North Carolina basketball report (10)

Stephen Curry isn’t going to the NCAA tournament — Davidson lost to College of Charleston in the Southern Conference semifinals — but he is the Player of the Year in the state.

No player meant more to his team. When Curry (28.6 points, 5.7 assists) didn’t play against The Citadel last month, the Wildcats lost by 18 points.

The rest of the first team: Ty Lawson and Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina, Jeff Teague of Wake Forest and Gerard Henderson of Duke.

Lawson played the point as well as anyone in ACC history, and Henderson went from good to great during the season, averaging 19.8 points in conference games.

The ACC office says Hansbrough is the first four-time, first-team unanimous selection. Don’t believe them: He was not unanimous his sophomore season.

It’s a perimeter team, so Mike Krzyzewski is the coach.

Danny Green of North Carolina, Kyle Singler of Duke, James Johnson of Wake Forest lead the bench.

Jonathan Rodriguez of Campbell and Ola Atoyebi of Elon make the cut in a bad year for the small schools. Tracy Smith went from role player to State’s best player.

The last spot goes to walk-on Daniel Mercer of UNC Wilmington. The junior averaged 13.4 minutes and 2.3 points in his first year of organized basketball since the eighth grade. | story

I am excited about Mercer’s success, because I coached him in a Raleigh Parks & Recreation league from 2000 to 2002.

All stats are per 30 minutes.

First team     pts   reb   ast    2pt    3pt     ft
Curry         25.6   3.9   5.1   .528   .382   .876
Lawson        16.2   2.8   6.7   .571   .467   .809
Hansbrough    21.1   8.1   0.8   .528   9-19   .849
Teague        18.3   3.1   3.3   .502   .469   .827
Henderson     17.0   5.1   2.5   .526   .343   .771
Bench          pts   reb   ast    2pt    3pt     ft
Green         15.5   5.2   3.2   .558   .444   .827
Singler       15.8   7.3   2.5   .492   .367   .708
Johnson       14.3   8.3   2.1   .598  18-60   .691
Rodriguez     15.4   8.2   1.9   .495  19-53   .790
Atoyebi       17.3   7.5   0.8   .578    0-1   .731
Smith         17.0   7.4   1.0   .546    0-0   .598
Mercer         5.1   4.7   0.5   .705    0-0   .133

Rankings (results through Wednesday’s games)
RPI rankings, team (overall record, record vs. North Carolina teams)

2. Duke (25-6, 4-3)
Last week: 2
beat UNC Asheville, Davidson, N.C. State, Wake Forest
lost to Wake Forest, North Carolina (2)
ACC tournament: vs. TBA in quarterfinals, 9:30 p.m. Friday

3. North Carolina (26-3, 5-1)
Last week: 3
beat UNC Asheville, N.C. State (2), Duke (2)
lost to Wake Forest
ACC tournament: vs. TBA in quarterfinals, noon Friday

ACC career scoring leaders        pts
1. J.J. Redick                  2,769
2. Tyler Hansbrough             2,717
3. Johnny Dawkins               2,556
4. Rodney Monroe                2,551
5. Bryant Stith                 2,516

I’ve decided not to include Dickie Hemric (2,587 points), because his first two seasons were in the Southern Conference — before the ACC was formed.

10. Wake Forest (24-5, 7-2)
Last week: 17
beat N.C. Central, UNC Wilmington, Winston-Salem State,
East Carolina, North Carolina, Duke, N.C. State
lost to N.C. State, Duke
ACC tournament: vs. TBA in quarterfinals, 7 p.m. Friday

69. Davidson (25-7, 8-1)
Last week: 67
beat N.C. State, Appalachian State (2), Elon (2), Western Carolina,
UNC Greensboro (2)
lost to Duke
Southern Conference tournament: lost to College of Charleston
59-52 in semifinals

100. N.C. State (16-13, 6-5)
Last week: 100
beat High Point, UNC Greensboro, Winston-Salem State,
East Carolina, N.C. Central, Wake Forest
lost to Davidson, Duke, North Carolina (2), Wake Forest
ACC tournament: vs. Maryland in first round, 7 p.m. Thursday

189. Western Carolina (14-15, 4-5)
Last week: 189
beat UNC Greensboro (2), Elon, Appalachian State
lost to Gardner-Webb, UNC Asheville, Appalachian State, Davidson,
Elon
Southern Conference tournament: lost to College of Charleston
67-48 in quarterfinals

202. UNC Asheville (12-16, 5-3)
Last week: 199
beat Western Carolina, Gardner-Webb (2), High Point (2)
lost to Campbell, North Carolina, Duke
Big South tournament: lost to Radford 94-86 in semifinals

206. UNC Charlotte (11-19, 1-1)
Last week: 183
beat UNC Greensboro
lost to Appalachian State
Atlantic 10 tournament: lost to Saint Joseph’s 76-72 in first round

214. East Carolina (10-16, 3-2)
Last week: 208
beat Campbell, UNC Wilmington, UNC Greensboro
lost to N.C. State, Wake Forest
Conference USA tournament: lost to Tulane 69-59 in first round

219. Gardner-Webb (10-17, 2-3)
Last week: 217
beat Western Carolina, High Point
lost to UNC Asheville (2), High Point
Big South tournament: lost to Liberty 88-77 in first round

251. Appalachian State (12-18, 6-5)
Last week: 258
beat UNC Charlotte, Campbell, Elon (2), Western Carolina,
UNC Greensboro
lost to UNC Wilmington, UNC Greensboro, Davidson (2),
Western Carolina
Southern Conference tournament: lost to Davidson 84-68
in quarterfinals

254. N.C. A&T (13-15, 2-0)
Last week: 234
beat Winston-Salem State (2)
MEAC tournament: vs. Coppin State in first round, 8 p.m. Thursday

258. Campbell (12-16, 1-2)
Last week: 252
beat UNC Asheville
lost to East Carolina, Appalachian State
Atlantic Sun tournament: lost to Lipscomb 82-52 in quarterfinals

274. Elon (9-20, 1-8)
Last week: 280
beat Western Carolina
lost to Appalachian State (2), Western Carolina, Davidson (2),
UNC Greensboro (2), UNC Wilmington
Southern Conference tournament: lost to Chattanooga 79-78
in quarterfinals

Ernie Nestor has stepped down after six seasons as Elon’s basketball coach.

275. UNC Wilmington (7-25, 3-2)
Last week: 273
beat Appalachian State, N.C. Central, Elon
lost to Wake Forest, East Carolina
CAA tournament: lost to Hofstra 79-66 in first round

316. UNC Greensboro (4-25, 3-8)
Last week: 321
beat Appalachian State, Elon (2)
lost to UNC Charlotte, N.C. State, East Carolina,
Western Carolina (2), Davidson (2), Appalachian State
Southern Conference tournament: lost to College of Charleston
69-56 in first round

321. Winston-Salem State (6-21, 1-4)
Last week: 317
beat N.C. Central
lost to Wake Forest, N.C. State, N.C. A&T (2)

327. High Point (6-21, 2-3)
Last week: 326
beat N.C. Central, Gardner-Webb
lost to N.C. State, Gardner-Webb, UNC Asheville (2)
Big South tournament: lost to Radford 82-58 in first round

Bart Lundy is out as High Point’s basketball coach after a 9-21 season and a last-place finish in the Big South Conference.

