UNC 97, Rutgers 75

Rutgers played a great game. Unfortunately for the Scarlet Knights, they played a great UNC team and lost.

I'm glad that Marcus Ginyard is back and playing! Not only a great defender, Marcus maintains a lot of other strengths, such as leadership.

West Virginia 31, UNC 30

A great game, albeit strange, that showed two questionable defenses against two exciting offenses. Going into the game I thought it would be a low scoring game--WVU only allowed on average 16 points a game, and UNC averaged around 22. After the first quarter (WVU led 21-14 at this time), it was a low scoring game.

I think Hakeem Nicks will be playing in the NFL next year. He probably just played the best game of his career.

UNC--are we a bit flat?

UNC beat Valpo by 22 today, but for the 3rd straight game I've been underwelmed by the Heels. What's wrong?

First, UNC had a long break during exams, and they definitely are a bit flat. The legs are there, but the timing of plays have been noticably off kilter.

Second, UNC has played three weaker, no-name teams, and they haven't gotten up for these games.

I can't wait until we start the ACC regular season. We need some tougher competition that will make us "wake up" from this funk.

Tyler--all time UNC leading scorer

Great job Tyler! This picture was taken by my former roomie at UNC (I protect his identity--he was just an innocent party).

UNC Hoops legends

So Psycho T is approaching Phil Ford's all-time record for most points scored in UNC history. I don't believe UNC has ever had a player more focused than Tyler Hansbrough. So I ask everyone, where does Tyler rank among all-time UNC basketball players?

Going back into time, Carolina has many great players. Among them, I include John "Hook" Dillon, Bones McKinney, Lennie Rosenbluth, BillyCunningham, Larry Miller, Charlie Scott, Bob McAdoo, Bobby Jones, Mitch Kupchek, Walter Davis, Phil Ford, James Worthy, Michael Jordan, Sam Perkins, Brad Daughtery, Kenny Smith, George Lynch, Eric Montross, Derek Phelps, Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace, Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Ed Cota, Sean May, Rashawn McCants, Raymond Felton, Tyler Hansbrough, Marvin Williams, Wayne Ellington, and Tywon Lawson. There are also many near greats, such as Al Wood, Mike O'Koren, Joseph Forte, Rick Fox, King Rice, Jeff McInnis, JR Reid, and Brendan Haywood.

So I've been trying my best to rank the top 10 players of all time. Here is my list.

1. Phil Ford--he dominated the game during his time. He could run, he could shoot, and he could pass the ball. His determination was as strong as any player in any period of time.
2. James Worthy--although he only played 3 years, and his freshman year he missed half the season, he was the main reason why UNC won the National Championship in 1982. Great player, as fast of a power forward in the college scene.
3. Michael Jordan. He was a better pro player, but he was an awesome college player, too. He was the 1984 Naismith player of the year.
4. Tyler Hansbrough. I've never seen a freshman lead a team like Psycho T led the 2005-06 basketball team. UNC lost a ton of talent after the 2004-05 National Championship team (May, Felton, M. Williams, McCants, J. Williams, Manuel, and Scott). In 2007, with some additional reinforcements, he led the Tar Heels to the 2007 ACC Championship. In 2008, he again led the Heels to the ACC Championship and to the Final Four.
5. Charlie Scott. Simply an awesome player. He was the first Black recruit of the program, and his leadership helped UNC reach the Final Four in 1968 and 1969. A great player whose game was inspirational. He helped break the ACC through the color barrier.
6. Antawn Jamison--No one could put the basketball into the basket faster than Jamison. Great personality, great defender, and a great leader.
7. Sam Perkins--the forgotten man on the 1982 UNC Championship team. Sam may have been the most coachable player Dean Smith ever had. He played great D, had a great shot, great range, and was the silent leader of the UNC basketball teams in the early 80's.
8. Larry Miller. Many people do not realize that Larry may have been the key to Dean Smith's ultimate success. Recruited in 1964, by the time he played his 3 years on the varsity, UNC reached the final four 2 times. Before Larry played at UNC, Dean Smith had four mediocre teams. He helped transform UNC into a powerhouse.
9. Raymond Felton. He was my favorite from the 2004-05 National Championship team. I don't believe there was a better leader on the court that year than Raymond. Without him, UNC would have been lucky to reach the Sweet Sixteen that year. Point of reason--remember the first game that year against Santa Clara? He didn't play, and we lost the game.
10. George Lynch. Great talent, incredible leader, and an incredible defender. His play and leadership guided UNC to the championship in 1993.

