Is the end of the Groh era nigh?
There are a few things that we might be able to read into the news that the University of Virginia has decided not to add a year to football coach Al Groh's contract.
One would not be that the school is pleased with the direction of the program following this season's 5-7 showing that saw the Cavaliers lose to Western Michigan and East Carolina and fall for the sixth time in seven years to in-state rival Virginia Tech.
Now that we have that out of the way ...
One read that I have on this is that UVa. is giving Groh a chance to demonstrate that what he has been saying since midseason about playing with the 2006 season with the 2007 Virginia football team is true.
The first time I heard him say that, after the 28-26 home loss to Maryland that saw the 'Hoos blow a 20-point halftime lead, I thought he was making excuses for his team's poor performance. It didn't occur to me until a little later that he was backing himself into a corner - that he was making next year into something of a make-or-break season.
Which leads to my second read - that it was the 2006 season that was Groh's make-or-break season, and the decision not to roll over Groh's contract was a signal to Groh that it is time for the two to consider going their separate ways.
We have seen this elsewhere - where coaches with rollover clauses that are not extended end up either looking for jobs elsewhere or making overtures to the schools to whom they are then currently employed about a possible buyout of the remaining years on their contract.
I'm leaning to what is behind door #2 in this case - because you have to think that this vote of no-confidence, and there is no other way to look at this move except to say that UVa. no longer has confidence in Groh's ability to turn the Virginia football ship around, will kill recruiting now and in the future.
The fact is that Groh can no longer tell recruits that he can guarantee that he will be around the length of their stays on Grounds - given that his contract expires in 2010.
Another fact to keep in mind - one has to assume that UVa. president John Casteen, reportedly Groh's biggest supporter, had to have signed off on this.
That in itself could be the death-knell for the Al Groh tenure.
- Chris Graham

Around ACC Nation

The ACC has once again won the ACC-Big Ten Challenge by taking four of five games last night for an 8-3 margin in this year's event.

North Carolina rallied to beat the country's top-ranked team, Ohio State. Boston College took care of Michigan State. Clemson romped over Minnesota. And Virginia Tech edged Iowa.

The only ACC team to lose last night was Virginia, a team that just cracked the Top 25 this week.

NC State fans can give up any hope they may have had that Pittsburgh's Bill Cower would coach the Wolfpack. While it looks like Miami may promote from within. Just for fun, here are a few other rumors in coaching circles.

Riley Skinner faces biggest test this weekend. While Calvin Johnson was named ACC player of the year a few days before he leads his team in the ACC title game.

Friend of the Nation Ayla Brown, a former American Idol contestant, is hitting the right notes on the court for Boston College.

Maryland player's big moment still sinking in
Emily Trycinski had been dreaming of the moment since her days as an up-and-coming field-hockey player in Nazareth, Pa.
And then it was there - the ball was in front of the Wake Forest net, and Trycinski, a Maryland senior, was in position to send the Terrapins toward their second consecutive NCAA title.
"Oh, my gosh - even today, I still can't believe it," said Trycinski, whose goal at the 30:08 mark was the difference as Maryland knocked off Wake Forest by a 1-0 count in the Nov. 19 national-championship game.
Trycinski told "ACC Nation" last week that she couldn't even remember how things transpired - though she has since seen the play on video.
"It was basically just a scramble - and I was in the right place at the right time," said Trycinski, a forward on the back-to-back national champs, who scored six goals and had a team-best .300 shooting percentage in her senior season.
It was tough repeating - Wake Forest was actually considered the team to beat for the better part of the '06 season, and entered the NCAAs ranked #1 in the country after defeating Maryland 1-0 in the finals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
"Coming into the season, I don't we even really focused on repeating. It wasn't really talked about. We just kind of went game by game - and each game focused on what we wanted to accomplish. And then we just ended up in the final. There was no real, like, We've got to make it, we've got to make it. It just happened for us, I think," Trycinski said.
Maryland sort of just happened for Trycinski as well. A two-time all-state performer in high school, she wanted to be able to help Maryland add to its portfolio of what was then three national field-hockey titles.
"I remember when I was younger looking at all the schools, and thinking, Wow, Maryland is so awesome. I can't imagine going there. And then I got a letter from them, and pursued them, and here I am, basically," Trycinski said.
And now, in a four-year flash, it's all over - though that has yet to begin to sink in for Trycinski.
"I don't think so, not yet - because I'm still hanging around with everybody," Trycinski said. "I don't think field hockey will ever go away for me completely. I'm a phys-ed major, and so I'll eventually be in a school setting, and maybe even coach high school. And I'm hoping to stay around next year and help out with the team occasionally. So it will definitely still be a part of my life."
Next year could be another solid one for Maryland - Trycinski thinks the program could be loaded for another run at a national title.
"We could do it all again. We still have Nicole Muracco, our scoring sensation, and we still have a strong backfield with Susie Rowe and Bri Davies. And we have upcoming Ellen Ott, who saw some time this year. So we definitely will have a strong team again," Trycinski said.
- Chris Graham

Around ACC Nation

The ACC is now up 4 games to 2 in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge with five games remaining tonight.

Duke escaped with a win over Indiana. Georgia Tech survived Penn State. Greivis led Maryland to a win on the road. Miami lost a close one as its coach was grieving the loss of his nephew. And Florida State lost its second in a row.

Wake's Jim Grobe was named ACC coach of the year yesterday, and told reporters he was staying in Winston-Salem despite rumors that he will take another job.

If Georgia Tech loses Saturday in the ACC title game, it may not be invited back to Jacksonville for the Gator Bowl, even if the league rules call for it.

N.C. State's Kay Yow is battling cancer again.

Is Georgia Tech vs. Wake Forest good for the ACC?

If the media had done its homework a little more thoroughly, perhaps the ACC football title game Saturday afternoon wouldn’t be such a surprise. At least that is Woody Durham’s take.

As it is, Georgia Tech was picked in the preseason to finish third in the ACC’s Coastal Conference, while Wake Forest was selected dead last in the Atlantic Division. Now those two teams will square off in Jacksonville, Fla., for the championship of the conference.

“The media should be a bit red-faced about this matchup …” Durham, the legendary play-by-play voice of the North Carolina Tar Heels told ACC Nation this week. “Had the media taken the time to study the preseason info, those who voted would have discovered that Georgia Tech and Wake Forest had more returning experience than any other ACC team.”

Even with that being the case, neither school is considered an elite team in ACC football. Tech did share a national championship with Colorado in 1990, but it’s been 36 years since Wake has won even an ACC title.

Lately neither team has been in sniffing distance of a conference title. Instead, Florida State, Miami and Virginia Tech have been looked at as the football powers of the conference, even if two of the three are relative newcomers.

“Most people thought the Labor Day matchup between FSU and Miami was a preview of the ACC championship,” said Rick “Doc” Walker, the ACC football color analyst for Lincoln Financial Sports. “Wrong. It was just the start of a very exciting 2006 season.”

Exciting, yes. But is a Georgia Tech-Wake Forest matchup good for the ACC?

“Georgia Tech and Wake Forest are good for the conference because they kicked most of the conference in the rear end,” Walker told ACC Nation. “You earn your way into the ACC championship game. You’re not voted in.”

Still, there’s concern among some that, without the traditional big names, the game will struggle to sell tickets and, maybe more importantly, garner good television ratings.

Bill Roth, the voice of the Virginia Tech Hokies, said the football title game isn’t like the ACC basketball tournament yet. No matter who plays for the hoops title, the coliseum will be packed and other fans will be watching on TV. That’s not necessarily the case for the ACC football championship game.

“There is a reason Fox wants the Yankees in the World Series and similarly, the ideal situation for the ACC would be to have a pair of traditionally big name teams who would pack the stadium as well as boost the TV numbers nationally,” Roth said. “Fair or unfair, each year, the ACC championship game will be compared to the SEC championship game.”

This year that SEC title game will feature two highly ranked teams in Florida and Arkansas. Roth pointed out that, since the first SEC championship game in 1992, either Florida, Tennessee, or Georgia has played in the game.

“You haven't seen Vandy or Mississippi State in that game,” Roth said, “and I wonder if those teams played against each other, could they sell 75,000 seats at the Georgia Dome?”

Durham isn’t sure how ticket sales will go this year in Jacksonville, but he believes that having Georgia Tech and Wake Forest in the title game will be good in the long run for the ACC, if only because it will raise expectations at other schools not traditionally known as football powers.

“It might put a little more heat on the coaches at the other schools,” Durham said. “Now every school will believe its team can be a contender, and why not?”