338. N.C. Central (2-26, 0-5)
Last week: 339
lost to Wake Forest, UNC Wilmington, High Point,
Winston-Salem State, N.C. State

Want ACC tourney tix?

Dane Huffman is reporting that if you want the normally hard-to-get ACC men's basketball tournament tickets, Monday's the day.

The ACC announced Tuesday that tickets for the 2009 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament will be available for sale on a tournament book basis starting Monday, March 2.

The 56th annual ACC Tournament is scheduled for March 12-15 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga. The tournament has not had a public sale since 1966, although tickets were available at the gate on the day of games in Tampa in 2007.

“Due to the unique combination of playing this year’s tournament in a dome during very trying economic times, our league has the opportunity to offer a public sale of ACC Tournament tickets," ACC Commissioner John Swofford said in a statement. “Playing in the Georgia Dome provides a great stage for our conference teams and Atlanta has been a terrific partner. Having already sold more tickets to this year’s tournament than the capacity of any of our other venues, our schools felt it would be appropriate to offer the remaining tickets to college basketball fans in the Atlanta area.”

Tickets can be purchased, starting Monday, by contacting Ticketmaster by phone at 404-249-6400 or 1-800-326-4000 or by going to http://www.ticketmaster.com/section/sports.

So there you go.

The unwashed masses may actually be able to buy ACC Tourney tickets

Wow.

For the first time since LBJ was in office, a public sale of ACC men's basketball tickets may actually happen, writes Ken Tysiac.

Karl Hicks, who directs the ACC's men's basketball operations, said the "perfect storm" of holding the tournament in its largest venue during a huge economic downturn has some schools holding unsold tickets.

The tournament is scheduled March 12-15 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The dome has been configured for 36,000 seats – 4,083 fewer than its biggest crowd
in 2001 — in a slightly smaller set-up to help ensure that fans get a good view of the game.

But some schools have been unable to sell their allotment of 2,600 tickets. Hicks said the ACC is redistributing unsold tickets to schools whose demand exceeds the number of tickets they’ve been allotted.

Still, he said, there’s a chance the schools won’t be able to sell all the tickets to their boosters, and that could lead to a public sale of unused tickets. ...

There could be some hesitation among ACC members eager to preserve their boosters’ exclusive control over tickets. But the desire to generate revenue and welcome new fans might trump that hesitation and cause the ACC or the individual schools to sell tickets to the general public.

Never thought in a million years -- even in a down economy -- that this would happen.

The ACC Tournament still holds sway in N.C. classrooms

Media reports are saying that the Atlantic Coast Conference is on the brink of playing its marquee event, the men's basketball tournament, at the Barclay's Center in New York, as early as in 2017. It's an inevitability of massive conference expansion that will -- not unlike NASCAR's major boom of the past 20 years -- leave some long-timers feeling passed by while the powers that be hope the move will broaden the event's appeal. (I'm not a NASCAR fan, so I can't speak as to how that actually worked out or not.)

And while this move is likely to rub some Big Four fans the wrong way, take heart: it appears that even today, after years of expansion moves and enlarging the ACC's footprint to the point that it's almost unrecognizable, the good people of North Carolina still give a flip about the ACC tourney.

Case in point: yesterday, my first grader told me that they "studied" the ACC tournament in school.

It made me smile.

"When I was a kid," I said, sounding like the old man I've become, "we actually watched the games in class."

"We did watch it!" she said.

I smiled even larger.

Yes, I know in these days of budget cuts and Common Core and EOGs, watching basketball is probably not the most efficient use of time. But the fact that this is still done, even in some parts of North Carolina, makes me proud. The ACC tourney is a big part of who we are; it's a major part of our identity. Heck, I remember teachers using the tournament as a way to enhance teaching. One teacher -- in the days before Google Maps -- had her students determine how far it was from College Park, Md., to Tallahassee, Fla. (Ah, the old, "new" ACC.) And I may be reaching here, but if for a couple of days each March, some students in some rural N.C. schools actually got interested in the idea of going to college, then what is wrong with that?

Yes, this probably honestly nothing more than nostalgia that warms my heart. But so be it. As my buddy James Curle said over at Riddick & Reynolds a few years ago, "If you're a teacher in one of these pockets who insists on still watching the tournament in class. God bless."

Indeed.

North Carolina basketball report

The second annual All-North Carolina teams ...

First team
Forward: Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina
23.0 points, 10.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 54.6 2-point shooting,
81.7 free throw shooting

Much more polished than last season, Hansbrough edges Curry and Reid for player of the year in the state.

Forward: Arizona Reid, High Point
23.9 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 56.1 2-point shooting,
74.6 free throw shooting

Reid is sixth in points and sixth in rebounds nationally.

Forward: Kyle Hines, UNC Greensboro
19.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 56.2 2-point shooting,
62.8 free throw shooting, 3.06 blocks

Hines ranks ninth in the country in blocks.

Guard: Stephen Curry, Davidson
25.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 54.6 2-point shooting,
43.8 3-point shooting, 89.8 free throw shooting

Curry is fifth in the nation in points, and his total shooting percentage (2-point + 3-point + free throw) of 188.2 is better than any season by J.J. Redick.

Guard: Ty Lawson, North Carolina
12.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 58.6 2-point shooting,
81.5 free throw shooting

Nobody is better from free throw line to free throw line.

Second team
Forward: Jonathan Rodriguez, Campbell
20.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 51.8 2-point shooting,
76.5 free throw shooting

Forward: James Johnson, Wake Forest
14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 57.4 2-point shooting,
68.9 free throw shooting

Johnson is the pick over J.J. Hickson of N.C. State, Kyle Singler of Duke, Vladimir Kulianin and T.J. Carter of UNC Wilmington and many, many others.

Center: Kenny George, UNC Asheville
12.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 69.0 2-point shooting,
66.2 free throw shooting, 3.41 blocks

George is 7-foot-7! He also leads the nation in field goal percentage and is seventh in blocks.

Guard: DeMarcus Nelson, Duke
15.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 54.7 2-point shooting,
40.8 3-point shooting, 60.7 free throw shooting

Nelson is the best perimeter player on a team full of them.

Guard: Jason Richards, Davidson
12.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 51.5 2-point shooting,
73.6 free throw shooting

Richards passes to Curry and does it well, leading the nation in assists.

Final rankings
RPI rankings, team (overall record, record vs. North Carolina teams)
WITH whether each team made the NCAA tournament and how

2. North Carolina (32-2, 6-1)
Last week: 2
beat Davidson, UNC Asheville, N.C. State (2), Wake Forest, Duke
lost to Duke

IN: automatic berth, ACC

UNC beat Clemson 86-81 in the ACC tournament final, winning their record 17th conference championship.

