Forget the NCAA … for a moment … let’s talk NIT

For the second time this season, West Virginia and North Carolina State will meet on the hardwood. This time things are a little different. West Virginia comes into the game still irked at not being included in the NCAA tournament, though as we have discussed here before the Mountaineers probably didn’t earn the spot in the dance even with the win over UCLA. North Carolina State is on a roll winning key games in the ACC tournament, coming within an eyelash of knocking off UNC in the finals, and winning two games at home in the NIT.

State now has to take to the road for really the first time this postseason. Even though the ACC tournament was in Tampa, Fla., the crowd still favored the underdog State and the Red Coat wearing Sidney Lowe. This time they will face a hostile crowd at the WVU Coliseum, traditionally one of the - if not the - toughest places to play in the Big East. Winner goes to Madison Square Garden, a place the Mountaineers have made home in recent years.

It’s a great story for North Carolina State, as is the story of the Mountaineers, who lost four of five starters from a two-year run of Sweet 16 visits and were expected to finish last in the competitive Big East. N.C. State was expected to finish near the bottom of the barrel of an ACC, that was improved from a year ago.

This should be an interesting game as West Virginia will attempt to force State into playing its style of game and forcing turnovers on defense - a trademark of John Beilein’s defense.

Honestly, though, you have to wonder how much more State has in it to continue this run. A three day break is likely appreciated, but State has had to play survival ball for nearly a month. At some point, that will wear a team out.

If you’re looking for a game to get you through the rest to Thursday’s Sweet 16 games, this could be the one for you. I mean you could watch the women’s game, but why?

NC State is going back to Reynolds

Sidney Lowe is going back to Reynolds Coliseum Friday. Anyone want to know if the Red Jacket will be with him?

North Carolina State’s postseason run has created a unique opportunity for the Wolfpack as it leads to an opportunity for the men’s basketball program to return to Reynolds when it hosts Marist College on Friday. Since the 1999-2000 season, State has called the RBC Center (or Lord Stanley’s current home). However, an interesting schedule of events created the return.

First, the RBC Center was booked. Josh Groban is scheduled to perform Friday night. Also Friday night, a gymnastics event was scheduled for Reynolds. A weekend game at RBC was out of the question, because the arena is home to the first and second round NCAA Women’s Basketball tournament featuring N.C. State and Duke. These events lead to all of Raleigh to be in water cooler discussions over where the game might be played.

Even in the halls of the General Assembly, conversation was overheard focusing not on the deadline for Senate bills to reach bill drafting, but on where State may play Friday.

Have no fear.

The gymnasts will  move their scheduled event with the Evil Empire of College Sports (Pittsburgh) to 4 p.m. The men’s basketball return at 7 p.m., and somewhere in Raleigh a red suit is being sent to the dry cleaners.

Again, the DOMA Amendment is introduced

Yesterday, a rally was held in Raleigh. Now, if you hang around the halls of the General Assembly long enough you’ll note this is normal. Every special interest group that you can imagine will converge on Raleigh for special days, events, or dinners hoping to convince legislators why their issue of importance should be an issue of importance to them.

So yesterday it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise that a group came to Raleigh to advocate the Defense of Marriage Amendment. The Amendment has been introduced, that would define in the State Constitution, that marriage is a union between a man and a woman. Granted, the state already outlaws gay marriage, but supposedly that’s not enough for some Republicans who believe the law could be overturned in state court such as what has taken place in Massachusetts.

But this is a political issue. For Republicans, it allows them to play to the Christian conservatives who believe this is a major issue. Republicans need that base if they have any hope of winning nationwide elections next year.

However, there is also a group of Christian Conservatives like myself who believe that marriage is not an issue for the state to decide. I used to be in favor of this Amendment, but now I’m not. Marriage is strictly a religious institution designed by God. Where the state’s involvement should be limited to is in the realm of enforcing contracts and settling contractual disputes that arrive out of marriages (i.e. divorce). Therefore, the issue of what marriages to recognize should be left to the Church, and that has already been decided.

There are bigger issues in North Carolina for legislators to be concerned with. Counties need relief from Medicaid, the temporary taxes that should be expiring this year need to be eliminated, and schools need better quality (not quantity) teachers to better educate our future leaders.

All of these issues far trump placing a Constitutional measure on an issue that has already been decided. It’s time for legislators to stop worrying about re-election and worrying about doing the jobs they were elected to do.

I won’t hold my breath for that day to occur.

Gerald Henderson and the Forearm of Death

Gerald Henderson will sit out Duke’s first-round ACC tournament game and Tyler Hansbrough is feeling the aftershocks with a broken nose. The flying forearm smash that would’ve made “Macho Man” Randy Savage proud if it came off the top rope onto a lying Hulk Hogan, came with only a few seconds left in the annual season-ending Duke-Carolina game.

