Let's start the weekend off with some linkage to fellow bloggers.

First up Moondog explains how failure and tOSU tend to go hand in hand

The Rogue Cop at Chicken Curse actually answers an e-mail I sent to him. I literally had tears streaming down my face.

The Blue Workhorse has broken the story of Favre signing with the Falcons.

Losers With Socks runs the SEC on the new EA Sports NCAA 09 simulator. See how your team fared.

The Hog Tale is revising the history of Matt Jones.

The resident hottie at The Leaky Brain revels her streaking background.

Matt of The Nasty Boys discusses Radomski & the HGH receipts that could ground the Rocket for good.

The Third Saturday in Blogtober has an exclusive look at what maybe the Tennessee Vols uniforms.

As always Yo Joe at Dreadnaught has the latest Jonathan Lee Riches© lawsuit.

Yes...yes we do!

Your ACC Preview - Coastal Division

by Walker Sports

Welcome back to part two of Walker-Sports ACC preview. In this section we will take a look at the Coastal Division. Of the two divisions the Coatal is without a doubt the tightest, and will prove to be the most competitive. It could also make for some interesting results come November once all these teams have tangled and a couple upsets go down.

Virginia Tech Hokies: The Hokies have been a terror to the ACC since the day they arrived in the league. They have played in 3 out of 4 ACC Championships. There is no doubt the ACC made the right move bringing these guys in. This year the Hokies are likely the only legitimate threat to the Clemson Tigers if the two can meet in the ACC Championship game. However, this year will take a little more effort than Beamer and company are used to. The Hokies lost several key players on both sides of the ball including star running back Brandon Ore and linebackers Xavier Adibi. The Hokies will also continue their battle at quarterback that began last season between Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor. Lucky for the Hokies they have the best of both worlds with these guys, Glennon being a scrambler and Taylor a drop back passer.

No matter who is at the helm at QB you can bank that Virginia Tech will play solid defense and great special teams. That will make them a top contender in the ACC and a possible factor in the BCS.

Record: 10-2

Key Games: East Carolina, Nebraska, Florida State

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: Change was the theme of the off-season for the Yellow Jackets. Paul Johnson's option offense scared off a couple players, but they will be stronger because of it. Josh Nesbitt will be charged with running the offensive this season, and he has the tools to make it happen, if he stays healthy, a groin injury has sidelined him for much of the spring.

What the Rambling Wreck will do very well this year, is attack opposing offenses. The Yellow Jackets have one of the top ends and one of the top tackles in the league, Michael Johnson and Vance Walker will test any offensive line. The D-Line alone will keep the Yellow Jackets in most any game they play this season.

Record: 7-5

Key Games: Florida State, Mississippi State, Georgia

Miami Hurricanes: Don't go crazy with this one, the ‘Canes fell into this spot by accident, not because they have done anything special. Miami will be pretty much all freshmen or first year players. Lucky for them their freshmen tend to be better than an average teams seniors.

The Hurricanes are moving in the right direction, and they appear to be doing it the right way. That meant getting rid of a lot of players and coaches. That will lead to disappointment in the short term, but if the Alumni can hang in there and just trust in their coach, they will find themselves back on track, especially with this talented group of freshmen.

Record: 7-5

Key Games: UCF, Virginia, Texas A&M

Virginia Cavaliers: Al Groh must go, was the chant heard round Charlottesville after an embarrassing opening lost on the road to Wyoming. However, a 9-4 campaign seemed to make many Cavalier fans forget Groh's shortcomings and he even received a contract extension. However, after a meltdown in the Gator Bowl and an embarrassing off season that saw seven players kicked out of school perhaps Groh's job should still be on the line.

Despite all the setbacks the Cavaliers are looking to employ a more wide open attack and actually toss the ball down field some this year, Combine a revamped passing game with the return of Cedric Peermen and Mikell Simpson at running back and the Cav's could have a decent offense, but don't hold your breath.

Seven wins this season would be a phenomenal achievement. (Your Gridiron Goddess says: ESPECIALLY since they open their season against USC.)

Record 6-6

Key Games: Miami, East Carolina, Clemson, USC

North Carolina Tar Heels: Butch Davis is entering his second year as head coach in Chapel Hill, and while that does mean something, Davis alone is not enough to put the Tar Heels back on the winning track. The Heels will be much better than their 4-8 mark of their last year, however due to a tough schedule; the improvement may not be seen in the win column. Out of conference games against Rutgers, Notre Dame and UConn can mean trouble for the Heels.