7. Duke (27-5, 5-2)
Last week: 4
beat N.C. Central, Davidson, N.C. State (2), North Carolina
lost to Wake Forest, North Carolina

IN: at-large berth

Duke lost to Clemson 78-74 in the ACC tournament semifinals.

35. Davidson (25-6, 11-4)
Last week: 41
beat N.C. Central, Appalachian State (2), Western Carolina (2),
Elon (3), UNC Greensboro (3)
lost to North Carolina, Duke, UNC Charlotte, N.C. State

IN:: automatic berth, Southern Conference

The Wildcats were 23-0 in the conference, including the tournament.

68. UNC Charlotte (20-13, 5-0)
Last week: 86
beat High Point, Appalachian State, Wake Forest, Davidson,
Gardner-Webb

OUT: lost to Temple 60-45 in Atlantic 10 semifinals

100. Wake Forest (17-13, 4-3)
Last week: 87
beat N.C. Central, Winston-Salem State, Duke, N.C. State
lost to UNC Charlotte, N.C. State, North Carolina

OUT: lost to Florida State 70-60 in ACC first round

103. N.C. State (15-16, 4-6)
Last week: 92
beat Davidson, Western Carolina, N.C. Central, Wake Forest
lost to East Carolina, North Carolina (2), Duke (2), Wake Forest

OUT: lost to Miami 63-50 in ACC first round

State closed the season with nine consecutive losses, finishing with a losing record for the first time since 2001.

125. UNC Greensboro (19-12, 7-4)
Last week: 130
beat UNC Wilmington, Elon (2), Appalachian State (2),
Western Carolina (2)
lost to Appalachian State, Davidson (3)

OUT: lost to Davidson 82-52 in Southern Conference semifinals

126. UNC Wilmington (20-13, 2-1)
Last week: 133
beat N.C. Central, East Carolina
lost to UNC Greensboro

OUT: lost to George Mason 53-41 in CAA semifinals

143. UNC Asheville (19-9, 4-2)
Last week: 143
beat Campbell (2), Western Carolina, High Point
lost to North Carolina, High Point

OUT: lost to Winthrop 66-48 in Big South championship

154. Appalachian State (17-13, 5-6)
Last week: 157
beat Campbell, UNC Greensboro, Elon, Western Carolina (2)
lost to Charlotte, Davidson (2), Elon, UNC Greensboro (2)

OUT: lost to UNC Greensboro 63-46 in Southern Conference quarterfinals

200. Gardner-Webb (15-16, 2-2)
Last week: 201
beat High Point, Campbell
lost to UNC Charlotte, Campbell

OUT: lost to Jacksonville 89-80 in Atlantic Sun semifinals

210. Elon (13-18, 2-7)
Last week: 218
beat Western Carolina, Appalachian State
lost to Davidson (3), UNC Greensboro (2), Western Carolina, Appalachian State

OUT: lost to Davidson 65-49 in Southern Conference championship

231. High Point (13-14, 1-3)
Last week: 233
beat UNC Asheville
lost to Charlotte, Gardner-Webb, UNC Asheville

OUT: lost to Winthrop 61-53 in Big South semifinals

234. N.C. A&T (11-16, 1-1)
Last week: 215
beat Winston-Salem State
lost to Winston-Salem State

OUT: lost to Delaware State 64-62 in MEAC quarterfinals

255. East Carolina (9-18, 2-1)
Last week: 251
beat N.C. State, N.C. Central
lost to UNC Wilmington

OUT: lost to Tulsa 66-49 in Conference USA opening round

279. N.C. Central (3-23, 1-7)
Last week: 293
beat Winston-Salem State
lost to Duke, Wake Forest, Davidson, Western Carolina,
UNC Wilmington, East Carolina, N.C. State

OUT: independent

Saturday: beat Winston-Salem State 60-56

293. Western Carolina (9-21, 2-10)
Last week: 296
beat N.C. Central, Elon
lost to UNC Asheville, Elon, N.C. State, Davidson (2),
Appalachian State (2), UNC Greensboro (3)

OUT: lost to Wofford 58-49 in Southern Conference opening round

312. Winston-Salem State (10-18, 1-3)
Last week: 303
beat N.C. A&T
lost to Wake Forest, N.C. A&T, N.C. Central

OUT: independent

Saturday: lost to N.C. Central 60-56

311. Campbell (9-20, 1-4)
Last week: 311
beat Gardner-Webb
lost to UNC Asheville (2), Appalachian State, Gardner-Webb

OUT: lost to Belmont 75-66 in Atlantic Sun quarterfinals

Tobacco Road rules ACC (preseason) hoops

It's been a long time since N.C. State has been mentioned in the same breath as its Tobacco Road neighbors Duke and North Carolina when one is talking preseason Atlantic Coast Conference basketball. Sure, anything can happen with the first ball is tossed up, but it's still fun to see the Wolfpack is such company -- even in mid-October.

"The three schools located within 30 miles of each other have combined to win nine NCAA championships and make 32 trips to the Final Four, but nearly two decades have passed since they've been this good at the same time," writes the Associated Press.

"Picked 1-2-3 in the league's preseason poll, the Tar Heels, Blue Devils and Wolfpack are bracing to spend much of the season bunched near the top of the ACC race.

" 'It speaks volumes for the three schools,' Duke captain DeMarcus Nelson said Sunday during the league's annual media day.

"The schools in the Research Triangle area seem positioned to take advantage of a conference that returns only five of the 15 players named to the league's first, second and third teams after last season. The key returnees include preseason league player of the year Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina and fellow all-ACC picks Sean Singletary of Virginia, Brandon Costner of N.C. State and Tyrese Rice of Boston College.

"Still, it's been nearly 20 years since the last time Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State claimed the top three spots - in any order - in the final conference standings. In 1988, the Tar Heels won and were followed by the Wolfpack and Blue Devils. ..."

"I think State winning last year will kind of add to the rivalry," UNC's Tyler Hansbrough told the AP. "Duke and Carolina, they've always been big. Especially when (all three) are at the top, it's going to be really, really big."

But on the eve of a season in which supremacy in the Raleigh-Durham metropolitan area could lead to the top spot in the conference race and a favorable seed in the NCAA tournament, Nelson is approaching those goals in a different order.

"When we think about what we want to do, we say we want to be the best team in the country. We say we want to be ACC champions, national champions," Nelson
said. "Those are the type of goals that we set. If we are those things, then we'll be the best team in the Triangle."

VPI picked to win ACC football in 2007

The Virginia Tech Hokies were picked by the media to finish on top in the upcoming Atlantic Coast Conference football race.

"The Hokies are picked to win the Coastal Division, with Georgia Tech second in the division, Miami third, Virginia fourth, North Carolina fifth and Duke sixth," says WRAL.com. "Tech received 77 first place votes out of the 83 ballots cast for the divisional race, while 69 of the 83 voters chose them to win the ACC Championship Game.

"Florida State is picked to win the Atlantic Division, with Boston College second, Clemson third, Wake Forest fourth, Maryland fifth and N.C. State sixth.

"Wake Forest is the defending ACC champion after last year's surprising run to the title. Miami was picked to win the ACC last season. ..."

However, it should be noted that the Only Team That Matters could surprise some people.

