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To follow up on Mike Krzyzewski's self-defense on the working-the-refs issue, the News & Observer has followed up its cartoon lampoons of Chuck Amato and John Bunting with this animated parody of Coach K, taking his American Express ads a few steps further. How does this one rate with Chuck Dynamite?

Oh, and a shout-out to Patrick Eakes for digging up the Gregg Doyel link.

Upon re-reading it, I still feel the column was way too holier-than-thou and came from the ax-to-grind school of journalism. He writes as though Dean Smith stopped working refs when he was older, wiser and more respected. And why so anti-sneerite? You mean a man's facial expressions can erode their influence in college basketball? When Bobby Knight did his "game face" routine at the Final Four 15 years ago, did that diminish K's mentor?

To follow up on Mike Krzyzewski's self-defense on the working-the-refs issue, the News & Observer has followed up its cartoon lampoons of Chuck Amato and John Bunting with this animated parody of Coach K, taking his American Express ads a few steps further. How does this one rate with Chuck Dynamite?

Oh, and a shout-out to Patrick Eakes for digging up the Gregg Doyel link.

Upon re-reading it, I still feel the column was way too holier-than-thou and came from the ax-to-grind school of journalism. He writes as though Dean Smith stopped working refs when he was older, wiser and more respected. And why so anti-sneerite? You mean a man's facial expressions can erode their influence in college basketball? When Bobby Knight did his "game face" routine at the Final Four 15 years ago, did that diminish K's mentor?

On the eve of an unprecedented run of tournament basketball (28 games over three consecutive weekends), the final preparations for the ACC Women's Tournament were underway Wednesday afternoon at the Greensboro Coliseum.

As chefs prepped food in outdoor tent kitchens, workers wiped down seats and mopped floors and the Boston College and Clemson practiced on the coliseum's new court, city leaders and members of the coliseum's advisory board - along with a stray media member or two - got a tour highlighting some of the new bells and whistles for this year's tournaments.

This year, about $1.5 million was spent to upgrade the coliseum in preparation for the tournaments, though fans using the coliseum year round will benefit.

To keep the coliseum a contender for ACC and NCAA tournaments, coliseum leaders said, they need to continually upgrade the arena, a sentiment echoed earlier this week by ACC Commissioner John Swofford.

"We've got to stay ahead of the curve and continue to make improvements to our facility," said Kevin Green, chairman of the War Memorial Commission, the coliseum's advisory board.

And I'm not talking about the first of 28 basketball games to be played over three weeks at the Greensboro Coliseum - The Virginia-Boston College women's game is still about 10 minutes from tipoff.

I'm talking about the thousands of school-age children who descended on the FanFest, held next to the coliseum at the adjoining Pavilion, before the game.

The kids were the proverbial children turned loose in a candy store (and there was cotton candy available), as they could choose from pop-a-shot basketball, free throws on a regulation basketball hoop, an inflatable moonwalk and face painting.

They could also pick up so-called "spirit boards" being handed out by Chick-Fil-A. While signs supporting BC and UVa were available, they weren't too popular with the kids.

"I'm promoting (the BC and UVa signs), mainly because I ran out of Tar Heel and Duke signs," said Melanie Orton, who was handing out signs on the fast-food chain's behalf.

While outside a coliseum entrance working on a story about the coliseum's newly imposed indoor smoking ban, I noticed several of the sand-filled ashtrays had an imprint of the coliseum's logo.

If nothing else, it's a reminder of where your butts are. (I solemnly pledge that will be the last butt-related smoking joke I make during these basketball tournaments.)

By 10 a.m., Anthony Bustos was ready to go.

The eight-year-old was growing impatient as he waited for the Boston College-Virginia game to begin Thursday morning. In fact he thought he might be able to help.

"I wanna go play," he said.

Anthony, a Sedgefield Elementary School third-grader, was rooting for Virginia.

Why?

"Because they're good," he said.

Believe it or not taking third-graders to a basketball game can be a learning experience.

Sedgefield Elementary School third-grade teacher Sherry Hodges said she tied the game Thursday to their studying this week of "strong ladies and how they contribute to society."

Tammy Whitesell, who home schools her children, said the game can teach the techniques of basketball and math.

But, she admitted, "we're having a fun day."

The jerseys on the players said Virginia and Boston College.

But if you looked in the stands, the fans were already getting ready for tomorrow's games.

There were enough Tarheel and Blue Devil fans to make you wonder who was actually on the court.

It was generally accepted coming into the ACC women's tournament that the league would get seven teams into the NCAA tournament - the most of any conference in the country here.

With its win over BC today, Virginia has now presented an interesting case for yet another bid for the ACC.

Normally, teams that finish 5-9 in league play are dismissed out of hand. But in case you didn't already know or haven't read my story in today's paper, the ACC is far and away the nation's toughest conference.

Here's what Virginia has going for it:

The Cavaliers were already No. 47 in RPI before today's win, which will surely give UVA a boost. They'll get another bump tomorrow when they play No. 1 UNC, regardless of the outcome.

UVA's also hot right now, having won its last five games in a row. The selection committee always gives weight to teams that are playing their best ball heading into the post-season.

UVA's also a known commodity in women's hoops, having been a national name since the Dawn Staley days.

Will that be enough?

Patrons visiting FanFest at the coliseum complex or passing by the fan event on the way to the coliseum for this afternoon's N.C. State-Clemson game got a little mood music.

A band was set up on a portable stage outside the Pavilion, which is hosting the FanFest (their musical offerings included a couple of songs from The Police).

A few fans paused to listen to the music, while most kept moving toward the coliseum or FanFest.

It was one of those chance encounters.

Leaving the floor of the Clemson-N.C. State game as the second half began, I pulled back the curtain along the exit and there he was. The Clemson Tiger and I were standing virtually nose-to-nose.

He put his paw up to his mouth, gave me an air kiss and patted me on the back.

I don't care what they say about Clemson, that Tiger is pretty smooth.

Where yesterday's temperatures in the mid-70s have given way to more March-like weather in the 40s, with sunglasses getting traded in for gloves on some of the security officers working outside the coliseum.

On the way into the coliseum, a security guard who checks team buses as they approach the entrance for players and coaches was asked if he'd found anything today.

"Found some cold," he said.

