ACC Nation

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John Feinstein stops by ACC Nation to discuss his latest book, “Living on the Black.” Feinstein spent the 2007 baseball season following the New York Yankees’ Mike Mussina and Tom Glavine, then of the New York Mets, and chronicled their experiences in his first baseball book in a number of years. Feinstein also gives us his thoughts on Joe Alleva leaving Duke.

Also on the podcast this week: Read more »

After studying the ACC baseball standings for three minutes (it shows below) Sunday afternoon, I believe seven six of the eight spots have been claimed in the ACC Tournament.

(OK, thanks to Jimmy Smith (see comments below) I was figuring something wrong concerning teams with ties. Ties count as half a win. See corrections below in bold.)

FSU and NC State and Wake Forest have spots out of the Atlantic Division, while Miami, North Carolina, Georgia Tech and Virginia are in from the Coastal. That leaves one two spots up for grabs as we head for the final weekend of the regular season.

Per Kristie Le, who handles baseball media relations for the ACC, the eight spots in the tournament are based strictly on winning percentage, even if the teams haven’t played the same number of games. That’s how Wake gets in even if it gets swept by BC this weekend. Read more »

Ten days after taking the job, former Georgia Tech quarterback Joe Hamilton is out as the school’s assistant director of player personnel following his arrest early Tuesday. The 1999 Heisman Trophy runner-up is looking at charges of marijuana possession, DUI, hit-and-run and having an open container of alcohol in his vehicle.

Hamilton was released from jail on bond Wednesday and on Thursday he resigned his job at Georgia Tech, a job he just started April 28. Read more »

Column by Will Ojanen
will@accnation.com

Here we are with one last trio of teams to recap. All three had pretty solid season, and went to the big dance. Unfortunately, none of the three won it all, but one did get close, until they failed to show up in their last game.

Clemson Tigers

One thing stood out from the Tigers season. There was no second half collapse. The Tigers started off the season at 10-0, including a pair of wins against some NCAA Tournament teams in Mississippi State and Purdue, and started off conference play by nearly beating then top ranked North Carolina, losing by two. As said before, this would usually be the time the Tigers would begin their descent into mediocrity, but not this year. Read more »

Column by Patrick Hite
patrick@accnation.com

Poll: What format would you like to see?

The ACC’s athletics directors will discuss a possible 18-game schedule for men’s basketball at next week’s spring meetings.

So far, I’ve seen just one benefit from an 18-game schedule - the ACC can line its pocket a little more. With the additional games, it’s hard to believe that the conference wouldn’t ask Raycom for more money to broadcast the games. Read more »

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Sylvia Crawley, the new women’s basketball coach at Boston College, chats with Patrick and Q about her new job. The former Tar Heel — she both played and coached at Carolina — inherits a young team at BC and things are looking up for the Eagles. She talks about why she took the job at Boston College, how her past travels will help her and what she thinks of returning to the ACC.

Also on the podcast: Read more »

Georgia Tech pitcher Michael Hutts’ cause of death has been released by the Fulton County, Georgia Medical Examiner Randy Hanzlick.

Hanzlick indicates a toxicology report points to morphine toxicity.

Georgia Tech sports information director Dean Buchan indicated the school is awaiting a copy of the report before commenting.

Only a couple of conference series this past weekend — and FSU still has one game left with Clemson later today — and two teams had the week off. The rest of the teams has light schedules because of exams.

We now have two weekends left in the regular season and the ACC Tournament field is starting to take shape. I took a quick look, so I could be wrong (meaning you might want to figure this out yourself before making travel plans to Jacksonville), but it appears that Florida State and NC State are the top two seeds in the Atlantic, while Miami and North Carolina should have that honor in the Coastal. Read more »

We talked about doing this several months ago and, now that we’re past basketball season, ACC Nation has switched its podcast feed.

We tried to do so without disrupting any current iTunes subscribers, but I don’t think we pulled it off. So, anyone who is already subscribed to the ACC Nation podcast feed will have to make a simple change to continue receiving the podcast every week.

If you use iTunes, just go here and hit the subscribe button.

If you use any other podcatcher to subscribe, here’s the rss feed for you.

Since the early days of ACC Nation, we used PodShowCreator.com for our podcasting, but we switched this past week to LibSyn. Nothing against PodShowCreator because they’ve been great to work with the past few years, but for a variety of reasons it made sense to make this switch. For one, we think we’ll see an increase in listeners through LibSyn. For another, we got to work with Rob Walch in making the switch. Walch is one of those names that most everyone in the world of podcasting is familiar with. He also happens to be a big college basketball fan.

