UNC vs. NC State

The rivalry has waned over the last 15 years. Since 1993, UNC has won 4 ACC Tournament Championships and 2 NCAA championships. NC State has no Championships during the same time. What went wrong?

Can you say V-A-L-V-A-N-O? It's not that easy, but Jimmy V may have caused some of the downfall. After he left (forced to resign), NC State endured 6 years of heartache under Les Robinson. Les was handicapped by tragedy (another guy named Robinson committed suicide), grades (Seale, Kornegay, et al), transfers and injuries. That's part of the game, but State had far more than their share of grief. The biggest handicap was improved educational standards that exceeded the ACC standards. Herb took over, beginning with the 96-97 season. Sendek could flat out coach, but he too was a victim of higher standards and a fog that seemed to surround the program. Sendek did turn the corner, taking the Pack to 5 consecutive NCAA tourneys.

So why did I mention Valvano? Valvano could flat out recruit. He could flat out coach. He just could not monitor the program and the perception that he had a bunch of players galavanting any way they please. He also had a poor graduating rate. Of course, I don't blame Valvano that his players didn't graduate (players are responsible to attend class, obtain passing grades). I do blame him for not judging character any better than he did. In April 1990, when he left, the State administration promised to change the character of the team. They did in ways that were good, but the W-L aspect was compromised.

Sidney Lowe is a good man, and he has some good players. He can recruit talent, but can he coach it? To his credit, he did beat UNC in his first try, and he did take State to the ACC championship game in 2007, but he has done little since.

Tonight is the rematch of this old rivalry. State has everything to gain, and nothing to lose, except the game, of course. UNC has a lot to lose, but they have enough talent to defeat the Pack at home.

Prediction: UNC 82, State 70.