This is the second straight day Virginia has played an 11 a.m. game in front of thousands of schoolkids, though today they lack the high-pitched vocal support from those students. The reason just might be - based on the amount of the Carolina blue in the stands - that UVa is playing North Carolina today instead of Boston College.

The kids were enthusiastic throughout the first half, though their loudest ovations were reserved for free T-shirts thrown into the crowd by official NCAA mascot JJ Jumper and a hip-hop halftime performance by a kids dance team.

Best sign on display: a group effort from six kids - "We want to be on TV."

Carolina blue may be dominating the crowd, but the Cavaliers are giving their fans - confined mostly to two sections in the lower bowl of the coliseum - plenty of reasons to wave their orange pom-poms on sticks. With 15:30 left in the second half, Virginia only trails 39-36.

That didn't last much beyond my last post. With 9:28 left in the game, Virginia had gone from down 3 points to down 14. At that point, a group of school kids that had filled section 118 - among the more than 10,000 in attendance - started to file toward the exits.

Whether they left because they had a test to take or because they knew the game was over, their timing was pretty good. Before all the kids could get through the doors onto the concourse, Carolina extended its lead to 19 points in just 48 seconds of game time, putting an end to any hope of a Virginia upset.

With about three minutes to go, a coliseum worker was scooping up trash left behind by the kids in Section 118 and putting into a clear plastic garbage bag, giving new meaning to the phrase "garbage time."

Carolina's second-half surge didn't just disappoint the Virginia fans, who got a little rooting help from some Duke supporters, whose dark blue stood out among the orange-clad Virginia backers. Proving true the old adage that the enemy of my enemy is a friend, a few Duke fans were even waving orange pom-poms on sticks during the second half.

When Carolina guard Ivory Latta got pulled with about 2 minutes left in the game, she got the loudest basketball-related cheer of the game. In the second half, however, her ovation trailed the one received by the Carolina cheerleaders throwing T-shirts in the crowd and the unleashing of the remote-controlled Chick-Fil-A blimp.

90 minutes. That's about the time coliseum staff had to clear out 10,000 fans from this morning's first game and do a fast-and-furious cleanup job - kind of like the one you did after throwing a party when your parents went out of town for the weekend (well, at least I had to do that a few times).

Coming up on 2:30 p.m. - when the doors would open again for the 4 p.m. tipoff between N.C. State and Florida State - workers were still sweeping and mopping.

"Five minutes to doors," a coliseum staffer said into her walkie-talkie. "Everybody wrap up."

Five games down, 23 to go.

Well, UNC senior David Noel's picks for coach of the year and rookie of the year are even more obvious than ours. But how about his All-ACC first team?

He goes with Tyler Hansbrough, J.J. Redick, Shelden Williams, Al Thornton and BC's Craig Smith. Noel short-changed himself, apparently not impressed by his own 26 points on Senior Night against UVa.

More importantly, what does Noel think the Cameron Crazies will have in store for him tomorrow night? Maybe they'll break out pink Devine wigs (from his Late Night with Roy crossdressing routine). He says, "I'm not worried about that. I've been doing that three years. They could've been bringing that out."

Rumor has it the Crazies will somehow play to Hansbrough's fear of snakes. We'll have to wait and see ... from ESPN's 6,000 camera angles.

Walking into through the media entrance, I joined an assemblage of security guards and police officers listening to an impromptu concert near the entrance.

I wasn't sure who was singing until I rounded the corner and saw the red warmups and heard the chorus: "We are the Wolfpack, the mighty mighty Wolfpack."

Tipoff is 10 minutes away between the (N.C. State) Wolfpack and Florida State.

Danise Whittington has no problem sharing her hair-care tips.

With her big red wig and white braids attached to it, she attracts attention. But it's all in support of her niece, Khadijah Whittington, a forward for N.C. State. She even sports a T-shirt with her niece on the front.

What I didn't expect when I talked to her, is that she would feel free to help me with my look. As we talked about her appearance, she began braiding my hair. The look works much better for Danise than it did for me.

Mike Krzyzewski was in top form Friday in analyzing media coverage of his team, which he said hasn't received sufficient credit for winning the ACC's regular-season championship with two weeks of games to go.
Specifically, the coach said he is disturbed about implications that Duke wins because of preferential treatment from referees.
"Over the last month, this has swept the nation," he said. "It's like a new dance. 'Oh man, let's talk about The Foul.' I hope when ESPN does their game, they can acatually show something that says, 'Hey, that Duke player was fouled and nothing was called.' It gets old. It hurts Shelden specifically. Besides hurting the game and everything we're doing."
With various facial expressions, he played the role of sleuth-journalist seeking to explain the Blue Devils' triumph.
" 'Why did they win it? Let's uncover this. I got it. I got the reason. Of course they're gonna win.' And that type of thing. It's been sad. And I think it has been orchestrated. I know it has been," he said.
The orchestration, he said, comes from, among others, ESPN producers whose editorial decisions focused disproportionately on the issue of fouls and not on the excellence of, for example, Shelden Williams' shot-blocking skills.

Discussing ESPN's ubiquitous coverage of Saturday's Duke-North Carolina game, Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski had one request. The Worldwide Leader can have its 14 trucks, 19 miles of cable and 99 technicians. Just avoid one thing.
"Just so they don't use Nose Cam," he joked, referring to his own countenance.
Then he delivered a reference to a previous Carolina coach known for similar nasal dimensions, Dean Smith: "They were probably going to do that earlier in the rivalry, but having two noses like that would have been too much to take."

We don't make this stuff up.

This from reporter Rob Daniels in Durham today:

Mike Krzyzewski was in top form Friday in analyzing media coverage of his team, which he said hasn't received sufficient credit for winning the ACC's regular-season championship with two weeks of games to go.

Specifically, the coach said he is disturbed about implications that Duke wins because of preferential treatment from referees.

"Over the last month, this has swept the nation," he said. "It's like a new dance. 'Oh man, let's talk about The Foul.' I hope when ESPN does their game, they can acatually show something that says, 'Hey, that Duke player was fouled and nothing was called.' It gets old. It hurts Shelden specifically. Besides hurting the game and everything we're doing."

With various facial expressions, he played the role of sleuth-journalist seeking to explain the Blue Devils' triumph.
" 'Why did they win it? Let's uncover this. I got it. I got the reason. Of course they're gonna win.' And that type of thing. It's been sad. And I think it has been orchestrated. I know it has been," he said.

