Thinking about Lawson's big toe

Hard to be too upset about Carolina’s loss yesterday to Florida State in the semi-finals of the ACC tournament. Even without Lawson the Heels were in this game and had a one point lead with a little over a minute left.

Still, it stinks to lose no matter the circumstance.

Winning without Lawson was hard enough. But the task became impossible with Danny Green having an off weekend. He missed a variety of good looks – everything from open threes to an alley-oop dunk to a few tip-ins and lay-ups – yet nothing worked for him the entire game. A few makes from Green and the Heels pull off this game.

With Lawson out and Green in the wrong kind of funk, Carolina relied on great performances from Wayne Ellington and strong second half from Hansbrough to stay in the game. This was one of Ellington’s best games of the season. Without Lawson to set him up Ellington created a variety of shots for himself, everything from his trademark threes to a number of nifty and aggressive drives to the basket.

After a first half spent getting double-teamed down low Hansbrough did a nice job creating space and had a nice half on his was to another double double, passing Sam Perkins for first place on the Carolina rebound list in the process.

As he was against Virginia Tech the day before, Bobby Frasor was solid with only two turnovers but was incredibly passive on offense. Deon Thompson, who apparently played with a sprained ankle suffered late in the Virginia Tech game, and Ed Davis each had some decent moments, but for most of the game Carolina only had two guys who could score.

Finally, I was impressed with FSU’s shooting. I’m sure ol’ Roy is unhappy with Carolina’s defense, but to me it seemed the Seminoles hit a number of tough shots. FSU hit 10 of their first 12 shots against Carolina to start the second half.

Despite FSU’s hot shooting, Danny Green’s cold shooting, and Lawson’s bad big toe the Heels still were in a position to win this game. And it still stinks to lose.

MORE ACC MUSINGS

• I thought FSU played very well yesterday, which is why watching them lose to Duke today is so maddening. How can a team be so intense and productive one day, then wilt completely the next? The Noles simply did not step up today against the Devils.
• There is good news coming out of this weekend. One is the play of Ellington. Two, Lawson is quoted at InsideCarolina.com as saying his toe will be healthy by Thursday for the NCAA tournament. Thompson’s sprained ankle should be Tar Heeled by then, too. Three, Green has not had back-to-back-back bad game this season so his funk should be cured by Thursday.
• With Lawson on the bench, purposely held out by Roy so his toe could get better, this tournament was obviously tainted for Heels fans. Still, it stinks watching Duke win and Dukies happy. Though this year’s Duke squad boasts two relatively un-offensive players in Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler, Henderson is as big of a smug, gut-less, right-wing, country-club asshole as any Duke player in history, a long list that includes (in no particular order): Henderson, Danny Ferry, Shane Battier, Corey Maggette, Bobby Hurley, J.J. Reddick, Daniel Ewing, Greg Paulus, Quinn Snyder, Billy King, Jay Heaps, Brian Davis and the king of them all, Christian Laettner (Krzyzewski-era only).
• In the spirit of the Obama administration, here is my list of inoffensive Dukies. Besides Scheyer and Singler, the short list includes Elton Brand, Jay Bilas (for his work with ESPN), Tommy Amaker and maybe Grant Hill (inoffensive but I've always enjoyed rooting against him). Since two of those guys are on this year’s team I guess we are living in the golden age of tolerable Dukies.

Of course, I'll post more on the NCAA tournament brackets later tonight.

ONE HELLENIC UPDATE

I encourage my fellow Hellenes and phil-Hellenes to vote for the Gabby Awards presented by Greek American magazine. I know voting on this blog is often lame but with the Gabby's you can honor "excellence amongst Greek Americans and to reward those who embody it."  Nominees include Tina Fey, Arianna Huffington, Ted Leonsis and Nick Markakis. 

Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart was brilliant during his Thursday night interview of Jim Cramer.  As you know, Cramer hosts 'Mad Money' on CNBC and his show's tag line is 'In Cramer We Trust.'  

