Seth Curry to Transfer From Liberty

(Hat tip: The Dagger)

Stephen Curry's little brother, Seth, is set to transfer from Liberty. Curry (that would be Seth) led all freshmen in scoring with a 20.2 ppg average. In a statement, Seth says that his decision "is based on my desire to develop as an athlete to the fullest of my potential and take advantage of new opportunities that may be available to me in a higher rated conference.”

If you read between the lines, that means that Liberty is too small for his talent. That is rather interesting. You would think that Davidson is waaaaaaay too small for big bro's talent and he has stayed at least three years.

This also points to the fact that there may be some feelers around him suggesting he could do better elsewhere. There is nothing more than speculation about where he may go. I agree with Chris Chase at the Dagger that his eyes may be set on an ACC school or Charlotte.

The Currys are from Charlotte and heading to the 49ers would be a big step up. Charlotte has fallen on hard times of late and need a star to make them relevant again. Michael Beasley was supposed to be that guy but he bolted to Kansas State when Dalonte Hill was hired there from Charlotte.

Seth would be able to play in a second-tier conference in the Atlantic 10 and get to play at home. He's also stay away from going to Davidson where comparison's to Stephen would be unfair.

There is also the possibility that he'd go to an ACC school. Virginia Tech is first up to bat since father Dell starred there in the 1980s. However, Tech blatantly brushed off both Currys during recruiting and that option may be dead. He could go to Virginia, but they don't even have a coach right now.

If he wanted to stay close to home, there are the Big Four in North Carolina. UNC, Duke, NC State and Wake Forest. If he goes to Carolina, Duke or Wake, he could get lost in the shuffle and lose a lot of playing time. Not to say he wouldn't be a factor but all three of those schools already have established guards in place. UNC probably will lose both Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson but they welcome in two McDonald's All Americans to take their places.

The best bet could be NC State. State is reeling and would give Seth Curry the opportunity of a lot of minutes and the national platform that comes with playing in the ACC. No one around the nation cares about the Wolfpack, really, but those games against the Heels, Devils and Deacs do get on TV. State also lost Brandon Costner to the NBA and watched Trevor Ferguson quit basketball. The opportunity is there.

Clemson could also be a possibilty. It is about the same distance away from Charlotte as Raleigh is. It would also give him the more small town feel that he's had in Lynchburg, VA.

The ACC Didn't Show Up In the Tournament

Everyone says the Big East is the best conference in the nation. I agree, to a point, but don't think the gap is as big as people think. I mean, the ACC did win 10 of 16 meetings between members of the conferences this year. The ACC did get in as many teams in the NCAA Tournament as the Big East did and they have four less teams. Of course, the NCAA Tournament is where the true value of a conference's strength are measured.

For the ACC, it didn't stack up.

Thursday was fine. North Carolina completely blew away Radford despite not playing ACC Player of the Year Ty Lawson. Duke blew up Binghamton and, for a night, put the rest that this was a team that chokes in the dance. Maryland actually pulled an upset by beating the No. 7 seed California Bears. The one stain was that Clemson underacheived in the tournament yet again.

That's a 3-1 mark heading into Friday where three more teams had a chance to flex the ACC's muscle. All three teams that were playing were rated a better seed. All three lost.

Boston College went out and lost to USC pretty handily. While the game was closer than the final score indicates, it wasn't that close. Florida State lost a tough, tight game to Wisconsin in overtime. And the shocker of them all, Wake Forest was pounded by Cleveland State. Yes, a team that was once ranked No. 1 in the nation lost to a team that wouldn't have even been invited to the tournament if they hadn't upset Butler for the Horizon championship.

Seven teams got into the dance. Only three teams remain out of the 32 left. While North Carolina and Duke are nice bets to get to the Sweet 16 and both have the ability to get to the Final Four. Still, it is disheartening for the conference that complained so much in recent years about why they didn't get more teams in.

Sportz 'This Week In the ACC'

Alright, it is time for the nitty gritty. The ACC is reaching its second half and there is a lot on the line. North Carolina fights to get back atop the polls; Duke and Wake are trying to stop their reeling; Florida State and Virginia Tech are coming up; and Clemson is starting to look scary.

So let's take our weekly look at the ACC.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: NORTH CAROLINA. The Tar Heels have now won eight in a row after losing their first two conference games. Right now, they are in first place in the standings and are coming off a huge win at Duke.

DISAPPOINTING TEAM OF THE WEEK: WAKE FOREST. The Deacons are sliding a bit after their huge win over North Carolina. Losses to Georgia Tech and NC State are ridiculous for a team that was once No. 1.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: TY LAWSON, UNC. It was Lawson's effort that brought a win over Duke back to Chapel Hill. He could not be stopped by the ACC's best defensive team.

UPCOMING GAMES THIS WEEKEND: NC State at Georgia Tech, Florida State at Wake Forest, Virginia Tech at Maryland, Clemson at Virginia, Duke at Boston College, North Carolina at Miami.

Some huge games coming up. Florida State can really make a statement if they can go into Winston-Salem and beat a reeling Wake Forest team. Same idea can go to Wake, as a win over the Noles would bring back some of their swagger.

Duke has lost 3 of 5 and now heads up to Boston College to face a rabid Eagles squad (that has already beaten UNC). This is the kind of game that should show Duke's mental state. If they come out flat, then this will probably be just another season that fades away.

