Thursday, March 12, 2009

It's begun!!!

I'm already 0-2. That doesn't bode well for my NCAA brackets.

In my last post, I had Clemson beating Georgia Tech, and Miami beating Virginia Tech.

Nope.

We'll see how the rest of my picks shake out, but if my start is any indication, NC State fans should be jumping for joy (since I picked against the Pack against Maryland).

A reader posted a question in the last post, about UNC being a #1 seed in the NCAA's. I think if they hold serve in the tourney, they lock up the #1 overall seed as well. However, a slip against someone (like my predicted Wake Forest), could move the Deacs into one of the top 4 seeds. It could, but I don't know that it would happen. Remember, the selection committee has never been guilty of sound decision making.
UNC point guard Ty Lawson may not play on Friday (that coming from the school), after he did some work on a stationary bike Thursday. The team will make a decision on Lawson in the morning, and that could play a big role in how the Heels fare against the Hokies.

That's the beauty of the tournaments. It's the one-and-done scenario, and for many teams, this is their season--their shot at finding a way into the big tourney.

Other sports notes:

The Panthers cut CB Ken Lucas on Wednesday, saving themselves about $2.3 million dollars in salary cap space. Lucas had been viewed (fairly or unfairly, you decide) as a weak spot in the Panther secondary. Incidentally, the first pass interference call against a member of the Panther DB's came in the NY Giants game (read week 16), and it was Lucas guilty of the violation. Ponder that for a second--1st PI flag against the secondary came that late in the season.

Anyway, Carolina still sits with the franchise tag on Julius Peppers--that's expensive. Guess there are no takers for a guy with so much potential, and such a resume. Either that, or the asking price (draft picks) is too high. Can't be a fun time around that whole camp right now. Summer is going to be fun, and my guess is, we won't see Julius anywhere near the Panthers (if he remains with the team) until he has to report to training camp in July. Forget OTA's, forget mini-camps.

It'll be known as the "Summer of Discontent."

Or something like that.

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