Before we get more into Henderson’s future career as Vince McMahon’s latest superstar, I want to look at comments by Billy Packer last night. After the punch, Packer criticized UNC coach Roy Williams for having Hansbrough in the game when it was out of hand. Of course, the same could be said about Henderson. For Packer to say that the officials made a poor call in tossing Henderson was ridiculous and out of line.

This is a rivalry game. I don’t care if I’m up 50 points with 10 seconds left, my starters are in the game.

Regardless, the fact Hansbrough was in the game is no justification for a cheap shot. That’s like saying if the car in front of you is stopped and you plow into the rear end that it’s ok, because the car shouldn’t have been stopped. You pay the ticket then and the insurance costs and Henderson will pay the price by sitting out a game.

Ah, you have to love rivalries games. I didn’t even have a dog in the fight yesterday and just knowing that there was a “fight” at the end of the game (I watched it on a long delay) made the game worth watching.

Can we have steel chairs and bring back the old basketball cages for the next game?

Free Falling

The sports talk radio stations are going to have a field day here today in North Carolina.

The No. 8 ranked Tar Heels have now dropped two games in a row after losing to Georgia Tech in Atlanta, 84-77. With the loss, the Tar Heels fall 24-6 and 10-5 in the ACC. Sunday’s game against Duke just became bigger for a multitude of reasons and Carolina is probably becoming a big fan of Wake Forest as we speak.

That is because Virginia - yes, that same Virginia team that only a few years ago struggled to even make the NIT - is the only team that controls its own destiny now in the ACC. After defeating Virginia Tech yesterday, all Virginia needs to do is put Wake Forest away on Saturday and it clinches the regular season ACC title. For Carolina to do so, it needs a win against Duke and a win by Wake Forest. Depending on a win from Wake Forest, this season, is the ultimate form of desperation.

It’s of Carolina’s own doing that they now depend on Wake Forest to help secure a No. 1 seed in the ACC tournament, but also a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Poor play down the stretch has shown what many have quietly seen about this Carolina team this year - they are an impressive group of talent, but unless they win big they struggle to close out the victory.

In 10 games decided by 10 points or less, the Tar Heels are 4-6. That’s a daunting statistic given the fact that Carolina is among the favorites to make a run at the NCAA tournament. A failure to learn how to win the close games in the regular season will hurt a team’s chances to win in the NCAA tournament, where every game can be close and every team is playing its best ball.

Right now, it’s hard to say that the Tar Heels are playing their best. Instead of making a strong run to the post season, the Tar Heels are firing as if they lost a cylinder going around Turn 4 at Daytona … on the final lap. UNC has lost four of its last 10 games, including two in a row. The last thing the Tar Heels want to do now is lose to Duke, which would really put a dent into the confidence.

But, maybe the Tar Heels need to realize that they are now playing for something. Gone is the guarantee that they will finish in the top 10 during the regular season or even secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. As far as No. 1 seeds go, if you assume that UCLA and Ohio State have clinched two of the top seeds, that leaves UNC, Florida, Wisconsin, Georgetown, Texas A&M and Kansas fighting for the other two spots. Florida and UNC are weakened by their failures to close out the regular season on a high note. This sets up a week-long battle for the final two No. 1 seeds where a team has to win the conference tournament to have a shot.

Also, the ACC - which has played as the toughest conference all season - will likely, as Billy Packer noted during the game telecast - be without a team in the top 10 in the final regular season rankings following Sunday’s games.

While Carolina can still recover with a win against Duke, many Tar Heel supporters will be in panic mode throughout the day. Don’t press the panic button. Leave it on the counter and walk away. But don’t entirely fool yourself, there is reason for concern, but not panic if you’re a Carolina fan.

North Carolina’s season is far from over and they can still make a run in the NCAA tournament and probably will. But in a crazy college basketball season, North Carolina is just one of many good teams with obvious weaknesses and talent. Unlike other teams though, Carolina’s glaring weakness of failing to win the close games could haunt them in the tournament.

They have to get the confidence back and of all teams to come up on the schedule it’s Duke making the UNC-Duke game even more must-see-TV.

That has to be the worst haircut of all time

I didn’t want to blog about this. I really didn’t, but it’s just such a fascinating, not in a good way, story that you just can’t pass it up.

Britney Spears is bald. We’re talking clean shaved as if she was ready to report to basic training. And now the hair is for sale … on eBay. What’s not on sale on eBay?

It’s easy to make jokes about Spears - the obvious one being one I heard on “Mike and Mike in the Morning” when one of the hosts said when Kevin Federline looks like the responsible parent you know we’ve got issues.