Two things in particular made Stewart mad.   One, more than once Cramer claimed his show was 'entertainment.'  That really set Stewart off, who pointed out that the show's tag line contradicts the notion that 'Mad Money' is mere entertainment.  He reminded Cramer that lots of people took his advice and watch the show for that, not for entertainment.

Two, Stewart repeatedly asked why shows like his - and all the other financial shows and networks - drank Wall Street's Kool-Aid and were not more skeptical about the risks taken by financial institutions.  

In doing so, The Daily Show made the usually cocky and buffoonish Cramer simply buffoonish.  It was brilliant television.  It was also a reminder that the satirical fake news show - with fart jokes, etc. - is often times the ONLY show on television that is skeptical and hard charging on the big issues facing America.  

Jon Stewart was also hilarious on Letterman last week discussing the financial networks.  

ACC Tournament Semi-finals

Great day of basketball today highlighted by the Heels gutting out a 79-76 win without Ty Lawson.  

I worked from home this afternoon, and got to watch the Heels, then half of the FSU-Georgia Tech game, most of the AU-Holy Cross game to determine the Patriot League champion, and then the Maryland-Wake Forest game (I'm blogging between that game and the Duke-BC game).

Carolina had to grind out their win over Virginia Tech without Lawson. It was odd to see the Hokies run more often and more effectively than the Tar Heels. Carolina compensated by effectively feeding the post for 40 minutes and Hansbrough, Thompson and Ed Davis had very nice games, especially Hansbrough and Davis.  Even Tyler Zeller, who didn't play that many minutes, scored a big and tough basket late.

The Heels augmented their low-post offense with two mini-runs: one led by Hansbrough and Davis in the first half, and Ellington in the second.  In the end, it was Hansbrough who closed out the win on his way to 28 points. Not only did Psycho T score our last six points, but got a big turnover in the final minute when he tied up Virginia Tech's Thompson.

Hansbrough's play was one of four consecutive stops Carolina made down the stretch.  In general, I thought Carolina's defense was pretty good today against the Hokies.

The Heels play FSU in the semi-finals Saturday afternoon.  Florida State looked ok in surviving their game against an energized Georgia Tech.  It will be an interesting game for the Heels without Lawson.   Carolina will no doubt try to go down low as much as possible but FSU's front line is athletic and big.  We'll need a good game from Ellington and especially Danny Green, who was uncharacteristically cold today.

GO HEELS! 

Lots of Random Things

• Got to give it up for Bobby Frasor, who played 37 minutes. It was his first start as Carolina's point guard since his sophomore year. He wasn't spectacular, and he had another bad shooting night, but he did a good job feeding the post and had only 1 turnover.
• This game was a nice advertisement for Carolina's depth. Frasor started, Drew played 14 minutes, and Ed Davis was a horse down low in scoring 10 impressive points with 6 boards.  Zeller only played 4 minutes but contributed 4 points and 3 boards.  And little used Justin Watts got 5 minutes in the first half.  Watts looked pretty good and set a nice screen for Hansbrough.
• Maryland looked good, but Wake looked awful today. As a result Maryland makes the ACC semifinals.  Grevieis Vasquez had a great game for the Terps, but it was a team effort as Maryland beat up the taller front line of Wake Forest. Maryland outscored the Demon Deacons in the paint and out rebounded Wake.  
• The win should get Maryland in the NCAA tournament; they now have wins over Carolina, Michigan State, Michigan and Wake Forest.  So the ACC should get at least seven teams in the big dance: Carolina, Wake, Duke, FSU, Clemson, Boston College and Maryland.
• I never thought I would regret watching a Big East game, but I wish I had stayed up to watch the six-overtime game between UConn and Syracuse.  As a result of that game, I will not pick either team to go far in the NCAA tournament. I imagine both teams are toast, emotionally and physically. 
• Congrats to Ty Lawson for being named ACC Player of the Year. My heart was with Tyler Hansbrough, but Lawson is a deserving winner.  He was the most important player on the best team in the conference, and usually the most dominant player on the court. 

