Dave Sez

The Following People Will NOT Be Coaching NC State Basketball Next Year

Rick Barnes (although he might want to reconsider now)
John Calipari
John Wooden
Jay Wright
Mike Montgomery
Mr. Misty Champagne
Me (talks broke down during negotiations over lifetime bacon rights from Murphy Farms)
Tom Crean
Mark Few
Tom Izzo
Rick Pitino
Lorenzo Romar
Tubby Smith
Herb Sendek
Jeff Capel
PJ Carlesimo
Frank Haith (I'm assuming that Fowler isn't a complete idiot)
Bobby Gonzalez
Chuck Amato
Billy Gillespie
Bob Huggins
Dean Smith
Matt Doherty
James Naismith
Steve Lavin
John Beilein
Phil Ford (I mean, seriously. There's no way, right?)

McBack

In a mildly surprising announcement (I figured he'd leave), not-close-to-ready
Josh McRoberts has announced that he'll return to Duke for his sophomore season.

As the DBR said, it's a welcome bit of good news for a university that's been taking an absolute beating lately.

McRoberts' decision is the last one that I know of for ACC players, other than Strawberry and Ibekwe of Maryland who are testing the waters but say they are coming back.

Mario Williams = Super Freak?

Mario Williams was an excellent player at NC State. A big, gifted defensive lineman who was among the best players in the league at his position.

But was he this good? A better athlete than Vince Young? A better prospect than Julius Peppers was? A talent not seen "in years?"

Wow. I guess that explains why he was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, right? And why he led the All-ACC voting for defensive lineman, right? It makes sense that Williams, who shared the line with fellow studs John McCargo and Manny Lawson (as well as Stephen Tulloch and Marcus Hudson in the backfield), led NC State to the nation's #1 defense, right?

If you followed those links above, you'll see (as if you couldn't guess) that was being a bit sarcastic. As good as Williams was in college, he wasn't that good. He wasn't as good as other guys in the ACC this year and he wasn't nearly the player that Julius Peppers was at UNC. Super Mario may well have a fantastic NFL career, but teams would do well to look more closely at actual on-field performance than at measurements and times at the combine.

The Carousel Turns

Well, well. It seems that our old friend Matt Doherty is on the move again, this time to SMU. You may recall that just one year ago, Doherty was hired off the scrap heap to try to revive the program at Florida Atlantic. I'm sure they knew he was not going to be a long-term coach there, but I'm guessing they hoped for more than one season - a 15-13 season, mind you.

My favorite quote, from the coach who left Notre Dame after just one season, was fired from UNC after three and is now leaving FAU after one season - "I look at this as a destination job. I didn't want to take a job to take another job." Sure thing, Matt. We believe you.

On another, more local front, the NC State coaching search appears to be focusing on Steve Lavin and John Beilein. I think I can sum up my feelings on that with just four words. Lavin, NO. Beilein, Yes. Steve Lavin was a mediocre (at best) coach at UCLA, basically in the same situation that Sendek was here. He accomplished just enough to avoid being fired most years, but never showed that he was going to take the program to the next level - or more accurately at a falling UCLA program, the previous level. Why would State try to build a major program with a guy who failed to sustain major program?

Beilein, on the other hand, shows every sign of being an excellent coach. The only concern I'd have with him is with recruiting. He had some very good teams at West Virginia (and Richmond before that), but I don't recall him capitalizing on that success to land any high school All-Americans. You have to be both a great coach and a great recruiter if you want to hang with UNC and Duke.

Draft Punks

I'm pretty sure I'm not alone when I say that I never expected to read the headline, "Terps' Ibekwe, Strawberry May File for Draft."

Huh? Yeah, I'm sure the NBA is just drooling over a couple of guys who scored 10 and 11 points per game for a team that missed the NCAA Tournamant.

Now, folks close to the players are saying that neither really wants to enter the draft, but they want to see how the process works. They won't hire an agent. Fine. If that were really true, that they never really intend to leave, that would be sensible. But I don't believe that for a second. Shavlik Randolph said the same thing last year, but left and then wasn't drafted. Sure, Randolph was picked up and made a team, but that's a one-in-a-million shot and neither Strawberry nor Ibekwe is 6'11".

Instead, I think both of these guys think they are NBA-quality talent but are being held back in Maryland's system. They are hoping that their true talent will show in these camps and they can go get paid.

They're wrong - especially Ibekwe. Strawberry is talented and with some more seasoning, could be an NBA player. But he's not ready now. Not close.

