First, an apology - we accidentally hit the wrong button and sent this as a news flash instead of posting it. Sorry, folks.
Before the season, Jawad Williams, in a moment of exuberance, said that this
UNC team could be the best team in NCAA history. That would make them
better than Bill Russell's San Francisco teams his junior and senior year, and
UCLA during Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's era. You probably should include
Indiana's '75 team. At this point in their respective seasons, none of the
three (pick any of Jabbar's seasons and Walton's sophomore or junior seasons)
had any losses much less two conference losses, so it would seem Jawad got a bit
ahead of himself, as first Wake Forest and
now Maryland have shown.
| Duke | 2-0 | 12-1 |
| Wake Forest | 2-0 | 11-1 |
| NC State | 2-0 | 9-2 |
| Maryland | 1-1 | 10-3 |
| North Carolina | 1-2 | 10-3 |
| Florida State | 1-2 | 12-4 |
| Clemson | 1-2 | 8-6 |
| Georgia Tech | 0-1 | 12-2 |
| Virginia | 0-2 | 10-3 |
| Boston College | 11-4 | |
| Miami | 11-5 | |
| Virginia Tech | 8-5 |
The Williams-who-won-a-national-title won this one, but here's a thought to
consider: if Gary's last name were Smith, and the
Tar Heels were still coached by Dean, do you think he would have said
anything as provocative? Moreover, if he had, how badly would UNC have
beaten Maryland? Smith had a quiet public persona, but he took names and
kicked butts later.
Sean May took the blame for the loss, saying he
might as well have not played since his defense sucked so bad.
In general, though, it's just a typical ACC season off to a wonderful
start. UNC should be very happy they beat Tech, because otherwise, they'd
be digging out of a deep hole. As it is, they're in fifth place in the
conference, likely out of the Top 10, and on the way to Storrs for a matchup
with UConn this weekend. Since UConn is basically a better coached, more
talented version of what Maryland likes to do under Gary Williams, it'll be
interesting to see how the Heels advance through the week. If they lose, they'll
fall to 10-4 overall. Not a disgrace, certainly, but probably not the
quick fix anyone had in mind, either, when ol' Roy wandered back to Chapel Hill.
A smallish Wake team lost to a rough, tough Longhorn bunch, but Skip
Prosser says he learned a lot. No doubt. One thing he might have learned is
that the ACC, by far,
is the best conference this year.
Can anyone explain to us why Maryland is selling a Len Bias throwback jersey
-for $419? Nothing wrong with remembering Bias, but $419? Isn't that a bit
exploitative? Hopefully, some of the money goes to either Len's family or to
fight drug abuse.