Durham said other schools may have never believed they could compete for a title with the likes of FSU and Miami dominating the conference, but the success of Georgia Tech and Wake Forest has changed that.

“The other teams are no longer intimidated by these bullies,” Durham said. “They have recruited to compete against them. I realize Clemson folded up at mid-season like a cheap suit, but at the outset the Tigers, overall, were the best team in the league. To me, that’s just as big a story as Wake Forest getting to the championship game.”

Walker agreed with Durham that other teams now have confidence they can compete in the ACC year in and year out. And that’s a good thing, he said.

“ACC fans should be proud that this conference is not viewed as a two-headed monster,” Walker said. “FSU and Miami will return with great teams, but the new ACC will never be the same.”

- Patrick Hite

Around ACC Nation

North Carolina State started the ACC off on the right foot in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. The games continue tonight.

Butch Davis was introduced yesterday as the next North Carolina football coach. Barry Saunders writes that the hiring of Davis gives Carolina hope.

Miami is still working on finding its next coach, but so far it isn't hurting recruiting.

Bob Lipper writes that the ACC is slowly learning about big-time football.

Florida State is one of several ACC teams waiting on a bowl bid.

As Georgia Tech gets ready for the ACC title game, there will be no change in quarterback.

The All-ACC football team was announced yesterday.

A look back at my early 2006 hot seat
Back in April, right after spring practices wrapped up, I penned a column on four Atlantic Coast Conference football coaches that I thought would be on the hot seat in 2006.
My top two were, one, Larry Coker, who was fired last week after his Miami squad put the finishing touches on a 6-6 regular season, and two, John Bunting, who was fired from his job at North Carolina several weeks ago before finishing out a 3-9 season on Saturday with a win over 0-12 Duke.
I have to say that I didn't foresee Chuck Amato being bounced out at North Carolina State - in part because I didn't foresee the Wolfpack dropping their last seven to go 3-9, but more because the talk in Raleigh before the '06 campaign was that the school was strongly considering offering Amato an extension on his contract, for what I don't know, but that was what was being said.
I might be wrong on this, but my read is that with all of this in mind even a five-win season would have kept Chuckie Red Shoes at his alma mater for another year.
Numbers three and four on my post-spring practice hot-seat list were Al Groh at Virginia and Bobby Bowden at Florida State. I think I deserve partial credit on these - if only because the pressure was on Groh after a 2-5 start that had a group of well-heeled alums publicly exploring options for buying out Groh's contract, and also because Bowden felt similar pressure at FSU in the midst of what became a 6-6 season that saw his son, Jeff Bowden, resign from his offensive-coordinator job earlier this month.
I will leave both on my list for 2007 - noting the pressure that Groh has put on himself after telling reporters repeatedly this fall that he was playing the 2006 season with his 2007 team, and the pressure that Bowden will continue to feel from boosters to return the Seminoles to what they feel is their rightful place in the college-football pecking order.
One other possible addition - Duke's Ted Roof, who is clearly fighting an uphill battle, given Duke's small size and lackluster facilities, but would seem to have a tougher time using that as a crutch in light of the success that Jim Grobe is having this year at similarly undersized and facilities-deprived Wake Forest.
- Chris Graham

Around ACC Nation

Another day, another coach gone. NC State fired Chuck Amato late Sunday night, making a total of three coaches gone in the ACC this season. As the school looks for another coach, Caulton Tudor writes it must start with offense. Frank Dascenzo writes that it came down to simply not winning enough.

Miami is still looking for a coach. Here's one more who turned down a chance to coach the 'Canes.

Virginia Tech struggled in Disney. Virginia won easily over Maryland-Eastern Shore.

Duke falls in NCAA soccer tournament.

Around ACC Nation

Wake Forest will be playing Georgia Tech for the ACC title Saturday after the Deacons beat Maryland last night. At least Wake will be coming off a win, which is more than Georgia Tech can say.

North Carolina State, Florida State and Clemson also lost non-conference games yesterday, while Virginia Tech beat Virginia and North Carolina won a shootout with Duke.

Will Greg Schiano leave Rutgers or not?

North Carolina became the second ACC team to advance to the women's soccer final four with a win over Texas A&M yesterday.

Duke bounced back with a win over Davidson in men's basketball. Here's the other results from men's basketball.

Here's what happened in women's basketball Saturday.

ACC Nation weekend picks

Mike Stevens of WDBJ TV 7 in Roanoke, Va., joined the guys to pick the weekend games in the ACC.

Click here to listen to the show.

Click here for the standings.

The picks:

North Carolina at Duke:
Mike - Carolina, Chris - Duke, Patrick - Carolina

Florida at Florida State:
Mike - Florida, Chris - Florida, Patrick - Florida

South Carolina at Clemson:
Mike - South Carolina, Chris - Clemson, Patrick - South Carolina

Virginia at Virginia Tech:
Mike - Tech, Chris - UVa., Patrick - Tech

Georgia Tech at Georgia:
Mike - Georgia, Chris - Tech, Patrick - Georgia

East Carolina at North Carolina State:
Mike - ECU, Chris - NC State, Patrick - ECU

Wake Forest at Maryland:
Mike - Wake, Chris - Maryland, Patrick - Wake

Around ACC Nation

Lots of football today. Maryland and Wake Forest will determine the Atlantic Division title tonight. Clemson has beaten South Carolina six times in the last seven games. Virginia Tech's quarterback looking for revenge over underdog Virginia. FSU looking for upset over Florida. John Bunting prepares for his last game as Carolina and Duke get ready to play. And the AJC is split over who will win the Georgia Tech - Georgia game.

Miami's regular season is over, and so is the coaching tenure of Larry Coker (although, as the story points out, Coker would coach the Hurricanes if they receive a bowl invitation.)

In men's basketball, North Carolina State remained a bit of a surprise early on, winning yet again last night. UNC bounced back after its first loss of the season. Florida State got its first test of the season, and it wasn't pretty. Maryland, Virginia Tech and Clemson all won.

Duke plays tonight, and the questions about the Blue Devils begin with the health of Greg Paulus.

Here's what happened in women's basketball Friday.

Virginia and Wake Forest advanced to the men's soccer final four. Florida State is in the women's final four.

Coker fired

Fair or not, Miami's Larry Coker was fired this morning. Here's what he had to say at a news conference this morning. And here's what UM President Donna Shalala had to say. ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach writes about possible replacements.

Around ACC Nation

Was a sixth victory - meaning a bowl bid - enough to save Larry Coker's job?

Ted Roof will be back at Duke next season.

Maybe all that hype about ACC basketball wasn't warranted. Another ACC team lost a non-conference game Thursday night as Virginia Tech fell to Western Michigan. Florida State will get a chance to help out the ACC tonight.

Good story on North Carolina's Brandan Wright.

ACC Nation (weekend of Nov. 24)

On ACC Nation this week, Patrick and Chris preview one of the biggest games this rivalry weekend – Virginia at Virginia Tech.

Jeff White, who covers the Cavaliers for the ( Richmond ) Times Dispatch, joins the guys, while Mike Stevens of WDBJ TV 7 in Roanoke , Va. , updates the listeners on the Hokies. Mike also joins Patrick and Chris to pick the weekend ACC football games.

Emily Trycinski, a senior on the Maryland field hockey team, talks with the guys about her team’s recent national championship victory and her game-winning goal.

As always, there is the Sound and the Fury, and Patrick and Chris give their thoughts on ACC basketball at this early stage of the season.

That and more on ACC Nation.

Click here to listen

Around ACC Nation

Not much for the ACC to give thanks for this week. The top four teams in preseason voting by ACC media all lost this week. Duke went down Tuesday, then North Carolina, Boston College and Georgia Tech all fell Wednesday night. And the fifth-place choice of voters will finally get tested Friday night.

At least Virgina won.

One football coach - Larry Coker - may lose his job after tonight's game, and another - Chuck Amato - is in trouble, but it looks like Ted Roof at Duke will be around for another year.