Hellenic News 

• If you're in DC, mark your calendars for the annual 'Congressional Salute to Greek Independence Day' on April 1, from 6 pm to 8 pm, in room 334 of Cannon House Office Building, sponsored by the Congressional Hellenic Caucus and the American Hellenic Institute. As a Greek-American lobbyist I will most certainly attend this event so let me know if you want to join me. You need to RSVP; for more information visit: http://ahiworld.org/announcements/gid/index2.html.

• In addition to the reception, there are two resolutions pending in Congress recognizing Greek Independence Day and the Cretan resistance to the Nazi invasion and occupation during World War II. More information on each bill is below. H.Res. 227: Rep. Carolyn Maloney [D-NY]: Recognizing and appreciating the historical significance and the heroic human endeavor and sacrifice of the people of Crete during World War II and commending the PanCretan Association of America. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=hr111-227,  H.J.Res. 39: Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen [R-FL]: Recognizing the 188th anniversary of the independence of Greece and celebrating Greek and American democracy. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=hj111-39.  FYI, Maloney represents Astoria, Queens; for Ros-Lehtinen, there are lots of Greeks in south Florida.

• One piece of bad Hellenic news: Panathinaikos lost - in Athens - on Tuesday and were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League.  After tying Villareal on the road with an all-important away goal, the Greens came back to Athens needing only a scoreless tie to make the round of 8.  But instead Panathinaikos' defense completely fell apart, and they lost to Villareal 1-2. Tough loss in Athens in a game the Greens should have won.

Heels Sweep Devils; Win Regular Season

In a game that eerily mimicked the win in Cameron in February, Carolina used a great second half to sweep the season series against Duke, winning 79 to 71 on Senior Day in Chapel Hill.

Carolina played an almost nonchalant first half and trailed by one after 20 minutes. As it was in Cameron, Carolina got the ball down low for an early lead, but then allowed Duke to get decent looks. The Devils shot 60 percent in the first half, led by Singler, and as they did in Cameron led at half (this time by only a point).

The Heels may have been a little tight on Senior Day.  Danny Green wasn't aggressive, Ellington missed three free throws, and after his good start Hansbrough went to the bench sucking wind six minutes into the game when he ran out of adrenaline.

In the second half Carolina played much better defense, made some adjustments to keep Henderson and Singler in check, and used two spurts of 7-1 and 7-0 to build a working margin.  Even in the first half, you had a feeling Carolina was going to win this game.  The two spurts ended all doubt.  

Duke cut the lead to 4, 3 and even 2 points at times, but Carolina was in control the entire second half, played nice defense down the stretch to close out the win, and it showed in a tidy win. This season Carolina is a lot better, more talented than Duke.  Simple as that.  

As evidence I offer Deon Thompson.  After Henderson converted a fast break basket - off a missed Danny Green dunk of all things - to cut the lead to 2 with 5 minutes left, Carolina came down and got an old fashioned three-point play from Thompson. Carolina's FIFTH most talented player iced the game for the Heels, as Henderson's basket was the high-water mark for the Republicans from Durham.  After the Thompson basket Carolina converted a Singler miss to an Ellington fast break basket, and the game was over.

Duke's fifth best scoring option is . . .? Lance Thomas? Elliot Williams? David McClure?  Those guys stink. Our fifth guy wins games. Case closed.

And all of Carolina's talent was on display today.  Carolina's top seven players had great games and great moments.

• Tyler Hansbrough was strong and effective as he scored 17 points from all over the floor, including two three-pointers (though the third one he took was a bad shot);
• Ty Lawson was one again unstoppable against Duke.  He nearly had a triple-double with 13, 8 and 9 assists.  More importantly, he dominated the pace and tempo of the game in the second half, and made great decisions on whether to shoot or pass.  His three-point play with a minute and half left iced it for the Heels.
• Ellington had 16 points as he wisely slashed to the basket each time Duke played him to shoot a three. He finished 7 of 10 from the field.
• Thompson complimented his big three-point play with 14 points on 6 of 10 shooting, and almost fouled Singler out in the process.
• Danny Green was Danny Green.  After a tentative first half Green ended up with 12 points - on 5 of 10 shooting - and 4 boards, 3 steals and one big block late.  It seemed as if all of his baskets in the second half were huge.
• Bobby Frasor had a great Senior Day, hitting a three, grabbing some rebounds and tying up Henderson in the last two minutes for a turnover.  Henderson 'only' scored 14 points today and never really took over, and much of that is due to Frasor's defense.  A great way for Frasor to go out.
• Ed Davis got limited minutes but was a beast when he was in, hitting a nifty little hook and a nasty dunk.  And in only 10 minutes he picked up 4 boards.