ACC Tourney nostalgia

The first day of the ACC Tournament is behind us, but does the tourney still hold the luster it once did?

Our buddy James over at RiddickandReynolds.com has an excellent piece on the impact the tournament once had -- especially if you were a school child in the state of North Carolina.

The ACC Tournament as I knew it ended when they stopped wheeling TVs into the classrooms on Quarterfinal Fridays.

Now, I'm sure there are a few pockets in the state where in-class watching of the tournament is still done. Pockets of the state the transplants haven't discovered yet or don't dare venture into; where the average age of folks borders on AARP Qualifing Age; where time has stood still since 1980 and creeps along at a snail's pace relative to the world around it.

If you're a teacher in one of these pockets who insists on still watching the tournament in class, God bless you.

But the practice has largely died off because—unlike it was in the 80s and 90s—the ACC Tournament's slow slide into "meh" status no longer justifies teachers sacrificing class time to keep tabs on it.

It didn't use to be this way.

Charlotte awarded with ACC football championship game

According to published reports, Charlotte will host the 2010 and 2011 Atlantic Coast Conference football championship games, while Tampa will do the honors in 2008 and 2009.

"The decision was reached unanimously this morning in a conference call of the league's athletics directors and faculty athletics representatives, which ended a seven-month bid and selection process, a conference statement said," says the News & Observer.

"We are extremely excited about the future of the ACC Football Championship game at these sites," Commissioner John Swofford said. "Both Tampa Bay and Charlotte are tremendous destinations in terms of their football venue, community support and partnership with the Atlantic Coast Conference."

The games in Charlotte will take place on Dec. 4, 2010, and Dec. 3, 2011, at Bank of America Stadium, home of the NFL's Carolina Panthers and the Meineke Car Care Bowl.
The first three ACC title games have been in Jacksonville, Fla.

North Carolina basketball report

Rankings (results through Sunday’s games)
RPI rankings, team (overall record, record vs. North Carolina teams)

3. North Carolina (26-2, 5-1)
Last week: 4
beat Davidson, UNC Asheville, N.C. State (2), Wake Forest
lost to Duke

A mea culpa followed by some self-promotion:

I lost my notes on Tyler Hansbrough, both on his play during the UNC-N.C. State game and how it was received by Mike Patrick and Jay Bilas. The dog ate my homework, and I’ll try to do better next time.

At The Washington Times, Patrick Stevens, our ACC basketball beat writer, and I are selecting the best players from each era of ACC basketball. First up is 1954-64.

Hansbrough: eighth in the country in points (23.4)

4. Duke (23-3, 4-1)
Last week: 3
beat N.C. Central, Davidson, N.C. State, North Carolina
lost to Wake Forest

Duke followed its first ACC loss of the season with another.

61. Davidson (20-6, 8-4)
Last week: 66
beat N.C. Central, Appalachian State, Western Carolina (2), Elon (2), UNC Greensboro (2)
lost to North Carolina, Duke, UNC Charlotte, N.C. State

Davidson, undefeated in the Southern Conference, moved ahead of State and Wake Forest this week, but the state of basketball in North Carolina isn’t good if the No. 3 team is 61st in the RPI rankings.

Stephen Curry: fifth in points (25.3), ninth in free throw percentage (.900)

Jason Richards: first in assists (8.0)

62. Wake Forest (16-9, 3-3)
Last week: 61
beat N.C. Central, Winston-Salem State, Duke
lost to UNC Charlotte, N.C. State, North Carolina

74. N.C. State (15-12, 4-4)
Last week: 60
beat Davidson, Western Carolina, N.C. Central, Wake Forest
lost to East Carolina, North Carolina (2), Duke

Technician, State’s student newspaper, did not produce a spoof of North Carolina’s student newspaper — a long-standing tradition on the date of the State-UNC basketball game in Raleigh.

As sports editor at Technician in 1993-94, let me make my feelings clear on this: It’s lame.

99. UNC Charlotte (15-11, 5-0)
Last week: 94
beat High Point, Appalachian State, Wake Forest, Davidson,
Gardner-Webb

143. UNC Wilmington (18-11, 2-1)
Last week: 140
beat N.C. Central, East Carolina
lost to UNC Greensboro

Vladimir Kulianin: second in field goal percentage (.667)

151. UNC Greensboro (15-11, 5-3)
Last week: 159
beat UNC Wilmington, Elon (2), Appalachian State, Western Carolina
lost to Appalachian State, Davidson (2)

154. UNC Asheville (15-8, 4-2)
Last week: 131
beat Campbell (2), Western Carolina, High Point
lost to North Carolina, High Point

Kenny George: first in field goal percentage (.706), fifth in blocks (3.95)

158. Appalachian State (16-11, 4-4)
Last week: 143
beat Campbell, UNC Greensboro, Elon, Western Carolina
lost to Charlotte, Davidson, Elon, UNC Greensboro

207. Gardner-Webb (14-13, 2-2)
Last week: 222
beat High Point, Campbell
lost to UNC Charlotte, Campbell

Thomas Sanders: eighth in rebounds (11.0)

223. N.C. A&T (9-13, 1-1)
Last week: 186
beat Winston-Salem State
lost to Winston-Salem State

244. Elon (10-16, 2-6)
Last week: 239
beat Western Carolina, Appalachian State
lost to Davidson (2), UNC Greensboro (2), Western Carolina, Appalachian State

249. High Point (10-13, 1-3)
Last week: 232
beat UNC Asheville
lost to Charlotte, Gardner-Webb, UNC Asheville

Arizona Reid: eighth in points (23.1)

Mike Jefferson: third in assists (7.1)

262. East Carolina (6-16, 2-1)
Last week: 258
beat N.C. State, N.C. Central
lost to UNC Wilmington

294. Western Carolina (8-18, 2-7)
Last week: 283
beat N.C. Central, Elon
lost to UNC Asheville, Elon, N.C. State, Davidson (2),
Appalachian State, UNC Greensboro

295. N.C. Central (2-23, 0-7)
Last week: 284
lost to Duke, Wake Forest, Davidson, Western Carolina,
UNC Wilmington, East Carolina, N.C. State

311. Winston-Salem State (8-15, 1-2)
Last week: 316
beat N.C. A&T
lost to Wake Forest, N.C. A&T

315. Campbell (9-16, 1-4)
Last week: 307
beat Gardner-Webb
lost to UNC Asheville (2), Appalachian State, Gardner-Webb

All-North Carolina team

You wanted the best. You got the best. The all-North Carolina team.

First, a few notes.

I picked teams that could play together -- a point guard, a shooting guard, two forwards and a center -- not just the five best players, followed by the next five.

Field goal percentage is often a misleading statistic because it includes 3-point percentage. I remove 3-pointers from the equation and use 2-point percentage. See the Stephen Curry entry.

This is a down season for the North Carolina teams, mostly because it's a down season for Duke, N.C. State and Wake Forest. Another reason is the talent in the state is young. Of the 10 players selected, three are freshmen and two are sophomores. There is only one senior.

