, those runs are fueled by creating turnovers and getting out on the break and Boston College simply wasn't allowing that. BC kept the Tar Heels in check with a 17-7 run in the middle of the second half and Carolina just couldn't complete the comeback.

The Eagles also weren't allowing Tyler Hansbrough or Deon Thompson to catch the ball on the block. Both were heavily defended in the paint and could only get the ball outside their comfort zone. Without the easy looks, the Tar Heels shot just 38 percent from the field tonight, a far cry from their sixth-ranked average of 51.1 percent. UNC also struggled from the line, missing 12 of its 27 attempts.

Boston College's Tyrese Rice had a big night with 25 points and eight assists. Unlike the two team's last meeting, Rice got some help on offense. Rakim Sanders added 22 points (most of it early on) and Reggie Jackson poured in 17 points. Don't sleep on Boston College; they now have won 10 straight and now have toppled what some felt was one of the greatest college basketball teams.

This obviously ends all that talk about an undefeated season for North Carolina and now shows the college basketball world that the championship is wide open. The Tar Heels figure to still be the team to beat, but Boston College just showed us how that can be done.

Boston College Upsets No. 1 North Carolina originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 04 Jan 2009 19:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>deon thompsonDeonThompsonrakim sandersRakimSandersreggie jacksonReggieJacksontyler hansbroughTylerHansbroughtyrese riceTyreseRiceShiloh CarderSun, 04 Jan 2009 19:45:00 EST Atlantic Coast Conference Season Set to Begin: A Quick Once-Overhttp://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/01/03/atlantic-coast-conference-season-set-to-begin-a-quick-once-ove/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/01/03/atlantic-coast-conference-season-set-to-begin-a-quick-once-ove/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2009/01/03/atlantic-coast-conference-season-set-to-begin-a-quick-once-ove/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The ACC has had an interesting start to the season. You have top-ranked North Carolina just rolling over everyone and flexing their muscle. Duke has looked very impressive for most of the year. Wake Forest and Clemson are still undefeated and climbing the polls.

Still, there have been some bad moments. Miami hasn't looked as good as advertised, Maryland followed up one impressive win by getting blown out twice. Virginia Tech has lost on two buzzer beaters. Then there is the glut of also-rans that litter the bottom half of the league.

Conference season doesn't get into full swing for another week or so and there has already been two league games played. There are some big non-conference game this week (Ga Tech at Alabama, Xavier at Virginia, NC State at Florida, Wake Forest at BYU) but the highlight will be the ACC's top two teams starting conference play.

The big game will be North Carolina opening up conference play against Boston College. Sure, they are on other ends of the spectrum, but the game boasts the two favorites for ACC Player of the Year. We know all about UNC's Tyler Hansbrough, but BC's Tyrese Rice was right behind Psycho T all last year. In their last meeting, Rice dumped 46 points on the Heels and nearly pulled off a late season upset (Sunday, 5:30 PM ET).

Other big games this week: Virginia Tech at Duke (Sunday, 7:45 PM ET)

Player to watch: Other than Rice and Hansbrough, all eyes at the Dean Dome should be on Ty Lawson. Lawson is having an All-American season thus far but hasn't faced anyone like Rice, yet. Like I said, Rice popped 46 points on the Heels. That was also Lawson's first game back from an ankle injury so he was at a disadvantage. Let's see if his new defensive intensity will be effective against one of the ACC's best.

Pre-Conference Power Rankings

1. North Carolina -- The No. 1 ranked team in the nation has won all 12 of their games by double-digits, a school record.

2. Duke -- When on, they are one of the best teams in the country. But we all saw in Michigan what they look like when they aren't.

3. Wake Forest -- Still undefeated and could be a top four team next week. One of the deepest teams filled with guys you've never heard of.

4. Clemson -- The Tigers have shown that toughness that Oliver Purnell has injected into the program. Their blasting of Miami proved that.

5. Miami -- There is no question that Jack McClinton and the Canes are a tournament-calibar team. However, they don't seem to be on the same page at times, the offense bogs down and the defense isn't focused.

6. Florida State -- The Seminoles may actually be putting together the kind of season we've been waiting for. The loss to Northwestern was puzzling but they gave good effort in a loss to Pitt. Let's see how they do against Duke in ten days.

7. Maryland -- They followed a blowout of Michigan State by getting ran out of the gym by Gonzaga and Georgetown. Still, they've beaten Michigan and all the teams they are supposed to.