Finally, Carolina out rebounded Duke 31-22.  Duke is very weak in the middle, and does not match up well with Carolina on the boards or against Hansbrough and Lawson. That's that. A great team effort by a talented bunch added up to a satisfying win over the Dookies.  Carolina has now won 6 of the last 7, and 8 of the last 10 versus Duke. And Krzyzewski's record against Carolina is 32-36. 

GO HEELS!

Quick ACC Basketball blog

Maryland looked like an NIT team in their loss to Virginia on Saturday.  And they looked very very tight for most of the contest as the weight of this game took it's toll.  Their 7-9 record means that unless they win the ACC tournament, or perhaps if they advance to the final, they will not make the NCAA tournament again this year.

Boston College won yesterday, on a last second shot by Rakim Sanders, to secure their ninth ACC win. Their conference record and wins over Carolina and Wake make them a lock.

Obviously, the big story for me is Duke at Carolina on Sunday. But the biggest game in terms of the NCAA tournament is Virginia Tech at FSU. Tech needs a win to get to 8-8 in conference, and have another marquee win to add to the resume.

If Tech loses the ACC will have three teams at 7-9 - Miami being the third - who have to use the conference tournament to play themselves into the big dance.  And the tournament is stacked with top level teams including Carolina going for their third straight ACC championship.

The ACC is the best conference in the country this year, so one or two 7-9 team may get in simply for surviving conference play.  Right now the ACC only has six teams in (Carolina, Duke, Wake, BC, Clemson, and FSU) and deserves at least eight, so two of those 7-9 teams could get in especially if they win at least one game in the ACC tournament.

Duke has played better of late, avoiding their patented late season swoon of the last couple of years, but I feel great about the Heels' chances today.  Despite the emergence of Elliott Williams the Devils have no one who can stop or slow down Ty Lawson.

They also don't have anyone who can stop Tyler Hansbrough.   Look for both Tys to have big days today, especially Hansbrough. Psycho-T looks like a nice guy but seems to really hate the Dukies.  I think Gerald Henderson knows one reason why.

It will be an emotional day as Hansbrough, Danny Green and Bobby Frasor play their last game in Chapel Hill.  Hansbrough is one of the all time greats, in both college and Carolina basketball, and I and millions of other Heels fans will miss his play and his pure Carolinabasketballiness.

But even if they cut down the nets this year that class will always be special for their 2006 run. Easy to forget that Carolina went into that season with four freshman - those three plus Marcus Ginyard - and not much else.  Of course, that 'not much else' including two of my favorite Heels of all time - David Noel and Reyshawn Terry - who led the young Heels to an improbable run that year. 

How lucky are we as Heels fans to be able to watch those back to back classes, first May-Felton-McCants (with Manuel, Williams, Williams in there too) then Hansbrough-Green-Frasor (with Lawson-Ellington right behind)?

Of course, this year isn't over yet.  Here's to seeing each class end their runs the same way.  Go Heels!

Two Quick Merow-Manuel Notes

• Alison won the raffle for a new MacBook at our school's auction last night. Cool news for the one member of our family you regularly uses our old desktop computer.
• So far Ariadne has heard back from one of the three schools she applied to, and it was good news as she was admitted to St. Andrews in Potomac.  She's very excited to be admitted, but also excited about a school that has a modern dance department.  We should hear from Edmund Burke and The Field School, her other two schools, early next week. 
• Finally, though I voted for Anoop Desai, this week I would vote for Barack Obama since he overturned the Bush ban on stem cell research.  And said he said wanted to strengthen the endangered species act . . . 

aNOop Line On The Horizon

After listening to it for three days running I'm still not sure how I feel about U2's latest, 'No Line on the Horizon.'

