This Week in the ACC: 2/13-2/19

[pfrduke]

With just 3 weeks left in the regular season (how did that happen already?!), 1st and 7th place are separated by just 1 1/2 games. Ten teams are .500 or better and Pomeroy projects 9 of them to finish that way (sorry Jackets). With so many teams jockeying for top ACC finishes and NCAA bids, each set of games has significant impact on the conference race.

Monday
[48]Syracuse (8-5) hosts [5]Louisville (8-4) (7:00, ESPN)

Tuesday
[149]Boston College (2-11) hosts [24]Notre Dame (8-5) (7:00, ESPNU)
[66]Pittsburgh (3-9) hosts [51]Virginia Tech (6-6) (7:00, ESPN2)
[39]Clemson (3-9) hosts [32]Wake Forest (6-7) (7:00, ACCN)

Wednesday
[34]Miami (6-6) hosts [79]Georgia Tech (6-6) (8:00, ACCN)
[103]NC State (3-10) hosts [10]North Carolina (9-3) (8:00, ACCN)
[2]Virginia (8-4) hosts [14]Duke (8-4) (9:00, ESPN2)

Thursday and Friday are dark

Saturday
[103]NC State (3-10) hosts [24]Notre Dame (8-5) (12:00, ESPN)
[34]Miami (6-6) hosts [39]Clemson (3-9) (12:00, ACCN)
[14]Duke (8-4) hosts [32]Wake Forest (6-7) (1:00, ACCN)
[5]Louisville (8-4) hosts [51]Virginia Tech (6-6) (1:00, ACCN)
[66]Pittsburgh (3-9) hosts [13]Florida State (9-4) (4:00, ESPN2)
[10]North Carolina (9-3) hosts [2]Virginia (8-4) (8:15, ESPN)

Sunday
[79]Georgia Tech (6-6) hosts [48]Syracuse (8-5) (6:30, ESPNU)

[Kfanarmy]

That is a big game on Wednesday!

[PackMan97]

That is a big game on Wednesday!

Don't worry, NC State's got this. If there is one thing we are good at...it's beating Carolina when we suck!

[BandAlum83]

Don't worry, NC State's got this. If there is one thing we are good at...it's beating Carolina when we suck!

Pretty sure he meant Tech/Miami. They're both @ .500. It's meaningful and gives one a step up on an NCAAT bid.

[devildeac]

Don't worry, NC State's gott this. If there is one thing we are good at...it's beating Carolina when we suck!

I sure hope you're correct, but I'm not counting on it. :(

[CDu]

Go Cuse tonight. Go Pack Wednesday. Go Pitt, Va Tech, State, and UVa on Saturday. Go Ga Tech on Sunday.

[OldPhiKap]

Go to Hell Carolina. Every day.

[OldPhiKap]

Don't worry, NC State's got this. If there is one thing we are good at...it's beating Carolina when we suck!

If State can't get up for this one, ain't no getting up.

[devildeac]

If State can't get up for this one, ain't no getting up.

Well, they certainly gott up for their "contest" at the nose dome, losing by less than 8 TD :rolleyes:.

[PackMan97]

Well, they certainly gott up for their "contest" at the nose dome, losing by less than 8 TD :rolleyes:.

We just want them over confident for game in Raleigh. This is all part of a larger plan where we now go on a 15 game winning streak, win the ACCT and the NCAAT. We gott this!

[OldPhiKap]

We just want them over confident for game in Raleigh. This is all part of a larger plan where we now go on a 15 game winning streak, win the ACCT and the NCAAT. We gott this!

Good luck with that. If we don't win it all, the Pack is almost always my second choice.

[PackMan97]

Good luck with that.

Want to make a bet? how about 10 to none odds? If it happens, you give me $10. if it doesn't, I give you nothing :)

[BandAlum83]

We just want them over confident for game in Raleigh. This is all part of a larger plan where we now go on a 15 game winning streak, win the ACCT and the NCAAT. We gott this!

You're living in the 80's, Dude!

[devildeac]

Want to make a bet? how about 10 to none odds? If it happens, you give me $10. if it doesn't, I give you nothing :)

Make it 20 and he'll take it. :rolleyes:

[OldPhiKap]

Want to make a bet? how about 10 to none odds? If it happens, you give me $10. if it doesn't, I give you nothing :)

Make you a deal. Beat the heels this week, and then we'll talk odds!

[Olympic Fan]

Take them one game at a time ...

Tonight's Louisville-Syracuse is huge for NCAA seeding. Louisville is in the mix for a No. 1 seed, but needs to pass a few teams. This would be a big one. Cuse has done a good job of fighting back into NCAA consideration after a horrible start, but Saturday's loss at Pitt really hurt. They need this one tonight or they are back in struggle-mode (they would be 16-10, 8-6) -- their RPI is an extremely unimpressive 70th at the moment). Louisville is the best of the ACC at No. 4 in the RPI.

[UNCfan]

If State could beat UNC, that win may be able to save Gott's job, but I doubt it. Dennis Smith will really be up for this game after his performance in Chapel Hill. He could have started for either UNC of Duke, why did he go to State?

[UNCfan]

PackPride is buzzing that ABC11 is reporting Gott is out at the end of the season. Feelers being put out to Archie.

[BandAlum83]

Take them one game at a time ...

Tonight's Louisville-Syracuse is huge for NCAA seeding. Louisville is in the mix for a No. 1 seed, but needs to pass a few teams. This would be a big one. Cuse has done a good job of fighting back into NCAA consideration after a horrible start, but Saturday's loss at Pitt really hurt. They need this one tonight or they are back in struggle-mode (they would be 16-10, 8-6) -- their RPI is an extremely unimpressive 70th at the moment). Louisville is the best of the ACC at No. 4 in the RPI.

Go Syracuse!!!



Right? Good for Duke, good for the ACC?

[CDu]

Go Syracuse!!!



Right? Good for Duke, good for the ACC?

Yes. I don't so much care about the conference, but I do want Cuse to win. Louisville losing is good for our chances of getting a higher seed and hanging a regular season banner too.

[Olympic Fan]

Huge news -- Chris Clarke, injured Sunday night against Virginia -- was just diagnosed with a torn ACL. He's out for the season -- that's a huge blow for Virginia Tech. He might be their best all-around player.

Also, four athletes from the Big Four -- including Duke football WR Chris Taylor -- released a letter they wrote to the North Carolina legislature, urging the repeal of HB2, which has already robbed the state of North Carolina 17 NCAA and ACC championship events and is likely to cost the state 133 more NCAA/ACC events between now and 2022, if not repealed.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/article132465619.html

[CDu]

We have a reasonable chance to be tied for first in the conference by the end of this week. If we beat UVa and Wake and UVa beats UNC, we will be in - at worst, a 4-way tie for first with UNC, FSU, and Louisville. Of course, in that scenario, we'd be the #4 seed. But it would just show how far we've come since 3-4.

Obviously, @UVa will be a very tough win, and home against Wake won't be a cake walk either. But both are winnable. I'd put it at basically a 25% chance of winning both (~40% chance of winning at UVa, ~60-65% chance of winning vs Wake).

[flyingdutchdevil]

We have a reasonable chance to be tied for first in the conference by the end of this week. If we beat UVa and Wake and UVa beats UNC, we will be in - at worst, a 4-way tie for first with UNC, FSU, and Louisville. Of course, in that scenario, we'd be the #4 seed. But it would just show how far we've come since 3-4.

Obviously, @UVa will be a very tough win, and home against Wake won't be a cake walk either. But both are winnable. I'd put it at basically a 25% chance of winning both (~40% chance of winning at UVa, ~60-65% chance of winning vs Wake).

