ACC Tourney Column
A certain play in a certain rivalry game has captured the attention of basketball fans, not just in this state, but across the country.
Unless you’ve been away from well, Planet Earth, you know the play — Duke’s Gerald Henderson’s flagrant foul on North Carolina’s Tyler Hanbrough Sunday that bloodied and broke the big man’s nose and has raised these questions among others …
Was there intent for Henderson to harm Hansbrough?
Was it a flagrant foul or just a hard, shooting foul?
Was Henderson’s ejection and one-game suspension worthy or too harsh?
Is CBS analyst Billy Packer just out to make Tar Heel fans hate him even more?
The list goes on.
These questions aren’t going away, but I’m ready to move on. After all, there’s a certain Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, which begins today in Tampa, Fla.
Here are a few things to watch out for ...
The byes have it? The top four seeds in the tourney (North Carolina, Boston College, Virginia and Virginia Tech) have the luxury of an off day today and only have to win three to take home the title.
But the teams they will oppose Friday in the quarterfinals will have an advantage of their own — familiarity with the surroundings. Getting accustomed to the venue, specifially depth perception with the basket, at these big, neutral-court events can be a huge factor. When you figure that in with the parity in the ACC, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some upsets in the quarterfinals.
Playing for pride: Look out for the teams outside of the NCAA Tournament picture, especially N.C. State (vs. Duke) and Wake Forest (vs. Georgia Tech), in the first round. The Pack and Deacons might not have the talent and depth to get to Sunday, but a first-round victory isn’t out of the question for either.
Season on the line: Clemson, Florida State and Georgia Tech have the most to gain or lose in the Sunshine State. With a solid finish to the regular season, the Jackets look to be the seventh ACC team in the Big Dance — but a win or two wouldn’t hurt. The Tigers and Seminoles have some work to do, and guess what? … the two match up in the first round at noon today.
To wear, or not to wear? Hansbrough has been fitted for a protective mask, but he isn’t sure whether he will wear it or not. With North Carolina not playing until Friday’s quarterfinals, he will at least have a few practices to get used to it. He would be wise to wear it, but I’ve seen a mask take a player out of his comfort zone — especially in his first few games with it on. Get ready to hear “peripheral vision” more than a few times by the announcers if “Psycho T” dons the mask.
The predictions: Today — Florida State over Clemson; Maryland over Miami; N.C. State over Duke; Georgia Tech over Wake Forest. Friday — North Carolina over Florida State; Maryland over Boston College; Virginia over N.C. State; Georgia Tech over Virginia Tech. Saturday — North Carolina over Maryland; Georgia Tech over Virginia. Sunday — North Carolina over Georgia Tech.
Readers may contact Assistant Sports Editor Gabe Whisnant at gabewhisnant@shelbystar.com
Unless you’ve been away from well, Planet Earth, you know the play — Duke’s Gerald Henderson’s flagrant foul on North Carolina’s Tyler Hanbrough Sunday that bloodied and broke the big man’s nose and has raised these questions among others …
Was there intent for Henderson to harm Hansbrough?
Was it a flagrant foul or just a hard, shooting foul?
Was Henderson’s ejection and one-game suspension worthy or too harsh?
Is CBS analyst Billy Packer just out to make Tar Heel fans hate him even more?
The list goes on.
These questions aren’t going away, but I’m ready to move on. After all, there’s a certain Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, which begins today in Tampa, Fla.
Here are a few things to watch out for ...
The byes have it? The top four seeds in the tourney (North Carolina, Boston College, Virginia and Virginia Tech) have the luxury of an off day today and only have to win three to take home the title.
But the teams they will oppose Friday in the quarterfinals will have an advantage of their own — familiarity with the surroundings. Getting accustomed to the venue, specifially depth perception with the basket, at these big, neutral-court events can be a huge factor. When you figure that in with the parity in the ACC, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some upsets in the quarterfinals.
Playing for pride: Look out for the teams outside of the NCAA Tournament picture, especially N.C. State (vs. Duke) and Wake Forest (vs. Georgia Tech), in the first round. The Pack and Deacons might not have the talent and depth to get to Sunday, but a first-round victory isn’t out of the question for either.
Season on the line: Clemson, Florida State and Georgia Tech have the most to gain or lose in the Sunshine State. With a solid finish to the regular season, the Jackets look to be the seventh ACC team in the Big Dance — but a win or two wouldn’t hurt. The Tigers and Seminoles have some work to do, and guess what? … the two match up in the first round at noon today.
To wear, or not to wear? Hansbrough has been fitted for a protective mask, but he isn’t sure whether he will wear it or not. With North Carolina not playing until Friday’s quarterfinals, he will at least have a few practices to get used to it. He would be wise to wear it, but I’ve seen a mask take a player out of his comfort zone — especially in his first few games with it on. Get ready to hear “peripheral vision” more than a few times by the announcers if “Psycho T” dons the mask.
The predictions: Today — Florida State over Clemson; Maryland over Miami; N.C. State over Duke; Georgia Tech over Wake Forest. Friday — North Carolina over Florida State; Maryland over Boston College; Virginia over N.C. State; Georgia Tech over Virginia Tech. Saturday — North Carolina over Maryland; Georgia Tech over Virginia. Sunday — North Carolina over Georgia Tech.
Readers may contact Assistant Sports Editor Gabe Whisnant at gabewhisnant@shelbystar.com
posted by Gabe Whisnant at
1:17 PM
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