ACC: Triangle Offense, Indy Week

Duke, UNC women's hoops fly high; big changes leave Wolfpack a mystery

Mike Potter — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 14:25:00 -0400

So the college women’s basketball season is now behind us, and now that all the shouting was over Connecticut is once again the champion — taking out two future ACC members by impressive margins in the Final Four.

Don’t worry.…

Mr. Wuf: Wes Moore takes reins as State women's hoop coach

Mike Potter — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:42:00 -0400

CARTER-FINLEY STADIUM/RALEIGH N.C. State held its press conference to introduce Wes Moore as its new head women’s basketball coach on Monday.

Moore, 55, is the first male head women’s basketball coach at an ACC school in the Triangle.…

Final Four thoughts

Thad Williamson — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 11:29:00 -0400

Fooled you—these are NOT thoughts about the Final Four this weekend in Atlanta.

Rather, these are my final four thoughts about the state of ACC and college basketball as the curtain closes on the 2012-13 season of basketball and basketball blogging for Triangle Offense.…

Duke fights hard, but Diggins leads Irish to big second half in 11-point win

Mike Potter — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 23:27:00 -0400

CONSTANT CENTER/NORFOLK, Va. It’s Go Time for Duke in women’s basketball.

For the fourth time in as many years the Blue Devils are playing for an NCAA Regional title, and although they’ll be underdogs against Notre Dame the odds aren’t prohibitive.…

Duke grinds the Corn, fourth straight regional final Tuesday

Mike Potter — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 18:20:00 -0400

CONSTANT CENTER/NORFOLK, Va. Duke will be a solid favorite coming into its regional semifinal game against Nebraska, and the Blue Devils have been great in this game in recent seasons.

No. 2 seed Duke (32-2) has won three straight times in Round-of-16 games before being eliminated in the Elite Eight.…

No tournament run for Tar Heels, but what about an NBA run?

Rob Harrington — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 16:26:00 -0400

From a program perspective, the 2012-13 Tar Heels won’t earn any nooks at the prestigious UNC basketball museum. These guys failed to win any titles, regular or postseason, and they went 1-3 versus rivals Duke and N.C. State — including a pair of blowout defeats.…

Seeing Harper's Wolfpack tenure end isn't much fun

Mike Potter — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 12:47:00 -0400

Such decisions are much easier in the world of pro sports.

If the coach didn’t win yesterday and probably won’t win tomorrow, he’s out.…

Duke fights off pesky Cowgirls to earn another regional trip

Mike Potter — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 23:55:00 -0400

CAMERON INDOOR STADIUM/DURHAM Duke has made a habit of getting to the NCAA’s Sweet 16 in recent years, failing to get there just once since 1997.

And tonight the No. 2 Blue Devils (31-2) will try to punch their ticket again.…

Duke hosts Oklahoma State on Tuesday night in scrap to get to Sweet 16

Mike Potter — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 15:11:00 -0400

CAMERON INDOOR STADIUM/DURHAM One last time to protect the home court, then on to brighter lights.

That’s what Duke hopes to get accomplished on Tuesday night at 7 (ESPNU), when Oklahoma State visits for the second round of the NCAA Women’s Tournament.…

Tar Heels succumb to Kansas in NCAA Tournament

Rob Harrington — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 22:07:00 -0400

North Carolina didn't defeat an elite team during the regular season, and the Tar Heels didn't defeat one in the postseason, either. No. 8 seed UNC squared off against top-seeded Kansas — in Kansas City — this evening, and this year's pattern once again replicated as the Jayhawks prevailed 70-58.…

Duke gets by tough Hampton, hosts Oklahoma State next

Mike Potter — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 18:01:00 -0400

CAMERON INDOOR STADIUM/DURHAM Duke begins another quest today.

After three straight NCAA Tournaments in which a great Blue Devil team ended its run in the Elite Eight, perhaps this team is good enough to make a Final Four.…

Duke hosts hot MEAC champions in first-round NCAA clash

Mike Potter — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 15:38:00 -0400

CAMERON INDOOR STADIUM/DURHAM Duke begins its quest for post-season glory on Sunday afternoon against an opponent that didn’t have a long way to travel.