The fact that these guys are doing this, one year after John Gilchrist was basically run off for having a prima-donna attitude, makes me wonder what's going on in Gary Williams' program. Add in Chris McCray's ineligibility and Travis Garrison's lackluster play and it looks like there's a whole lot of smoke swirling around College Park. And it's not just the remains of the post-women's championship rioting.

Bad To Worse

NC State won't have Rick Barnes or John Calipari next year, they won't have their (likely) top-ten recruit the next year and they may not have Cedric Simmons next season. Simmons is going to go through the NBA draft process, but says he won't hire an agent. Given how weak this draft will be, his potential and the unresolved coaching situation at State, it's pretty likely that we won't see Simmons in the RBC Center next year.

Tough week.

Cal Gone

Oof. Talk about your gut punches. It was a done deal, wasn't it? Calipari was coming to NC State and he would (by any means necessary) build the program back up so that it was once again challenging Duke and Carolina for conference supremecy. Coach Cal would fit right in and maybe he'd even get Coach K to threaten to kill him in a press conference. Wolfpack nation was giddy with anticipation. The only question was when the press conference would be.

But then - poof - the dream ended. We'll probably never know all the reasons why it fell apart.

So, what now? The A-List candidates are pretty much out of the question now. For one thing, there aren't many left, for another, now that two top guys have said no any other top guy will have doubts by default, and finally, no big name coach will want to be seen as the third choice.

From reports, LSU's Mr. Misty Champagne is next on the Lee Fowlers checklist. Yawn. Other than his wife, John Brady doesn't do anything for me. Yeah, they made the Final Four, but that seemed more like a team of raw talent than a well-coached squad. Because of their location, LSU has always had talent. There's no reason to think that Brady could pull those sorts of players to Raleigh.

If not Brady, then Fowler will probably have to go the more traditional route - an up-and-coming mid-major (or minor program) coach. The problem with that is that the fan base is tired of waiting. They don't want a guy who can build. They want a guy who can WIN NOW! Sorry guys, I don't think that's going to happen now.

Oof indeed. I hope they locked the doors of the bell tower. Wouldn't want to have to clean up any fans off of the bricks.

Is NC State A Great Program?

In newspapers, in sports bars, on the airwaves, in office hallways - you hear the argument waged. Is NC State a premier college basketball program? State fans argue with opponents until they are red in the face - we have two championships! We invented the ACC Tournament! Reynolds Coliseum hosted the Dixie Classic. Jim Valvano! David Thompson!

That was decades ago! Valvano cheated! Only two Final Fours since 1950! Les Robinson! Third-place in your own metro area!

So who is right? Do a program's fans determine if their program is in the top tier? Certainly their opinion matters. If a team's fans don't think they are great, they aren't. But much of what defines the nebulous criteria of eliteness is perception - what the national media and fans around the country think. Do your team's games ever lead on SportsCenter? Can you find kids wearing your hats in New York City or Oklahoma City? Do top recruits always list your school among their suitors?

So, if perception is key, how is that perception built? Winning. You win and keep winning and eventually your program becomes like a blue chip stock. You need to win in your conference to build up local respect and fear and you also need to succeed on a national scale to get the attention of ESPN and little Johnny in Peoria.

To take a non-biased, fact-based look at NC State's standing, I'm going to start with the ACC. I have those stats readily available, thanks to Charlie Board and the ACC Media Guide. Below you'll find tables listing how each ACC program fared in the league, by decade. In future posts, I hope to do some similar looks at national success (NCAA tournament success, number one rankings, etc.) and individual success (numbers of McDonald's All-Americans, All-Conference selections, All-American selections, NBA draft picks, etc) to see how the Wolfpack fares. My strong hunch is that I'll find that the Pack faithful overstate their national standing. It's commendable that they see themselves as an elite program, but they simply aren't. Not any more.

So, let's take a look at how the Wolfpack has fared in the ACC over the years.

Everett Case was stalking the sidelines at Reynolds Coliseum in the 50s, so I'd expect to find the Wolfpack on top of the charts for that decade (keep in mind that the ACC didn't exist before 1954). But that's not what happened. The Pack did well, but was second-best behind arch-rival North Carolina and just barely ahead of Duke. And as you'll see, this is as good as it gets.

