Thursday ACC Basketball: Duke Does It Again

(Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

#5 DUKE 78, N.C. STATE 73 - Take heart Tar Heel Nation, at least your guys didn’t blow a 20 pont lead...

For the second time in nine days, Duke staged a remarkable comeback to beat a neighborhood rival. This time they rallied from 20 points down with 11 1/2 minutes left and topped North Carolina State.

Seth Curry scored 21 of his season-high 26 points in the second half and freshman Austin Rivers added 16 points on 4-of-13 shooting for the Blue Devils (22-4, 9-2 ACC). They used late rallies of 13-0 and 20-3 to erase that huge deficit and keep pace with North Carolina and Florida State atop the league standings.

Lorenzo Brown scored 19 points to lead the Wolfpack (18-8, 7-4), who trailed 76-73 with the ball in the final seconds with a chance to force overtime.

But Brown missed a contested 3-pointer from the corner with about 7 seconds left, and Curry hit two free throws with 2.2 seconds to go to seal NC State's 14th straight loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

#20 FLORIDA STATE 48, VIRGINIA TECH 47 - When we weren’t looking did the Noles and the Hokies move over to the Big East?  Sub-50s, really?

Michael Snaer's game-winning three-pointer with 2.6 seconds left gave FSU an improbable 48-47 come-from-behind victory.

Until he let the game-winner go, Snaer had been having a miserable game. He picked up an early technical for mouthing off to an official and managed only six points. He hadn’t come close on three earlier 3-point attempts.

SNAER (Steve Cannon/AP Photo)

Florida State (18-7, 9-2) trailed 45-37 with 1:29 left in the game, but Virginia Tech missed 5 of 6 free throw attempts over the final 1:09 to leave the door open for Snaer’s heroics from the right side of the court.

Snaer, who had made only 3 of his 10 previous shots, hit the game-winner from nearly the identical spot he produced similar heroics in Florida State’s 76-73 win at Duke on Jan. 21. Ian Miller’s three from the corner with 44 seconds left got the Seminoles within 47-45.

Virginia Tech (14-12, 3-8) had a chance to take a two-possession lead when Jarell Eddie was fouled grabbing an offensive rebound with 10.2 seconds left. But he began to cramp up. Robert Brown was selected to take the free throws and missed both.

Erick Green led Virginia Tech with 18 points and was nearly fouled as he launched a last-second desperation shot that bounced off the rim as the buzzer sounded.

Miller led Florida State with 11 points and Snaer had nine to help the Seminoles, who have won nine of 10 and are tied for first in the ACC with North Carolina and Duke.

Florida State shot 40 percent from the field.

The Hokies shot just 32.7 percent in the game and were beaten 41-31 on the boards.

STOGLIN (Patrick Semansky/AP Photo)

 MARYLAND 81, BOSTON COLLEGE 65 - Terrell Stoglin scored 19 of his 24 points in the decisive first half, and Maryland cruised to victory over struggling Boston College.

Stoglin went 7 for 10 from the field before halftime and put the Terrapins in front for good by scoring 14 consecutive points over a three-minute span. The ACC scoring leader finished 5 for 8 from beyond the arc in his 18th game with at least 20 points.

Stoglin has 68 3-pointers this season, breaking the school record for a sophomore (Greivis Vasquez had 64 in 2007-08).

Maryland (15-10, 5-6) led by 19 with 13 minutes elapsed and 41-27 at halftime. After Boston College scored the first six points of the second half, three-point plays by Nick Faust and James Padgett ignited a 9-2 spree that made it 50-35.

The Eagles (8-18, 3-9) closed to 63-56 with three minutes left but could not complete the comeback.

Quote Of The Day

(Steve Cannon/AP Photo)

“In the end it had nothing to do with made field goals. It’s real simple, you step up and make free throws and the game is over. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out.”

- Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg after his team missed missed 5 of 6 free throw attempts over the final 1:09 of their loss to Florida State.