The bulk of their success will depend on how their backfield gels together. Greg Little is the sophomore who moved to tailback from receiver late last year and he will carry the load this season. T.J. Yates is supposed to be the starter at QB comes August, but he has not thrown much at all since shoulder surgery in December. If he is unable to go the Tar Heels will depend on backups Paulus and Sexton to step up and run the offense.

Record: 5-7

Key Games: UConn, Boston College, North Carolina State

Duke Blue Devils: I won't lie this is just hard to do because, I don't want to be too tongue and cheek, and Walker-Sports is not about sugar coat anything, so sorry Blue Devil fans. David Cuttcliffe has challenged his team to improve their fitness, and their team speed. To this point the team has responded well. However, Duke simply does not have the athletes to compete at the high levels of the ACC. Nonetheless, the Blue Devils will be an improved team.
Record: 2-10

Key Games, James Madison, Northwestern

ACC Championship Game: Clemson vs. Virginia Tech

Clemson wins ACC Title and Tommy Bowden goes to the Orange Bowl where the ACC can hopefully regain some respect on the national level.

That's it for me, hope you enjoyed the preview feel free to drop a line with your comments. This is going to be a special year in college football, there's a lot of variables out there, and a lot of new faces on the scene so buckle up and get ready for what will be a hellUVA a ride.

[Your Gridiron Goddess says: S-O-U-T-H-ERN C-A-L-I-FORNIA SOUTHERN CALIFORRRRRRRNIA. AUGUST 30TH BABY!]

Your ACC Preview - Atlantic Division

by Walker Sports

College football season is just over 50 days away, and I cannot wait. While traditionally Saturday is a Rugby day in Walker-Sports land, even rugby takes a back seat to college football. Walker-Sports originates in ACC territory and lives and breathes ACC football, yes the conference is now 10 years removed from their glory days, but better days are coming, and as out of conference scheduling picks up for many schools the ACC will soon be flexing their muscles for all the NCAA to see once again.

So saddle up, make yourself a pull pork sandwich, pour yourself a shot of Southern Comfort (or a glass of Merlot if you're at a UVA game) and get ready to watch to some ACC football the way it was meant to be. Tough and gritty with a wide open race to the finish.

ACC Preseason Preview Atlantic Division

Clemson Tigers: There is no doubt that the Clemson Tigers are the cream of the crop when it comes to ACC football, they may even be among the elites in the NCAA. However, there is one small problem. They are the Clemson Tigers, their coach is Tommy Bowden and we have all heard this story before and it always has the same sad ending. The Tigers are stacked with talent Cullen Harper at QB is a stud who completes a high percentage of his passes. At tailback Clemson has arguably the best two tailbacks in the ACC with James Davis and C.J. Spiller. On the defensive side Clemson is returning eight starters and will look to use their speed to apply pressure to opposing teams and knock them off their game plan early.

The biggest problem Clemson will face will be keeping focus and finishing what they started. Too often Bowden's crew has been the most talented team in the ACC, but not the most disciplined team and the result is another, 8-4 season; great if you're Duke, but a waste if you were thinking BCS in the preseason. Let's hope they don't do the same this year.

Record: 10-1

Key Games: Alabama, Florida State,

Florida State Seminoles: Okay, so this was a tough one, and I'll be the first to admit that the ‘Noles got the nod because of who they are and prior reputation, but nonetheless they made it into the second spot. Drew Weatherford has been in college since about 1990 it feels like. By now he has to be the most experienced QB in the NCAA, and that will be a big help. Weatherford was aided by the addition of Jimbo fisher as an offensive coordinator last year, and he will look to build on that previous success.

The biggest asset for Florida State is a weak schedule. They open with four consecutive home games. Matter of fact the ‘Noles won't leave the state of Florida till mid October. This means Florida State has a good chance to rack up some quality wins at home and that could go a long way in an average ACC conference.

Record: 8-4

Key Games: Colorado, Virginia Tech, Clemson,

Wake forest Demon Deacons: Wake is in the middle of their greatest run in school history. While the coffers don't have the talent they once had two seasons ago, they still have enough to get the job done. That means they will be .500 at the very least and with a little bit of luck they can jump into the second spot in the Atlantic Division. The bulk of their success will depend on if they can move the all on offense. Last year the Demon Deacons were routinely out gained and it cost them.

