If You Had A Vote

The Hunt Warriors have won the East Regional tonight beating Orange 66-60 and will play the winner of the Freedom- North Forsyth game that will not be played until Sunday afternoon since all games schedule Friday were lost because of weather out in the western Regional.  The 3-A title game is again is in Chapel where Rocky Mount and the Big East have won the last two titles there.


The ACC Basketball  Tournament begins next  week  and we will hear who is the first team ACC.  We will also find out the player of the  year.  If any one other than T J Warren wins player of the year they should do away with the vote. Unless he goes 0-20 in States final game Sunday night he will become only the 3rd player in ACC history to lead the league in scoring and shooting percentage.  He is third is steals which to me puts him head and shoulders above anyone else who is being considered for the award.

If there is a team that tells you the importance of players filling roles the North Carolina Tar Heels  once they decided  they were not  going to have Hairston this year everyone started playing instead feeling sorry for themselves and playing ball.

As for who is going to Final Four I doubt any team from North Carolina gets further than Sweet 16.  Duke is spotty shooting this year and their big issue is this team doesn't  play Duke D as other Duke teams have.  Carolina  as well as they have played during  their 12 game winning streak just don't scare me if I'm preparing to play them.

Syracuse and their zone defense.  Do you remember when Dave Odom coached  Tim Duncan and Randolph Childress and they scored 66 points a game.  Odoms  said when the game gets to the end all he wanted was a chance to win.  When you only score 66 you just also keep the other team in the game.  Syracuse should be scoring 90 but instead in the sixties  and every team is in every game with them and any team who gets hot the last two minutes can win a close game.  Virginia is the best team in the league but I don't think they have enough tournament experience to get to final four.  If you look at every team this is a wide open year and Duke and Carolina are as good as anybody despite what is wrong with them.

The Big East still has one team alive in the Regional finals in Hunt. If you are planning to go and watch all the games Saturday please note that the Hunt-Orange game has been moved to 8pm instead of 2pm.  The 3-A girls game will feature West Craven and undefeated Chapel Hill.  I doubt West Craven  can keep this game under a 20 point loss.  Playoff games are match ups and West Craven just does not match up with Chapel  Hil.  Northern Nash could but  this year will be remember as the year of the weather and Northern's lack of practice with school out for the weather.  I know that doesn't make Grover Battle and his Lady Knights feel any better but some things aren't meant to be.  I doubt the Lady Knights had more than five practices the last month of January through their loss this week. It just plain too hard for a team to get better through practice but the big issue this week was preparation time for a team that had one super player..