Mike Gminski's Blog

It is hard to believe that it was 30 years ago that my Duke team won this title in 1980 against Maryland. A lot of great memories have come back being back here in Greensboro. I had the honor of playing in 3 straight title games, winning twice. Now I have the honor of calling the ACC Tournament for Raycom Sports.

What a stunning afternoon session today. Boston College has looked disjointed all year and was again today. Congrats to Tony Bennet and his first ACC tournament win! He did a great job holding his guys together. A terrific performance by Sammy Zeglinski- another in a long line of Polish success stories in the ACC!!

And yet another poor first round performance by Wake. They has several sub-par individual offensive performances and never could figure out Miami’s zone. This should help brighten up the spirits of Frank Haith and the Canes.Dino Gaudio might have some uneasy nights between now and selection Sunday.

What does this portend for the night session? The most intriguing game is the UNC/ G.Tech game. Tech must win this game to keep their tournament hopes alive. They did beat the Heels twice during the regular season, including a 17 point drubbing in Atlanta. Guard play will be critical so Udofia and Shumpert must be solid with the ball. It will be interesting to see if the Heels can muster any fight at all.

The last game, one I’m broadcasting, could be interesting. NC St. has played well down the stretch, winning 3 0f 4. They are using more sets and have been more patient. Javi Gonzalez and Farnold Degand must play well against Clemson’s press. The Tigers are a tired team and, therefore, must find some energy. A healthy and productive Demontez Stitt will be a huge key for Clemson. Let’s see if the upsets continue!!

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus- Wow! We are at the quarter pole and Virginia is undefeated and in 1st place in the ACC. Everyone who predicted that, raise your hand. Nobody in Charlottesville has their hand raised either! Great job by Tony Bennett and his staff- he has them playing hard-nosed defense and not looking at the bench when they make a mistake. They have a big test at Wake on Saturday- more on that later.

At least as surprising is a look at the bottom three- UNC,Miami, and Virginia Tech. We know about the talent drain at Carolina and the injuries and killer non-conference schedule, but 1-3?? Their guard play has been spotty but the most glaring weakness is their defense, last in the ACC, giving up 73 points per game. The defense can be improved but I’m not sure about the guard play and perimeter offense. At this point, Carolina is barely a bubble team with 3 of their next 4 on the road where they are 0-4. Miami has been the most disappointing team in the league to me. They got off to 16-1 start, built on a very easy schedule, but have hit the wall hard in league play. The loss to BC at home on Tuesday was one of the great head scratchers of the season so far. Miami was ahead by 16 in the second half to a team in disarray and still found a way to lose.3 of their next 4 are on the road as well where they are winless to date. Virginia Tech has only one win but have 5 of their next 8 at Cassell. Jeff Allen has to step up to get the Hokies rolling.

Can I show you to your seats? Congrats to Sidney Lowe and the red jacket for the Wolfpack’s win against Duke. I thought that Tracy Smith would struggle against taller front lines but he was terrific. It was also impressive to watch Javi Gonzalez pull out of his funk and play with confidence. I look forward to being at RBC next Tuesday when the Tar heels come to town!

Games this weekend- Virginia @ Wake- 4:00pm – This will be a tough test for the Cav’s. They must battle Wake’s size advantage on the boards. Mike Scott must be a man in the post- his production will be a key. Virginia’s point guards must also keep Ish Smith under control-no easy task. Smith is playing with a lot of confidence. This is clearly his team and he is the engine that drives Wake. Wake is really tough when freshmen C.J. Harris and Ari Stewart are making shots. If they are making 3’s, Virginia will be hard pressed to match Wake’s offense. The best matchup may be L.D. Williams against Sylven Landesberg.This game is all about tempo- Wake wants it in the 80’s, Virginia in the high 60’s.

Sunday- Noon- Georgia Tech @ Florida St. – Yes, Noon! Lots of coffee for the G-man!! This is a rematch of a game in December when FSU went to Tech and got a win. This will be a battle of two BIG teams that are very good defensively. The first game’s score was 66-59…in overtime!! Look for another low scoring game. Chris Singleton may be the best defender in the ACC. He’s in the top five in blocks and steals- a rare feat! FSU does not have a dominant scorer but are much more balanced. The big difference is a healthy Iman Shumpert for Tech. He missed the first game but is back and playing at a very high level- witness his 30 point effort in the win at Carolina. Tech has beaten 3 ranked teams in their last 4 games. They are playing as well as anyone in the conference. They will be looking for revenge on the road!

