Around the ACC with the G-Man While true parity will never come to college basketball, the gap between the power conferences and the mid-majors has narrowed significantly. Witness two weeks ago when UNC, Kentucky and Kansas lost on the same day for the first time ever followed by a weekend that saw all the last remaining undefeated teams lose. Even in the ACC, Virginia, Florida St. and Clemson are all at or above .500 in conference play. Biggest Disappointments to date- Wake Forest and Georgia Tech. The Deacons have still not figured out their point guard issue and look rudderless at this point. In the past their offense was enough to get them wins on most nights, but now they are not scoring at the same pace and they are a very porous defensive team. Tech has the second worst overall record at 9-8 and has already lost 3 home games, two in conference. Point guard play has also been an issue, manifesting itself in 18 turnovers per game on average. Getting to any kind of post season tournament will be a challenge. Biggest Surprise- Not even close. Virginia at 4-2 in conference is absolutely stunning. Dave Leitao has done a masterful job of getting the most out of a not very talented team. The key has been the play of Sean Singletary, the best point guard in the conference. He has carried this team so far and, with improved overall defensive intensity, the Cavs cannot be taken lightly.

Game of the Week - Arizona @ UNC – This non-conference game could be huge for both teams. Arizona is outside the top 25 with six losses already, but a win in Chapel Hill would improve their tournament resume. UNC needs to bounce back from a home loss at the hands of Boston College this week. This will be another chance for Tyler Hansbrough to show the country how well he is playing. Just a thought - With all the buzz about Glory Road, I thought it would be interesting to note some of the things that happened on that floor in the ACC. The first black player, Billy Jones, suited up for Maryland in 1965. The first black coach, Bob Wade, was hired by Maryland in 1987, and the first all black starting five was also fielded by Maryland. It’s interesting that all of these events, including Texas Western’s championship, all took place in Cole Field House. It is also interesting that as of 2006, Duke, UNC, N.C. St., and Wake Forest have never had a black coach in their history. I wonder who will break that streak and how long it will take.

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