Don't Throw The Record Books Out Yet.

After starting as a defensive contest with the score 9-9, the North Carolina Tar Heels went on to score 34 more points before the half, while State missed 18 straight shots and only put up an additional 4 points before the break. So much for throwing the record books out for this rivalry match, NC State couldn't hit a shot and didn't play much like a team. The second half proved better, in-part because of adjustments made by Coach Sidney Lowe, but probably also due to the large lead and lack of urgency felt by Carolina.

State went on to score 49 in the second half, but Carolina scored 50, so the 30 point margin from half was actually increased by 1 at the final buzzer.

Its time for the red coat to go back in the closet for a while and for Coach Lowe and the boys to regroup. I certainly hope we make a better game of it when the Heels come to Raleigh... it can't be much worse.

Tobacco Road: The Red Coat Returns.

Whether you believe the rivalry has renewed or never left, you can't question that its in full force now. The last time rivals NC State and North Carolina met was last year's ACC Tournament. As happened then, you can throw records and stats out the window... these two rivals play each other hard, with the winner often determined by heart as much as ability.

Today State heads to the Dean Dome (or Smith Center for all my Tar Heel friends). And even Jones Angell will have to admit that this first ACC contest is a big game. We might be out matched on paper, and we might not be wearing dark blue like your other Tobacco Road rivals, but we're going to put up a fight until the last whistle blows.

Forget UNC's 16-0 start... this is a historic battle. Its the 212th meeting between the Wolfpack and Tarheels, and like the 211 contests before, it will be a good one. Tip-off is at noon.

Go Pack!

Wins by all of the Big Three

All three Triangle schools won non conference games last night. NC State beat North Carolina Central University 57-29 to win their seventh straight contest. The Duke Bluedevels beat Temple 74-64 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA. This was Coach K's 787th victory, making him sixth on the all time career win list. Duke is currently ranked No. 9 with a 12-1 record overall. North Carolina also won, defeating UNC Asheville 93-81. UNC Asheville has the country's tallest player, Kenny George who is 7 foot 7. George had 14 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. North Carolina is still ranked No. 1 in the polls with undefeated Memphis and Kansas on their heels.



NC State travels to the Dean Dome this Saturday for what promises to be a typical high energy, high intensity, throw the records and rankings out the door Tobacco Road battle.



For information on NC State, click here. For Duke, click here. And for North Carolina, click here.

Time To Celebrate: LSU Tigers Championship Merchandise.

LSU Tigers 2007 Championship merchandise is now available at FavoriteU! From official logo watches to golf gifts and household items, they have a little bit of everything to commemorate the Tiger's historic 2007 BCS Championship.

Link: LSU Tigers 2007 Championship Licensed Merchandise.

Congratulations to LSU!

LSU became the first two-loss team to win the BCS National Championship Game, much less play in the game. Congratulations to LSU! Apparently Les Miles made the right decision to stay at Louisiana State University.

Is A College Football Playoff Coming?

Yesterday, the University of Georgia President Micheal Adams made his pitch for an NCAA Football playoff system. I could not agree with this gentleman more. But I do have to wonder if he would be proposing this had Georgia not finished their season so strong. Georgia was in the conversation because they were playing football as good as anyone was at the end of the season. As I heard someone on sports radio say yesterday, "where was Mr. Adams when Auburn was one of three undefeated teams who got left out of the National Championship game?"

Read Mr. Adams proposal in more detail by clicking here.

LSU Wins National Title!

The Louisiana State University Tigers, after having two losses this season, captured the BCS National Championship by defeating Ohio State 38-24. For the second straight year, The Ohio State Buckeyes made it to the final game only to come up short, last year losing to the Florida Gators, and tonight to LSU.

If Ohio State deserved to be there, LSU certainly did. After ending the first quarter down 10-3, LSU scored 21 unanswered points before the half and controlled the rest of the game.

Congratulations Louisiana State, 2008 BCS National Champions!

Kansas Still Undefeated

Kansas visited Boston College on Saturday, coming away with an 85-60 victory. Darnell Jackson led all scores with 25 points and 9 rebounds. Boston College was led by Rakim Sanders with 20 points.