Speaking of Coker, here's another story about his job status on ESPN.com

Patrick Hite's 2006 All-ACC Football Team

OFFENSE
Quarterback
1 Matt Ryan, Jr., Boston College
2 Sam Hollenbach, Sr., Maryland

Running Back
1 James Davis, So., Clemson
1 Branden Ore, So., Virginia Tech
2 Tashard Choice, Jr., Georgia Tech
2 C.J. Spiller, Fr., Clemson

Wide Receiver
1 Calvin Johnson, Jr., Georgia Tech
1 Greg Carr, So., Florida State
2 Kevin Challenger, Jr., Boston College
2 Kevin Ogletree, So., Virginia

Tight End
1 Greg Olsen, Jr., Miami
2 Joey Haynos, Jr., Maryland

Tackle
1 Steve Vallos, Sr., Wake Forest
1 Duane Brown, Jr., Virginia Tech
2 Stephon Heyer, Sr., Maryland
2 Barry Richardson, Jr., Clemson

Guard
1 Branden Albert, So., Virginia
1 Josh Beekman, Sr., Boston College
2 Charlston Gray, Jr., North Carolina
2 Matt Rhodes, Jr., Georgia Tech

Center
1 Dustin Fry, Sr., Clemson
2 Steve Justice, Jr., Wake Forest

DEFENSE
Defensive End
1 Gaines Adams, Sr., Clemson
1 Chris Long, Jr., Virginia
2 Calais Campbell, So., Miami
2 Jeffrey Fitzgerald, Fr., Virginia

Defensive Tackle
1 Andre Fluellen, Jr., Florida State
1 B.J. Raji, Jr., Boston College
2 DeMarcus (Tank) Tyler, Sr., NC State
2 DeMario Pressley, Jr., NC State

Linebackers
1 Buster Davis, Sr., Florida State
1 Vince Hall, Jr., Virginia Tech
1 Jon Abbate, Jr., Wake Forest
2 Erin Henderson, So., Maryland
2 Lawrence Timmons, Jr., Florida State
2 Philip Wheeler, Jr., Georgia Tech

Cornerback
1 Brandon Flowers, So., Virginia Tech
1 Marcus Hamilton, Sr., Virginia
2 John Talley, Sr., Duke
2 Kenny Scott, Sr. Georgia Tech

Safety
1 Kenny Phillips, So., Miami
1 Josh Gattis, Sr., Wake Forest
2 Myron Rolle, Fr., Florida State
2 Brandon Meriweather, Sr., Miami

SPECIAL TEAMS
Placekicker
1 Brandon Pace, Sr., Virginia Tech
2 Dan Ennis, Sr., Maryland

Punter
1 Adam Podlesh, Sr., Maryland
2 Durant Brooks, Jr., Georgia Tech

Specialist
1 Eddie Royal, Jr., Virginia Tech
2 Jeff Smith, Fr., Boston College

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - C.J. Spiller, Clemson
COACH OF THE YEAR - Jim Grobe, Wake Forest
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Gaines Adams, Clemson
PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech

- Patrick Hite

Chris Graham's 2006 All-ACC Football Team


OFFENSE
Quarterback
1 - Matt Ryan, Jr., Boston College
2 - Sam Hollenbach, Sr., Maryland

Running Back
1 - James Davis, So., Clemson
1 - Branden Ore, So., Virginia Tech
2 - Tashard Choice, Jr., Georgia Tech
2 - Jason Snelling, Sr., Virginia

Wide Receiver
1 - Calvin Johnson, Jr., Georgia Tech
1 - Kevin Ogletree, So., Virginia
2 - Chansi Stuckey, Sr., Clemson
2 - Kevin Challenger, Jr., Boston College

Tight End
1 - Greg Olsen, Jr., Miami
2 - Thomas Hunter, Sr., Clemson

Tackle
1 - Steve Vallos, Sr., Wake Forest
1 - Duane Brown, Jr., Virginia Tech
2 - Jim Marten, Sr., Boston College
2- Barry Richardson, Jr., Clemson

Guard
1- Branden Albert, So., Virginia
1 - Leroy Harris, Sr., NC State
2 - Josh Beekman, Sr., Boston College
2 - Nathan Bennett, Sr., Clemson

Center
1 - Steve Justice, Jr., Wake Forest
2 - Kevin Tuminello, Jr., Georgia Tech


DEFENSE
Defensive End
1 - Chris Long, Jr., Virginia
1 - Gaines Adams, Sr., Clemson
2 - Jeffrey Fitzgerald, Fr., Virginia
2 - Chris Ellis, Jr., Virginia Tech

Defensive Tackle
1 - Joe Anoai, Sr., Georgia Tech
1 - Dorell Scott, So., Clemson
2 - Conrad Bolston, Sr., Maryland
2 - Dre Moore, Jr., Maryland

Linebackers
1 - Xavier Adibi, Jr., Virginia Tech
1 - Vince Hall, Jr., Virginia Tech
1 - Jon Abbate, Jr., Wake Forest
2 - Jon Beason, Jr., Miami
2 - Jon Copper, So., Virginia
2 - Aaron Curry, So., Wake Forest

Cornerback
1 - Marcus Hamilton, Sr., Virginia
1 - John Talley, Sr., Duke
2 - Tony Carter, So., Florida State
2 - Victor Harris, So., Virginia Tech

Safety
1 - Brandon Meriweather, Sr., Miami
1 - Myron Rolle, Fr., Florida State
2 - Ryan Glasper, Sr., Boston College
2 - Kenny Phillips, So., Miami


SPECIAL TEAMS
Placekicker
1 - Brandon Pace, Sr., Virginia Tech
2 - Sam Swank, So., Wake Forest


Punter
1 - Durant Brooks, Jr., Georgia Tech
2 - Adam Podlesh, Sr., Maryland

Specialist
1 - Eddie Royal, Jr., Virginia Tech
2 - Jeff Smith, Fr., Boston College

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - Riley Skinner, Wake Forest
COACH OF THE YEAR - Jim Grobe, Wake Forest
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Gaines Adams, Clemson
PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech
- Chris Graham

Pols weigh in on UVa.-Tech football clash
The Virginia-Virginia Tech football rivalry has stepped it up a notch - since the politicians got involved.
The addition of Virginia Tech into the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2004 - prompted by the intervention of former governor Mark Warner, who pushed for the inclusion of Tech at the expense of former Big East Conference-mate Syracuse, which had been considered a frontrunner for being brought in along with Miami and Boston College early in the conference expansion talks - turned what was for decades a backyard brawl into an annual clash with division and conference-wide implications.
And that is the case again this year - though UVa. will enter Lane Stadium in Blacksburg with a 5-6 overall record, the 'Hoos could take second place in the ACC Coastal Division from the 9-2 Hokies with an upset win.
In another case illustrating how politics makes for strange bedfellows, the Commonwealth's elected leaders are united on one thing - that Saturday's game is the Hokies' to lose.
"This is a great rivalry game for Virginia. We always look forward to the Tech/UVa. game," said Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, a Republican who, like Gov. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, is a Virginia Tech fan.
"As far as who we are pulling for, I have to admit that we are adopted Hokies. Our oldest son, Matt, just graduated from Virginia Tech, so we bleed maroon and orange. We cheer for UVa. every other week of the year, but this weekend we'll be pulling for the Hokies," Bolling said.
Steve Landes, the chair of the Republican caucus in the Virginia House of Delegates, and whose 25th House District includes portions of Albemarle County just west of Charlottesville, the home to the University of Virginia, didn't say what his rooting interest was.
"But looking at the two teams, I think Tech will be successful," Landes said.
"That game is such an emotionally charged game - there could be a surprise. It could be very close, or it could be just a blowout for Tech," Landes said.
Landes is a committed sports fan - regularly attending athletics events at both schools. He thinks Tech football fans give their team an advantage in their home stadium.
"It will help Tech, obviously, that it's in Blacksburg. That makes it a lot easier. And that stadium is just impressive - with the fan support and the noise in the place," Landes said.
"Tech fans just get more enthusiastic. Unfortunately, UVa. football fans, they're enthusiastic, but sometimes, if their team gets a little bit behind, they just get really, really down on the team. And I think that hurts them sometimes," Landes told the AFP.
Staunton Republican Del. Chris Saxman - on the short list of up-and-coming Virginia pols to keep an eye on - is, like Landes, a big sports fan, particularly a big football fan.
Saxman thinks the line on the game - the Hokies were favored by 17 points as of the writing of this story - is perhaps out of touch with what will happen on the field.
"That's a big line," Saxman said. "Virginia's defense is a lot better than I think they're given credit for. With Branden Ore being out, I think Virginia covers, but loses.
"I think maybe a 10-point game - if they can cut down on the mistakes that they had last year, which was an abysmal game for the Cavaliers," Saxman told the AFP.
Ah, yes - last year's game. Virginia Tech manhandled their in-state rivals by a 52-14 count in Charlottesville last November.
Winchester Republican Sen. Russ Potts - the former athletics director at Southern Methodist University back during its Pony Express days and former member of the NCAA men's basketball tournament-selection committee - thinks the memory of that showing could serve to motivate the Cavaliers.
"I think Virginia Tech will win, but I think it'll be a close ballgame," said Potts, a candidate for governor in 2005. "Virginia has played much better. The quarterback at Virginia (freshman Jameel Sewell) is really getting better - and it looks like Virginia is peaking now. So they're meeting Virginia Tech at the right time.
"I think you have to give the edge to Virginia Tech - I'd say 10 points, 14 points, somewhere in that area," Potts told the AFP.
Mount Solon Republican Sen. Emmett Hanger - who in a previous life was a basketball player at James Madison University - sounds like he might be running for higher office again soon.
Asked his thoughts on the game, Hanger - who was briefly a candidate for the '05 Republican Party lieutenant-governor nomination - said he is simply "pulling for it to be competitive."
"I'll be watching for a good football game," Hanger told the AFP. "I don't think I'll be rooting for either side this time. I guess this year I would have more of a tendency to be rooting for Virginia Tech - in that the expectations for their team at Tech were greater, and they haven't quite lived up to those expectations. So I would like to see them have a good game."
Attorney General Bob McDonnell also played the politics game.
"I've been to a couple of those games over the years, and seen each of them win," said McDonnell, a Notre Dame graduate who roots for the Fighting Irish.
"I think the records sort of go out the window when Tech and UVa. play. They have a great rivalry," McDonnell, a Republican, told the AFP. "They're two excellent football programs - but more than that, what I'm proud of is that we've got two of the top 25 public institutions academically right here in Virginia. We've actually got more, but these are two of them. They're excellent schools with a lot to be proud of because of their outstanding academics, their community support and just the fine people that graduate."I think it will be a competitive game. UVa. is coming off a big win. Tech has several big wins this year. I certainly hope that it will be a competitive game - and like a good politician, I'm rooting for the best team," McDonnell said.
-Chris Graham

