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What
Happens In Vegas...Stays In Vegas For Roy Williams and the UNC basketball team, they wish that motto was true. Unfortunately, the word got out during the holiday weekend that the Heels and their #1 ranking were about to be replaced at the top, thanks to a stunning loss to the UNLV Runnin' Rebels. It seemed like old times, watching the Rebels run up and down the court making threes and dominating on the glass against a top-ranked team. I didn't expect the Heels to run the table...as talented and deep as they are, there was going to be a night or two which caused some problems for Roy's boys. However, the Rebels' win sure did upset the timing of what should be a big week for the Tar Heels and college hoops. The ACC-Big Ten Challenge begins this week, and the upcoming weekend is highlighted by Carolina's trip to Kentucky. So much for that #1 vs. #2 match-up on the hardwood in the Bluegrass state. We'll see how good and how deep the ACC is this week, when they try to wrestle back the "Challenge Championship" from the Big Ten. After dominating the series since the opening tap, the league hasn't had much to brag about the last couple of go-arounds. The highlight game will be Duke traveling to Ohio State. The Buckeyes will be pumped...even though the game might be secondary, if the reports about Urban Meyer's decision to accept the head coaching position at the Horseshoe are true. Either way, it will be a fun week in college hoops.....and it's a good thing, since the latest BCS Standings are bound to create a great football debate by the end of the weekend. The NBA players and owners have decided that enough is enough.....they plan on going back to work by the time the Christmas holidays arrive. I'm sure Michael Jordan is thrilled to know that he is about to lose millions of dollars and a ton of games.....but not as much cash and not as many losses as originally planned, given the work stoppage. It doesn't really matter to me if and when the NBA gets back to action. I'll watch a regular season game from time-to-time, but I don't get completely fired up over the sport until the playoffs start. One thing that will help the NBA immediately is the fact that all the teams have lost regular season games. I've contended for a long, long time that the season is too long and with so many games, it is easy for teams to mail it in and take games off. Maybe the limited schedule will give more incentive for teams to care and perform each night. I'm afraid the Bobcats will be brutal again...but I hope I'm wrong. I might as well get into a couple of the games, since we all know the post-season will be occupied by somebody else. Sorry, MJ....you gotta get back to work.....or at least pretend that you're working. How come I have a feeling that it is going to be a bloody mess in college football this week, when it comes to coaches getting fired on an hourly basis? You can just feel it coming....and this year, with so many underperforming programs, it seems like we're ripe for fireworks and pink slips. Every league has issues and programs that need immediate attention. I always used the "5-year rule", when determining if a coach has been a good fit for a school.....at this rate, there are coaches on the hot seat after a single season. We're living in a crazy world of ridiculous expectations. Some fans believe it is inexcusable for their respective school not to win 10+ games and play for national titles. Believe me, I hear it every week from around the country on the SiriusXM show. It really amazes me....despite the school's tradition and history (or lack thereof), fans think it's their God-given right to be in the national championship picture every year. Name one school in America that can make that claim? Even LSU and Bama take a backseat and have to settle for only being "Top 10 worthy". Speaking of Bama and LSU....it's looking more and more like they will be meeting for the BCS title in Nawlins on January 9th. I do think they are the best two teams in America....no disrespect to OK State, Stanford and anybody else that feels dissed....and I'm sure the two SEC super-powers will put on another classic in the Bayou. But this BCS system is so flawed that it makes me sick. I know it is supposed to determine the two best teams, and in this case the system did its job. However, it is time to tweak the model....big-time. I plan on being down in ATL this weekend, to broadcast the SiriusXM show from the SEC Championship...can you imagine what happens if Georgia knocks off LSU? As I always say on the show....just give me something to talk about. We'll see if Mark Richt and his Dawgs can win their 11th straight game and make a complete farce of the proceedings. So much for the "Rivalry Week" of college football games. Of the 16 games involving the teams ranked in the BCS Standings, only two of them were determined by single digits: Texas - A&M and Ohio State - Michigan. Everybody else was too busy blowing out the rivals. We had just as many games determined by 38 points as we did in single digits: Va Tech - UVa along with Oregon - Oregon State. The Gamecocks decided to beat-up on Clemson for the third straight year; the outcome eliminated any talk of which school has the best program in the Palmetto state, and it also continued the downward, late-season slide of Dabo Swinney's "Shock the World" Tour. If Dabo and the Tigers wanted to really shock me, they would upset the Hokies for the second time this year by beating them in the ACC Championship game this weekend in Charlotte. From what I've seen the past few weeks, I can't imagine that happening.....but it is college football, and anything goes. After an incredible weekend of upsets and thrilling games, "Rivalry Week" produced nothing but a bunch of beatdowns. We'll see what "Championship Week" delivers us..... |
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