The Rafters

Tagged: SEC RSS

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  shwineka 12:28 pm on June 11, 2010 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: ACC (32), ACC Sunday Night Hoops, Austin American Statesman, Baylor, Big East (3), Charlotte (2), Coaches' Poll (2), Duke (41), expansion, K-State, Kansas (11), Kentucky (6), Missouri (2), Pac-10 (3), Pacific, Raleigh (4), Roy Williams (70), SEC, Tar Heel Fan, Texas (4), Texas A&M, UNC (120), WRAL (2)   

  Taking the offensive: the ACC Superconference 

  With all the hullabaloo over conference expansion going on in the Midwest, I was happy to see that the ACC and North Carolina were going largely unaffected. I like the current setup. Although I wish that UNC were guaranteed more games against perennial league contenders like Wake Forest every year, the competition is good for ACC teams’ RPI and the conference is well respected for its basketball.

  Apparently though there has been talk of hitting us right where it hurts, namely right at us – UNC that is.

  Tar Heel Fan pointed out this SEC wish list in the Austin American Statesman (via WRAL) and I find it quite disturbing. The SEC, pioneers of the 12-team conference and not wanting to be left behind the Pac-whatever-it-is-now, could be eying expansion and targeting UNC and Duke. This, according to THF would be a boon to their basketball prestige giving them three of arguably (well, arguably as far as Duke and Kentucky ) the best teams in college basketball history in the same conference.  It would also look to boost its football stature by adding powerhouse Texas and it’s little brother Texas A&M (not to mention Butch’s boys in blue).

  THF pointed out that the Charlotte and Raleigh markets – let alone football crazed Texas – are nothing to sniff at, both coming in the Top 30 in the nation, so that could play a factor as well.

  Well, that’s all well and good, but rather than sitting on our Atlantic Coast cabooses, why don’t we take the offensive and spawn a superconference of our own?

  

  The Pac-10 has been courting with Texas as well, though I’m not sure what exactly is Pacific about Texas. Using that logic, Kansas, K-State, Baylor and Missouri seem ripe to come to the Atlantic Coast Conference to me.  The ACC’s basketball pedigree would instantly skyrocket. In the last coaches poll of 2010, taken after the tournament,  Kansas (6), K-State (7) and Baylor(10) were all in the Top 10, while Missouri received some votes for the Top 25.

  With that addition, no one could argue that the Big East was the best basketball conference any more, though we at the Rafters know that has never been true, and the spark in competition would make ACC games the must watch affair any night of the week. Forget ACC Sunday Night Hoops. How about the ACC Nightly Knockdown, Drag-out Brawl?

  Now I’m sure Roy Williams wouldn’t be too keen on the idea of his other love, Kansas, joining the conference, but as much as I love Roy I don’t think his personal preference would have much say in the grand scheme of things.

  If other conferences are licking their chops at some of the pillars of our conference, we should be looking around as well. Like I said, I’m happy with the current situation, but to let it fall below its current status would be a travesty, and we should think offensively.

  kikus is discussing. Toggle Comments

   
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    kikus 9:40 pm on June 12, 2010 Permalink

    может у кого нить есть ещё информация по этому поводу??

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  shwineka 4:19 pm on June 3, 2010 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: ACC (32), Alabama, andre dawkins (3), Bob McAdoo, coach K (12), david wear (13), dexter strickland (18), Easy Ed (5), Ed Davis (26), elliot williams (2), Gordon Hayward, Harrison Barnes (11), James McAdoo, john henson (26), Justin Knox, kendall marshall (4), Larry Drew (3), NBA (10), NBA Draft (2), NCAA (2), reggie bullock (4), Roy Williams (70), SEC, Sports Illustrated (6), Tar Heels (49), The Rafters (14), travis wear (14), tyler zeller (19), UNC (120), wear twins (10), will graves (17)   

  Catching up 

  Is it finally over? By that I mean the sick feeling in your stomach re: the most recent NCAA championship. Mine has finally subsided. So might as well cure the subsequent blogging hangover by getting back at it eh?

  What better way to get over a case of the “I-can’t-believe-Gordon-Hayward-missed-that-shot”s than by looking forward to next year. Now that the NBA draft deadline has passed, we know that Easy Ed will be leaving us for bigger and better things. Can’t really blame him. He’s a projected lottery pick depending on how the draft day moves go, and he stands to lose a lot of money by staying in college for another year with all that lockout business.

  So then there’s Harrison Barnes. The No. 1 recruit in the country is coming in with some highly touted classmates to add some more youth to what is already going to be a young team. But wait! Why not make it even younger?

  Over the past few days it’s come to light that James McAdoo, nephew of former Tar Heel and NBA Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo, and a Top 5 recruit in the class of 2011, might just pull an Andre Dawkins and come to UNC next year with Barnes and Co. Read this piece on SI.com and it will make you feel all warm and giddy inside. Here’s a throwback of ol’ Bob, sorry about the watermark. Only image I could find in a Heels uni.