The first-round opponent for the No. 5 Blue Devils (30-2), who have the No. 2 seed in the Norfolk Region, is No. 15 seed and MEAC champion Hampton (28-5).…

Heels to Nova: We don't need no stinking rebounds

Rob Harrington — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 23:05:00 -0400

If you're a North Carolina fan, there's almost no way you could have enjoyed the final 30 minutes of tonight's NCAA Tournament contest. A No. 8 seed matched against No. 9 Villanova, the Tar Heels burst to a quick 20-point first half lead and then gradually and painfully collapsed thereafter, actually falling behind during the second half before hitting just enough key shots to defeat the Wildcats 78-71.…

A (partial) defense of March Madness

Thad Williamson — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 12:49:00 -0400

In April 1 issue of The Nation, “Edge of Sports” columnist Dave Zirin has an article titled “The NCAA: Poster Boy for Corruption and Exploitation” which shines a light on what is described as the exploitation of college athletes by the money-making NCAA “cartel” that brings in millions through March Madness while the athletes get nothing.

I have a particular interest in that piece not just as a basketball follower but because I also once wrote a piece for The Nation critiquing college sports, titled "Bad as They Wanna Be" back in 1998.…

Wolfpack rallies in last four minutes, ousts Richmond from WNIT

Mike Potter — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 23:03:00 -0400

REYNOLDS COLISEUM/RALEIGH N.C. State will try to finish its season on a good note with some success in the WNIT, but the Wolfpack’s first-round assignment isn’t an easy one.

State (16-16) will take on Richmond (16-15), which ripped the Wolfpack 72-58 early last season.…

Duke gets No. 2 seed, UNC No. 3; Pack in state-line WNIT squabble

Mike Potter — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 23:35:00 -0400

Duke is exactly in the spot most people expected for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament opening this weekend.

And maybe UNC got a nice surprise.…

Heels fall to Hurricanes in ACC Final

Rob Harrington — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 16:50:00 -0400

Anytime you hear North Carolina fans say, “We lost, but I’m proud of our effort,” you know the Tar Heels must have played very well. A fanbase with extraordinarily high expectations typically doesn’t absorb losses gracefully, but today UNC earned praise from even its most irrational supporters despite dropping the ACC Tournament final to Miami 87-77.…

Heels set to represent Triangle in ACC finale

Rob Harrington — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 02:20:00 -0400

North Carolina survived a determined effort from Maryland this afternoon at the ACC Tournament, fending off the Terrapins 79-76 to win the season series 3-0. The Tar Heels didn't shoot as well as they did versus Florida State on Friday, but Reggie Bullock and Marcus Paige hit key shots late to fend off a squad desperate to earn a berth into the NCAA Tournament.…

Down goes Duke; Wolfpack, Tar Heels remain alive

Rob Harrington — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 14:47:00 -0400

Perhaps suffering from a letdown after last weekend’s deconstruction of North Carolina, Duke performed sluggishly on Friday night at the ACC Tournament and fell to Maryland 83-74 for the second time this season.

Seeded No. 2 entering the weekend, the Devils shot just 4-for-25 on threes, forcing too many contested shots and failing to establish inside-outside balance.…

We do the math: The 14 greatest ACC Tournaments ever

Thad Williamson — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 10:52:00 -0400

Today is quarterfinal Friday of the ACC Tournament in Greensboro. The wheat has been sorted from the chaff and only the top eight teams remain, thanks to a no-upset first round on Thursday.…

Remember when people really cared about the ACC Tournament? Here's a proposal to restore the luster.

Neil Morris — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 08:53:00 -0400

Will parity prove the elixir for this year’s ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament?

Yes, top-seeded Miami and Duke are the odds-on favorites. But unlike the top-heavy tourneys of yore, at least five teams—including North Carolina, N.C. State and Virginia—enter this weekend with a realistic hope of winning the ACC conference crown.…

Jones takes MVP honors as Blue Devils roll to ACC title

Mike Potter — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 19:22:00 -0400

GREENSBORO COLISEUM Whether or not it’s the greatest rivalry in college sports may be up for debate, but it’s the best rivalry in college basketball.

Maybe in basketball, period.…

Su casa es mi casa: Blue Devils torch UNC in Chapel Hill

Rob Harrington — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 13:05:00 -0400

Mike Krzyzewski sometimes refers to his West Point background when discussing his coaching philosophies, and last night fit under shock and awe.

Duke marched into the Smith Center and calmly — and cruelly — scored the game’s first 14 points, instilling in UNC a sense of a panic from which the Tar Heels never recovered.…

Coleman shocks everybody as UNC comeback stuns Terps

Mike Potter — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 20:20:00 -0500

GREENSBORO COLISEUM By the time we get to the second Saturday semifinal, only the three teams that have ever won the ACC Women’s Tournament in Greensboro are still around.

So one of the big teams has finally got to go.…

Peters, Liston lead Duke in holding off Seminoles

Mike Potter — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 18:43:00 -0500

GREENSBORO COLISEUM All the pretenders and Cinderellas are gone at the ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament.

The four teams that are left will definitely go to the NCAA Tournament.…