Friday Night ACC Basketball

MASON PLUMLEE NOT FOULING (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

#6 DUKE 82, Davidson 69 -- Mason Plumlee had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and teamed with older brother Miles to score 10 straight points during the run that carried No. 6 Duke (4-0) past pesky Davidson.

Austin Rivers and Seth Curry, the younger brother of former Davidson star Stephen Curry, both finished with 17 points for Duke (4-0), which was playing for the first time since Mike Krzyzewski became the winningest men's coach in Division I history.

TCU 57, VIRGINIA 55 -- Virgin Islands-Virginia sophomore guard Joe Harris missed a three-point attempt in the closing seconds after a steal of an inbounds pass by UVa junior guard Jontel Evans and TCU (3-0) held on for a 57-55 victory over the Cavaliers (2-1) in the opening round of the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam.

Harris made a three-pointer with seven seconds remaining in the game to cut UVa's deficit to two points.

Holy Cross 86, BOSTON COLLEGE 64 -- Devin Brown scored 21 of his 32 points in the second half as Holy Cross pulled away for a win over the Eagles (1-1) in the 111th meeting between the schools.

R.J. Evans scored 14 points and Dave Dudzinski added 10 points for the Crusaders (1-2), who opened last season 0-8 and lost 13 of their first 14 games.

NICK FAUST (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)

MARYLAND 78, Colorado 71-- Terrell Stoglin scored 25 of his career-high 32 points in the second half to lead Maryland to a victory over Colorado (1-2) in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

Stoglin tied the single-game tournament record with 12 field goals, including 4-for-7 on 3-pointers, and keyed the run that put the Terrapins (2-1) ahead to stay. Sean Mosley added 16 points and Nick Faust 15.

GEORGIA TECH 73, VCU 60 -- Glen Rice Jr. scored 19 points in his first game back to lead Georgia Tech to victory over last year’s NCAA tournament darkhorse darling Virginia Commonwealth (1-2) in the Charleston Classic.

Rice had 11 points during an 18-4 run as the Yellow Jackets (3-1) overcame a 13-point deficit. 
Georgia Tech will take on LSU in Sunday's fifth-place game at TD Arena.

Crazies Celebrate K’s 903

(Photos by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Statement Regarding An Alleged Sex Crime Of The Day

  JIM BOEHEIM AND BERNIE FINE

“Sadly, we live in an allegation-based society and an internet age where in a matter of minutes one’s lifelong reputation can be severely damaged. I am confident that, as in the past, a review of these allegations will be discredited and restore my reputation. I hope the latest review of these allegations will be conducted expeditiously.”

-- In a statement released by his attorney, Syracuse assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine who dismissed allegations that he molested to former ball boys as “patently false.”  

B.C.S. Mess: Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda

JEFF WOODY SCORES THE WINNING TD (Reese Strickland/Getty)

Clemson and Virginia Tech woke up this morning kicking themselves as they are now among a host of one-loss teams staring up at undefeated LSU.

Last night previously unbeaten Oklahoma State blew a 17-point lead and lost to Iowa State who improved to a rousing 6-4.  The win was huge for the Cyclones who rarely breath the not-so-rarefied air of bowl eligibility, but it leaves nine teams playing “what if?”

Both Virginia Tech and Clemson are among the group one loss away B.C.S. Championship Game.  The Hokies (#9 BCS) lost to the Tigers (#7 BCS) at home then Clemson was upset by Georgia Tech.  

(Reese Strickland/GettyImages)

The folks charged with designing the B.C.S. Championship game now have a real mess on their hands.  If LSU loses a game, it will be even worse as Oklahoma State, Alabama, Oregon, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Clemson, Stanford, Virginia Tech and Boise State all have one loss. 

LSU plays at Ole Miss today and then faces  #6 Arkansas at home next Friday. 