For more information, click here.

No. 9 Duke picks up another win

Cameron Indoor Stadium was the site of another Bluedevil win. Duke topped Cornell 81-67. DeMarcus Nelson led the Bluedevils with 23 points and 8 rebounds. The Bluedevils improved to 11-1.

For more information on Duke's win, click here.

North Carolina Eaks Out An Overtime Win at Littlejohn

The North Carolina Tarheels began their conference schedule last night by traveling to Clemson's Littlejohn Colesium, taking on the number 18th ranked Clemson Tigers. This game, in my opinion, is the epitome of ACC basketball and why ACC basketball is so special. It was a track meet; up and down the court, back and forth. Clemson held a 41-38 lead at the half. Both teams had managed 81 points at the end of regulation.

In the overtime period, Clemson pulled ahead with 13.9 seconds left when Freshman sensation, Demontez Stitt made two free throws, giving the Tigers an 88-87 lead. Following two timeouts by North Carolina, the ball was put in Wayne Ellington's hands. He nailed a three pointer with 0.4 seconds left on the game clock.

It was an outstanding game for both programs. North Carolina picked up a key conference road win and proved that they could win without a dominating performance from Tyler Hansbrough. Wayne Ellington showed up big with a career high 36 points, hitting 11-19 (5-8 from behind the three point line) from the field and 9-9 from the line. And Clemson, in my opinion, really validated there place in the top 25. Their were questions as to whether Clemson was for real, given their 17-0 start last year, and then failing to make the NCAA tournament.

For more information about North Carolina vs. Clemson, click here.

The ACC's Horrible Bowl Appearances Contiued

Virginia Tech continued the ACC's dismal showing in this year's bowl games. Virginia Tech lost to Kansas 24-21. Unfortunately, I missed the game last night. The Iowa Caucus coverage held my attention.

For a complete breakdown of the FedEx Orange Bowl, click here

Interim Coach Finally Siezes The Opportunity

With the exit of Rich Rodriquez to Michigan, it was thought that West Virginia would be hard pressed to compete with Oklahoma in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. It was widely thought that with the uncertainty of the coaching staff at West Virginia, would the assistant coaches have the opportunity to stay at West Virginia, would some of them have an opportunity to follow Rodriquez to Michigan, or worse yet would some of the coaches be left without a job. With the assistant coaches having so much "up in the air," how could they possibly prepare a team like Oklahoma?

Not only did they prepare for Oklahoma, but they won. And won convincingly! The coaching staff put their team, the kids that they recruited and the University first (much like Rodriquez claimed to do last year when he turned down the Alabama job to stay "home" at West Virginia). And in a classy move by the University, Bill Stewart will be named the Head Coach this morning. Coach Stewart is the only interim head coach (that I am aware of) to capitalize on their opportunity and lead their team to a bowl game victory. Fortunately, Bill Stewart is getting rewarded for his efforts. Congratulations to Coach Stewart and the rest of the Mountaineer coaching staff!

Disappointing Bowl Season for the ACC

The ACC has once again proven that it is not a power football conference. Eight teams out of the ACC made, or as of tomorrow night, will have made bowl appearances this year. The participates included, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Florida State, Maryland, Wake Forest, Boston College, Clemson and Virginia Tech. All the games have been decided except for the Orange Bowl between Virginia Tech and Kansas. The ACC's has managed to only 2 of the 7 that have been played thus far. Football in the ACC has a long way to go in order to considered in the same conversation as the SEC.

A Good Listen

The Capital One Bowl, Michigan vs. Florida. I must start this post by stating that I would be hard pressed to tell you which team, Michigan or Florida, that I dislike more. The truth, I can't stand either one. But I was looking forward to watching this game, purely as a fan of good college football. Unfortuntely, or so I thought, I was unable to see the game in person. I did have the opportunity to hear a good portion of the game on the radio. Man, what a game! And what an exciting way to be a spectator. Admittedly, I was initially irritated that I could not see the game, but truthfully, it was nice to picture it through someone else's eyes. Try it sometime, I don't think that you will be disappointed.

Michigan won 41-35.

For more information on the Capital One Bowl, click here.