7. NC State -- Injuries and inconsistent play has hit the Wolfpack yet again.

9. Virginia Tech -- Well, they've beaten the teams they are supposed to and have been close in their four losses. Remember that Xavier needed a miracle shot to beat them and Wisconsin beat them at the buzzer.

10. Boston College -- They have a few nice wins on the resume, but nothing overly shocking. Let's see how they handle a January stretch at UNC and then hosting Miami and Wake Forest.

11. Virginia -- Three of their four losses aren't horrible. Losing at home to Liberty is.

12. Georgia Tech -- Their home loss to Virginia knocks them down here. Their upcoming schedule looks daunting as well so they may stick here for a while.

Atlantic Coast Conference Season Set to Begin: A Quick Once-Over originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 03 Jan 2009 01:16:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>jack mcclintonJackMcclintonty lawsonTyLawsontyler hansbroughTylerHansbroughtyrese riceTyreseRiceShiloh CarderSat, 03 Jan 2009 01:16:00 EST ACC/Big Ten Challenge Heads Into Final Day as Even as It Can Gethttp://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/12/03/acc-big-ten-challenge-heads-into-final-day-as-even-as-it-can-get/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/12/03/acc-big-ten-challenge-heads-into-final-day-as-even-as-it-can-get/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/12/03/acc-big-ten-challenge-heads-into-final-day-as-even-as-it-can-get/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The ACC/Big Ten Challenge is entering its final day of action. Both conferences have won three games. The ACC has a slim lead in points, 405 to 402.

One interesting note is that the ACC was 33-4 at home during the first nine years of the Challenge. They've already lost two home games this year.

Let's take a look back at what has happened:

Wisconsin 74, Virginia Tech 72: The Badgers avoided an upset with a Trevon Hughes jumper with 0.7 seconds remaining. The Tech loss was the first for an ACC team at home in the Challenge in 11 games. Big Ten leads 1-0

Ohio State 73, Miami-FL 68: How about another road win for the Big Ten? Miami's Jack McClinton was ejected after taking a swipe at a Buckeye player. After an agressive run by the Canes, Ohio State mounted a second half comeback and pulled out the win. Big Ten leads 2-0.

Clemson 76, Illinois 74: Clemson puts the ACC on the board with their own road win. The Tigers' Demontez Stitt led the Tigers with 18 points and they used their defensive pressure to force 17 Illini turnovers. Big Ten leads 2-1.

Boston College 57, Iowa 55: Iowa's Andrew Brommer missed the front end of a one-and-one with 0.4 seconds left as the Hawkeyes fell to BC. Boston College held on despite scoring just one point in the final 4:45. Challenge tied 2-2.

Duke 76, Purdue 60: Jon Scheyer came back to his home turf and scored 20 points for the Blue Devils. Kyle Singer was scorching hot late to put the game away. The win helped flex the ACC's muscle. ACC leads 3-2.

Minnesota 66, Virginia 56: The Cavs shot a horrid 31% from the field and the Gophers tied up the Challenge again. Freshman Colton Iverson led Minnesota with 14 points. Series tied 3-3.

That means that tonight's games will determine the winner of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Big Ten has never won this thing but has a decent chance to get it done tonight. There are at four winnable games, even though the ACC is the oddmaker's favorites in each contest. Here are the Big Ten's best bets tonight:

1-Florida State at Northwestern: The Noles are the better team in this one, but they are by no means locks to win on the road.

2-Michigan at Maryland: Can you really trust the Terps? They did beat Michigan State last week, but Michigan has a win over UCLA under their hat.

3-Penn State at Georgia Tech: Tech is usually tough at home and it will be interesting to see how the Nittany Lions fare on the road. Still, it is hard to trust the Yellow Jackets who nearly lost to Jacksonville State.

4-North Carolina vs Michigan State: UNC is the unanimous No. 1 team, but the Spartans are scared of no one.

5-Indiana at Wake Forest: The ACC can already chalk this one up.

ACC/Big Ten Challenge Heads Into Final Day as Even as It Can Get originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>accbigtenchallengeShiloh CarderWed, 03 Dec 2008 01:37:00 EST Boston College Holds On For Dear Life In Win Over Iowahttp://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/12/02/boston-college-holds-on-for-dear-life-in-win-over-iowa/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/12/02/boston-college-holds-on-for-dear-life-in-win-over-iowa/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/12/02/boston-college-holds-on-for-dear-life-in-win-over-iowa/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

You'd think that if you held Tyrese Rice to just five field goal attempts that you would be able to handle Boston College. Rice would hit nine of his 12 free throw attempts and helped BC to a 57-55 win over Iowa.

