DON'T PANIC

It's OK. The Hitchhiker's Guide to All Things ACC and Some Other Stuff (also known as TAH) is taking a short trip to the Capital of the Free World. What does that mean to you? It means TAH will not be published until late tomorrow when you are sitting around watching NFL football or doing something else of consequence.

If you must know what happened today and tonight in the ACC while you have your Sunday morning coffee, donut, bloody mary or whatever, there's this little thing called ESPN, and they're damn reliable.

Have a great weekend!

HOKIES RUIN UNDEFEATED NON-CONFERENCE SEASON

St. Xavier of our Midwestern Keep (Musketeers, 4,000 students, Cincinnati, OH) 63, VIRGINIA TECH 62 OT

OK, it’s not like the Hokies lost to a bunch of chumps, but this is exactly the kind of game the wags will be squawking about come bubble time. The Musketeers have been to the Big Dance the last three years advancing to the Elite Eight in 2008 while winning a school record 30 games. The Musketeers are picked to win the A10 this year as well.

Oh, what actually happened, you ask?

It’s a bummer if you're a Hokie fan… Jeff Allen had his first double-double of the year with a nice symmetrical 22 points and 11 rebounds. His final basket put the Hokies up by a deuce with two seconds left to play. Then Xavier sophomore Dante Jackson hit a desperation shot from BEYOND HALF COURT at the buzzer in OVERTIME to win the game. Those God Squads, they're tough.

Apology over, let’s move on.

One final question though, doesn’t anybody GO to these games in Puerto Rico?

5 DUKE 71, Michigan (Wolverines, 41,042 students, Ann Arbor, MI) 56 - Nolan Smith scored 16 points, Kyle Singler had 15 and the Blue Devils (No. 5 ESPN/USA Today, No. 10 AP) coasted to a 71-56 victory over the surprising Wolverines in the championship game Friday night.

16 MIAMI 70, Southern Miss (Golden Eagles, 16,050 students, Hattiesburg, MS) 60

VIRGINIA 69, Radford (Highlanders, 9,552 students, Radford, VA) 66 - Close call for Hoos, but freshman Landsberg looking impressive again.

MARYLAND 89, Vermont (Catamounts, 9,454 students, Burlington, VT) 74 OT – Gervis Vasquez knocked down 26 points including the three-pointer that tied the game in regulation. Evidently, the Terps decided to quite fooling around in the OT and ended up winning by 15 as they outscored Vermont 17-2.

(AP Photo/Andres Leighton and AP Photo/Nick Wass)

BALANCE

1 NORTH CAROLINA 84, UCSB (Gauchos, 17,726 students, Santa Barbara, CA) 67 - Ty Lawson led six players in double figures with 19 points, including Tyler Hansbrough who had 13 in his season debut, and No. 1 North Carolina defeated UC Santa Barbara 84-67 Friday night.

The Heels opened the game on an 18-10 run, with Hansbrough scoring seven points--all on free throws--and coming up with key assists in his first minutes of the season.

Carolina had six players in double figures – all five starters and freshman big Ed Davis who had 10 points and three rebounds. Hansbrough turned his 25 minutes into 13 points while Danny Green (r) added 11, Deon Thompson 12, Wayne Ellington 17, and Ty Lawson.

After the game, the unphotographed Hansbrough said, "I feel I'm all the way healed."

(AP Photo/Michael A. Mariant – Hey, Michael, next time take a couple of snaps of the reigning Player of the Year when he makes his seasonal debut off of an injury, OK? We know, we know, we know…It’s your editor’s FAULT!)

PICTURE OF THE DAY

SCREAMERS ANONYMOUS. Hello, my name is Gary and I like to yell. And I’d like to be heard by Vermont in Vermont. And one more thing, in a perfect world, my jacket would be on the floor and my shirt-tale would be out. Thank you. I love you.

Maryland head coach Gary Williams yells at his Terps during their game last night against the Catamounts. Money says the young Terps needed the “encouragement.”

(AP Photo/Nick Wass)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 2

LOOK, I CAN FLY. Darren Collison #2 of the UCLA Bruins jumps over Carlton Fay #45 of the Southern Illinois Salukis on November 21, 2008 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

UCLA won.

(Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 3

LOOK, I CAN FLY, and make a crazy face! Jon "Crazy Face" Scheyer #30 of the Duke Blue Devils goes to the basketover C.J. Lee #2 of the Michigan Wolverines on November 21, 2008 at Madison Square Garden.