Around ACC Nation

Duke is no longer unbeaten after Marquette beat the Devils Tuesday night. NC State, on the other hand, continues to win. And Georgia Tech almost fell, but stormed back to beat Memphis. And Clemson beat Mississippi State with, get this, clutch free-throw shooting.

Carolina hopes to keep rolling against a tough Gonzaga team tonight.

Friend of the Nation Marc Carig writes that the bowl picture for ACC teams is cloudy. It's clear in Raleigh though - the Wolfpack won't be in a bowl, although Ned Barnett thinks NC State should give Chuck Amato another season.

It appears Miami won't give Larry Coker another season.

Virginia and Virginia Tech is among the rivalries set for this weekend. So is Georgia and Georgia Tech. And FSU and Florida.

Coker looks like a beaten man

He’ll never say this, but Larry Coker may be more relieved than anything when official word finally comes.

Win or lose in Thursday night’s finale against Boston College, Coker should get word within days, if not hours, after that game that he has been fired as Miami’s coach. Or maybe the official word will be he resigned. Whatever the wording, there’s no way Coker returns to coach the Hurricanes next season.

If you needed any more of a hint that Coker won’t be back, one big-name coach has already taken his name out of the running for the job. South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier said he still had work to do in Columbia. The truth is, he probably has less work to do with the Gamecocks than he would with the ‘Canes.

The Miami players seem to have already given up on the season. While not advocating quitting, it’s hard to blame them.

“It’s been tough,” Coker said of the season following Saturday’s 17-7 loss at Virginia. “It’s been draining on everybody. I think it maybe culminated today because we didn’t play with a lot of energy today. I don’t want to use that as an excuse, but we didn’t. It’s has been, it’s been very tough.”

Coker was talking about events both on and off the field. His team has now lost four games in a row – the first time in nine seasons that has happened in Miami - and is 2-5 in the ACC. That’s not something that is supposed to happen at Miami, and, still, it almost pales by comparison to two other events that have taken place this season.

On Oct. 14 Miami was involved in an ugly on-field brawl with players from Florida International. The fight was a national topic of conversation in the sports world for a week or so after it happened. Some say it proved Coker has lost control of his team.

And then, less than two weeks before the Virginia game, Miami player Bryan Pata was shot and killed at his apartment in Miami. The team attended funeral services for their teammate days before they came to Charlottesville.

“It affects different people in different ways,” Coker said of everything surrounding the death of Pata. “Obviously it was a very draining week with the services on Tuesday and Wednesday. But the bottom line is sometimes when you make plays you develop energy, and we just didn’t generate enough plays to feed off of one another. I don’t want to use the excuse that the drain of the week cost us the game.”

Coker looks like a beaten man. He was in and out of his postgame press conference before Virginia’s Al Groh even began his. Groh is a coach who was on the hot seat early in the season, but has somehow managed to turn the tide with a redshirt freshman quarterback leading the way. Coker has been unable to do the same thing.

That will, ultimately, be his downfall.

- Patrick Hite

Tale of two teams
One team is happy to be 5-6. The other is clearly not.
It was a tale of two teams going in very different directions who met in Scott Stadium in Charlottesville on Saturday.
"I'm proud of the way our guys fought and executed," Virginia coach Al Groh said after his team knocked off Miami by a 17-7 final count.
"It was really awesome to stand out there and watch the total team effort. It was going to take a real strong effort - offense, defense, special teams collectively - to beat a team like Miami. We fought as hard as a team can fight, and we executed like a big-time team," Groh said.
The win pushed the Cavs to a 5-6 record in 2006 - not a bad place to be in the context of the aftermath of a 28-26 loss to Maryland on Oct. 14 that came after UVa. had built up a 20-0 halftime lead left the program looking up at a 2-5 mark.
Miami was the reverse of that - sitting at 5-2 a month ago before beginning on a losing streak that was added to over the weekend.
"I'm sick of losing. Miami's sick of losing. This football team's sick of losing," UM quarterback Kirby Freeman said after the game.
"You know it's been like this all along. We've been busting our tails in practice. We're doing what we need to be a good football team. Things aren't clicking," Freeman said.
That was obvious on the turf at Scott Stadium - where the UVa. defense limited the once-powerful Hurricanes offense to 263 total yards, 77 of which came on a late touchdown pass from Freeman to wideout Lance Leggett.
The Virginia offense, meanwhile, seemed to be clicking on all cylinders - running for 132 yards and passing for 217 yards as the Cavaliers rang up 21 first downs and 33:30 in time of possession.
"We just got beat. The better team won the game today," said Miami coach Larry Coker, who is clearly on the hottest of hot seats as the '06 season winds down. "We didn't do things to win the game. We didn't tackle well on defense. We didn't do enough things on offense to give ourselves a chance to win. We had a couple of turnovers. That's about it. The best team won the game. They outplayed us."

Around ACC Nation

It won't play for the ACC title, but after watching Virginia Tech Saturday night it's tough not to think that the Hokies are the best team in the ACC. One concern after the game - Branden Ore was hurt early and his status for Saturday is up in the air.

Boston College may want to claim best team in the ACC, and the Eagles still have a chance to win the title.

Miami, on the other hand, isn't talking about any titles. The Hurricanes just hope to make a bowl.

North Carolina finally beat a Division I-A team. I like this story because Larry Edwards is quoted as saying the firing of John Bunting was "one of the more unfortunate things" to happen this year. You don't say.

With NC State's loss, perhaps Chuck Amato's job is in jeopardy.

ACC Nation weekend picks

Mark Armstrong of ABC 11 in Raleigh Durham joined Patrick and Chris for the weekly football picks.

Click here for the show.

Click here for the standings.