The Eagles nearly gave this one away. They held a 56-45 lead with 4:45 left in the game. So, naturally, BC would score just one point the rest of the way and held off a furious Hawkeye comeback.

The comeback was nearly complete as Iowa's Andrew Brommer had two free throw attempts to tie the game. As Brommer was receiving the ball for a desperation three-pointer to win it, BC's Corey Raji grabbed him with 0.4 seconds left and before he could get a shot off. Brommer would miss the front end of the one-and-one and the game was over.

Brommer is just 3-of-15 from the stripe this year and I don't understand why he was even on the floor at that point of the game. It was Iowa's only missed free throw all night.

Everyone shot bad in this one. Iowa shot just 42%; Boston College shot 38.8%. Rice (15 points) was the only Eagle in double figures.

This is a big win for the ACC as Boston College is considered one of the weakest in the league. Rice is a star but he was shut down for the most part. It's nice to see the Eagles are able to win tough games when their main scorer doesn't get whatever he wants.

For Iowa, it was a good showing at a tough venue to win games. They showed a lot of heart during their comeback but that missed free throw could become very haunting.

Boston College Holds On For Dear Life In Win Over Iowa originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 02 Dec 2008 23:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>accbigtenchallengeandrew brommerAndrewBrommercorey rajiCoreyRajityrese riceTyreseRiceShiloh CarderTue, 02 Dec 2008 23:01:00 EST ACC/Big Ten Challenge Begins Tonighthttp://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/12/01/acc-big-ten-challenge-begins-tonight/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/12/01/acc-big-ten-challenge-begins-tonight/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/12/01/acc-big-ten-challenge-begins-tonight/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The ACC/Big Ten Challenge is back once again. This is the 10th edition of the Challenge with the ACC winning it in each of the first nine seasons.

The ACC has won 16 of the last 22 games in this series.

Already we've seen a few games between ACC and Big Ten teams: Duke beat Michigan in the 2K Sports Championship game; Maryland beat Michigan State in the Old Spice Classic. Purdue beat Boston College in the Preseason N.I.T.

So let's take a look at what the next three days have in store.

Wisconsin at Virginia Tech (Mon. 7 pm ET): The Badgers are 0-5 as the road team in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Tech is coming off a tough showing in the Puerto Rico Tip Off. They lost two games by a total of five points and barely beat Elon in the 7th-place game at home. Both could find themselves in the NCAA Tournament in March. Watchability: It is a decent appetizer to get ready for the Challenge.

Ohio State at Miami (Tue. 7 pm ET): This would have made on heck of a football game several years ago. Now it's a darn good hoops game. It will be interesting to see Ohio State deal with the Miami guards and Miami deal with Ohio State's size. Miami is the only school on either side to not have won a game in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Watchability: One of the darkhorses to be the best game this week.

Iowa at Boston College (Tue. 7 pm ET): Neither team has big plans this year but both have the ability for a few upsets. The Eagles have won both their previous ACC/Big Ten Challenge games. Watchability: The best part of this game is seeing BC's Tyrese Rice tear it up. The fact that it's relegated to ESPNU says it all.

Clemson at Illinois (Tue. 7:30 pm ET): This is potentially a great game. Neither team is of elite status, but both are solid. The Illini just beat Vanderbilt while Clemson is already 7-0. Watchability: It's definitely good for a flip during the Ohio State-Miami game. Don't watch if you are allergic to the color orange.

Virginia at Minnesota (Tue. 8:30 pm ET): Two teams that no one expects anything from. These are the games, however, that prove the ACC's superiority as the ACC's bottom is usually better than the Big Ten's. Watchability: You probably won't be able to see the game anyways.

Duke at Purdue (Tue. 9 pm ET): Seeing Duke play an actual road game is a rarity. So is seeing the Blue Devils lose in the Challenge (they are 9-0). Both teams have high hopes for the season and the atmosphere in West Lafayette will be outstanding. Watchability: The best game of the day.