Record: 7-5

Key Games: Clemson, Virginia, Boston College

Maryland Terrapins: The Terps have struggled the past few seasons. The bulk of their problems have resulted from inconsistency at the quarterback position. Despite the instability the Terps are a tough out especially for ACC opponents. Ralph Friedgen seems to get his teams to play just well enough to keep his job. That means the Terps will be playing spoiler to a couple of ACC opponents. I would like to say that dropping WVU from the schedule would help Maryland this season, but adding Cal is no cakewalk. Look for the Terps to upset some ACC's teams bid for a title, just hope it's not yours.

Record 6-6

Key Games: Cal, Boston College, Wake forest

Boston College Eagles: The honeymoon is over for Coach Jagodzinski and company. Last year Jags was a first year coach and he feasted on the fruits of Tom O'Brian's labor, mainly his grooming of QB Matt Ryan. Now Ryan along with a load of other talent is gone, and the Eagles are ready to return to earth. BC is only returning 10 starters meaning they will be very inexperienced and that leads to mistakes and close loses. As usual BC will be solid on both lines, but they just won't have enough fire power to be in the mix. This will be one Boston team that does not bring home a championship.

Record 5-7

Key Games: UCF, North Carolina, Wake forest

North Carolina State Wolfpack: Tom O'Brian is a hell of a coach, and he will be put to the test with this NC State team. They lost 10 starters from a 5-7 team, and they only have freshmen to replace them. Combine that with a brutal non-conference schedule and you can bet the Pack will slide before they are ready to climb again. But hang in there NC State supporters, this year may be rough but positive results will be coming down the pike very soon.

Record: 3-9

Key Games: Wake forest, East Carolina

A starting safety for the Clemson football team has been arrested on charges he laid the smack down on his girlfriend over the weekend.

DeAndre McDaniel, 20, has been charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature.

The incident happened Saturday in the town of Central at an apartment.

According to the incident report, the victim told police that she and McDaniel had gotten into a verbal argument over who sucks worse Alabama or South Carolina. She says she pushed his head while he was lying on a bed. The report says he responded by putting a comforter over her head and began choking her believing she might like asphyxiation since all the cool kids are doing it. She says he also struck her in the face and head with a closed fist.

The victim told police he eventually pushed her down a set of stairs, and then punched her in the chest. She still contended that Alabama sucks worse than South Carolina. This writer agrees.

The woman was treated at a hospital for cervical sprain and contusions.

If this turns out to be true McDaniel should be removed from the Clemson team as well as society in general.

]]> http://accbasketballrecruiting.wordpress.com/?p=99 Sat, 21 Jun 2008 11:17:00 +0000 Arlen http://accbasketballrecruiting.wordpress.com/?p=99 Kevin Parrom (6'5", SF, 2009) may be from NYC but he is still considering South Carolina and Clemson, as stated in this interview with Alex of Northstar Basketball:

NB: You mentioned colleges, what are some of the schools that you’re considering right now?
KP: Xavier, St. John’s, Pittsburgh, Clemson, Marquette, [and] South Carolina

There are two things that Alex digs into that are important to note is that Parrom had an altercation with his previous head coach (yikes!) and that the game Alex scouted he did nothing of note:

Flat-out, Kevin Parrom didn’t show the crowd all that much in the game I saw him play. He didn’t stand out at all. The 6’4 junior was almost non-existent in first half, when he scored just three points and was only 1/3 at the free throw line. In the second 16 minutes of play, Parrom was a bit better. He drove to the hoop and was aggressive. Overall, though, this was a poor performance for Kevin, and not a great game to judge him on.

The thing to note here is that Oliver Purnell has made it clear with the 2008 recruiting class that he goes after players who not only can play at the ACC level but are good students and represent Clemson well. It's hard to say at this point if Parrom is a good fit for Clemson.

This is not to say this is the full story, so stay tuned...

It occurred to me today though that there might be another coach who had been at his school the same amount of time, and sure enough, there was: Tommy Tuberville. Like Bowden, he signed up with his band of Tigers in 1999.

They have a fairly similar record, with Tuberville averaging just one more win a year than Bowden does at Clemson. They both have an undefeated, conference-winning season (Bowden's was at Tulane) but after that, they combine to have just one season of fewer than three losses (2006 Auburn). Bowden has been on the hot seat for about half a decade, and Auburn nearly replaced Tuberville with Bobby Petrino late in 2003.