Maryland at Boston College:
Mark - BC Chris - BC Patrick - Maryland

Miami at Virginia:
Mark - Miami Chris - Miami Patrick - Miami

North Carolina State at North Carolina:
Mark - NC State Chris - NC State Patrick - UNC

Duke at Georgia Tech:
Mark - GT Chris - GT Patrick - GT

Western Michigan at Florida State:
Mark - FSU Chris - FSU Patrick - Western Michigan

Virginia Tech at Wake Forest:
Mark - VT Chris - VT Patrick - Wake

More changes in store at Florida State?
Here's why Florida State needs to make a change at the top of its football program.
"I am disappointed in Jeff's decision. I tried my best to encourage him to stay the course, but he was firm in his belief that it is time to move on. This is a big loss to me personally. I would hope that everyone understands that his decision is an emotional one for me, and for that reason I'm not going to discuss it any further at this time."
Those were the senior Bowden's words when son Jeff announced on Tuesday that he was stepping down as the offensive coordinator at FSU following the 2006 season.
Jeff Bowden took over the coordinator duties at Florida State in 2001 when former coordinator Mark Richt assumed the head-coaching job at Georgia.
He inherited an offense that had rung up 37.5 and 42.4 points per game, respectively, in Richt's last two seasons - and basically oversaw its slow demise.
In '01, the Seminoles scored a respectable (for anyone not named FSU) 33.9 points per game. In 2002, it was down to 30.6 points per game.
There was a slight uptick in '03, to 32.2 points per game.
The '04 team was pedestrian by any standard - scoring 25.1 points per game.
After improving to 28.9 points per game in 2005, the scoring is back down to 25.9 points per game through 10 games of the 2006 season - and if you take out the 106 points posted in blowout wins against overmatched Rice and Duke, you're talking about a Florida State offense that scores an average of 19.1 points per game.
For Bobby Bowden not to see this means that he is either completely out of touch with reality - and more than a few people would argue that this has been the case for some time now - or that he simply should never have had his son in that position in the first place.
This was clear when word got out a while back that Bobby Bowden had had to maneuver his staff to make it so that Jeff Bowden reported directly to another assistant coach rather than his father to get around a university nepotism policy.
Which puts this comment from athletics director Dave Hart in a rather interesting light, if nothing else.
"Jeff initiated this conversation with me within the past day or so. At that point, we were on a parallel plane of mutual understanding and agreement that this decision was in the best interest of all concerned and a public announcement should be expedited," Hart said on Tuesday.
"Everyone associated with our football program expresses appreciation to Jeff for his dedication to Florida State University, and we wish him nothing but the best," Hart said.
Is it just me, or were Hart and Bobby Bowden working against each other on this?
(Not to mention the role of the program's boosters - who agreed to pay Jeff Bowden through 2012 to get him out the door.)
Yeah, it's time for a change at FSU - and sooner rather than later.
- Chris Graham

Around ACC Nation

Did you hear that little uh-oh around ACC Nation last night? That was the rest of the basketball teams after watching Maryland whip St. John's. Perhaps the other 11 should Fear the Turtle this season.

Duke has little trouble in its second game last night, while Georgia Tech also got a win.

Wake Forest is ignoring the pain as it gets ready for Virginia Tech.

As Virginia prepares for Miami Saturday, it must find a way to get its offense playing as well as its defense. Meanwhile, in basketball, Virginia gets another recruit.

Does anyone care that Carolina and State play this weekend?

And Jeff Bowden will make a lot of money not to coach in the future, but FSU's AD says that's not unusual.

ACC Nation (weekend of Nov. 17)

On ACC Nation this week, we talk about the two best surprises in the conference this football season – Wake Forest and Maryland. Dan Collins of the Winston Salem Journal joins us to talk about the Deacons, and Maryland beat writer Marc Carig of the Washington Post discusses the turnaround by the Terps this season.

There were also comings and goings in the coaching ranks this week, and we have those covered for you. Friend of the Nation Emily Badger of the Orlando Sentinel joins us to talk about Jeff Bowden’s resignation as FSU’s offensive coordinator, while Mark Armstrong of ABC 11 in Raleigh/Durham has the latest on North Carolina’s new football coach, Butch Davis.

Mark also picks the weekend ACC games with the Patrick and Chris, and, as always, there’s the Sound and the Fury. Plus, much more on ACC Nation.

Click here to listen

Around ACC Nation

North Carolina has a new football coach. J.P Giglio of the News and Observer writes that Butch Davis turned Miami around and could do the same at Carolina.

In the game of rotating quarterbacks, Drew Weatherford is back in at FSU.

Boston College off to a slow start. Duke started slow, but picked up the pace late.

Clemson's bowl destination up in the air.

Maryland AD got the last laugh when the Terps won the women's title last year.

ACC Nation was in Greensboro, NC, recently for the ACC’s Operation Basketball. Patrick and Chris got to talk with all 12 men’s basketball coaches, plus select players from each school, and over the next few days we’ll let you know what they found out. ACC Nation will preview each of the 12 men’s basketball programs, going in reverse order of last year’s final regular-season standings, with one preview a day as we approach the start of the season.

Wake Forest – Oct. 31

Georgia Tech – Nov. 1

Virginia Tech – Nov. 2

Clemson – Nov. 3

Miami – Nov. 4

Virginia – Nov. 5

Maryland – Nov. 6

Florida State – Nov. 7

North Carolina State – Nov. 8

Boston College – Nov. 10

North Carolina – Nov. 11

Duke
(2005-06 season: 14-2 ACC, 32-4 overall; lost in the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament to LSU 62-54)

It’s been a number of years since Duke entered a season with more questions than answers, but that may be the case this year.

How do the Blue Devils replace J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams, who are now in the NBA after extraordinary college careers?

Will Greg Paulus have to become more of a scorer to offset some point production lost by Redick?

Can a young team – one of the youngest in Mike Krzyzewski’s tenure – survive the rigors of the ACC?

Did coaching Team USA negatively affect Mike Krzyzewski?

Duke enters the season without a single scholarship senior on the roster and four freshmen in a highly rated incoming class.

Krzyzewski said he always considers himself a teacher, but this year that role takes on a different look.

“You still have to provide a young team a learning curve where they can make mistakes and look bad,” said Krzyzewski. “It’s a definite that we will have more peaks and valleys than a veteran team should have. And you need to allow that because these kids are changing limits, individually and collectively. There are going to be mistakes and as a teacher you have to be more patient.”

Gerald Henderson is perhaps the most celebrated freshman coming in this season. He averaged 21.5 points a game last season at Episcopal Academy, playing with Wayne Ellington, a freshman at North Carolina. The 6-5 Henderson is one of the most athletic players to come to Durham in a while.

The other freshmen – 6-5 Jon Scheyer, 7-0 Brian Zoubek and 6-9 Lance Thomas – may not get the press that Henderson does, but Krzyzewski doesn’t think them any less important.

“The four freshman will all be major contributors,” Krzyzewski said. “Some of them – or all of them – might start at times. Some will start all the time. They were very well coached in high school.”

So far this season, in fact, Scheyer has started both of Duke’s games, while Zoubek and Thomas both started one game each. Henderson has seen significant time off the bench so far.

Usually the upperclassmen are required to come to semester of summer school, and they usually choose the first semester. But this past summer all of them went to the second session so they could begin bonding with the freshmen.

“You talk about leadership. That was leadership in action,” Krzyzewski said.

That’s the type of leadership that will be needed from the upperclassmen this year. But if this Duke team is to make a run at North Carolina in the ACC, the Devils will also have to see improved play from Josh McRoberts and Paulus, among others.

McRoberts made a lot of Duke fans – as well as his coaches – happy when he passed on the NBA draft. Last year McRoberts scored 8.7 points a game and pulled down 5.3 rebounds per contest, but he will be expected to step up even more this season with the loss of Redick and Williams.

Meanwhile, Paulus led the ACC in assists last year and only turned the ball over 118 times, a respectable number for a freshman point guard. Consider this: Bobby Hurley had 166 turnovers his freshman season, and he went on to be a pretty good point guard (To be fair, Hurley’s assist-to-turnover ratio was 1.73 to 1 while Paulus’ was 1.58 to 1).

Paulus did only hit 37 percent of his field-goal attempts last year, and, without the scoring of Redick, he will be expected to improve his shooting.

Krzyzewski spent the summer – and will spend the next two summers – coaching Team USA. There are concerns from some that the extra workload will take its toll on the coach. He does admit it took something out of him, but he thinks he gained more than he lost.

“I brought back a lot,” Krzyzewski said. “First of all, a tired body, but a very fulfilled heart. You can’t be in that intense of an environment with the guys who were on my staff and not learn.”

For those thinking it may be a down year for Duke, maybe junior DeMarcus Nelson, who is finally healthy this season and should be a big contributor for the Blue Devils, sums it up best.

“We have a roster full of guys who are excited to play and very talented players,” Nelson said. “And we all want to win. That’s one thing you can’t change about Duke teams. Somehow we’re going to find ways to win.”

- Patrick Hite

UVa. basketball news and notes
CHIPPING AWAY: Dave Leitao admits it sounds silly now.
Down 19 in the first half of his team's opener against 10th-ranked Arizona, a team that many feel is capable of making a run at the Final Four this year, the Virginia coach convinced himself and his team that all hope was not yet lost.
"The under-four timeout, I remember I told the team, If we can try to win these last four minutes, cut it to somewhere around 10, it would be manageable," Leitao said after Virginia's improbable 93-90 win over the Wildcats Sunday night.
" What happens is obviously in a team like Arizona, and they're a high-possession team - they don't work the shot clock - and so if you don't lose your patience, and you can kind of lock down, I thought we were going to have enough possessions to make a run," Leitao said.
"But this 13, and I don't know, I think it got up to 20 points, it's crazy, and I can't use the word manageable and make sense out of it, but it was striking distance," Leitao said. "And we thought, just stay within striking distance, and allow our defense to make some stops, then eventually we'd be OK."

