Yes, the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament remains the Cadillac of league playoffs-- although even the ACC is a little watered down...I know you are excited about BC-Virginia, right?
Alma Mater Aside--- Top seed Syracuse faces #8 Georgetown in the quarterfinals (at high noon... Gary Cooper had a sick jumpshot btw)... and I'm nervous for several reasons. 1-- SU didn't dominate either game (allowing the Hoyas to score the first 14 points at the Carrier Dome while almost blowing a 23 point second half lead in DC)... they've lost quarterfinal games with numbing regularity (Georgetown 2000 rings a bell) as a top seed (have I mentioned 1991? The loss to Richmond was preceded by a BET upset to #8 Villanova).
ACC Bold-- not much is expected of Clemson... the only original member yet to win the tournament... and with good reason- the Tigers have traditionally underperformed. This year though, they face a bad NC State team in the first round, followed by a Florida State squad that went 2-5 against the top half of the conference. The Tigers made the finals two years ago... can they go back?
Tournament aside-- I'm against expansion of the tournament field... and one unfortunate byproduct will be dumbing down of schedules... not to be SU-centric-- but with a 96 team field Syracuse might not leave the state of New York for a non-conference game forever...
ACC Fold-- I've heard ad nauseum this winter about how great Wake Forest and Georgia Tech are... how much talent each team has... and how each squad is much better than their record suggests. That's all fine, but when you get to March you have to bring it... and I think the Demon Deacons (Miami has overperformed its seed in the ACC's since joining the league) and Yellowjackets (North Carolina has a little pride left, right?) are ripe to fall.
Retirement thought-- Nomar Garciaparra signed a one-day contract with Boston and then retired. Thank goodness, because otherwise I would have never remembered he even played for the Red Sox. Does this mean Nomar forfeits the money he collected from the Cubs, Dodgers and A's? Nomar, you scoring a 24 hour contract so you could retire a Sox is embarrassing. Will I years from now ink a one-shift deal with WGIR AM-610? No. Do you know why, Mr. Garciaparra? Because it's ridiculous. Please give fans the credit to recall you as one of the greatest at Fenway--we're smart enough to know of your impact even if you don't retire as a Red Sox.
PS-- it's unconfirmed, but Bernie Carbo, Marty Barrett and Mo Vaughn could be desiring 1-hour Red Sox contracts...and Graham Nash could get a one-day deal with the Hollies.
ACC Gold-- Maryland is the hot team with the league's best player... but this tournament has always been dominated by the Carolina Four... and although NC State is in hibernation and Wake Forest is too up and down and North Carolina is just bad, Duke remains Duke. No major conference team has owned its tournament since 1999 since the Blue Devils... and unfortunately for the Coach K haters, Sunday will be another coronation.
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