oops, i don't know how i didn't catch that. i should stop posting at work. my brain is too tired. thank god i get off soon.

1/25/2008 3:04:22 PM

...what she said

1/25/2008 3:07:53 PM

page 15

Quote :

""18. NORTH CAROLINA STATE. NC State is my nominee in the annual "most overrated team based on artificially inflated expectations" category. The Wolfpack had a fabulous week at the ACC tournament last March, but they also went 5-11 in the conference and lost point guard Engir Atsur. History strongly suggests a reality check is coming.""

1/25/2008 4:59:30 PM

Quote :

"hahahhahahha, Lunardi is about to get TOLD. History suggests shit w/ Sendek out of the picture."

We must have a "kick me" sign on our backs because history is about to knock the shit out of us, Sendek or no.

[Edited on January 25, 2008 at 5:01 PM. Reason : x]

1/25/2008 5:00:56 PM

Quote :

" i'm not giving him hell. i am laughing at his ignorance. we are going to be LOADED this year. i just cant wait til we play duke and unc and we can show how great a coach sid really is."

1/25/2008 5:42:37 PM

crow served medium rare

http://www.thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=501895

1/25/2008 5:47:21 PM

Quote :

"combine that with duke = a team full of freshman outside of 2-3 so-so players, and this should be a good year indeed"

Quote :

"DAMN RIGHT, WE ARE WAITING FOR IT FUCKING TARHEEL FAGGOTS"

1/25/2008 5:51:03 PM

honest question why can't we just get some kid that can drain 3s like crazy off campus and let him play? then we could play 4 on 4 instead of 4 on 5 and he would hit it if he ever was open.

[Edited on January 25, 2008 at 9:30 PM. Reason : and just hide him on defense]

1/25/2008 9:26:15 PM

ACC standings as of 1/27. note UVA and GT are about to wrap up, and Maryland and Duke still have to play today.

School Conf. Pct. Overall Pct.
Duke 4-0 1.000 16-1 .941
North Carolina 4-1 .800 19-1 .950
Boston College 3-2 .600 12-6 .667
Clemson 3-3 .500 15-5 .750
Virginia Tech 3-3 .500 12-8 .600
Maryland 2-2 .500 12-7 .632
Miami 2-3 .400 15-4 .789
NC State 2-3 .400 13-6 .684
Wake Forest 2-3 .400 12-6 .667
Georgia Tech 2-3 .400 9-9 .500
Florida State 2-4 .333 13-8 .619
Virginia 1-3 .250 11-6 .647

Man if we could have just won against GT we'd be sitting pretty at third in the conference b/c our overall record would be better than BC's.

Oh well there's still plenty of games left. Maryland started 1-4 in conference play last year and ended up winning 10 conference games when all was said and done.

1/27/2008 6:42:32 PM

damn there is alot of mediocre basketball bein played behind UNC and Duke

1/27/2008 6:46:22 PM

^ I think competitive would be a better adjective. And to build on the comparison of another thread in sports talk, nobody would describe the middle-of-the road football teams in the SEC as mediocre.

1/27/2008 6:59:29 PM

mediocre is the right word. try to watch the actual games

1/27/2008 7:50:38 PM

Aww... I think somebody's pissed because I called them a dipshit in the other thread.

I do watch the games jackass. Why would I try to disagree if I hadn't seen them? Are you seriously going to try to argue that the ACC games haven't been competitive? Seven have gone into OT, and approximately 15 have been decided by 3 pts or less. Duke and UNC haven't been immune to this competition either. Why else would UNC have to squeak out wins against Clemson and Ga. Tech and lose to "mediocre" Maryland? And now that same Maryland is giving Duke all they can handle, so...

[Edited on January 27, 2008 at 8:31 PM. Reason : asdf]

1/27/2008 8:30:47 PM

furguson about to make his last run at a gold medal on espn shortly.

superpike is exciting even for non x game fans.

1/27/2008 9:35:27 PM

ACC Standings after tonight. Here's to us getting that third conference win Thursday night.