Feel free to comment.

UNC 100, Oral Roberts 84

How did Oral Roberts score 50 points in the 2nd half? This is a rhetorical question, so I don't expect anyone to answer.

UNC did enough to win the game, but obviously playing tough D was not part of the game plan. If we play a game like this in the ACC, we will probably lose.

Right now, our bench looks surprisingly thin. The only bench player that I feel comfortable watching is Ed Davis. Bobby Frasor is looking like an 8-10 minute player, which is about what I picture coming from Will Graves. Larry Drew looks like a freshman (which I expect from a FRESHMEN). He will be more dependable as the season progresses.

Bottom line: we miss Marcus Ginyard. Having Marcus back in the mix will strengthen our bench (either Marcus can play off the bench or Danny Green can go back and be the NCAA's best sixth man).

Economic Downturn--will this affect college sports?

College athletics rely on funding from Universities, boosters that guarantee salaries within the athletic departments, ticket sales, and advertising. Times are hard, and the ethical question I raise is the following: Why shouldn't athletic departments and athletic conferences not scale back?

Athletes are not the problem...I couldn't imagine being a student athlete. The time demands, studying, trying to fit into a team and understand a system. It's very hard, and I don't want any cuts to come at the expense of the players.

This is the main reason why I was against in expanding the ACC as far South as Miami all the way North to Boston College. Besides the fact that geographically neither school fits with the other 10 schools, the cost to travel to these locations are expensive. Can schools afford to travel to Maui, the West Coast, or Alaska anymore? I don't know, but I'd like to see programs control the traveling that are teams make.

Matt Doherty--peace to you

During the early 80's, Matt Doherty was one of my favorite players. He always played in a supporting role for our program, usually the 3rd or 4th offensive weapon of Coach Smith's arsenal. He always seemed to be on the court at crucial junctures of the game, and I cannot remember Matt ever causing the Heels to lose a game...as a player.

That being said, I never believed that Doherty should have been hired in the summer of 2000 as the replacement of Coach Gut. His resume was too thin for my liking, having only served 1 year as a head coach of a Division I team. Although that's one more year than Dean Smith had when he took over the program in 1961, the game had changed immensely in those 39 years. For instance, Dean only had 1 assistant coach his first year.

Matt's first problem was relieving Hanners, Sullivan, and Ford from their duties as coaches of the program. I fully support Matt's decision in taking his assistants from ND with him--he was entitled to do so. The one I blame is Baddour. Baddour should have never hired a head coach that would not have, at a minimum, retained Phil Ford as an assistant. Phil had been an assistant for 12 years, and to have sent him packing was wrong (even if they just shuffled him within the university).

Matt didn't have a lot of talent at the program in 2001, but he did the best he could with what he had. Remember, Phil had Lang, Capel, Owens, Haywood, Curry, Peppers, and Forte as his main contributers to the team (Curry and Peppers were better football players than basketball players). However, after losing a few games at the beginning of the season, he had UNC ranked #1 shortly after upseting Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium. I vividly remember the Heels having a section of students saying they were "Doh's Disciples".

The 2001-02 season was a train wreck. Haywood graduated, Curry and Peppers decided to only play football, and the new freshmen that year (Jawad Williams, Scott, and Manuel) were thrust into roles they were not ready to handle. Doh's patience wore thin, and the next thing you know some of his fringe players (Boone, Morrison) left the program.