REYNOLDS SOLDIERS ON: Virginia senior guard J.R. Reynolds is expected to shoulder a good part of the scoring load for the 2006-2007 Cavs - after scoring 17 points per game and being named third-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference as a junior.
So when word got out that Reynolds had suffered an eye injury that might keep him out of the opener with Arizona, well, let's just say that wasn't a hopeful message for Virginia fans who wanted to see the 'Hoos open the new John Paul Jones Arena with a win.
"I got in the heat of the moment, and I wasn't supposed to play today, but in the heat of the moment, I wanted to play," Reynolds told reporters after the game, in which he scored 10 points, all in the second half.
"I didn't want to let my teammates down in this big of a game. I've been waiting for this game for so long," Reynolds said.

YOUNG PLAYERS CATCH RYAN'S EYE: There were long stretches in the second half of Virginia's 92-72 win over in-state rival Old Dominion in the women's opener at the John Paul Jones Arena where UVa. coach Debbie Ryan had three first-year players on the floor at the same time.
Her message after the game - get used to it, because these kids are good.
"As you can see, the class was a very good class - probably better than touted. Because you had two players in the class that people didn't know a lot about - Jayna Hartig and Paulisha Kellum," Ryan said.
"When Paulisha Kellum caught the ball on the baseline that time and took the ball to the hole and finished, I think a lot of people were like, Whoa! Because she doesn't look like she's going to do things like that - but Paulisha Kellum is a very skilled player."
Kellum went under the recruiting radar last year after suffering an ACL injury - "and a lot of people didn't remember her much, because she didn't play much in the last year," Ryan said.
"Once she was recruited here and people started to see her again, a lot of people wanted to get in on her, but it was too late, because she had already committed," Ryan said."Jayna Hartig has been a surprise to me," said Ryan of Hartig, a versatile forward who can play in the post and on the wings.
"I knew Jayna was a very good - kind of like the glue on a team. She passes the ball extremely well. She can fill it up. She hustles. She rebounds. She does a lot of different things. And she may not be the fastest player on the court, but she is very intelligent," Ryan said.
Everybody knows about 5-11 guard Monica Wright, the preseason Atlantic Coast Conference rookie of the year who did not fail to impress in her home debut, scoring 11 points, snaring six rebounds and dishing out four assists against ODU.
"Monica Wright, when she steps up, she's just on another level. She's on complete other level," Ryan said.
"This class has been very different than a lot of other classes coming through the last couple of years. They've been very intelligent, they pick up things quickly, they want to get better, and they work extremely hard," Ryan said.
"They were here all summer with the team - so when we started the year this year, they were really ahead, because the team stayed during the time that they were here. Sometimes the team doesn't stay at that time, but they stayed late this year, and everybody just rolled right into the season. So they learned a lot just being around the players - and there's really great chemistry. And they're just intelligent kids. They really are," Ryan said.

NOT OVER THE HUMP YET: As great as it was to get the W in the opener with Arizona, Virginia coach Dave Leitao knows that he and his team have a lot of work to do between now and March.
Arizona, for starters, shot 47 percent from the field for the game - and for a stretch of the first half seemed to be outhustling Virginia on the boards and getting down the floor in transition.
"We're far from where we need to be - and I'm not going to stop, ever. I'm not going to stop until we get into a more comfortable place with this program. We're just going to continue to work as a group. Because we won today doesn't mean that we're going to be good tomorrow. We have to keep working at it," Leitao said.

OFFENSIVE JUGGERNAUT: One thing that Virginia coach Dave Leitao told his team at the start of their second-half run in their 93-90 victory over Arizona Sunday night might be a key for them all season.
"One thing I kept driving home with them is, challenge them. Force them to guard you," Leitao said. "With an offensive team like that - they scored 125 and 111 points in their two exhibition games - if you do that, you feel pretty good about yourself on offense. Which maybe means you didn't think that much about defense.
"So we thought if they were going to guard us, fine, but let's challenge them on it. And obviously, in the second half, I saw the looks on their faces change a little bit when we started going to the basket."
Virginia shot 57 percent from the field in the second half en route to scoring 57 points in the half.
The Cavs shot 35 percent in the first half while scoring 36 points.

QUOTABLE ...
- "His main talk was that he believed in us more than we actually believed in ourselves. For a lot of people in the locker room, that hit kind of deep. So everybody just came out with a fresh start - hopefully take it two points at a time and try to get a victory." - Jason Cain, talking about Dave Leitao's comments to the team at halftime.
- "Is that what we're talking about this time of year? Talk to me in March - when they say good win. But that's obviously the farthest thing from my mind right now." - Virginia coach Dave Leitao, responding to a reporter's question about the significance of the win on Virginia's NCAA tournament resume.
- "I'm proud of how we competed. I'm proud of how we were able to play against a very, very good team. I have a ton of respect - not just for this team, but for what Arizona basketball means. Coach Olsen, obviously, is a Hall of Fame coach - and anytime you get a chance to compete against somebody of that stature, and then be successful, it says a lot about your program, it says a lot about your team." - Leitao, on matching up against legendary Arizona coach Lute Olsen.
- "My mom couldn't be here today. I had no idea why she was so upset. She was hurt in a car accident about four or five weeks ago, and broke her neck, so she couldn't make the trip. When I came out of the locker room, they told me that I was supposed to give something to the alumni. And when I walked out, they said, That's not really what's going to happen. When Craig (Littlepage, the UVa. athletics director) finishes speaking, you need to walk out. And when I heard what they were saying, I was floored. I had no idea. But now I know why she was so upset. It was very touching. I feel very humbled by it. I really do." - Virginia women's coach Debbie Ryan, on having the women's team locker room named in her honor.
- "(Zoll is) one of the finest point guards that I think Virginia has had probably since the Dawn Staley ages. She just really puts things together for this Virginia team and puts the ball in the right place for these people to be successful and with their strengths. Zoll, I think, is really the key. She is just what makes them tick." - Old Dominion women's coach Wendy Larry, on Virginia point guard Sharnee Zoll.
- Chris Graham

Around ACC Nation

North Carolina has a new football coach, according to this News & Observer story.

Virginia won its opener in the new John Paul Jones Arena, upsetting Arizona. The UVa. women also won.

Greg Paulus returned as Duke won its first game. Look for a preview of Duke basketball - the final ACC men's basketball preview on ACC Nation - tonight.

A change at quarterback for Miami.

FSU's loss to wake an ugly sign.

Around ACC Nation

There were those who thought Wake Forest could win at Florida State. Very few, if any, though figured the Deacons would win in this fashion. Here's the take on the FSU side after Bobby Bowden's first shutout loss in Tallahassee.

In other football action, Georgia Tech survived North Carolina and, in the process, wrapped up the Coastal Division title. Maryland held off Miami. Virginia Tech blanked Kent State. Boston College eventually pulled away from Duke. And Clemson held off N.C. State.

Here's some men's basketball notes from Saturday. Duke won the lone women's game in the ACC.

A new beginning today for UVa. basketball.

ACC Nation was in Greensboro, NC, recently for the ACC’s Operation Basketball. Patrick and Chris got to talk with all 12 men’s basketball coaches, plus select players from each school, and over the next few days we’ll let you know what they found out. ACC Nation will preview each of the 12 men’s basketball programs, going in reverse order of last year’s final regular-season standings, with one preview a day as we approach the start of the season.

Wake Forest – Oct. 31

Georgia Tech – Nov. 1

Virginia Tech – Nov. 2

Clemson – Nov. 3

Miami – Nov. 4

Virginia – Nov. 5

Maryland – Nov. 6

Florida State – Nov. 7

North Carolina State – Nov. 8

Boston College – Nov. 10

North Carolina
(2005-06 season: 12-4 ACC, 23-8 overall; lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to George Mason 65-60)

Last year was supposed to be a down season for North Carolina. But talk of the Tar Heels stumbling ended around the time a young Carolina squad won at Kentucky in early December. Carolina went on to finish second in the ACC’s regular season, advancing to the NCAA Tournament where the Heels were eventually beaten by George Mason in the second round.

