Still riding the wave of Sunday night's come-from-behind win at Duke. We're talking about women's basketball today, so if you're one of these people - "I can't stand women's basketball. A high school boys team would wipe the floor with the best women's college basketball team." - Please move on to another conversation.

Finally. Adam Lucas revealed in today's Mailbag that the women's basketball team's game against Duke on Feb. 25 is sold out. It's about time.

The last two years, I've attended the Duke/Carolina women's game in the Smith Center. While it was fun, the arena definitely wasn't filled. This year, the team voted to play the game in Carmichael, their primary home floor. Perhaps it will be in front of fewer fans, but the atmosphere will be electric.

HBG and I were too late to get our own tickets. We didn't think it would be a problem. I'm glad it is, though. I'd rather watch a sold-out Carmichael on TV than be in there with just a few hundred folks. The #1 Tar Heel women deserve a sold-out home floor against Duke. This team is putting together a serious national championship run.

One of my friends named Jimmy recently started thinking about the women and who their counterparts would be from the current or very recent men's team. For example, he compared Ivory Latta to Raymond Felton, and Erlana Larkins to Sean May. Can we expand that a little?

Latta - Felton
Jessica Sell - ?
Camille Little - Marvin Williams
La'Tangela Atkinson - Jawad Williams
Larkins - May

McCants - McCants?
Alex Miller - Melvin Scott
Christina Dewitt - Danny Green
Latoya Pringle - Byron Sanders (though she's a better women's player than her boyfriend is a men's player)
Heather Claytor - Wes Miller (both deadly from 3 when they are on)
Iman McFarland - Jackie Manuel

Some of those are a bit of a stretch. As you can see, several of the women do not really have male counterparts. In my opinion, this year's women's team is even deeper than last year's men's team, and we know how far they went. Go Heels!

Coach Tim chimes in with a guest article on what he feels is the best decade of ACC basketball. In his email to me, he wrote " . . . you write about why it's better now, if that's what you believe, you young whippersnapper." Coach Tim sent me his article over a week ago, and I still can't decide on why I think ACC basketball is better today. In fact, I don't know if I believe that. I love ACC basketball, but I think I would have loved it even more when it was so intense. You had so many characters, so many great teams, but only one could make the NCAA Tournament.... anyway, you just better read what Coach Time wrote. If you want to respond, add a comment. Thanks Coach Tim!


ACC BASKETBALL in the 1970's - WHY IT WAS A BETTER GAME
 
    As a student at N.C. State (B.A., 1974) and U.N.C. (J.D., 1977) in the 1970's, I experienced firsthand the golden age of ACC basketball.  Dean Smith reigned supreme at Chapel Hill, though he had not yet gotten the "can't win the big one" monkey off his back.  Lefty Driesell had Maryland, his self-proclaimed "UCLA of the East", at  heights not dreamed off until the Terps run to the NCAA championship under Gary Williams a couple of seasons ago.  Duke & Wake always challenged their opponents.  And at State, Stormin' Norman Sloan put together as talented a team in the early 70's as anyone had ever seen in the ACC.
 
    David Thompson, the most incredible college basketball player ever;  Monte Towe, the court general who could break the press, shoot, pass and run a team like no had at that time;  Tom Burleson, never a more awkward freshman, who became a dominant force inside for State no matter who the opponent;  Tim Stoddard, the muscular power forward, who went on to a pro baseball career as a pitcher;  Morris Rivers, silky smooth, a prototype of the guards of the 80's and 90's who could shoot, drive to the basket and play smothering defense;  and Phil Spence, the 6th man, who could play center or forward, rebound and defend.  State's dominance in 1973 (undefeated) and 1974 (one loss to UCLA which they avenged in the NCAA semifinal game before beating Marquette for the College Basketball Championship that year).  Bill Walton only suffered one game that kept his college basketball career from being flawless and that was State's win in 1974.
 
    That win ushered in the golden age of ACC basketball, as UNC only got better and better and Dean (in the next decade) finally won the Big One, and Jimmy V's State team of destiny won another NCAA title for the Pack.  But it really started in the 1970's, when the ACC Tournament Champion got the ONLY ACC bid to the NCAA tournament.  That's right, the ONLY bid.  Finish first in the grueling regular Tobacco Road season and if you didn't prevail in Greensboro, where every ACC Tournament was played, you stayed home until the following winter when the next season began.
 
    Basketball was a team sport then, full of fantastic plays but coaching strategies and defense, not run and gun, not 3 pointers, not even dunks marked each game.  The 70's . . . simply THE BEST!