Doh promised the 2002-03 season would be better, and it definitely was better. We beat UConn and Duke that year, and we even pulled an upset against Kansas. Unfortunately, practices were more painful with the program, and there were more freshmen (Saunders, Grant, May, McCants, and Felton) that had to go into action without being fully seasoned.

There are many issues that Matt created by himself. Obviously the players were in rebellion, and Matt's personality clashed with his players. But if it wasn't for Matt, would the 2004-05 UNC team won the National Championship?

So Matt Doherty, I know you will never read this post, but I do appreciate your role in UNC basketball. You were a splendid player, and you were an excellent recruiter. You were a good coach during the games, much better than I thought you would be when you were first hired. You had your faults, which only makes yourself human. I wished you would have knocked Chrissy Collins down when he confronted you at a UNC-Duke game, but that's okay too. I know you feel animosity towards our program, but I only hope you will forgive those who you believed on you.

Thank you Dean Smith

I don't hear many people discuss Dean Smith anymore. Coach Smith retired 11 years ago, and I still remember the reactions regarding his retirement. A wife of a friend of mine called me and said "My hubby is crying uncontrollably about Dean's decision. My hubby is also drunk!". The next day, when my friend was sober, I talked to him about the path of our program. We both agreed that in the short term UNC would be fine, but over the next 5 years there would be problems. The problems really lasted 7 years.

Coach Gut did an incredible job on keeping the program together, so well that he was in a position to win the National Championship in two of his three years. Unfortunately, recruiting was down, with only one good player, Joe Forte, that was succesfully recruited.

Enter Matt Doherty. If there was ever a man to be hired for the wrong position, Matt was the man. Not to insult Doherty, but he was not in a good position to start out with. He had good talent his first year, and he really had the Heels overachieving for about 2/3's of the season. On the same day that Dale Earnhardt died (I was a big Earnhardt fan), Carolina lost to lowly Clemson. That game was the official beginning of the end for Doherty. Doherty's style rubbed the players wrong, and his motivational talents had not yet developed. No doubt Doherty is a solid coach, but he was simply the wrong coach at the wrong time.

After the Doherty regime, here comes coach Roy. If there was ever a coach that resembled Coach Smith, it is Roy Williams. The differences are small (Coach Smith would drink Scotch and smoke, while Williams did neither. Coach Roy will use profanity, which is not in Coach Smith's vocabulary). Coach Williams inherited a team with emotional issues, and they did struggle in 2004. But who can forget 2005? Coach Williams won with the players that Doherty recruited.

Coach Smith, I want to thank you for everything you did for Carolina in your 36 years as head coach. Even while you were an assistant coach under Frank McGuire, you always believed that the program should be managed the right way. I really appreciated the fact that you never said one bad comment about Doherty, who you coached 4 years and who I'm sure still love. You have been loyal to our program for many moons, and for that, I say simply "Thank You".



After Doherty left the program.

UNC vs. West Virginia

Carolina will play the Mountaineers of West Virginia in the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte. I remember that WVA was in the top 10 in the early part of the season, only to be embarrassed by the Pirates of ECU. So what do we know about the matchup?

To begin with, UNC and WVA both played Rutgers and Connecticut. WVA beat Rutgers and UCONN 24-17 and 35-13, respectively. UNC beat Rutgers and UCONN 44-12 and 38-12, respectively. While usually comparing the common opponents is a great way to go, UNC's team is vastly different than the team that played Rutgers and UConn. Somewhere during November, UNC lost it's competitive edge. WVA, on the other hand, played poorly in the beginning of the season, turned around in the middle of the season, and then lost 2 of their last 4 games. WVA definitely disappointed the Mountaineer nation this year, but from what I've seen they have a lot of talent, especially on Defense.

I expect a low scoring game, and from my handicapping skills (are lack of), I believe WVA should be a touchdown favorite. I predict WVA 20, UNC 13.