If you have any questions about the switch or what you need to do to continue receiving ACC Nation’s podcast, e-mail me at patrick@accnation.com or leave a comment here and we’ll do our best to help you. If you don’t make the switch, you won’t receive future shows, starting with the May 5 show which will be released Monday night.

Also, while you’re at it, leave a comment at iTunes about our podcast. We would be most grateful. Thanks.

WEEKLY ACC WRAP-UP & COMMENTARY BY THE EVIL Q
jim@accnation.com

Time again to take a look at what is going on in ACC sports and make a few pointed observations along the way.

We’ll wrap up with our bits and pieces segment with some stories that you probably haven’t had a chance to see. This week we’ve included a picture that rivals the babies being thrown off a rooftop for good luck.

Read more »

University of North Carolina women’s basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell will return as the Tar Heels’ head coach, Director of Athletics Dick Baddour announced on Thursday.

Hatchell recently completed her 22nd season as head coach of the Tar Heels and her 33rd as a collegiate head coach. She has led North Carolina to four consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference championships, two Final Four appearances in the last four years and trips to at least the NCAA regional finals from 2005-08. She led the Tar Heels to the NCAA championship in 1994. Read more »

A couple of players, and one coach, with ties to schools in the Atlantic Coast Conference were selected to the College Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2008.

The National Football Foundation announced today that former Virginia offensive tackle Jim Dombrowksi and former Florida State nose tackle Ron Simmons, along with coaching great Lou Holtz, who was at NC State from 1972-74, were among 15 former players and coaches selected to the 2008 class.

Dombrowski, the fourth former UVa. player selected to the College football Hall of Fame, anchored Virginia’s offensive line for four straight seasons (1982-85) and finished his college football career as UVa’s first-ever unanimous All-American. In addition, the tackle became only the fifth Cavalier player to have his number (73) retired. Read more »

Mac McDonald, the radio “Voice of the Cavaliers,” has resigned his position to pursue other interests. CBS Collegiate Sports Properties, a division of CBS Outdoor and the multi-media rights partner of the University of Virginia, announced McDonald’s resignation.

“Representing Virginia Athletics and being the voice has been a true passion for me” said McDonald. “I now have an opportunity on a couple fronts to move forward in my career and pursue a couple goals that I have had for some time. I will always treasure my time with the players, coaches and administration.” Read more »

Column by Will Ojanen
will@accnation.com

We’re past the halfway point in the season reviews.

Now we get to the teams that made some noise in some postseason tournaments.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

The term “young” would have been the best way to describe this team. There were no seniors on the roster this season, and not much was expected out of them. Pretty much everyone expected them to be in the basement of the conference. And let’s not forget the unfortunate coaching change, with Dino Gaudio taking over for the late Skip Prosser. Read more »

Story by Patrick Hite
patrick@accnation.com

There’s good and there’s bad that comes with having a quarterback throw more than 99 percent of a team’s passes in a season. Just ask Boston College.

Matt Ryan was Mr. Everything for the Eagles in 2007, throwing for 4,507 yards and 31 touchdowns while leading BC to 11 wins, a berth in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game and a bowl victory. Along the way, the ACC named Ryan its player of the year and Ryan was in the running for the Heisman Trophy.

In case you missed it, that was the good. Read more »

Boston College director of athletics Gene DeFilippo has announced that Sylvia Crawley has been named the Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Boston College. Crawley, who was the head coach at Ohio University since 2006, has signed a five-year contract to become the sixth head coach in the history of Boston College women’s basketball.

“This is an exciting day for BC women’s basketball,” DeFilippo said. “Sylvia Crawley has enjoyed phenomenal success both as a player and as a coach. As a North Carolina graduate, she knows the ACC inside and out. We are very fortunate to have her as our new coach.”

North Carolina’s Sylvia Hatchell, who coached Crawley as a collegian, offered similar words of praise.

“Sylvia was the captain of our national championship team in ‘94, so she means a lot to me personally as well as our program,” Hatchell said. “She has always been a quality, first-class person and she has become an outstanding coach. She was a tremendous leader for us as a player and it has been fun to watch her grow and mature as a coach. This is going to be a first for me to be coaching against a former player in the ACC, but I’m excited for her to get this opportunity. We are all so proud of her and I know she’ll do a great job at BC.” Read more »

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Patrick and Q had some trouble with guests this week, getting all the way to plan E before giving up. But don’t worry because the guys have it covered.

Among the issues on this week’s show: Read more »

Virginia took the largest drop this week and, if I could have justified it, I would have dropped them farther. If it wasn’t for Clemson, UVa. would be the most disappointing team in the ACC this year.