The difference is that Tuberville's undefeated, conference-winning season was in the SEC in 2004. Ever since that year, he has garnered a reputation of being an excellent big game coach. Let's take a look at his record to see how he has done.

As with last time, games against I-AA teams have been thrown out. The two neutral site games are SEC championship games. Tuberville's home record is slightly better than Bowden's is, and his road record is noticeably better.

Here is his record broken down by tier. As a refresher, a top tier team finished the season with a winning percentage of .750 or better, while a second tier team finished the year between .500 and .749, inclusive.

What immediately jumps out is that Tuberville is much better against the first tier teams than Bowden is, and he has yet to lose to a third or fourth tier team. Their records against the second tier are almost exactly the same.

The question though is whether something changed fundamentally in 2004 or not. That's the popular theory anyway, that he transformed into one of the best big game coaches. With that in mind, here is his record from 1999 to 2003. The bottom two tiers have not been analyzed individually since Tuberville has not lost to a team that finished the year below .500.

Tuberville just simply was not that good against decent or better teams. He was about the same against the first tier as Bowden has been, but he only won three of every eight games against the second tier teams. After six solid seasons of this kind of performance, it comes as no shock that the Auburn administration was looking to replace him.

Now, his record from 2004 to the present day.

It certainly appears that Tuberville's new reputation is well-founded. His .692 winning percentage against the first tier is even better than Bob Stoops' .630 mark.

His performance against the second tier isn't quite as good as Stoops' is, but it evens out thanks to the fact Tuberville hasn't lost to any third tier teams while Stoops has lost to three of them. Tuberville's overall winning percentage is basically the same as Stoops' overall winning percentage (.814).

However, what separates Tuberville, who's been to just one conference title game in the four seasons since 2004, from Stoops, who has been to six in his nine years, is performance against the top of their divisions.

OU and Texas have been the top two teams in the Big 12 South almost every one of the last nine years, and Stoops is 6-3 against the Longhorns. In the last three seasons, Tuberville lost to the eventual SEC West champ each of those years. Basically, while Tuberville has been better at winning big games, he just has had some trouble winning the right big games.

What this evidence appears to suggest is that it is possible for a coach to transform from being lousy against good teams to being great against good teams. For Tuberville, it took six years on the job as a head coach to make the change. It has now been eleven years as a head coach and nine in a major conference for Tommy Bowden.

If you like symmetry, it was the final year of having Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown that Tuberville made his change. We're now coming up on the last year of James Davis-C.J. Spiller combo at Clemson. Will Bowden make the same transformation that Tuberville did? It's just another subplot to watch for in the 2008 college football season.

I went ahead and started going alphabetically in the conferences, beginning with the ACC. I got all the way to the second team on the list before running into one of the biggest conundrums of 2008: how good will Clemson be?

Tommy Bowden has been there since 1999, and he hasn't won a conference title yet. He has the longest tenure of any I-A coach who hasn't won his conference. I don't know about every guy who has ever run a program, but it seems unlikely that many coaches suddenly get better after nine years on the job.

In my prior piece about following coaching legends, the only legendary coach on there who didn't win at least six conference titles was Shug Jordan at Auburn. He had only one SEC title in his 25 seasons on the plains, but it came in his seventh year. Tommy Bowden has obviously passed that point already.

With that in mind, I went ahead and took a look at his record. Here it is broken down by site, in glorious PivotTable-o-vision:

These totals exclude games against I-AA schools. He wins about 71% of his home games, is roughly even on the road, and he's not so great in bowls.

What about his opponents though? Here's another table, with his opponents broken down by tiers. The fourth tier is made of opponents with a winning percentage of .000 - .249, the third is for teams with a winning percentage of .250 - .499, the second is for teams with a winning percentage of .500 - .749, and the fourth is for teams with a winning percentage of .750 - 1.000.

He's awful against the best teams, wins two thirds of them against pretty good teams, and he cleans up against bad and mediocre teams. The one loss against a fourth tier opponent, if you're curious, was a 16-13 loss to 2-9 Duke in 2004.

An interesting angle is to think of it this way: in 13 of Clemson's 21 losses to first tier teams, the opponent would have dropped back into the second tier had the Tigers defeated them. Winning those games would have made Bowden a more respectable 4-8 against college football's top tier.

A common refrain I've heard about Clemson under Bowden is that the team usually gets off to a bad start but gets bailed out by beating either Tommy's dad at FSU or South Carolina. It's a nice idea to think his daddy was gifting wins to keep Tommy employed, but Clemson has played FSU in the second half of the season only five times. The Tigers went 2-3 in those games.