Down 13 at the half - down 58-46. Win 74-70 in Cameron over the Blue Devils. The #1 team in the country in women's basketball - and the only undefeated team in men's or women's college basketball - lives in Chapel Hill.

I was worried prior to the game, and I was worried at halftime. But Ivory Latta and the Tar Heel women put on a show. Congratulations.

That's what we saw yesterday in the home win over Arizona. The Heels got down early, and could have wilted,  but refused to. Who stepped up? Reyshawn Terry. Bobby Frasor. Danny Green. Byron Sanders. Quentin Thomas. Wes Miller.

I don't know what the difference was, but we saw a team play with a confidence we haven't seen before.
It was the most complete game of the season to date. If the Tar Heels can continue this momentum, they can win at Maryland before coming home to defend the home streak against Clemson.

I realize my last entry was pretty scathing, but I do it out of love. The Tar Heels are my team, and I want the best out of them. Win or lose, I want to see effort. Yesterday, they left it all out on the floor.

Just like the title says. What inspired basketball! Played by the Boston College Eagles.

I don't know the answer to the problems currently plaguing the Tar Heel men's basketball team. I'll just ramble about my concerns.

From the beginning of the season, I have been worried about the half-court offense. The signature of a Roy Williams team is that they run, and the current Tar Heels have the personnel to do that. But what happens after a made basket? What happens when you're playing another running team, one that runs back on defense? What happens if you don't have a Raymond Felton handling the ball for 35 minutes a game?

Our offense simply seems to be: Step 1) Dump the ball to Tyler. Step 2) Four other players watch.

That is wrong. Tyler Hansbrough is a phenomenal basketball player. He is strong and has already proven that he can compete with the best post players in college basketball. He has an uncanny ability to take contact and finish a play, then add another point from the free throw line. What he cannot do, however, is continue to beat the triple team. Tyler has done a commendable job of getting to the rack, but teams are figuring that out. Throughout most of the season, #50 has been our only consistenly reliable offensive weapon!

I know, I know. Wes Miller has hit some big shots. Danny Green is coming along. Reyshawn Terry has assumed a leadership mantle during some games. David Noel, at the beginning of the season, was a clear leader.

But where's the consistency? Where have you gone, David Noel? You were the senior leader, the one with the turnaround jumper, the thunderous dunks and the solid rebounding! Where has that gone? I know there's a tremendous amount of pressure that goes along with carrying a young team through the rigors of the ACC, but you looked like you were the man to do it in the earlygoing.

Reyshawn, where are the smart shots? Quentin, why dribble into trouble?

These are questions that won't be answered, of course, but things that ought to be addressed.

As of right now, here's a quick rundown of the rotation. Not a grade on the season to date, but a look at the team as of last night, and if they're meeting or exceeding expectations.

Playing above expectations: Wes Miller, Danny Green, Byron Sanders

Playing at expectations: Tyler Hansbrough (he is the best player on the team; expectations are higher for him than anyone), Marcus Ginyard, Bobby Frasor (Passing and defense from freshmen)

Playing below expectations: David Noel (hate to do it), Reyshawn Terry, Quentin Thomas.

So you see that the players who are playing beyond expectations aren't necessarily the big-impact guys. Tyler is the clear foundation that this team works from. That's fine, but he needs support, and he needs the experienced team members to steer the ship (forgive the cliches).

The Tar Heels have a rough stretch ahead: home against Arizona, a team looking to assert itself and that would love nothing more than to steal one in the Smith Center.
at Maryland, which was a difficult task last year against an NIT team, even playing with Marvin, Sean and Raymond.

at home against Clemson, who would love to break that win streak, and then at home against Duke, who is Duke. They're on TV more than 'Leave it to Beaver' reruns.

Lately, it looks as though this team is buying into the 'young' excuse. They're not supposed to win, so they have a built-in excuse.

The worst thing that can happen to a young team is getting comfortable with losing. I'm not comfortable with that.

Thanks for letting me ramble.

I asked William from Eagle in Atlanta a few questions about expansion and this year's BC team. He was kind enough to let me answer some questions about the Heels, too.

1. What can ACC fans expect to see from typical BC teams, and is this
year's team exemplary of that?

I don't know if you would describe this team as typical Al Skinner. He runs the same offense (the flex) every year. The variations in the teams year to year tend to be based on who is the best player. When Troy Bell was on campus, the ball went through him and we got much of our scoring from outside. Now that the talent is on the front line, we bang away. So Al adapts. In general his teams tend to be slower and a little more physical. It anything is typical of Skinner it is that he wins with underrecruited kids. He and his staff have a great eye for talent and would rather beat the bushes then chase after the latest high school star. This year's leaders (Smith and Dudley) both fit that mode.

