John Wall, the nation's top point guard recruit and possible No. 1 pick of the 2010 NBA draft, was charged with misdemeanor breaking and entering yesterday.
Contrary to what my colleague wrote, this will likely have minimal impact on the teams recruiting him.
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.
North Carolina effectively handled N.C. State last night, further cementing their status as top dog in the ACC. Roy Williams, however, didn't really have a predictable reaction. See, normally, you expect Williams to toast everyone with a Coca-Cola and to throw out an "Aw, shucks, ya'll" to help complete his public persona.
Instead of doing that, though, when repeatedly asked by ACC writer Andrew Jones about his team's inability to properly apply full court defensive pressure, he let loose with a little F-bomb.
North Carolina remained one of the nation's hottest team heading into the conference home stretch last week, beating up on Duke and then squeaking by a dangerous Miami team. They now have a very minor speed bump in their quest to win the ACC regular-season championship with a rivalry game against N.C. State Wednesday.
However, that hump may have gotten a touch bigger with the news that Tyler Hansbroughsuffered a concussion during Sunday's game against the Hurricanes.
The way the first half of N.C. State's game against Virginia Tech played out Sunday, you'd be excused for thinking the Wolfpack were on the heels of Duke and North Carolina in the ACC. But as has been typical of N.C. State all season, they couldn't hold a lead in the second half and let Virginia Tech claw its way into overtime and an 91-87 win.
This was essentially a must-win game for both teams, but particularly for the Hokies, who rebounded from a so-so non-conference performance into a spot on the happy side of the NCAA tournament bubble and are in the mix for a possible ACC tournament bye . The Wolfpack, meanwhile, were merely trying to eke out their third consecutive ACC win and move within two games of .500 in the ACC.
Kay Yow's recent passing struck an emotional chord, not just in Raleigh and North Carolina, but across the sports world as a whole. The level of respect that Coach Yow received from fans, friends, family and colleagues cannot be understated.
Which makes it that much more difficult to comprehend why vandals would deface a memorial created to honor Coach Yow with a "blue mustache" and the phrase, "Cancer Rules."
When N.C. State plays North Carolina, it is a rivalry game. Ignore what many Tar Heel fans will say -- beating the Wolfpack matters (albeit a lot less than defeating Duke in basketball.)
It wasn't actually "Kay Yow Day" in Raleigh, but it might as well have been (and it wouldn't surprise me if that holiday actually popped up) with all the pink in the crowd. A good 60-70 percent of N.C. State's fans were wearing pink shirts to honor Coach Yow, and both Sidney Lowe's and Roy Williams' coaching staffs wore tennis shoes, in the traditional "Coaches vs. Cancer" form. Too bad a couple players had to rumble at the end (Video here).
But none of the motivation that Yow's memory could provide was enough for the Wolfpack, which have, in effect, proven themselves to be a 34-minute basketball team this year. And Tyler Hansbrough returned to his normal ways, scoring 31 points as North Carolina topped State 93-76.
NCAA Basketball north carolina state Wolfpack 
John Wall, the nation's top point guard recruit and possible No. 1 pick of the 2010 NBA draft, was charged with misdemeanor breaking and entering yesterday. 
March started days ago. The Madness started Wednesday night. 
North Carolina effectively handled N.C. State last night, further cementing their status as top dog in the ACC. Roy Williams, however, didn't really have a predictable reaction. See, normally, you expect Williams to toast everyone with a Coca-Cola and to throw out an "Aw, shucks, ya'll" to help complete his public persona.
North Carolina remained one of the nation's hottest team heading into the conference home stretch last week, beating up on Duke and then squeaking by a dangerous Miami team. They now have a very minor speed bump in their quest to win the ACC regular-season championship with a rivalry game against N.C. State Wednesday.
The way the first half of N.C. State's game against Virginia Tech played out Sunday, you'd be excused for thinking the Wolfpack were on the heels of Duke and North Carolina in the ACC. But as has been typical of N.C. State all season, they couldn't hold a lead in the second half and let Virginia Tech claw its way into overtime and an 91-87 win.
Kay Yow's recent passing struck an emotional chord, not just in Raleigh and North Carolina, but across the sports world as a whole. The level of respect that Coach Yow received from fans, friends, family and colleagues cannot be understated.
Brandon Costner, right now, is all that Sidney Lowe has in Raleigh. Take him away and there's the semi-emergence of Courtney Fells, Ben McCauley's swan song, and the unlikely possibility of landing John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins. Which isn't saying much.
When N.C. State plays North Carolina, it is a rivalry game. Ignore what many Tar Heel fans will say -- beating the Wolfpack matters (albeit a lot less than defeating Duke in basketball.) 
It wasn't actually "Kay Yow Day" in Raleigh, but it might as well have been (and it wouldn't surprise me if that holiday actually popped up) with all the pink in the crowd. A good 60-70 percent of N.C. State's fans were wearing pink shirts to honor Coach Yow, and both Sidney Lowe's and Roy Williams' coaching staffs wore tennis shoes, in the traditional "Coaches vs. Cancer" form. Too bad a couple players had to rumble at the end (Video here).