Duke won. Jon made crazy faces. All is right in the UNJD world.

(Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

THE ACC STREAK CONTINUES

DUKE 83, Southern Illinois (Salukis, 16,500 students, Carbondale, IL) 58 – Gerald Henderson scored all 20 of his points in the second half, and Jon “Crazy Face” Scheyer and Kyle Singler added 13 points each as #5 Duke advanced to the finals of the 2K Sports Classic. The Blue Devils (4-0, 0-0), will play Michigan on Friday night for the championship of the tournament benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.

VIRGINIA TECH 74, Fairfield (Cardinals, 3,941 students, Fairfield, CN) 57 – A. D. Vassallo scored 24 points in his return to his homeland and Jeff Allen added 18 Thursday as Virginia Tech (4-0, 0-0) beat Fairfield in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip Off.

It would appear from the photo above right that only close friends and family attended the game.

FLORIDA STATE 79, Stetson (Hatters, 2,367 students, DeLand, FL) 77

(Photo: Virginia Tech's Jeff Allen, center, dribbles between the defense of Fairfield's Jonathan Han, right, and Greg Nero during the second half. AP Photo/Andres Leighton)

472 YARDS RUSHING, REALLY?

GEORGIA TECH 41, #23 MIAMI 23 – Hey, what the heck do we know...Evidently, not so much.

You want unpredictable, the ACC gives you unpredictable. C’mon, cowboy up, after watching the Canes’ defense improve week after week, who sees Georgia Tech hangin’ 41 on ‘em…? Really?

So just when Miami (7-4, 3-3) was poised to March on into Tampa for the Dr. Pepper Bowl (the ACC Championship Game) after Virginia Tech and North Carolina had paved the way with ill-timed losses, the Canes give up 472 yards rushing. Is there an NCAA rule that says you can’t play in a bowl game – any bowl game – if you give up 472 yards rushing? Crazy single-wing-triple-option-mustang-wildcat-offense or not, 472 yards…really?

Georgia Tech’s (8-3, 5-3) Jonathan Dwyer (21) ripped off 128 yards with just 10 carries in the first half, including a 58-yard touchdown on a play that typified a Miami defense that looked as though it had never even seen film of Paul Johnson’s whacky run-oriented offense. Evidently, two Cane linebackers got caught out of position and Dwyer was off to the races. Game over.

So much for being ranked for the first time in two years…

(AP Photo/John Bazemore)

SATURDAY FOOTBALL

CLEMSON(-2.5) @ VIRGINIA, 12:00 PM, Charlottesville, Va., TV: RAYCOM (Split)

NC STATE @ NORTH CAROLINA (-11), 12:00 PM, Chapel Hill, N.C., TV: RAYCOM (Split) 1tunnel Ethan Hyman/RNO

BOSTON COLLEGE @ WAKE FOREST (-2), 3:30 PM, Winston-Salem, N.C., TV: ABC/ESPN2

DUKE @ VIRGINIA TECH (-17), 5:30 PM, Blacksburg, Va., TV: ESPNU

FLORIDA STATE (-1.5) @ MARYLAND, 7:45 PM, College Park, Md., TV: ESPN

OPERATION LEGAL VANDALISM: BUTCH SLAPPED!

TAH has an operative at the Tar Heel Times, and our mole (and future Pulitzer Prize winner, no doubt) sent us this very important video we will now share with you, loyal readers.

Here’s how it works. Over in Raleigh, NC State has the “free expression tunnel.” It’s a home for graffiti and, well you know, free expression. Kids write whatever they want on the walls and it’s all cool and artsy and, you know, collegiate.

Well according to some wayward Wolfpack sons, in the tradition of free expression, some kids from NCSU went to Chapel Hill prior to last year’s State v. UNC game and splashed some red paint around the Old Well. This did not sit well with the Heels, and, of course, busy as they are, they still managed to find time to hatch a plot for revenge.

So off to Raliegh they went to paint the free expression tunnel Carolina Blue.


Operation Legal Vandalism from Daily Tar Heel on Vimeo.

LET'S TALK CONFERENCE BRAGGING RIGHTS

Is it too early to start the debate over which basketball conference is the best?

Don’t be ridiculous. Of course, it is. It’s not even Thanksgiving.

That said, all ahead full.