I agree 25% makes sense, but I don't really agree with your odds at each game, given a) UVa is muuuuuch better than Wake (#2 vs #32 in KenPom) and b) UVa is an away game and Wake is a home game.

I think the Wake win is at least 75% (Personally, I think we'll murder them) but I'm very worried about UVa. If we beat UVa, it's a helluva win and our arguably our best of the season. To me, this win would signal that "Duke's back" and "be very scared of Duke" all at the same time. Right now, I feel Duke is a strong team that can win any game, but we aren't favored against the cream of the crop. Beating UVa also signals that our main issues (transition D, lack of a PG which leads to turnovers) are fixable and certainly being fixed. I don't know how we can beat UVa without a near-perfect game from Duke.

[DukieInBrasil]

I agree 25% makes sense, but I don't really agree with your odds at each game, given a) UVa is muuuuuch better than Wake (#2 vs #32 in KenPom) and b) UVa is an away game and Wake is a home game.

I think the Wake win is at least 75% (Personally, I think we'll murder them) but I'm very worried about UVa. If we beat UVa, it's a helluva win and our arguably our best of the season. To me, this win would signal that "Duke's back" and "be very scared of Duke" all at the same time. Right now, I feel Duke is a strong team that can win any game, but we aren't favored against the cream of the crop. Beating UVa also signals that our main issues (transition D, lack of a PG which leads to turnovers) are fixable and certainly being fixed. I don't know how we can beat UVa without a near-perfect game from Duke.

while i agree withe general tenor of your post, i'm not sure that UVA will really put much pressure on our transition D. I may be conflating prior versions of UVA with this year's team, but getting out on the break has not been something UVA excels at like, say, UNC. And while having an excellent PG is always a good thing, you don't need one to be a good passing team. In fact, this year's team has had beautiful ball movement in some games, although not as much lately. As far as our "PG" goes, Grayson tends to have a good first step and can get by people, but his handle is not amazing. He has made some very nice passes but also lacks superior vision to routinely find the best shot. If we win this game, does it mean that we now have a legit PG? I'm not sure i would be convinced of that.
I know that UVA's defense is fierce, but do they have a PG-hounding, open-court stealing defender that would legitimately make Grayson, Frank or Luke's evening a nightmare? In my mind, the Pack Line defense is more about making teams work really hard to find even a mediocre shot, let alone a good one, and less about intense ball pressure to force turnovers.

[CDu]

I agree 25% makes sense, but I don't really agree with your odds at each game, given a) UVa is muuuuuch better than Wake (#2 vs #32 in KenPom) and b) UVa is an away game and Wake is a home game.

I think the Wake win is at least 75% (Personally, I think we'll murder them) but I'm very worried about UVa. If we beat UVa, it's a helluva win and our arguably our best of the season. To me, this win would signal that "Duke's back" and "be very scared of Duke" all at the same time. Right now, I feel Duke is a strong team that can win any game, but we aren't favored against the cream of the crop. Beating UVa also signals that our main issues (transition D, lack of a PG which leads to turnovers) are fixable and certainly being fixed. I don't know how we can beat UVa without a near-perfect game from Duke.

I think UVa is overrated by Pomeroy. I think they're closer to a bottom-of-the-top-ten team. I think, on a neutral court, it's basically a toss-up game. So I don't think it's as huge a discrepancy, as, say, Pomeroy does (he thinks we have just a 25% chance of beating UVa).

Similarly, on a neutral court, I think we're only a slight favorite over Wake. At home, we're more of a favorite. But I don't know that I believe we're a 75% favorite (though I do think we'll win).

[Troublemaker]

Watch out for Notre Dame in the race for top 4 as well.

I was just looking at their schedule. They are 8-5 now and they will play:

@BC
@NCSU
GaTech
BC
@Lville

They could certainly be 12-5 heading into Lville, although hopefully they get upset before then.

[Wheat/"/"/"]

UNC injuries for the State game...

Starting 2g Kenny Williams likely to be out with a lower leg injury today...on crutches tonight.

Hicks looking to be a game day decision, still nursing a pulled Hamstring.

[OldPhiKap]

UNC injuries for the State game...

Starting 2g Kenny Williams likely to be out with a lower leg injury today...on crutches tonight.

Hicks looking to be a game day decision, still nursing a pulled Hamstring.

Thanks, I wish them both full recoveries soon.

[devildeac]

UNC injuries for the State game...

Starting 2g Kenny Williams likely to be out with a lower leg injury today...on crutches tonight.

Hicks looking to be a game day decision, still nursing a pulled Hamstring.


Thanks, I wish them both full recoveries soon.

Oldest unc trick in the book (Right, Newt? ;)). Guessing 50-50 on either/both playing tomorrow night.

Likely meaning NCSU only loses by 40 in Raleigh tomorrow night. :rolleyes:

[Troublemaker]

Gutty win by VaTech to win at Pitt after that 2OT game against UVA.

The Hoos get an extra day of rest, so Duke definitely shouldn't be counting on seeing an un-energetic UVA team tomorrow.

[Newton_14]

Oldest unc trick in the book (Right, Newt? ;)). Guessing 50-50 on either/both playing tomorrow night.

Likely meaning NCSU only loses by 40 in Raleigh tomorrow night. :rolleyes:
Indeed it is. And given the ridiculous amount of injuries to star players and key players, we have had this year starting with FB and carrying over into basketball, you'll excuse me for not giving a bleep if other teams suffer from a couple of injuries. No other ACC team in either sport even begin to approach the number of injuries Duke has experienced this season.

Nobody cut us a break when we lost at FSU & UL without Amile, or to Kansas without Tatum, Giles, and Bolden and Grayson playing on one leg. I don't think the Cheats will have much trouble against a State team that has totally collapsed, thrown in the towel, and now have a lame duck coach. Injuries sminjuries.... an get off my lawn.

[jv001]

Indeed it is. And given the ridiculous amount of injuries to star players and key players, we have had this year starting with FB and carrying over into basketball, you'll excuse me for not giving a bleep if other teams suffer from a couple of injuries. No other ACC team in either sport even begin to approach the number of injuries Duke has experienced this season.

Nobody cut us a break when we lost at FSU & UL without Amile, or to Kansas without Tatum, Giles, and Bolden and Grayson playing on one leg. I don't think the Cheats will have much trouble against a State team that has totally collapsed, thrown in the towel, and now have a lame duck coach. Injuries sminjuries... an get off my lawn.

My sports teams have taken a hit with injuries. First my Blue Devils with all the injuries you mention and my baseball team, St. Louis Cardinals now losing their #1 pitching prospect, Reyes. He's likely going to have Tommy John surgery. Don't want to hear about other team's injuries. GoDuke!

[Wheat/"/"/"]

Indeed it is. And given the ridiculous amount of injuries to star players and key players, we have had this year starting with FB and carrying over into basketball, you'll excuse me for not giving a bleep if other teams suffer from a couple of injuries. No other ACC team in either sport even begin to approach the number of injuries Duke has experienced this season.

Nobody cut us a break when we lost at FSU & UL without Amile, or to Kansas without Tatum, Giles, and Bolden and Grayson playing on one leg. I don't think the Cheats will have much trouble against a State team that has totally collapsed, thrown in the towel, and now have a lame duck coach. Injuries sminjuries... an get off my lawn.

Nice rant...I was just updating the board on a new injury I heard about with Williams and an update on Hicks.

Injuries are part of the game. Look around, everybody has injuries to deal with. Coaches with good depth deal with them better than those who don't.

...and last time I looked this board was not your personal lawn.

[CDu]

...and last time I looked this board was not your personal lawn.

The "and get off my lawn" is a self-deprecating joke, referring to being a crotchety old man yelling at those darn kids in the neighborhood. Newton was not suggesting the board is his personal lawn. It was an attempt at levity at the end of his rant.

