Sportz Assassin's East Region Preview

TEAM TO BEAT: Villanova. The Wildcats have had an amazing year and the committee obviously valued them by making them the 2nd overall seed.  Nova has been a bit under the radar when compared to the other elite teams.  

TEAM THAT WILL WIN THE REGION: Virginia. Wow, have people just left the Wahoos for dead.  A little over a week ago, Virginia was entrenched as the 2nd ranked team in the country.  They lose with seconds left at Louisville to end the season then lose to a solid North Carolina team in the ACC tournament.  Their only other loss was a late game meltdown against Duke. Now no one believes in them?  Watch out.

TEAM TO WATCH FOR (LESS THAN A NO. 3 SEED): Michigan State. Tom Izzo's teams tend to perform well in the NCAAs.  With an interesting bracket laid out here, the Spartans may be able to be the low seed in the Final Four.  While they may be an underdog virtually the entire way, they have the ability to move a long way in this bracket.  

YOUR CINDERELLA: Dayton. They Flyers are in a First Four game in their own arena.  This is a team that went to the Elite 8 last season and head coach Archie Miller has done a great job with this year's team.  

WORST SEEDING ERROR: Northern Iowa. How is this team a No. 5 seed?  I know rankings don't mean much, but this has been a top 15 team for a bulk of the season and yet they are treated like just some other mid-major?  Unreal.    

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: Villanova. To the victors go the spoils.  The Wildcats start their journey in-state by traveling to Pittsburgh before moving up the Syracuse for the regional finals.  Really, only Providence and Albany can feel great about playing in Syracuse.

MUST WATCH GAME: NC State vs LSU. LSU is talented with a few first round NBA picks on their roster.  They are also inconsistent.  NC State has been on a nice roll of late and have beaten Duke, Louisville and North Carolina.  This will be one of the best matchups of the first (or second or whatever) round.

MUST WATCH (POTENTIAL) SECOND ROUND GAME: Virginia vs Michigan State. This was a great game in last season's NCAA Tournament and it could be even better.  Two tough coaches squaring off.  As you saw above, Virginia is my pick to win this region and Michigan State is my danger team pick.  One will be gone after this matchup.

See also:
South Region preview
East Region preview
West Region preview
Midwest Region preview

Sportz Assassin's West Region Preview

TEAM TO BEAT: Wisconsin. The Badgers are a complete team that has done this before.  They have some familiar foes in this bracket and the probable Player Of the Year.  They felt they let a title slip away last year and are back to finish the job.  

TEAM THAT WILL WIN THE REGION: Arizona. I've been on Arizona all year long.  Their three losses are a bit weird (none made the tournament) yet they are 18-0 against the RPI Top 100.  Those three losses were by a combined nine points.  They got size and are athletic and have been just spanking teams of late.

TEAM TO WATCH FOR (LESS THAN A NO. 3 SEED): North Carolina. The story of UNC this season is that they have the talent to beat anyone but they don't always have the drive.  They showed toughness against Virginia in the ACC tournament but then got shaken by a Notre Dame run the next night.  They have size, depth and can pound the boards which would make a matchup with either Wisconsin or Arizona a must-see.  

YOUR CINDERELLA: BYU. From "First Four" to "Final Four"?  Not quite.  But BYU could do some damage in this bracket.  They won at Gonzaga which means they are dangerous.  They can beat Ole Miss, Xavier and Baylor and sneak into the Sweet 16.  

WORST SEEDING ERROR: Ohio State. Honestly, I cannot find any real gripes with the seeding in this region.  Maybe the Buckeyes could have gotten a #9 seed instead of Oklahoma State?  

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: Arizona. Really, no one has that great of an advantage, but Arizona gets to head to Portland and then Los Angeles.  If they get Wisconsin in the region final, they'll definitely have the edge in home court.  