First team

Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina, forward, sophomore
18.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 53.8 2-point percentage

Hansbrough is a fine player, but that's not the whole story:

1. Hansbrough was a 21-year-old sophomore this season (born: Nov. 3, 1985). So he was two years older than many of the players in his class and the same age as some juniors and seniors. That's one reason why he was one of the best freshman of all time last season -- he was 20 years old.

There are a couple explanations for this. The first is his birthday is in November, and the cut-off date in many school systems is in October. The second, according to my source, is he went from a public school to a private one in first grade and repeated that grade.

2. Hansbrough was not a unanimous all-ACC first-team selection, no matter what the ACC office tells you. Patrick Stevens of The Washington Times knows better.

Kyle Hines, UNC-Greensboro, forward, junior
20.9 points, 9.0 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 56.0 2-point percentage

Southern Conference player of the year.

Brandan Wright, North Carolina, center, freshman
14.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 65.2 2-point percentage

Stephen Curry, Davidson, shooting guard, freshman
21.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 40.8 3-point percentage

Stephen (pronounced Stef-un) wasn't offered a scholarship by any ACC school. Virginia Tech, where he wanted to go, offered him a chance to walk on. That's it. Pat Forde of ESPN.com tells the whole story.

Curry shot 53.5 percent from 2-point range, 40.8 percent from 3-point range and 85.5 percent from the free throw line for a total shooting percentage of 179.8.

For a frame of reference, J.J. Redick shot 175.7 as a freshman, 181.8 as a sophomore, 175.6 as a junior and 180.5 as a senior.

Jason Richards, Davidson, point guard, junior
13.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 3.1 turnovers

Richards is second in the nation in assists, first among players in the NCAA tournament.

Second team

Arizona Reid, High Point, forward, junior
21.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 52.8 2-point percentage

Great name, great game.

Ben McCauley, N.C. State, forward, sophomore
14.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 59.5 2-point percentage

McCauley edges out Brandon Costner of State, Josh McRoberts of Duke, Vladimir Kuljanin of UNC-Wilmington and Jeremy Clayton of Appalachian State.

Kyle Visser, Wake Forest, center, senior
17.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 58.8 2-point percentage

Visser really improved. He had not averaged more than 5.0 points a game before this season.

Ty Lawson, North Carolina, point guard, freshman
10.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.1 turnovers

DeMarcus Nelson, Duke, shooting guard, junior
14.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 53.5 2-point percentage

Pirates riding high

Yes, Wake Forest is the lone ACC college football team in the Associated Press top 25 this week at No. 20, but East Carolina is perhaps the best team in the state.

The Pirates jumped from unranked to No. 14 in the poll (and up to No. 20 -- one spot behind Wake -- in the USA Today poll) after knocking off Virginia Tech last week and demolishing then-No. 8 West Virginia this week.

It's no surprise that "Purple Pride" is riding high.

"The Pirates had gone 3-20 before [coach Skip] Holtz arrived four years ago, and they are not in a conference that receives an automatic bid for the Bowl Championship Series," says the News & Observer.

"It just goes to show what good coaching can do," said [Pirate Club president Grant] Jarman, who saw purple flags flapping on cars around town all day Sunday. "This is a proud Pirate nation right now."

With a favorable schedule ahead, ECU could just crash the BCS party.

"The Pirates have two distinct schedules left, an ACC schedule and a Conference USA schedule," writes Lenox Rawlings. "The C-USA schedule looks harder, with road games against Central Florida and Southern Miss. The ACC road games: N.C. State on Sept. 20 and Virginia on Oct. 11. The rest: Tulane and Alabama-Birmingham on the road, Houston, Memphis, Marshall and Texas-El Paso at home, plus the C-USA title game.

"Winning them all is incredibly difficult in any league. Each ECU game seems manageable, based on the offense's versatility behind quarterback Patrick Pinkney (41 completions in 51 passes so far) and the running brigade that replaced Chris Johnson (1,423 yards rushing in 2007). Coach Skip Holtz, who has a far smaller ego than his preening father, Lou, praised the defense for containing West Virginia's Patrick White (97 yards rushing, 72 yards passing). The Mountaineers rolled up 599 yards in a 48-7 romp over ECU last year but gained just 251 this time.

"That's why ECU folks want to party like it's 1991, when the Pirates rallied past N.C. State 37-34 in the Peach Bowl and finished No. 9."

Don't remind me.

North Carolina basketball report (9)

Duke moved ahead of North Carolina, but that will be settled Sunday in the ACC season finale.

Only five of the 19 North Carolina schools have winning records.

Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology: bracket | video

Monday’s game
Davidson 90, Elon 78 | boxscore

Saturday’s game
Duke at North Carolina, 4

Rankings (results through Sunday’s games)
RPI rankings, team (overall record, record vs. North Carolina teams)

2. Duke (24-5, 4-2)
Last week: 4
beat UNC Asheville, Davidson, N.C. State, Wake Forest
lost to Wake Forest, North Carolina
Bracketology: No. 3 seed in the East, vs. Ivy League champion

3. North Carolina (24-3, 4-1)
Last week: 3
beat UNC Asheville, N.C. State (2), Duke
lost to Wake Forest
Bracketology: No. 1 seed in the West, vs. Ohio Valley champion

ACC career scoring leaders        pts
1. J.J. Redick                  2,769
2. Tyler Hansbrough             2,678
3. Johnny Dawkins               2,556
4. Rodney Monroe                2,551
5. Bryant Stith                 2,516

I’ve decided not to include Dickie Hemric (2,587 points), because his first two seasons were in the Southern Conference — before the ACC was formed.

               pts   reb   ast    2pt    3pt     ft
Hansbrough    21.3   7.8   0.9   .539   6-15   .849
Ty Lawson     15.8   2.6   6.5   .569   .494   .815

Lawson: seventh in nation in assists, seventh in 3-point shooting.

17. Wake Forest (22-5, 7-2)
Last week: 18
beat N.C. Central, UNC Wilmington, Winston-Salem State,
East Carolina, North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest
lost to N.C. State, Duke
Bracketology: No. 3 seed in the South, vs. Patriot League champion

               pts   reb   ast    2pt    3pt     ft
Jeff Teague   20.0   3.4   3.7   .504   .494   .832

67. Davidson (23-6, 6-1)
Last week: 59
beat N.C. State, Appalachian State, Elon, Western Carolina,
UNC Greensboro (2)
lost to Duke
Bracketology: No. 11 seed in the Midwest, vs. Florida State

Stephen Curry scored his 2,500th point Monday night. | story

               pts   reb   ast    2pt    3pt     ft
Stephen Curry 28.5   4.3   5.8   .522   .386   .873

100. N.C. State (15-12, 6-5)
Last week: 90
beat High Point, UNC Greensboro, Winston-Salem State,
East Carolina, N.C. Central, Wake Forest
lost to Davidson, Duke, North Carolina (2), Wake Forest

183. UNC Charlotte (11-17, 1-1)
Last week: 166
beat UNC Greensboro
lost to Appalachian State

DiJuan Harris: fourth in nation in assists (7.3).