A look back- It was interesting to talk to Roy Williams on Sunday about his team.
You could hear the frustration in his voice in post game press conferences when he
discussed their performance. He told me his frustration comes from his squad making
the same mistakes over and over. He has had to do alot more teaching with this group
and they are having a tough time retaining information. He vows to keep working and
teaching until the light comes on. They were impressive in the second half of their
game against Virginia Tech. Larry Drew was solid at the point and he and Will Graves
gave them good 3 point production. Ed Davis is a star and continues to solidify his
position as first team All-ACC.Marcus Ginyard proved his worth as a lock down
defender when he cooled off Malcolm Delaney in the second half. Delaney was
spectacular in the first half, scoring 20 points ,but  he could manage only  6 after
the half. Dorenzo Hudson had 14 but was only 7-22 from the field. Jeff Allen was
disappointing, scoring only 4 points on 2-5 shooting. He has to produce more
offense, especially against the upper echelon teams, for Tech to compete.

My first Raycom game turned out to be Tony Bennet's first ACC win when Virginia
traveled to Raleigh and beat the Wolfpack. It is going to take Bennet a while to
change the culture at UVA and he is first working on getting his team tough-minded
on defense. They were terrific in the second half, with Sylven Landesberg leading
the way with 23 points. He has an incredible knack for scoring in the lane and
getting to the line. Mike Scott is a big key. When he produces, it gives UVA a post
presence and takes pressure off their perimeter. Sammy Zeglinski has proven to me he
is a legitimate ACC guard, probably a little bit better off the ball as a scorer.
This team will win some games this year that it shouldn't because of Bennet's
abilities.The Boo's were very evident as the Wolfpack fans were very disappointed in
the final result...and then...

There's no "D" in Seminole! NC St. goes to Tallahassee and beats the 'Noles on
Tuesday- scoring 88 points in the process! I have to wonder about FSU's defensive
numbers. In their last two games against ACC comp, both losses, they have given up
77 to Maryland and 88 to they Pack.They have an RPI of 60 but their strength of
schedule is 219. FSU came into those two games allowing 59 points a game. Was that
number built on weak competition? We will see how it holds up during the rest of
conference play. Kudos to Scott Wood and his career high 31 points. The Pack hit 11
3's and outscored FSU at the line by 4. What a turnaround from Saturday! It's going
to be a crazy year.

My next Raycom game is Saturday, back in Raleigh, when Clemson visits NC St.for a
noon game. The Tiger's have a HUGE game Wednesday at home against Carolina. It will
be interesting to see if their press can get into UNC's guards. They are always a
little more active in their press at Littlejohn.The Pack should have some of their
confidence restored after that big win vs. FSU. Javi Gonzalez and Farnold Degand
will be a big key against Clemson's pressure.Shooting the three, especially Wood and
Dennis Horner, will also be a bonus.  The Tiger's must create room for Booker to
operate in the paint. Teams are really crowding him and forcing him more on the
perimeter.

Then it is over to Durham for the Wake-Duke matchup on Sunday night! Should be a
great matchup.Ish Smith is turning into one of the best clutch scorers in the
league- Duke is going to have to deal with his speed and quickness. Best matchup-
Kyle Singler vs. Al-Farouq Aminu! Can't wait for the weekend!

A Look Back- Last week was very hectic but enjoyable. Duke/Long Beach St.on Tuesday-
It was great to catch up with Dan Monson, head coach at LBS. I met him a number of
years ago when he was at Gonzaga and my Duke teammate,Bob Bender 'was at Washington.
Monson has challenged his team this year with the 3rd strongest schedule in America,
playing the likes of Duke, Kentucky,West Virginia, Notre Dame,UCLA,Clemson and
Texas.They were competitive in most of those game and should do well in the Big
West.Duke hit a ton of threes and have been very impressive on the offensive end
most nights this year.Kyle Singler is adjusting to his new role on the perimeter and
the backcourt of Scheyer and Smith have proved hard to stop.

New Year's in Greensboro- It was fun to work the NC St./UNC-G game and visit the
Coliseum. The vibe is completely different from the ACC tournament but they have
done a great job configuring the inside to meet UNC-G's needs.By curtaining off the
upper deck, it becomes a much more intimate atmosphere. Kudo's to Dick Stewart and
the people around the program for making that move a reality. They,too, have a very
demanding schedule, playing 6 ACC schools. Mike Dement is going to have to make sure
his team is mentally ok heading into Southern Conference play as they got drilled in
most of their non-conference games.

Georgia Tech @ Charlotte on Saturday- this was the first time I have called a game
at Halton Arena. What a great atmosphere! SID Tom Whitestone and his staff do a
fantastic job with their game presentation. If you have never been to a game there,
you should definitely check it out! Took my son Noah to practice the day before and
Bobby Lutz could not have been more gracious. I really like him as a person and a
coach and hope he stays long term. The 49ers almost pulled off the upset as Derrio
Green was spectacular. The A-10 is a very strong,deep league this year and
conference play should be challenging.Tech is one of the most physical teams I've
seen. Favors,Lawal and Peacock are a very formidable trio in the paint. Can't wait
to see the Duke game @ Tech this Saturday-should be a war!!