The orchestration, he said, comes from, among others, ESPN producers whose editorial decisions focused disproportionately on the issue of fouls and not on the excellence of, for example, Shelden Williams' shot-blocking skills.

We're here at the ACC Women's Tournament and yet only Mr. Wuf made the trip for N.C. State. No Mrs Wuf, or Ms. Wuf or Miss Wuf, to be found.

Mr. Wuf by the way, sports the No. 22 jersey. I asked him if he was a Tony Bethel fan. Shockingly, he had no response.

...

I'm guessing that the guy who operates the Chick Fil-A blimp probably has another job as well. But can you imagine the conversation he has with his daytime job boss?

"Boss, I need this week off. I'm going to be in Greensboro skillfully manuevering a giant cow straddling a blimp around the rafters of the Coliseum."

...

Shouldn't there be some sort of nationwide list of songs that should not be performed by school pep bands? Just heard the FSU try to built out "Crazy Train." Just not working, fellas.

We here at Sports Extra wanted to find out if the ACC women were getting the very best when it comes to school spirit.

Do they get the second string in bands and cheerleaders?

At N.C. State, when it comes to the band, it’s only the most dedicated that get to support the Wolfpack women.

The band members that to get to go to the post-season are the ones who made it to the most home games – men’s or women’s.

“Men and women, at our school they get the best we’ve got every game,” said Paul Garcia, the assistant director of athletic bands at N.C. State.

But the cheerleaders are split up by skill level.

The more talented cheerers are placed in the squad that cheers for the men. The second string root for the women.

“We just have to divide up by season,” said Sarah Freedman, an assistant cheering coach for N.C. State.

The loudest noise from the N.C. State pep band doesn't come from the drums.

It's the voice of band director Paul Garcia. And he's not shouting a one, a two.

He's screaming at the referees, working them harder than Wolfpack coach Kay Yow.

During Friday's game against Florida State, Garcia was sure one referee was cutting the Seminoles 6-foot-4 inch center Britany Miller too much slack.

"Come on, Ref,'' he yelled, "No 33 is getting away with pushing down low."

After a Wolfpack player was whistled for a foul that Garcia was sure being overlooked at the Florida State end of the court, he exploded.

"Ref, if you are to call it on this end of the court, you have to call it at the other."

He never lets up, except during timeouts when he turns, mounts portable steps and directs the band.

So does a State diploma hang on his office wall?

It does indeed, but from New Mexico State. He's got advanced degrees from Tennessee and Southern Mississippi.

After three years at N.C. State as assistant director of athletic bands, he has become a zealot about Wolfpack basketball, especially the women's team. He has gotten to know every player and Coach Yow and her staff.

"I love being at State,'' he said. "I get to work with people like Kay Yow. She's is a wonderful role model."

Maybe he deflects the attention of referrees from Yow. If she gets too harsh in her criticism she could be called for a technical foul. The refs can only glare at Garcia, whose voice carries much farther than Yow's.

The Duke-Virginia Tech women's game just ended.

And while there were some empty seats, a Friday night Duke game for the women seemed to be just what the women's tournament needed to draw in fans.

We'll see if Maryland and Georgia Tech can draw at 9:30 p.m.

Oh and Duke won. 69-56.

At the half here at the Joel, State has shot 19 free throws, to five by Wake Forest. And Wake's the home team.

It just goes to show you ...

(wait for it)

Herb Sendek gets all the calls.

I tell ya, nobody works the refs quite like Sendek.

Except maybe Leonard Hamilton.

It's Maryland and UNC-Chapel Hill in the finale for the ACC women's tournament.

And if you want a ticket you better get it now.

Only 141 tickets remain for tomorrow's game. Close to 10,000 tickets have been sold for the final game.

Anyone who listened to Rock 93 radio last week heard ACC Commissioner John Swofford reveal a piece of trivia about himself.

In 1969, while a sophomore at North Carolina, he appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. The talk show host, who did his show from New York, often asked dignitaries and celebrities in the audience to stand and be recognized.

He called on Swofford as the starting quarterback of the UNC Tar Heel football team.

Well, actually there was another reason. One of Sullivan’s guest performers that night was a singer named "Oliver," one of the first celebrities to use a single name. Oliver’s full name was Bill Oliver Swofford. He was John’s older brother.

Oliver, who died in 1999, was like his brother, a Morehead Scholar at UNC. He was also a sprinter on the track team. He went to New York after graduation to study for a master’s in broadcasting at Brooklyn College. There, the musical talent he demonstrated starting in about the 7th grade back in Wilkes County, thrust him to stardom.

He recorded two hit songs, “Good Morning Starshine" and "Gene," still heard today on golden oldie stations.

In an interview during half-time of the Saturday Duke-Maryland game in the ACC women's tournament, John Swofford recalled the thought of taking a bow on national television wasn't what made him nervous.

It was the apprenhension he felt in approaching his football coach, Bill Dooley, for permission during the season to go to New York.

He figured the coach would say no way.

But Dooley's face lit up.

“That’s national TV exposure for us,” he declared. “It will be great for recruiting.”

Swofford says he can’t remember any future UNC football recruits ever citing his appearance on the Sullivan show as why they chose UNC.

Or maybe we should find out what his stances on the key issues are. But at the least, if you don't have a dog in the hunt when the Hokies on the floor this week at the ACC, you might want to consider giving the Virginia Tech coach a little love.

Why? Listen to what the man has to say about the ACC tournament in Greenboro.

"DC was a great event, but when you think of the ACC tournament, you think of it being played in the state of North Carolina, in Greensboro."

But wait, there's more!

"In my opinion it’s the purest form of the tournament."

At the very least, we should sign Greenberg up as a spokesperson for the Greensboro Convention and Visitors Burea.

OK, so Tyler Hansbrough was the unanimous selection for ACC rookie of the year and tied Kenny Anderson's record for most rookie-of-the-week nods, with 10. His coach, Roy Williams, insists it should've been 11, figuring the panel that selects the honorees just got tired of writing his name in one week.

Fair enough. Coach of the year wasn't unanimous, but Roy was the overwhelming pick after losing nearly his entire NCAA title team, then winning 21 games, and going 12-4 in the ACC, this season. He talked Tuesday about how he's only left practice mad or disappointed two or three times this year through 85 practices.