Duke 5-0 1.000 17-1 .944
North Carolina 4-1 .800 19-1 .950
Boston College 3-2 .600 12-6 .667
Clemson 3-3 .500 15-5 .750
Virginia Tech 3-3 .500 12-8 .600
Georgia Tech 3-3 .500 10-9 .526
Miami 2-3 .400 15-4 .789
NC State 2-3 .400 13-6 .684
Wake Forest 2-3 .400 12-6 .667
Maryland 2-3 .400 12-8 .600
Florida State 2-4 .333 13-8 .619
Virginia 1-4 .200 11-7 .611

1/27/2008 10:50:29 PM

^^^ I actually don't think about you at all, despite your girlish fantasies.

The games are competitive because both teams are equally as crappy. Competitive doesn't imply high quality basketball. That's why every ACC team but one got bounced from the tournament on the first weekend last year even though ACC play was very even. The ACC is on the down. Everyone but idiots knows it.

[Edited on January 27, 2008 at 10:54 PM. Reason : .]

1/27/2008 10:54:14 PM

To put it in perspective there is a log jam in the middle. If we had beat GA TECh we would be in 3rd place right now. Instead we are in a log jam. And for the fool who says the ACC is mediocre. Watch the games. 16 have gone into OT OR been decided by 3 points or less. Great basketball to watch. The end.

1/27/2008 10:59:55 PM

^^ Oh, so they are competitive. I thought you said competitive wasn't the right word? You're so confused you can't even decide who's opinion your going to agree with next.

You're latest post indicates you've actually landed on one. So, because some people don't buy into the "let me question the traditional conference power's dominance and show I'm an objective, i.e. knowledgeable, college sports observer" line of thinking, that makes them idiots? Newsflash dude: one can be objective and knowledgeable and draw a different conclusion than you. Yep, it's possible.

And your line that the ACC's poor showing in last year's tournament is indicative of its decline doesn't hold water. Otherwise the ACC should have had a great showing in the 2005-2006 Tournament because of its great showing the year before. Right? But it didn't because one season doesn't have an impact on another. NC State is a great example of this. We had a great ACC tourney run last year, so we should be tops in the conference this year. But wait, we aren't. Hmm...

And let me ask you this, if Memphis somehow wins the tournament this year, are you going to try and tell me that Conference USA is tops?

Oh and how do you explain the fact that everyone in the ACC has a winning record? Not playing good non-conference opponents is part of it, but then again, the vast majority of BCS schools are guilty of this, and not all of them are above .500.

[Edited on January 27, 2008 at 11:19 PM. Reason : asdf]

1/27/2008 11:19:15 PM

http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/012208aaa.html

Good article on some of the most memorable ACC Tournaments held in Charlotte. It even has a part on the infamous 12-10 State-Duke game as well as the 1970 championship game upset of then No. 3 ranked USC, who had a 23-2 record. Lew Alcindor had just graduated the year before and the Gamecocks to many were the team to challenge them for the national title. So much so that the Associated Press gave them the preseason No. 1 ranking. They were never ranked below No. 4 in the polls that year. Another reason why I think UCLA would have not had their run had the NCAA Tournament allowed at-large bids. I definitely think they would have won a fare amount of them, just not 10 of them. I still think though that they would have 3-peated during the Alcindor era though. That guy was nearly unstoppable.

1/27/2008 11:19:48 PM

^ I agree with you about UCLA's title runs. Also, back during their dominant period, the tournament consisted of true regionals. UCLA was pretty much the only power in the West. They didn't have to face any of the Eastern powers until the Final Four. This meant they only had to get up for 2 games all year and they would win the tournament and the Title.

1/27/2008 11:29:04 PM

Quote :

"This meant they only had to get up for 2 games all year and they would win the tournament and the Title."

They were given an automatic berth in the tournament every year?

1/27/2008 11:33:37 PM

No. They coasted through their regular season schedule and were automatically in as the Pac-10 representative because of it. Had patsies for opponents in the round of 16 and round of 8 (because of the true regional system), and then they were in the Final 4. This is where my "getting up for 2 games all year" line came from.



[Edited on January 27, 2008 at 11:58 PM. Reason : V I stand corrected.]

1/27/2008 11:40:19 PM

actually the Pac 10 like a lot of conferences didn't have a conference tournament back then, so that made it even easier for them.

1/27/2008 11:45:41 PM

here's Duke's thread on the upcoming game against us.

http://forums.scout.com/mb.aspx?S=167#s=167&f=1386&t=1928846

1/28/2008 12:46:19 AM

Carolina's new basketball museum. I've been saying that we need one of these for a couple of years now. It's a great recruiting tool and helps educate your fans and visiting teams fans about the history of your program.

http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/unc/photos/story/904051.html

1/29/2008 8:36:50 AM

http://www.ncaasports.com/mmod

Sign up to watch the games online come NCAA tourney time.