But, seriously, you have to wonder about Spears. You really do. Here is someone who has fallen so far, so fast, that rock bottom seems like a way up. From the images of her holding her child on the front seat while driving, to the infamous party lifestyle after her seperation, and now entering rehab with a buzz cut. My hope is that she turns her life around - soon rather than later - if not for herself but for the protection of her children.

Until then, this is just a sad, sad train wreck that no one seems to be able to avert their eyes from watching.

Mr. 10,000, I am, which means more rambling-esque thoughts

So sometime this morning I hit the 10,000 viewer mark for this blog. I’d like to thank everyone for taking the time to read my musings on life, politics, news, sports, and everything else that comes to my mind.  I hope to keep this blog going as my own personal journal as life continues to unravel itself. Enjoy.

But to celebrate, here are some random thoughts from the weekend that was:

After this weekend, I believe I can make anyone in a bar take notice of a West Virginia game. It’s hard not to when I’m on the edge of my seat throughout the entire game and being the one cheering the loudest. Yesterday, during the UCLA-WVU game, there was a group of fans sitting near me that every now and then would catch an eye on the game to catch the score.

That’s a sign of a good sports bar. I’ve had experiences where there were seriously brawls in the bar over words said amongst fans. Sports are fun. Sports can be passionate. But sports shouldn’t lead to brawls.

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I have no life. I’m watching the Grammy’s. Could there be nothing else on TV worth watching? I’ve seen Office Space 100 times. Same with American Pie. And we all know my thoughts on the NBA.

So it’s the Grammy’s. Thirty minutes into the show, we’ve seen the Police sing - awesome - and the Dixie Chicks, not to mention the Grammy’s being taken over by the reality show concept. Three people have a chance to sing alongside Justin Timberlake later in the show. I guess that is a big honor. I mean I think I’d rather cheer for the University of Pittsburgh than sing next to Justin Timberlake, but hey if that’s your thing rock on with your bad self.

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I don’t get college basketball rivalries. I spent a lot of time thinking about this this week as ESPN highlighted “rivarly week.” Now, I love college basketball, but are rivalries really that big in basketball? Of course, there is Duke-UNC, UConn-Syracuse, Kentucky-Florida, but I think when it comes to basketball these are weaker than their football counterparts.

Why?

If I wanted to watch Duke-UNC, if I missed the game Wednesday night - which I did - there is another chance to watch it in a few weeks. Then, if I miss that one, it’s possible I could watch it again during the ACC tournament. The fact you only play your football rival once makes the games bigger and must see television. Saying that in North Carolina may be a party foul, but even the Backyard Brawl - WVU vs. Pittsburgh - isn’t as exciting on the hardwood as it is on the gridiron.

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I’m a Kevin Harvick fan. I’ve met him once during the Pocono 500 in 2001 (he walked out of the interview by the way, which was funny and cool). But watching last night’s Bud Shootout, when I see the new car colors I can’t help but think of Hulk Hogan. Granted, I think Harvick and Richard Childress Racing did the right thing in getting Harvick his own sponsorship, but yellow and red for Shell makes me think of bad pro wrestlers wanting to “Hulk Up.”

See for yourself:

       

Could it be? Snow? In North Carolina?

I moved to North Carolina from West Virginia in 2003 to get away from the snow. That year, around President’s Day, I spent an entire week shoveling snow from a 3-foot blizzard that hit Clarksburg, W.Va. Of course, I still had to work, and walked a few of those days to the office.

I decided after that storm that there were better things in life than shoveling snow. Now, my friend Todd’s wife probably would argue that she has seen her fair share of snow. I would have to agree, however I still think it’s funny I missed an entire month of school my senior year because of snow damage to our school.

Anyways, the National Weather Service has issued warning after warning regarding a winter weather system that is moving into our area tomorrow.  The advisory is what makes me laugh about living in North Carolina. They’re calling for less than an inch of snow. Let me repeat, less than an inch and we get a winter weather advisory.

An inch of snow wouldn’t even get a second glance for those of us more accustomed to snow totals. Here it could cause a 12-hour traffic jam as it did two years ago this Friday. I’ll never forget that night. It took me 45 minutes to make a 20 minute drive home and then I decided “it wasn’t that bad, I’ll go out like I planned.” Bad idea. I was in my car for three hours and went 5 miles. That’s not what I consider a great night.

But, it pointed out a great point. When people move to North Carolina from the north, they forget how to drive on the snow. They were raised on the slick surfaces of ice and snow, but move to the warm winters and driving on the snow because almost like trying to ride a bicycle on a slippy slide.

So make sure you go to the grocery store. Buy enough bread and milk. Stock up on all your batteries. I’m not sure if we’ll pull through this storm, but we’ll make it together.