Tim Tebow discussion

I'm probably will alienate some people by my comments, but I feel pressed to state my viewpoint on wearing a bible verse on one's eyeblack. I'm not awed by the simple fact that he was wearing Phillipians 4:13 on his face. I believe that one's Christian behavior is better addressed by actions, and only if needed, expressed with words. I believe that Phillipians 4:13 is powerful--"I can do everything through him who gives me strength". Tim Tebow demonstrated that the verse is 100% accurate thru his natural God-given talent. Tim Tebow demonstrated his moral fiber at the conclusion of the game by separating his teammate from an Alabama defender. Tim Tebow also demonstrated that simply wearing a verse on your cheek doesn't make you a Christian on its own merit.

Actions speak louder than words. That being said, Tim did nothing wrong by wearing the verse on his eyeblack, and he did nothing to shame one from wearing the verse on their eyeblack.

Carolina on a roll

UNC 98, Michigan State 63.

Carolina was nothing short of awesome last night. This victory impressed me more than the UNC-Asheville game. Michigan State played a team that would have destroyed any Division I team last night. It was scary how efficient UNC was this game.

BTW--I hate seeing our team play on an elevated court. One time in the first half I saw a Michigan State guard run for a ball and having to jump awkwardly off the court. Luckily he didn't get hurt. The NCAA's should prevent teams playing on these courts. Could you imagine if Danny Green or Ty Lawson jumped off the court and break an ankle or suffer a concussion? I wouldn't have been too happy.

Danny Green is on fire...he has shot 19-34 from 3 point range this year. That's outstanding. Deon Thompson is still the most improved player in the nation. And Hansbrough is still the best collegiate player.

Let me dwell a little on our bench. Bobby Frasor is a good guard who still lacks confidence. I want him to succeed because he's a tremendous leader on the bench, but he's not shown me much this year. Graves has picked it up on both ends of the court, and he may take some of Frasor's minutes this year. Drew is your typical freshman point guard--he will make some bonehead plays and then play like a seasoned veteran. Davis is nothing but solid and versatile. We also have Ginyard who will come back to our team eventually, and his presence will allow Green to come off the bench and be the best 6 man in college basketball (although Green deserves to play as a starter, I like having him come off the bench and ignite our play). Usually a team should get 40 minutes of quality play off its bench if they want to run and gun like we do. Right now, I expect that our bench will average about 55 minutes a game (in the aggregate).

Go Heels!

ACC Bowl selection time

On Saturday, December 6th, VT and BC will play for the right to attend a BCS Bowl. I will predict that BC will defeat VT by a score of 20-14. VT is struggling (last 2 victories are against Duke and Virginia, beating both by scores of 14-3 and 17-14, respectively), and BC looks like a team on the rise. For argument sake, let's say that BC goes to the Orange Bowl.

This leaves the following 9 teams to compete for 8 Bowls.

1. VT
2. GT
3. UNC
4. Miami
5. Florida State
6. Maryland
7. NC State
8. Clemson
9. Wake Forest

The following is my predictions for the bowls (in order of selection):

1. Florida State--Chick Fila Bowl, Atlanta. Florida State travels well, and I don't believe the folks in Atlanta will pass on the Seminoles.
2. Virginia Tech--Konica Minolta Bowl, Jacksonville. VT also travels well, and although they have struggled recently, I expect them to play at the old Gator Bowl.
3. Georgia Tech--Champs Sports Bowl.
4. Miami--Music City Bowl.
5. UNC--Meineke Car Bowl.
6. Clemson--Emerald Bowl.
7. Maryland--Humanitarian Bowl.
8. NC State--Eagle Bank Bowl.

The team left out in my scenario is Wake Forest. The Deacs have disappointed their fans this year with a mediocre season. I have left them out of the Bowls because I have my doubts that their fans will travel as well as the other teams listed. The Eagle Bank Bowl will not select the Deacs since they have already lost to the Midshipmen this year. I also believe that Maryland will travel better to Idaho than WF (same with Clemson and the Emerald Bowl). The folks in Charlotte would prefer the Heels over the Deacs because of the area's love for the Heels.

This is only my predictions, and more chance than not I'm not even close. Please share with me your thoughts.