R.I.P. Gary Carter 1954-2012

KEITH HERNANDEZ and GARY CARTER

Gary Carter, the effervescent Hall of Fame catcher whose single for the Mets in the 1986 World Series touched off one of the most improbable rallies in baseball, died Thursday. Carter was 57.

Carter was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor last May, two weeks after finishing his second season as coach at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz said Carter died at a hospice in the West Palm Beach, Fla., area.

Carter played nearly two decades with the Mets, Montreal, San Francisco and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He led the Expos to their only playoff berth and was the first player enshrined in Cooperstown wearing an Expos cap.

To read more, click here. 

Things That Make You Go…

Hmmm...

We aren’t going to enter the debate about Gov. Chris Christie’s decision to fly New Jersey’s flags at half-mast in honor of Whitney Houston other than to say we always thought that was an “honor” reserved for those who made a great sacrifice or amassed a career of service that benefited the state in question or all of the good old USA.  We presume, Christie is taking political cover from Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett who flew the Keystone state’s flags at half-staff in honor of Joe Paterno.

We came across the blog BlackFive and liked their take on the situation and thought if worthy of a share.

Here’s the teaser: “Can't wait for "the Situation" to pass on…”

To read more, click here. 

Pictures Of The Day

Cheaters...er...um...we mean...cyclists ride away from the mountains in the Wadi al-Awabi area, west of Muscat (but, you probably already knew that) during the third stage of the Course des Tricheurs de Oman.  (Photo by Marwan Naamani/AFP/Getty Images)

Locals scramble to safety as jockey’s vie for position at the start of a camel race during the Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan Camel Festival at the Shweihan Racecourse on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi.  (Photo by Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty Images)

  Cameron Indoor Stadium. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Miles Plumlee #21 of the Duke Blue Devils attempts a dunk against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 16, 2012 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Marcel Siem of Germany on day two of the Advantha Masters 2012 at the DLF Golf and Country Club in New Delhi. The 2.4 million USD event runs from February 16 to 19. (Photo by Paul Lakatos/AFP/IMG)

Former Mets manager Yogi Berra and former Mets catcher Gary Carter meet on the field for a post game ceremony after the last regular season baseball game ever played in Shea Stadium on September 28, 2008 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.  (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Former ACC Rookie Of The Year Latest To Leave Maryland

(Rob Carr/Getty Images)

According to the Washington Post, Maryland quarterback Danny O’Brien and two other players — offensive lineman Max Garcia and linebacker Mario Rowson — are leaving the football program.

The Terps, and new head coach Randy Edsall, part company with the 2010 ACC Rookie of the Year just three days after landing five-star wide receiver prospect Stefon Diggs of Good Counsel.

O’Brien’s departure brings the number to 12 players with eligibility remaining to leave since season’s end.  In all, 24 players have left the program for various reasons since Edsall was hired in January 2011.

Among departed players, the most noteworthy is O’Brien, a third-year sophomore who garnered attention during Maryland’s 9-4 season in 2010, and because of what those close to him described as his tireless work ethic and appetite for film work.  The two starting offensive tackles have also left town.

In a statement released by Maryland, Edsall said that he is “disappointed” by O’Brien’s decision to leave the program and that “Danny told me that he is not committed to our program, that he is not ‘all in.’ I want what’s best for all of our players. Danny wants a fresh start elsewhere. I wish him well.”

(Really...?)

For more on what this means over in College Park, click here. 


