For those of you who may not know, I'm not just a fan of ND, I am a huge soccer lover as well as a big fan of the women's game. If I could get my money back from all the trips I've taken over the years around the country to watch USWNT games, Notre Dame games, UNC games, College Cups, etc., it would be a nice chunk of cash. I'll tell you a little story that I've told before: A few years back after Thanksgiving dinner in Chicago, I got in my car and drove all the way to Chapel Hill and back to watch UNC vs. Santa Clara in a NCAA Tourney game. I think it was the quarter finals. This was when Tarpley and Osborne were playing for their respective teams. That's almost 12 hours drive one way. My wife thought I was crazy. But she knew I was a soccer addict when she married me. Over the years I've met many nice fans, players and family members of Notre Dame, UNC, UCLA, Portland, Stanford and other schools. I enjoy that because I like people who are like me who love this beautiful game and are passionate about it. So folks, I'm not just some out of touch Irish fan. Yes, I am a fan of the best college team in my neck of the woods. But I am also a fan of this game. And I don't recall insulting, belittling or hating on any other team in the ACC or any other conference for that matter. I am happy the Irish are in the ACC and I hope other ACC fans feel likewise about ND. Enjoy the games, folks. Cheers.
Saying ND is struggling is neither 'hating' nor 'belittling' them. But even 'hate' in a sports sense is superficial. Nobody really 'hates' Notre Dame. Wants them to lose? Sure, maybe. It's sports; that's part of the picture. It's not the same as wanting actual harm to befall them. It's great that you're a big fan of the game, but could you just try accepting that not everyone approaches it the same way? Some people are fans because they're partisan and like competition.
Last year Mrad12 and I sat next to each other in a game between UP and ND. I'm sure we saw the game differently in a tie game, but I would rather sit next to him in a competition than I would with a lot of fans that allege to be on my side. The guy is a true fan of sport.
Here are the current ACC end of season projections, based on Massey's current rankings, with the same rules as previously. The higher ranked team is assumed to win. And a reminder again that Boston College will have a non-conference game against Central Connecticut, which is not included in the projections. The ACC Tournament also is not included: The three teams at risk of not meeting the NCAA's 0.500 requirement appear to be Duke, Clemson, and Maryland. If Maryland performs according to the script (wins v Miami, Syracuse, and Pitt and losses to Boston College and Florida State), it will be safe. If Duke performs per script (Wins v Clemson, NC State, and Pitt and losses to Notre Dame and North Carolina) it will be safe. If Clemson performs per script (win v Miami and losses to Duke, North Carolina, Notre Dame, and Wake Forest), it will not meet the 0.500 requirement. Also, if the script holds up, Maryland will be in the ACC Tournament and Duke and Clemson will not. The Duke/Clemson game is looming large -- it's just one big game after another for Duke, and Clemson is going to need an upset somewhere. This, of course, has nothing to do with whether the "at risk" -- or other -- teams will have sufficient ARPI ranks to be bubble teams. EDIT: Just noticed that Duke and Clemson play on Thursday. Lots of other good games that day, not just for the ACC. Wow!
I was surprised by this, so I looked up Clemson's record. They are currently 7-4-3. If they win vs. Miami and lose the other 4 they are still .500 (8-8-3). So, if I'm correct, they don't need an upset.
Thanks man. Likewise. Being at Merlo was on my list of places to see a soccer game for a long time and I wasn't disappointed. The most immaculate and beautiful grass I have seen on any field. The atmosphere was great, the crowd is close to the action and the hospitality tent was awesome. And as always in Portland, an informed fan base that knows what they are talking about.
Question for anyone. I went on Campbell University website to purchase tickets. It seems first of all, you have to have an account to purchase tickets. But it doesn't let you create one, just log in info if you already have one. Second, I tried calling the ticket office but no one answers. I get a voice message that they are not in and I've called several times. Anyone have any suggestions? Gotta get these tickets now because if this is like in the past years there is a girls youth soccer showcase where Club teams coming in from around the country gobble up all the tickets at WakeMed.
Wow, you are right, thanks for the correction. Somehow, I had Clemson with 2 non-conference losses when they only had one. If Clemson does end up 8-8-3, they might be happy not to be in the ACC Tournament. If they're in the Tournament, they'd have to win (or tie) their first round game or end up below 0.500. It wouldn't be the first time a scenario like this has occurred. I odn't know whether that all will matter, however. With Clemson now at #44 in the RPI with a 7-4-3 record, if they go to 8-8-3 their rating might drop to the point they will not be highly enough ranked to get bubble consideration. They'll be helped by a tremendous strength of schedule over their remaining games, but it's very unusual for a team that loses a game to improve its RPI even if the loss is to a very strong opponent. Even from a purely RPI "academic" perspective, this will make Clemson's progress really interesting to watch -- Duke's too.