Such conference superiority debates are endemic to fans, alums and loyalists who seem to enjoy a spirited dialog from first jump ball in November until One Shining Moment early one morning in April. Last night, losses by PAC-10 stalwarts #4 UCLA and #20 USC will, no doubt, rekindle the debate.

The Bruins, who are considered a Final Four team yet again in many circles, were the first major casualty of the new season losing a close game to unranked Michigan. We aren’t sure how good Michigan is, but the win was their first over a top-five team in 11 years, and they were rated a distant 8th in the Big 10 media’s preseason poll. The box score doesn’t reveal too many glaring differences save turnovers where the Wolverines enjoyed a 9-17 margin. Eight turnovers is enough to impact a close game, and last night at Madison Square Garden it did just that.

For their effort, Michigan gets another crack at a top-5 team tonight v. #5 Duke in the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer finale.

In addition, Tim Floyd’s #20 USC got knocked off 55-52 by the Big East’s Seton Hall. Seton Hall was ranked 13th in the Big East’s media preseason poll, and all we will say about that is the ACC only has 12 teams. None the less, the Pirates win, and mind you they haven’t been very good in a very long time. This could well be the first of many reminders about how deep the Big East (with what seems like 35 teams) really is.

As of this writing, the post ACC expansion bloated Big East has six teams in the top 25: UConn (2), Louisville (3), Pittsburgh (6), Notre Dame (9), Marquette (17), Georgetown (18) and Villanova (23), but only the Cardinals are post-expansion newbies.

The ACC is top heavy as it was last season with with UNC and Duke in the top 5 while Miami and Wake weigh-in at 16 and 25 respectively. Of course the Big 10, Big 12 and the SEC have ranked teams, but will any of them end up in the hoops promise land like the title teams from Florida and Kansas and the big run squad of the Greg Oden Buckeyes?

Two things we do know for sure: 1) it’s too soon to tell, and 2) like NCAA football, basketball teams ranked 15 through 25 move in and out of the polls on a weekly basis.

Just ask Miami who was ranked on Thursday morning, but most likely unranked by supper time on Sunday.

(Photos by Nick Laham/Getty Images and AP Photo/Andres Leighton)

TAH READER MAILBAG

Dear TAH,

Thank you for your continued and in-depth coverage of the annual Hicks v. Hacks golf competition. As you know it is an event of local, regional and national insignificance. Your coverage is balanced, insightful and sometimes even accurate.

I think it is important that fans of the event know that well placed insiders on President-elect Obama’s transition team have confirmed that one of his highest priorities is to “tweak” the H v H scoring system.

According to our sources the President –elect “knows of no other serious fan of H v H that approves of the current system”. He went on to say that if Blaser and Yowell and the rest of those HHCS knuckleheads don’t get their act together he wouldn’t be afraid to “throw his weight around” to resolve the issue.

His plan calls for a 8 man, “mano y mano” match-up ensuring parity in regards to liquor in-take. In addition, the guys with day jobs get strokes. “I gotta do something to give the Hacks a snowballs chance…”

Lastly the President – elect did pass on that his good friend Conzie Rice thought Hudson looked “dead sexy” in Terp Red and Black last Sunday!

Just trying to help in Turnbull,
Deep Throat

Dear Deep Throat:
Thank you for your nice letter. Good luck with that. Call us if you get tix to the Inaugural Ball.
The Editor

PICTURE(S) OF THE DAY

IT’S KIND OF LIKE THE CRAZY PEOPLE ON THE MOTORCYCLES, you know we aren’t gonna leave this alone. Ever. Really.

Jon “Crazy Face” Scheyer #30 of the Duke Blue Devils drives to the basket against the Southern Illinois Salukis on November 20, 2008 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Right, Mr. Crazy Face drives to the basket against Bryan Mullins #10.

(Photos by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 2

WHITE OUT. Georgia Tech's Nick Claytor, center, celebrates with fans after defeating Miami 41-23 in an NCAA college football game in Atlanta, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008.

(AP Photo/John Bazemore)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 3

WERE NOT EXACTLY SURE how this came about, but it’s funny. This Alabama fan was anxious to get rid of his ex so we guess Julio better watch his step. He felt so strongly about it he made a sign for the Alabama v. Mississippi State game.

(Photo: Bill Frakes/Sports Illustrated)

ACC STILL UNDEFEATED

WAKE FOREST 120, UNC Wilmington (Seahawks, 10,640 students, Wilmington, NC) 88 – Jeff Teague (#0) scored a career-high 31 points while James Johnson added 25 to help the #25 Demon Deacons beat the Seahawks.