UNC 28, Duke 20 (football)

Carolina didn't play a good game, but we were good enough to beat an upstart program like Duke. I really believe that our team lost some of its swagger after the Virginia loss. Yes, we did beat BC and GT, but both of these games had some signs of trouble. In the BC game, we fell behind to the Eagles in the first half before stepping on the throttle. The GT game was still fairly close going into the 4th quarter (we were only ahead 7-0).

Bottom line--we deserve to go to a 2nd or 3rd tier bowl, but we better regain our intensity if we want a victory.

Deon Thompson, MVP, November 2008

I don't know if there is a player this season that has improved as much as Deon Thompson. His game has improved immensely, shooting over 50% from the field EVERY GAME, and playing incredible D.

Right now, Deon may be a candidate for 1st Team All-ACC. Mind you, we haven't played a very strong schedule, but Deon's numbers would be solid against any opponent.

Victory over Notre Dame, and a massacre of UNC-Asheville

I've watched some basketball over the last few days, and I'm more impressed than ever with our team. I was worried about the Notre Dame game, but I had no idea that Psycho T would score 34 points (his own coach said he was at 75% healthy). Notre Dame played well, but UNC simply controlled the game on offense and defense.

The UNC-Asheville game was unbelievable, beating a Division I team by 68 points without Hansbrough, Ginyard, and Zeller. I was especially impressed with our D, both inside the paint and on the perimeter.

Bobby Frasor watch: Bobby is now shooting 25% from the field for the season. We really need Bobby to provide quality minutes off the bench this year, spelling for both Ellington and Lawson. A healthy, confident Frasor can only help UNC (my main hope is that Frasor can play 12-15 minutes/game in ACC action, with the majority of the time spelling for Ellington).

Ho Hum...another blowout

UNC dominated Oregon last night. Since UNC led at halftime 51-22, I decided to catch up on some needed sleep. Although the final score was 98-69 (UNC and Oregon each scored 47 points in the 2nd half), I feel great about our team.

Bobby Frasor shot 1-3 in 15 minutes of play. He's improved his field goal %, now sporting at 18%. His knee has healed, but his confidence has left him. Bobby needs to turn the corner...sooner rather than later.

I expect a close game tonight against Notre Dame. UNC may lose their first game tonight--I dunno.

What's the latest on Bobby Frasor?

I remember the 2005-06 season, watching a skinny kid named Tyler Hansbrough dominate games like no other freshman had in years. Does everyone remember the starting point guard for that team? Yes, it was Bobby Frasor. Bobby played point, although his natural position was the 2 spot. He played good D, he could shoot from the outside, and he was able to pass the ball to the open man.

2006-07 season saw Ty Lawson assume the role of starting point guard. Frasor started off the season hurt, and he never could beat out Ty for the starting job.

2007-08 season was a disaster for Frasor, tearing up his knee in the 10th game of the season. Season over.

Now look at Bobby. He's slower, he's tentative, and he's missing his shots, shooting 15.8% from the field for the season. I hope Bobby will have a breakout game and prove that he can play at a high level again. So far this season he's been a liability on both ends of the court.

Maui Madness

Heels defeated Chaminade last night by a score of 115-70. A positive note is that the Heels played Will Graves 21 minutes, Bobby Frasor and Larry Drew 17 minutes, and Justin Watts 11 minutes last night. With the loss of Zeller, plus Psycho T's stress reaction problems, and Ginyard's injuries, the Heels bench became a major concern. I knew that Green can replace Ginyard, and Davis could replace Psycho T, but who can replace Green and Davis from the bench?

It appears that Watts and Graves have something to prove to the Tar Heel Nation. Let's see how we respond tonight against Oregon.

Hit me with your best shot

My fellow Heels, Saturday night reminded me of Pat Benatar's song "Hit me with your best shot". State hit us with their best shot, and then hit us again, and again....

No need to dwell on the obvious. My prediction of Carolina beating State by 25 proves that I'm not a good prognosticator.