How often did he leave upset during last year's 33-win season? "About every other day ... until down the stretch."

He went on to add (see if you notice which NBA draftee is missing here):

"How can you not enjoy Marvin Williams, Sean May and Raymond Felton?"

As for Sean Dockery's hard foul on Tyler Hansbrough near the end of Saturday's win at Duke, Roy said he didn't see it but saw from Hansbrough's reaction _ after he'd landed on the floor _ that it must've been pretty rough. There was no technical foul called. But the coach has no intention of calling Mike Krzyzewski or anyone about it being a cheap shot.

Hansbrough said Tuesday: "I took a hard foul and I just remember hitting the floor. But that's behind me. I didn't know if it was intentional or not."

The News & Record anticipates multimedia coverage of the ACC Tournament. This should include:
** Video from Wednesday's practices.
** Photographs
** Audio clips from press conferences throughout the tournament.
** Updates of this blog

Wednesday is practice day at the ACC Tournament, a chance for the players to get acclimated to their surroundings before a handful of fans (the practices are open to the public and run throughout the day - but Duke and Carolina aren't on the practice schedule).

The assembled media crowd (already much larger than I saw at any point during last week's women's tournament) seemed to have already settled in.

Several TV camera crews swarmed the coliseum floor as Wake Forest started its practicee session led by Coach Skip Prosser, clad in athletic shorts and a sweater vest.

In the hallway outside the players' locker rooms, Florida State players and coaches were seated in chairs while reporters thrust cameras, notepads and tape recorders at them to gather info for preview stories.

Tipoff for game one of the tournament is less than 24 hours away.

As far as the players are concerned, the greatest thing about the Greensboro Coliseum is the video-game area, which is between the floor and the locker rooms. Two Florida State Seminoles dashed out of practice to be the first to get on the TVs in order to play an NBA video game.

Maybe it's the fact that Duke and North Carolina aren't here. But there can't be more than 200 people in the stands watching the day's open practices. The Devils and Tar Heels abstained, citing academic concerns. Duke has already played here this season. It defeated UNCG ono Dec. 31.

The Virginia Tech Hokies said they noticed the floor at the Greensboro Coliseum is new. It was installed in December, replacing a surface that had been in place for a decade.
"It feels like it has bounce to it," guard Markus Sailes said. "A couple of guys were doing dunks I had never seen them do before. It's a confidence boost. It's a good facility."

Even being 6-feet-7 and wearing a Clemson uniform doesn't exempt you from the security checkpoint outside the team entrance at the Greensboro Coliseum.

As Clemson players and staff arrived around 10:45 for their noon tipoff against Miami, players, staff and their gear - most of it the color orange - got the same scrutiny as the assembled media passing through security on their way to the first of the day's four games.

As Miami took to the court to warmup for its noon game against Clemson, a young fan in an orange jersey high-fived every player as he ran onto the court.

It wasn't until the fan walked back to his seat and turned around was it revealed that his jersey was actually from Virginia, which doesn't play until 7 p.m.

While the arena isn't packed for the noon tipoff, plenty of fans from other schools are already settlingin for a day-long hoops smorgasboard.

As the starting lineups for Clemson and Miami are introduced, there are about 5,000 fans in the stands. Referee Bryan Kersey holds the ball on his hip and awaits the cue from the TV time out coordinator to enter the jump circle and start this thing.

Newly affixed to the bottom of the midcourt, overhanging scoreboard at the coliseum: a giant Pepsi logo. Pepsi has exclusive contracts with the ACC and the coliseum, after all.

While Sam Perry was shooting two free throws for Clemson, Sam Perry watched from the scorer's table and kept track of the statistical proceedings.
Sam Perry the statatician is named Samantha, and she's an assistant sports information director at Wake Forest.

With 7:56 left in the first half, dynamic guards Guillermo Diaz and Robert Hite have combined for 18 of Miami's 19 points. (The Canes trail 22-19). The only other point came from another backcourt guy, Denis Clemente.

While waiting for your favorite team to play at the ACC Tournament, there are plenty of ways to kill time.

You could watch the game happening at that time, read a newspaper - or study for your real estate broker's license.

That's what North Carolina fan April Rollins of Harrisburg, N.C. was doing during the first half of the Clemson-Miami game.

"I have to (study) today, because tomorrow my boys play," she said.

Her test is Sunday, which means she could miss out on seeing Carolina in the championship game if they advance that far.

Test or no test, Rollins was determined to see some hoops.

"I have to be here at least a few days," she said.

And the color of the morning is ... orange.

It doesn't matter if it's Clemson, Miami or Virginia, the majority of the crowd here at the noon game for the ACC men's tournament is colored orange.

Something tells me that will quickly fade to shades of blue soon.

Basketball is taking center stage this month at the coliseum, but other stars are on display just outside the locker rooms.

Behind sliding glass doors along one wall, musicians who have played the coliseum have left their autographs behind. It's a diverse group, to say the least, ranging from Creed to 80s hair-metal band Poison to rapper/MTV "Pimp My Ride" host Xzibit.

One of Frank Haith's first actions upon getting the Miami head coaching job two years ago was to sign a player he had seen while a Texas assistant. Raymond Hicks was his name, and nobody paid much attention to the signing. Now Hicks is trying to lead his team back from a big second-half deficit. He has delivered three key hoops in the past few minutes and it's a 58-54 Clemson lead with 2:56 left.

Seeking to inspire the trailing Hurricanes in the second half of their game against Clemson, a member of the Miami band broke out this:

"You can do it! You can do it all night long!," she did in her best Cajun accent, channeling Rob Schneider in, well, almost every Adam Sandler movie.

It had an almost immediate effect. Miami strung together a couple of consecutive baskets, leading to a Clemson timeout.

And Miami has just taken a two-point lead with less than a minute to go.

It's hard to tell if the ACC tournament is going for a retro look or if it's just that the Wake fans are starting to get to their seats.

The black and yellow tie-dyed crowd is starting to move in for the 2:30 p.m. game. And Porter Yelton, 10, has got the right look. With his tie-dyed shirt and bright yellow wig he looks like he could belong in a Dr. Seuss book.

Porter is here for one reason - to see Wake win. But the cops have their eye on him.

"The policeman said the Grateful Dead concert is right in the auditorium," he said.