Pictures Of The Day

Mason Plumlee #5 of the Duke Blue Devils dunks on Clint Mann #40 of the Davidson Wildcats during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 18, 2011 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Justin Blackmon #81 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys tries to stay in bounds against the Iowa State Cyclones at Jack Trice Stadium November 18, 2011 in Ames, Iowa. (Photo by Reese Strickland/Getty Images)

Hunter Mahan of the U.S. team plays a shot from under a tree on the eighth hole during the Day 2 Four-Ball Matches of the 2011 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Course in Melbourne, Australia.  (Photo of Mark Dadswell/Getty Images)

Oklahoma State band member Lauren Ritchie, center, bows her head Friday, Nov. 18, 2011, during a moment of silence honoring Oklahoma State women's basketball coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna who were killed Thursday in a plane crash, before an NCAA college football game against Iowa State, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Iowa State Cyclones fans rush the field after an upset win against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Jack Trice Stadium November 18, 2011 in Ames, Iowa.  (Photo by Reese Strickland/Getty Images North America)

This Just In: BCS May Soon Make Some Sense

(Cartoon by Nick Anderson)

Awwww, wouldn’t that be nice.

Evidently, the BCS and the major bowls are desperate to avoid a college football playoff.  Lord knows, such a thing would neither be profitable or popular…

None the less, according to ESPN, some progress at reform is being made.

According to the (other) worldwide leader,  a handful of changes are being considered that would radically change the structure of the BCS and significantly alter the major bowl selection process.

According to sources with direct knowledge of meetings held in San Francisco earlier this week, the suggested change calls for the BCS to sever its direct ties with the so-called BCS bowls -- the Allstate Sugar Bowl, Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, Discover Orange Bowl and Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio -- and concentrate solely on arranging a No. 1 vs. No. 2 national championship matchup.

In addition, the BCS title game could potentially be bidded out to nontraditional sites, such as Jerry Jones' Cowboys Stadium.

To read more, click here. 

#9 VIRGINIA TECH 24, NORTH CAROLINA 21

THOMAS (Geoff Burke/Getty Images)

The North Carolina Tar Heels marched into a rocking Lane Stadium last night and grabbed a Sandman-silencing  early 7-0 lead, but a critical second-drive fumble, a key injury, some bad luck, a handful of controversial calls and Logan Thomas and the Hokies were too much to overcome as Frank Beamer’s squad moved a critical step closer to a rematch with Clemson in the December 3, Dr. Pepper Bowl.

The win put the Virginia Tech football program in a class by itself as the Hokies have now the only team in the nation to have won 10 games in each of the last eight seasons.  Even vaunted powerhouses the likes of LSU, Alabama, Texas, Ohio State or USC have not been able to accomplish a similar feat.

Logan Thomas was solid yet again throwing for two touchdowns and running for a third as Virginia Tech built a 24-7 lead, then held off a comeback bid by UNC in the final quarter.

The Hokies (10-1, 6-1 ACC) won their sixth in a row since a home loss to No. 7 Clemson and remained on track for a fourth trip to the ACC championship game in five years.

Thomas wasn’t the only one making huge plays for the Hokies. Antone Exum forced a fumble by Ryan Houston at the Virginia Tech five-yard-line with North Carolina poised to go ahead 14-0.  Tech’s  Derrick Hopkins recovered. The play was a game-changer as the Hokies drove 95 yards for the tying touchdown.

Although Houston later scored to make it 24-21, he was kicking himself for the mistake, saying “It was unreal for me. The last time I remember fumbling was in my freshman year when I was here. It brought back bad memories.”

(Geoff Burke/Getty Images)

North Carolina (6-5, 2-5) lost its second straight, but made it tense with the help of some defensive breakdowns by the Hokies when they appeared comfortably in command.

At 24-21, the Tar Heels tried an onside kick and recovered it, but the ball did not travel the required 10 yards and the Hokies ran off all but the final five seconds.   

Thomas finished 19 of 32 for 195 yards. Jarrett Boykin playing in his final home game had a career-best 10 catches for 106 yards, and Virginia Tech improved to 19-5 on Thursday nights.

For a full recap and box score, click here, but this is all you REALLY need to know.

Saturday ACC Football

YOUNG JOHN CLARK?

Saturday, Nov 19

GEORGIA TECH (-10) @ DUKE, 12:30 PM, TV: ACC Network, (Sirius 94//XM 193) – Duke has drawn the short schedule straw this year.

MARYLAND @ WAKE FOREST (-10.5), 3:00 PM, TV: RSN, (Sirius 92//XM 192) – Can Edsall’s downtrodden Terps get their hands up to defend themselves.