It is more mid-tempo than their last two records. Like 'How To Dismantle a Neutron Bomb' there is a heavy emphasis on lyrics and vocals. But unlike that record, or 'All That You Can't Leave Behind,' I don't think there is enough of The Edge. As compelling as Bono is, and let's face it he's the only rock star who pull off being a self-conscious ROCK STAR yet still be cool and likable and charismatic, U2 works best when the music and not the lyrics are the focus.

That is the paradox of U2: Bono dominates but it's Mr. Edge's band. Anthemic songs and phrasing are hallmarks, but lyrics really aren't U2's bread and butter. The fact that Bono can make often trite or cliched lyrics so compelling is part of his charm.

But at least for me, that is not the main reason U2's music has held up so well for more than 25 years. "Achtung Baby" and "Zooropa" make the case for me. The Edge dominated U2's early material, but on those two records is was not his guitar but the sound he crafted that is at the center of U2's sound. And both of those records, especially 'Achtung Baby,' still sound great more than 10 years later.

U2 sounds better when The Edge's music and not Bono's lyrics are front and center, and the best band in the history of rock and roll - hands down best band of all time - has it backwards on this record.

[At least that's how I feel now. As is often the case, one's opinion of a record almost always changes when you listen to it over and over again.]

I could be wrong, or I could be spoiled. One reason U2 is the greatest band of all time is that at their age they've released songs like Vertigo, Elevation, Beautiful Day, City of Blinding Lights, etc There's nothing on this new record as compelling as those songs.

Anoopian Idol

Some of you know that I watch American Idol with Ariadne and Evan. Both of them get pretty into it, especially Ariadne, and it's also a good chance to talk about pop music with the kids (i.e. - Elton John stinks; Stevie Wonder is a great American).

But this year, instead of simply watching I have a rooting interest, Carolina alum Anoop Desai. And he had a Tyler Hansbrough-esque week. First, he made it back as a wild card performer. Then tonight Anoop made it as the final and thirteenth contestant. AI usually only has a dozen finalists, but Anoop's talents are so great the judges made an exception and have a final baker's dozen this year. Finally, Anoop referred to the anniversary of student body president Eve Carson's death at the end of the show.

Anyway, good for Anoop and a good omen as the Heels get ready for the Dukies on Sunday.

GO HEELS!

Heels Tough Out Road Win in Blacksburg

Carolina did a nice job closing out a tough road game tonight in defeating Virginia Tech, on senior night in Blacksburg, 86-78. 

The Heels controlled the game - the Hokies never led - but could not put Virginia Tech away until late in the game. That in itself is great news. Carolina has not been great in closing out games.  Even in games they've won - at Florida State and at Miami, for instance - the Heels lost leads late.  And of course there's the Maryland game.

Losing on the road in the ACC is nothing to be ashamed of, even for a team as talented as this year's squad. But winning on the road tonight is something to be proud of. Similar to the Terps, the Hokies were desperate for a win. Carolina's offense didn't flow for 40 minutes straight, but they did have 3 significant spurts to build and hold a lead. My man Danny Green hit a big three with 8 and half minutes left to stop one Hokies run, and down the stretch Hansbrough and Lawson made enough baskets - and barely enough free throws - to ice it. 

And in the last four minutes, Carolina's defense kept Virginia Tech's desperation from turning into points. So on both offense and defense, Carolina toughed it out, and put a good team away, for a nice win against a desperate team playing on senior night.  Good stuff.

A Few More Notes

• A large portion of Carolina's defensive toughness was provided by Virginia-native Ed Davis.  In the first half Davis scored and in the second he controlled the defensive end of the floor.  He altered or blocked a number of shots - 6 to be exact - during various Virginia Tech runs and played a very effective 17 minutes.  In less than a half he finished with 8 points, 4 boards and 6 blocks.
• Wayne Ellington and Hansbrough carried Carolina in the first half, with help from Deon Thompson and Davis.  Ellington got back on track from 3 in the initial stanza, and in the second half had a few nice drives to finish with 15 points.
• As they did against Georgia Tech, Carolina did a great job feeding the post especially in the first half. It was great to see Hansbrough have back to back great games, as Psycho T finished with 22 and 15. Deon and Davis also got some great looks in the first half.
• Danny Green was off for most of the game, but when his team needed him he hit two big trademark 3s.  Danny Green, BTW, is god!
• In the second half Green hit his two 3s, Carolina kept going to Hansbrough, but the last half of the game was controlled by Ty Lawson. He did a great job picking his spots to drive, pass or feed the post.  Smart and in control the entire second half.