As the final seconds wound down in the Miami-Clemson, a group of Florida State players were in the hallway outside their locker room, stretching or jogging up and down the hallway in preparation for their game with Wake Forest.

As soon as Clemson's last-ditch 3-pointer bounced off the rim, the Seminoles were clapping and lining up to hit the floor for warmups.

It's Thursday afternoon. You have Clemson playing Miami in the day's first ACC Tournament game, on the first day of the tournament. A Hamilton 3-pointer bounces off, and Miami prevails. Pretty exciting stuff. Not much of a crowd, but, hey, it's early, and folks around here know the tournament doesn't really hit its stride until Friday.

What doesn't seem right is what's happening at Madison Square Garden. You should absolutely NOT being getting classic Big East matchups like Syracuse-UConn at noon on a Thursday. But, all eyes in the press room were tuned in to their wild finish about an hour ago. To sum up: Gerry McNamara hits a 3 to send it to OT, he gets a steal and open layup toward the end of overtime to put it away, but blows it and UConn hits a quick 3 the other way. Still, the 'Cuse hangs on to win.

If their dramatic win over Cincinnati on Wednesday didn't clinch an NCAA bid for Syracuse, then beating UConn sure will --

But we're losing sight of what's important in Greensboro. FSU is up 23-16 on Wake right now, trying to secure an NCAA berth itself.

As the teams began to drop off in the ACC tournament, the tickets were out at half-time of the Wake-FSU game on the concourse at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Now it just comes down to finding the right match for the right price.

Tim Easley of Greensboro was searching for tickets for Friday and the weekend. Someone gave him a ticket in the parking lot to the afternoon games and he was taking advantage of the opportunity.

He was walking around the concourse with a cardboard sign that read "Got any tickets?"

Easley was worried police or security patrolling the premises might ask him to toss the sign. But he was negotiating with someone looking to dump some tickets when I left him.

Before Thursday, teams seeded seven spots ahead of their competition were 32-2 in the ACC Tournament. No. 12 Wake Forest claimed the third upset victory on that list with a 10-point triumph over No. 5 Florida State.
Only seven times before this one did a team overcome a deficit greater than the eight-point margin Wake faced to win an ACC Tournament game.

Virginia coach Dave Leitao just stamped his foot on the floor so forcefully that I felt the impact clear across the court. It was worthy of a Lefty Driesell move.

Virginia's J.R. Reynolds took 11 of his team's 24 shots in the firsst-half against Virginia Tech. With 11:53 left, the Hokies are in the bonus and down two. Reynolds has now tried 14 of the Cavaliers' 33 FGAs on the night.

Shawn Harris has come off the Virginia Tech bench to go 5-for-5 from the floor and lift the Hokies into a 45-45 tie.

Virginia defeated Virginia Tech 60-56 in the first round. There is nothing more to say about this contest. It was to basketball what William Hung and Roseanne are to vocal arts.

Maryland, which averaged 63.25 points per game over the final four regular-season contests, knocked Georgia Tech back with 16 in the first four minutes of tonight's first-round game.
It's 19-9 now.
Travis Garrison has two fouls in three minutes on the floor for the Terps. We may not see him the rest of the half.

A great Pearl Jam song is essentially playing right now in the coliseum. Maryland's Sterling Ledbetter is playing against the Yellow Jackets. Hence "Yellow Ledbetter."

Maryland leads Georgia Tech 59-34 with 11:39 left and is on its way to one of its most lopsided ACC Tournament wins ever.
For those who want to follow such things, it has been and up and down day for the Terps in their quest for an at-large NCAA tourney bid.
The bad:
** Syracuse played its way into the field by beating UConn in OT of the Big East quarters
** George Washington lost in the A-10 quarters. That result ensures the A-10, which looked like it might only get the Colonials into the field, of a second bid.
The good:
** Florida State lost to Wake Forest.
** Michigan lost to Minnesota in the Big Ten.
** Air Force is losing to Wyoming.

Despite two straight losses heading into the ACC Tournament, at least one Duke booster hasn't lost confidence in the Blue Devils (and no, this isn't setting up a Dick Vitale joke).

This is what's written on white athletic tape on the forehead of the Blue Devil mascot: "Playing Miami=Our Spring Break." Though I suppose that could have more than one meaning.

So far, so good for Duke, who lead 11-6 with about 14:00 left in the first half.

One local politician was showing her true colors – her team’s colors, that is.

Greensboro City Council member Sandy Carmany was decked out in all red at the coliseum Friday.

Asked the rather obvious question – are you an N.C. State fan? – she replied, "Of course!"

While talking to Greensboro City Council member Sandy Carmany at halftime of the Duke-Miami game, I grabbed an open seat directly behind her.

By the time I finished, a couple of Duke fans had reclaimed their seats next to me.

One of them asked me who I was rooting for.

I replied that I'm a Virginia fan by marriage (my wife is a 1997 UVa grad).

They jokingly said it was okay to let me pass by them to the aisle.

If I had answered differently (and, say mentioned a certain team with a light blue color scheme), I suspect may have been climbing over seats to get out of there.

Is anyone outside of the Hurricanes aware that Miami just lost? Did they even know that The U was in the ACC tournament?

Let's just say that Miami's fan support was ... scarce. They didn't even have a friends and family posse behind their bench.

It raises an interesting question about the program's potential. There are plenty of good basketball players to pick from in south Florida and Frank Haith can probably lure some kids from the north down to Coral Gables, so I don't think talent will be the issue. But what if you have a good basketball program but no one cares? It could be a unique situation that unfolds in the next few years at Miami.

It's not hard to tell who fans are rooting for at the ACC Tournament - most wear their hearts on their sleeves (and hats), sporting T-shirts, sweatshirts and hats.

But two N.C. State fans spotted in the swarm of people on the lower concourse between the first and second games merit some special recognition.

Our first award goes to a gentleman in a fire-engine red leather blazer, which if nothing else must be ungodly hot on a warm day like today.

But our top prize goes to a woman wearing a red N.C. State cowboy hat with an N.C. State logo in the center of the hat, topped off with matching cow(girl?) boots.

There are some crazy-looking glasses making their way around the Greensboro Coliseum.

Big Tarheel glasses with some big flashing blue lights.

Word on the street is a woman in the parking lot was handing them out free to fans who promised to waer them during the game.

Fans were more than willing to oblige.

