Potential College Basketball Season for Triangle

There are those of us that remember 1974 in basketball as the year of the National Championship for the Wolfpack  Sometimes it is hard to remember that 1974 just may have been the greatest year in the history of ACC basketball.

Yes, 1974 there was still only one team from the ACC that made the NCAA tournament but how many remember that in the polls State was #1, Maryland #2 and Carolina was #4 at one point in the season.  There was another team called UCLA which kept the league from taking the top three spots.  Sounds a lot right now how the SEC football season is unfolding doesn't it?

1974 Maryland joined State and Carolina and just maybe this year State is ready to jump into the frying pan and make their first attempt in many a blue moon in making the top ten.  Unlike 36 years ago Duke and Carolina  are the two triangle schools expecting to make top five or higher.

Carolina the preseason #1 to this point  is showing no signs where they can't be somewhere near the top in the national picture when both the regular season ends as well as when the NCAA Tournament starts rolling in March.  Today's world of twenty five teams being capable of winning the National Title it is hard to expect any team to not lose one or two.  I would not expect Carolina to go undefeated in conference much less for the entire season.  A #1 seed in the NCAA brackets is probably heading Carolina's way.

Duke now that coach K has 903 out of the way has been taking on all comers and are playing at a high level for this early in the season.  I don't think Rivers is as good as Irving was last year but if Rivers stays healthy he may be a more valuable player for Duke as the season unwinds.  Duke and Carolina both making the final four is not dreaming but a possibility.

N C  Stateplaying across the river from the Big Apple came from 18 points down with eleven minutes to play and beat Texas this week.  Now when was the last time they came back on anybody?  Mark Gottfried just  could be sitting on a gold mine in Raleigh.  Just in the last 15 years anytime State was 18 down with eleven to play they would have lost by 30.  As Coach calls him even Calvin is playing his butt off and that is C J Leslie who many times last season stood around and pouted while on the court.  There is no reason right now to think that State could be a top 15 team and slip in the back door of the top ten.

All three Triangle schools have those resume' wins on their schedule in their back pocket that when they start placing teams in the brackets you move up because you have a Michigan State win or  a Texas win on that Resume'.  Wouldn't it something if all three are top 15 or better.  Most folks around here would have a heart attack if that happens.