MUST WATCH GAME: VCU vs Ohio State. VCU's trapping defense against the OSU backcourt of D'Angelo Russell and Shannon Scott.  This should be a fun game to watch.  

MUST WATCH (POTENTIAL) SECOND ROUND GAME: North Carolina vs Arkansas. Both teams want to run, run, run.  North Carolina's offensive rebounding ability is outstanding but the Hogs can force some turnovers.  This would be a track meet.

See also:
South Region preview
East Region preview
West Region preview
Midwest Region preview

Sportz Assassin's Midwest Region Preview

TEAM TO BEAT: Kentucky. The Wildcats are 34-0 and the only teams that have even come close to beating them have done so because Kentucky has looked bored.  That shouldn't happen in the NCAA tournament.  

TEAM THAT WILL WIN THE REGION: Kentucky. It's hard to bet against a team that hasn't lost yet.  Kentucky could be challenged by Notre Dame, Maryland or Kansas, but they should breeze through this region.

TEAM TO WATCH FOR (LESS THAN A NO. 3 SEED): Maryland. The Terps aren't afraid of anyone.  Maryland has beaten Wisconsin, Iowa State and Michigan State ... twice.  They have big time scorers in both Melo Trimble and Dez Wells.  

YOUR CINDERELLA: Indiana. Hard to think of a program like Indiana as a Cinderella, but they are a #10 seed and have beaten some really good teams this year.  They beat Maryland, SMU, Butler and Ohio State.  The problem with the Hoosiers is that they haven't beaten anyone any good since late January.  

WORST SEEDING ERROR: Wichita State. This committee pretty much let it be known that they like those power conference schools.  Case in point, Wichita State getting a #7 seed.  Does no one respect the MVC?  I guess not.  The Shockers are ranked 12th in the AP poll and are 18th in the RPI.  

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: Kentucky. Honestly ... everyone seems to have a home court advantage in this region.  Kentucky will be playing in Louisville, Cleveland and Indianapolis if they go all the way.  Still, Cincinnati and Purdue also will be in nearby L'ville.  Kansas and Wichita State will be in Omaha.  Heck there are five Indiana teams in this region alone (zero made the tournament last year).

MUST WATCH GAME: West Virginia vs Buffalo. Bobby Hurley (yes, that Bobby Hurley) helms a Buffalo squad that could make a surprising run in this region.  West Virginia was just 2-7 against the RPI's Top 25.  This could be an upset.

MUST WATCH (POTENTIAL) SECOND ROUND GAME: Kansas vs Wichita State. Kansas won't schedule in state Wichita State so this will be huge for the Shocker faithful.  The game would be in nearly Omaha and should be rocking.  We could also get the same sort of feel for a possible Kentucky-Cincinnati game in Louisville.

See also:
South Region preview
East Region preview
West Region preview
Midwest Region preview

Selection Sunday - What Is Left To Do

Can UConn steal a bid from a bubble team?

Today is Selection Sunday when we finally get to see the 2015 NCAA Tournament bracket.  Still, there is some unfinished business left to do.  So what's on tap before we see the brackets tonight?

Also see:
*Who Gets The No. 1 Seeds
*Latest Bubble Watch

1-AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP:  This is the most important game of the day.  If UConn beats SMU for the AAC title, the Huskies win an automatic bid in the tournament and knock one of those bubble teams out of the dance.  So this is a game fans of Indiana, LSU, Texas, Boise State, Temple, Ole Miss, UCLA and several other schools are going to be watching very closely.

2-SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP:  This will get the most eyes on it.  A Kentucky win means they will be 34-0 heading into the NCAA tournament and attempting to be the first undefeated team since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers.  A loss would be an epic news story, as well, but wouldn't really shake the foundation of the actual bracket.  Kentucky will still be the No. 1 overall seed and Arkansas may move up to be a 3 or 4 seed.

3-BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP:  Both Wisconsin and Michigan State are firmly in the field.  But a Wisconsin win could likely put them as a No. 1 seed.  They would have won both the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles which would hold some weight over teams like Duke and Virginia.

