ACC Roundup - Wake Flailing

We’ve had a theory, or maybe just an observation, about Wake Forest basketball for some time now: the Deacs tend to hire introverted men as coaches. Just look down the list since Carl Tacy:

• Tacy
• Bob Staack
• Dave Odom
• Skip Prosser
• Dino Gaudio
• Jeff Bzdelik
• Danny Manning

The main exceptions are Odom, who was a big talker but fundamentally reserved, and Gaudio, who really didn’t do well.

There’s no major point here, just an observation.

Well, there is a point, come to think of it. When things are going well, who cares about personality?

But when things aren’t going well, how do introverts communicate? How do you explain to a team what it needs to understand? Is this a liability?

We ask because Wake is 0-3 for the first time in 50 years and it’s an ugly 0-3.

The Deacs have lost to Georgia Southern, Liberty and Drake. Two of those were games Wake could have won with a bit of luck but didn’t.

The Deacs had 11 point leads in both halves and couldn’t build on it much less hold it. And Manning? He said this: “We should be upset, we should be disgruntled. We’ve got to figure out a way to channel all that energy into our game plan and making sure we can do whatever we can do each and every possession.”

A disgruntled Deac? Heaven forfend.

Compare that to what you would have heard from Roy Williams or Jim Valvano, much less Coach K.

There’s no video on this game but note that Bryant Crawford, who is a very talented guy, shot 1-8, including a potential game-tying shot.

Wake gets another chance to win on Saturday against Quinnipiac. There are eight winnable games before ACC play starts and time to turn it around.

Post-scandal Louisville is still getting its bearings. The Cards did beat George Mason in the opening game and knocked off Nebraska-Omaha in the second game but not convincingly. Louisville gave up 53 points in the second half, which would have had Rick Pitino tearing his hair out.

On the bright side, Ray Spalding is growing up. He had 19 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks, two steals and two assists. Deng Adel added 21 points and eight rebounds. And Anas Mahmoud, who Pitino once mocked by saying he was trying to keep a score down with “four white guys and an Egyptian” on the floor late in that game, had eight blocks. That’s pretty great.

Well let’s just get freaky deaky for a minute! Virginia had 18 fast break points to NONE for VCU? How the heck did that happen?

VCU had 12 turnovers and Virginia had just five. Kyle Guy had 29 points; potential unicorn Backcourt mate Ty Jerome had seven assists and zero turnovers. Jay Huff had just two in eight minutes.

This summer’s hurricanes didn’t affect Jamaica, which is where FSU beat Fordham, 67-43.

The Seminoles held Fordham to 23.1% from the floor. Christ Koumadje and Ike Obiagu had four blocks each; FSU forced 23 turnovers.

Three games on Saturday: Wake’s tiff with Quinnipiac, Texas Tech plays BC and Texas Southern gets Syracuse in the Carrier Dome.

• Deacons fall to 0-3 for first time in 50 years
• It’s good to be Bubba. Here are the details of UNC AD’s $740,000 contract.
• Red Raiders ready to play 'second season,' face off against Boston College
• Miami Hurricanes Blow Past Florida A&M for a 3-0 Start
• Cavaliers beat Rams at their own game
• VCU falls to UVA in early-season thriller: 'Games like this should be played all the time.'
• UVA won the game, but VCU showed its rebuild is ahead of schedule
• WOODY: A tie would have been a fitting outcome from UVA-VCU thriller
• UVA's Kyle Guy makes the difference as Cavaliers slide past Rams
• Virginia men's basketball: Guy has career in Cavs' Friday matinee win over VCU
• Syracuse basketball opponent Texas Southern hasn't played a home non-conference game in 4 years
• Symir Torrence becoming an intriguing prospect (prep school report cards)
• Syracuse basketball's next opponent, Texas Southern, gives Ohio State a scare