Had to go to San Francisco today for a business conference, and I took a flight from Raleigh to Cincy, then on to the Bay Area. I’m exhausted, but the flight from CVG to SFO was rather notable, for some really unnoteworthy reasons.
I’m enjoying the CBS feed tonight, not just because the Tar Heels are ahead at this point in the second half (it’s 41-25 at the 14:33 mark as I type this). The game is nice because we have the always steady and objective Dick Enberg paired with the knowledgeable and objective Jay Bilas. After two weekends of Billy Packer, it’s like I’ve been released from some negative, nit-picking prison.
After last night’s near-debacle in which the Dookies narrowly escaped being only the fifth #2 seed to lose in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, I realized that the fair university in Durham needs some help. Nobody outside of a handful of journalists will take Coach K to task for his recent inability to develop a bench, nurture post players, enact a decent schedule to challenge his players on the road and somehow stem the recurring late-season collapse.
Let’s take a stroll down amnesia lane. With the ACC tournament kicking into gear today, it always gets me thinking about how lucky I was to grow up in North Carolina – in the epicenter of college basketball frenzy. It always tickles me when I hear anyone talk about the post-Super Bowl “lull.” Hell, things are just getting started in late January. I always feel like the huge letdown is in April, with only early-season baseball and (blech) NHL and NBA stretch runs. Read more…
Here are some random thoughts on a classic game last night that was even better when I took another look at it today. Let’s go to some oh-so-random of UNC’s 76-68 win over the hated Blue Devils.
It’s #1 UNC driving eight miles over to Durham tomorrow to take on #5 Dook! Man, life doesn’t get better than that. My prediction? Duke by 2. I just feel like they have the upper hand again, especially at a crazed Cameron Indoor Stadium and with the Heels’ point guard Ty Lawson still a bit gimpy. Read more…
I came home at lunch yesterday, and since this is UNC-Dook week, I checked to see if ESPN Classic was playing any good games from the series history. There are a few on Friday, but before that, they showed the 1993 game yesterday afternoon when UNC hosted Florida State – and came back from a 21-point victory with less than nine minutes left. Pretty good timing, given my recent ramblings comparing today’s Tar Heels to that 1993 team.
Like a lot of people, I’ve been utterly confused by this year’s UNC basketball team. I mean, it’s March, and the squad only has two losses. But, the loss of Ty Lawson for a half dozen games cast a bit of a pallor over the season, even as they only lost to a then one-loss Dook squad. Read more…