[arnie]

The "and get off my lawn" is a self-deprecating joke, referring to being a crotchety old man yelling at those darn kids in the neighborhood. Newton was not suggesting the board is his personal lawn. It was an attempt at levity at the end of his rant.

Seems like a lot of Board effort goes into explaining simple things to UNC-Walmart fans.

[BandAlum83]

Nice rant...I was just updating the board on a new injury I heard about with Williams and an update on Hicks.

Injuries are part of the game. Look around, everybody has injuries to deal with. Coaches with good depth deal with them better than those who don't.

...and last time I looked this board was not your personal lawn.

It may not be his personal lawn, but you did leave footprints all over his post.

[dukebluesincebirth]

NC State will beat UNC tonight in Raleigh after losing by 50 in CH. Gottfried's last hurrah. You heard it here first!

[OldPhiKap]

Wheat was just updating us on injury status. It's info I did not know and am thankful for him bringing it to my attention.

I don't think he was asking for sympathy or making a pre-excuse if they lose.

Just my read though.

[Wheat/"/"/"]

The "and get off my lawn" is a self-deprecating joke, referring to being a crotchety old man yelling at those darn kids in the neighborhood. Newton was not suggesting the board is his personal lawn. It was an attempt at levity at the end of his rant.

Maybe you're right, he can speak for himself, but that's certainly not how I took it after that rant of a reply, off topic, to a simple update post in the ACC weekly thread regarding another ACC team injury that had just occurred, and was not common knowledge.

I guess I have to come to grips that it's become more acceptable around here lately to read posts from the ever insightful Packman97, than to think a post discussing real, new, relevant information on the "this week in the ACC" thread" would be of interest to the basketball fans here.

[Olympic Fan]

I think Virginia Tech's gutty win at Pitt -- rallying from a double digit deficit in the second half was one of the most significant games in the ACC this season.

VPI came into the game 6-6 in the ACC and probably in the NCAA field. But the loss of Clarke is devastating and if the team stumbles without him, that could really impact the way the Selection Committee viewed the Hokies.

Now they have the Pitt win without Clarke. They'll probably lose Saturday when they go to Louisville.

But they have a chance to finish strong with upcoming games with Clemson @Boston College, Miami and Wake Forest.

Big win for Clemson too Tuesday night -- I couldn't believe it, but Lunardi had the Tigers in the field yesterday BEFORE the win over Wake (which has a better record and much better RPI). I don't know if he's right, but beating the Deacs for a second time this season has to keep them in the conversation.

Notre Dame had to gut out a tough win at BC. The Eagles aren't winning many games, but they aren't an easy out any more. As Troublemaker pointed out, Notre Dame has a soft final month (except the finale at Louisville). They are 9-5 tight now and should be 12-5 when they visit the Cards on March 4. I'm willing to bet they go into that day with a chance to at least tie for the ACC regular season title (since I think Virginia will split with UNC).

Besides the Duke-Virginia game and the NC State-UNC game tonight, don't forget about Georgia Tech at Miami. Two bubble teams (I think Miami just in and Georgia Tech just out) that will both be fighting for a berth. Both 6-6 in the ACC at the moment, but Miami (16-8) is a bit better overall than 15-10 Georgia Tech -- with a much higher RPI. Probably better for the ACC if Miami wins and solidifies its NCAA case.

[PackMan97]

I know we are down to 5 to 6 games left for most teams, has anyone started looking at tie breakers for first place and the top four? I have to imagine it's a mess.

[CDu]

I know we are down to 5 to 6 games left for most teams, has anyone started looking at tie breakers for first place and the top four? I have to imagine it's a mess.

UVa and UNC have yet to play. Louisville and UNC haven't played. Duke has yet to play UVa and has another against UNC and FSU. The only head-to-heads that are done among the top 5 are UVa/Louisville, UVa/FSU, and Louisville/FSU. So it really isn't feasible to assess tiebreaker situations. Given that there are at least 5 teams in the mix (and six if Notre Dame keeps winning) for the top spot, there are too many tiebreaker scenarios with too many unplayed head-to-heads to make it worthwhile.

We'll know a bit more after this week. UNC plays Louisville this weekend and Duke plays UVa tonight. But even after that there are just too many games left that matter.

[Olympic Fan]

I know we are down to 5 to 6 games left for most teams, has anyone started looking at tie breakers for first place and the top four? I have to imagine it's a mess.

There's a front page article today that talks about that.

But, seriously, it's too early. For instance, Duke wins the current tiebreaker with Virginia (since they have a win over first-place UNC), but that changes after tonight's game when they will set the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Tiebreakers are:

(1) head to head results. That includes when multiple teams tie with the same overall record -- look at the records against each other. Teams that play just once had better win -- 1-0 is the same as 2-0.

(2) If head-to-head is even (either 1-1 or a case where multiple teams are tied and their head-to-head is the same), then you begin comparing records against the top team in the standings and going down the standings. The one that has the better record against the top team wins the tiebreaker. In this case 1-0 is the same as 2-0 (and 0-1 the same as 0-2.

[camion]

I know we are down to 5 to 6 games left for most teams, has anyone started looking at tie breakers for first place and the top four? I have to imagine it's a mess.

They gave the problem to the Watson supercomputer and it just kept printing out the same hexadecimal number over and over.

"9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F ..."

:confused::confused:

[PackMan97]

They gave the problem to the Watson supercomputer and it just kept printing out the same hexadecimal number over and over.

"9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F 9F ..."

:confused::confused:

LOL! What's up with UVA and UNC playing twice in a week a half?

[Rich]

LOL! What's up with UVA and UNC playing twice in a week a half?

Sigh, I miss the old balanced schedule. I think the close timing of certain games is in large part caused by ESPN's Rivalry Week, which is scheduled to occur after the Super Bowl.

[Indoor66]

LOL! What's up with UVA and UNC playing twice in a week a half?

Good scheduling? Nothing better to do? Swoffy's revenge?

[English]

Good scheduling? Nothing better to do? Swoffy's revenge?

I recall we had a similar scheduling glitch with UofL last season, amid a murderous stretch. We played them (#13 at the time) at home, then played (#7) UVa & (#5) UNC, then played them (#18) again in the Yum. That was 12 days apart.* It struck me as slightly odd then, and it strikes me as slightly odd now. Then again, conference scheduling in a 15-team conference is likely MUCH more complicated than I care to consider. Sooo, here we are, I guess?

*ETA: We won the first three games of that stretch, but dropped the last @UofL. We led for most of that game, but DT went down and our lack of depth showed up down the stretch.

[Olympic Fan]

I recall we had a similar scheduling glitch with UofL last season, amid a murderous stretch. We played them (#13 at the time) at home, then played (#7) UVa & (#5) UNC, then played them (#18) again in the Yum. That was 12 days apart.* It struck me as slightly odd then, and it strikes me as slightly odd now. Then again, conference scheduling in a 15-team conference is likely MUCH more complicated than I care to consider. Sooo, here we are, I guess?

*ETA: We won the first three games of that stretch, but dropped the last @UofL. We led for most of that game, but DT went down and our lack of depth showed up down the stretch.

That was the game Matt Jones missed after being injured in Chapel Hill. Thornton played 34 minutes, so I don't think his injury was that much a factor -- I think fatigue was a bigger deal. Three days after beating UNC in Chapel Hill, all five starters -- with Jones out -- played 34-plus minutes at Louisville.

[tbyers11]

That was the game Matt Jones missed after being injured in Chapel Hill. Thornton played 34 minutes, so I don't think his injury was that much a factor -- I think fatigue was a bigger deal. Three days after beating UNC in Chapel Hill, all five starters -- with Jones out -- played 34-plus minutes at Louisville.