So another quality road win against a tough team. The Heels made plays on both ends of the floor and closed out a team playing their final road game.  A good night's work for the Heels as they head into a bittersweet day: the final home game for Bobby Frasor, Danny Green and Tyler Hansbrough against Duke this weekend.

A few random notes:

• Two ACC teams really hurt their chances to make the NCAA tournament tonight.  With the loss Virginia Tech needs to defeat FSU in Tallahassee on Saturday to finish 8-8 in the ACC. 
• But the team that REALLY shot themselves in the foot is Miami.  They lost to Georgia Tech, granted in Atlanta, for their ninth loss. The U will need to beat NC State in their final game at home, then probably win two games in the ACC tournament to make the NCAAs for the second year in a row.
• But the Wolfpack will be a tough out.  They defeated Boston College tonight, and the Pack can finish 7-9 if they defeat the U.  If they do that, then win a couple in the ACC tournament, NC State could conceivably make the tournament.
• Despite the loss, BC can finish with 9 wins if they take care of Georgia Tech in Chestnut Hill this weekend.
• Finally, Maryland is probably out after losing their ninth game last night to Wake.  

Lots of action this week in the ACC, and coming up this weekend. Carolina, Duke, Wake, Clemson, FSU, and BC are in; Virginia Tech can play themselves in with a win in Tallahassee.   Then on to the ACC tournament for Miami, NC State and maybe Maryland.  

GO HEELS!

Almost forgot the other big Tar Heel win tonight - Anoop Desai is back on American Idol after winning wild card night!  Anup is a native of Chapel Hill, and I think has two degrees from Carolina. 

Heels Get Back On Track

Pure Carolina basketball was once again on display yesterday as the Tar Heels dismantled the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 104-74. The Heels did all the things preached by Dean Smith - fed the post early in each possession, ran every time they could, played the passing lanes (12 steals), and did not shoot an inordinate amount of three pointers. After an uncharacteristic - and un-Tar Heel like - collapse in the last 2 minutes at Maryland, Carolina played Carolina-style basketball for (the final) 35 minutes.  That usually means winning, and against a young team like Tech it means winning by 30.

It was great to see Hansbrough get involved early.  Carolina did a great job with their spacing on offense and as a result Psycho-T had lots of room to maneuver and get open down low.  Then my man Danny Green led a one-man spurt to put the game away early in the second half.  Other than Ellington, who missed all three of his three-pointers, the offense really flowed yesterday.  

Finally, odd as it may sound for someone who did not make a field goal, Lawson dominated the offense side of the ball and set the tone for the game despite hitting only four free throws.   Carolina passed the ball very well the entire game.  Some games, like against Duke, Lawson needs to take over.  In others, he needs to feed the post.   I think he is starting to figure that out. 