MIAMI (-1.5) @ USF, 3:30 PM, TV: ESPNU, (Sirius 136//XM 190) – Don’t these inter-sunshine state games all end in brawls?

CLEMSON (-9) @ N.C. STATE, 3:30 PM, TV: ABC/ESPN, (Sirius 113//XM 196) – N.C. State needs a victory to be bowl eligible, Clemson needs to stay healthy for South Carolina and the Dr. Pepper Bowl.  Do we smell an upset?

BOSTON COLLEGE @ NOTRE DAME (-24), 4:00 PM,  TV: NBC (Notre Dame Broadcasting Company), (Sirius 129//XM 129) – Jesuits at Catholics.  Catholics get to play the the part of the lions in this renewal…

VIRGINIA @ FLORIDA STATE (-17.5), 7:30 PM, TV: ESPN2, (Sirius 94//XM 193)* -- Kudos to the Cavs and Mike London on a solid season, but the Wahoos face tough sledding vs. Noles then Hokies.

*Points spreads for recreational purposes only. 

Note To Syracuse: Stop Talking

BOEHEIM AND FINE

Just two weeks after the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State, one of the newest ACC recruits, Syracuse, is staring down the barrel of a sexual abuse investigation.

The school placed long-time assistant coach Bernie Fine on administrative leave Thursday night “in light of the new allegations and the Syracuse City Police investigation” regarding the abuse of former ball boy Bobby Davis.

Davis, now 39, told ESPN Fine allegedly molested him beginning in 1984 and that the sexual contact continued until he was around 27. Davis told ESPN the alleged abuse occurred at Fine’s home, at Syracuse basketball facilities and on team road trips, including the 1987 Final Four.

Davis’ stepbrother, Mike Lang, 45, who also was a ball boy, told ESPN that Fine molested him starting while he was in fifth or sixth grade. The fact that these two men are related and waited 19 years to come forward is likely to hamper their credibility.

Syracuse police spokesman Tom Connellan said the inquiry is in its early stages and the university said it had conducted its own investigation years ago and couldn’t find witnesses to corroborate the allegations.

ESPN said it first investigated the accusations in 2003, but decided not to run the story because there was no independent evidence to corroborate the allegations. Recently, a second man contacted ESPN, alleging that Fine also molested him. That person said he decided to come forward after seeing the Penn State coverage.

The Post-Standard said it, too, held off in 2003 for the same reason.

BOEHEIM

A statement by Kevin Quinn, the school’s senior vice president for public affairs, said Syracuse was contacted in 2005 by “an adult male who told us that he had reported to the Syracuse City Police that he had been subjected to inappropriate contact by an associate men’s basketball coach.”

Quinn said the alleged activity took place in the 1980s and 1990s.

“We were informed by the complainant that the Syracuse City Police had declined to pursue the matter because the statute of limitations had expired,” Quinn said.

Quinn said the school conducted its own four-month investigation at that time, including interviews with people the accuser said would support his allegations, but that all of them “denied any knowledge of wrongful conduct” and that the coach also denied the allegations.

Boeheim released a statement saying: “This matter was fully investigated by the university in 2005 and it was determined that the allegations were unfounded.

“I have known Bernie Fine for more than 40 years. I have never seen or witnessed anything to suggest that he would (have) been involved in any of the activities alleged. Had I seen or suspected anything, I would have taken action. Bernie has my full support.”

Davis claims Boeheim knew he was traveling on the road and sleeping in Fine’s room.

“Boeheim saw me with Bernie all the time in the hotel rooms, on road trips,” Davis said. “He’d come in, and see me laying in the bed, kind of glance at me like, `What are you doing here?’ But he wouldn’t say that. He’d just scowl…Boeheim’s not stupid.”

In a telephone interview Thursday night with the AP, Boeheim said: “This kid came forward and there was no one to corroborate his story. Not one. Not one. … They said I walked into Bernie’s room on the road and saw this. I have never walked into Bernie’s room on the road. This isn’t true. This just isn’t true.”

Former Syracuse center Rony Seikaly, who worked closely with Fine throughout his college career and exchanged text messages with him just Wednesday, told the AP he refuses to believe the allegations.