  

  Well if you read that article, it’s made clear by James McAdoo’s father that James came up with the idea once the Wear twins transferred. That gave me some piece of mind. I was afraid that Roy might have been pulling a Coach K. As in last year when Dawkins came to Duke as a 17-year-old. I never read any stories on him – why woud I? – but after Elliot Williams transferred I was sure it was K figuring out some way to bolster his roster. Unfortunately whoever initiated the Dawkins early graduation talks, it worked out for them, but that’s beside the point.

  The other move I’m not sure we’ve covered here on the Rafters is the transfer of Justin Knox from Alabama. This should be a valuable pick-up. If he can put up his numbers from the SEC a year ago (6.3 pts., 3.7 rebs) that will be gravy. It’d be about equal to what two Wears were giving us, so even trade.

  I don’t think the McAdoo Move would alter the potential starting lineup for next season, nor will the Knox pickup.  At the beginning, I’m guessing Drew, Strickland, Graves, Henson, Zeller, with the expectation that Barnes will be starting by the ACC season.

  The transfers and early graduations would give us a very solid bench, however, with McAdoo and Knox spelling Henson and Zeller. Graves and Barnes wouldn’t be forced to play much post, and Reggie Bullock and Kendall Marshall will provide the guards with respite.

  Come to think of it, that would give the Heels exactly 10 players who would likely see minutes — one sub for each starter.

  And if they start playing anything like last year, that would come in handy when Roy needs to make one of his full line-up substitutions.

   
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  shwineka 12:04 pm on January 6, 2010 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: ACC (32), ACC Power Rankings (3), albany (2), Arizona, Auburn, Basketball (13), Boston College (7), Clemson (12), Cleveland State, College of Charleston (4), Duke (41), Florida (2), Florida State (8), Georgia, Georgia Tech (8), Greivis Vasquez (3), Harvard, Jon Scheyer (4), Maine, marcus ginyard (18), Marquette, Maryland (8), Miami (8), NC State (5), NCAA Tournament (4), North Carolina (3), Northern Iowa, Pac-10 (3), Penn State (2), Power Rankings, Raleigh (4), Rhode Island (3), SEC, Seton Hall, South Florida, St. Joseph's, Stanford, Tar Heels (49), Terrence Oglesby (2), The Rafters (14), Trevor Booker (4), UAB (3), UNC (120), Virginia (9), Virginia Tech (13), Wake Forest (10), will graves (17), William & Mary (4), Wisconsin, Wolfpack (4)   

  ACC Power Rankings – Jan. 6, 2010 

  

  We polled all the Rafters bloggers to see who is looking good in the ACC this week. If you check this poll throughout the season, you’ll notice a certain consistency at the No. 1 position. It’s not our job to tout other teams who might have had a better week than Carolina, it’s our job to tell you why, week after week, UNC is the best team in the conference.

  In the inaugural edition of the ACC Power Rankings,  we have a couple of teams with a sizable advantage, being that they’ve already played a conference game. Or is that disadvantage? Feel free to discuss.

  1. North Carolina (0-0) – The Heels might have dropped a game to College of Charleston, but their other losses are to the best of the best in the NCAA, with all three being to teams in the Top 5. The CoC loss also came without two starters (Marcus Ginyard and Will Graves), on the road, in overtime and after the Cougars had to hit a 3-pointer with two seconds left just to get to OT. Not too bad for a rebuilding year.
  

  2. Florida State (1-0) – Already beat a conference foe, and to top it off, it was a ranked conference foe (Ga. Tech).

  3. Duke (1-0) – You could say the same thing about the Dukies as you can about FSU, but as we’ve said before, a victory over Clemson is overrated. Plus they lost their only true road game of the season at Wisconsin, which we all know is the sole reason the ACC lost the Big 10/ACC challenge for the first time EVER. Way to go, Duke.

  4. Wake Forest (1-0) – A pretty decisive win over N.C. State by this young team is a good sign.
  

  5. Georgia Tech (0-1) – Gritted out their loss to a good FSU team. They are another really young squad who will only get better over the course of the season. We’re overlooking the rivalry loss to Georgia. 
  

  6. Clemson (0-1) – Only this high because they’ve played an ACC game already. Still not sold on Clemson without their outside shooters from last year. As despicable as Terrence Oglesby was, he was still a pretty good, yet awkward shot. Trevor Booker is good, but he can’t carry them.
  

  7. Virginia (0-0) – Nice wins over Cleveland State and UAB coupled with three losses by a combined nine points says this team is going to be frustrating for its fans. Those three losses (Penn State, Auburn and Stanford) are all to teams who are more or less evenly matched with Virginia. They also have a more lopsided loss to South Florida.  UVA might slide from this spot, but right now we’re going to give them a nod as a team whose “almost clicking.”
  

