GREENSBORO, 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.
Last year, Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg made an impassioned plea for his Hokies to get an NCAA tournament bid after losing to UNC in the ACC tournament.
Ultimately, his argument came down to the fact that while Virginia Tech lost, they lost close games. That did not cut it last year and it will not work this year.
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.
Above, Duke's John Scheyer takes approximately 147 steps and somehow doesn't get whistled for traveling late in Saturday's win over Virginia Tech. Duke led Virginia Tech by three with about 20 seconds left at the time, meaning the officials cost the Hokies the chance to get the ball back and send the game into overtime.
Greg Paulus is always a bit of a goat in terms of national hatred (see: "Duke Sucks" having more entries at Mister I than "Greives Vasquez".) Of course, he's following a long line of Duke point guards who have experienced the same thing. Although I don't know if they all heard "Tea-Bag-Paul-Us!" as the announcers in the following clip seemed to imply while the Virginia Tech fans mocked the Duke point guard during some free throw attempts.
Virginia Tech needed a crucial win at home to solidify its NCAA tournament status with only two games remaining on its regular-season ACC schedule. But a Nolan Smith-less Blue Devil squad likely had a few points to prove as well.
And the Blue Devils' agenda won out.
That is, after a little controversy and a heckuva run by the Hokies.
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.
Clemson didn't look horrible in the first half Thursday night, but they certainly looked like a team that could be headed for a losing streak, based solely on Virginia Tech pouring in 53 points -- 22 of them from Malcolm Delaney -- before halftime.
But the Tigers rebounded in the second half, holding the Hokies to just 29 points over that span, to pull out a four point win on the road.
Headlining: It's obvious, right? Duke tops both polls for the first time since the end of the 2005-06 regular season and we're all depressed ecstatic! I want to say that it's hard to like this Blue Devil team, but when is it easy to like Duke? (Answer: When you're a Duke fan. Or when the Blue Devils are playing Carolina.) That being said, the 2008-09 incarnation isn't nearly as hate-able as previous teams.
And so, Wake Forest's stay atop the nation's polls turned out to be shorter than a Britney Spears marriage.
Thanks for trying, Wake. And if you leave within the hour, you might still get the early bird parking special.
Yes, there are those who thrive in the spotlight. Then there are those who Amy Winehouse thinks handle celebrity poorly. And for the second time in school history, the Demon Deacons are the latter, grabbing the No. 1 ranking only to crash so hard the FAA had to investigate.
In November, 2004, it was a two-week run, ended by an 91-73 rout that still wouldn't have as close as the score indicates if you added two zeroes behind the Illini's tally. This year, it was a two-day run ended with an ESPN televised 78-71 pie in the face by Virginia Tech.
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GREENSBORO, 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.
Last year, Virginia Tech coach 
March started days ago. The Madness started Wednesday night. 
Virginia Tech needed a crucial win at home to solidify its NCAA tournament status with only two games remaining on its regular-season ACC schedule. But a Nolan Smith-less Blue Devil squad likely had a few points to prove as well.
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.
Clemson didn't look horrible in the first half Thursday night, but they certainly looked like a team that could be headed for a losing streak, based solely on Virginia Tech pouring in 53 points -- 22 of them from 
Ranking the rankings
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