“Bernie would never do such a thing,” Seikaly said in a telephone interview in Miami. “I vouch for Bernie. There is no way something like this could ever happen in my eyes. No way.”

Like we said, stop talking. 

Fine may well be innocent, but finding “corroborating” witness to something as private as a sex crime is difficult until multiple victims come forward or someone walks in on the act as happened in the Sandusky case.  That said, it is becoming clear that the Unhappy Valley scandal may have emboldenedother victims… 

T.A.H. Reaches Watershed 500,000 Mark

Sometime yesterday afternoon, when the editorial department was shuttling children around, TodaysACCHeadlines.com was visited for the 500,000th time. YOU did this. It’s YOUR fault.

Thank you for reading six years of drivel!

T.A.H. was born on January 27, 2005 – you could look it up in Wikipedia to confirm, but we still don’t have a Wikipedia page.  (Can somebody get on that, please?)

The first T.A.H. was an email to what we now fondly refer to as CC Nation.  CC Nation was then, and is now, a hardcore group of men and women who were either alums or lifelong fans of various ACC schools. 

Remarkably this group of friends and acquaintances get along spectacularly well – most days.  The numerical core of this group represents the Commonwealth Cup (Virginia and Virginia Tech) and the Battle For Tobacco Road (Duke and North Carolina).  Toss in some Maryland, Clemson, N.C. State, Wake Forest, Florida State and only Miami and Boston College lack representation at CC Nation’s not-so-round table. 

Remarkably, even the Duke and Carolina folks are civil and Southernly polite for 362 days a year.  Note we didn’t say 361 as that would suggest that he Duke v. UNC football game had the potential to draw ire from either fan base. Alas, most years, it does not.

So on that fateful day back in January of ’05, we sent our homies this email.

Subj: Break Up VT, Date: 1/27/2005 

THE T.A.H. PROTOTYPE FROM 2005 (Click on image for a closer look)

Fear the Hokies. (Following VT’s win over UVa)

Rumor has it that there is now a University of Virginia at Waynesboro and that is where Gillen and the Hoos will be held up until they deem it safe to return to Charlottesville after last night’s catastrophic and demoralizing defeat.

Who would have bet that on 1/27/2005 the Hokies (which lost to VMI earlier in the year) would be in fourth place in the ACC ahead of Maryland, GT, NC State, UVA and Clemson...OK, maybe ahead of Clemson who hasn't had an impact player since Tree Rollins (who is older than me! Clemson class of 1977)...*

Of course, like the guys who invented Facebook (maybe Zuckerberg, maybe those robot twin crew dudes) we didn’t realize how big it would become!  Four days later, the second edition was published and, three days after that, the historic first T.A.H. that actually included headlines and the name T.A.H (pictured above - Please note the misspelled "Virginiia"...) was emailed.

THE FIRST TAH DINGBAT, AND A FAVORITE (WITH KUDOS TO
INDIAN CHARLIE). For a better look click on the image.

Some time later, the email began to include a PDF file as T.A.H. took on the form of a daily newsletter which featured customized dingbats (the graphic at the top of the page), some of which we will reprint over the next few weeks while we celebrate the Big  5-0-0-0-0-0-0!

To this day, we believe the dingbats represent some of our finest work as do some of our headlines with “Ouch, I’ve Got Blood On My Han(d)sbrough And It’s Coming From My Nose!” remaining an all-time favorite.

In March of 2007, the web page went live, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Thanks again for reading and being part of T.A.H. Nation, somewhere a few JMU journalism professors are either very proud or laughing hysterically.  Hopefully, it’s both.

To read a complete history of T.A.H. (and who wouldn’t want to?  We’ll tell you who, all those would-be -publishers who haven’t gotten around to making the T.A.H. Wikipedia page, that’s WHO!), click here. 

*In this rare case, the items in italics are true. 


Another classic from the T.A.H. Archives...

Thursday Night ACC Basketball: ACC No Longer Unbeaten

BASKETBALL? REALLY?

St. Joseph’s  (Hawks, 5,350 students, Philadelphia, PA) 66, GEORGIA TECH 53 – Georgia Tech suffered thier first loss of the Brian Gregory-era falling   to Saint Joseph's in the opening round of the Charleston Classic. The Yellow Jackets carried a 28-23 lead into halftime before a sluggish start to the second half allowed the Hawks to seize control of the game.