UNC 84, UC Santa Barbara 67

Sorry everyone, I didn't watch the game last night. I was happy to hear that Hansbrough played 25 minutes, and I'm glad that he was hot at the free throw line.

I received an e-mail from a friend asking why UNC has not destroyed any of the opposition so far this year. The margin of victory for the 3 games played are 13, 19, and 17. I agree with the e-mail that we haven't dominated any of these games. Why?

1. 3 Freshmen playing key roles.
2. Injuries to Psycho T, Ginyard, and now Zeller.
3. Our opponents either played well (Santa Barbara, Penn) or had a reasonable amount of talent (Kentucky) to keep us from blowing them away.
4. We have a bullseye on our backs.

My advice for my audience? Be prepared for an exciting season of close victories. We will not dominate all of our opponents. In fact, be prepared for this current team to disappoint you every so often. But mainly, do not panic. UNC will have a very successful season.

UC Santa Barbara---WHO?

Let me clarify--I am a North Carolinian, so I don't know much about smaller programs on the West Coast. Not to knock the "Gauchos", but unless the stars and the moon are aligned just right, Carolina will win in a rout.

Anyway, what the heck is a Gaucho?

Ty Zeller--gone for the season

OK, looks like our biggest obstacle will be our health. Going into the season I was more worried about chemistry, but injuries sometimes will mitigate the threat of bad chemistry. I hate that Zeller broke his wrist for the obvious reasons: you don't want someone to be knocked out early in the season, and you want your players to be available for each game. I know Psycho T will be fine, but I don't want him to play more than 30 minutes a game. With Zeller out, he may have to play 32-36 minutes a game. After stating the obvious, we still have 3 very capable big men in Davis, Psycho T, and Thompson. I expect that Davis will develop faster now because of this injury. Going into the season, I thought that Zeller would play about 20 minutes a game, and Davis would play around 12. Now I think Davis will play at least 20 minutes/game, and Thompson and Psycho T's minutes will increase.

My other concern is at the point. Lawson is awesome, but he can't play 40 minutes/game at his pace. We need Drew to develop to relieve Lawson for about 12 minutes each game. Not to knock Frasor, who is quite capable, but I rather have Frasor back up Ellington at the 2 spot.

Carolina vs. State

Is anyone ready for a blowout? I am. Will it happen? Yes it will..and no, State will not be the team whipping up on their opponent.

State just won a huge game over Wake Forest, while Carolina lost a heartbreaker against Maryland. As a result, State should have a letdown, while Carolina is mad and angry. Shouldn't be a close game at all. Besides this emotional advantage, Carolina holds the upper hand in other aspects:

1. Carolina's secondary will have a field day against State. Don't be surprised if Goodard and Co. pick off 3 or more interceptions.
2. Carolina's run defense has been embarrassed the last 2 games. Expect Carolina to shut down State's running backs early, causing Wilson to pass more often.
3. TJ Yates is available. I expect to see TJ and Cameron share duties at QB. Both should put up impressive numbers against State's defense.
4. Shawn Draughn will have many gaps to run through this Saturday.
5. Carolina is due to block either a punt or a kick.

Carolina will win, and I expect the score to be UNC 38, State 13.

Wildcats or Mildcats?

I don't believe Kentucky will give UNC much of a scare tonight. Kentucky is definitely a "name school", but their program has lost its edge over the last few seasons. UNC should pull away at the end of the first half. Psycho-T and Marcus will not play, but even with them on the bench, UNC has too much talent to allow Kentucky to win.

My prediction: UNC 92, Kentucky 73.

Duke 82, Rhode Island 79

Rhode Island shot 55% from the field yesterday, which is about 15% higher than the Blue Devils should have allowed. What's up with the Blue Devils?

1. Nolan Smith played 31 minutes at the point, but had only 2 assists. The Blue Devils had only 9 assists from the game.
2. The Blue Devils were outrebounded. Although the Blue Devils do not have any solid post men (Zoubek is okay, but limited, and Thomas has potential, but doesn't have a polished game), they usually have better instincts on retrieving the ball.
3. A weak bench. Paulus, Thomas, and McClure were the only players off the bench that had meaningful minutes. Only Thomas performed.