4-SUN BELT CHAMPIONSHIP:  Okay, it isn't a big-time game like pretty much anything on this list, but aside from UConn, these two are the only teams playing today that must win to get into the tournament.  Georgia Southern and Georgia State have been solid all season long and could be a Cinderella once they get in.

5-ATLANTIC TEN CHAMPIONSHIP:  Both VCU and Dayton are in the dance.  Only seeding could matter here, and I don't think it will very much.

Selection Sunday Preview: Who Gets The No. 1 Seeds?

Duke and Wisconsin played a highly anticipated
game early in the season.  Can one or both teams
end up as Number 1 seeds in the NCAA
tournament?

This evening, we will see the 2015 NCAA tournament bracket.  We will argue about who got robbed, who got snubbed, who is overseeded, underseeded and who got the easiest bracket.

We love to spend so much time over who the bottom teams in the tournament are ... let's look to see who can lock in those top seeds.

NUMBER ONE SEEDS

1-KENTUCKY:  No matter if they win or lose to SEC title game today, they should be the overall top seed in the Midwest Region (which ends in Cleveland) and start their tournament in Louisville.

2-VILLANOVA:  The other Wildcats won both the Big East regular season and tournaments and look like a lock to get the 2nd overall top seed and the East Region (which is in Syracuse) and play the first weekend in Pittsburgh.

Bubble Watch - Conference Tournament Edition

The bubble can drive a sane man looney.

It is conference tournament time, which means bids get locked up and bubble burst.  With the Bubble Watch winding down, instead of looking at everything from a conference standpoint, we must pit the bubble teams against each other.

Here is a breakdown of what we have.

LOCKS (60 teams)

We know these teams will get in.  Teams with an asterisk have won their league's automatic bids.

Kentucky, Duke, Villanova*, Virginia, Wisconsin, Arizona*, Gonzaga*, Maryland, Kansas, Utah, Northern Iowa*, Iowa State*, Notre Dame*, Louisville, Wichita State, Butler, North Carolina, Ohio State, SMU, Arkansas, Michigan State, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Georgetown, Providence, San Diego State, Baylor, VCU, NC State, Davidson, Dayton, St John's, Iowa, Oregon, Xavier, Cincinnati, Georgia, Purdue, Wyoming*, Belmont*, North Florida*, Coastal Carolina*, Northeastern*, Wofford*, Manhattan*, Valparaiso*, Robert Morris*, North Dakota State*, Lafayette*, Albany*, UAB*, Harvard*, Hampton*, Buffalo*, Texas Southern*, Eastern Washington*, Stephen F Austin*, New Mexico State*, UC-Irvine*

Plus the Sun Belt champion that will get automatic bid.

Sun Belt (Georgia State/Georgia Southern) 

2015 ACC Tournament Preview

TEAM TO BEAT: Virginia. The Cavaliers won the regular season title for the 2nd straight season and are defending ACC tournament champs.  They lost two games all season long: a magical comeback by Duke and a close regular season finale at Louisville.  

TEAM THAT WILL WIN THE TOURNAMENT: Duke. I say this nearly every year because Duke and Coach K value this tournament more than anyone.  They are playing well right now and did beat UVa in their only meeting.  My only concern is that the Blue Devils have little depth and that could hurt them at winning three games in three days.

TEAM TO WATCH FOR (LESS THAN A NO. 3 SEED): Louisville. The Cards have had a good history at winning conference tournaments and this is their first ACC affair.  They'll most likely get UNC first and then probably a Virginia team that just beat.  Their style of play is tough to prepare for with little preparation.  

YOUR CINDERELLA: Wake Forest. The Deacs aren't as bad as their record indicates as they have played many tight games.  With no one scared of them, they could bite a big name team.  