CUMULATIVE ACC STANDINGS, THE FIFTIES (1954-1959)


                 ACC Reg Seas     Overall

   N. Carolina   60-21  .741  -   110-38  .743  12.5

   N.C. State    57-21  .731  1.5 133-36  .787  -

   Duke          56-24  .700  3.5 105-51  .673  21.5

   Maryland      49-30  .620 10   102-54  .654  24.5

   Wake Forest   41-41  .500 19.5  88-71  .553  40

   Virginia      24-51  .320 33    67-89  .429  59.5

   S. Carolina   17-63  .213 42.5  55-98  .359  70

   Clemson       13-66  .165 46    39-105 .271  81.5

The sixties weren't quite as kind to the Pack, as they were passed by both Duke and Wake Forest. Duke actually fared better than the Tar Heels for the decade.

CUMULATIVE ACC STANDINGS, THE SIXTIES (1960-1969)


                 ACC Reg Seas     Overall

   Duke         105-33  .761  -   213-67  .761  -

   N. Carolina  101-39  .721  5   189-72  .724  14.5

   Wake Forest   81-59  .579 25   146-129 .531  64.5

   N.C. State    70-70  .500 36   133-105 .559  59

   S. Carolina   61-77  .442 44   122-125 .494  74.5

   Maryland      55-85  .393 51   113-134 .457  83.5

   S. Carolina   61-77  .442 44   122-125 .494  74.5

   Clemson       52-88  .371 54   107-144 .426  91.5

   Virginia      33-107 .236 73    69-176 .282 116.5

Now, the seventies were another decade where you'd expect to find NC State dominance. This is when they had their best teams led by the legendary David Thompson. But they still couldn't catch the Heels. Carolina actually expanded their lead this decade. South Carolina bowed out after 1971, but their two years were sensational. Notice how Duke fell back in these years.

CUMULATIVE ACC STANDINGS: THE SEVENTIES (1970-1979)

                 ACC Reg Seas     Overall

                 W-L    Pct   GB  W-L     Pct   GB

   *S. Carolina  24-4   .857  20   48-9   .842  67.5

   N. Carolina   92-32  .742  -   239-65  .786  -

   N.C. State    75-49  .605  17  208-80  .722  23

   Maryland      67-57  .540  25  199-85  .701  30

   Duke          53-71  .427  39  162-116 .583  64

   Virginia      48-76  .387  44  151-121 .555  72

   Wake Forest   46-78  .371  46  156-125 .555  71.5

   Clemson       43-81  .347  49  143-127 .530  79

And now on to the 80s, maybe the best decade in ACC history. NC State was led by the incredibly popular Jim Valvano and won that memorable title in 1983, but slipped back to a tie for third with Duke, who was on a sharp rise by the end of the decade. Many people will be surprised to see that Virginia was the second best ACC program in the 80s, although the gap behind North Carolina is huge.

CUMULATIVE ACC STANDINGS: THE EIGHTIES (1980-1989)

                 ACC Reg Seas     Overall

                 W-L    Pct   GB  W-L     Pct   GB

   N. Carolina  110-30  .786  -   281-63  .817  -

   Virginia      82-58  .586  28  225-99  .694  46

   Duke          74-66  .529  36  226-101 .691  46.5

   N.C. State    74-66  .529  36  211-110 .657  58.5

   Maryland      62-78  .443  48  185-124 .599  78.5

   Georgia Tech  57-83  .407  53  165-133 .554  93

   Clemson       52-88  .371  58  175-128 .568  85.5

   Wake Forest   49-91  .350  61  159-134 .543  96.5

And now, the dark years for NC State. The Les Robinson and Herb Sendek decade. Dead last. This is also the decade that saw Duke overtake North Carolina (just barely).

CUMULATIVE ACC STANDINGS: THE NINETIES  (1990-1999)

                 ACC Reg Seas     Overall

                 W-L    Pct   GB  W-L     Pct   GB

   Duke         109-47  .699  -   271-78  .777  -  

   N. Carolina  108-48  .692  1   270-78  .776    .5

   Wake Forest   86-70  .551  23  199-107 .650  50.5

   Maryland      78-78  .500  31  192-118 .619  59.5

   Georgia Tech  73-83  .468  36  188-128 .595  66.5

   *Florida St.  56-72  .438  39  136-106 .562  81.5

   Virginia      69-87  .442  40  180-132 .577  72.5

   Clemson       60-96  .385  49  180-132 .577  72.5

   N.C. State    49-107 .314  60  149-154 .492  99  

Which brings us to the present. Sendek has made up ground, but we're 70% of the way through the aughts, and the Pack is in fifth place.