189. Western Carolina (14-14, 4-5)
Last week: 203
beat UNC Greensboro (2), Elon, Appalachian State
lost to Gardner-Webb, UNC Asheville, Appalachian State, Davidson,
Elon

199. UNC Asheville (11-15, 5-3)
Last week: 204
beat Western Carolina, Gardner-Webb (2), High Point (2)
lost to Campbell, North Carolina, Duke

208. East Carolina (10-15, 3-2)
Last week: 187
beat Campbell, UNC Wilmington, UNC Greensboro
lost to N.C. State, Wake Forest

Brock Young: second in nation in assists (7.6).

217. Gardner-Webb (10-16, 2-3)
Last week: 220
beat Western Carolina, High Point
lost to UNC Asheville (2), High Point

234. N.C. A&T (13-13, 2-0)
Last week: 239
beat Winston-Salem State (2)

252. Campbell (12-15, 1-2)
Last week: 270
beat UNC Asheville
lost to East Carolina, Appalachian State

258. Appalachian State (11-17, 6-4)
Last week: 254
beat UNC Charlotte, Campbell, Elon (2), Western Carolina,
UNC Greensboro
lost to UNC Wilmington, UNC Greensboro, Davidson, Western Carolina

273. UNC Wilmington (7-24, 3-2)
Last week: 276
beat Appalachian State, N.C. Central, Elon
lost to Wake Forest, East Carolina

280. Elon (8-18, 1-7)
Last week: 264
beat Western Carolina
lost to Appalachian State (2), Western Carolina, Davidson,
UNC Greensboro (2), UNC Wilmington

317. Winston-Salem State (6-19, 1-4)
Last week: 319
beat N.C. Central
lost to Wake Forest, N.C. State, N.C. A&T (2)

321. UNC Greensboro (4-24, 3-8)
Last week: 324
beat Appalachian State, Elon (2)
lost to UNC Charlotte, N.C. State, East Carolina,
Western Carolina (2), Davidson (2), Appalachian State

326. High Point (6-20, 2-3)
Last week: 328
beat N.C. Central, Gardner-Webb
lost to N.C. State, Gardner-Webb, UNC Asheville (2)

Cruz Daniels: 10th in nation in blocks (2.72).

339. N.C. Central (2-25, 0-5)
Last week: 339
lost to Wake Forest, UNC Wilmington, High Point,
Winston-Salem State, N.C. State

Only Grambling, Sacramento State, Alcorn State and NJIT are worse.

DT, Laettner to college hoops Hall

The two greatest men's basketball players in ACC history are headed to the College Basketball Hall of Fame.

"Former NCAA champions Christian Laettner of Duke and David Thompson of N.C. State will be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, which announced its eight-person 2010 class on Wednesday," says the News & Observer.

"Laettner led Duke to four Final Fours and NCAA championships in 1991 and 1992. He received national player of the year honors in 1992 and ranks third in Duke history in career points (2,460) and rebounds (1,149).

"He is the NCAA Tournament's career scoring leader with 407 points and made one of the most famous shots in NCAA history in overtime in a 1992 regional final to lift Duke to a 104-103 win over Kentucky.

"Thompson was one of the most athletic players in the history of the game and was named The Associated Press' national player of the year twice. He led N.C. State to the 1974 NCAA title and was selected as ACC player of the year in 1973, 1974 and 1975. He averaged 26.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game over his career.

"He was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996."

Congrats to both.

Latest class of N.C. Sports Hall of Fame announced

The Old North State has produced its fair share of superstars in the sporting world. And some more folks are about to be recognized for their contributions.

The N.C. Sports Hall of Fame recently announced the 2018 class of inductees. This year's class includes people involved in sports as diverse as baseball, golf, tennis, volleyball -- and even speedskating - though this year's class skews to baseball.

“The achievements of this year’s class of inductees enrich North Carolina’s remarkable sports heritage, and the individuals have certainly earned the honor of joining the 336 men and women who have been previously enshrined,” said Nora Lynn Finch, president of the Hall. “This is our 55th class, and we look forward to celebrating this special time in our state’s sports history."

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/article193709249.html#storylink=cpy

Here, courtesy of the N&O, is a bit more about this year's inductees, who will be enshrined on May 4 in Raleigh:

DONNA ANDREWS: An outstanding golfer, Andrews won a major title on the LPGA Tour and five other tournaments during her time on the tour from 1990 to 2005. She finished in the top 10 in money earned in a season three times. The Lynchburg, Va., native is now a teaching pro in Pinehurst.

SCOTT BANKHEAD: Bankhead, an All-American pitcher at North Carolina, had a 10-year major league career, including six with the Seattle Mariners, with whom he won 14 games in 1989. The Raleigh native and Asheboro resident produced two of the best seasons in Tar Heel history.

HAL “SKINNY” BROWN *: Brown pitched for six teams in his major league career, which spanned from 1951 to 1964. His best season came in 1960 with the Orioles. Baltimore battled the Yankees all summer for first place in the American League race before finishing second. Brown, born in Greensboro, went 12-5 with a 3.06 ERA that season.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/article193709249.html#storylink=cpy

 

CHRIS CAMMACK*: Almost 50 years after graduation, Cammack still ranks as one of N.C. State’s best all-around baseball players. The Fayetteville native starred at third base for four years, earning all-ACC honors four times and set the Wolfpack record for single-season batting average with a .429 mark in 1969. He was also a point guard on a state championship high school basketball team at Fayetteville High.

JOEY CHEEK: Cheek, a Greensboro native, has won three Olympic medals in speed skating. He began as an inline skater as a teen before switching to speed skating. He won medals in the 2002 and 2006 Olympic Games. He is also a well-known humanitarian, co-founding Team Darfur, an international association of athletes devoted to raising awareness of humanitarian crises related to the war in Darfur.

WES CHESSON: Chesson, a native of Edenton, played for former Duke star Jerry McGee in high school at Holmes High and then went on to Duke himself. He was a star receiver and punter for the Blue Devils in the late 1960s. By the time he graduated, he was the leading receiver in ACC history and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons.

LAURA DUPONT *: A native of Louisville, Ky., Dupont moved to Charlotte as a teenager and quickly dominated the state’s junior tennis tournaments. She attended North Carolina, where she won the pre-NCAA national collegiate championship. After graduation, she joined the WTA Tour, where she was a standout in both singles and doubles.

MINDY BALLOU FITZPATRICK: Fitzpatrick, a native of Sea Level, was a volleyball and basketball standout at West Carteret High School. She went on to become a collegiate basketball star at South Carolina, where she played from 1983-86 and was a three-time All-American. She later became a championship surfer.

BILL HAYES: Hayes spent 27 years as a college head football coach and won 195 games, including stints at N.C. A&T (1988-2002) and Winston-Salem State (1976-87). After his coaching career, he served as athletic director at his alma mater, N.C. Carolina Central, Florida A&M and Winston-Salem State.

JACK HOLLEY*: Holley was an outstanding athlete at New Hanover High School and graduated from Guilford College. He coached 46 years at the high school level, and his football teams won 412 games, which placed him in the top 10 nationally at one time. His stops included Tabor City and two long stints at Wallace-Rose Hill, among others.