(Editor's Note: It's tough times over in Terpville, but we believe Edsall will find success in the long-run.  Everybody loved Ralph, so anybody coming in was going to negotiate stormy seas.  Edsall's personality and style have made it harder for players recruited by the easy-going Fridge to adjust. Imagine Bobby Knight going to Texas Tech without the benefit of all those National Champions (not to mention sorting out a roster of 15 not 65 "student athletes.")  Some kids thrive under the strong discipline systems of coaches like K, Knight or Edsall.  Smart kids, parents and coaches figure out who will thrive in the system prior to accepting a scholarship, but that doesn't help those that are at a school who hires a new coach with a dramatically different style.  Such is the case in College Park, look for additional fallout as those who can't function under the Edsall system depart.  We surmise that the new kids coming in will be better suited to his style thus increasing the likelihood of future success.)

ACC Wednesday Night Basketball

BARNES (Robert Willett/Raleigh News & Observer)

#8 NORTH CAROLINA 73, MIAMI 64 -  (AP edited) - Sputtering on offense and evenly matched on the boards, No. 8 North Carolina used smothering defense to erase an eight-point deficit in the second half and beat Miami Wednesday night.

The Tar Heels (22-4, 9-2 ACC), who came in averaging 83.5 points, shot only 38 percent and went 5 for 18 from 3-point range. But they forced turnovers on four consecutive possessions in the second half to get back in the game, and held Miami without a point for nearly five minutes down the stretch. 

“Defensively we can be a very good team,” said center Tyler Zeller, who was held to nine points but made three steals. “We can win games in the 50s and 60s. And when we start making shots, hopefully we can win by a bigger margin.”

North Carolina  took a half-game lead over Duke and Florida State atop the league standings.

Miami (15-9, 6-5) lost to the Tar Heels for the 18th time in their 20 meetings, including two defeats this year.

Durand Scott scored 15 points for Miami, and Kenny Kadji added 13 points and seven rebounds. But Malcolm Grant’s shooting slump continued, and he finished 1 for 6 and scored three points, nine below his average.

Harrison Barnes led North Carolina with 23 points, including a trio of 3-pointers in the final 16 minutes. John Henson had 14 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks for the Tar Heels, who beat Miami for the 10th time in a row.

(Robert Willett/Raleigh News & Observer)

Zeller was held seven points below his average and shot 4 for 13. Kendall Marshall went 0 for 6, and while the Tar Heels came up with some key offensive rebounds, they edged Miami by only six on the boards.

But they outscored the Hurricanes 14-6 off turnovers.

In three of their past four wins, the Tar Heels have shot under 40 percent.

The Tar Heels sank only five 3-pointers, all in the final 16 minutes. They fell behind 44-36, then used defense to rally.  The deficit matched the largest erased by North Carolina in a win this season.

Fan chants of “Aus-tin Ri-vers” down the stretch failed to rattle the Tar Heels. Rivers hit a 3-point buzzer-beater last week to cap a furious rally and help Duke beat North Carolina.

The near-capacity crowd of 7,071 was Miami’s largest at home this season. Larranaga and his players visited campus dorms Monday, passed out chicken wings and T-shirts and encouraged students to attend the game.

McKIE (WakeForestSports.com)

WAKE FOREST 59, GEORGIA TECH 50 - Travis McKie had 23 points and 11 rebounds and  Tony Chennault added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Demon Deacons (12-14, 3-9 ACC), who ran off an 11-0 run in the final 6 1/2 minutes to go ahead for good in a matchup of the bottom two teams in the league standings. 

Wake Forest had lost six straight games by double-digit margins, but McKie helped the Demon Deacons take control in a tight contest.

Wake Forest shot just 33 percent but came through with key baskets that twice beat the shot clock during the decisive winning run. McKie scored the first seven points of the spurt, which gave Wake Forest an eight-point lead with about 2 1/2 minutes left. 

Glen Rice Jr. scored 12 points to lead the Yellow Jackets (9-16, 2-9), who shot 37.3 percent (19 of 51).

Wake Forest shot just 4-for-20 from 3-point range, but finished with a 42-32 rebounding advantage and a 17-11 edge in second-chance points.

C.J. Harris finished with just eight points for Wake Forest, snapping his run of 24 straight games with double-figure scoring totals.