No. 16 Alabama (Crimson Tide, 31,747 students, Tuscaloosa, AL) 62, MARYLAND 42 –  James Padgett scored 9 points and Ashton Pankey had 10 rebounds for Maryland, and that pretty much tells the story.  The Terps went 13 for 49 from the field (26.5 percent)  and hit just two of their 12 attempts from beyond the arc.

Pictures Of The Day

Virginia Tech Hokies fans cheer from the stands against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Lane Stadium on November 17, 2011. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images) 

Virginia Tech Hokies players take to the field prior to the game. (Getty Images)

Entertainer Darius Rucker performs the National Anthem prior tot eh game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the North Carolina Tar Heels at Lane Stadium on November 17, 2011 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images)

Running back Giovani Bernard #26 of the North Carolina Tar Heels celebrates with tackle James Hurst #68 of the Tar Heels after scoring a touchdown against the Hokies. (Getty Images)

Thursday Night ACC Football

NORTH CAROLINA @ VIRGINIA TECH (-10.5), Blacksburg, Va., 8:00 PM, ESPN Radio, TV: ESPN, (Sirius 91//XM 91)*

Here’s the preview from TheACC.com:

*Point spread for recreational purposes only.

ACC Wednesday Night Hoops

PAINTER SHOOTS GAME WINNER
(Ethan Hyman/Raleigh News & Observer)

CLEMSON 73, The Citadel (Bulldogs, 3,300 cadets, Charleston, SC) 50 – Clemson used a stingy defense and held The Citadel to 30.2 percent field goal shooting Wednesday in a road win over the Bulldogs. The game was the first played between the two schools at McAlister Field House since the 1989-90 season.

#24 FLORIDA STATE 79, Stetson (Hatters,  2,200 students, DeLand, FL) 66  – Newly ranked  Seminoles defeat visiting Stetson Wendesday at the Donald L. Tucker Center behind double-figure scoring from Deividas Dulkys, Okaro White and Bernard James.

N.C. STATE 60, Princenton (Tigers, 5, 113 students, Princeton, NJ) 58 – DeShawn Painter's turnaround jumper from the top of the key with 4.2 seconds remaining capped NC State's comeback win over Princeton at the RBC Center.

WAKE FOREST 81, Georgia Southern (Eagles, 17,525 students, Statesboro, GA) 72 – The Demon Deacons Wake Forest was held in check early, but 20-point games from both sophomore Travis McKie and junior C.J. Harris provided enough firepower to take down Georgia Southern in Winston-Salem.

B.C. Linebacker Poised To Break Record

Junior Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly has 509 career tackles and needs just seven more to set the ACC career record.  And, yes, he’s just a junior.  

Last week’s ACC Linebacker of the Week is fourth on the list behind Bubba Brown (Clemson, 515), Mike Junkin (Duke, 513) and Carl McGee (Duke, 511).  Who knew Duke was Linebacker U?

Last week against NC State, Kuechly racked up nine of his 18 tackles in the final 13 minutes of the game.  The Eagles play in the Denomination Bowl vs. Notre Dame in South Bend on Saturday.

"Nothing surprises me with Luke," coach Frank Spaziani said. "He's just a fantastic football player that just gets to the ball and makes plays. I don't know where our defense would be without him, really. He's a special player. I'm sure he's not even concerned or aware of it. He just goes out and plays one game at a time and one series at a time, really. He's all focused. You combine that with his talent, and this is the end result." 

ACC Football Links

O'BRIEN (Baltimore Sun Photo)

By Heather Dinich/ESPN

Virginia Tech has lost at home to North Carolina before, and the Hokies are determined not to let it happen again.

Clemson defensive coordinator Kevin Steele isn't thrilled with the defensive stats this year, but he's more concerned about the scoreboard.

Georgia Tech could be without its top defender AND its top offensive playmaker this weekend against Duke.

The Jackets are out of the ACC race, but there is still plenty to play for.

NICHOLSON (TheSabre.com Photo)

The future of Maryland quarterback Danny O'Brien remains in question.

The goals have changed for Wake Forest following its loss to Clemson.

Did Wake's defense find the key to defending Clemson's offense?