Chas McFarland had 19 points for Wake (2-0, 0-0), whose 120 points were tied for third-most in school history and just three points shy of breaking the record. It also was the most points ever scored by a team at Joel Coliseum. Wake Forest led almost the entire way, shot 57 percent and scored 41 points off 24 turnovers.

VIRGINIA 77, University of South (really Midwestern) Florida (Bulls, 34,447 students, Tampa, FL) 75 – Freshman Sylven Landsberg made a layup with 13 seconds left and sank a free throw six seconds later to seal Virginia's 77-75 victory over South Florida.
Landesberg finished with 21 points for the Cavaliers (2-0, 0-0), and Jamil Tucker added 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds in the win.

CLEMSON 93, Wofford (Terriers, 1,350 students, Spartansburg, SC) 40 – Terrence Oglesby scored 15 points and Raymond Sykes added 14 to lead Clemson (4-0, 0-0).

(AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBAL

MIAMI @ GEORGIA TECH (-3.5), 7:30 PM, Atlanta, Ga., TV: ESPN

(Editor’s Note: As always the point spread, and we don’t happen to agree with this one, is for recreational purposes only.)

UNC'S OTHER TYLER HURT TOO

Follks in Chapel Hill aren’t real happy with Kentucky big Ramon Harris. Harris decided to take a swipe at freshmen forward Tyler Zeller as he went for a dunk on a breakaway late in the Tar Heels runaway win. The resulting collision, and awkward fall by the 7-foot Zeller, resulted in a broken wrist. It was a perfectly clean play, but there were less than 90 seconds left in the game. As a result, Zeller is likely gone for the season after undergoing surgery Wednesday to repair the fracture.

North Carolina officially released information about Zeller's injury late Wednesday, saying the freshman forward had surgery at UNC Hospitals to repair his broken left radius and ulna. The official release said UNC's Dr. Don Bynum, who performed the surgery, deemed it a success and said he expects Zeller to make a full recover. Normal recovery time for this procedure is 12 to 16 weeks.

Zeller started the first two games in Hansbrough's absence, scoring 18 points in the season-opening win over Penn and then two in the win over Kentucky.

Look for the other Tyler to be back in action this weekend.

(Zeller #44 of the North Carolina Tar Heels shoots over Patrick Patterson #54 of the Kentucky Wildcats. Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

INTERNAL VT MEMO: PLEASE SHUT UP

According to the Roanoke Times (and they follow the Hokies very closely), criticism of Virginia Tech’s anemic offense is now coming from a new location – inside the locker room.

Evidently, Tech linebacker Purnell Sturdivant said the offense is too predictable as he offered little support for embattled offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring. Just make sure he was really piling on, Sturdivant then said his sentiments are not uncommon among the team.

"Pretty much every team we face this year knows what we're going to do" on offense, Sturdivant said. "I have a couple friends at Carolina, a couple friends at N.C. State, things like that, they're pretty much just calling out the plays that we're going to run on offense. Our offense is pretty much predictable. "

Asked whether he thought Stinespring should go, Sturdivant said: "That's a hard one." But he added that he didn't think the outside criticism was unfair.

"Yeah, I can definitely see where they're coming from," Sturdivant said of the critics. "Me and a lot of guys."

Stinespring's unit has slipped to 109th out of 118 Division I-A teams in total offense, a year after finishing 100th in the rankings.

(AP Photo by Michael Dwyer)

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

ESPN’s Heather Dinich and Duke coach David Cutcliffe have to share this week.

Dinich conducts a Tuesday Mailblog with readers about ACC football. A Heels fan questioned her ACC Powerankings which she posts each week noting that while Dinich had UNC sixth on her list they remain the highest ranked team in the BCS (22). Said loyal fan, “How do you explain THAT?"

To which Dinich replied:

“By saying that guys like Dr. Peter Wolfe, who use Pi, and i, and j to come up with a convoluted formula for the computer rankings didn't see Cam Sexton play poorly like I did.”

At his weekly press conference, Cutcliffe had this to say about the difficulty of winning at Virginia Tech’s Lane Stadium:

"They have great support and energy that comes out of that home crowd. Their crowd loves football and when I’m watching tape I don’t see an empty seat in the house. Period.”

