Just a few thoughts as I return from a vacation during which I did very little but had a lot of fun …
As I've stated previously on this blog, I think N.C. State made an outstanding hire in Tom O'Brien. Both Carolina with Butch Davis and now State with O'Brien have coaches who really can take those programs to a higher level. At least they better with those salaries. It will be fun to see and to cover.
I like the idea of N.C. State going back to Reynolds Coliseum for the heritage game, but it will never be a Reynolds atmosphere unless a game is scheduled with an appealing opponent. I mean Savannah State vs. N.C. State is just not a game that you want to spend a Saturday night watching. As I look back on it, I do wish State had somehow found a way to build its own campus arena. The RBC Center is certainly nice to be sure, but it just doesn't seem like a college arena -- or really, State's home. It seems more to me like what it really is, the home for the Carolina Hurricanes with State leasing out 15 or so dates.
Carolina vs. High Point is another game that wasn't a must-see. You know that outcome the day the schedule comes out. I guess it will be memorable because it was Roy Williams' 500th career-win. But you know it must be an unattractive game when a Carolina game isn't on television. Is it just me or could the Smith Center use a little bit of refurbishing?
Duke got a nice win over George Mason and gosh, the Blue Devils almost scored 70 points. Duke is 9-1 and have yet to play an opponent on their home court -- and won't until they go to Georgia Tech on Jan. 10. It's a good way to protect a young team. Duke did play better offensively against a decent George Mason team, but it's still a struggle. Josh McRoberts does a lot of things for Duke, but they need to get him more than just eight shots. I think at No. 9 Duke is way over ranked, but reputation will carry a program like theirs a long way. We'll see when conference play starts.
The Maryland, UNC and Duke women's teams are all off to unbeaten starts and all three are ranked in the top four in the country. They were in the Final Four last season, and I wouldn't bet against all of them being there again.
I want to congratulate Time Warner Cable for the nice job it did covering the state high school football playoffs. I enjoyed very much watching the 4-AA finals between Charlotte Independence and Durham Riverside. Independence has won an incredible with 108 straight wins and now, seven straight State Championships. I do hope Riverside is proud of the drive they made to get to the championship game. They turned a 3-4 start into a great season and they made Independence work for that win. I thought it would have been classy though if Independence had taken a knee rather than scored that touchdown in the final seconds. One thing about playing those Championship games in those roomy college stadiums: 8,000 people look like they are lost. It looks like a spring scrimmage game. At Wade Stadium though, the crowd looked like a typical Duke home game.
It's never easy to repeat in the National Hockey League and the Carolina Hurricanes are finding that to be true. Still despite injuries and getting everybody's best shot, they are very much in the playoff picture. I would be stunned if they're not there to defend the Stanley Cup. And they do seem to own Atlanta, don't they? It's been tough skating on this western road trip, which ends Monday at Colorado. But there's one thing about injuries in December, they're usually healed by April -- when it counts.
And oh yeah, the Panthers ... Plagued by injuries and, at times, lackadaisical play, the fashionable pick by many to go to the Super Bowl has fallen to 6-7 and will be lucky now to make the playoffs.
Well, it's time to enjoy the last few hours of my vacation. See you on TV.