Indiana at Wake Forest (Wed. 7 pm ET): This has the potential to be the biggest mismatch of the Challenge. This game was set up according to last year's standings. Wake is extremely talented and extremely deep. Indiana is neither. Watchability: Use this as a chance to see the Demon Deacons' talented squad. Nothing more.

Penn State at Georgia Tech (Wed. 7:30 pm ET): This is the best chance for a Big Ten upset. As usual, Tech is struggling against weak opponents. Penn State has looked pretty good to start the season. Watchability: Only if you are a big, big fan.

Michigan at Maryland (Wed. 7:30 pm ET): Both the Wolverines and Terps have pulled off two of the biggest upsets thus far against UCLA and Michigan State, respectively. Both are as hit-and-miss as you can get from each conference. The Terps, for example, followed up an 18-point win over the Spartans with a 22-point loss to Gonzaga and a 27-point loss to Georgetown. Watchability: This should be a good game with a ton of runs. Worth a look if you have ESPNU.

North Carolina vs Michigan State (Wed. 9 pm ET): This is the biggest game of the Challenge. So big that they are playing it at Ford Field. Interesting note: Michigan State is the only Big Ten team with a winning record in the Challenge. North Carolina is just 4-5 in the Challenge ... tied for worst among schools who have been in all nine of them. Watchability: This game is the best chance for the Heels to lose a game before ACC play. See them get beat or see them continue their dominating season.

Florida State at Northwestern (Wed. 9:30 pm ET): This should be an easy Noles win (again, the ACC's bad is better than the Big Ten's). Watchability: With it going on at the same time as UNC-Michigan State, why watch?

ACC/Big Ten Challenge Begins Tonight originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 06:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Shiloh CarderMon, 01 Dec 2008 06:10:00 EST ACC Power Poll: Does Anyone Have a Chance to Top North Carolina?http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/11/14/acc-power-poll-does-anyone-have-a-chance-to-top-north-carolina/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/11/14/acc-power-poll-does-anyone-have-a-chance-to-top-north-carolina/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/11/14/acc-power-poll-does-anyone-have-a-chance-to-top-north-carolina/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,

College basketball is back, ladies and gentlemen! That means it is time for the first ACC Power Poll of the season. Most of this is based on projections, theories and guess-work.

There is always one team that surprises us each year (Miami was that team last year) and one that disappoints us (NC State). Let's begin!

1-North Carolina: There hasn't been a favorite this heavy in a long, long time.

2-Duke: Remember that the Blue Devils were a game from winning the ACC last year. Gerald Henderson is my darkhorse for ACC Player of the Year.

3-Miami-FL: The Canes have a great shot at the ACC Championship and a deep run in the NCAAs.4-Wake Forest: The young Deacs surprised many last year. This year, they get that great recruiting class Skip Prosser put together right before he passed away.

5-Virginia Tech: The Hokies' bubble burst last season, but much of that team remains. Can a team be a darkhorse three straight seasons?

6-Clemson: The Tigers go back to mediocrity. There is talent here but no James Mays or Cliff Hammonds to be the soul of the team.

7-Maryland: Greivis Vasquez is an outstanding leader but the Terps lack any inside presence to contend in the ACC.

8-Florida State: If freshman Chris Singleton can live up to all his hype, maybe the Noles could contend for a postseason berth.

9-Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets have had a tough offseason that has gutted the roster. Some talent remains, just not enough.

10-NC State: Will it really be addition by subtracting J.J. Hickson? Let's see which Brandon Costner will show up this year.

11-Boston College: Tyrese Rice is the first, second and third options for the Eagles this season.

12-Virginia: Sean Singletary did everything for the Cavs last year. He's gone now.

ACC Power Poll: Does Anyone Have a Chance to Top North Carolina? originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>brandon costnerBrandonCostnerchris singletonChrisSingletoncliff hammondsCliffHammondsgerald hendersonGeraldHendersongreivis vasquezGreivisVasquezjames maysJamesMaysjj hicksonJjHicksonsean singletarySeanSingletarytyrese riceTyreseRiceShiloh CarderFri, 14 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST How I Spent My Summer Vacation: ACChttp://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/09/30/how-i-spent-my-summer-vacation-acc/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/09/30/how-i-spent-my-summer-vacation-acc/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/09/30/how-i-spent-my-summer-vacation-acc/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,

With the fall beginning and college basketball just around the corner, it's time to look back at what our favorite teams did during their summer vacations. Some did some good things; some had a bad time. So let's look back at who did what in our How I Spent My Summer Vacation series.