• Paul Hewitt reminds me of the rental-car agent in a Seinfeld episode, the one who gives away Jerry's car even though he had a reservation. To paraphrase, "Hewitt knows how to get talent, he just doesn't know how to hold it." Chris Bosh, Thaddeus Young, Javaris Crittendon, Ishmael Mohammed are all Tech guys who left early and play in the NBA. 
• I like Crittendon, who is getting some decent minutes for our hometown Wizards in what should be his junior year in Atlanta.
• Bobby Frasor had a nice game, hitting three two-point shots including one nifty drive with a ball fake.  I think he needs to do that more rather than exclusively settling for jacking up threes. 
• Carolina's bench scored 25 points (29 if you count the deep bench players/walk ons).  Zeller seemed much more comfortable and finished with 8 points.  And Ed Davis continued to be Ed Davis.  I loved his Olajuwon-esque turn around in the first half.
• In addition to watching the Heels win by 30 is was great to listen to Gus Johnson and Greg Anthony work the game. Johnson loves calling games; check out his greatest hits on YouTube. And Anthony, though he's a high-profile Republican, is insightful and precise with his language.  They make a nice team.
• The Post has set it's sights on the Maryland mens basketball. Two weeks after a three-part series on Gary Williams, today's paper has a long piece on the interaction between Under Armour, the Baltimore-based apparel company founded by a Terp grad, and potential recruits. The relationship is dicey since the founder of the company is also a member of the Maryland Board of Trustees.
• I'm obviously very biased, but for my money the only conference worth watching is the ACC.  Everyone knows Big 10 games are brutal contests that lack any kind of offensive flow.  The Big East is not much better; no one in that conference seems to know how to get up and down the floor and most Beast games seem to be in the 60s (though Pitt did score 89 yesterday at Seton Hall). It's a Herb Sendek league. 
• And speaking of Sendek, his Arizona State team needed overtime to score 49 points yesterday. They lost, 49-51 to Washington State.  I have a morbid fascination with these low scoring games.  ASU and WSU only turned the ball over 16 times - combined - and took a combined 21 free throws for the game.  That means not many drives to the basket or bad passes but LOTS of missed and probably open shots; they likely didn't drive because they were getting open looks.  Both teams milked the shot clock and missed lots of shots, and played bad non-ACC basketball.  ASU will probably make the tournament but will stink it up once they do.
• Big win for Boston College at home earlier in the week against FSU, and then a big win by FSU over Clemson (who has lost two in a row) yesterday.  It looks like right now the ACC has six locks for the NCAA tournament: Carolina, Duke, Wake, Clemson, Florida State and Boston College.  Miami, which has a very favorable schedule, should get in if the U win their last two games and finishes at 8-8.  
• The ACC has on outside shot at 9 bids, and deserves the most.  At 6-7 Maryland needs at least two wins in their last three games, no small task.  The Terps go to NC State tonight followed by a home game against Wake then another road game at Virginia.  All three will be tough. The Terps really needed to beat Duke in College Park on Wednesday, but as is often the case suffered a bit of an emotional let down after their big win over the Heels.  
• Virginia Tech is 7-7 and is still not dead yet.  They host Carolina on Wednesday in a must win game, similar to the Maryland game for the Tar Heels.  A win gives the Hokies a 500 record in conference and another marquee win.  They close the season at FSU, so neither game will be easy.  
• Finally, I got a chance to watch 'Battle for Tobacco Road" the other day on HBO.  It's worth watching for a number of reasons: Dean, Worthy, and Jordan get plenty of screen time, and it's a nice reminder that historically Carolina leads the series by more than 30 wins, that Krzyzewski has a lifetime losing record against Carolina (despite the Gut and DOH years) and that Roy will make that record even worse.  I'm surprised that the series did not put more emphasis on how each school graduates its players and doesn't cheat, but in general they did a nice job.

Nats Note

Jim Bowden finally fell on his sword today and resigned as the Nationals' General Manager.  We should be happy that he didn't miss the sword or screw that up, too.   Though his scrap heap line up led to an unexpected 81 win season three years ago, the bottom line is his moves led to a102-loss season to debut a new taxpayer funded stadium (with another retread, Odalis Perez, throwing the first pitch!).

Bowden was finally undone by the signing and tawdry and shallow mea culpas surrounding the signing of  one-time teenager "Smiley" Gonzalez. Ironically, he resigned as some of his moves may be poised to pay off. Bowden did bring Lastings Milledge, Adam Dunn, Josh Willingham, Jesus Flores and Elijah Dukes to DC, and he did draft Ryan Zimmerman, Jordan Zimmerman, and other prospects. That's a decent amount of talent, talent he won't be around to see develop thanks to his inept handling of the Gonzalez signing.  

Despite those moves, he will not be missed.

PS - Congrats to Fire Jim Bowden blogger Steven Biel.