I think Thornton's injury (shoulder, IIRC) was a huge factor in the loss at UL last year. He was taking the lion's share of the duties of handling the pressure defense. When he left with the injury at 9:05 left in the second half, we were up 5, 54-49. When he returned to the game with 3:55 remaining we were down 7, 66-59. Fatigue to all the players definitely was a factor late in the 2nd half, but Derryck missing 5 minutes during the key stretch where we essentially lost the game was really big too.

[Olympic Fan]

If you've got time and want to laugh, check out the prediction thread on the PackPride Board for tonight's State-UNC game:

http://www.scout.com/college/north-carolina-state/forums/2515-packpride-sports/15395432-prediction-thread-unc-nc-state

Be warned, the level of bitterness is painful at times ... for instance, the fan who has nicknamed this Wolfpack team "the Gottless Wonders".

I liked the poster who predicted a 30-point UNC win ... but suggested that postgame, BJ Anya will challenge Kennedy Meeks to an eating contest "and restore the Pack's pride."

Also a great GIF of Gott's pregame speech on the fourth page of the thread.

BTW: The mention that the official spread is UNC by 10. Can that be right? I was guessing more like 20.

[BandAlum83]

Maybe you're right, he can speak for himself, but that's certainly not how I took it after that rant of a reply, off topic, to a simple update post in the ACC weekly thread regarding another ACC team injury that had just occurred, and was not common knowledge.

I guess I have to come to grips that it's become more acceptable around here lately to read posts from the ever insightful Packman97, than to think a post discussing real, new, relevant information on the "this week in the ACC" thread" would be of interest to the basketball fans here.

I did appreciate it, Wheat.

[BandAlum83]

I know we are down to 5 to 6 games left for most teams, has anyone started looking at tie breakers for first place and the top four? I have to imagine it's a mess.

There was a seeding calculator website last year. I can't find it and don't know if it was updated this year.

Anyone know?

[Indoor66]

No TV for the State game here in South Florida! 👹. Go State. 😎

[Tripping William]

No TV for the State game here in South Florida! 👹. Go State. 😎

Be grateful. State down 13 early. The Wuffies just gunnin' it up thus far.

[Indoor66]

Lets go STATE!

[BandAlum83]

Be grateful. State down 13 early. The Wuffies just gunnin' it up thus far.

UNC may need to score 125 on their own to hit the over. They just may!

[Troublemaker]

Rob DausterVerified account ‏@RobDauster (https://twitter.com/RobDauster) 1h1 hour ago (https://twitter.com/RobDauster/status/832027516126756864)
Jaquan Newton has been suspended for three games, Miami announced. Brutal loss at a really bad time for the bubble bound Canes.


He'll return for Duke.

Miami leading GaTech at halftime 38-32 without him tonight.

[BandAlum83]

Rob DausterVerified account ‏@RobDauster (https://twitter.com/RobDauster) 1h1 hour ago (https://twitter.com/RobDauster/status/832027516126756864)
Jaquan Newton has been suspended for three games, Miami announced. Brutal loss at a really bad time for the bubble bound Canes.


He'll return for Duke.

Miami leading GaTech at halftime 38-32 without him tonight.

Would love to see GT win and better their bubble chances.

[Newton_14]

Maybe you're right, he can speak for himself, but that's certainly not how I took it after that rant of a reply, off topic, to a simple update post in the ACC weekly thread regarding another ACC team injury that had just occurred, and was not common knowledge.

I guess I have to come to grips that it's become more acceptable around here lately to read posts from the ever insightful Packman97, than to think a post discussing real, new, relevant information on the "this week in the ACC" thread" would be of interest to the basketball fans here.

Speaking for myself here... CDu is spot on. It was absolutely not any kind of demand or request for you or any other unc or other non-Duke fans to not post in this thread or any other thread. I would not do that. If I did, one of my fellow moderators would infract me and delete the post. We have been using the Clint Eastwood "Get off my lawn" movie quote as self-deprecating humor for quite a long time. Sorry, I thought everyone that posts regular here knew that. My bad and my apologies.

Do I give a bleep about other team's injuries, given what we have been through with Football this season, and now basketball. There are a lot of other ACC FB teams that would have won no more than 1 or 2 games had they lost the same position players we lost, and if other acc basketball teams had endured the injuries we have endured at the same level (meaning the exact same players relative to their team) and played our schedule, few if any of them would have as good a record as we have. It has just been a bizarre number of injuries unlike any I have seen very often in college sports...

That said, it was certainly appropriate for you to use this thread to update everyone on the injuries for unc, or any other info relate to that game or other acc games this week....

[Wheat/"/"/"]

Speaking for myself here... CDu is spot on. It was absolutely not any kind of demand or request for you or any other unc or other non-Duke fans to not post in this thread or any other thread. I would not do that. If I did, one of my fellow moderators would infract me and delete the post. We have been using the Clint Eastwood "Get off my lawn" movie quote as self-deprecating humor for quite a long time. Sorry, I thought everyone that posts regular here knew that. My bad and my apologies.

Do I give a bleep about other team's injuries, given what we have been through with Football this season, and now basketball. There are a lot of other ACC FB teams that would have won no more than 1 or 2 games had they lost the same position players we lost, and if other acc basketball teams had endured the injuries we have endured at the same level (meaning the exact same players relative to their team) and played our schedule, few if any of them would have as good a record as we have. It has just been a bizarre number of injuries unlike any I have seen very often in college sports...

That said, it was certainly appropriate for you to use this thread to update everyone on the injuries for unc, or any other info relate to that game or other acc games this week...

And my apologies for misunderstanding your comment...movin' on....

[CDu]

We are now officially players for the ACC regular season. Now we need UVa to do us a favor. Huge win.

[91devil]

Check out Hubert Davis' jacket tonight. Wow. Lots of batteries required.

[jhmoss1812]

We are now officially players for the ACC regular season. Now we need UVa to do us a favor. Huge win.

Not gonna happen CDu. We're gonna get swept by UNC. Sorry man.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

We are now officially players for the ACC regular season. Now we need UVa to do us a favor. Huge win.

No we don't. I mean, not technically. We control our destiny if we win out.

[CDu]

No we don't. I mean, not technically. We control our destiny if we win out.

Yes, "need" was the wrong word. It would be nice for them to do so. But technically we don't control our own destiny yet. Louisville still holds the tiebreaker.

[Olympic Fan]

Good win for Miami (without Newton) vs. Georgia Tech tonight.

Good for the ACC, I think, Miami is a much stronger NCAA candidate than Georgia Tech (a very weak pre-ACC resume). They are at 17-8 (7-6 ACC) after tonight's game. They've got a home game with Clemson and a road game at Virginia before Newton returns.

His first game back? Feb. 25 when Duke visits Miami.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Yes, "need" was the wrong word. It would be nice for them to do so. But technically we don't control our own destiny yet. Louisville still holds the tiebreaker.

Touche.

And yes, of course I am rooting for UVa to quickly right the ship.

:)

But Carolina looked pretty scary good tonight.

[75Crazie]

Has there ever been a more striking example of the "Defeat Duke Effect" than State this year?

[OldPhiKap]

Bilas just tweeted that UNC's Kenny Williams may be gone for the rest of the year.

Edit to add: Roy apparently said in post-game pressed that KW is having surgery next week, then 4-6 weeks recovery.

[Olympic Fan]

Yes, "need" was the wrong word. It would be nice for them to do so. But technically we don't control our own destiny yet. Louisville still holds the tiebreaker.

It depends on what you mean by destiny.

The tiebreaker only impacts tourney seeding.

If Duke and Louisville end up tied atop the standings, Louisville would get the No. 1 seed, based on their head-to-head win over Duke.

But both teams would share the regular season title -- there is no tiebreaker for that.