CUMULATIVE ACC STANDINGS, 2000-2006

                 ACC Reg Seas      Overall

                 W-L    Pct   GB   W-L     Pct

   Duke          90-22  .804   -   209-36  .853

   Maryland      69-43  .616  21   159-73  .685  

   N. Carolina   66-46  .589  24   150-80  .652  

   Wake Forest   62-50  .554  28   152-77  .664  

   N.C. State    57-55  .509  33   138-88  .611  

   Miami         14-18  .438  41    34-29  .540

   Virginia      48-64  .429  42   119-92  .564  

   Georgia Tech  48-64  .429  42   120-100 .545  

   Virginia Tech 12-20  .375  48    30-30  .500

   Florida St.   37-75  .330  53    99-112 .469  

   Clemson       30-82  .268  60    94-116 .448  

In conclusion, I think it's pretty clear that NC State falls far behind UNC and Duke in the ACC. That's not surprising, but I think if you factor in that the recent decades count much more in public perception, you have to concede that it's difficult to argue that State is a stronger program than Maryland or even Wake Forest.

The Duke Lacrosse Imbroglio

You've probably noticed that I haven't yet written one word on the Duke Lacrosse team rape story. There's a good reason for that. The story is so big, so controversial, so important, so complicated and so sensitive that I just haven't felt like I could devote the time it would take to craft something that accurately conveyed my thoughts without unnecessarily stirring the pot even more. All this case needs is more attention.

That's not to say that I haven't been following the story. Far from it. I read as much as I can, trying to find out the truth. When I first heard the story, I was shocked and horrified, just like everyone else. Then, as I heard more and more details - and they've come very slowly - I started to have more and more questions about what we were hearing. Like in any complex situation, the first story you hear, especially when it comes from only one source, is never the whole and accurate truth.

Fortunately, I've found a blog that is doing a very good job of following all of the developments each day and viewing each with a critical eye. He seems able to punch holes in the claims and statements of both sides. Read through his posts and you'll probably learn some things about the case that you didn't know (like how that Ryan McFadyen email was actually a reference to the move "American Psycho") and you'll probably also think about some aspects that you hadn't considered.

Doyel Hatchets State

I like Gregg Doyel. I do. He digs up a lot of good information that no one else finds and better, he's one of the few national sportswriters who's willing to go after a big name or big program if he thinks it's warranted.

In this case, he's off base though. Doyel savaged NC State fans and local media (read "Caulton Tudor") for running off Herb Sendek. Of course, Doyel has some basis for his argument - Sendek was not an abject failure - but I don't see the need for the vitriol in his article. It's not like they didn't give Sendek ample opportunity to show what he could do. Sendek was in Raleigh for ten years, and remember they were not on any probation when he showed up. Yes, he made it to the NCAAs in five of those ten years, the last five in fact, but he only reached the Sweet Sixteen once. I showed where that rated among ten-year ACC coaches last week.

Sendek had his chance. He showed that he could be fairly successful and that he could reach that level without compromising his principles. Great. That's commendable, but being only pretty good isn't acceptable at NC State. What's so bad about that?

And how does he figure that "Wolfpack basketball will go down the toilet?" That part really baffles me. I understand if Doyel wants that happen - fine - but I don't get how he could predict it. They haven't even hired a new coach yet. Maybe State isn't a first-tier program any more, but there's no reason why they can't stay at their current level and start to reach up to that top plateau. I don't understand how anyone could surmise that they are now doomed to failure.

I wonder if he'll write a mea culpa if he's found to be wrong?

Doyel Hatchets State

I like Gregg Doyel. I do. He digs up a lot of good information that no one else finds and he's one of the few national sportswriters who's willing to go after a big name or big program if he thinks it's warranted.

In this case, he's off base though. Doyel savaged NC State fans and local media (read "Caulton Tudor") for running off Herb Sendek. Of course, Doyel has some basis for his argument - Sendek was not an abject failure - but I don't see the need for the vitriol in his article. It's not like they didn't give Sendek ample opportunity to show what he could do. Sendek was in Raleigh for ten years, and remember they were not on any probation when he showed up. Yes, he made it to the NCAAs in five of those ten years, the last five in fact, but he only reached the Sweet Sixteen once. I showed where that rated among ten-year ACC coaches last week. Think Doyel was pissed when Wake ran off Carl Tacy?

Sendek had his chance. He showed that he could be fairly successful and that he could reach that level without compromising his principles. Great. That's commendable, but being only pretty good isn't acceptable at NC State. What's so bad about that?