Lots of news and notes for you out of Miami.

Florida State says it's not looking ahead to the trip to rival Florida.

UVa true freshman cornerback Demetrious Nicholson, who played with FSU quarterback EJ Manuel for one season at Bayside High in Virginia Beach, is ready to match up against him.

Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher and Virginia coach Mike London share more in common than just football.

UVa's running game might hit a wall against Florida State.

Virginia Tech defensive lineman Derrick Hopkins has stepped up his game, despite missing his brother in the lineup.

Virginia coach Mike London has gotten some closure on the pass interference call that had him worked up.

BRADHAM #13 (Al Diaz/Miami Herald Photo)

Everyone seems to agree that Nigel Bradham's hit was clean.

Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris continues to push his players hard.

NC State is trying to dig its way out of a ditch.

Don't expect Miami coach Al Golden to be so patient in Year 2.

UNC quarterback Bryn Renner is ready to roll and has recovered from what he called a mild concussion.

Things That Make You Go…

Hmmm…

Obviously, Tiger Woods and Steve Williams were delighted to see one another at the President’s Cup.

There has been all sorts of back and forth between these two since the World's Greatest Golfer had the World's Greatest Thanksgiving Meltdown with Williams being particularly critical of Woods’ sexual escapades and going so far as to say he’d like to shove a recent award he received up his former boss’s “black a**hole.”  

Williams subsequently apologized, and, to Tiger’s credit, he graciously accepted.

That said, things are still a bit frosty. 

So fast forward to yesterday at Royal Melbourne where Woods and his partner Steve Stricker got clobbered by Williams’ man Adam Scott and K.J. Choi. In the 112 matches of various formats that Woods has played in his professional career, he never had a loss like this one as he and his partner didn’t win a hole and didn’t make a birdie in tying the Presidents Cup record for the worst loss ever, 7 and 6.

“We were just slightly off,” Woods said. “On a golf course like this, it doesn’t take much.”

Slightly?

Pictures Of The Day

Florida State forward Terrance Shannon makes a basket as he is triple-teamed by Stetson Hatters in the first half of last night’s game in Tallahassee.  (Photo by Phil Sears/US Presswire)

Baseball down under? Joshua Roberts (L) of the Bandits collides with Scott Wearne catcher for the Aces as he attempts to run into home during the Australian Baseball League match between the Melbourne Aces and the Brisbane Bandits at Melbourne Showgrounds on November 17, 2011 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images)

Old school. Captain of the International team Greg Norman of Australia (L) captain of the US team, Fred Couples (R) stand together during the President's Cup played at the Royal Melbourne golf course, in Melbourne on November 17, 2011. (Photo by William West/ AFP Photo)

What’s happenin’ ladies…?!?  Tiger Woods “greets” some of his  team-mates wives and girlfriends during the President's Cup tournament match played at the Royal Melbourne golf course, in Melbourne on November 17, 2011. (Photo by Paul Crock/AFP Photo)

Just To Prove We Really Are Good Sports...

903 And Kounting...

(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

And, that would be that.

It didn’t happen on Coack K Court in Cameron Indoor Stadium, but by all accounts Mike Krzyzewski simply wanted it over with as soon as possible.

His latest bunch of Duke Blue Devils made that happen when they defeated Michigan State last night 74-69 at Madison Square Garden.  The win was number 903 in Coach K’s illustrious career.

The victory sent Krzyzewski past Bobby Knight, Coach K's college coach at Army and his mentor throughout his professional career.

Knight was in the building at the ESPN broadcast table, as were several former Duke stars and currently out-of-work NBA players as part of a sellout crowd of 19,979 in Madison Square Garden. Yes, Spike Lee was in the house.

(Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

Post game, Krzyzewski went across the court to hug Knight. Krzyzewski, tears in his eyes, broke away, and Knight pulled him back, hands on his shoulders, then there was one final slap of the shoulder.

"I just told Coach I love him," Krzyzewski said. "I wouldn't be in this position without him. It's a moment shared. I know he's very proud, and I'm very proud to have been somebody who's worked under him and studied him and tried to be like him.

"I'm not sure how many people tell him they love him but I love him for what he's done for me and I thanked him. He said 'Boy, you've done pretty good for a kid who couldn't shoot.' I think that means he loves me too. At least that's how I'm taking that."