The Yellow Jackets have lost eight of nine and 12 of 14 games.

Quote Of The Day

(Robert Willett/Raleigh News & Observer)

“I really do believe we’re good shooters. We just don’t show it during the game. When we start making some shots, we’re going to be a really good team.”

- North Carolina head coach Roy Williams.  Last night, North Carolina shot 37.5% in the first half and 38.9% in the second.  From behind the arc, the Heels were 0 for 6 in the first stanza and 5 for 12 in the second for a combined 5-18 or 28%. 

Things That Make You Go...

Hmmm...

(AP Photo)

Here are just a few of the monikers bestowed on the odd little critter Malachy who won Best In Show the other night at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in NYC:  Fur-ruffled Roomba, alien footstoo, full-size Tribble, lovable lint trap, 12 lbs dust mop, Carrot Top’s head in a neutral color palette, impossible inbred spawn of wolves, animated wigstand, crotch sniffing tuffet and “The tangled hair wad in the garbage can after your girlfriend cleans her hairbrush? If that thing sprouted legs."  

And the best comment from spence900 @El_Gato  via Gawker: “I can't even look at that picture without hearing Fred Willard rambling about how you can wash your car with one of these.”

Picture Of The Da(l)y

John Daly of USA in action during the first round of the Avantha Masters at DLF Golf and County Club on February 16, 2012 in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)

Pictures Of The Day

UNC’s James Michael McAdoo drives the to the hoop last night in Miami.  (Photo by Robert Willett/Raleigh News & Observer)

Robin Lopez of the Phoenix Suns and Chris Anderson of the Denver Nuggets battle for a loose ball at the Pepsi Center in Denver.  The Suns won 109-92.  (Photo by Doug Pernsinger/Getty Images)

Linsanity reigns.  Jerremy Lin of the New York Knicks goes to the basket against DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings during their game at Madison Square Garden.  The Knicks won 100-85.  (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty)

Camels, ridden by tiny mechanical robots, race to the finish during a six kilometer race at teh 12th International Camel race in Kebd, Kuwait.  Real jockeys were replaced by the robots in 2005 following a wee bit of a scandal.  (Photo by Stehpanie McGehee/Reuters)

San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh takes a picture of fans in the row behind him during the Golden State Warriors game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Oracle Arena on February 15, 2012 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Tuesday Night Basketball: Valentine Upset Preps Tigers For Trip To Their Version of Basketball Death Valley

YOUNG (Rainier Ehrhardt/AP Photo)

CLEMSON 60, #21 VIRGINIA 48 - Here at T.A.H., we call it the streak.  Clemson is 0-55 in Chapel Hill.   They have never defeated the Tar Heels in any of the various UNC Chapel Hill venues.  While it might be an issue today, it wasn’t last night at the Tigers upset #21Virginia.

It was only the Wahoos' second double-digit loss of the season, but it was the Cavs' second straight defeat. 

Andre Young and Tanner Smith scored 13 points each and Devin Booker had all 10 of his points in the second half as Clemson ran past the Cavaliers.  Now, the Tigers (13-12, 5-6 ACC) will carry a two-game win streak into Chapel Hill, where they are 0 for forever.  

T.A.H. has chronicled the first 20 games of “The Streak,” placing each game in historic context of the times.  For example, when the streak started, Thomas Edison and Wyatt Earp were both still alive...We will get to games 21 through 55, later in the year.  

Is this the year, the Tiger’s end the streak?

"We haven't said anything to them about it," said Clemson coach Brad Brownell, who couldn't escape a question or two about his team's upcoming challenge. "They're off tomorrow. We'll come back Thursday and formulate a plan."

BOOKER and SCOTT (Rainier Ehrhardt/AP Photo)

Brownell certainly had a good one to handle Virginia (19-6, 6-5). The ACC's second-best scoring defense stood strong throughout, forcing 18 turnovers (Virginia gives up fewer than 12 a game) off 14 steals. Virginia was held to its second fewest points this season, behind a 47-45 loss to Virginia Tech last month.