PAUL JONES*: Jones, born in Thomasville and a graduate of East Carolina, compiled a brilliant basketball coaching record at Kinston High School. He spent 38 seasons there, from 1957 through ’95, and his teams won 662 games and 18 conference championships along with two N.C. High School Athletic Association state titles and four runner-up finishes. He also coached a team to a state title in baseball.

MIKE MARTIN: Martin has built one of the greatest collegiate baseball programs in the country in his 38 years at Florida State. The Gastonia native has the most wins and the highest winning percentage of any active coach. Under his direction, Florida State has become a fixture in the national polls and NCAA Tournament play.

FRANK “JAKIE” MAY*: A Youngsville native, May had a 14-year major league career. The left-hander pitched for three National League teams between the 1917 and 1932 seasons. He had 72 major league wins, including 15 for Cincinnati in 1927, and finished his career with a 3.88 ERA.

JOE WEST: West was born in Asheville, graduated from Rose High in Greenville and played football at Elon. He is the longest tenured umpire currently working in major league baseball, with over 40 seasons, and prior to his induction in the Hall has worked in six World Series, nine League Championship series and three All-Star games.

FRED WHITFIELD: Whitfield has teamed with Michael Jordan to run the Charlotte Hornets. President and chief operating officer of the franchise, which he joined in 2006, the native of Greensboro graduated from Campbell University and is in that school’s sports Hall of Fame. Thousands of young people in Charlotte have benefited from his civic work over the years.

*Inducted posthumously

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/article193709249.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/article193709249.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/article193709249.html#storylink=cpy

It's that time of year again

As a native North Carolinian, few things elicit the excitement of the ACC basketball tournament. And even though this year's tournament is in a foreign land (Tampa, Florida), some 700 miles from where it should be (Greensboro or, at the very least, Charlotte or Atlanta), there's still some excitement for the tournament in this 32-year-old body that hasn't been present to a tournament in about 6 years.

And, believe it or not, I have the North Carolina public school system to thank for that excitement.

After all, "ACC Tournament Week" in elementary and middle school was almost like an in-school vacation. I can remember teachers pretty much making up lesson plans based around the tournament. Specifically, math teachers would have students calculate just how far it is between, say, College Park and Tallahassee. Or history teachers would have students research the Morrill Act (which paved the way for Land Grant colleges), or how the different schools were founded. And so on and so on.

The whole week was topped off when TVs were wheeled into the classrooms to watch the Friday morning and afternoon session of games from the tournament. And, of course, schoolchildren wore their favorite teams colors. Of course, being that we were in North Carolina in the 1980s and early 1990s, the classrooms were pretty much split between red and light blue. (There was no such thing as Duke fans back in those days. And I remember just one Wake Forest fan, K.C. Gold. I always respected that about him.)

For those of you who grew up in North Carolina, do you have similar memories? And for those that did not, was there a similar level of excitement for "the tournament" in your state?

North Carolina basketball report

Rankings (results through Sunday’s games)
RPI rankings, team (overall record, record vs. North Carolina teams)

3. Duke (22-2, 4-1)
Last week: 2
beat N.C. Central, Davidson, N.C. State, North Carolina
lost to Wake Forest

All five of Duke’s starters fouled out in their loss to Wake Forest.

4. North Carolina (24-2, 3-1)
Last week: 3
beat Davidson, UNC Asheville, N.C. State
lost to Duke

North Carolina is down to its third-string point guard because of injuries to Ty Lawson (5.7 assists) and Bobby Frasor (2.1 assists). Quentin Thomas (32 assists, 18 turnovers in five games) is now the starter.

In literature, a protagonist is often haunted by an image, an object, a weakness. The thing haunts him, follows him and becomes a part of his fate.

For the Tar Heels, it’s injuries to their point guards:

Dick Grubar, 1969
Phil Ford, 1976 and 1977
Kenny Smith, 1984
Steve Hale, 1985
Derrick Phelps, 1994
Lawson, 2008

60. N.C. State (15-10, 4-3)
Last week: 47
beat Davidson, Western Carolina, N.C. Central, Wake Forest
lost to East Carolina, North Carolina, Duke

Big game this week: UNC at State, Wednesday at 7 p.m.

State has two chances to make the NCAA tournament: win out and win one more game in the ACC tournament or win the ACC tournament.

61. Wake Forest (16-8, 3-2)
Last week: 94
beat N.C. Central, Winston-Salem State, Duke
lost to UNC Charlotte, N.C. State

Jeff Teague had a dream, an awesome dream.

66. Davidson (18-6, 7-4)
Last week: 64
beat N.C. Central, Appalachian State, Western Carolina (2), Elon (2) UNC Greensboro
lost to North Carolina, Duke, UNC Charlotte, N.C. State

Stephen Curry is shooting 56.3 percent from 2-point range, 42.2 from 3-point range and 90.3 from the free throw line for a total shooting percentage of 188.8.

For some perspective, J.J. Redick shot 180.5 in his senior season. In the NBA last season, only Steve Nash (192.9) shot better.

Curry is fifth in the country in points (25.6) and ninth in free throw percentage.

Jason Richards: first in assists (8.1)

94. UNC Charlotte (14-10, 5-0)
Last week: 89
beat High Point, Appalachian State, Wake Forest, Davidson,
Gardner-Webb

131. UNC Asheville (14-7, 4-2)
Last week: 90
beat Campbell (2), Western Carolina, High Point
lost to North Carolina, High Point

Kenny George: first in field goal percentage (.706), fourth in blocks (4.00)

140. UNC Wilmington (17-10, 2-1)
Last week: 164
beat N.C. Central, East Carolina
lost to UNC Greensboro

Vladimir Kulianin: sixth in field goal percentage (.653)

143. Appalachian State (15-10, 4-4)
Last week: 126
beat Campbell, UNC Greensboro, Elon, Western Carolina
lost to Charlotte, Davidson, Elon, UNC Greensboro

159. UNC Greensboro (14-10, 4-2)
Last week: 168
beat UNC Wilmington, Elon (2), Appalachian State
lost to Appalachian State, Davidson

Kyle Hines: 10th in blocks (3.00)

186. N.C. A&T (9-11, 1-0)
Last week: 175
beat Winston-Salem State

222. Gardner-Webb (12-13, 2-2)
Last week: 230
beat High Point, Campbell
lost to UNC Charlotte, Campbell

232. High Point (10-11, 1-3)
Last week: 229
beat UNC Asheville
lost to Charlotte, Gardner-Webb, UNC Asheville

Arizona Reid: eighth points (23.4), fifth in rebounds (11.2).