To read more, click here. 

Bob Knight’s Postgame Statement

BANISTER

After reading about Roger Banister and the Four Minute Mile, I thought it would be neat to be the first coach to win 900 games. Once I reached that, I was hoping Mike would be the first person to surpass it. I also think it is neat for a coach and his former player to have the opportunity to win this many games while each one was coaching at nearly the same time. He made great contributions to our Army team, as a player and has been a great example as a coach of how to do things the right way. There is no one I respect more for the way he went about coaching and following the rules than Mike. The history of college basketball has had no better coach than Mike Krzyzewski.

ACC Tuesday Night Basketball

DAWKINS (Chuck Liddy/Raleigh News & Observer)

#6 DUKE 74, Michigan State (Spartans, 47,800 students, East Lansing, MI) 57 -- Junior guard Andre Dawkins had 26 points for Duke (3-0), which took control with a 20-1 run. The Blue Devils shot 41 free throws, the Spartans just 18.  There was something else important about this game, but we don’t remember what it was...

  

VIRGINIA TECH 78, FIU (Golden Panthers, 44,010 students, University Park, FL) 63 -- Dorenzo Hudson scored a game-high 31 points and the Virginia Tech Hokies led from the opening tip en route to a victory over Florida International in a second-round NIT Season Tip-Off game at Cassell Coliseum. Hokies 19+ games, a strong finish in the ACC regular season and  a solid ACC tournament away from heading back to the Big Dance.

VIRGINIA 69, Winthrop (Eagles, 5,097 students, Rock Hill, SC) 48 -- Senior forward Mike Scott had game-high totals of 18 points and eight rebounds, and junior guard Jontel Evans scored a career-high 17 points to lead Virginia to victory over Winthrop at John Paul Jones Arena.  The Wahoos are a different team with Scott (who was injured last year) back in the lineup.

MIAMI 72, Rutgers (Scarlet Knights, 56,868 students, Piscataway, NJ) 57 -- Durand Scott and Malcolm Grant scored 19 points each to lead Miami past Rutgers. 

Coach K Retrospective

The Raleigh News & Observer put together a nice retrospective of K’s career.

To view it, click here. 

Of course, it has to start with this. (This photo has been around so long and published so often, we no longer know who to attribut it to...at this point, it could be part of the public domain.)

(Chuck Liddy/News & Observer)

(File News & Observer)

Butch Davis Speaks Out

DAVIS and BLAKE (Robert Willett/Raleigh News & Observer)

Former UNC head football coach Butch Davis published an op-ed in the News & Observer yesterday pointing out his focus on academics, his track record in that area and his fundamental disagreement with his dismissal earlier this year.

Here are two excerpts: 

"While the chancellor was within his rights to do so, I believe the decision he made to end my tenure at Carolina was his alone. As I have stated before, I did not and do not agree with his decision. After all, neither the NCAA nor the university investigation even suggested any wrongdoing on my part."

...and...

"During the 10 years I was a college head coach, nine of my teams were recognized by the American Football Coaches Association for academic success. During my tenure at Carolina, the SAT scores of incoming freshman football players rose 40 points. In my last two years at UNC, the football team's adjusted graduation rate of 90 percent surpassed that of the general student body."

To read more, click here. 

The accompanying news story points out that Davis offered no explanation as to why during the 2010 season 14 of his players served suspensions for at least one game and seven missed the entire season amid the NCAA investigation into impermissible benefits and academic fraud.

To read that story, click here. 

Penn State Scandal Quote Of The Day

PATERNO LAST WEEK (Getty Images)

All things considered, it would seem appropriate that Coach K weigh in on the matter.  Interestingly, one of his biggest fans*, T.A.H. Pop Culture Editor Young A.T. (among others in the T.A.H. Worldwide Media sphere of influence) offered this theory immediately after hearing about the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State...

“One thing you have to understand is that Coach Paterno is 84-years-old.  I’m not saying that for an excuse or whatever. The cultures that he’s been involved in both football wise and socially have been [through] immense changes. And how social issues are handled in those generations are quite different. Quite different. And I think that has something to do with the situation.”

To read more, click here. 

*Items in italics may not be true.