So based on what you said, I'll take it one step further. Lot of "what ifs" in this situation, but bear with me: So Clemson, Maryland and Duke and/or possibly BC may get into the ACC tournament with a .500 win percentage overall. They would then need have to play away in the quarters, and they would need a win or a tie to remain at .500 to be eligible for the NCAA tournament play. If one of those teams does tie the home team, do you think there would be any chance they would throw the PK shootout to ensure .500 win percentage and not risk losing in the ACC semifinals, or would their RPI rankings be too low even with being NCAA eligible to be selected as an at large bid?
They most definitely would not throw a PK shootout. A game that goes to a shootout is treated as a tie for NCAA RPI, 0.500 requirement, and other purposes. The only function of the shootout is to determine which team advances. And, a first round tie in the ACC tournament could do a great deal for a bubble team's chance of actually getting an at large selection. The tied opponent most likely would a very highly ranked team, and in the bubble competition good results against very highly ranked teams are worth a great deal. And, a tie in that setting would be considered a good result. The bigger question is whether the team even would get into the bubble. There's one exception to the NCAA treating shootouts as ties: in the NCAA tournament championship game, a PK shootout results in a win/loss. EDIT: I think I missed your point. Team A goes into the conference tournament with an 0.500 record and gets to a shootout. If it loses the shootout, it still will have an 0.500 record and might get an at large position in the NCAA Tournament. If it wins the shootout, it will have to play a second round conference tournament game and might lose, in which case it will have a record below 0.500 and won't qualify even for consideration for an at large position. Would the team therefore intentionally lose the shootout? Your guess is as good as mine, but I doubt it. What kind of message would that send to the team -- you can't win the second round game so let's throw this one? I don't see teams of this quality going down that route. Heck, they might win the entire conference tournament, somehow sneak their ARPI ranking up to #25, and get seeded.
Tomorrow's games: Syracuse @ UNC at 2pm with free video on GoHeels.com Maryland @ Miami at 6, video with fee on HurricaneSports.com Wake Forest @ Virginia Tech at 7 on ESPN3 Virginia at NC State at 7 on ESPN3 Duke at Clemson at 7 on ESPN3
Bought my plane ticket for the College Cup today. It was between the ACC tournament or College Cup and I chose the CC. I'm sure all the NWSL coaches including Chicago Red Stars coaches and reps will be in Cary, NC for that weekend. Now if I can only get a hold of someone in the Campbell Univ. ticket office to buy a ticket for the games.
I just went onto the website and it made me make up a username about halfway through the ticket purchase process. I selected the tickets I wanted, then I made up a username, then gave billing info, then gave credit card info. Don't worry about the username and password until you're done selecting the tickets you need. Hope this helps.
While you're there, I recommend a side trip to Greensboro. I know, I know, ordinarily the hour and a quarter ride would be the other way, but for those interested in US history, there's a lunch counter in a former Woolworth's near Greensboro's City Hall that's worth the trip, even if you only can look in the window. Plus, at least a long time ago, there was a great book store nearby.
Finals: Syracuse 0 at UNC 1 Maryland 1 at Miami 0 Wake Forest 1 at Virginia Tech 2 in OT. Duke 0 at Clemson 0 2OT. Duke hit the woodwork four times after halftime Virginia 5 at NC State 0. Sunday's games: Wake Forest @ Clemson Maryland @ Florida State BC @ Miami Virginia @ UNC Syracuse @ NC State Duke @ Notre Dame Virginia Tech @ Pittsburgh
Wake Forest drops out of top 8 in conference after tonight's loss; Maryland jumps in with a win at Miami. According to Chris Henderson, top 5 are mathematically still in running for #1 seed in ACC tournament and NC State is eliminated from ACC tournament. Standings after Thursday games (bold team is in ACC tournament, striked-out team is mathematically out of ACC tourney. Now 12 teams playing for 7 spots) 1. Virginia (15-0-0, 9-0-0) 27 points 2. Florida State (12-0-0, 7-0-2) 23 points 3. Virginia Tech (12-1-2, 7-1-1) 22 points 4. North Carolina (13-2-0, 7-2-0) 21 points 5. Notre Dame (9-4-1, 5-3-1) 16 points 6. Clemson (7-4-4, 4-3-2) 15 points 7. Boston College (8-7-0, 4-5-0) 12 points Maryland (8-7-0, 4-5-0) 12 points 9. Wake Forest (8-4-2, 3-4-2) 11 points 10. Duke (5-6-4, 2-4-3) 9 points Leads H2H over Miami 11. Miami (8-6-0, 3-6-0) 9 points 12. Syracuse (6-9-1, 2-7-1) 7 points 13. NC State (6-10-0, 1-9-0) 3 points 14. Pitt (4-10-1, 0-9-0) 0 points