Mike Jefferson: third in assists (7.2)

239. Elon (9-15, 2-6)
Last week: 251
beat Western Carolina, Appalachian State
lost to Davidson (2), UNC Greensboro (2), Western Carolina, Appalachian State

258. East Carolina (6-14, 2-1)
Last week: 237
beat N.C. State, N.C. Central
lost to UNC Wilmington

283. Western Carolina (7-17, 2-6)
Last week: 278
beat N.C. Central, Elon
lost to UNC Asheville, Elon, N.C. State, Davidson (2),
Appalachian State

284. N.C. Central (2-21, 0-7)
Last week: 276
lost to Duke, Wake Forest, Davidson, Western Carolina,
UNC Wilmington, East Carolina, N.C. State

307. Campbell (9-15, 1-4)
Last week: 286
beat Gardner-Webb
lost to UNC Asheville (2), Appalachian State, Gardner-Webb

316. Winston-Salem State (7-14, 0-2)
Last week: 222
lost to Wake Forest, N.C. A&T

Miami's Haith knows what we're talking about

Miami Hurricanes men's basketball coach Frank Haith, a native North Carolinian, could definitely relate to our discussion about childhood ACC tourney memories.

"This is the greatest tournament in the country, the crowd, the fans," Haith told the Wilmington Star-News. "Obviously growing up in North Carolina, Friday afternoons in high school, when the TVs are turned on and the teachers aren't teaching but we're watching the ACC tournament, obviously it's very special."

North Carolina basketball report (7)

Wednesday’s games
North Carolina 89, N.C. State 80 | boxscore
UNC Asheville 81, High Point 78 (OT) | boxscore

Thursday’s games
Appalachian State 70, UNC Greensboro 69 | boxscore
Elon 72, Western Carolina 66 | boxscore

Saturday’s games
Western Carolina 69, UNC Greensboro 56 | boxscore
N.C. A&T 68, Winston-Salem State 61 | boxscore

Sunday’s games
Duke 101, Wake Forest 91 | boxscore
UNC Wilmington 75, Elon 72 | boxscore

Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology: Bracket | Video

Rankings (results through Sunday’s games)
RPI rankings, team (overall record, record vs. North Carolina teams)

North Carolina beat Duke, which has lost four of six. State beat Wake, which has lost four of seven. Stephen Curry is day to day.

Only five of the 19 North Carolina schools have winning records.

4. North Carolina (22-2, 3-1)
Last week: 6
Bracketology: No. 1 seed in the Midwest, vs. Big South champion
beat UNC Asheville, N.C. State, Duke
lost to Wake Forest

ACC career scoring leaders      pts
1. J.J. Redick                2,769
2. Tyler Hansbrough           2,612
3. Johnny Dawkins             2,556
4. Rodney Monroe              2,551
5. Bryant Stith               2,516

I've decided not to include Dickie Hemric (2,587 points), because his first two seasons were in the Southern Conference — before the ACC was formed.

Hansbrough: 21.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, .527 2-point percentage and .839 free throw percentage

Ty Lawson’s assist-to-turnover ratio is 3.40. The single-season record is held by N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe, who had 3.35 in 1982-83.

Lawson’s career ratio of 2.69 is second all-time to Lowe’s 2.94.

Lawson: 15.9 points, 6.4 assists, 1.9 turnovers, 2.1 steals, .586 2-point percentage, .494 3-point percentage, .805 free throw percentage

5. Duke (20-5, 3-2)
Last week: 1
Bracketology: No. 3 seed in the East, vs. America East champion
beat UNC Asheville, Davidson, N.C. State
lost to Wake Forest, North Carolina

Point guard Greg Paulus is back in the starting lineup, with mixed results:

                    min   pts   ast   stl   w-l
First 22 games     18.4   5.5   1.6   0.9  19-3
Last three games   31.0   9.3   2.3   3.0   1-2

16. Wake Forest (19-4, 6-1)
Last week: 14
Bracketology: No. 2 seed in the South, vs. Ivy League champion
beat N.C. Central, UNC Wilmington, Winston-Salem State,
East Carolina, North Carolina, Duke
lost to N.C. State

50. Davidson (21-4, 5-1)
Last week: 50
Bracketology: No. 9 seed in the East, vs. Florida State
beat N.C. State, Appalachian State, Elon, Western Carolina,
UNC Greensboro
lost to Duke

X-rays on Stephen Curry’s injured left ankle are negative and the nation’s leading scorer will be listed as day to day. | story

Curry: 29.0 points, 5.8 assists, 2.65 steals, .528 2-point percentage, .388 3-point percentage and .872 free throw percentage

91. N.C. State (14-9, 6-3)
Last week: 115
beat High Point, UNC Greensboro, Winston-Salem State,
East Carolina, N.C. Central, Wake Forest
lost to Davidson, Duke, North Carolina

179. UNC Charlotte (9-15, 1-1)
Last week: 167
beat UNC Greensboro
lost to Appalachian State

DiJuan Harris: fifth in nation in assists (6.8).

181. East Carolina (10-11, 3-2)
Last week: 161
beat Campbell, UNC Wilmington, UNC Greensboro
lost to N.C. State, Wake Forest

Brock Young: leads nation in assists (7.8).

189. Western Carolina (11-12, 3-4)
Last week: 206
beat UNC Greensboro, Elon, Appalachian State
lost to Gardner-Webb, UNC Asheville, Appalachian State, Davidson

195. Gardner-Webb (8-14, 2-3)
Last week: 156
beat Western Carolina, High Point
lost to UNC Asheville (2), High Point

203. UNC Asheville (9-14, 4-3)
Last week: 195
beat Western Carolina, Gardner-Webb (2), High Point
lost to Campbell, North Carolina, Duke

242. Appalachian State (9-14, 5-4)
Last week: 242
beat UNC Charlotte, Campbell, Elon (2), Western Carolina
lost to UNC Wilmington, UNC Greensboro, Davidson, Western Carolina

249. N.C. A&T (9-13, 1-0)
Last week: 280
beat Winston-Salem State

260. Elon (6-16, 0-5)
Last week: 245
lost to Appalachian State (2), Western Carolina, Davidson,
UNC Greensboro

279. UNC Wilmington (6-21, 2-2)
Last week: 254
beat Appalachian State, N.C. Central
lost to Wake Forest, East Carolina

298. Campbell (8-15, 1-2)
Last week: 268
beat UNC Asheville
lost to East Carolina, Appalachian State

314. Winston-Salem State (5-16, 1-3)
Last week: 315
beat N.C. Central
lost to Wake Forest, N.C. State, N.C. A&T

316. UNC Greensboro (3-21, 2-5)
Last week: 312
beat Appalachian State, Elon
lost to UNC Charlotte, N.C. State, East Carolina, Western Carolina,
Davidson

324. High Point (5-17, 2-3)
Last week: 333
beat N.C. Central, Gardner-Webb
lost to N.C. State, Gardner-Webb, UNC Asheville

340. N.C. Central (1-22, 0-5)
Last week: 339
lost to Wake Forest, UNC Wilmington, High Point,
Winston-Salem State, N.C. State

Only Sacramento State, Alcorn State and NJIT are worse.

ACC Hall of Champions to open next year

I'm piecing this together, but from what I can tell (from here and here) construction is set to begin soon on the ACC's Hall of Champions in Greensboro.

The building will be more than 8,000 square feet in size and will be a "tribute to the Atlantic Coast Conference, its coaches and athletes."

The facility will be adjacent to the Greensboro Coliseum Complex.