As for the bad start/good finish/beat South Carolina theory for Bowden keeping his job, here's what the record shows:

The narrative about beating FSU to save his job holds true for 2005 only, since Bowden's other second half win over FSU came in 2003. The narrative about beating South Carolina to save his job does appear to ring true, since he is 7-2 against the Gamecocks. The whole bit about slow starts also holds water, as Clemson has lost fewer than two of its first six just twice in Bowden's tenure.

To give a point of reference, I tried to find a coach who has won his conference, is considered to be one of the best, and who has been at his school about the same amount of time Bowden has been at Clemson. Turns out there is such a coach: Bob Stoops. He has been in Norman the same nine years that Bowden has been in Clemson. Here is his record at OU:

Stoops' lone I-AA opponent is not counted. The neutral site games are the annual Texas game, any Big 12 championship games, and one Kansas game played in Kansas City. Here is his win percentage against the four tiers:

Stoops basically does to the first tier what Bowden does to the second tier. Even with his famous struggles in BCS games post-2000, he is still very good against the top teams in college football. Of those 10 losses to first tier teams, only one would have dropped back to the second tier had Oklahoma won. The first tier teams the Sooners have lost to are well-entrenched there.

The clearest difference between the Bowden and Stoops is the home record: they both have 55 home games against I-A opponents and Bowden has lost 16 of them while Stoops has lost two. The next clearest difference is the performance against the top two tiers. That's the difference between greatness and an conference also-ran: protecting your home turf, winning games against your peers, and winning some that you maybe aren't supposed to win.

There is good news for Clemson though. In 2007 the Tigers posted a winning record in both halves of the season for just the second time under Bowden. Plus, Clemson has the best quarterback in the ACC in Cullen Harper. Most importantly, it's not clear that more than one or two teams on the schedule will be a first tier team. Clemson averages three games a year against the top tier, and surprise: Clemson has yet to lose fewer than three games in a season under Bowden.

Alabama has a shot at 9-3 if you believe in second year magic under Saban, and Wake Forest might get there too. Boston College figures to take a step back without Matt Ryan, and Virginia will do the same without Chris Long. There is no Virginia Tech on the schedule, and I think FSU will still be down in 2008. Even if the Tigers go 3-2 against those opponents listed here, it'll almost certainly be enough to win the division as long as one of those wins is over Wake Forest.

If Tommy Bowden is ever going to win an ACC championship, or at least a division title, this figures to be the year. He has the best quarterback and best two running backs in the conference. The schedule looks very friendly with only four road games, and it doesn't appear to have more than one or two of the kinds of games he normally loses.

This is it for Tommy Bowden; it's doubtful that he can survive failing to win the ACC Atlantic even if he does beat South Carolina. Taking care of the rival only buys you so much time. Good or bad, 2008 will define Tommy Bowden's coaching career.

Negedu sets up Indiana visit

Emmanuel Negedu ( 6'7", PF, 2008 ), a Georgia Tech recruit has set up a visit at Indiana for June 3.

Scout.com is reporting that following his Indiana visit, Negedu will visit Georgia Tech on the 8th, Tennessee on the 10th and Memphis on the 12th.

Daniel Orton no longer considering ACC

According to several recent news reports like this one, Daniel Orton ( 6'10", C, 2009 ), is no longer considering any ACC schools, with his list now consisting of Oklahoma, Ohio State, Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA and USC. Too bad for Maryland, who could have used Orton's physical presence inside.

Brandon Knight

Amazingly, Brandon Knight ( 6'3", SG, 2010 ) plays in the same backcourt as Kenny Boynton (6'2", SG, 2009 ), and still has emerged as a spectacular player and lists several ACC schools that are interested, including Florida State, Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Derrick Favors

According to this article which discussed the 2008 Bob Gibbons TOC, Derrick Favors ( 6'10", PF, 2009 ) has narrowed his list to ....fourteen schools. Also, I never thought Favors fell out of the #1 spot and it seems like his play this weekend solidified that.

John Wall, Derrick Favors, Kenny Boynton video

Meanwhile, WRAL in Raliegh has posted some video of John Wall (6'3", PG, 2009 ), Derrick Favors, Kenny Boynton (6'2", SG, 2009 ) and others who participated in the TOC.

Florida in the mix for Kenny Boynton

Now it appears that Florida is in the thick of Boynton's recruitment following a campus visit.