So we DO control our destiny when it comes to the ACC regular season title ... we still need a little help to win the No. 1 seed.

Personally, I don't think there's a big difference between the 1-2-3 seeds .. but winning the regular season title is significant -- it's a championship and Coach K has always said that his program plays for championships.

[Hingeknocker]

Personally, I don't think there's a big difference between the 1-2-3 seeds .. but winning the regular season title is significant -- it's a championship and Coach K has always said that his program plays for championships.

This is true, but I also think there's an argument to be made that the ACC Regular Season is the championship that Coach K cares the least about. I could be projecting since regular season conference titles is the one area that Duke hasn't excelled relative to our other accomplishments. Our last regular season championship was 2010, and we have just five since 2000.

But when I look at the way Coach K talks about the importance of the ACC Tournament, as well as the early-season tournaments we play (given their similarity to NCAA tournament games), I think it's clear that his priorities lie elsewhere. Much to the chagrin of fans like me who want us to win every game, no matter what! But he's playing the long game.

[CDu]

This is true, but I also think there's an argument to be made that the ACC Regular Season is the championship that Coach K cares the least about. I could be projecting since regular season conference titles is the one area that Duke hasn't excelled relative to our other accomplishments. Our last regular season championship was 2010, and we have just five since 2000.

But when I look at the way Coach K talks about the importance of the ACC Tournament, as well as the early-season tournaments we play (given their similarity to NCAA tournament games), I think it's clear that his priorities lie elsewhere. Much to the chagrin of fans like me who want us to win every game, no matter what! But he's playing the long game.

I think Coach K cares about all championships. Listen to him talk about his first championship: the 1986 Regular Season title, clinched in a win over UNC.

In fact, I don't think I've ever heard Coach K being accused of playing the long game. His mentality has always been that every game matters. If you don't treat regular season games like tournament games, you won't be as prepared when the tournament comes around. That's part of why he doesn't extend his bench in the regular season unless the game is a huge blowout.

[kAzE]

Bilas just tweeted that UNC's Kenny Williams may be gone for the rest of the year.

Edit to add: Roy apparently said in post-game pressed that KW is having surgery next week, then 4-6 weeks recovery.

Unfortunate timing for them, although with Theo Pinson back healthy, they might not have too much of a drop off. It will probably hurt them against us, as that's one fewer capable defender on the perimeter to check our 3 main scorers.

[Wander]

NC State is single-handedly going to cost us a seed line. Our loss to them is shaping up to be easily the worst loss by any of the serious contenders.

[Matches]

NC State is single-handedly going to cost us a seed line. Our loss to them is shaping up to be easily the worst loss by any of the serious contenders.

State's not going to win another game. It's unreal. Their win over us will be their last win of the season unless they pull out a Tuesday win in the ACCT.

[Troublemaker]

NC State is single-handedly going to cost us a seed line. Our loss to them is shaping up to be easily the worst loss by any of the serious contenders.

Yeah, what I'm hoping for is that Duke keeps winning, and all those losses will get rolled up into the "Coach K not coaching" part of the season in the selection committee's eyes.

[duketaylor]

Lunardi has us up to a 3-seed in the West and UVA down to a 4-seed in the East.

[CDu]

NC State is single-handedly going to cost us a seed line. Our loss to them is shaping up to be easily the worst loss by any of the serious contenders.


Yeah, what I'm hoping for is that Duke keeps winning, and all those losses will get rolled up into the "Coach K not coaching" part of the season in the selection committee's eyes.

I think that we're clearly setting ourselves up to have those early ACC games heavily discredited. We haven't lost a game in which we've had the entire team available and the coaching staff in place. If that continues, we'll be a 1 seed in the South or East.

[OldPhiKap]

I think that we're clearly setting ourselves up to have those early ACC games heavily discredited. We haven't lost a game in which we've had the entire team available and the coaching staff in place. If that continues, we'll be a 1 seed in the South or East.

I think this is right.

We have run off 6 wins in a row. Our last five games include two top tier teams; two "just a step behind" teams; and a traditional conference foe. If we can go 4-1 in that stretch (no easy task) and get to the final of the ACCT (also no easy task), if we fall short of a #1 seed it won't be because of the State loss when K was out.

If we perform worse than that, we're not getting a #1 seed regardless.

Just win, baby. One game at a time . . . .

[BandAlum83]

NC State is single-handedly going to cost us a seed line. Our loss to them is shaping up to be easily the worst loss by any of the serious contenders.

Totally agree, I will be disappointed with the #1 seed instead of the bye to the sweet 16.

[arnie]

NC State is single-handedly going to cost us a seed line. Our loss to them is shaping up to be easily the worst loss by any of the serious contenders.

Work with State fans - enjoy telling them the loss to State at home is Duke's worst, most humiliating loss on 20+ years.😎

[Wander]

Our last five games include two top tier teams; two "just a step behind" teams; and a traditional conference foe. If we can go 4-1 in that stretch (no easy task) and get to the final of the ACCT (also no easy task), if we fall short of a #1 seed it won't be because of the State loss when K was out.


Why not? It is extremely easy for me to imagine the State loss being the deciding factor in, for example, Kansas, Villanova, and UCLA getting 1 seeds ahead of us in the exact scenario you lay out.

[Olympic Fan]

Lunardi has us up to a 3-seed in the West and UVA down to a 4-seed in the East.

Not that I pay much (any) attention to Lunardi's guesses, but (1) moving to a No. 3 seed is significant -- it's a much easier path than a No. 4 seed. Not a big difference between a No. 2 and a No. 3, but I think the difference between a No. 1 and No. 2 is big and between a No. 3 and No. 4 is big.

(2) I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to be in the West. I remain a major skeptic of Gonzaga, which will clearly be the No. 1 seed in the West. The No. 2 seed in the West will be tough -- the top Pac 12 team (Oregon, UCLA or Arizona). Most brackets up to now (including the official selection committee bracket released last Saturday) had us in the Midwest. I would hate, hate, HATE to be in the Midwest because Kansas will be the No. 1 in the Midwest and they'll get to play in Kansas City. I don't fear Kansas, but Kansas City is almost a homecourt for them.

I'd be very happy with No. 3 in the West; No. 2-3 in the East or South or No. 1 anywhere (although we almost need to win out to get a No. 1)

[Wander]

Not that I pay much (any) attention to Lunardi's guesses, but (1) moving to a No. 3 seed is significant -- it's a much easier path than a No. 4 seed. Not a big difference between a No. 2 and a No. 3, but I think the difference between a No. 1 and No. 2 is big and between a No. 3 and No. 4 is big.


I don't think history agrees with you.

Since the tournament went to 64+ teams, 1/2/3/4 seeds have reached the Final Four 52/28/14/13 times.

Similarly, 1/2/3/4 seeds have the following win percentages in the first round: 100%/94%/84%/80%.

They have the following win percentages in the second round: 87%/68%/61%/58%.

Seems like the difference between 2 and 3 is bigger than the difference between 3 and 4.

[Olympic Fan]

Sad news from Raleigh (and, no, I'm not talking about that disaster of a basketball team).

C.A. Dillon just passed away this morning after a long illness.

I know that might not mean much to modern fans, but the oldtimers will understand. For many, many years, Dillon was the voice of ACC basketball.

His one basketball job was as the PA announcer at Reynolds Coliseum -- he announced every game in Reynolds between its opening in 1949 and its closing in 2000 (he did a several years in the PNC Arena). That was during a period when NC State dominated the Southern Conference and the early years of the ACC. He was also the PA man for the first 13 years of the ACC Tournament.

He's the only PA announcer I've ever heard of who has a banner hanging in the rafters.

He was also just about the last link to State's glory days. Frank Weedon once said that his voice is like the ghost of Everett Case.