Today's look is the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Roy Williams Hits Jackpot When All His Guys Return

The Tar Heels were at quite the crossroads. After a great season ended with a disappointing loss to Kansas, Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green all decided to take a look at the NBA Draft. Hansbrough decided to come back, but the other three entered the draft with the opportunity to come back to school if they didn't like their draft status.

If any or all left, the Heels were facing some uncertainty heading into the season. Yes, they'd still be a good team but they'd have a few holes.

In a somewhat surprising move, all three Heels decided to come back for one last hurrah. That means Ol' Roy gets everyone back from that Final Four team (sans a transferred Alex Stepheson and a graduating Quentin Thomas -- both role players). They also bring in three McDonald's All Americans.

Now the Heels are scary deep, scary talented and very experienced. They will enter the season as probably a clear-cut No. 1 ranked team with a NCAA Tournament Championship as the goal. Anything less will be a huge disappointment.

Coach K Turns Golden

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski spent his summer vacation in China coaching the USA Olympic basketball team. Team USA won the gold in a thrilling victory over Spain and reasserted America as the best hoops country in the world.

Now Coach K heads back to his day job, coaching a Duke program that sees themselves as the kings of college hoops. The Blue Devils are experienced, talented and primed for a run back to the Final Four.

What people are interested to see is how Krzyzewski's time with the NBA guys will affect Duke. I don't think that the team will suffer from not having him while he was with the Redeem Team, but what nuances may K add into his already lethal arsenal? Remember that last season he brought Mike D'Antoni's (former Suns, now Knicks head coach who served as an assistant for Team USA) offensive system to Duke with some great success.

Maryland's Revolving Door

Gary Williams has been on a hot seat of sorts. That's unfair to a man that took the Terps to a National Championship earlier this decade. However, NIT appearances and questionable recruiting have taken him out of favor from the Maryland faithful.

During this offseason, Williams watched several players bolt. Bobby Maze couldn't get his grades up to university standards so he moved on to Tennessee. Gus Gilchrist was put off by the ACC's intraconference transfering rules and left for South Florida. Stud recruit Tyree Evans was run out of College Park once his police record and jail time were made public.

J.J. Hickson Leaves N.C. State

Despite all the commotion about what the UNC players might do, there was still just one underclassman that left an ACC program for the NBA. Freshman forward J.J. Hickson decided one year at N.C. State was enough and entered the NBA Draft. He was selected with the 19th pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

There have been one-and-dones in the ACC and players have left early for a long time. But this was really the first offseason where we saw premiere guys "testing the waters".

Hickson leaving N.C. State also creates an interesting void. After the 2007 season, the Wolfpack were being buzzed about as a sleeper team. Hickson was the best player on the 2007-2008 team but they stumbled in the standings. With no Hickson, will the Pack go back to its better days? We'll have to see.

Psycho T's Leap

While Tyler Hansbrough didn't leap into the NBA Draft, he did find time to leap into a pool. From a balcony. Hansbrough received some flak for pulling off the stunt, but continues to feed his "Psycho T" persona.

Waiving Good-bye!

Sean Singletary (Virginia), DeMarcus Nelson (Duke), James Gist (Maryland), J.J. Hickson (NC State), James Mays (Clemson), Jason Rich (Florida State), Anthony Morrow (Ga Tech) and Deron Washington (Va Tech).

Welcoming in

Al-Farouq Aminu (Wake Forest), Tony Woods (Wake Forest), Tyler Zeller (North Carolina), Miles Plumlee (Duke), Ed Davis (North Carolina), Elliot Williams (Duke), Olek Czyz (Duke), Iman Shumpert (Ga Tech), Andre Jones (Clemson) and DeQuan Jones (Miami).