And maybe it's bringing the Tarheels luck. They're leading against Virginia, 45-40, with just over 15 minutes remaining.

- Erskine Bowles, president of the state's university system, on the concourse this afternoon. The former Greensboro resident is a UNC grad but must remain neutral with N.C. State also under his jurisdiction.

- Sam Perkins, former UNC All-American and a pro star for many years, sitting with another former Tar Heel, King Rice. At the end of the UNC-Virginia game Perkins and yet another former Carolina great, Mitch Kupchak, chatted - maybe about the pro prospects on the court. Kupchak is general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers.

- N.C. State women's coach Kay Yow was a spectator in the same arena in which her Wolfpack team lost in the ACC women's tournament a week ago.

- As always, John Feinstein, who has had a string of best-selling sports related books, was typing away on a laptop along the courtside. The Duke graduate's latest book takes an inside look at the NCAA's Final Four.

UPDATE: Also in the crowd was Darryl Strawberry, the former major leaguer and father of Terp D.J. Strawberry.

Try to come up with different Hall and Oates songs to describe the play of BC big man John Oates.

A few moments ago I told colleague Bill Hass that Oates is more comfortable playing "One on One."

Hass - with almost alarming quickness - responded that Oates can really be a "Maneater" down low.

And yes, we're a little bored here.

J.J. Redick sat out four minutes of the first half today with an apaprent knee injury. It was his longest first-half absence of the season. He returned to the court from the locker room with 7:49 left and is now wearing a lightweight brace on his right knee.

Alright, so Duke made it to the ACC finals.

But here's who won my awards for best signs in the crowd during the Duke-Wake crowd.

Duke fans - The young girl holding the "J.J. take me to prom" sign. Let's hope he remembers to bring a corsage.

Wake fans - For creativity alone, this Wake fan wins. He took one of the "Go Blue Devils" signs being handed out here and made it read "Go back to Durham Blue Devils."

This morning’s awesome weather made it a no-brainer to tailgate.

Jim Graves and his group spent their late morning in the parking lot of the Greensboro Coliseum.

And you better believe they come prepared. The back of one SUV was filled with booze, while the back of another holds the food.

I've got to admit it.

I've gotten a great opportunity here to help cover the ACC tournaments. But seeing some of these mascots up close and personal is starting to freak me out.

The ones that try to appear human are the worst. The Blue Devil looks like a giant bobble-head. And the Demon Deacon, well he's just weird looking, with a chin that could put Jay Leno to shame.

I much prefer the animal mascots. I think I'll be alright with the Tar Heels and the Eagles on the floor right now.

Anyone else notice that UVa AD Craig Littlepage looked a little uncomfortable being berated by CBS's Billy Packer during last night's NCAA selection show? If you missed it, Packer beat up on the selection committee chairman mostly for giving the Missouri Valley Conference the same number of NCAA bids as the ACC (4 each). Don't you know, Craig, that the ACC has won 25 tourney games in the last three years, while the MVC and CAA have just one? What's the matter with you? (I'm paraphrasing here.)

I can't honestly believe Packer felt Maryland or Florida State was more deserving than Wichita State? But I was a little stunned to see UNC sent to Dayton as a 3-seed while Tennessee got to Greensboro as a No.2 despite losing four of its last six games. And BC a 4? Looks like the Eagles were slotted before the ACC semis and locked in. No problem, though, because that Minneapolis bracket looks pretty suspect and could deliver BC to Indy.

Littlepage did counter Packer with a pretty lame response, I must say, something about how the lesson for the power conferences is they need to schedule more mid-majors. So playing top-25 teams nonconference isn't good enough?

Anyway, here's a story on the MVC's less lame response to Packer.

I'm certainly not the first one to cover this ground (just look at this ESPN column for an example), but there are no players here at the Greensboro Coliseum for the NCAA tournament.

The players are referred to at all times as "student-athletes."

For the record, classes are in session this week at 4 of the 8 schools playing games in Greensboro.

At least a couple thousand fans showed up at the coliseum this afternoon for Duke's public practice session, and the players did their part for the appreciative audience.

Josh McRoberts brought the crowd to its feet with a 360-degree windmill dunk, while Lee Melchionni waved to a couple of fans chanting his name, though he seemed a little baffled by the attention.

At the end of the practice session, the players waved to the crowd - which responded with an ovation - before heading off the court.

As the players filed out, so did most of the fans. You could count the number of people wearing gear from UNC-Wilmington - the next team to take the court - on one hand.

UNC-Wilmington's last NCAA Tournament appearance in 2003 was memorable, though not for the right reasons for the Seahawks.

Maryland's Drew Nicholas hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to send UNCW packing in the first round. Nicholas' jumper has become a staple of highlights of classic tournament moments, something UNCW coach Brad Brownell is well aware of.

"That was disheartening to say the least and I'm not sure I'm quite over it," he said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. "With the help of ESPN and Instant Classics (an ESPN Classic show), I get reminded of it quite often. At the same time, it served as motivation for me and the senior class."

Here's a story from today's Washington Post about the plans of some companies to cut off access to free Web broadcasts of tournament games.

Psst - don't tell your boss - but this is the Web site where those free Web telecasts are available. If you get caught watching when you should be working, you didn't hear this from us.

Some (North Carolina) fans are dealing with a different problem - trying to unload tickets to tournament games in Greensboro that don't feature their favorite team.

Here are a couple of quick facts about the school (courtesy of the university's sports information folks):

* It's located in Rock Hill, S.C.

* Former students include actress Andie McDowell

* And most important (for your bracket): This is Winthrop's sixth NCAA appearance in the last eight years.

Folks, if you had Tennessee going far in your brackets, I suggest you start erasing rapidly. The Vols have made two bad karma moves before the games have even started.

First, the Vols showed up to practice at Greensboro College, thinking it was UNCG. That's not going to make alums of either school happy.

Then, as they were leaving GC, Vols forward Dane Bradshaw had this little nugget for the ESPN cameras that are following the team around.

"She asked me, 'Are you looking for Greensboro Day School?' I'm like, 'Yeah, we're going to practice at some elementary school for the NCAA tournament.'"

Uhh Dane, Greensboro Day is usually where Duke practices when they're in Greensboro. You guys might do well to head over there to see if a little of the Blue Devils' tourney experience rubs off on you.

There's no more time-honored ploy to get yourself on TV than creating a sign that prominently features the letters of the network televising the game.

