As most of you know, the schedule is out and linked at the top of this page
(look up). The start of the season features Stanford and a
motivated Casey Jacobsen and either Iowa or a rematch of last season's finale
with UConn. So the first game is a usually deliberate opponent and the second
features either UConn, a fast team, or Alford's early days at Iowa, which might
be interesting. We started to say a running team either way, but Alford's
approach is more cerebral than the approach Tom Davis used.
Then off to the West Coast for a date with Henry Bibby, who was urging West
Coast teams to not play East Coast teams, but that was then, this is now. Henry
is a native of North Carolina, just by the way. Then off to play Illinois
in the ACC-Big 10 Challenge. We heard from some Illini fans who convinced us
that they could be pretty tough. Should be a good game.
Then we get DePaul in Cameron, which is tough for a young team even if their
coach knows what to expect (incidentally, anyone notice how many guys are
mentioning FSU as a potential school of choice this year?). This is the kind of
a game where the Crazies can be a real factor we think.
The most interesting game in many ways is Michigan. They haven't forgotten
what we did to them last year. They're waiting, and they will be very very
focused.
Then the Christmas blah games, while people recover from actually studying,
and the most significant anniversary of the year, to us anyway: January 6, 1940,
when Cameron opened with Princeton as the guest. A 60 year anniversary is
significant, particularly when State and UNC have given up respective paradises
for big, ugly, expensive domes which dwarf the game. God Bless Cameron!
Then the normal suicide stretch of ACC games, where a lot of people will want
to pay Duke back for last year's brutal whippings, a game with St. John's in
February, and the season ending with UNC in Cameron.
For a young team it's a nice schedule. They'll probably get clobbered a
couple of times before January, but it gives them the time to work new people
in, and that's pretty important, but also will test them, and that's equally
important.
Some of you have written to ask about the roster as well and why J.D. Simpson
is back on the team. Here's the scoop: he left the team because he wanted to
follow his first love, theater. After a summer of success, he decided he
could do both, which he originally thought to be impossible. It's not.
Maybe he can show some dramatic flair on some charges.