Thursday, March 10, 2005

Hoops Notes

Q&A WITH COACH HEWITT


HOW DO YOU FEEL - STORY ON BJ ELDER


JACKETS LACK SHARPNESS OF LAST SEASON
Interesting story by someone who DOESN'T cover the Jackets, from a Winston-Salem paper.


TOURNEY UPDATE
Clemson sweeps the Terps on the season, 3 wins against Maryland. Wow. FSU falls to NCST, which sets up a re-match of WF / NCST.


TOBACCO ROAD HYPE
This is the kind of crap article that keeps the tobacco road hype machine alive and well. When you have an ATL writer talking about which NC team is best, you just have to shake your head and roll your eyes.


RANKING THE UNDERCLASSMEN
Tony Barnhart puts J.Jack in the #5 slot of best underclassmen in the ACC.......Barnhart is also picking the ACC tourney.


STAKES REMAIN HIGH IN ACC TOURNEY


ACC RETURN TO WASH PUTS EVERYONE ON EVEN GROUND
Except of course for Maryland, who is saying now - what's wrong with Greensboro?


JACKETS FACE HOKIES ON FRIDAY


COULD THE ACC GET 8 TEAMS IN?
No, but it's nice to dream.


CONFERENCE TOURNEY PREVIEWS


BUBBLE TEAMS HOPE FOR INVITE


THE ACC SCENE
This guy crushes the Jackets:

Everyone hands Georgia Tech (8-8) an at-large bid into the 65-team NCAA field, but then everyone has been handing the Yellow Jackets everything all season. Elevated to cult status by their sprint to the national final last year, the Jackets got the big preseason sendoff and the benefit of the doubt at every turn. Maybe the big head, too.


Florida State gave Tech the lucky win that rescued an 8-8 record, fouling B.J. Elder on a loose ball scramble in the lane one wink before the clock struck zero.


Wake Forest gave Tech its only significant conference victory, a 102-101 overtime shocker that would have turned out otherwise if not for Chris Paul's two missed foul shots and two missed end-game shots.


How often will that happen? Once in Paul's All-America career, more or less.


The Yellow Jackets essentially rolled the ball out there every day and blamed their shortcomings on Elder's injury, even after he returned. Yet, some Ratings Percentage Index computer models cough out Tech as the No. 39 team in the land. College insiders assume that the selection committee must take at least four ACC teams, because the top-heavy league still rules conference comparisons. Tech retains showtime luster, which shouldn't count but does, probably more than anyone will concede.


Want to know what I have to say....... you mean we have "luster"?? Is that kind of like a sheen? Rock-on!!!


GREENBERG OFF TO FAST ACC START


HOKIES WASTE LITTLE TIME SETTLING IN


HOKIES FAR FROM NCAA LOCK


BUBBLE TROUBLE COULD MEAN COMMITTEE IN LATHER


DO OR DIE FOR MIDDLE-OF-THE-PACK TEAMS
Seth Greenberg is trying to use GT as the reason VT should get in:

Example: "Georgia Tech, everyone tells me, is in at 8-8," Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg said. "If that's the case, and if that's what this league is able to do for a program, then I would say we are in, too."


He backs his argument by citing the fact that almost every ACC team that has broken even in league play makes the tournament. But his case falters in examining the Hokies' record; their 15-12 overall record includes a loss to Virginia Military


PAUL'S PUNCH A HOT TOPIC