Dominic Cheek

Is Dominic Cheek ( 6'6", SG, 2009 ) still being recruited by North Carolina? At one time, it was considered a lock, but now some people think things have cooled and UNC may not even be recruiting Cheek anymore. This may be the case, as Cheek now lists his schools as Villanova, Wake Forest, Kansas, Virginia, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Florida, Connecticut, Texas and Maryland. So Wake and Maryland are options, but no UNC is listed.

Nolan Dennis, Ryan Kelly

Meanwhile, two more UNC targets, Nolan Dennis ( 6'5", SG, 2009 ) and Ryan Kelly ( 6'10", PF, 2009 ) , played their games at the Dean Dome. Kelly has been coming on strong and looked good at the tournament. Dennis is a hot target for UNC right now.

If this is your first time here, thanks for visiting and you should sign up for the ACC Basketball Recruiting email updates.

Peyton Siva to Louisville

I mentioned a few days ago that Peyton Siva (5'11", PG, 2009) was one of the point guards offered by Miami but wasn't considering the Hurricanes, has decided to attend Louisville and is officially 'off the board' for the ACC.

Danny McElroy

A note on a player who already commited, Danny McElroy (6'7", PF, 2009) had agreed to attend Cincinnati but has now backed out and is opening his recruitment back up. No idea if he is considering ACC schools yet.

Favors is considering KU, Memphis, Kentucky, Georgia, Georgia Tech and others.

I really like Favors' timing on his blocked shots. There are players who block a lot of shots just because they are tall, but Favors blocks shots with great timing, not just his height.

Favors also doesn't just get buckets by being big and hanging around the basket, he moves without the ball and is always ready for the pass. Add in some nice post moves to get an open shot and you've got a serious baller.

Other times, it's because I pass along rumors and I only want to pass those along to people who are savvy enough to understand that.

The 'Secret Sauce'

Sometimes I send out recruiting updates, player evaluations or analysis to people who are interested in the basketball recruiting in the ACC. Sometimes I might come across some cool magazine or video. This list is for hardcore fans and recruiting junkies. You might say it's for people who are looking at what makes up the 'secret sauce' in the next national college basketball powerhouse, or the next NBA phenom.

To sign up, click here.

Don't forget that when I release the 2008 ACC Basketball Recruiting Yearbook, I will be sending it to people on the list free of charge. It's scheduled for release by the end of June 2008.

My guarantee about getting Magic Johnson to personally meet everyone on my list is still valid.

1. Derrick Favors, 6’9” C (Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, North Carolina State)

2. Xavier Henry, 6’6” SG (North Carolina)

3. Kenny Boynton, 6’2” SG (Duke, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Miami)

4. John Wall, 6’3”, PG (Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia)

5. Dominic Cheek, 6’6” SG (North Carolina, Miami)

6. Daniel Orton, 6’9” C (Maryland, Wake Forest)

7. Dexter Strickland, 6’3” SG (Committed to North Carolina)

8. Jordan Hamilton, 6’7” SF (North Carolina State)

9. John Henson, 6’10” PF (Committed to North Carolina)

10. DeShawn Painter, 6’9” PF (Clemson, Florida State, NC State, Virginia)

A notable exception here is Lance Stephenson (6’5” SF), who is #2 on many rankings and is often tagged as being a UNC target. I am pretty much of the opinion that UNC is not actively recruiting Stephenson, so until I see or hear otherwise (send me a link if you’ve got something), I am dropping him from my list of ACC targets. This moves Xavier Henry (who I think is leaning towards Memphis and Kansas over UNC) into my #2 spot, and introduces target DeShawn Painter into the top 10.

I also am not adding DeShonte Riley (6’10” C) to the mix even though he’s listed Boston College as a possible school. I kind of like DeShawn Painter a little more at this point.

These rankings may change as I get to see more of these guys, either in person or on video.

UPDATE, 7/1/208:After I posted this back in May, 2008, there have been a lot of changes and commitments. So if you want to keep up when the player DB comes online, click here.

“I wanted the eighth-graders to do 50 pushups a night,” says [Favor's coach] Reddick, who played professionally in Europe for 12 years. “Derrick came up to me and said, 'Coach, how many do your guys do a night?' When I told him 150-200, he said that's how many he was going to start doing.”

Favors also does not intend to transfer schools, which sets him apart from other top recruits. Putting up 20-20 against top competition is excellent, but the key element that separates great players from merely good (or merely talented) is work ethic and an innate drive to improve themselves.