How I Spent My Summer Vacation: ACC originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:48:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>alex stephesonAlexStephesonandre jonesAndreJonesanthony morrowAnthonyMorrowbobby mazeBobbyMazedanny greenDannyGreendemarcus nelsonDemarcusNelsondequan jonesDequanJonesderon washingtonDeronWashingtoned davisEdDaviselliot williamsElliotWilliamsgary williamsGaryWilliamsgus gilchristGusGilchristhowispentmysummervacationiman shumpertImanShumpertjames gistjames maysJamesGistJamesMaysjason richJasonRichjj hicksonJjHicksonmike krzyzewskiMikeKrzyzewskimiles plumleeMilesPlumleequentin thomasQuentinThomasroy williamsRoyWilliamssean singletarySeanSingletarytony woodsTonyWoodsty lawsonTyLawsontyler hansbroughtyler zellerTylerHansbroughTylerZellertyree evansTyreeEvanswayne ellingtonWayneEllingtonShiloh CarderTue, 30 Sep 2008 22:48:00 EST ACC Releases 2008-2009 Schedulehttp://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/08/27/acc-releases-2008-2009-schedule/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/08/27/acc-releases-2008-2009-schedule/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/08/27/acc-releases-2008-2009-schedule/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,

The ACC has released the 2008-2009 college basketball schedule. Now we can start getting our markers out and circling some dates.

Here is the first dates for marking: UNC at Duke on February 11th ... Duke at UNC on March 8th.

North Carolina: UNC has a tough schedule ... with Kentucky as their second game of the season, the loaded Maui Invitational ... and a game against Michigan State at Ford Field. Penn, Oral Roberts, Rutgers and Nevada aren't pushovers. There is also a rematch against UNC-Asheville, also known as the "game Tyler Hansbrough dunked on a 7'7 guy"

Duke: Coach K won't have Kobe, LeBron or D-Wade ... but he won't be seeing Spain or Argentina, either. They will play Xavier in East Rutherford right before Christmas and host Georgetown in the middle of January. Duke will also play a true road game (that isn't in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge) when they take on Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Miami: The Canes will play in the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands. They will get Ohio State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge ... which looks like a great football contest a few years ago. Miami will also visit Kentucky and St. John's.

Clemson: They'll play in the Palmetto Classic in Charleston, SC. They'll also go up the road to UNC-Charlotte to try to avenge a loss from last year. They will play at Illinois and South Carolina ... then host Alabama (by the way: Clemson hosts Alabama's football team this Saturday).

NC State: The Wolfpack head to Charlotte to take on Davidson. Uh-oh! NC State gets some national TV love with a road game at Florida on January 3rd. They also host Marquette. The Wolfpack will actually host two games at good ol' Reynolds Coliseum.

Florida State: They'll face Cincinnati in the opening round of the Las Vegas Tournament. The Noles will host Pittsburgh in late December. Their annual date with Florida will take place on December 2nd.

Virginia: The Cavs are bringing it a bit. They'll host Xavier and Auburn ... and travel to Minnesota and Syracuse.

Maryland: Yawn! They do open with Bucknell and then play in the Old Spice Classic.

Wake Forest: The Deacs breakout season takes them on a tour of the state (NC Central, UNC-Wilmington, Winston-Salem State) before heading off to the Anaheim Classic.

Virginia Tech: Hey! Not fair! The Hokies will play in both the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic and the Holiday Festival in New York. Indiana and Bucknell will be decent battles ... as will traveling to BYU.

Boston College: They will be in the preseason NIT before hosting Iowa in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Other than a game at UMass, there really isn't much on the non-con schedule worth a second glance.

Georgia Tech: Tech will spend some time on the west coast as they'll visit USC and Pepperdine. The Jackets will revisit their SEC roots as they have a roadie at Alabama ... and will host Georgia and Vanderbilt.

ACC Releases 2008-2009 Schedule originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Shiloh CarderWed, 27 Aug 2008 01:01:00 EST Eyeballing The 2008 Preseason NIT Match-Ups and Seedingshttp://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/08/20/eyeballing-the-2008-preseason-nit-match-ups-and-seedings/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/08/20/eyeballing-the-2008-preseason-nit-match-ups-and-seedings/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/08/20/eyeballing-the-2008-preseason-nit-match-ups-and-seedings/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

The Preseason NIT field and locations have been known, but not the match-ups or seedings. Well the NIT has released the schedule (PDF). The top four seeds are Purdue, Oklahoma, Arizona and Boston College

*North Bracket
Monday, November 17, host and No. 1 seed, Purdue faces Eastern Michigan and will play the winner of Georgia-Loyola Chicago on the 18th.

*East Bracket
Monday, November 17, host and No. 4 seed, Boston College versus Loyola (Md.) and then goes against the winner of St. John's-Cornell.

*North and East champs will play each other on Wednesday, November 26 at Madison Square Garden.

