Duke takes its first Erwin Cup lead! (Sorta)

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Shane
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With last night’s 1-0 win over N.C. State, the Duke women’s soccer team won the regular season ACC championship (only the second in program history, and the first since 1994) and earned four points for the Devils in the Erwin Cup.

Technically, that gives Duke a 6.5-4.5 lead, as you see on the scoreboard to your right.

Unfortunately, what I didn’t realize is that the ACC field hockey season has come to an end, and the UNC women are champions. So…when those points go up, UNC will be back in the lead, 7.5-6.5.

But until William fixes the score…GO DEVILS!

Edit: I’ve fixed the scoreboard. GO HEELS! – William

The game in Raleigh was great last night. State smartly played a very defensive game, double- and triple-teaming Kelly Cobb up front and basically taking her out of the game. Continue reading →

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Carolina’s Greatest Players of the ACC Era: 40-31

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Adrian
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The first 60 selections on the list can be found here: 100-91 (+ methodology), 90-81, 80-71, 70-61, 60-51, and 50-41.

Picking back up with #40.

40. Derrick Phelps: 1991-94, PG, 6’3″, 180, Pleasantville, NY

  • Peak season (1993): 8.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 5.4 apg, 2.3 spg, 45.7 FG%, 67.5 FT%, 31.3 3Pt%, 51.9 TS%, 3.32 WORP / 35 games
  • Career averages (4 years): 7.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 4.8 apg, 1.9 spg, 44.8 FG%, 71.8 FT%, 32.2 3Pt%, 53.2 TS%, 9.19 Career WORP, 2.84 WORP/ 1,000 minutes
  • Accolades: one 2nd-team All-ACC, one All-ACC Tournament team, starter on one Final Four/national championship team, reserve on one Final Four team

Phelps was one of the truly elite defenders in Carolina history, winning three straight Carmichael-Cobb awards from ’92-’94 (no easy task with George Lynch, also a top-notch defender, on the roster for two of those years). Like Cota (passing), Phelps (defense) had one truly extraordinary talent. He gets the (slight) nod due to the rest of his game being slightly better than the rest of Cota’s game. After backing up King Rice as a freshman in ’91 (and playing about 10 MPG during UNC’s Final Four run), Phelps moved into the starting line-up permanently in ’92. In February of that season, he set a UNC record with 9 steals against Georgia Tech. He also added 11 assists in that game, demonstrating how profoundly he could affect the outcome on both ends without scoring (he scored just 5 points on 5 FGAs in that game). Phelps steered the Heels to a title in ’93 in his typical fashion– no gaudy stats, just game-changing contributions on both ends (like locking down Cincinnati’s Nick Van Exel in the 2nd half of the Elite 8 contest). As a senior, Phelps made 2nd-team All-ACC, then All-ACC Tournament team by averaging 10.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 3.0 steals in three UNC wins. His career ended in a disappointing manner as he suffered a concussion after a flagrant foul by BC’s Danya Abrams. Phelps played just 14 minutes in that Round of 32 loss before being injured.
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Quick Post – Duke Women’s Soccer and the ACC Title

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Shane
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Just a quick one to note that the Duke women (7-1-1) are going for their first ACC title since 1994 and only their second overall tonight in Raleigh against N.C. State (1-6-2 in conference). These are nearly uncharted waters for Duke, who were led by Laura Weinberg’s two goals to a crucial 2-0 win over Wake Forest last week. For her play, Weinberg was named the ACC Player of the Week. They followed that with a 3-1 win on Senior Day against Maryland. Freshman standout Kelly Cobb was healthy again, and you can see highlights here:

With a win or a draw tonight, Duke will secure the title and the #1 seed going into the ACC Tournament, which they’ve never won. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m covering the team for a feature story, and I’ll be there in Raleigh this evening.

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Tar Heel Tip-off

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Adrian
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Due to distribution problems at Maple Street Press, the fifth edition of Tar Heel Tip-off will not be available in a print version this season. I have chosen to make my Tip-off content available to read/download (for free!) at issuu.com, though. This includes a 2011-12 season preview article, as well as four-page player profiles for each of the eight returning rotation players.

If you can’t see it above, check it out at issuu.com.

Continue reading →

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Coach K or Roy Williams

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Marc
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Coach Williams and Coach K

Two of the best coaches in the NCAA

You’re seventeen years old.  You’re the best basketball player in the nation and you can go to any school you want.  Both Duke and North Carolina have come calling and Coach K and Roy Williams are throwing their best recruiting techniques at you.  You decide to go through a list of pros and cons comparing the two coaches to make your decision.

Continue reading →

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Predicting the Plumlees

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Marc
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Reading through various preseason reports and articles I’ve noticed a pattern has begun to emerge regarding the Plumlees and their potential contributions to this years Duke Blue Devils.  Instead of relying solely on words to describe the play of the Plumlees I will show you what they will bring to the table.

Miles will be doing a lot of this:

Miles Plumlee

Miles with the jump hook from 10 feet

Continue reading →

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Carolina’s Greatest Players of the ACC Era: 50-41

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Adrian
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If you’re just tuning in, catch up with past installments: 100-91 (+ methodology),
 90-81, 80-71, 70-61, and 60-51.