I found this story by Tim Peeler:

http://www.gopack.com/news/2010/1/15/The_Soul_of_Reynolds_Coliseum_C_A_Dillon.aspx

[Indoor66]

Always distinctive. RIP.

[OldPhiKap]

Why not? It is extremely easy for me to imagine the State loss being the deciding factor in, for example, Kansas, Villanova, and UCLA getting 1 seeds ahead of us in the exact scenario you lay out.

We play in a much tougher league than all of those teams. I cannot see how an ACC team will not be a #1 seed when all is said and done. If we are on par with those teams with record and statistical metrics, I do not think that the NC State loss will be determinative.

Just my two cents, for what little that is worth.

[vick]

We play in a much tougher league than all of those teams. I cannot see how an ACC team will not be a #1 seed when all is said and done. If we are on par with those teams with record and statistical metrics, I do not think that the NC State loss will be determinative.

Just my two cents, for what little that is worth.

For what it's worth, UCLA's RPI is atrocious for a #1 seed (currently #22). Statheads may gripe about the RPI, and to some degree it is a bit unfair how much it penalizes UCLA for playing the #300 vs. #200 team in nonconference, but for now the committee continues to rely on it, albeit less than they used to.

[jv001]

Sad news from Raleigh (and, no, I'm not talking about that disaster of a basketball team).

C.A. Dillon just passed away this morning after a long illness.

I know that might not mean much to modern fans, but the oldtimers will understand. For many, many years, Dillon was the voice of ACC basketball.

His one basketball job was as the PA announcer at Reynolds Coliseum -- he announced every game in Reynolds between its opening in 1949 and its closing in 2000 (he did a several years in the PNC Arena). That was during a period when NC State dominated the Southern Conference and the early years of the ACC. He was also the PA man for the first 13 years of the ACC Tournament.

He's the only PA announcer I've ever heard of who has a banner hanging in the rafters.

He was also just about the last link to State's glory days. Frank Weedon once said that his voice is like the ghost of Everett Case.

I found this story by Tim Peeler:

http://www.gopack.com/news/2010/1/15/The_Soul_of_Reynolds_Coliseum_C_A_Dillon.aspx

Thank you for the link. That's a great story on Mr. Dillon. He was a legend in NC State basketball. His voice will be remembered by us veterans of Big Four Basketball. Especially Duke, NC State and Uncheat. One of my best friends, high school coach, Leroy Myers, a devout NC State fan got me interested in NC State and Duke basketball. Coach Myers was a State fan first and Duke fan 2nd. He told me of Pucillo, Moladet, Shavlik, Hemric, Rosenbluth and other Big Four players. I think some of the past State players, coaches(Coach Myers) and fans are rolling over in their graves seeing what the State basketball program has become over the years. Being a Duke fan first and a State fan 2nd, has me scratching my head wondering how a proud basketball program has gone down hill over the years. GoDuke

[sagegrouse]

Why not? It is extremely easy for me to imagine the State loss being the deciding factor in, for example, Kansas, Villanova, and UCLA getting 1 seeds ahead of us in the exact scenario you lay out.

It's a long season, and there are aberrations. Given Duke's six-game winning streak, I think that ugly mess of a game is in the TSC's rearview mirror and receding rapidly. I expect that if we win the ACC Tournament, we will get a #1 seed; if we don't, we won't.

Kindly
sage
'OTOH, I wouldn't be displeased to be a #2 in Gonzaga's bracket'

[gofurman]

I don't think history agrees with you.

Since the tournament went to 64+ teams, 1/2/3/4 seeds have reached the Final Four 52/28/14/13 times.

Similarly, 1/2/3/4 seeds have the following win percentages in the first round: 100%/94%/84%/80%.

They have the following win percentages in the second round: 87%/68%/61%/58%.

Seems like the difference between 2 and 3 is bigger than the difference between 3 and 4.

Wander - i think it was you a year or two ago..

great stuff - do you have the stats on the 1/2/3/4 seeds winning the national title?? It was a bigger difference than many think. Because so many say, well playing a 15 or a 16 isn't that different.. true - but the difference in a 1 or 2 seed isn't all about your opponent. ITS ABOUT YOU. I bet Duke 99, 01, 10, 15 were all 1 seeds. Your seed is very indicative of how good YOU are. regardless of path to the FF.

Could you post that stat of what pct of 1/2/3/4 seeds have won the national title??? Thanks !!

[English]

It's a long season, and there are aberrations. Given Duke's six-game winning streak, I think that ugly mess of a game is in the TSC's rearview mirror and receding rapidly. I expect that if we win the ACC Tournament, we will get a #1 seed; if we don't, we won't.

Kindly
sage
'OTOH, I wouldn't be displeased to be a #2 in Gonzaga's bracket'

Me neither, not by a long shot...and not least of all because of the howls from other fanbases about how favorable everything always falls for the Evil Empire. Relish it.

[sagegrouse]

I don't think history agrees with you.

Since the tournament went to 64+ teams, 1/2/3/4 seeds have reached the Final Four 52/28/14/13 times.

Similarly, 1/2/3/4 seeds have the following win percentages in the first round: 100%/94%/84%/80%.

They have the following win percentages in the second round: 87%/68%/61%/58%.

Seems like the difference between 2 and 3 is bigger than the difference between 3 and 4.I would argue that it's as much the underlying quality of the team as it is the advantage in the seed.

Given a normal (or log-normal) distribution against some measure of quality, the boldfaced result is exactly what you would expect. The teams in the tail of the distribution (density function) are relatively further apart than those closer to the center of the distribution.

[DU82]

Sad news from Raleigh (and, no, I'm not talking about that disaster of a basketball team).

C.A. Dillon just passed away this morning after a long illness.

I know that might not mean much to modern fans, but the oldtimers will understand. For many, many years, Dillon was the voice of ACC basketball.

His one basketball job was as the PA announcer at Reynolds Coliseum -- he announced every game in Reynolds between its opening in 1949 and its closing in 2000 (he did a several years in the PNC Arena). That was during a period when NC State dominated the Southern Conference and the early years of the ACC. He was also the PA man for the first 13 years of the ACC Tournament.

He's the only PA announcer I've ever heard of who has a banner hanging in the rafters.

He was also just about the last link to State's glory days. Frank Weedon once said that his voice is like the ghost of Everett Case.

I found this story by Tim Peeler:

http://www.gopack.com/news/2010/1/15/The_Soul_of_Reynolds_Coliseum_C_A_Dillon.aspx

A couple of corrections. He missed two games through 1986, one for his honeymoon and one for his mother's funeral. After that, he missed a few games (a friend of mine, who was the volleyball announcer at the time, subbed for him for one game during a snow storm.) Also, he only announced one game in the ESA, then, as the article you linked to indicated, he "switched off his microphone, hung up his red blazer and stopped worrying about how to pronounce the name of every player on the court."

I talked about him with my eye doctor at the time, Art Chandler. He thought C.A. had a bad voice for a PA announcer (too high pitched, IIRC), but then said he was great in that role for State. He certainly was a key part of making Reynolds a great atmosphere (terrible place to actually watch a game other than a handful of seats. The renovated place, on the other hand, is terrific.)

[devildeac]

Here's to UVa winning a big one on the road tomorrow.

9F.

[OldPhiKap]

Here's to UVa winning a big one on the road tomorrow.

9F.

You ain't wrong about that, brother.

[Eakane]

T
I would argue that it's as much the underlying quality of the team as it is the advantage in the seed.

Given a normal (or log-normal) distribution against some measure of quality, the boldfaced result is exactly what you would expect. The teams in the tail of the distribution (density function) are relatively further apart than those closer to the center of the distribution.