That may not work for Wichita State fans Tim and Kathy Hickey, who came up with this sign: "Can't Billy Shut Up?"

That refers to CBS analyst Billy Packer, who criticized the inclusion of four Missouri Valley Conference teams in the tournament, including Wichita State.

Asked if he thought the sign would get on TV, Tim Hickey smiled and said, "I don't know."

Another Wichita State fan, Rick Born, chimed in when the group was asked if they believed the MVC deserved four bids.

"We deserved five," he said. Missouri State didn't get a bid despite an RPI of 21.

That's the color of the many empty seats at the coliseum right before tipoff of the Wichita State-Seton Hall game. The rest of the color comes from about one section apiece of Seton Hall and Wichita State fans, who are doing their best to fill the arena with noise.

After the National Anthem was played, dueling "Let's Go Shockers!" and "Let's Go Pirates!" chants broke out. Based on my unofficial decibel counter (my ears), the edge goes to the black-and-gold clad Wichita State fans.

At the men's and women's ACC tournaments, the word "Greensboro" was visible at least 17 places around the coliseum's court.

With the NCAA in town, most of those references are gone, down to seven by my unofficial count. Fortunately for coliseum and city leaders seeking greater TV exposure for the city, the three largest mentions of Greensboro remain: at center court and along both baselines.

So as long as the TV cameras stay focused on the court, most camera angles include a mention of the city.

Wichita State, the No. 7 seed in the region, is thoroughly thrashing Seton Hall. It's 47-28 early in the second half. Paul Miller and Sean Ogirri are an effective inside-outside combo.

Alright, I've got issues with the mascots.

I should probably see somebody about it.

But good Lord.

The Wichita State Shocker FREAKED me out when I came face-to-face with him.

I mean, come on. Look at him.

With the NCAA taking over the coliseum for tournament basketball this weekend, there's little advertising to see per the group's wish.

For instance, all the advertising on the coliseum's main scoreboard has been covered with NCAA logos, while the video marquees outside the coliseum - which usually advertise upcoming events - mention only the tournament games and the FanFest.

A knot of people crowded around a TV monitor on the coliseum's upper concourse around 3:30 Tuesday afternoon. Why, when there was a perfectly good game between Winthrop and Tennessee they could see in person?

Because an even better game between Boston College and Pacific was in its second overtime.

But as BC pulled away and the final seconds of that game ticked away, fans began to drift in the directions of their seats and the game they paid to see.

Sometimes the best seat in the house is outside the house.

A smattering of fans could be found at FanFest outside the Greensboro Coliseum, enjoying the massive screen tuned into the CBS broadcast of the NCAA games.

"People have been enjoying the day," said Edward Boss, an event staffer.

"You found the right gym - you drew the wrong team."

That was a sign drawn by Winthrop student-fan Shane Canup, making light of Tennessee going to the wrong college in Greensboro on Wednesday for practice.

It's a little early to say Tennessee drew the wrong team, but they haven't exactly blown out the Big South representative yet. Winthrop trails just 36-34 at the half.

Earlier this week, Billy Packer suggested during a radio interview that the NCAA should ditch automatic bids and simply pick the 65 best teams for the NCAA Tournament.

If that idea ever comes up for debate, this afternoon's Tennessee-Winthrop game will be raised as a reason to keep things the way they are.

Winthrop, the champion of the lightly regarded Big South, would probably have a hard time getting into the tournament without the automatic bid, while Tennessee would have easily made it in under any format.

And yet there was Tennessee, needing an off-balance jumper with under a second play to send Winthrop back to Rock Hill, S.C. (and assuredly disappointing Andie McDowell in the process)

Somehow, it just wouldn't be the same if Tennessee's narrow escape had come over the ninth-place finisher from some major conference. Or maybe I spent too much sitting and talking with the Winthrop fans today.

During breaks in games at the Greensboro Coliseum, the announcers are kind enough to share the scores of games taking place in other parts of the country.

The announcements are usually treated to a round of cheers and jeers. Even games such as LSU-Iona, teams that likely have few fans in the building.

The crowd reaction was so positive when Boston College pulled ahead of Pacific, it makes you wonder: Are people cheering for the teams or their tournament pools?

Those of you who don't listen to the Wolfpack on the radio, may not be familiar with Tony Haynes, State's color analyst. If you do, you know that the man knows his Xs and Os as well as anyone - sometimes even better than the ex-jocks who often man that role.

Here's a case in point. I was watching the end of Tennessee-Winthrop game with Tony last night as the Vols lined up for their final play. Tony pointed at one Vols player and said, "that's their first option" and then pointed to Lofton "and that's their second."

Sure enough, Lofton set a screen for a teammate (the first option), who rolled to the basket. He was open for an alley-oop, but in the inbounder passed up the opportunity. Instead, Lofton came around another screen, caught the pass and put up the winning shot.

Just as Tony predicted. Not bad.

A day after former State great Tommy Burleson went on Triangle Sports Talk and essentially said the Wolfpack might be better of without Herb, the student newspaper The Technician, took things a step farther.

In an editorial in today's paper (which the sports department did not contribute to) the Technician delivered this message - Beat Cal or leave.

First off, I could complain about how the NCAA set-up at the Dayton site is horrible compared to how the ACC does it up for the media at its tournament. But now that I finally have wireless (for a cost) and have had a solid meal at the UD Arena buffet, I'll let it slide.

I should point out to those who have never been to this building that there is a strangely steep ramp (about 25 degrees)from street level to courtside extending about 50 yards. For indoor X games, maybe? Or sportswriter body-tumbling? And the arena itself is in the saddle-style of the late great Capital Centre in Landover, Md. A lot of obstructed views, not a lot of seats. Odd choice for an NCAA site except that this is a good basketball town.

OK, now on to more important things:

UNC-Murray State tips off in less than three hours _ we hope _ and Racers point guard Keith Jenifer might have served up a little extra motivation for the Tar Heels, especially Bobby Frasor and Wes Miller.

"Their guards are really young and kind of small," Jenifer said, "and I think that's where the advantage is at."

I don't have a good feel for Murray State, but I don't think the advantage, if there is one at guard, will carry the Racers to a 14-over-3 upset. If the Heels' freshmen were shaky in their first NCAA appearance, maybe, but there's little reason to think that'll be an issue.

