8-8, Do we finish 6th?

[RockyMtDevil]

So, after Sunday we will most likely be 8-8 in conference, unless we surprise a much more talented unc team.

Will we finish 6th or can Tech catch us and force us down to 7th position in the ACC?

[Troublemaker]

Yes, it's possible for us to finish 7th. If GaTech finishes 8-8 (and Duke finishes 8-8), that means they'll have beaten Carolina while we got swept by the Heels, which would cost us the tiebreaker.

[Troublemaker]

To clarify a bit, the first tiebreaker is head-to-head, and we split with GaTech this season. The second tiebreaker is how each team fared against the 1st place team, then the 2nd place team, then the 3rd place team, etc...

While we're unsure at this point who the 1st place team will be, we DO know that it has to be either UNC, UVA, or VaTech IF Duke and GaTech tie at 8-8.

Duke would be 0-2, 0-1, 0-1 against those three teams, espectively, while GaTech would be 1-1, 0-1, 0-1. So regardless of how those three actually finish, GaTech would own the tiebreaker against Duke.

All that said, I hope the Yellow Jackets kill UNC.

[dockfan]

That's the spirit! I love reading posts conceding games in advance, especially against UNC. I could give a *dadgum* about Carolina right now.

(Is there a special font effect in this new system to express sarcasm?) :)


RUN THE TABLE. ONE AT A TIME. THAT'S THE GOAL!!

33-8, baby! Thirty-three and eight!!!

[RockyMtDevil]

Yes, that is the spirit.

Have you looked at our wins this year? We have 2 wins agains the five teams that are currently ahead of us in the rankings, 2!!!

Both against B.C.

Loss to unc
Loss to Va. Tech
Loss to Va.
2 Losses to MD...

What makes you think we are going to walk into the Dean Dome on Sunday and suddenly turn this around.

We just aren't that good this year, period.

[feldspar]

We just aren't that good this year, period.

Compared to what? Last year, when we had the NPOY and the DPOY on our team? The year before that when we had two All-ACC players? The year before that when we went to the Final Four?

Or maybe compared to the last time Coach K had a team this young which was, what, like 20 years ago?

So, compared to what?

[tbyers11]

Yes, that is the spirit.

Have you looked at our wins this year? We have 2 wins agains the five teams that are currently ahead of us in the rankings, 2!!!

Both against B.C.

Loss to unc
Loss to Va. Tech
Loss to Va.
2 Losses to MD...

What makes you think we are going to walk into the Dean Dome on Sunday and suddenly turn this around.

We just aren't that good this year, period.

We aren't as good as we have been in the past, but we aren't as bad as you make it seem in this post either. We aren't getting blown out. The UVa and VT games came down to the final possession. 2 or 3 plays go differently over the course of the UNC and the 2nd MD game and we win those. Only in the game @ MD, did we not have a serious chance to win.

Obviously, being more consistent throughout the entire game and making clutch plays aren't skills that just happen. This team hasn't done them in most of its games, but it hasn't been very far from doing them either. That what makes me think we have a decent chance to win Sunday.

[dockfan]

Did we control the majority of the game against UNC on 2/7? Yes.

Are we a much better offensive team now? Yes.

Are we a deeper team now? Yes.

Are we a tougher team now? Yes.

Is UNC struggling more recently? Yes.

Don't intangibles such as toughness, effort, and emotion play a big role in Duke-UNC matchups? Yes.

Are we Duke? YES!

That's why I am optimistic.

[RockyMtDevil]

I've really enjoyed watching this team develop, but unlike many years, including last year, you simply can't pencil in victories with this club. Does that mean they aren't good, no. But it does mean we need to be realistic with them and allow them to develop.

Can we beat unc on Sunday? Absolutely. Do I EXECT us to? nope...

But I am going to cheer like heck that we will.

[dockfan]

That's good to know that you'll cheer on Duke this Sunday. It will be an incredibly intense game.

While we certainly can't "pencil in victories" with this team, (though I've personally never been a win "pencil"-er), I still believe they have what it takes to beat anyone in the nation. And that's all you can hope for, really, with any team.

Judging by your earlier posts in this thread, it did seem like you thought the team wasn't any good this year. I'll just chalk that up to post-game frustration, which I certainly share, especially after catching Robert Novak's beaming mug on the sideline last night after the Twerps clinched the victory.

NEXT PLAY!