(AP Photoby Gerry Broome and Getty Images)

PICTURE OF THE DAY

HELLO, BCS. WE’RE STILL UNDEFEATED. Ball State's Briggs Orsbon (16) catches the game-winning touchdown pass against Central Michigan's Bobby Seay (9) during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008, in Mount Pleasant, Mich.

Ball State won 31-24.

(AP Photo/Al Goldis)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 2

ESPN COLLEGE GAME DAY was in Chapel Hill on Tuesday. So far, Bobby Knight appears to be a great addition especially when he tells Digger he’s wrong. At least once on Tuesday, he made us laugh out loud. Maybe the General has found his niche…at least until he chokes Jay Bilas.

(Photo by Zeke Smith/InsideCarolina.com)

PICTURE(S) OF THE DAY 3

BLACK OUT. Last weekend, Florida State went all black. It didn’t work any better for the Noles than it did for Georgia earlier this year. Some of the students got the memo (including this first clever group with signs rife with innuendo) while others seemingly did not.

(PhotoS Ken McKimm/Icon SMI)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 4

THE COLLEGE PARK LEAP? Terps fans got to celebrate with Maryland linebacker Adrian Moten (54) after the team's 17-15 victory over North Carolina.

(AP Photo)

DEON THOMPSON, WE KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER or ACC STILL UNDEFEATED

Evidently...he was shooting the rock.

#1 NORTH CAROLINA 77, Kentucky (Wildcats, 27,209 students, Lexington, KY) 58 – Deon Thompson scored a career-high 20 points and 9 rebounds to help UNC beat Kentucky in his second straight confidence-building performance in Tyler Hansbrough's absence to start the season. However, freshman 7-footer Tyler Zeller suffered a wrist injury late in the game. The Heels frenetic defense helped cause 28 turnovers to UNC’s 10.

FLORIDA STATE 65, LaSalle (Explorers, 4,773 students, Philadelphia, PA) 61 - Sophomore guard Jordan DeMercy scored the game's last four points in the final 27 seconds. Toney Douglas had 18 points and Ryan Reid 11 for Florida State (2-0).

MARYLAND 73, Youngstown State (Penguins, 13,712 students, Youngstown, OH) 49 - Greivis Vasquez matched his career high with 28 points, and Maryland used a strong defensive performance to cruise.

BOSTON COLLEGE 82, St. John’s (Red Storm, 14,983 students, Queens, NY) 70 - Joe Trapani scored seven of his 19 points during a game-breaking second-half run in the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament. Tyrese Rice paced the Eagles (3-0) with 28 points and nine assists.

(Photos by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images and AP Photo/Gail Burton)

BCS HEAD SWOFFORD TO PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA: BLAH, BLAH, BLAH

President-elect Barack Obama would like a college football playoff, but to the surprise of no one, the BCS’s Big Cheese’s response to his comments were tepid at best.

BCS coordinator, and ACC Commish, John Swofford responded to a stepped-up playoff push by Obama that was broadcast on CBS' "60 Minutes" on Sunday.

WHAT SWOFFORD SAID: "First of all I want to congratulate newly elected President Obama and I am glad he has a passion for college football like so many other Americans. For now, our constituencies -- and I know he understands constituencies -- have settled on the current BCS system, which the majority believe is the best system yet to determine a national champion while also maintaining the college football regular season as the best and most meaningful in sports. We certainly respect the opinions of president-elect Obama and welcome dialogue on what's best for college football."

WHAT SWOFFORD MEANT: "Blah, blah, blah. Mind your own damn business, you’ve got your own problems. Blah, blah, blah."

Obama has now said more than once that he will use his influence to push for a playoff. According to Obama's proposed system, eight teams would play over three rounds to settle the national champion.

"It would add three extra weeks to the season," he said. "You could trim back on the regular season. I don't know any serious fan of college football who has disagreed with me on this. So, I'm going to throw my weight around a little bit. I think it's the right thing to do."

Former North Carolina coach (and current coach of some Big 12 school, we aren’t sure which one) Mack Brown said he's a big fan of Obama's idea.

"Send the best eight teams and let them play it off," Brown said, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "There's a lot of good teams that are going to be left out of the BCS this year. What I would welcome is more conversation [about changing the BCS system]. I really wish we could hammer out some ideas and get it down to what's workable ... whether we do it now or three or four years from now. In most years, there are going to be six to 10 teams better than the others and it's tough to say who is best without a playoff."