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: Duke, North Carolina, NC State and Wake Forest. This marks the last of the old ACC where most of the tournaments are held in either Greensboro or Charlotte.  Next year they move up to Brooklyn and the tournament moves around quite a bit.  So that advantage of the Big Four (who made up half the conference for nearly the first 40 years of the league will be gone.  Better take advantage.

MUST WATCH GAME: NC State vs Pittsburgh. State has shown they can beat the best ... but they've shown they can lose to anyone.  Pitt needs to make a run to get into the tournament and popping State would be a great first step.

MUST WATCH (POTENTIAL) QUARTERFINAL GAME: Louisville vs North Carolina. The first time these two met in the season, Marcus Paige topped off a huge UNC comeback with a game winning layup.  The second time they played, Louisville came back from 18 points down to send the game into overtime where they spanked the Heels.  A third game would be welcome.

What If The Conference Tournament Champion Earned The Only Bid?

Over 40 years ago, an epic ACC tournament helped change
the NCAA tournament.  What if the rules went back
to include just one team per league?

It will never happen ... but a long time ago it did.  It is an interesting question and it is actually a fair way to do things.  So here is the question:

What if the champion of each conference tournament earned the lone bid?

Up until 1975, only one team could represent each conference in the NCAA tournament.  For a variety of reasons it was changed and the tournament has been pretty darn good because of it.  But what if it magically went back to just one team per conference?

Well, there are 32 conferences so the tournament would easily be 32 teams.  We could cut down the number of venues hosting games as we could have four sites hosting first round games (which are the "round of 32 games" now) where games are played on consecutive days at those sites.  Then we'd move to the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 rounds the next weekend and then the Final Four per usual.

There would be no bubble.  No argument about who gets in.  The lone argument would be about seeding since the bracket would still be constructed.

Think how awesome these conference tournaments would get?  We watch these smaller conferences battle as they know the champ is the only team that gets to make the tournament.  Imagine if the bigger conferences did the same.  Think how big the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and Pac-12 tournaments would be.  Imagine the SEC tournament where one of those teams could knock off Kentucky and end their title hopes.  Again, that's how it used to be.

Think about the ACC tournament, which has two projected No. 1 seeds competing.  That means only Duke or Virginia would get into the NCAAs ... not both.  It would also mean ranked teams like Louisville, Notre Dame and North Carolina would miss out.  Imagine the Big Ten tournament, which is projected to get 7 or 8 teams in the tournament.

The emotions.  It would be quite a week, indeed.

Sportz' Bubble Watch 2015 (Updated 3/8)

Okay. I've been doing my whole Sportz' Bubble Watch for a few years now and I think it is time to start back up. With only a few weeks left in the season before conference tournaments, let's see how the bubble looks.

So, here are my locks ... yes, by conference. Locks are teams that I think are in no matter what.  Looking good are teams that are in, barring a total collapse.  I split the bubble teams either In or Out; self explanatory.  Also there's a spot for teams that need a miracle.  No more losses and maybe a deep conference tournament run.

I figure there are 20 conferences who are one-bid leagues and 12 conferences that could net multiple bids. So who should be going?

Bubble Watching Weekend (March 7-8)

Purdue is nearing a NCAA tournament berth.  However, they'll be facing
an Illinois squad fighting for their lives.

Of course, the UNC-Duke game is the one I'll be all over ... but both those schools are safely in the field.  But there are tons of games featuring schools who need to get it going to make sure they will be playing in the NCAA Tournament.  Here is my list of bubble games this weekend.

SATURDAY

17-FRESNO STATE AT BOISE STATE (8p):  Boise is rolling right now and should take care of Fresno State.  Should.

16-GEORGIA AT AUBURN (SEC 4p):  Auburn stinks and Georgia is coming off a close loss to Kentucky.  You'd think this one was in the bag and for a Bulldogs team that fancies itself a tournament team, it better.

15-DAVIDSON AT DUQUESNE (7p):  C'mon, Davidson!  You're making us believers out here!