Roy Williams, a year after winning his first national championship, never bought into the talk of a down year.

Said Williams, “I’m dumb enough to think that if we had gotten past George Mason maybe we could have won the whole thing again.”

This year the talk is of another national title for Williams and the Tar Heels. The coach isn’t getting sucked into that discussion either.

“I really don’t spend too much time worrying about it,” Williams said. “Last year at ACC media day we were picked sixth. I didn’t go home and say, ‘Oh gosh guys, that’s great, let’s see if we can finish sixth.’ We had our own hopes and dreams that I used as opposed to expectations.”

His players, at least publicly, have taken the same approach to a season that has them ranked No. 2 nationally and touted as one of a handful of teams that could win it all in the spring.

“We don’t really worry too much about the hype,” said Reyshawn Terry. “I’ve been on teams that have been at the top and we kind of let that get to our heads. So coach just tells us not to worry about the hype and take one game at a time. If we just try to do that, hopefully everything else takes care of itself.”

There are two main reasons for such high expectations in Chapel Hill.

First, Tyler Hansbrough decided to pass on his NBA future for now, instead returning for his sophomore season. Hansbrough led Carolina with 18.9 points and 7.8 rebounds, something unheard of for a freshman at North Carolina.

Second, Hansbrough and the other Carolina veterans will be surrounded by the nation’s top recruiting class. Tywon Lawson, Brandan Wright and Wayne Ellington will probably make the biggest impact early, but Alex Stepheson, Deon Thompson and William Graves should also contribute this season.

Combine the freshmen with Hansbrough and five of Carolina’s other stop seven scorers from a year ago, and some wonder how Williams will find playing time for everyone. The coach figures it will all work itself out on the floor.

“I think players determine who plays,” Williams said. “If I’m better than you are I’m going to show it during practice.”

Maybe the most debated subject in the offseason has been the point-guard position. Bobby Frasor ran the point last year, handling the job adequately enough in his freshman season. But Lawson comes in this season with talk of being the next Phil Ford. Williams has tried to put any end to the discussion that Frasor will lose his starting job at the point to a freshman.

“I think he is comfortable there,” Williams said of Frasor. “He’s a point guard. Everyone wants to say he can play shooting guard or something like that, but what the crap do you do with Wes (Miller)? What do you do with Marcus (Ginyard)? What do you do with some of those other guys? He’s a point guard, but more than anything he’s a basketball player. He had a heck of a year for us last year, period, but when you make him as a freshman he really had a heck of a year. Tywon and Quentin (Thomas) both are doing a good job in practice.”

Williams said outside of Hansbrough, the rest of the players will have to fight for a starting job. In the team’s final exhibition Saturday night, Hansbrough, Wright, Ellington, Frasor and Danny Green started, but six other players played double-digit minutes. And Terry didn’t play, but will probably get every opportunity to be a starter this season.

Last season Terry came in as an unknown and ended up landing on the All-ACC third team after scoring 14.3 points a game, second only to Hansbrough.

“I definitely feel like I accomplished a great deal last year, but I’m not satisfied with where I am right now,” Terry said. “I definitely feel like I have a whole lot more to prove.”

The season will start with Carolina among the favorites to win it all. How it will end will be determined over the next four and a half months. As for Williams, he isn’t worried about what anyone else says about his team. He knows what he wants out of this Carolina team.

Said Williams, “No one is going to put as much stress or pressure on me as I’m going to put on myself.”

- Patrick Hite

Around ACC Nation

NC State escapes Wofford in Sidney Lowe's first game. Boston College won and they may have a replacement for Craig Smith. Georgia Tech's freshmen are as good as advertised. James Mays scored 13 points in his return to Clemson basketball. And Virginia Tech opened its season with an easy victory.

The Maryland women had a close one also to start things. Virginia Tech came out on the wrong end of a close game.

Maryland football will try to remain unbeaten at home when Miami comes to town today. The Hurricanes will be playing with heavy hearts in this one.

Lots of Maryland stuff here. Gary Williams and the school agreed to a contract extension.

Wake Forest has another big game this weekend, although Rob Daniels writes it's not a make-or-break game for the Deacons.

North Carolina advanced in women's soccer. There were other games also.

ACC Nation weekend picks

Wes McElroy of ESPN 840 in Charlottesville, Va., joined Patrick and Chris to pick the weekend football games in the ACC.

See the standings here.

Listen to the show here.

Georgia Tech at North Carolina:
Wes - GT, Chris - GT, Patrick - GT

NC State at Clemson:
Wes - Clemson, Chris - Clemson, Patrick - Clemson

Kent State at Virginia Tech:
Wes - VT, Chris - VT, Patrick - VT

Miami at Maryland:
Wes - Maryland, Chris - Maryland, Patrick - Maryland

Duke at Boston College:
Wes - BC, Chris - BC, Patrick - BC

Wake Forest at Florida State:
Wes - Wake, Chris - FSU, Patrick - FSU

ACC Nation was in Greensboro, NC, recently for the ACC’s Operation Basketball. Patrick and Chris got to talk with all 12 men’s basketball coaches, plus select players from each school, and over the next few days we’ll let you know what they found out. ACC Nation will preview each of the 12 men’s basketball programs, going in reverse order of last year’s final regular-season standings, with one preview a day as we approach the start of the season.

Wake Forest – Oct. 31

Georgia Tech – Nov. 1

Virginia Tech – Nov. 2

Clemson – Nov. 3

Miami – Nov. 4

Virginia – Nov. 5

Maryland – Nov. 6

Florida State – Nov. 7

North Carolina State – Nov. 8

Boston College
(2005-06 season: 11-5 ACC, 28-8 overall; lost in the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament to Villanova 60-59 (ot))

Jared Dudley isn’t shy. At the recent ACC Operation Basketball, the Boston College senior was asked what his goals were this season. There was no politically correct answer coming from Dudley.

“I’m trying to be the best player in this conference,” he said. “It might sound selfish, but if you play this game you want to be the best you can be.”

After coming off a season where he averaged 16.7 points and 6.6 rebounds a game, Dudley has already been named to the preseason All-ACC first team. Last year he teamed with Craig Smith to form one of the best frontcourts in the conference, but, with Smith gone this year, more pressure will fall on Dudley’s shoulders to carry the Eagles.

His coach, though, doesn’t expect more. Just the same.

“If he can give us the same type of play and numbers that he gave us last year I’d be very happy with that,” said Al Skinner, who emphasized more opponents will be focusing on stopping the 6-7 Dudley. “It’s up to everyone else to kind of step up and improve their roles some.”

Among those that may step up to help Dudley in the frontcourt are junior John Oates and freshman Shamari Spears, who both started in BC’s opener Friday night. Spears led the team with 23 points in an 86-47 win over New Hampshire.

Sean Williams and Akida McLain should also help up front, although both will be absent early in the season. Williams will miss two games and McLain nine games for academic reasons, according to the Boston Herald. Both players also missed games early last season because of off-court problems.

Outside of Dudley, the most important player may be sophomore point guard Tyrese Rice. Last year, backing up Louis Hinnant, Rice scored 9.3 points a game while dishing out 91 assists. But Hinnant is gone and Rice will take over the point on a full-time basis this season.

“If he doesn’t play well we won’t be very good,” Skinner said of Rice, a member of the ACC’s all-rookie team last season. “It’s just that simple. Last year he was able to play when he played well and when he didn’t he was able to sit down. He won’t have that this year.”

In its first trip around the ACC, Boston College finished third in the regular-season last year and played for the conference title where the Eagles lost to Duke in the championship of the ACC Tournament.

But Skinner is cautious to give too much credit for last year’s success to his team’s move from the Big East to the ACC. BC has had 20 wins or more every year except once since 2000 and, the year before entering the ACC, the Eagles started the season 20-0. They’ve also advanced to the NCAA Tournament the past three years.

“There’s no question that the amount of exposure we receive in the ACC obviously helps, because the television package is so strong and the amount of coverage it receives helps,” Skinner said. “But at the end of the day I like to believe it’s because we have been competitive and we have been pretty successful over the last few years.”

This year should be no exception.