  8. Virginia Tech (0-0) – Wins over Penn State and Seton Hall look OK, but are they good enough for a NCAA berth? Not so sure. 
  

  9. Miami (0-1) – Losing to Boston College was miserable, but it was a one-point game on the road in conference. They can come back.
  

  10. North Carolina State (0-1) – The Wolfpack has had some tough losses already this season, including a heartbreaker Sunday night against Florida and a two-point loss to Arizona. They do have a win over Marquette, but the losses to the dismal SEC and Pac – 10 tells us that things might not be looking up in Raleigh just yet.

  11. Maryland (0-0) - That was a nice game against William & Mary, eh? I’m just elated the bar I was in would only play your pathetic excuse for a game while the Heels were destroying Albany. Have to admit though, seeing Greivis Vasquez go down is almost as much fun as imitating Jon Scheyer, which I did during many times during that night of drinking. UMD has also lost all the games they needed to win to make a statement pre-conference with their best win coming against a down-year Indiana squad.

  12. Boston College (1-0) – Why rank a team who has actually won a conference game this low? Five reasons: St. Joseph’s, Northern Iowa, Harvard (AGAIN!), Rhode Island and Maine. And as one Rafters blogger put it, “they are just the maroon-headed step child of the ACC.”
  

  
  

   
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  shwineka 6:36 pm on November 4, 2009 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: ACC (32), andy katz (2), Big 12, Big East (3), Big Ten (2), espnu, Pac-10 (3), SEC   

  Set Your DVRs!! 

  Tweets from Andy Katz. Hope you get ESPNU!

  @ESPNAndyKatz Just finished our ESPNU Preview shows. I think you’ll like the content. Here is the schedule on ESPNU: (next tweet)

  @ESPNAndyKatz Wednesday: 8 p.m. ACC; 8:30 p.m. Big East; 9 p.m. Big Ten; 9:30 p.m. Big 12; 10 p.m. Pac-10; 10:30 p.m. SEC; National show Thur 5:30 p.m.

   
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  shwineka 2:27 pm on November 3, 2009 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: a.j. ogilvy, Belmont Abbey (6), Chapel Hill (12), exhibition game (2), festus ezeli, homecoming, scrimmage, SEC, tarheelblue (2), UNC (120), UNC Basketball (96), vanderbilt (2)   

  Tar Heels Exhibition Game Broadcast on TarHeelBlue.com; Tar Heels Lose Scrimmage to Vanderbilt? 

  Some of you have probably already taken note of this, but I was checking the Heels’ schedule and noticed that the exhibition game against Belmont Abbey this Friday has “TarHeelBlue.com” listed next to it for TV. Turns out those of us who won’t be in Chapel Hill this weekend for homecoming can still catch the exhibition against Belmont Abbey for free online. Go here and scroll to the bottom of the page. Click the icon of a movie camera and find out if you need a plugin. Once you have the plugin, it should be smooth sailing on Friday. Can’t wait to see the team.

  **Update 11/6/09** The exhibition game costs $9.95 to watch online, unless you have a membership to Carolina All Access.

  *****

  I’ve heard rumors that UNC lost its scrimmage against Vanderbuilt, which I think was over the weekend. The scrimmage was closed to media and outsiders so I guess only the players really know. Anyone heard anything? If it’s true I wouldn’t lost much sleep over it. Vandy should be decent this year with junior center A.J. Ogilvy named to the preseason All-SEC team. Vandy actually probably matched up pretty well with the Heels, with both Ogilvy and redshirt sophomore Festus Ezeli listed at 6′11″, and seven other players listed at 6′7″ or taller.

  That said, scrimmages are the times for coaches to experiment with different lineups, and with the cluster f*** of big men on UNC this year, I guarantee there was a bevy of combinations being tested. Again, I wouldn’t read into it too much if they did lose.

  **UPDATE – 11/4/09** At least we didn’t (potentially) lose to a D-II school!

  shwineka, and Chad are discussing. Toggle Comments

   
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    Chad 8:35 pm on November 7, 2009 Permalink

    Yea, Carolina did lose this exhibiition to Vanderbilt at Chapel Hill. Yes, Carolina is highly over rated this year even though Vandy does have Ogilvy is still embarrassing to the Tarholes. I mean C’mon Carolina’s supposedly strength is their inside game and not to mention Vandy is suppossed to finish 6 in their SEC division. Looks like the Blue Devils will strike back this year!!

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    shwineka 12:35 pm on November 8, 2009 Permalink

    Actually, Chad. Vanderbilt is on the verge of breaking into the Top 25. They are returning their four top scorers and are expected to make the NCAA tourney. You can see evidence of that here by checking the amount of points they received in both polls: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/rankings

    The scrimmage was also in Nashville, not Chapel HIll.