(Photos by Getty Images and Reuters)

ONE SMALL STEP FOR THE BCS, ONE GIANT STEP FOR A FOOTBALL PLAYOFF

You heard it here first.

It’s not the Rose Bowls fault that there isn’t a football playoff, but, yesterday, ESPN literally moved the ball in that direction by wrapping up all the BCS games except the Rose Bowl in a new TV contract. The final hurdle to an even bigger dance might be cleared when the Grandaddy of Them All’s TV contract expires with ABC in 2014.

Huh, you say?

Not long after ACC Commish’s John Swofford’s somewhat tepid response to Barack Obama’s call for a playoff system for college football, ESPN took a big step toward making that a reality – whether the suits in Kansas realized it or not.

What resources does ESPN have that the combined television networks don’t have?
Control. Control over their time and their money. Thus it would be easier to make room on the broadcast schedule for the playoffs while limiting the number of parties to a negotiated agreement. The more the control over the money flowing into college football and the BCS is consolidated, the easier it is to ultimately make this fly.

This means the Fiesta, Orange and Sugar Bowls, plus the BCS Championship Game, will be televised in prime time each January. There will also be a BCS show on ESPN every Sunday to unveil the current rankings. With any luck at all that will include “real time” fan comments on a screen crawl!

The Rose Bowl, which will host the 2014 title game, will continue to be televised on ABC through that game.

Nice, ESPN, NICE!

(Photos by Reuters and Getty Images)

NEWS FLASH: CUDPEPPA ACCUSED OF TAMPERING

Rumors are now floating around the flogging blogging community that things might have been slightly amiss down at Cudpeppa Country Club (winner of the Golf Digest 2008 Hardest, Most Difficult and Most Challenging Golf Course in the Whole Entire History of the World, Bar None Award) where Hacks v. Hicks III was contested this past Sunday.

Not long after the Cudpeppa squad and booked yet another easy win of approximately 16 to 5, rumors surfaced about tampering with Hackberry Creek’s El Capitan Tom “Oh-Fer” Blaser.

Seems as Blaze had been complaining recently about morning headaches even on the mornings when he hadn’t consumed any adult malt-beverages the evening before. (OK, there was only one such evening, but he had a headache that day too, so as far as TAH is concerned, that’s a valid “field test.”)

When interrogated (Blaze is not one to openly complain, so his boys had to ply him with “truth serum” to get the story out), Captain O’Hacks revealed that he recently had been having a reoccurring nightmare where he is abducted by aliens who tampered with his brain. Oddly enough, said “aliens” were dressed as employees of the United States Postal Service with Cudpeppa County stickers prominently displayed on the windshields of their UFOs. Thankfully for Blaze, no orifices were probed.

A recent x-ray taken at Fauquier Health’s new Emergency Department (formerly the Fauquier Hospital’s Emergency Room) seems to reveal that some tampering has actually occurred.

The investigation is ongoing.

PICTURE(S) OF THE DAY

EVIDENTLY, Ashley Judd was a big supporter of Barack Obama. She promised that if Obama won North Carolina a few tuesdays back, she would sit in the student section for the UNC v. Kentucky game (albiet in the front row, but the student section none the less).

She was true to her word, and we're guessing it wasn't all that much fun since the game started out with a 15-2 Tar Heel run. Game over.

Now the fella to Ms. Judd's left in the UNC ball cap doesn't appear to be a student...Do you think he was thrilled to be sitting next to a Hollywood starlet who is married to an international race car driver who was flaunting both her allegiance to a Democratic president-elect and those pesky Wildcats?

Our guess: Well...nooooo.

(Phots by Kevin. C. Cox/Getty Images and Gerry Broome/AP Photos)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 2

WTFO? (The military version of WTF, the O is for "over.")

Perry Stevenson #21 of the Kentucky Wildcats reacts to the runaway freight train that was the North Carolina Tar Heels during last night's game at the Dean E. Smith Center.

You can't recover from looks like this.

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 3

BUT HE NEEDED 49. Davidson guard Stephen Curry, right, shoots over #14 Oklahoma forward Taylor Griffin, left, in the second half of an NIT Season Tip-Off men's NCAA basketball game in Norman, Okla., Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008.

Curry had 44 points for Davidson, but Oklahoma won the game 82-78.

(AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

THE ACC REMAINS UNDEFEATED

VIRGINA TECH 62, Mount St. Mary's (Mountaineers, 2,100 students, Emmitsburg, MD) 57 – The Hokies temporarily reverted to their old Big East ways wracking up all of 23 points in the first half. They remembered who they were and where they were and almost reached the 40 point mark in the second.