- Patrick Hite

Fire marshal right to push back Crazies
Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski is upset at a ruling from fire marshals that will push the Cameron Crazies back from their usual perch essentially atop press row.
I actually agree with the response from Coach K - basically "why wasn't this done 50 years ago?"
So the policy at Cameron Indoor Stadium allowing students to stand in the floor space behind press row dates that far back, eh?
I think Coach K is right - something should have been done about this 50 years ago.
I know, I know - that isn't what he was saying.
"It's like, 'Did we do something wrong?' " Krzyzewski said in addressing the issue with the media earlier this week.
"And if that is the case, then how might we be able to solve it without hurting the students? They're on the team, too. They should be as close to the court as possible."
Er ... maybe not there, K-Man.
I'm reminded as I write this of a classic picture in Sports Illustrated from a year or two ago that depicted a Tennessee women's player trying to inbound the ball from the sideline at Cameron against a backdrop of Crazies essentially physically surrounding her and making it near-impossible for her to pivot her body.
"They're on the team, too. They should be as close to the court as possible."
I'm sorry - I'm all for fans cheering and chanting and jumping up and down and all the rest. But this kind of fan presence has no place in sports - no matter what Krzyzewski or his running buddy Dick Vitale might say.
- Chris Graham

It's a little early for live games, ain't it?
Is it just me - or are they starting the college-basketball season way, way too early these days?
The season has already tipped off for many schools - Maryland, for instance, opened on Tuesday night, Nov. 7, a little more than three weeks after the start of preseason practice and almost two whole months before the heart of the Atlantic Coast Conference schedule.
You know what this means, of course - yep, you're right there with me, some sloppy early-season basketball.
I was in for some of that in person last weekend at the new John Paul Jones Arena, where Virginia struggled to hold back a game Division III Augusta State team in an exhibition in which the Cavs committed a ghastly 24 turnovers, including six on their first seven possessions.
UVa. opens this weekend with 10th-ranked Arizona, a team that is the focus of some talk regarding its fitness for a Final Four run in March.
Both teams will be under the gun to perform in the debut of the new $130 million JPJ - but you have to wonder if we'll see anything resembling the best out of either team, given that they will have had all of four weeks to prepare.
It hasn't been that long since Thanksgiving Week was the unofficial commencement of the college-hoops season - and even then, with five or six weeks of practice under their belts, many teams looked ragged as they played their way into game shape.
I'm all for the powers-that-be making more money - come on, you know that's what this is all about, don't you? If it involves college sports, it's always about the money.
That said, I don't know, how about playing more games in December and January - when all but a few schools have long semester breaks that could be filled with exciting intersectional matchups like Virginia-Arizona and others?
Sorry, I knew the answer to that question before I posed it - it's because it makes sense. And if it involves the NCAA, it's never about making sense.
- Chris Graham

Best backcourts in the ACC at UVa., Tech
When you've been together as long as Jamon Gordon and Zabian Dowdell have been together, you tend to get to know even the little things better than you would ever expect.
"Being together four years, you learn almost everything about each other," said Dowdell, a senior and backcourtmate of Gordon who led Virginia Tech in scoring in 2005-2006 with 15.3 points per game.
"It always helps when you know what to expect out of your counterpart. I never have to worry about Jamon going into a game. I know if I make a mistake, he's going to be there to clean it up," Dowdell told "ACC Nation" at last month's ACC Operation Basketball in Greensboro, N.C.
The senior tandem at Tech might just be the best starting backcourt in the Atlantic Coast Conference this coming season. Of course, it could also be that they are not even the best backcourt in their own home state.
"This is going on our third year together. And so we've been through ups and downs together. The chemistry is just great - like, when I penetrate, and he moves to a certain spot, I always know where he is, or when he penetrates, I move to a certain spot, we both pretty much know the other is on the court at all times," said Virginia guard Sean Singletary, talking about backcourtmate J.R. Reynolds, who, like Singletary, averaged 17-plus points a game for the Cavaliers in 2005-2006.
Singletary earned first-team all-conference honors for his efforts. Reynolds was third-team All-ACC.
"I think he's the best player in our league - because he can shoot the ball so well, he's a great defender," Singletary told "ACC Nation."
"I really love playing with J.R. - because the chemistry is great. Just from doing drills, I can just see on the court things happening, plays happening because we've done so much together," Singletary said.
"It's great not feeling like I'm on an island out there - knowing somebody else is with me," Singletary said.
"He makes my job a lot easier," Reynolds told "ACC Nation," returning the compliments from Singletary. "He's a great guy - in practice, he's somebody who I can go to battle with any day, any time. When Coach asks us something, wants somebody to lead, I know either me or him is going to step up and lead."We feed off each other," Reynolds said. "If he penetrates, he knows where I'm going to be on the court, and if I penetrate, I know where he's going to be on the court.
"I see everybody feeding off of us. The team looks up to us - so we've got to produce," Reynolds said.
While Reynolds and Singletary have similar styles and similar numbers, Dowdell and Gordon are more complementary - with Dowdell offering the scoring touch and Gordon offering his talents as an occasional scorer (11.4 points per game in 2005-2006), gritty rebounder (6.0 per game, second on the team) and in distributing the ball (a team-high 4.4 assists per game).
"We just fit so good together - like if I get beat, I know he's going to be there. If we need a big shot, I know he's going to take it. It would be hard for me to play without him. I couldn't play with another guard in the ACC," Gordon told "ACC Nation."
- Chris Graham

ACC Nation (weekend of Nov. 10)

On ACC Nation this week, Patrick and Chris wrap up their ACC men's basketball previews with comments from Mike Krzyzewski, Gary Williams, Dave Leitao, Oliver Purnell, Leonard Hamilton and Frank Haith.

Rachel Carter of the News and Observer stops by to talk women's basketball, plus Patrick sat down with ACC preseason rookie of the year Monica Wright for an interview earlier this week.

Wes McElroy of ESPN 840 in Charlottesville joins Patrick and Chris for the weekly picks segment.

Plus, much more on ACC Nation.

Click here to listen

UVa. pinning hopes on rookie of the year

It’s been a few years since a phrase like women’s basketball power was used to describe Virginia’s program. The Cavaliers haven’t finished first in the ACC since the 1999-00 season. And they haven’t advanced past the second round of the NCAA Tournament since that same season.

But there was a time – the early 1990s in fact – when Virginia regularly rode roughshod over the rest of the ACC. Some think the program can get back to that level, but there are whispers that Debbie Ryan has lost her magic touch.

That’s what makes this season so important. There’s a new state-of-the-art arena and some top recruits considering Charlottesville. There’s also some promise for this season. It’s not likely that Virginia will beat out Maryland, Duke or North Carolina this season, but there is talk of a return trip to the NCAA Tournament after playing in the WNIT last season.

Players like Sharnee Zoll and Siedah Williams will certainly be key to any success Virginia has this year, but the Cavaliers may be pinning their hopes – for this season and the future – on a freshman that turned down Tennessee, Connecticut and North Carolina to play for Virginia.

“They just welcomed me with open arms. It’s just been a great experience so far. I’m just ready for the season to start,” said Monica Wright, who, coming out of Forest Park High School in Woodbridge, Va., was ranked as the second-best guard and 11th-best player in the nation by Blue Star Basketball.

Wright, voted ACC preseason rookie of the year, has already become comfortable in the program after spending the summer in Charlottesville working on her game. That work ethic, combined with her attitude, has everyone excited about just what she can accomplish.

“A lot of first years come in and, when somebody tries to tell you something, especially of her caliber … you think somebody is going to come in here and be like I know it all and you can’t tell me anything,” Zoll said of Wright. “But anything we tell her, she’s receptive to it. We tell her something about a play, she’s looking right at you and the next play she does exactly what you just said. I really admire that about her. She really wants to learn.”

Ryan offers a word of caution though.

“Obviously, as a first-year player, you have to prove yourself,” Ryan said. “You can’t just walk in here with a bunch of hype and say, Well, I’m all that. She was a great person coming in because she never expected anything. She’s had to work hard for what she’s going to get and she’s really going to help this team. But at the same time we all have to remember she’s just a first year player. It’s going to take her just a little bit of time to get everything under her belt. Probably by January she’s going to be feeling really, really comfortable. She’s comfortable now, but I think she still has a little ways to go in learning the process and learning the program.”

As for Wright, she said adjusting to the pace of the college game has been difficult, but her work over the summer and during the preseason has helped her get used to what to expect on the court. In her one exhibition game this season, Wright scored eight points in 13 minutes before fouling out.

“The team we played, they were a good team,” Wright said of Virginia’s 102-67 win over Team Concept. “I was just so excited to be out there playing with my teammates in front of fans. It wasn’t that big of an adjustment because I’ve been playing with them, working with them for so long. It wasn’t that big of a jump because we’ve been going way harder than that in practice.”

But things get started for real Friday night when Virginia travels to Rhode Island. The Cavaliers open at home Sunday afternoon against Old Dominion.

- Patrick Hite