And how does he figure that "Wolfpack basketball will go down the toilet?" That part really baffles me. I understand if Doyel wants that happen - fine - but I don't get how he could predict it. They haven't even hired a new coach yet. Maybe State isn't a first-tier program any more, but there's no reason why they can't stay at their current level and start to reach up to that top plateau. I don't understand how anyone could surmise that they are now doomed to failure.

I wonder if he'll write a mea culpa if he's found to be wrong?

Assisted Losing

Ken Pomeroy has a new post up where he talks about a new statistic on his site - Assist Rate. Like his other statistics, it takes a common stat and adjusts based on a team's tempo so that you can more accurately compare a team like UNC to a team like Princeton.

The top 100 players for last season ranked by assist rate are here. Take a good look at that list and see what it's (mostly) missing. The ACC was down this year and one of the most common (and accurate) reasons was the paucity of top-notch point guards. Well, according to Ken's table, only one(!!) of the nation's top 100 assist men played in the ACC - Sean Singletary at number 77. And Singletary is hardly known as a pass-first point guard.

Actually, it appears that there are relatively few players from power conferences. One reason for that may be simply that pass-first point guards are rare in today's game, especially at the top levels. Guards at big-time schools think that they will play in the NBA and if you want to play in the NBA you need to be able to score.

Calipari On State's Menu?

If you've been on the Internet in the last day or two, you've probably heard this rumor swirling - NC State has met with and offered John Calipari their head coaching job. You can read the details a number of places, but David Glenn probably has the best sources. According to Glenn, Calipari was "overwhelmed" by State's offer.

Calipari seems like a near-perfect fit for the Wolfpack. He's a big name with proven recruiting success and he's built two programs up to national elite status. Given his stature and history, there's no question that he's not afraid to challenge Duke and Carolina for regional (and national) supremacy. On top of that, Calipari gives off the whiff of scandal that I think a lot of State fans are probably looking for at this point. Don't get me wrong, I don't think they want trouble, but I think they are tired of getting praise for doing everything the right way and then losing. A guy who seems willing to bend some rules (whether he actually does or not) to get to the promised land is just what they need now. Remember, all three of their past successful coaches ran afoul of the NCAA at some point.

I've written a bit about my feelings on Calipari before - here and here - but I should point out that I do think he's a very good coach. I'm not sure he's a great game coach (and I know some Memphis fans who would back me on that), but he's a great recruiter who builds some great teams.

I should also add that from the sound of things, he is doing a much better job keeping his players in school than he did at UMass. Memphis has a long history of not graduation players, but I've read that Calipari has a success rate of 80%, which is commendable. If he comes to State (and I bet he will), I hope he keeps that up.

Hodge Finally Gets Shot

After riding the bench all season, Denver Nuggets rookie and former NC State star Julius Hodge finally got shot. Not a shot, but shot, as in three times in the "lower body" while driving in his car.

Fortunately, it sounds like Jules is doing fine and is expected to be playing again in just two to three weeks.

No word on whether Chris Paul has been taken in for questioning.

ACC Coaches - The First Ten Years

David Glenn had a post a couple of weeks ago where he took a look at Herb Sendek's ten-year career at State (this was before Herb stepped down). To show how Sendek compared to other ACC coaches, he listed the accomplishments of every coach who coached at least ten years in the ACC. It's a fascinating list.

To make it a bit easier to review, I reformatted Glenn's data into a HTML table here:

A few observations:
- I had no idea that Vic Bubas was so good. I knew him as a good old ACC coach, but I never would have guessed that he had the best first ten years of any ACC coach ever. I think Bubas needs to come up more often in discussions of past great ACC coaches.

- I wouldn't have guessed that Terry Holland and Dave Odom had a better first ten years (ranked by ACC regular season success) than Mike Krzyzewski. In fact, Coach K is ranked only 7 by that measure. Where you can see his numbers shine though is in his NCAA tournament success. Those number only got better in the next decade.

- It's pretty clear that Herb Sendek was nothing special at State. He barely beats out Carl Tacy and I don't think there are any statues of Tacy over in Winston-Salem.

- As I expected, Jim Valvano's numbers are fairly pedestrian. In fact, he's very comparable to Bobby Cremins. The only real difference are those last two wins of the 1983 team. If that team had lost in the FF like Cremins' one FF team did (Lethal Weapon 3 losing to UNLV in 1990), they would be almost identical. But of course, they didn't lose, and that certainly counts for something.

Texas Two-Step

David Glenn, for my money the best ACC sports journalist on the radio, has a very nice take on the Rick Barnes to NC State rumors. Glenn, as you might imagine, has some good contacts, so if he says that State has had conversations with Barnes via intermediaries, you can believe it.

