The ACC-Back to Normal

Yep, all is right with the world once again, as the ACC is the top conference in college basketball.

Sorry Big East, Big 12, or any other conference you may deem worthy--the ACC smokes all of you.

There are great teams in those other conferences, but you don't see what you saw Wednesday in other conferences. 7th ranked Wake Forest blown out in Miami. 4th ranked Duke dismantled in Clemson. The Tigers are no flash in the pan--they were 10th in the coaches poll going into Wednesday play. It just the kind of parity that the late Pete Rozelle dreamed of for his NFL. Only this thing happens a couple times a week in the ACC.

It's heaven. It's unpredictable. It's awesome...with a capital "A" (sorry Dickie V.).

Miami shot lights out, Clemson just buried Duke, never gave the Devils a chance to breathe.

Poetry.

Elsewhere in ACC hoops, UNC has shut down the hopes of Marcus Ginyard returning to the team this season. Smart move, and I hope Ginyard can get another year of eligibility as a result. He's a nice young man, plays hard, and is what UNC hoops should be about. Tough break for him, but when an injury doesn't respond to treatment after this much time, it's time to find out what is going on.

On the same night they shut down Ginyard, UNC also closed the 2008-2009 books on Will Graves. According to head coach Roy Williams, "Will did not maintain the standards we expect of a Carolina basketball player. He will remain a part of our program and participate in practice and all other team activities. His status for 2009-2010 will be determined prior to next season."

I ask--what do you have to do to go from reserve guard as a sophomore on one of the top ranked teams in the country, to a player without a country? Seriously, how do you get booted from this team? It's too early in the semester to think grades or missing classes. The school will not release details as to why Graves was shown the door, but it doesn't bode well for his return to the team next season. UNC has another dynamite recruiting class scheduled for 2009-2010. If they all show up, Graves could be odd man out. We'll see.

Mike Solarte