On the plus side, Duke won a game where they didn't play well. There is plenty of work needed to improve their team, and this game should be considered a "wake-up call".

UNC 86, Penn 73

I know a lot of people were worried about missing Psycho T (myself included). The focus should have been on Marcus Ginyard. Ginyard's defense was missed last night. A 13 point victory doesn't look too impressive, but I thought Penn probably overachieved.

I usually discount opening games...too many nervous jitters, lack of chemistry, etc. I believe our chemistry is fine on offense, but our defense has some room to improve. We played Zeller for 23 minutes, Davis for 21, and Drew for 12. That's a lot of minutes for Freshmen.

Maryland 17, UNC 15

The game is always played on the field and not on paper. UNC played one of their 2 worst games last night (the other bad game was against VA). Oh well. The game was somewhat symbolic that basketball season has started.

Okay, Miami beat VT...so what's next?

I caution everyone not to get their hopes up that UNC will win the Coastal division. We still have 3 ACC games to play, and in my opinion, we need to win them all. So what are our threats?

1. Turnovers. UNC has shown that they can take care of the ball..most of the time. We have to protect the rock, and at the same time use our defense to create turnovers. Teams that take chances on offense have played in our biggest strength..the interception.
2. Protect the Quarterback. Our offensive line must give Cameron or TJ enough time to hit the open receiver. Our line has been OK, but has not been outstanding.
3. Concentrate on Maryland. Maryland has the potential to beat UNC, no doubt about it. On paper, we look like the favorite, but the game is not played on paper, but instead at College Park. We haven't beaten the Terps at College Park since 1997.
4. Avoid the letdown. NC State and Duke would absolutely love to ruin our plans to participate in the ACC championship. Both teams have the potential to play competively against us, but our depth should prevail.

My final conclusion is that we have not yet won the Coastal divison. If we lose just 1 game, we will fall behind Miami (only 2 losses), VT and Virginia (tiebreaker). On a plus side, VT and Virgina must play each other, so one of these teams will fall to the wayside.

Will the real Maryland team please stand up?

Okay, I've got to admit that I'm nervous about Saturday's game against Maryland. Maryland sometimes look like they are the best team in the ACC, and at other times look like pathetic. The Virginia debacle absolutely floored me.

I predict that Carolina will be Maryland by 10 points. Carolina's opportunistic defense will cause Maryland a lot of grief on Saturday.

What's your prediction?

Please provide me some feedback!

I've recently asked a college roommate (I protect the names of the innocent) to check out my blog. He gave me one word--NERD. My college roommate knows me very well. Unfortunately for me, my former roommate's "coolness" never permiated my body.

So what do you want to discuss? I'd like to stick within the realms of UNC athletics, but I'm open to suggestions.

Back to Basketball--ACC predictions

I was able to take the afternoon off after 4 exhausting days of intense meetings. Great to take a chill, relax, play some Wii with my daughter, and post on the blog.

I thought I'd give everyone my predictions for 2008-09. Please feel to debate because I'm in no way an ACC expert.

Starting from bottom to top:

(12) Virginia. Where are you, Sean Singletary? Could Dave Leitao be on the hot seat?

(11) Georgia Tech. I've never been impressed with their defense, and their offense is even more suspect. Is Paul Hewitt on the hot seat? I keep on thinking of the phrase "What have you done for me lately?"

(10) NC State. I really like Sidney Lowe, and I think he's a great guy that really loves his alma mater. Great Coach? No, not yet. Sidney has 6 Freshmen on the roster to supplement Costner, Fells, McCauley, Horner, Ferguson, Degand, and Gonzales. Hopefully for the Pack they will settle on a solid point guard.

(9) Boston College. Probably the youngest team in the ACC with 3 Freshmen and 6 Sophomores on the roster. I expect the team to struggle for 1 more year.