Naturally, Favors is the prize recruit this year by all of the major programs, and the ACC programs reportedly in the mix are Georgia Tech, Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina State and Florida State.

Meanwhile, Jerry Myers muses about the possibility of Favors going to Duke. Jerry reports that NC State, Kentucky, Georgia Tech and Georgia are already high on Favor's list.

Elsewhere, top PG John Wall from the Raliegh, NC area may be headed to Memphis. This is also being reported by here, along with Xavier Henry and Karron Johnson

As of this writing, the ACC schools pursuing Favors are reportedly Duke, Clemson, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and North Carolina State.

As an official Grand Dragon Master of the Tide Nation I demand a freaking refund. You have no idea how many text books our good players fenced in order to raise that money. Tell ya what you refund the money promptly and the Tide won't crush by Clemson by 50, we will crush them by 49. Is that a deal? Remember Bama Nation is watching you...just like we were watching your Myspace when you posted that photo. RTR

I bet that's a nasty Tennessee shirt he's wearing. rtr!

Villanova struggled to handle Clemson's relentless pressure in the first half committing the bulk of their 19 turnovers in the opening 20-minutes.  That helped the Tigers get up on Nova by as much as 18 and took a 12-point lead into the half.  The Wildcats are no strangers to halftime deficits, trailing at the half in 15 of their 33 games this season.  But Nova has Jay Wright, the "King of the 2^nd Half Adjustments."  He has been able to make the right changes and motivate his guys to come out focused in the second half to finish the game strong.  In those 15 game where Villanova trailed they have come back to win 6 times (40%).  And they did just that against Clemson.

Keys to the Second Half Comeback

• Handling the pressure down the stretch.  Nova settled down, limited their turnovers and was able to break the press for scores in the 2^nd half. 
• Solid defense and rebounding.  The Wildcats held Clemson to 30 points in the second half on 7-29 from the field and out rebounded the very athletic Clemson Tigers 31-28.
• Scottie Reynolds - No matter how much we hate his often erratic play and questionable shot selection this guy is the leader on Villanova and he showed it last night.  Reynolds scored 21 points shooting 7-12 from the field and was the catalyst for the comeback.
• Free throws - The numbers say it all: Nova shot a fantastic 24-29 from the line while Clemson's Achilles heel hurt them again only shooting 14-23.  You can't win in the hyper-competitive NCAA tournament shooting that poorly from the line.

With #13 Siena upsetting #4 Vanderbilt, Nova is in a good position to reach the Sweet 16.  This coming after all the speculation Nova wouldn't even get in the tournament this year.  But please don't think I am overlooking Siena, they scare me a little bit.  The Vandy isn't even the best team they beat this season.  Siena beat Stanford by 12 early in the year.  But it looks like Nova will finally face a team they are a little bigger than inside.  Siena's tallest starter is only 6'7 and they only bring in a 6'9 kid for minor minutes. 

NOTE: The last time Villanova played Siena was in the NIT tournament in 02' - 03'.  They lost in that first round game 74-59.

I heard by far the best Scottie Reynolds play-by-play quote ever last night:  "All these baskets are coming Reynolds wrapped."  Love that!

Upsets always happen in this tournament and round one proved no exception. My brackets are screwed up now. Sheesh.

My beloved Vols held their own and thwarted a late rally against the communist of American University.

Curry of Davidson became a legend as his team beat Gonzaga. I picked Davidson thank God.

Saint Mary's was no match against Miami. Miami might be the most overlooked team in tourney.

Western Kentucky defeated America's sweetheart team of Drake with a last second three pointer. Thanks Drake you screwed up my bracket.

South Alabama proved no match against Butler. The way Butler played I wouldn't be surprised to see them defeat my beloved Vols.

Georgetown beat up on UMBC...yawn

Texas beat up Austin Peay...another yawn

But wait...on overtime game which saw UCONN get defeated by San Diego. Thanks UCONN you again proved you're useless to me.

North Carolina looked like the number one should by scoring over a hundred against a hapless Mount St. Mary's squad.

Oklahoma showed that people might have been overlooking them by defeated St. Joe's handedly.

Vanderbilt embarrassed themselves and the SEC by losing to Siena. Thanks Vandy...you terds.

Miss. State rallied big time to defeat Oregon, another team the shouldn't have been there.

Arkansas is jelling and Indiana is exited early so them can text Sampson whining.