1/29/2008 12:18:52 PM

jim calhoun ftw

1/29/2008 5:07:24 PM

Rivals.com put out their early Bracket

http://collegebasketball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=767393

Mississippi State No. 6 seed

I don't buy Marq. or Bulter as No. 4's.

However Maryland-Baltimore Co. in there is priceless. Go Retrievers!

1/30/2008 3:46:42 PM

that's a good looking 1-12

1/30/2008 3:48:15 PM

http://www.ncaaondemand.com/composite_sports/men-s-basketball?school_id=887

I give you the motherload. I got the 1983 national championship game on DVD for my birthday this past November.

Also yesterday I got a brochure about ordering tickets for the NCAA tournament in 2009. Keeping with the trend of having a site in North Carolina, the NCAA has awarded Greensboro the opportunity to be a site for first and second round games next year, probably for the East Region. I think the NCAA likes this b/c they will more than likely have an ACC team at this site. Duke and North Carolina would have a good chance at going to this site. State and Wake are other possibilities. So this almost assures a sellout. Also the Greensboro Coliseum is a very large venue at a capacity of 23,500 when compared to a lot of other 1st and 2nd round sites and is on par with most of the regional sites. A fair amount of the 1st and 2nd round sites are at arenas owned by a university. Most of them being 15,000 and below. The regional sites are usually in a NBA sized arena or a dome. So selling out an arena that would normally be accommodating for a regional, but instead for 1st and 2nd round games is very appealing financially for the NCAA. Plus the Greensboro Coliseum has probably the most intimate setting I've seen for a 20,000+ seat arena. The seating is pretty close and steep.

2/7/2008 7:50:35 PM

http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/020708aaa.html

Bill Hass on the ACC: McCauley's New Role has NC State Rolling
Junior is settling in on the wing and helping the Wolfpack to wins.

Feb. 7, 2008

By Bill Hass
theACC.com

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Call him a glue guy, call him a utility man or just call him a competitor.

By whatever name, good things happen when Ben McCauley is on the court for North Carolina State.

Preseason expectations ran high for the Wolfpack, which was picked third in the poll taken of the media during Operation Basketball in October. After a slow start, State has won three of its last four games to reach 4-4 in the conference. That gives the Pack a legitimate shot at finishing in one of the coveted top four spots, which means it wouldn't have to play the first day of the ACC Tournament.

"We have some momentum and we're ready to make some noise in the second half of the ACC season," said McCauley, a 6-foot-10 junior. "You want to get to that .500 mark and above as you try to boost yourself into that upper level.

"We had to play the first day last year and it's tough to play four days. We need to establish ourselves so we can have that first day to watch the other teams and then we can come out with full energy on the second day."

Finishing in the top four won't be easy. At the halfway point in the schedule, Duke and North Carolina are the favorites to capture the top two spots. Maryland, Clemson, Virginia Tech, NC State and Georgia Tech figure into the free-for-all for the other two byes. Wake Forest, Boston College and Florida State still have a shot with a strong second half.

Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe said he wasn't sure if he would call it momentum, but his team is playing better recently.

"Some of our players have made the adjustment to the changes we've made and the addition of new players," he said. "Our guys feel good about the fact we've won a few games and (they are) recognizing there are certain things we have to do to win and we have to do them on a consistent basis."

It's no coincidence that State's recent surge has come with McCauley back in the starting lineup. Last season he averaged 14.4 points and 6.9 rebounds while playing almost 35 minutes a game. He was part of a unit with Brandon Costner, Courtney Fells and Gavin Grant that averaged about 35 minutes apiece.

But with the addition of 6-9 freshman J.J. Hickson plus a trio of inexperienced point guards, State struggled to find last year's chemistry. McCauley started, then came off the bench, then started again. Finally, things seem to be meshing better, even with him moving from the post to the wing.

"It feels good being back as a starter," McCauley said. "It's a lot like last year, although it's a different position. I feel confident going out there at the tip and believe I can help give us the lead early.

"Starting is good for me because I bring energy and I can help us get going early. It's important to have energy right at the tip so you can be acting instead of reacting. We want to come out and put teams away early."

