It will be vital this year for any ACC team that thinks they can make the NCAA Tournament they will have to be able to win on the road if they are looking for a high seed but most importantly this year there will be no playoff games in North Carolina. I think we can count on our fingers the number of times when any of the Triangle teams have lost in North Carolina Arenas during the NCAA's.
Carolina's destruction of State was a game where the Tar Heels played great at home in their homeopener but struggled on the road in their road games but they did win one. Carolina didn't play great defense in Law Vegas against Kentucky.
The Tar Heels played four true road games going 2-2. They opened with a 20 point win at Tulane who on the season is 3-11. I do see of the three teams in the Triangle that the Heels have the best chance of making final eight.
Duke has played two true road games at UNLV 8-9 winning by 50 and Virginia Tech. Coach K is the coach that every network wants so Duke had played six games on neutral courts in some made for TV tournaments.
Most years you can count on Duke getting better as the year goes on but maybe not this year since coach is on IR for a month. I truly have not seen to this point the Duke team that everyone is raving about having the best recruiting class in the country.
Duke has had a Mash unit on the sideline and at this point and if they lose Amile Jefferson this is the wrong time of year to have people sidelined. Despite not looking like a top ten team Duke is 14-2.
We will really know how good Duke is tonight after their game at Florida State a team at this point who looks like the best in the league. They have won on the road as well as they are playing great at home.
NC State now has now played what I call top 40 teams so far this year four times on the road or neutral court and they have looked like JVs in all four. If you are a team that is suppose to be loaded with maybe a top ten recruiting class you can not lose by 50 to anyone other than the Cleveland Caviliers.
Any fan has the right to expect when the team they support plays any game that the players give it all they have. I can live losing any game when I feel like we gave all they had but the other team was better.
It surely looked from the first second the Pack wanted to play Saturday night and didn't want to be there Sunday. If the Pack plays a more important game this year than one they have Wednesday at Boston College the team that looks like the last place team in the league. If you can't win that one you will never win all your games at home.
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It is very rare to see Duke play a true road game on a Top 20 opponent's true home court. Their Top 20 road games are played at the big NBA arenas. Coach K has said his reason for doing this is they don't play NCAA tournament games at Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA, etc. Looking at the history of their Big Ten ACC Challenge game locations, Duke has played their away games at a NBA arena/neutral site versus the true opponent's home court. This has been more than any other ACC team over the course of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
NCSU Gottfried turned over his coaching staff and roster. His reason for the coaching changes is because he wanted a fresh perspective. Well he got that new perspective at UNC. From reports of attendees at the game NCSU AD Debbie Yow left at halftime with a perturbed look on her face. If the NCSU talent (while young) is truly as good as promoted they should not lose by 51, 41, 31, etc. Playing Saturday, Sunday, noon, 6 p.m., midnight, etc. would not have mattered. UNC has the better team and coaching. UNC has won 20 of last 22 in series. Many do not call it a rivalry anymore do to the lopsided margin held by UNC over the last 25+ years.
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