There was a lot to dislike about the top 16 reveal last weekend, and not just for us Duke fans. For me, the worst part of it was the concession that regional placement trumps the S curve. Seems to me that, at least for the first 2 lines, i.e., the top 8 teams, the s-curve should be predominant. The reward for being the #1 one should be that the weakest 2-seed, i.e., the eighth best team, be in your bracket. Likewise the others would be 2 vs 7, 3 vs. 6 and 4 vs. 5 (if seeding held to the regional finals) The rest of the bracket could be filled up with some consideration given to regional-ity. This should not be to big a burden, especially with the pod system. But the committee apparently does not see it that way, so we may see a bracket where the #1 one has #6 or #7 as their 2-seed, which screws up every other bracket.

[Troublemaker]

T

There was a lot to dislike about the top 16 reveal last weekend, and not just for us Duke fans. For me, the worst part of it was the concession that regional placement trumps the S curve. Seems to me that, at least for the first 2 lines, i.e., the top 8 teams, the s-curve should be predominant. The reward for being the #1 one should be that the weakest 2-seed, i.e., the eighth best team, be in your bracket. Likewise the others would be 2 vs 7, 3 vs. 6 and 4 vs. 5 (if seeding held to the regional finals) The rest of the bracket could be filled up with some consideration given to regional-ity. This should not be to big a burden, especially with the pod system. But the committee apparently does not see it that way, so we may see a bracket where the #1 one has #6 or #7 as their 2-seed, which screws up every other bracket.

This decision was made a few years ago after feedback from head coaches and athletic directors, though. It turns out the programs themselves would rather just stay close to home than get an "easier" opponent. So, for example, apparently a lot of people here would like Duke to be the 2 seed out West in Gonzaga's bracket. But Coach K himself would probably prefer to be the 2 seed in the East so Duke could possibly play in Madison Square Garden. (A lot of alumni up there and a venue we play at all the time.)

Also, there is one exception apparently, which was explained on that mock top-16 selection show. The overall 5 seed can't be bracketed with the overall 1 seed.

[Olympic Fan]

Awesome lineup of ACC games Saturday, beyond Duke-Wake:

Noon has Clemson at Miami (RSN) One team barely hanging on to NCAA hopes, the other barely on the right side of the bubble at the moment. Clemson is coming off a strong showing against wake Forest, while Miami will be playing its second game without Ja'Quan Newton.

Also at noon: Notre Dame at N.C. State (ESPN) ... how will the Pack respond to Gottfried's firing? Will they have their fourth straight blowout loss or will they show some fight? I'd guess the former.

1 PM has Virginia Tech at Louisville (ACCN). Not a game VPI needs on its already solid NCAA resume, but Louisville is in the mix for the ACC regular season title and a No. 1 seed, so huge for the Cards.

4 PM Florida State at Pitt (ESPN2). The Seminoles are in the battle for the ACC regular season title, while Pitt will be lucky to get an NIT bid. But the Panthers appear to have snapped out of their spiral and are playing well again. At home, they could really be a spoiler. And FSU is just 2-4 on the road in the ACC.

8:15 PM (ESPN) Virginia at UNC. The Cavs appear to be staggering after a brutal stretch of games, but if they have any hope of contending for the ACC regular season title -- even a top four seed -- they need this one.

I'll be pulling for Virginia, Pitt and Virginia Tech ... also for Notre Dame, but that's just because I like Brey, not because it helps or hurts us.

[TKG]

On the front page of the Raleigh N&O (digital version), there is a story in which Roy claims that State approached him about their head coaching position years ago

UNC’s Roy Williams says he was offered NC State job long ago http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/unc/unc-now/article133435919.html


This guy's ego (inferiority complex) knows no bounds.

[OldPhiKap]

On the front page of the Raleigh N&O (digital version), there is a story in which Roy claims that State approached him about their head coaching position years ago

UNC’s Roy Williams says he was offered NC State job long ago http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/unc/unc-now/article133435919.html


This guy's ego (inferiority complex) knows no bounds.

Roy obviously doesn't give a $#!¥ about State.

[Bob Green]

Marilyn PayneVerified account
‏@marilyn_payne

Near 70 degrees outside, noon tipoff, coach fired two days ago...

PNC is..well.. brutally empty ~15 mins pre #NotreDamevsNCState #wral

She should have add #delusionalfanbase

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

State is hanging close so far with ND.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

State is hanging close so far with ND.

Nevermind.

[Olympic Fan]

Pitt knocked FSU out of the second-place tie with Duke and Louisville.

Now if Virginia can pull the upset tonight in Chapel Hill, we'll have a three-way tie atop the ACC standings. If the Heels win, UNC will have a one game lead on the Devils and Cardinals -- with home games coming up against both (plus a road game at Virginia left).

Miami scored a big win to help their bubble chances and hurt Clemson's slim hopes.

Louisville got to 10-4 by holding off Virginia Tech. Don't think that hurts the Hokies much, but they are now 7-7 in the league, so they need to be careful.

Expected win for Notre Dame in Raleigh -- but the Pack showed a little fight for the first time in a while (cutting a 25 point deficit under 10).

Got Virginia at UNC coming up and Syracuse at Georgia Tech tomorrow.

[dukelifer]

Pitt knocked FSU out of the second-place tie with Duke and Louisville.

Now if Virginia can pull the upset tonight in Chapel Hill, we'll have a three-way tie atop the ACC standings. If the Heels win, UNC will have a one game lead on the Devils and Cardinals -- with home games coming up against both (plus a road game at Virginia left).

Miami scored a big win to help their bubble chances and hurt Clemson's slim hopes.

Louisville got to 10-4 by holding off Virginia Tech. Don't think that hurts the Hokies much, but they are now 7-7 in the league, so they need to be careful.

Expected win for Notre Dame in Raleigh -- but the Pack showed a little fight for the first time in a while (cutting a 25 point deficit under 10).

Got Virginia at UNC coming up and Syracuse at Georgia Tech tomorrow.

UVA can't score. They are already down big.

[Olympic Fan]

Okay, just for fun, I tried to lay out the ACC Tournament brackets as they stand today (after the Virginia at UNC game):

Tuesday
Noon -- No. 12 Clemson (4-10) vs. No. 13 Pitt (4-10) -- note, Clemson beat Pitt to win the tiebreaker
2:30 pm -- No. 10 Georgia Tech (6-7) vs. No. 15 Boston College (2-12)
7 pm -- No. 11 Wake Forest (6-9) vs. No. 14 NC State (3-12)

Wednesday
Noon -- No. 8 Virginia (8-6) vs. No. 9 Virginia Tech (7-7) -- Note: Virginia is in a three-way tie with Syracuse and Miami, they are 0-1 head to head (they have a home game with Miami coming up)
2:30 pm. -- No. 5 FSU (9-5) vs. the Clemson/Pitt winner
7 pm -- No. 7 Miami (8-6) vs. the GaTech/BC winner -- Note: Miami also 0-1 vs. the other two 8-6 teams, but they have a win over No. 1 UNC and that gives then the tiebreaker vs. the Cavs
9:30 p.m. -- No. 6 Syracuse (8-6) vs. the Wake/State winner -- Note Syracuse is 2-0 against the teams they are tied with

Thursday
noon -- No. 1 UNC (11-3) vs. the Virginia/VPI winner
2:30 p.m. -- No. 4 Notre Dame (10-5) vs. the FSU/Clemson/Pitt survivor
7 p.m. -- No. 2 Louisville (10-4) vs. Miami/GaTech/BC survivor Note: Louisville wins the head-to-head tiebreaker with Duke
9:30 pm -- No. 3 Duke (10-4) vs. the Syracuse/Wake/State survivor

Obviously, a lot can -- and will --change. I'd like to get out of the 3 seed, because the games are so late (also the late semifinal Friday). Right now, Virginia is the team that has the worst seeding based on how good they are, but they have time to change that.