Cavaliers star Mike Scott was held to 13 points, four fewer than his average coming in while outside threat Joe Harris was ineffective trying to play with a broken left hand.

Harris came in averaging 12 points a game, but was limited to two points on 1-of-5 shooting.

Jontel Evans led the Cavaliers and tied his career high with 17 points. But Virginia wasn't the same team without a healthy Harris.

"Without Joe, we're not much of a threat from three," Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. "Those missed shots and turnovers are really crucial in a game like this."

Expanded ACC Could Take Shape Sooner Than Later

(The Daily Orange)

The A(ME)CC (Atlantic Mountain East Coast Conference) may take shape sooner than anticipated...

Big East Commissioner John Marinatto says his league “might be open to a discussion” about allowing Syracuse and Pittsburgh to join the ACC for the 2013 football season.

The Big East reached a settlement with West Virginia on Monday that allows the school to become a member of the Big 12 in 2012.

The agreement upholds the Big East’s bylaws, which require a departing school to give notification 27 months before leaving. West Virginia challenged that in a lawsuit.

Syracuse, Pitt and the ACC have said they would not challenge the Big East’s rules, but would like the transition to happen as soon as possible.

Marinatto had previously said that the Big East intends to hold all three schools in the conference until 2014.

Even without Syracuse and Pitt, the Big East could have 11 football teams in 2013.

Memphis, Central Florida, SMU and Houston from Conference USA are set to join the Big East in 2013 for all sports. Boise State and San Diego State from the Mountain West are slated to join as football-only members in 2013. Navy is scheduled to join in 2015 for just football.

Picture of the Da(l)y

(IMG/AFP Photo/Paul Lakatos)

Here's Big John Daly during the pro am event ahead of the Advantha Masters 2012 at the DLF Golf and Country Club in New Dehi. The 2.4 million USD event runs from February 16 to 19.

Pictures Of The Day

Kobe Bryant  of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots against former Tar Heel Marvin Williams of the Atlanta Hawks at Staples Center on February 14, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers won 86-78.  Evidently, the Hawks no longer represent the city of Atlanta, but have now linked themselves to the Hartsfield-Jackson International Aiport (ATL).  (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Johanna Schnarf of Italy takes a curve to clock the best time during the Women's World Cup Downhill, on February 15, 2012 at the Rosa Khutor Mountain Resort in Krasnaya Polyana near Sochi. (Photo by Fabrice Coffrini/AFP PHOTO)

England's cricket captain Alastair Cook (C) plays a shot as Pakistan's wicketkeeper Umar Akmal (L), and Younis Khan (R), watch during the second One Day International(ODI) match between Pakistan and England at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on February 15, 2012. England captain Alastair Cook won a second consecutive toss and decided to bat in the second day-night international against Pakistan at Abu Dhabi Stadium. Got that? (Photo by Lakruwan Wanniarachchi /AFP/Getty Images)

New NBA phenom Jeremy Lin struck again last night making a game-winning three to defeat the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images)

Malachy, a Pekingese, sits in the trophy after winning Best In Show at the 136th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York.  Yeah, we'll say it...Hmmm. (Photo by Jason DeCrow/AP Photo)

ACC Players Of The Week

North Carolina center Tyler Zeller, who averaged 24 points and 10 rebounds a game, earned acclaim as ACCPlayer of the Week, and Duke guard Austin Rivers, whose 29-point performance against the Tar Heels set a Blue Devil record, won Rookie of the Week for the fourth consecutive voting period.

Zeller, a 7-foot senior center from Washington, Ind., delivered 23 points and 11 rebounds against Duke and immediately followed that performance with 25 points and nine boards in a victory over nationally ranked Virginia on Saturday. He also contributed three assists and three steals.