In the first game at Dayton, Davidson gave Ohio State all it wanted before the Ian Johnson-led Wildcats fell 70-62. Terence Dials hardly played like what you'd expect from the Big Ten player of the year in the first half but was huge down the stretch.

It got a little chippy toward the end. Here's what Davidson's Matt McKillop had to say about a shoving exchange with the Buckeyes' Jamar Butler. The real shocker here is that this made it on the NCAA quote sheet uncensored (it is censored here because we're a family paper):

"At the end of the game, he blocked my shot and said, 'That's right, B****-a**.' Which didn't seem very classy to me."

Oh, and one last thing. We found a restaurant Roy Williams might enjoy last night in the greater Dayton area: Frickers. On the menu: Frickin chicken chunks, Frickin sauces and -- for the kids! -- Frickin Bologna and Cheese sandwiches.

As a Northern Virginian by upbringing, it heartens me to see the Fightin' Patriots of George Mason sticking it to Michigan State for a half. They lead 33-30 thanks largely _ and I mean about 300 pounds worth of largely _ to junior center Jai Lewis, who has displayed the nimbleness and quick first step from a man of that size not seen since John "Hot Plate" Williams was living large for LSU, the Bullets and Clippers. (He got really big after blowing out his knee but wasn't so nimble after that.)

Lewis, who the Tar Heels could see Sunday if GMU keeps up the pace, only scored six first-half points. But really fun to watch him work. And,Kipp Hanley of the Potomac News tells me that many believe he could even wind up an NFL tight end. But GMU doesn't even have a football team! Yep.

The press room is in an uproar right now because they just switched away from the final minutes of the exciting Tennessee-Wichita State game to the opening tip of the Texas A&M-LSU game. Local, local, local, I guess.

Me, I'm not concerned. I've my nose to the grindstone, feverisly churning out Texas-N.C. State copy (that's for my boss, Joe Sirera, if he's reading this blog.)

The Wolfpack rolled over Texas earlier today. Tony Bethel couldn't miss from the perimter, Ilian Evtimov was finishing breaks with thunderous slams over Brad Buckman, Daniel Gibson couldn't hit a 3 to save his life and Texas turned the ball over every third trip down the floor. It was a rout from start to finish.

Granted, it was NCAA 2006, and I was controlling Texas while James Henderson, the editor of Pack Pride was controlling State, but I think it's probably a good indicator of future results.

Finally, I got a chance to play the X-Box and Playstations set up in the medial lounge here at the American Airlines Arena.

In unrelated news, Sugar Ray Robinson stopped Roberto Duran on a TKO in the third round.

I've spent most of the day chastising my co-worker Jeff Carlton for picking against South Carolina in his NIT pool. (Just for recreational purposes, of course).

How, I want to know how you can ever pick against Dave Odom in the NIT? Here's the man's recent record in that tournament.

Won a title at Wake in 2000.
Reached the finals at South Carolina in 2002.
Won a title at South Carolina in 2005.
Has reached the quarterfinals this year.

That's a record that could rival that of former St. John's coach Joe Lapchick, who won four NIT titles back in the day.

Of course, back then, the NIT was a powerful tournament that included some fantastic teams that weren't fortunate enough to win their conference tourney.

Now? It's an also-ran tourney for teams that weren't good enough to make the NCAA tournament.

Which is why Dave would probably rather not be known as Mr. NIT. It's kind of like being the all-time home run leader in minor league baseball.

In a way, I'm sorry I didn't stick around Tournament Town to the bitter end of the 28-games-in-10-days spree of college basketball. As colleague Jay Reddick pointed out, that Chris Lofton buzzer-beating baseline shot for Tennessee over Winthrop was reminiscent of a Bryant Stith game-winner against his alma mater, Wake Forest, about 15 years ago. And UNCW-GW looked like great drama, too.

Alas, I was sent away to frigid Dayton for UNC's first- and second-round games. That trip had its own highlights -- a good steak at the Pine Club and some compelling upsets at UD Arena -- but as tournament towns go, Dayton has nothing on Greensboro.

Today, I'm sad to report, we went back to being just plain old Greensboro. They started pulling down the banners from the Market St. street lamps with the basketball, Coliseum logo and ... Nike swooshes? ... and replacing them with Greater Greensboro Merchants Association signs.

Yes, the Stanford mascot - which would really creep out Amy Dominello if she ever ran across it - is back in trouble with the authorities again.

Look, I could perhaps understand the first tree being drunk at a basketball game. It is Pac-10 basketball, after all.

But this? This I will not tolerate. Folks, if we can't make our trees dance in their designated areas then what kind of society are we living in? Thank goodness someone took a stand and put a stop to this madness.

Watching George Mason knock off top-seeded Connecticut to make a historic trip to the Final Four, the natural reaction was to be totally blown away. First mid-major to make the Final Four since the field expanded to 64, first school without a football program to get there since UNC Charlotte in '77. GMU was 0-3 in the NCAA's before last weekend. And so on.

You think UNC fans feel a little better about their team's second-round loss to the Patriots now? Nah, probably looking at it this way: Wichita State would've been a breeze and UConn looked like a soft No.1 seed. Time to check the Heels' message boards to confirm that prediction.

Here's my take on this out-of-nowhere commuter school from Fairfax, Va., that was founded just 34 years ago: They're for real. And they're very well coached. They have excellent balance, an offense that plays to the strengths of their personnel and, as coach Jim Larranaga pointed out last week in Dayton, a renewed commitment to defense. Most importantly, they have the kind of poise Cinderella teams aren't supposed to have when so much is on the line. Yeah, they missed too many free throws late vs. the Huskies, but how about making their first 5 field goals of OT after the deflating finish to regulation?

After 36 years of covering sports for the Greensboro Record, the Greensboro Daily News and the News & Record, I'm retiring.

This has been a great community for writing about sports, from youth leagues to high schools to colleges to professional teams, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. There are too many memories to begin listing them here, from events to personalities I've met and covered through the years. I don't want to leave anyone out. I just want to pass along my heartfelt thanks to everyone who read my stories, whether you first ran across them in 1969 or last week. I hope they proved worthy of your time.

I don't plan to fade into the sports woodwork. I plan to continue to cover games and write about people, and I hope you'll see my byline in this paper again as a "Special To The News & Record."

Until then, the pleasure has been all mine.