Louisville attempts to make the case that for this year they are the best team out of Kentucky as they defeated Boise State.

Villanova defeated Clemson. Another five seed goes down to the twelve seed. Villanova's tourney experience helped them mount a comeback. At one time Clemson led 32-18 in the first half. Nova won by six.

Memphis beat up on Texas-Arlington or as I have renamed them the University of Hank Hill.

Hank Hill with a young Billy Gillispie

http://spreadoffense.wordpress.com/2008/07/08/pre-season-top-25/

National Signing Day is long past, and Mini-Camps are way past, so I'm giving my pre-season Top 25.

 
#1 Georgia Bulldogs (SEC)

#2 Ohio State Buckeyes (Big Ten)

#3 USC Trojans (Pac-10)

#4 Florida Gators (SEC)

#5 Oklahoma Sooners (Big 12)

#6 Missouri Tigers (Big 12)

#7 Texas Longhorns (Big 12)

#8 West Virginia Mountaineers (Big East)

#9 Clemson Tigers (ACC)

#10 Texas Tech Red Raiders (Big 12)

This is an excerpt from "The Spread" at spreadoffense.wordpress.com. See the entire article at...

http://spreadoffense.wordpress.com/2008/07/08/pre-season-top-25/

 #1 Georgia Bulldogs (SEC)

#2 Ohio State Buckeyes (Big Ten)

 #3 USC Trojans (Pac-10)

 #4 Florida Gators (SEC)

#5 Oklahoma Sooners (Big 12)

#6 Missouri Tigers (Big 12)

#7 Texas Longhorns (Big 12)

#8 West Virginia Mountaineers (Big East)

#9 Clemson Tigers (ACC)

#10 Texas Tech Red Raiders (Big 12)

#11 Auburn Tigers (SEC)

#12 Illinois Illini (Big Ten)

#13 Arizona State Sun Devils (Pac-10)

#14 BYU Cougars (Non-BCS)

#15 LSU Tigers (SEC)

#16 Tennessee Volunteers (SEC)

#17 Pittsburgh Panthers (Big East)

#18 Wisconsin Badgers (Big Ten)

#19 Kansas Jayhawks (Big 12)

#20 Fresno State Bulldogs (Non-BCS)

#21 Virginia Tech Hokies (ACC)

#22 Oregon Ducks (Pac-10)

#23 Wake Forest Demon Deacons (ACC)

#24 Penn State Nittany Lions (Big Ten)

#25 Michigan State Spartans (Big Ten)

This reminds me of two different people I have come across in the strip club my gorgeous lady and I like to frequent. One was a local bar owner who had this incredibly Gator way of attempting to make it rain on these stretch-marked hotties! He would put a stack of of 1's (likely 20 of them) in one palm and smack them out on the strippers one at a time all while gripping his bottom lip with his top row of teeth. Now that's how dirty old men make it rain. The other guy is one I went to high school with and who is currently in the NFL. He also only had a small stack of 1's compared to Ken's stack. Which is okay because we were in a $1 style strip club.

Neither of these two guys had stacks like my boy Ken. So my question has been answered. Tommyboy is coming of the cash for his boys. If a 4 star offensive lineman is holding this stack...what are the other high profile guys depositing? This picture is worth way more than $1,000 words! Which brings me to my next question...Are those 20's or 50's? It's too hard to tell.

Thanks to Goose for bringing this to my attention. Mez, both of my readers want answers!

• I'm in third place in my local pool. Way ahead of the wife (yay!), but not too far behind the two ahead of me.  Let's see if I can make up any ground.  Go Kansas!

• The Maryland teams are all gone, which isn't really surprising.  UMBC and Mount St. Mary's did what they could, but they were up against some tough competition in Georgetown and North Carolina.  Those schools should be proud of their seasons, as well as the national television exposure.  The same goes for American University, out of Washington, DC. They played Tennessee tough, and the final score was not as close as the game itself.

• For NIT notes, both Morgan State and Maryland are out, Morgan State in a first round loss to Virginia Tech, and the Terps bowing out at the Carrier Dome to the Syracuse Orange.

• Back to the NCAA Tournament, finally we got some real upsets and decent games.  I don't know what's in the water down in Tampa, Florida, but all of the double digit seeds won games.  My bracket took a decent hit as Clemson, Drake and Connecticut all lost.  I did pick Siena to beat Vanderbilt, which helped my standing in the pool.

Looking forward to the weekend games, and hopefully to a victory.  Enjoy the madness.