Sunday's Syracuse at Georgia Tech game can shake some things up ... I think they are both bubble teams.

[wilson]

Okay, just for fun, I tried to lay out the ACC Tournament brackets as they stand today (after the Virginia at UNC game):

Tuesday
Noon -- No. 12 Clemson (4-10) vs. No. 13 Pitt (4-10) -- note, Clemson beat Pitt to win the tiebreaker
2:30 pm -- No. 10 Georgia Tech (6-7) vs. No. 15 Boston College (2-12)
7 pm -- No. 11 Wake Forest (6-9) vs. No. 14 NC State (3-12)

Wednesday
Noon -- No. 8 Virginia (8-6) vs. No. 9 Virginia Tech (7-7) -- Note: Virginia is in a three-way tie with Syracuse and Miami, they are 0-1 head to head (they have a home game with Miami coming up)
2:30 pm. -- No. 5 FSU (9-5) vs. the Clemson/Pitt winner
7 pm -- No. 7 Miami (8-6) vs. the GaTech/BC winner -- Note: Miami also 0-1 vs. the other two 8-6 teams, but they have a win over No. 1 UNC and that gives then the tiebreaker vs. the Cavs
9:30 p.m. -- No. 6 Syracuse (8-6) vs. the Wake/State winner -- Note Syracuse is 2-0 against the teams they are tied with

Thursday
noon -- No. 1 UNC (11-3) vs. the Virginia/VPI winner
2:30 p.m. -- No. 4 Notre Dame (10-5) vs. the FSU/Clemson/Pitt survivor
7 p.m. -- No. 2 Louisville (10-4) vs. Miami/GaTech/BC survivor Note: Louisville wins the head-to-head tiebreaker with Duke
9:30 pm -- No. 3 Duke (10-4) vs. the Syracuse/Wake/State survivor

Obviously, a lot can -- and will --change. I'd like to get out of the 3 seed, because the games are so late (also the late semifinal Friday). Right now, Virginia is the team that has the worst seeding based on how good they are, but they have time to change that.

Sunday's Syracuse at Georgia Tech game can shake some things up ... I think they are both bubble teams.Great job here, OF. This is starting to be a worthwhile endeavor, as least in that we can identify big games down the stretch:


Feb 22: Louisville @ unc
Feb. 27: unc @ Virginia
Feb. 28: Florida State @ Duke
March 4: Duke @ unc

I agree with you that I'd like out of the #3 slot, both for scheduling purposes and because I want no part of Wake Forest for a third time this season. Really, for Duke, every remaining game is big for ACCT seeding purposes, and all of them figure to be tough (@Syracuse, @Miami, vs. FSU, @unc). I'd be satisfied with a 3-1 finish to the regular season, but not really surprised by anything else except losing all 4.

There also figure to be some really interesting late-season ACC matchups on the bubble, with Wake Forest, Syracuse, Clemson, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech all battling to make the NCAAT:

Feb 19: Syracuse @ Georgia Tech
Feb. 21: Clemson @ Virginia Tech
Feb. 22: Duke @ Syracuse
Feb. 27: Miami @ Virginia Tech
March 1: Louisville @ Wake Forest
March 4: Georgia Tech @ Syracuse

It seems like the ACC race is pretty much down to Duke, Louisville, and unc. All three have tough home stretches: Duke faces two long trips, two ranked teams, and three road games out of the last four games, Louisville has 2 ranked teams (@unc and vs. ND) and 2 teams fighting for NCAAT inclusion (vs. Syracuse, @ Wake), and unc has three matchups with ranked teams (Louisville, @UVA, Duke), with a slight break @Pitt (although that's not a bad basketball team or an easy place to play...ask Florida State).
Florida State or Notre Dame could still conceivably catch the conference leaders, but they would both need a lot of help at this point.

[CDu]

I wouldn't say the regular season crown is down to three teams. Notre Dame and FSU, for example, are sitting there with 5 losses and games against teams one game in front of them. And UNC has road games against UVa and Pitt and home games against UNC and Louisville. There is still plenty of room for a reordering of the top teams.

I would agree that the current top three is likely to contain the eventual regular season champ. But I wouldn't rule out either FSU or ND yet.

[Olympic Fan]

How big is today's Syracuse at Georgia Tech game?

As of this morning's RPI, Georgia Tech is No. 74 in the RPI ... Syracuse is No. 75.

Both have a lot of work to do to get an at-large bid, but today's winner has a real edge.

Duke moved up to No. 10 in the RPI (I think that's where Duke will be raked Monday)

The ACC currently has six teams in the top 22 of the RPI -- No. 3 Louisville (now ahead of Baylor), No. 5 UNC, No. 10 Duke, No. 11 FSU, No. 14 Virginia, No. 22 Notre Dame -- I think they are all mortal locks to be in the field.

Then we get to No. 32 Virginia Tech (very safe), No. 35 Wake (solid RPI, but record problems), No. 42 Miami (just on the good side of the bubble -- they could clinch it with a win next Saturday over Duke).

That's nine strong candidates (well, Wake needs to win a few)

After that, it gets interesting. Pitt (53) and Clemson (59) have better RPIs but worse records than Georgia Tech (74) and Syracuse (75). Only NC State and BC are out of it. Syracuse might need to beat Duke at home Wednesday night to stay in the picture.

One other point, I think there is an excellent chance that the ACC gets a No. 1 seed. I've always thought it likely that Gonzaga and Villanova are almost certain No. 1s. I could never see a scenario where BOTH Kansas and Baylor got a No. 1 (looking more and more like Kansas). The final No. 1 comes down to the best Pac 12 team (Oregon?) or the best ACC team. Obviously, one of the top ACC teams would need to almost run the table to get a one -- if we beat each other up, then I think Oregon gets the No. 1 ... but I think the committee (and Oregon) would rather keep them in the West as the No. 2 than make them the No. 1 and send them South.

[construe]

I wouldn't say the regular season crown is down to three teams. Notre Dame and FSU, for example, are sitting there with 5 losses and games against teams one game in front of them. And UNC has road games against UVa and Pitt and home games against UNC and Louisville. There is still plenty of room for a reordering of the top teams.

I would agree that the current top three is likely to contain the eventual regular season champ. But I wouldn't rule out either FSU or ND yet.


Let's hope this is one of those times that UNC beats themselves! :p

[TruBlu]

Let's hope this is one of those times that UNC beats themselves! :p

Oh, please don't tempt me with a post like this. I would like to not be put on permanent Holiday.

[-jk]

Oh, please don't tempt me with a post like this. I would like to not be put on permanent Holiday.

"Ademola Okulaja beats himself" <clap clap>

-jk

[CDu]

Let's hope this is one of those times that UNC beats themselves! :p

Haha! Oops, I meant Duke. Yikes, not a mistake I like to make there. 😳

[Olympic Fan]

Georgia Tech beats Syracuse 71-65, which helps the Jackets chances of getting a bid.

Syracuse, on the other hand, has now lost three straight and are down to 16-12. They should be pretty desperate when Duke invades the Carrier Dome Wednesday night ... a fourth straight loss will leave them in big trouble (and they have a game at Louisville coming up after that).

[CDu]

Georgia Tech beats Syracuse 71-65, which helps the Jackets chances of getting a bid.

Syracuse, on the other hand, has now lost three straight and are down to 16-12. They should be pretty desperate when Duke invades the Carrier Dome Wednesday night ... a fourth straight loss will leave them in big trouble (and they have a game at Louisville coming up after that).

Yeah that loss was damaging for Syracuse for sure. They stand a very good chance of finishing the regular season at 17-14. That isn't going to be good enough.

Tech got a much-needed win. But if I were a betting man, I would bet on both missing the tourney.