The p-word
Paul Tagliabue would be pleased as peaches.
But parity is not proving to be as fruitful for Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner John Swofford.
Indeed, with the 2005-2006 men's basketball season winding down, it appears that the dreaded p-word is going to bite the ACC in the bum.
It appears more and more that only four ACC teams - Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina State and Boston College - are going to get invites to the Big Dance this month.
Members of another quartet - Florida State, Maryland, Miami and Virginia - all have outside chances to get their tickets punched, but it's looking more and more like all four will be headed to the NIT.
The problem is clear - the league is just too balanced from 5-12 for anybody to emerge from the shadows of the tournament bubble.
A case in point is the 90-64 butt-whuppin' that Clemson put on Virginia last weekend in Littlejohn Coliseum that effectively burst the Cavs' NCAA bubble.
The Tigers entered the contest with a middling 4-9 conference record - but with three of those losses coming by one point or in overtime, it could very well have been Oliver Purnell's squad playing with a shot at the tournament on the line.
And then consider Virginia Tech - which currently sits at 4-10 in the conference with a one-point loss to BC, a two-point loss (at the buzzer) at Duke and a three-point loss to Carolina.
A break here and there, and the Hokies are gunning for a shot at taking part in March Madness.
Alas, it appears not to be the ACC's year for sending six or seven or eight teams to the NCAAs.
If only the teams sitting on the outside looking in could benefit from being able to play the schedules of some of the sexier-than-thou midmajors that are making so much noise these days.
- Chris Graham

ACC roundup
- Latta, Currie picked to All-ACC team
- Prosser no-go, FSU no fans, more
- Feinstein discusses the Final Four
- Coach K on referees