Sure, the Cavaliers have 32 wins overall and a winning record in the conference, but they haven’t won a series from a quality opponent yet. Look at the teams we have ranked ahead of the Wahoos. Virginia was swept by both FSU and Miami and lost two of three to both Duke and NC State. Eleven of Virginia’s conference wins came against the bottom four teams in our power poll.

You can argue that, since the FSU, Miami, Duke and NC State series were on the road, it’s tough to fault the Cavaliers too much. OK, then we’ll find out what this team is made of in May when North Carolina and Georgia Tech come to Charlottesville. The guess here is it won’t be pretty for UVa.

Enough Virginia bashing. On with the poll. Read more »

We haven’t had a poll question for many months, but this seemed like a good time to do a new one. Three North Carolina players — Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green – declared for the NBA Draft over the weekend. So far, none of the three have signed with an agent, so they could return to Chapel Hill. If you could choose only one to come back to college next season, who would it be?

Ty Lawson is one of the better point guards in the country and we all know the importance of a point guard for his team. Then again, Carolina won when Lawson was sidelined for six weeks this past season, so maybe they could do the same next year. Read more »

Dan Loftus recorded a season-high 17 saves to help top-seeded and second-ranked Duke repeat as ACC Champions with an 11-9 victory over third-seeded and third-ranked Virginia on Sunday afternoon at Klockner Stadium in Charlottesville, Va.

Duke held an 11-3 lead with six minutes left in the third period and held off a determined Virginia squad over the last 21-plus minutes to hold on for the program’s sixth ACC title, including the second straight league crown and the fourth in the last eight years. Read more »

Ashley McCulloch’s game-winning goal at 3:08 in overtime was all that UVa.  needed, as the Cavaliers posted their second come-from-behind victory to upend No. 1 seed Maryland 10-9 and clinch the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Lacrosse Championship at Scott Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The league title marked the third in a row for Virginia and the fourth in the last five years.

In addition, the win was the 200th career victory for Virginia head coach Julie Myers and the first over Maryland for the league crown. Sunday’s championship game was also the first overtime contest in ACC women’s lacrosse tournament history. Read more »

With Virginia’s Chris Long and Boston College’s Matt Ryan being chosen second and third in this year’s NFL Draft, the Atlantic Coast Conference becomes the first Conference in the nation to have two of its student-athletes chosen among the top four picks in the NFL Draft for three consecutive years.

Long, who was chosen 2nd overall by the St. Louis Rams, and Ryan, who was tabbed third overall by the Atlanta Falcons, joined NC State’s Mario Williams (Houston, 1st) and Virginia’s D’Brickashaw Ferguson (4th, NY Jets) in 2006 and Georgia Tech’s Calvin Johnson (2nd, Detroit) and Clemson’s Gaines Adams last year (Tamps Bay Bucs, 4th) as top four selections, something no other collegiate conference has achieved in the 71 years of the Draft. Read more »

University of North Carolina forward Danny Green has declared for the NBA Draft, but will not hire an agent. The junior was Carolina’s fourth-leading scorer at 11.5 points per game in 2007-08.

Green becomes the third Tar Heel in the last two days to declare for the NBA Draft, but not sign with an agent, joining Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington. Tyler Hansbrough announced Friday he will return to North Carolina next season. Read more »

The University of North Carolina announced today that national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough will return to Chapel Hill for his senior season. There has been plenty of speculation about whether Hansbrough would test the NBA Draft waters or come back for another run at, what has so far been, an elusive national championship.

“I love playing at North Carolina and still have big dreams to realize here, including graduating,” Hansbrough said. “Of course I look forward to playing in the NBA some day, but not next year. I love my collegiate experience and want to finish my four years here, then move on to my next dream of playing in the NBA. I am very relieved that this decision is behind us and I can concentrate on my academic work and improving my game for next season.” Read more »

ACC WEEKLY WRAP-UP AND COMMENTARY BY THE EVIL Q
jim@accnation.com

I love warm weather. So it completely boggles my mind that I’m still sitting here while the weather is perfect. The severe side of this moment of whining is that I’m in an office that is meat-locker cold because of all the electronics in the immediate area. Frostbite is imminent.

In case you haven’t listened to our podcast, we’re moving to a new office/studio complex in the coming weeks. I can’t vouche for the golfhounds in the building still being around on a beautiful afternoon going into a weekend, however, chances are I’ll be camped out at the cafe across the street trying very hard not to be distracted by the many lovely co-eds from one of the institutions of higher learning in the area. At least it will be warm.

This Friday Fish Fry will include a look back at the ACC Golf Tournament, the ACC Lacrosse Tournament, the ACC and NFL’s draft, how much baseball is left in the season before the tournament in May, softball, track and field, the Arthur Ashe award and of course the weekly Bits & Pieces segment which contains some absolute nuggets.

Read more »