Zeller has six double-doubles in 10 ACC games and is averaging 19 points and 10.8 rebounds in league play. The award is the first ACC weekly honor for the senior, who earlier this season became the 65th player in UNC history to score 1,000 or more career points. He is the second-leading scorer among active ACC players and a midseason candidate for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, given annually to the nation’s best player by the United States Basketball Writers Association.

Rivers became the fourth player in ACC history to win the conference’s rookie citation in four straight weeks. The selection upped his season’s selection total to seven; that’s good for third place in the 42-year history of the award.

In two games last week, the 6-2 freshman from Winter Park, Fla., averaged 20 points a contest on 9-for-16 3-point shooting and played 79 of a possible 80 minutes. The performances were highlighted by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the right wing that capped his own 29-point game and his team’s comeback from a 10-point deficit in the final two and a half minutes as Duke won at North Carolina 85-84 on Wednesday. The point total is the highest by any Duke freshman in the 233-game history of the series against the Tar Heels.

Three days later, Rivers had 11 points, four assists and only two turnovers in a 40-minute outing against Maryland.

No player has won the Rookie award in more than four straight weeks. The others at four are North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough, who had two separate streaks during the 2005-06 season; Dion Glover of Georgia Tech in December of 1997; and another Yellow Jacket, Kenny Anderson, in 1990.

In all, Rivers has become the third player to earn the rookie distinction seven or more times. Hansbrough and Anderson hold the record with 10.

At 15 points a game, Rivers leads Duke in scoring and would be the first Blue Devil freshman to do so since Johnny Dawkins in 1982-83.

Wahoo Harris Hurt, Game Time Decision

(Robert Willett/Raleigh News & Observer)

Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett says sophomore guard Joe Harris will be a game-time decision against Clemson because of a broken left hand.

Bennett said Monday during a weekly teleconference that Harris hurt the hand during Saturday’s 70-52 loss at then-No. 5 North Carolina. Harris scored eight points and played 35 minutes against the Tar Heels. He is the second-leading scorer (12.5 ppg) for No. 22 Virginia heading into Tuesday night’s game at Clemson.

The injury is not on his shooting hand and Bennett said Harris could play with protective padding.

The Cavaliers are already thin off the bench as starting center Assane Sene is expected to miss several more weeks after having ankle surgery. Forward James Johnson and guard KT Harrell transferred out of the program in December.

Things That Make You Go...

Hmmm...

(Robert Willett/Raleigh News & Observer)

UNC's Reggie Bullock launches a three-point attempt in the second half against Virginia. It was the only three-point basket made by the Tar Heels who went 1-10 from the three point line.  

AP Poll Shuffle

(Gerry Broome/AP Photo)

Duke essentially swapped spots with North Carolina after they defeated the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill last Wednesday night. 

The new AP poll has Duke at #5 following Kentucky, Syracuse, Missouri (coached by former Miami coach Frank Haith) and Kansas.

Ohio State and Michigan State (whom the Heels throttled earlier to open the season in the aircraft carrier game) hold down the #6 and #7 spots in front of Ol’ Roy’s squad that slipped to #8.  Baylor and Georgetown round out the top ten.

Florida State comes in at #20 and Virginia at #22.

News Flash: Clemson Can’t Make Clutch Free Throws

(Getty Images)

Although North Carolina trails the ACC in free throw percentage, Clemson has a history for throwing rocks from the charity stripe - especially late in close games.  Their foul shot woes this season prompted head coach Brad Brownell to say:

 “It's been some of the free throw shooting. We've actually lost four games this year where we've had free throws to tie in the last 15 seconds. Haven't been able to convert. Virginia Tech, Boston College, Maryland. Those are three games in the league that we were actually shooting free throws in under 10, 12 seconds. If we tie the game, we make them. We have a non conference game with South Carolina that was the same way….You feel a little snake bit. In all honesty, some of the kids have executed things very well to put ourselves in a position to make a play, but we haven't closed it, we haven't made the shot or made the free throws, so we've let some teams off the hook a little bit.”