We all know expansion was driven by football, but BC basketball is
no slouch. How are Al Skinner and his Eagles approaching this new
conference. Is BC finding the ACC welcoming?


 Did BC fans even want to be a part of the ACC?

So the Heels steal one on the road at Florida State. Really a game that any other Tar Heel team would run away with. But this is a good Leonard Hamilton team, and this is a young Tar Heel team.

I didn't watch the game in its entirety, as I was trying to get the disappointing Carolina Panthers to the Super Bowl. It was not to be, but at least we got to see an exciting finish in Tallahassee.

We all know the ACC is going to be a dogfight all season long (save for one at the top and a few at the bottom), so it's great to get any win on the road, against any opponent. You'd love to beat Duke, but in the end a win against Florida State is as good as a win against a hated rival.

Where did Wes Miller come from? When he gets his feet set and an open look, it's all net.

Reyshawn Terry? He too, needs to get his feet set. He also tends to rush shots a little bit, maybe taking a shot or two when you'd like him to find a teammate who has a better look. Still, his leadership in the absence of the asleep-at-the-wheel (lately) David Noel has been nice.

Wes got the start because he's been playing great defense lately.

Tyler is a beast, but you would like to see him pass out of the triple-team every now and then. Still, he's the king of the and-1.

Byron with 10 and a thundering dunk. Nice to see.

Tar Heel women with a 68-51 win over Florida State, and at #4. Tennessee or Duke will lose tonight, so barring something unforeseen, the Heels may move up a spot. Erlana Larkins is ACC player of the week.

Disappointing that the Panthers will be home on Super Bowl Sunday, but it's nice that some recent Tar Heel alumni will be in the big game. Greg Warren, Jeff Reed and Willie Parker all will represent the Heels.

I'll be back with another blog exchange with William Maloney, blogger of BC's Eagle in Atlanta.

So the Tar Heels dropped one to Miami at home. This was the first time, to me, that the Heels played like the team they are: young, inexperienced, and untested. I throw out the USC game, because it seems the Heels rarely fare well after a trip to the west coast.

It's been said a thousand times this season: "They're going to win some they shouldn't win, and lose some they shouldn't lose."

This was the type of game we shouldn't have lost, and furthermore, can't really afford to lose. Winning on the road is going to be hard enough in the ACC. Nearly impossible. So we have to beat the Miamis and Clemsons at home.

Now we've got to make up for this one by winning one we shouldn't win. The schedule gets a lot tougher now that we are in the heart of the ACC regular season, so it's time to go to work.  

Virginia would love to knock off a Top-25 team in their new arena. Let's not allow that to happen.

I'm sure you all remember my 'Myra Piggy' incident. If not, read this first.

Apparently, new Head Line Monitor Lauren Troyer is taking some precautions to make sure she and her cohorts don't get fooled again.

"Last year anyone could submit something and there was no good way of proving who it was from," Troyer said. "I don't think it was that effective. They wanted us to say Myra and Piggy but the bottom line was we never did it that way. They got us, they tricked us. But it didn't come across as they intended."

The relation that 'Myra Piggy' has to booster Myron Piggie was completely secondary to taking the Crazies out of their game. If they were chanting 'Piggy,' which is completely nonsensical as far as Nik Caner-Medley knows, they weren't chanting something that would affect him. They weren't getting into his head if he didn't know what the hell they were talking about.

I never expected it to work at all, but to get them to chant "Piggy," or to hold up the famous sign, means that it works. Nik Caner-Medley took their worst, and torched the Blue Devils. And the Crazies were exposed. No, Lauren, it came across exactly as I intended.

Here we are in January, and it's pretty obvious to me that college basketball on the whole is down this year. There seems to be a few elite teams (very few), and the rest are kind of in the middle.

Only four teams thus far (N.C. State, UNC, Florida State and Duke) have managed to win an ACC road game in the conference this year. That's pretty incredible to think about.

Duke needed a desperation shot to beat Virginia Tech in Cameron, so it doesn't concern me that the Heels barely got by the Hokies in Blacksburg. Twenty-five turnovers is about 25 too many, but these things happen with a young team in a hostile environment.

It will be important to learn from this experience and just be thankful for a rare road win in this year's conference play.