Even though they have engaged Barnes in some unofficial talks, I don't think they have any chance of landing him. Why would he leave Texas for Raleigh? Just because he's originally from the state? He makes too much money in Austin and they have plenty of jack to pay him more (and it sounds like they will be), need be. The only knock on UT is that it's a football school, but you'd think Barnes would be used to that by now. He'd be leaving a hell of a lot of talent behind if he left now. But he won't.

Win A Date With Shavlik Randolph!

Well ladies, what are you waiting for? Bid for a date with 76ers heartthrob Shavlik Randolph! Only one person has bid so far (imagine!), so if you want it, odds are the date's yours.

p.s. Winners will be asked to help Shavlik cut his steak.

(Thanks to the DBR for that find)

Inspired By J.J.

Nothing works Chris Chase into a frothy lather quite like the sight of J.J. Redick running around in a Duke uniform. Watching the talented senior inspired Chris to imagine that he was J.J. himself and write this piece of poetry:

The bouncing basketball echoes through the gym,
But maybe it’s merely my heart.
Fans cheering, coaches yelling, players running,
And me: The Napoleon of the court.
I soar like a condor. Free. Freer.
But my soul is brittle. Like peanuts.
Or an old person’s bones.
Why do they hate me?
Fear of nominal alliteration?
My Caesar haircut?
Or can it be they love me?
My passion, my inspiration, my commitment.
My soul is filled to bursting.
Bursting!
Bursting!
Bursting!
Parting! Which is what I now must do.
Chris Collins is knocking on my door.

If that weren't enough, Chris also subjected himself to a long night of Duke and Dick Vitale, just so we could read this.

Congratulations To The Gators

I never thought I'd find myself rooting for Florida in a basketball game. Not in any game, much less a national championship. My dislike for the Gators began years back when the evil Steve Spurrier was in his prime, sneering and snarking his way to the top. Spurrier gave off all sorts of sleazy vibes and this at a school that has a history of playing loose with the NCAA rules in both football and basketball. Then Billy Donovan arrived - young, brash, aggressive and cocky with that slicked-back hair. He was the archetype of the crooked basketball coach, the guy who would do anything to win. And Donovan's style was immediately successful, particularly with recruiting. He was landing high school All-Americans left and right - yet another reason to be suspicious of his methods. I wasn't the only one who questioned the manner in which Donovan worked - other coaches like Roy Williams and Eddie Fogler openly criticized Donovan's tactics.

But over time, things changed. After reaching the finals in 2000, Florida began to founder. Donovan was still landing plenty of studs, but he wasn't developing them. They didn't improve while at Florida and his teams were getting beat by squads with lesser talent. He had to notice. A guy with that much ego had to put two and two together to see that if he was losing to teams that didn't have the talent he had, he must not be doing as good a job of coaching. That realization seems to have humbled him a bit. Or maybe he just grew up. Whatever happened, he's not the cocky asshole he once was, at least not publicly, and his teams look better. This year's Florida squad is one of the most well-rounded, well-built teams in recent memory. They get good play from every position. Good, smart play. They don't woof and they don't preen. For once, Florida seems to be more about substance than style.

So, without realizing it, I came to like this Florida team.

It helped last night that they were playing UCLA, another team I have had little love for. Unlike Florida though, I don't have a great reason to dislike UCLA, at least not since Jim Harrick coached them. My dislike for UCLA is simply petty jealousy. I like the ACC and I like to think that the ACC has the best programs, but there's no denying UCLA's place in basketball history. They don't need to be winning any more titles until some other programs catch up. And that's gonna be a while.

As for last night's game, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm sure you'll read some articles today about how the game was boring or wasn't as exciting as some recent title games, but that's crap. Yeah, the outcome wasn't in doubt for most of the game, but it was a very well-played game. UCLA had been shutting teams down, but Florida spread the floor and used the multi-talented Joakim Noah to help take pressure off the guards. The Gators used UCLA's pressure against them, creating countless open looks and easy dunks. It wasn't that UCLA didn't play great defense - they did - but that Florida effectively countered it. On the other end of the floor, UCLA had a hard time scoring, but really that wasn't too different from their previous games. The Bruins scored 57 against Florida. They scored 59 against LSU and just 50 against Memphis, so last night wasn't unusual. If anything, considering that they got almost no easy buckets from their defense, they actually over-performed a bit on offense.

So, all in all, it was a good, hard-fought game and a great ending to a fantastic tournament.

I can't wait until next year.