BOSTON COLLEGE 90, Loyola (Md) (Greyhounds, 3,501 students, Baltimore, MD) 57 - Sophomore Joe Trapani tallied 20 points and classmate Corey Raji totaled 14 points and nine rebounds to lead host Boston College.

(Photo by Charles Krupa/AP Photos)

ACC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSIVE BACK--C.J. Spiller, Clemson, Running Back, 5-11, 190, Jr., Lake Butler, Fla. Clemson running back C.J. Spiller established a Clemson record for reception yardage by a Tigers running back in the victory over Duke. Spiller had seven receptions for 108 yards, breaking the record held by himself (105 vs. BC two weeks ago), and Ray Mathews, who had 105 receiving yards against Mississippi State in 1948. Spiller also had 10 rushes for 71 yards and two punt returns for 22 yards.

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN--Edwin Williams, Maryland, Center, 6-3, 315, Sr., Washington, D.C. Williams #76 graded out as the Terps' top offensive linemen in Saturday's win over North Carolina. The senior saw action in all 85 offensive plays and was credited with five big blocks. He helped open holes for running backs Da'Rel Scott (129) and Davin Meggett (86), who combined for 215 rushing yards (5.1 ypc) in less than ideal playing conditions.

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN-- Marcus Robinson, Miami, DE, 6-1, 231, Fr., Homestead, Fla. Robinson led a Miami defense that held Virginia Tech to 77 yards rushing on Thursday night. He recorded a career-best three sacks in his second career start and finished the game with a team-high seven tackles which included four tackles for loss.

DEFENSIVE BACK--Marcellus Bowman, Boston College, Safety, 6-2, 217, Jr., Girard, Ohio Bowman returned an interception 87 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter of Boston College's 27-17 win over Florida State. It was the Eagles' third interception return for a touchdown of the season and marked the sixth consecutive game in which Boston College defense or special teams have scored a touchdown.

SPECIALIST-- Matt Bosher, Miami, P/PK, 6-0, 202, So., Jupiter, Fla. Bosher averaged 42.0 yards on five punts, which included a long of 45 yards in Miami's 16-14 win over Virginia Tech on Thursday night. The Lou Groza Award semifinalist also was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals. He made kicks from 21 yards, 31 yards and 23 yards.

ROOKIE-- Russell Wilson, NC State, Quarterback, 5-11, 191, R-Fr., Richmond, Va. Wilson passed for 152 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions, and he completed 16 of 33 pass attempts. Wilson carried the ball 14 times for 69 yards and a touchdown. He was NC State's leading rusher for the game. Wilson was responsible for all three of the Wolfpack's touchdowns and 221 yards of total offense.
(AP Photo/J Pat Carter (AP Photo/Phil Coale, Ethan Hyman/Raleigh News & Observer, Vern Verna/ClemsonTigerss.com)

TAR HEEL QB JOB UP IN THE AIR, LITERALLY

Of no surprise to the folks who watched the Heels lose to the Terps, after discussing the situation with his staff Sunday night, North Carolina coach Butch Davis said he is not going to name a starting quarterback for Saturday's game against N.C. State right now.

Instead, he said he's going to tell both Cameron Sexton (hugger), and C.J. Yates that they "need to be prepared to play," and that whoever gives the team the best chance to win will start.

Sexton admitted he played his worst game of the season during UNC's 17-15 loss at Maryland. Yates, who fractured his left ankle in September, has played in only one series since.

(Photo by Zeke Smith)

FOSTER WAITING AT THE ESSO TO HEAR FROM CLEMSON

The Hokies defensive coordinator Bud Foster confirmed Monday night that he interviewed with Clemson athletic director Terry Don Phillips in regards to the Tigers' head coaching post Friday night in Roanoke, and said he felt the meeting went well.

"I was a nervous wreck going in and I felt good coming out," Foster said. "There's an interest on both parts. I'm one of several potential candidates for the job, and we'll see where it goes. That's all I know and that's all I can say."

According to reports, Foster is the third candidate to interview for the head coaching job that opened when Tommy Bowden resigned Oct. 13. Phillips reportedly met Nov. 7 with former Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin, and met with Oklahoma defensive coordinator Brent Venables a week ago today.

(Photo by Matt Gentry/Roanoke Times)