Ol' Roy Williams says his team doesn't
yet have the attitude of a champion, but he thinks it can develop by tourney
time. This article, by Skip Myslenski of the Chicago Tribune, questions
UNC's leadership on the court.
| School | Conference | Overall |
| Wake Forest | 9-2 | 21-3 |
| North Carolina | 8-2 | 20-3 |
| Duke | 8-3 | 18-3 |
| Maryland | 6-5 | 15-7 |
| Miami | 6-5 | 15-7 |
| Georgia Tech | 5-6 | 14-8 |
| Virginia Tech | 5-6 | 12-10 |
| Virginia | 4-7 | 13-9 |
| NC State | 4-7 | 14-10 |
| Florida State | 3-8 | 11-13 |
| Clemson | 2-9 | 11-12 |
They apparently got some from Raymond Felton against UConn, as
he led UNC's defense
to a solid performance against an always-tough UConn. UNC also
controlled both Josh Boone, at least in the first half, and Charlie Villanueva
throughout the game.
Ol' Roy says he doesn't like non-conference games this time of
year, but it was probably a tonic for his team.
In Atlanta, N.C. State continued its mastery of Paul Hewitt's
Georgia Tech team, winning 53-51. State
has now won 12 of the last 14 games with Tech.
For those of you who think Herb Sendek might get fired, Brett
Friedlander says forget it.
This could really hurt Tech's hopes for the tournament, since
it drops them to 5-6 in conference with five games left. They go to FSU
still, host Duke, then go back on the road to play Miami and Wake Forest, and
close out with Clemson at home. It's certainly doable, but State should have
been one of the easier wins for Tech. Unfortunately, State just hasn't
been easy for them.
It's worth mentioning that after last year, Paul Hewitt said
"[i]t's not about seven teams playing to be a stage for two teams. We're nobody's damn
platform." He's referring here to Duke and UNC, of course, sentiments
which Gary Williams would likely echo.
Yet this year, Tech had - maybe still has - a chance to really
capitalize on last year's drive to the title game. So far, they haven't
done it. That's not to say that Tech is a "platform," but at
some point, you have to earn your own credibility.
Everyone is off until Tuesday, when Wake goes to Miami and FSU
steps out to play UMass.
UVa is still pumped up about beating Virginia Tech, and the
Cavs have
now won three straight ACC games. They've gone to a smaller lineup and
a more deliberate pace to pull it off. They go to Chapel Hill next, though, and
slowing the Heels at home could prove to be difficult.
Incidentally, to get back to Tech, the recent allegations
about Tech, or a booster more precisely, offering Sebastian Telfair a boatload
of money to go to Tech haven't completely fallen apart, but the charges haven't
garnered much credibility, either.
Telfair issued a statement which included this:
"I was approached by a man who claimed to be associated with the Georgia Tech program and offered money. I dismissed the
offer. I've never had contact with Coach Hewitt or anyone with the Georgia Tech program regarding this incident, nor was I ever approached by anyone or offered anything at any other time. To this day, I'm not sure if it was a joke."
Georgia Tech says they quit recruiting him when cousin (and
one-year Tech wonder) Stephon Marbury said there
was no way Telfair was going to college.
However, Telfair's best friend says he did visit Georgia Tech,
albeit briefly, although Paul Hewitt says it was not an official visit if he did
show up at Tech, and that can certainly be checked.
Our guess: if someone did approach Telfair, they did it
on their own.
Here's
a link to catch up some.
- Maryland
needs to find consistency - Not
our rival? Duke fans might want to reconsider - Sorry
folks, Herb isn't going anywhere - North
Carolina defeats Connecticut - With
Forbes a force, Cavs take on a fierce look - Pattern
is proof: Terps among elite
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