Former Tar Heel Coach Joins Tampa Bay Bucs

(Streetre Lecka/Getty Images)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced Monday that former Tar Heel head football coach Butch Davis has joined their staff as a "special assistant to the head coach." Davis, according to the NFL team, will "assist and advise" first-year coach Greg Schiano "in a wide range of football aspects."

Davis will be reunited with Schiano. When he was the coach at Miami, Davis hired Schiano as the Hurricanes' defensive coordinator in 1999. In a statement released by the Buccaneers, Schiano described Davis as "a close friend and mentor." 

After a tumultuous 2010 season that was marked by NCAA investigations into impermissible benefits and academic fraud, UNC fired Davis last July, just before practice was to begin. 

The school owes Davis an additional $1.77 million, to be paid in three $590,000 installments. Davis is to receive the first of those payments by Jan. 15, 2013, and one each on the same date through 2015.

If he accepts a coaching position between now and Jan. 15, 2013, his buyout would be affected and he'd receive a prorated amount depending upon when he accepted a given coaching position, according to Jonathan Sasser, one of Davis' lawyers.

Sasser said Monday that Davis accepted an advisory job with the Buccaneers not because he wanted to remain eligible to receive his buyout money from UNC but because the job with the Buccaneers represented the best opportunity for him to transition back into football.

Picture of the Da(l)ya

This handout picture provided by IMG and taken on February 14, 2012 shows John Daly of the US during an official practice round ahead of the Advantha Masters 2012 at the DLF Golf and Country Club in New Dehi. The 2.4 million USD event runs from February 16 to 19. (Photo by Paul Lakatos/AFP Photo/IMG)

Pictures Of The Day

Zimbabwe's Stuart Matsikenyeri bats during the second twenty20 international match between New Zealand  and Zimbabwe at Seddon Park in Hamilton on February 14, 2012.  (Photo by Marty Melville/AFP PHOTO)

Internally displaced Afghan children play cricket outside their tent at a refugee camp in Kabul on February 14, 2012. Cricket has become the top sport in the war-ravaged country in the last three years after it was introduced by youths who learnt the game in refugee camps in Pakistan following the Soviet invasion of their country in 1979. Under the Taliban regime no outdoor sport was allowed and grounds were primarily used for executing political opponents who defied the hardliners. But since the ouster of the Taliban, following the war on terror led by the United States in 2001, cricket has taken root with Afghanistan winning one-day status in 2009. (Photo by Shah Marai /AFP/Getty Images)

Two Libyan youths look at a sign showing a boxer wearing the colours of the new Libyan flag standing over the defeated former leader Moamer Khadafi advertising the local boxing club in the capital Tripoli, on January 17, 2012. Boxing, considered as a "savage" sport and banned since 1979 by former Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, is making a comeback in the North African country after the strongman's ouster and death. (Photo by Mahmud Turkia/AFP/Getty Images)

Blake Griffin #32 of the Los Angeles Clippers is fouled by former Tar Heel Brendan Haywood #33 of the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on February 13, 2012 in Dallas, Texas.  (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Keith Paladino of Lodi, N.J., second from left, works with a 15 inch Beagle as they line up in the ring for competition at the 136th annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show, Monday, Feb. 13, 2012, in New York. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

A young Chinese skater doses off on her chair before a clinic with former US Olympic short track speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno in Bejing, China.  (Photo by Diego Azubel/EPA)

Sunday ACC Basketball: Hokies Win On Last Second Shot

THE GAME-WINNER (Matt Gentry/Roanoke Times/AP Photo)

VIRGINIA TECH 66, BOSTON COLLEGE 65 - When Virginia Tech's Dorian Finney-Smith saw teammate Robert Brown's 3-point attempt in the waning moments bounce off the rim and up into the air, he knew exactly what was going to take place.