That's why Lowe inserted McCauley back in the starting lineup, to help cure the Pack's slow starts.

"He's probably the guy we have with the most intensity on our team and we thought it was important that we get him in there," Lowe said. "It's also his ability to communicate; he's the best at communicating on our team.

"He talks defensively, he can execute on the offensive end and he can score. He does a number of things for us and he's done a real nice job since he's been in there. Now we have to have everybody else do their jobs."

Although he played the wing some in his AAU days, McCauley has mostly been a post player through high school and his first two years of college ball. He still slides in there when Hickson goes out for a rest, but most of his time is spent on the wing, a different view of the game.

"Last year I really liked the (post position), but now I like a combination of the two," he said. "Posting up is what I've always done and what I know how to do, but playing the wing is good because that's what I'll probably do at the next level.

"I've worked on a 15- to 17-foot jumper and also worked on my ballhandling so I can create for my teammates. I have improved my jumper. I made two (against Virginia Tech) and that helps my confidence."

With averages of 6.1 points and 3.9 rebounds, McCauley's role has changed to a more complementary one. He developed into a good passer last season and looks to get even better at getting the ball to teammates in position to score. He is also asked, depending on the particular game, to grab rebounds or to box out so his teammates can rebound. And he'll sometimes play the stopper on defense.

"The reason I like him really has nothing to do with the tangible things," said Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg. "He's an intangible guy to me. I mean, he's just tough, he's competitive, he doesn't mind taking a hit - I think he enjoys it. I think he's a really good player, he understands the game, he plays to win and I admire guys that play that way."

McCauley demonstrated how he plays to win against Wake Forest. With the game tied and five seconds left, he threw an inbounds pass to Gavin Grant, then sprinted the length of the court and slammed home the winning basket off the missed shot just before the buzzer.

"You know what, that kid, give him credit," said Wake coach Dino Gaudio. "He took the ball out of bounds, ran 94 feet and tip-dunked the game-winner. He made a heck of a basketball play. It was an effort play."

Lowe said he thought it was McCauley's mind-set from the moment he threw the ball in.

"It was just an unbelievable play of, I can't say not giving up, but just going to make something happen," Lowe said. "He wasn't going to accept the fact that maybe Gavin is going to make the shot. He wanted to put himself in the position that if the shot came off he was there. And that's what he did. You don't see a guy inbound the ball and then go down and dunk it on the other end. That just doesn't happen too often, not in that fashion."

The play is etched in McCauley's memory bank.

"I didn't know I could run the full length of the court in five seconds, so that's kind of amazing," he said with a laugh. "When I threw the ball in, I saw Gavin was open and the defense dropped back. I thought he might pull up and sure, enough, he took the shot. I saw all the Wake Forest players turn and look to the hoop, probably figuring that was the last shot of the game.

"There was still a decent amount of time left and when I got to the 3-point line, there was still no one blocking me out. I got a pretty easy bounce right in front of the rim and I grabbed the ball and threw it in. When the horn sounded, I tried to make sense of it all to be sure it really happened."

Although he said there's nothing more enjoyable than playing ACC basketball, there are other facets to McCauley's life. He has twice been named to the league's All-Academic team, and posted a 3.25 GPA for the fall semester.

"It's really important to do what you need to do in the classroom," he said. "You're representing your school (on the court) and getting an education, so hopefully I can keep that up. You're only here for four years, so you might as well take advantage of it."

McCauley is majoring in Sports Management and eventually hopes to get into golf course design or golf course management. He played golf four years in high school in West Newton, Pa., about 35 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. Although he doesn't play during basketball season, in the summer he still enjoys picking up the clubs specially lengthened to compensate for his height.

"I'm not as good as I was in high school, but I can still put together a decent round," he said. "Being tall, you want to stay down on the ball. You tend to pull up, top the ball and hit it thin."

Thoughts of the golf course are far from McCauley's mind at the moment. The Wolfpack has road games at Maryland on Saturday and at Boston College on Feb. 14. If things run true to this season's ACC form, both will be close and could be decided on the final possession.

"They build confidence," McCauley said. "If you get into the NCAA Tournament, you're going to have close games. For us to be in them and win some of them, will help us do well in the NCAA because we know what it takes to win those games."