14-YALE AT DARTMOUTH (7p):  Well, this isn't technically a bubble game, but a Yale win means they will lock a tournament berth for the first time since 1962.  I watched their game with Harvard last night a had a great time.  This is a fun team to watch and it's nice to see the "smaller programs" get into the dance.

13-XAVIER AT CREIGHTON (FS2 2p):  Of all the Big East teams with tournament hopes, the Muskies are the most bubbliest.  They are in a stay-the-course mode right now and Creighton isn't any good.  No let up.

12-WESTERN KENTUCKY AT OLD DOMINION (5:30p):  ODU is trying to gain an at-large bid if they cannot win the C-USA tournament.  Western Kentucky isn't a pushover.  The Hilltoppers won the first meeting between the two.

11-SYRACUSE AT NC STATE (CBS 12p):  State is in right now, but a win over a Syracuse program that was just stung with NCAA penalties and who will be playing their final game of the season could lock them in.

Goodbye Tar Heel Seniors

Jackson Simmons, Desmond Hubert, Roy Williams and Luke Davis.

As the final home game of the year, it is senior night in Chapel Hill.  Due to some injuries, we won't get to see the senior class all start ... but here is my memories of each guy:

JACKSON SIMMONS:  Coach Williams' blowtorch.  Whenever he felt the effort was lacking on the floor, he'd put Simmons out there.  Simmons wasn't fast, wasn't big and wasn't a big time athlete.  But he is a coach's dream by doing exactly what his coaches taught him to do.

DESMOND HUBERT:  Hubert was like that guy you knew was going to play hard even though he really didn't have a ton of skill.  He was a defensive guy who blocked shots and stayed with his man.  He may have had the worst hands in the history of the program.  I rarely saw him catch a pass cleanly.  Still, he started as a Heel and he may play just a few minutes but he always active when he was out there.  Hubert is out for the season with a knee injury.

LUKE DAVIS:  Luke, we hardly knew ya.  Davis transferred to UNC from Gardner-Webb after his freshman season.  Coach Williams, after the disaster of losing Kendall Marshall during the 2012 NCAA tournament, was willing to take on as many point guards as he could.  Davis, this year, missed a lot of time with a foot injury.  Really, Davis didn't have Wes Miller-esque career I thought he could have but he did get to live a dream.

SASHA SEYMORE:  One of those walk-ons ... except he is the senior class president.  Amazing career at UNC.  He tore his ACL during garbage time against UAB and missed the remainder of the year.  Still, Sasha will have a bright career ahead of him as he's been awarded a Mitchell scholarship and will study in Northern Ireland next year.

Simmons will start since he's healthy, and Davis could be out there (he's still banged up).  I'd love to be able to see Hubert and Seymore able to limp out there for the tip and then come off the floor just so they can get that last moment of Tar Heel basketball.

Not A Big Fan Of CBS/Turner's New Broadcast Lineups

The NCAA via CBS and Turner have their new lineups set up for the NCAA Tournament and I'm not a big fan.  Sure, with Steve Kerr now as the head coach of the Golden State Warriors and Greg Anthony thrown off the networks for soliciting prostitution, there were going to be some changes.

Bill Raftery will be doing the Final Four with Jim Nantz.  I'm fine with that.  However, I don't see why that means those two must pair up for the entire tournament.

Sorry.  I'm getting ahead of myself.  Here is the pairings:

1) Jim Nantz / Bill Raftery / Grant Hill
2) Marv Albert / Chris Webber / Len Elmore
3) Verne Lundquist / Jim Spanarkel
4) Kevin Harlan / Reggie Miller / Dan Bonner
5) Ian Eagle / Doug Gottlieb
6) Brian Anderson / Steve Smith
7) Spero Dedes / Mike Gminski
8) Andrew Catalon / Steve Lappas

Back to Nantz and Raftery.  Last year, Nantz called games with Greg Anthony during the first two weekends while Kerr was with Marv Albert.  For the Final Four, Kerr joined the Nantz/Anthony booth and that worked well.  Why couldn't they do that again this year?