"It was slow motion," Finney-Smith said. "I was like, `Oh yeah, I've got this.’ We've had a lot of close games. It feels really good to pull out one."

Dorian Finney-Smith scored 17 points, including the tip-in with 1.8 seconds left.

The game-winning shot came after Boston College's Jordan Daniels missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 26.2 seconds remaining. Virginia Tech (14-11, 3-7 ACC) had called a timeout with 10.1 seconds left, and the Hokies got the ball to Erick Green, who drove down the lane and threw it to Brown. The sophomore launched a 3-pointer at the top of the key with 4 seconds left that bounced off the rim, but Finney-Smith tipped it in to give the Hokies a one-point lead.

Boston College (8-17, 3-8) called a timeout for a final attempt. Lonnie Jackson took a long 3-pointer just inside of the halfcourt line that was off the mark, and Virginia Tech prevailed, winning for the second time in three games after losing three straight and six of seven.

LONNIE JACKSON and ERICK GREEN (Matt Gentry/AP)

"They grew up a little bit tonight," Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg said of his team. They showed they wanted to win. They showed great resiliency. They showed some toughness.”

Finney-Smith hit 7 of 10 from the floor and grabbed eight rebounds to pace the Hokies, who trailed for much of the game. The freshman from Portsmouth, Va., came off the bench for just the second time this season, as Greenberg shook up his lineup following the Hokies' ugly 65-49 loss at Miami on Thursday night.

 Greenberg started freshman C.J. Barksdale for the first time this season and inserted guard Dorenzo Hudson back into the starting lineup. Hudson had come off the bench the previous seven games -- with the Hokies going 2-5 in that stretch -- but he carried the Hokies down the stretch against Boston College, scoring all 11 of his points in the final 10 minutes.

Penn State Scandal Update

(Alex Brandon/AP Photo)

(AP - edited) Former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky's requests for greater freedom of movement -- and visits from his young grandchildren -- while he awaits trial on child sex-abuse charges were taken under advisement by a judge Friday, but prosecutors countered that Sandusky's home is not a safe place for children.

Judge John Cleland set a tentative trial date of May 14 for Sandusky and promised to rule quickly on a number of other issues, including dueling requests for changes to his bail restrictions.

The attorney general's office wants Sandusky confined to the inside of his home while on house arrest awaiting trial, while the defense asked that he be allowed out occasionally to help with the case.

Defense attorney Joe Amendola's request that Sandusky, 68, be permitted to see his grandchildren drew strenuous opposition from prosecutors.

Prosecutors noted that one daughter-in-law strongly objects to increased contact between her children and Sandusky.

Amendola presented the court with letters from Sandusky's children, and notes and drawings from his grandchildren, expressing their desire for increased contact. He also noted a court-appointed guardian for grandchildren who are part of a custody dispute found no reason Sandusky couldn't see them.

Prosecutors have also requested an out-of-county jury to hear Sandusky's case, given the widespread media attention and close ties many in Centre County have to Penn State.

Cleland asked to hear directly from Sandusky about his attorney's opposition to that request.

Cleland could try to pick a local jury and see whether prosecution concerns are valid about the pervasive publicity and local ties to Penn State and The Second Mile, a charity for at-risk children that Sandusky founded, based in nearby State College.

Sandusky faces 52 criminal counts for alleged sexual misconduct involving boys over 15 years, actions that police and prosecutors say have included violent sexual assault inside the Penn State football team facilities. He has denied the allegations.

The scandal led the Penn State trustees to push out university president Graham Spanier and football coach Joe Paterno, who died last month.

Two Penn State administrators are awaiting trial on charges they lied to a grand jury investigating Sandusky and failed to properly report suspected child abuse. Gary Schultz, a former vice president, and Tim Curley, the athletic director, have both denied the allegations.