50. Bill Bunting: 1967-69, PF, 6’8″, 195, New Bern, NC

  • Peak season (1969): 18.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 59.8 FG%, 82.7 FT%, 64.8 TS%
  • Career averages (3 years): 11.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 51.4 FG%, 74.0 FT%, 56.3 TS%
  • Accolades: one 1st-team All-ACC, one regional All-Tournament team, starter of three Final Four teams

Along with classmates Grubar and Clark, Bunting moved right into the starting line-up as a sophomore in ’67, joining “The L & M Boys” (Bob Lewis and Larry Miller) in bringing Dean Smith his first Final Four appearance. Bunting, a three-year starter, was just a role player in his first two seasons (7.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG) before busting out in his All-ACC senior campaign (18.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG). It wasn’t just a matter of having more opportunities, either: after shooting 44.0% from the field and 66.3% from the line as a sophomore/junior, he improved those percentages to 59.8% and 82.7% in 1969. Bunting’s junior-to-senior PPG increase of +10.1 trails only Donnie Walsh’s (+10.2) in Carolina history. Bunting was a huge contributor in the ’69 postseason, too: chipping in 16.0 PPG/9.3 RPG in the ACC Tournament, 18.0/8.5 in the East Regional, and 19 and 7 in the Final Four loss to Purdue. While the Class of ’69 never got over the hump in the Final Four, its three consecutive trips there left an indelible mark on the program– especially considering they were the first three of the Dean Smith era.

Continue reading →

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Carolina’s Greatest Players of the ACC Era: 60-51

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Adrian
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In earlier posts, we’ve counted down 100-91 (+ methodology), 90-81, 80-71, and 70-61.

We’ll pick it up here with #60.

60. Pete Chilcutt: 1988-91, C/PF, 6’10”, 230, Eutaw, AL

  • Peak season (1991): 12.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 53.8 FG%, 76.5 FT%, 57.5 TS%, 3.24 WORP / 35 games
  • Career averages (4 years): 8.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 53.4 FG%, 71.0 FT%, 56.7 TS%, 6.35 Career WORP, 2.00 WORP / 1,000 minutes
  • Accolades: one 3rd-team All-ACC, starter on one Final Four team

Chilcutt started his Carolina career off with a bang by hitting a last-second turnaround jumper to send the Hall of Fame Tip-off Classic (vs. top-ranked Syracuse) into overtime. UNC won in OT, capping a 14-point comeback without the services of suspended stars J.R. Reid and Steve Bucknall. Upon Reid’s return, Chilcutt eased into a reserve role as a freshman. He moved into the starting line-up as a junior in ’90, averaging 9 points and 6.6 boards per game. Chilcutt added 17 points in the Round of 32 upset of #1-seed Oklahoma, although his performance was overshadowed by the heroics of fellow junior Rick Fox. In 1991, seniors Chilcutt, Fox, and King Rice led the Heels back to the Final Four for the first time since 1982. Chilcutt scored a career-high 12 points per game that season, shooting 54% from the field and 77% from the charity stripe.

Continue reading →

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Optipessimism Week 8: Carolina-Clemson

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Nate
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Trailing just 24-17 at the start of the third quarter, Clemson began their second half effort by going three and out. A small butterfly jumped somewhere in my stomach; could this be the game where the UNC defense puts on an inspired performance and the offense does just enough for the win? Could this be the signature win on an otherwise-marred season? Could this be the Tar Heels that, after suffering under the weight of NCAA allegations, a dismissed head coach, a maligned secondary, and a trying-really-hard interim head coach, turn the corner on a dismal season with a massive upset of a top ten team?

When Clemson got the ball back about a minute later, thanks to the anemic UNC offense, they ran the ball once for no gain. This was good news: maybe Clemson was going to go Miami from last week and play hyperconservative. Then Clemson coach Dabo Swinney remembered that the UNC secondary is awful and bites on everything. Swinney dialed up a trick play – a toss reverse pass. Boom. 39-yard completion downfield to DeAndre Hopkins. Two plays later, touchdown. On the ensuing kickoff return, returner Charles Brown left the ball out, got hit, fumbled, and Clemson recovered. Two players later, quarterback Tajh Boyd found a shockingly wide open tight end for the touchdown. What was once a close game was now suddenly out of reach, and I developed an intense interest in carpet fibers. In honor of the crapfest that was this game, this post will be entirely pictureless. Sorry I’m not sorry.

Continue reading →

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The Triangle Prophets, Week 8

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Shane
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Every Friday, a group of fearless webmasters and sports fanatics from around the Triangle will gather to predict five college football games against the spread. Every Duke, Carolina, and N.C. State game will be featured, along with a smattering of high profile non-Triangle games. As the season goes along, we’ll keep the standings updated and see who emerges as the one true prophet. Make your predictions in the comment section. Each week, we’ll feature any and all commenters who pick all 5 games correctly.

Current Standings

1. Me – 19.5 points
1. Nate Friedman, UNC football correspondent – 19.5 points

2.Tar Heel Fan Blog – 18.5 points
2. John Watson, The Devil’s Den – 18.5 points

5. The Devil Wolf, TRB – 16.5 points
5. Jim Young, Editor, ACCSports.com – 16.5 points
5. William Earnhardt, Site Designer – 16.5 points

8. James Henderson, Publisher, Pack Pride – 15.5 points

Continue reading →

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