*South Bracket
Monday, November 17, host and No. 2 seed, Oklahoma plays Mississippi Valley State and will get the winner of Davidson-James Madison.

*West Bracket
Monday, November 17, host and No. 3 seed Arizona goes against Florida Atlantic and then faces the winner of UAB-Santa Clara.

*South and West champs will play each other on Wednesday, November 26 at Madison Square Garden.

*Championship game is Friday, November 28, afternoon game at 3:30 on ESPN2, the day after Thanksgiving..
There are consolation games, including a runner-up battle before the championship game at 1:30.

Just eyeballing the games in the first couple rounds, it's hard to see a Gardner Webb over Kentucky scenario -- but then no one saw that scenario until it happened. Arizona would seem the most likely, based on the turmoil and turnover from last year. Still, hard to envision, though, Arizona looks to have the toughest game in the second round with the winner of UAB-Santa Clara.

Assuming Davidson beats James Madison, the Oklahoma-Davidson will be the most hyped game with Stephen Curry and Blake Griffin.

With most of the games being shown on the ESPN networks, the timing of the games makes sense. They scheduled around most of the college football still on the schedule. (Your choice. Colorado-Nebraska or Bowling Green-Toledo in college football or the pre-season NIT Championship game.)

It also provides a nice early treat for those who do whatever they can to avoid shopping on Black Friday.

Eyeballing The 2008 Preseason NIT Match-Ups and Seedings originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 20 Aug 2008 06:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Chas RichWed, 20 Aug 2008 06:39:00 EST ACC Places Duke #1 in 'ESPN.com Top Programs'; UNC is #3; Everyone Else is Backhttp://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/07/27/acc-places-duke-1-in-espn-com-top-programs-unc-is-3-every/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/07/27/acc-places-duke-1-in-espn-com-top-programs-unc-is-3-every/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/07/27/acc-places-duke-1-in-espn-com-top-programs-unc-is-3-every/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,

ESPN.com has played out its top programs since the 1984-1985 season (when the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams).

As expected, Duke placed in the top spot. No one has won more NCAA Championships, Final Fours, Sweet 16s, NCAA Tournament wins, first team All Americans, 30-win seasons, #1 seeds or top-ten NBA picks in the time frame.

North Carolina placed #2 on Friday ... but due to a research error was dropped behind Kansas to #3 on Saturday. Apparently they screwed up how many conference titles Kansas won and All Americans North Carolina had.

After that, there is a huge gap until the next ACC school: #28 Maryland. The Terps (ahead of Purdue; behind Ohio State) are the only ACC school besides Duke and North Carolina to win an NCAA Tournament during the time frame. What knocked them down was the fact that they have just one ACC title since 1985.

Georgia Tech ranks fourth from the ACC at #33 overall. Tech (ahead of Penn; behind Oklahoma State) can roll out some great names but haven't had the elite success to match.

The other ACC schools ...

#38-Wake Forest: Produced elite players Tim Duncan and Chris Paul but hasn't made a Final Four.
#52-NC State: State had some good years in there ... and some horrible ones. Infractions hurt.
#70t-Boston College: Most of this was from their Big East years.
#70t-Virginia
#111-Clemson
#128-Florida State
#145t-Miami (Fla)
#210-Virginia Tech

The ACC finished third in the "prestige rankings" behind the Big East and the Big Ten.

ACC Places Duke #1 in 'ESPN.com Top Programs'; UNC is #3; Everyone Else is Back originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Shiloh CarderSun, 27 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST A Sign of a Down ACC? They May Not Have a Player Drafted in the First Roundhttp://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/06/17/a-sign-of-a-down-acc-they-may-not-have-a-player-drafted-in-the/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/06/17/a-sign-of-a-down-acc-they-may-not-have-a-player-drafted-in-the/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/06/17/a-sign-of-a-down-acc-they-may-not-have-a-player-drafted-in-the/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,

You want another sign showing the decline of ACC basketball over the past few years? How about that the ACC had just one underclassman declare (and keep his name in) for the NBA Draft this season.

That guy is J.J. Hickson, and there is even a line of reasoning that NC State may be better without him.

There really were just a few really outstanding seniors leaving (Duke lost DeMarcus Nelson; Virginia lost Sean Singletary). There is a chance where the ACC will have no players taken in the first round of the draft (Hickson is the lone hopeful).

Typically, the ACC fills the draft up with all kinds of talent.