Back to Cameron- My week ended back at Duke on Sunday when they beat the Clemson
Tigers. The game was flat out ugly in the first half but both teams settled down in
the second half. The big three of Singler,Scheyer and Smith carried the day- they
are the only trio from one team all in the top 10 in scoring! It was neat as Duke
honored the 1960 ACC Championship team- Duke's first title! That was Vic Bubas'
first year at Duke after being an assistant to Everett Case at State. Bubas went on
to be one of the great coaches in the ACC over his 10 years at Duke, winning 76% of
his games and going to 3 Final Fours.

A Look Ahead- I do my first work for Raycom this year when I call the Virginia/NC
St. game in Raleigh at noon this Saturday. Virginia has the league's only new coach
in Tony Bennett.Bennett was a teammate of mine when I was at the end of my career
with the Hornets. Tony was one of those guys who was born to coach, following in the
footsteps of his dad, Dick.Tony did a terrific job at Washington St. His teams were
always known for their deliberate offense and stingy defense. He has brought that
same style to Charlottesville. His team is scoring 70 a game but only yielding 59
points per game on 42% shooting. Sylven Landesberg has picked up where he left off
last year, averaging 16 a game and showing a great knack for going to the FT line.
He will be a tough matchup.Sammy Zeglinski has been a surprise, averaging in double
figures and proving to be a reliable threat from 3. The Wolfpack must recover from a
devasting loss to Florida on Sunday by a 75 foot bomb at the end of OT. That is the
type of loss that can take a team's soul away. Sidney Lowe will have to do some
damage contol on his team's psyche! The Pack have been shooting the ball well from
the perimeter lately, most noteably Scott Wood and Dennis Horner.Javi Gonzalez has
also grown into a very good point guard who can also score. The big key for the Pack
will be creating tempo and easy scoring opportunities against Virginia.

Started a very busy week on Tuesday night up in Durham and watched the Blue Devils
unleash a very impressive long range barage against The Beach of Long Beach St. Duke
connected on 15-26 threes and admitted they missed a few more that were open looks.
Duke has four players in their rotation- Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith and
Andre Dawkins - that can shoot 40% or higher from beyond the arc. That puts huge
pressure on opponent's defenses and gives their bigs plenty of room to operate
inside. Brian Zoubek had one of his better games as a Blue Devil with 10 points, 12
rebounds and 3 blocks off the bench. He looks ready to contribute when ACC play
starts.With a stingy defense, Duke is playing the best basketball of anyone in the
conference at this point. I can't wait to call the Duke/Clemson game at Cameron on
Sunday.

New Year's eve will find me in Greensboro for the UNC-G/ NC St. game. The Coliseum
was my 2nd favorite venue to play in during my college days. I look forward to
reliving some of those memories. It is the 50th anniversary of the Coliseum this
year and the first that UNC-G will play it's home games there.The Spartans will play
against 6 ACC teams in their non-conference schedule. ( It is just a rumor that they
will be given an invitation to the ACC tournament in March!) Ben Stywall is their
best player and he is coming off a double/double performance against Wake. State
rebounded from a heartbreaking loss at Arizona to beat Winthrop this week and are
looking to keep some momentum going into a tough home game against the Florida
Gators on Sunday.

The weekend starts for me in Halton Arena here in Charlotte when Georgia Tech visits
the 49ers. I'm looking forward to watching Derrick Favors and Mfon Udofia, two of
the most impressive rookies in the ACC, play for the first time.Tech comes in at
10-2 but have already stumbled in the ACC at home against Florida St. Bobby Lutz has
his team playing at a high level with good health being a major factor. Shamari
Spears has been terrific after sitting out a transfer year from BC, but he will face
a physical frontline from Tech. A big key for the 49ers will be shooting a high
percentage from 3!

Then I finish with Clemson coming to Cameron. You know the Tigers will press for 40
minutes. This may be Oliver Purnell's most athletic team and best defensive squad,
but they will be hard pressed to match Duke's prowess from the 3 point line. It
should be a great game.

Last random thought- Here are some EARLY player of the year candidates to watch as
ACC play begins- Jon Scheyer of Duke, Malcolm Delaney from Virginia Tech, Al- Farouq
Aminu from Wake, Greivis Vasquez from Maryland, Gani Lawal from G. Tech and Tracy
Smith from State. Let's see how they do once conference play starts!

Here's to a safe and healthy New Year to everyone out there and PLEASE be careful on
New Year's Eve!!