I've been making a major goof up in the tables I've been posting here. The non-conference games for each team that are included in my end-of-season projections included a pre-season game for each team. Sorry for creating confusion. So, here is a corrected table after last night's games. This uses Massey's ratings based on games through last Sunday. Boston College now has played Central Connecticut, so that game is included in BC's "projection." ACC tournament games are not included. Here are the current ARPI ranks and the remaining games for each team, with the projected outcomes based on Massey's rankings. The projected outcomes are wins or losses. Of course, there may be some ties and, in some cases, getting ties might be critical. Miami (ARPI 80): Projected losses: Boston College, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Virginia Maryland (33): Wins: Syracuse, Pittsburgh; Losses, Boston College, Florida State Clemson (51): Wins: Miami; Losses: North Carolina, Notre Dame, Wake Forest Boston College (36): Wins: Maryland, Miami, Syracuse; Losses: Notre Dame Duke (32): Wins: NC State, Pittsburgh; Losses: North Carolina, Notre Dame
Game is free on GoHeels.com at 1! Other games on TV: Noon: Syracuse @ NC State is on RSN/ESPN3 1pm: Duke @ Notre Dame on WatchND.com 1pm: Maryland @ Florida State on ESPN3 1pm: BC @ Miami is for a fee on HurricaneSports.com 1pm: VaTech @ Pitt is for a fee on PittsburghPanther.com 2pm:Clemson @ Wake is RSN/ESPN3
Finals: Syracuse 2 @ NC State 1 in 2OT Virginia 2 @ UNC 0 Maryland 1 @ FSU 2 BC 3 @ Miami 3 after 2OT. BC was down 2-3 and got a player sent off, but got a PK in 80th minute. Duke 2 @ Notre Dame 1 in 2OT Virginia Tech 4 @ Pittsburgh 0 Wake Forest 1 @ Clemson 0 Notes: UNC is out of the race for the #1 ACC tourney seed. VaTech and FSU both need to take points away from Virginia if they want to win the regular season (although all 4 teams are looking very good to be quarterfinal hosts). Maryland is now 8-8. BC is still 1 game above .500, Miami is still 2 games above .500. Duke gets the win against Notre Dame and now have NC State and Pitt to get its record above .500. Notre Dame now 0-4-1 in last 5 games. Pitt is eliminated from the ACC tournament. Wake's win vaults them back into the Top 8 teams.
Bolded teams are in ACC tourney. Striked-out teams cannot qualify for ACC tourney. Italicized teams have clinched home field advantage for ACC tournament quarterfinals. Please correct me if you see a mistake. Top of the ACC is pretty clear. #6-12 teams are separated by 4 points. Now 9 teams playing for 5 spots. 1. Virginia (16-0-0, 10-0-0) 30 points 2. Florida State (13-0-2, 8-0-2) 26 points 3. Virginia Tech (13-1-2, 8-1-1) 25 points** 4. North Carolina (13-3-0, 7-3-0) 21 points 5. Notre Dame (9-5-1, 5-4-1) 16 points 6. Wake Forest (9-4-2, 4-4-2) 14 points. Wake has H2H win against Clemson. 7. Clemson (7-5-4, 4-4-2) 14 points 8. Boston College (8-7-1, 4-5-1) 13 points -------------------------------------------- 9. Duke (6-6-4, 3-4-3) 12 points. Blue Devils have H2H win against Maryland 10. Maryland (8-8-0, 4-6-0) 12 points 11. Syracuse (7-9-1, 3-7-1) 10 points. Orange have H2H win against Miami (but Hurricanes have a game in hand) 12. Miami (8-6-1, 3-6-1) 10 points 13. NC State (6-11-0, 1-10-0) 3 points 14. Pitt (4-11-1, 0-10-0) 0 points **If UNC, Notre Dame and VaTech all end up with 25 points, not sure how that would work out since each team is 1-1 against other two. Anyway, VaTech only needs one point from its final 3 games to definitively clinch a home quarterfinal game. Also, UNC needs just a point from its final 3 matches to clinch a spot in ACC tournament.
My Heels lost to uva today, and I must say that this is the first time I have seen unc be truly outplayed. Even in their losses, they often have more shots, etc, but this uva team is really special. But,hey we beat standford in the semis last year which seemed out of reach, so I never count unc out
If the ACC tournament were today, here are the seedings and matchups: #1 Virginia vs. #8 Boston College #4 North Carolina vs. #5 Notre Dame #2 Florida State vs. #7 Clemson #3 Virginia Tech vs. #6 Wake Forest And if those were the Quarterfinals, here are my predictions. Virginia 3 - Boston College 0 North Carolina 2 - Notre Dame 1 (overtime) Florida State 2 - Clemson 1 Virginia Tech 1 - Wake Forest 0 (without Stengel) Virginia 1 - North Carolina 1 (UNC advances on penalty kicks) Florida State 1 - Virginia Tech 2 (double overtime) Virginia Tech 1 - North Carolina 1 (Virginia Tech wins ACC championship in penalty kicks)
You don't see a lot of people making such specific predictions. I like it! Who misses for uva in the semis? This result would be fine with me. Unc gets through the acc tournament without any losses and gives uva their first non-win, probably. I think the result would get us a #1 seed