The game of the weekend is in Coral Gables as the Heels and Canes renew acquaintances. Miami gave Carolina all it could handle in Chapel Hill before Wayne Ellington started nailing threes.

Clemson and Virginia Tech are facing trap games on the road.

NEXT WEEK: Maryland at Clemson, Miami at Florida State, Georgia Tech at Wake Forest, NC State at North Carolina, Virginia Tech at Virginia, Duke at St John's.

Three in-state matchups, Duke heading to their home away from home, and Wake Forest trying to avenge a bad loss.

Rushing the Court Is Played Out ... But I Don't Want to Stop It

Let me start off by saying that I hate it when college fans storm the court/field after a win. I'm willing to bet that 75% of times fans rush the field of play is unnecessary. However, there is that 25% that I can get with.

Both sides of the argument, to me, happened last night in the ACC.

After Miami beat Wake Forest by 27, it pained me to see the Hurricanes' fans storming the court. After all, Miami brings back nearly all of their NCAA Tournament team from last year while Wake Forest hasn't sniffed the tournament since Chris Paul left four years ago. Yes, they are ranked No. 6 and they had just occupied the top spot in the rankings last month (Miami is currently unranked).

To me, it was unnecessary. The Canes are good enough to expect a win like this.

Now let me talk out of both sides of my mouth. I have no problem with Clemson storming the court after their 27-point win over Duke. Yeah, Clemson is No. 10 and theoretically should expect to beat anyone in the nation in Littlejohn Coliseum. Even No. 3 Duke.

However, Duke had won the last 20 regular season games against Clemson. Clemson hadn't beaten Duke at home since 1997. Remember that this is a Tigers program that has only recently come out of the shadows to matter again (last year was their first tournament appearance in nearly a decade). These same Tigers have spent that time getting kicked in the shin by the top teams in the ACC. They've struggled against the UNCs, Dukes and lost a big home game to Wake Forest earlier this year.

Clemson's history dictates that they don't win games like this.

If anything, their fans were celebrating their arrival. This team has been pretty good over the past four or five years but have seen their team tank once February rolls around. This win proves that they are legit contenders for the ACC crown.

So, I excuse Clemson fans but condemn Miami fans.

I will say this. Back in 1994, UNC-Charlotte (where I was attending) toppled Louisville at the decrepit Old Charlotte Coliseum/Independence Arena/Cricket Arena/Bojangles Arena. Fans stormed the court after that game. A game I missed because I had tickets to a Hornets game (I believe). That was one of my few regrets in my sporting life.

Far be it for me to smack down today's students for having their moment.

The ACC Looks Pretty Fun, Doesn't It?

Two weeks ago, Wake Forest and Duke were ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. Last night, both lost by 27 points to unranked teams.

Yeah, the ACC is good.

Wake went down to Miami and were blown out, 79-52. Duke traveled down to Clemson and got spanked, 74-47. And with that, the Atlantic Coast Conference is up for grabs.

North Carolina spotted everyone a two game lead ... but now is tied for the lead. They are 6-2 with Virginia coming into Chapel Hill this weekend. That should set up a showdown for first place next Wednesday at Duke.

Clemson's win keeps them with just two losses (like Duke and Carolina). Oh, and Boston College (who beat UNC) is sitting at 6-3 right now. After that is gridlock between Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Florida State and Miami.

The ACC could send 8 teams to the NCAA Tournament. North Carolina, Duke, Clemson and Wake Forest seem like locks. Boston College is looking good. Florida State, Virginia Tech and Miami could sneak in right now.

There is still a lot left to play for and not everyone gets to play all their games against Virginia, NC State, Maryland and Georgia Tech.

Soft Tar Heels Need to Learn Defense

To shoot 35% from the field and still score 89 points in a college game is quite amazing. North Carolina got to the free throw line and hit the offensive glass to help offset their bad shooting night.

You'd think that scoring 89 points would be enough. It isn't when you allow 92.

That's what angers me. The Heels have shown the world that (again) they are soft. This team is made up of the same players that wet their pants when Georgetown made their comeback on UNC in the 2007 Elite Eight. They are the same team that fed into a Kansas beatdown in the 2008 Final Four. When the going gets rough, the Heels wilt.

That isn't entirely fair to say. The 2007 Heels couldn't win a close game all year. The 2008 Heels did an outstanding job changing that up. They held their own in close games against Clemson, Duke, Louisville, Virginia, Boston College and against Virginia Tech in the ACC tournament. The 2009 Heels spent the first seven weeks going untested. Now they are 0-2 in ACC play ... or 0-2 against the teams that aren't afraid of them.

In both games, the Heels allowed the opponent to get wide open threes. They also got into the paint, got to the line and were allowed to do anything they wanted on the offensive end. When the Heels tried to mount comebacks, they used poor shot selection (why is Ty Lawson shooting fade-away jumpers?) and keep turning the ball over.

Against both BC and Wake Forest, the Heels have been pushed out of the paint. Tyler Hansbrough has so much faith in his perimeter game that he doesn't fight for the inside position he used to. Deon Thompson doesn't do enough to keep his position. So now Carolina is forced to take tougher shots than they have been used to getting.

I said it after the BC game: the Heels have the best team in the nation. The problem is that sometimes they thing that is enough to win.