Wednesday, March 14, 2007

The Daily Roundup: Wednesday

The BEST ACC Basketball Coverage!!!
PHOTO: Taking it to the Dragons.

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DERRICK Z. JACKSON of the Boston Globe - Graduation rate bragging rights? Hardly: "NCAA PRESIDENT Myles Brand brags that the 77 percent graduation rate of all major college athletes will soon be 80 percent. He would get there faster if he bans basketball teams from the NCAA tournament that have 80-percent graduation gaps." National graduation rates for black basketball players. That's pretty poor stuff, Myles. Great job by the Virginia Tech Hokies @ 100%.

Against All Odds: "Some teams have come extremely close over the years, but thus far No. 16 seeds are 0-88 against No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament."

JOHN MARKON of the Richmond Times Dispatch: NCAA casts mid-majors against 'evil'

Jordan shares agenda: "Finding new coach, go-to scorer atop his list of priorities
It was the worst-kept secret in Charlotte Bobcats history, and now it's no secret at all: This is Bernie Bickerstaff's final season as coach." Let us guess, MJ,.....Larry Brown?

A method to his madness "After the last shot of this year's NCAA Tournament is fired, Kansas will clip the nets and hoist the men's national title trophy. What's more, the Jayhawks will beat Texas A&M -- seeded third in the South -- in the final. So predicts Ryan Menachof, a 21-year-old N.C. State senior history major who "minors" in bracketology." His predictions.

Basketball science: "Bracketology 101: Sports editor Jeff Gilbert details the educated way to fill out an NCAA tournament bracket."

Marshall quietly building solid program at Winthrop:" Nine years ago, Winthrop University President Anthony DiGiorgio saw his school's profile on the rise and a basketball program in the dumps. "

The conference headlines:
North Carolina State
Wolfpack claws past Dragons in NIT : "The Wolfpack (19-15) shook off an indifferent start that left it 11 points behind Drexel. State, seeded sixth in its NIT region, rallied again in the second half just when the third-seeded Dragons (23-9) seemed poised to make a winning late-game surge in the small, stuffy Daskalakis Athletic Center. "

Wolfpack still hasfuel for NIT opener

Winning is best P.R. for Lowe

Florida State
'Noles don't need extra incentive: "Senior Al Thornton never realized his dream of playing on the big stage of the NCAA tournament. But the show goes on in the NIT."




North Carolina
UNC's Terry is homeward bound: "Growing up in Winston-Salem wasn't easy for Reyshawn Terry. Neither was adjusting to college basketball in one of the sport's most storied programs. "

Terry comes up big when given a shot by Williams:"Roy Williams admires Reyshawn Terry. "

UNC fans might have to root for Knight:"Intriguing nugget about the Winston-Salem section of the East Regional bracket: North Carolina fans might find themselves cheering hard for Bob Knight on Saturday. "


Hansbrough will test new version of mask:"Forward expected to wear protection in first-round game."

Virginia


Men's All-State Team:"U.Va. guard Singletary repeats as top player; Grant is coach of yearFor Sean Singletary, it was another close call at the buzzer. The University of Virginia's junior point guard has been named the state's collegiate player of the year by The Times-Dispatch for the second consecutive season, but only by the narrowest of margins."

Virginia Tech



Maryland
Freshman guard gives Terps spark: "Vasquez brings needed emotion to Maryland's lineup."

Career was easy call:"Nearing 70, Johnny Holliday keeps listeners up to speed on the Terps."

Boston College

Duke

Rams used to being in the dance: "Ask Virginia Commonwealth coach Anthony Grant about his expectations entering the season after his Rams were picked in the preseason to finish sixth in the Colonial Athletic Association, and he'll preface his answer by pointing out that it's his first season. "

Vaas named Duke's offensive coordinator : "It didn’t take Peter Vaas long to move up the coaching ladder at Duke. Now Vaas hopes that it won’t take the Blue Devils’ offense long to move up the statistical ladder. "

Georgia Tech
Morrow, Yellow Jackets expect to rebound: "Anthony Morrow has no regrets."

Underdog story of Georgia Tech's West nears conclusion:"Georgia Tech won't retire Mario West's jersey. West won't end up in the school's athletic hall of fame."
Young took a different path : "Tech freshman's year in prep school was the ideal preparation for college, basketball. "

FILL IN THE BLANKS : "Yellow Jackets beat writer Mike Knobler notes that Georgia Tech will emerge from spring football practices with a lot of questions answered at skill and key line positions. But no pictures perfect. So it's time to start debating which pieces of their gridiron puzzle are missing."


Clemson
Tigers face Bucs, apathy in NIT opener :" Good news: Clemson will have three home games if it can shake off collapse."
NIT next step for Clemson: "James Mays said Monday that the Clemson men's basketball team still made progress this season despite the team's late-season implosion that landed it in the National Invitation Tournament."

Scouts take in-depth look at Tigers: "Clemson’s pro day gives players another shot to impress NFL teams. Relieved that the draft process is nearing an end, center Dustin Fry emerged from a meeting room excited about the future."

Miami
From the great Omar Kelly's Hurricanes Blog - Pick and Roll: "Just in case U were wondering I still have plenty of Faith in Haith, and so does..." Get over there!

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posted by Ed at Wednesday, March 14, 2007