[Edited on February 7, 2008 at 8:26 PM. Reason : pics]

2/7/2008 8:20:56 PM

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3236726

LSU's free fall since Final Four appearance leads to Brady's firing

BATON ROUGE, La. -- John Brady was fired as LSU's men's basketball coach Friday with his team struggling at 8-13, a dismissal that left him in tears at a farewell news conference.

"I've coached in the best league in the country and I've coached a lot of great guys," Brady said during the afternoon news conference with LSU Tigers athletic director Skip Bertman. "They've done some great things that had not been done here in a long time."

Brady is the third-winningest coach in the university's history. His 192-139 record included two first-place finishes in the SEC and a trip to the 2006 Final Four.

But after that 27-9 finish, the team fell to 17-15 last season, with a 5-11 conference mark, and things got worse this season, with just one win in seven SEC games.

Associate head coach Butch Pierre will take over for the rest of the season.

Brady's wife sobbed openly during the news conference while Brady spoke haltingly, wiping away tears by the end of a long, sometimes rambling statement. He noted that he inherited an LSU program 10 years ago that was facing stiff penalties for NCAA violations and that it was on probation when he won his first SEC championship in his third year.

"Under those circumstances it's a pretty good 10-year run," Brady said.

Brady said he was too competitive to quit but respected Bertman's decision to dismiss him.

Bertman said he was concerned about falling attendance at home games, but that "the ultimate reason John was fired was not attendance. They just didn't win enough games."

Still, while women's basketball game attendance has grown to more than 6,000 fans per game, men's basketball is averaging just 8,240 this year, Bertman said. Season-ticket sales remained at about 7,000 even after the trip to the Final Four.

"I wouldn't blame the basketball coach for attendance," Bertman said. "They won 18 games in a row there and attendance did not increase."

Bertman said he had planned to fire Brady after Saturday's game against Tennessee, which would put LSU at the midway point in its SEC schedule. But he moved it up because he was afraid word of the dismissal would leak to Brady or the team.

Bertman, who is retiring June 30, will hire a search firm to help find a new coach.

Bertman said he would not contact any potential coach until the season, and if necessary the postseason, is over.

Brady has three years left on his contract. Bertman said Brady will get his base salary of $300,000 a year unless he is hired somewhere else.

Brady had replaced longtime coach Dale Brown, who finished his career with four losing seasons and a bitter NCAA investigation.

The NCAA found that a former booster paid player Lester Earl about $5,000 while he was attending LSU. The Tigers were placed on probation in 1998, lost three scholarships, and were restricted on how the remaining scholarships could be given.

2/8/2008 5:00:54 PM

Quote :

""I've coached in the best league in the country "

So he was a shitty coach because he was retarded...

2/8/2008 5:05:26 PM

or he thinks he's a football coach

2/8/2008 5:14:10 PM

Tonight's the night!

Clemson will finally win at Chapel Hill!!!

2/10/2008 5:58:40 PM

uncs talent along with the refs in chapel hill are almost unbeatable

2/10/2008 6:01:06 PM

YO what channel is this game on? Not showing on MOJO even though it says it supposed to be there.

2/10/2008 6:34:40 PM

Fox Sports South down here.

2/10/2008 6:37:50 PM

its on mojo after the ucla game ends

2/10/2008 6:38:02 PM

annnnnd UCLA is upset again

2/10/2008 6:47:54 PM

8-0 all cu

2/10/2008 6:49:22 PM

Clemson has never won in Chapel Hill, right? Like at all? Not just in the Nose Dome?

2/10/2008 6:50:06 PM

damn the game just came on 10-3 clemson

2/10/2008 6:51:27 PM

nope

2/10/2008 6:51:32 PM

dont you worry, the refs wont allow clemson to run away with this game (or win it)


I almost got tickets and went to this game (through a friend)

2/10/2008 6:51:57 PM

no lawson?

no hd?

2/10/2008 6:53:31 PM

2/10/2008 6:53:41 PM

hd kicked in after the 16 min timeout

2/10/2008 6:59:05 PM

hmm, how hurt is Lawson? I thought he was very close to playing Duke, so I figured it wasnt bad enough to miss multiple games...

2/10/2008 6:59:33 PM

if it's a bad ankle sprain, he's hurt. they didn't want to show their cards before the duke game though. ankle sprains don't heal that fast, even with the best trainers, underwater treadmills, etc, etc. if it's a high ankle sprain he could easily miss another month.

2/10/2008 7:03:22 PM