(8) Florida State. Another young team that will struggle this season. Hopefully Reid won't cause any major injuries to his opposition this year.

(7) Maryland. Ever since Williams won the NCAA championship, there appears to be a funk over the program. Sure, they won the ACC tournament in 2004, but this program should be making the NCAA tournament every year.

(6) Virginia Tech. Ever since the Hokies have joined the ACC, Seth Greenberg's teams have overperformed. Seth's talent level may be the best since VT has joined the ACC.

(5) Clemson. Besides Carolina, I enjoy watching a Clemson game the best. Oliver Purnell incorporates a great team attitude with solid defense.

(4) Miami. A lot of talent coming back from their 2007-08 team. Expect another solid year from the Hurricanes.

(3) Wake Forest. A lot of James Johnson back. Expect a lot from this program with Dino fully in charge.

(2) Duke. Who did they lose from last year? Nelson? They have better players coming in the program this year. Great team, albeit a bit weak in the paint. Zoubek has yet to earn the respect of opposing Centers.

(1) UNC. Besides Q, the entire team will be back from last year, plus a healthy Bobby Frasor and 3 incredible Freshmen. I fully expect this team, barring injuries, chemistry problems, and a complete meltdown in the tournament, to make it back to the Final Four.

Please, feel free to give me your picks for the ACC!

Wait a minute! Do you mean that football season is not over?

UNC football is still here! Last year, Carolina truly competed in 10 of the 12 games. Butch laid the foundation in 2007 for the program, and this year we have seen achievement. Who would have thought...

1. We would lose TJ Yates for 6 games,
2. We would lose Brandon Tate at mid-season,
3. We would have Cameron Sexton, our third string quarterback leading the Heels,
and
4. Our record after 9 games would be 7-2?

Our matchup against Maryland could make the difference for the Heels between the Gator/Chick Fil A/Music City Bowl vs. a BCS Bowl. If we lose, I don't see how we can compete in the ACC Championship. If we win, we still have a chance to win the Coastal division.

Let's beat the Terps on Saturday. We've played much more consistent than Maryland this year, and I believe that we have more talent. What bothers me is that we haven't won in College Park since 1997. We need to break these losing streaks and stop piling them on to the lost years between Brown and Davis.

Tar Heel Nation--are we ready for a National Championship?

Hello everyone!

I am a proud 1993 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. To say the least, I'm very excited about our hoops prospects this year. We've got depth, size, speed, shooting touch, and rebounding. What could possibly go wrong? Well, let's say plenty of things. Let's look at how the Heels did the first five years after I graduated (1994-1998).

1994--It's possible to have too much depth. When you have McInnis, Wallace and Stackhouse coming off the bench, you may have too much depth. We did get an ACC Tournament Championship, along with 2 victories against Duke. However, we lost to BC in the 2nd round in the NCAA's.

1995--Final Four, a share of the regular season ACC title, along with two more victories against Duke.

1996--Another 2nd round flameout. Lost in the first round to Clemson. Major accomplishment--beat Duke twice.

1997--Final Four, ACC Tournament Champions, and beat Duke once.

1998--Final Four, ACC Tournament Champions, and we beat Duke twice (once in the Regular Seaon, once in the ACC Tournament Championship).


In all fairness, UNC was in the Final Four 3 of these 5 years. In 1994, UNC probably had the most talent in the Nation, and we had much more talent than our 1993 team (the 1993 team graduated Rodl and Lynch, while the 1994 team added Wallace, McInnis, and Stackhouse). We should have been a major threat for the Championship, but our season went down the tubes. The 1995 team was just happy to be at the Final Four. Probably the same for the 1997 team, except for the fact that Dean Smith had just taken the all time lead in victories. The 1998 team, however, was the most talented team in the nation that year.

My conclusion is that not every year the team with the most talent wins. There are many threats to this Tar Heel team: injuries, chemistry problems, and freshmen with important roles. Without rocking the boat, I predict that the Tar Heels will lose 6 games this year.

What do you think?