  • Last year, three ACC players were lottery picks ... part of six total that were taken in the first round.
  • Three players went in the first round in 2006.
  • In 2005, seven players went in the first round. (five went in the lottery; three went in the top five).
  • In 2004, only Duke's Luol Deng was taken in the first round.

Remember, that was mostly when high school players also were in the draft, meaning less spots for colliegate players. So, what could the upcoming ACC season look like?

If you read articles all over the internets, you would assume that North Carolina will crush everyone on their way to a National Championship. That could happen, but that really is selling the ACC short. There are some really good teams who have high expectations as well.

Start with the Heels' rival, Duke. They'll return most of a squad that nearly won the ACC last year. Miami is loaded as well and could be a top ten team. As I said before, NC State could rectify chemistry issues now that Hickson is gone. Virginia Tech will be right there. There is a lot of talent at Florida State. Wake Forest started to turn things around last year and welcome in the late Skip Prosser's loaded 2008 class.

In fact, the ACC has done very well recruiting. According to Scout.com, Wake Forest brings in the #3 ranked recruiting class ... North Carolina is #5 ... Duke is #13 ... Florida State is #14.

The conference has done even better in 2009. Guys like John Henson (UNC), Mason Plumlee (Duke), Dexter Strickland (UNC), Milton Jennings (Clemson) and Leslie McDonald (UNC) will become household names (not to mention guys like Derrick Favors and Dante Taylor who are leaning toward ACC schools).

Nine of the top twelve scorers are returning. Five of the top seven rebounders. Seven of the top ten assist-men. Of the All-ACC teams last year (1st, 2nd and 3rd), 11 of the 15 players are coming back ... including three from the first team (Tyler Hansbrough, Tyrese Rice, Jack McClinton).

A Sign of a Down ACC? They May Not Have a Player Drafted in the First Round originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>DeMarcus NelsonDemarcusNelsonjj hicksonJjHicksonSean SingletarySeanSingletaryShiloh CarderTue, 17 Jun 2008 12:55:00 EST Tim Russert Promoting Boston College Hoopshttp://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/06/16/tim-russert-promoting-boston-college-hoops/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/06/16/tim-russert-promoting-boston-college-hoops/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/06/16/tim-russert-promoting-boston-college-hoops/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The late Tim Russert loved sports almost as much as he loved politics, and this goofy video promoting the Boston College basketball team is a testament to that:

Via Deadspin.

Russert, who died Friday at age 58, was a loyal fan of the teams in his native Buffalo, but he also became a devoted fan of Boston College, where his son attended, and the pro teams in Washington, D.C.

Previously on FanHouse:
RIP Tim Russert, Fan of the Buffalo Bills
Meet the Press: Ryan for Heisman
Tim Russert Pumps the Caps
Red Sox Nation Corrupts Tim Russert

Tim Russert Promoting Boston College Hoops originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Tim RussertTimRussertMichael David SmithMon, 16 Jun 2008 12:33:00 EST Random YouTube Magic: Boston College's Al Skinner on Diff'rent Strokeshttp://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/06/09/random-youtube-magic-boston-colleges-al-skinner-on-diffrent/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/06/09/random-youtube-magic-boston-colleges-al-skinner-on-diffrent/http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/06/09/random-youtube-magic-boston-colleges-al-skinner-on-diffrent/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



The opening sees us in the Drummond living room. Willis and Kimberly are chilling out when the doorbell rings. Mr. Drummond heads to the door ... opens it up ... and in walks ... Boston College head basketball coach Al Skinner.

Coach Skinner is bent (for some reason Mr. Drummond calls him "Ted") because someone had been giving Dudley (they say it is his son ... but it may be ex-BC star Jared Dudley) some wine. That, it seems, is just the least of his worries.

Okay, okay, this really isn't Al Skinner. It is actor Le Tari who played the part of Ted Ramsey, father of Dudley Ramsey ... who was Arnold Jackson's best friend on Diff'rent Strokes. This is the classic "very special" episode where Dudley was "touched" by the guy who runs the bicycle shop.

But, dude was a dead on doppelganger for Al Skinner.

Random YouTube Magic: Boston College's Al Skinner on Diff'rent Strokes originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 09 Jun 2008 03:22:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Al SkinnerAlSkinnerJared DudleyJaredDudleyrandom youtube magicRandomYoutubeMagicShiloh CarderMon, 09 Jun 2008 03:22:00 EST