Why couldn't Nantz work with Hill for the first two weekends with Raftery joining for the Final Four?  Keep Raftery with Verne Lundquist!  While I'm certainly not a fan of Lundquist anymore, his chemistry with Raftery is undeniable.  Because they moved Raftery from calling games with Lundquist, it started a chain reaction that I feel didn't need to happen anyway.

Last year, Catalon was with Mike Gminski, Dedes was with Gottlieb and Eagle was with Spanarkel.  They broke that up due to moving Spanarkel with Lundquist.  Again, if you keep Raftery put until the Final Four, none of these changes are needed.  I think a mistake by CBS/Turner.

I love the Harlan/Miller pairing.  They do well together on NBA broadcasts and have done well previously in the NCAA tournament with Len Elmoer.  So why add Dan Bonner ... who I also like ... to that mix?  Bonner certainly does well on his own and did well with Anderson last year.  Elmore now moves all the way up to the #2 announcing team with Albert and newbie Webber.

Webber is an interesting choice.  He's really gotten good with his work at TNT but it will be interesting to see him deal with an NCAA tournament where his infamous timeout is part of lore.  That's how most people remember him and it is certainly his mark on the tournament.  The fact that he's all but distanced himself from the University of Michigan makes this a notable move.

In the end, will we even notice this?  Some.  The Lundquist-Raftery team is gone and the Eagle-Gottlieb pairing could get weird.

Should Dick Vitale Do The UNC-Duke Game?

The second UNC-Duke game of the season will be upon us tomorrow and, just like the first one, Dick Vitale won't be in attendance.

It is a shame.

Look, there's no one that rolls his eyes at Vitale's shtick more than me.  As a lifelong Tar Heels fan, I've heard the same things over and over and over and over again from Vitale that you could essentially put a soundboard up to the telecast and just hit the corresponding soundbites when needed.

Still, this is Duke-UNC and this game along with Vitale (along with the rise of the Big East in the 1980s) have built up college basketball on this network. Vitale called every big college hoops game on the network, and every UNC-Duke game is seemingly a big one.  Tomorrow's game is as well.  Vitale should be there.

My Favorite Tar Heels ... By The Numbers

With UNC-Duke coming up, I'm feeling a bit nostalgic.  So here are my favorite UNC players by uniform number.  No, not the best player with each number ... but my favorite.  Names listed in italics were also considered.

0:  NATE BRITT.  I have a soft spot for Britt.

00:  ERIC MONTROSS.  The big man not only helped lead the Heels to the 1993 NCAA title, but is the current radio analyst for Carolina.  Brandan Haywood

1:  DEXTER STRICKLAND.  For three years, I was nervous anytime Strickland had the ball in his hands.  His senior year, I trusted him.  Melvin Scott, Marcus Ginyard.

2:  RAYMOND FELTON.  I loved Felton's game at Carolina and he quarterbacked the 2005 NCAA title team.  Wayne Ellington

3:  SHAMMOND WILLIAMS.  A combo guard who came up with some huge shots in his career.  Kennedy Meeks.

4:  BOBBY FRASOR.  A forgotten man in UNC lore.  Think about the point guard hierarchy and Frasor gets lost (in between Felton and Ty Lawson).  Still, he was a smart, heady player who made the smart play.  

5:  TY LAWSON.  There may not be a more difficult number to pick.  Lawson was the lynchpin to the 2009 title team and could not be guarded that season.  Nearly the perfect point guard for Roy Williams.  Fast, smart, tough and didn't turn the ball over.  Kendall Marshall, Ed Cota, Marcus Paige, Jeff McInnis.

Tar Heels Fan's Guide To Hating Your ACC Brethren

Everyone has their own hatred for other teams for whatever reason.  Even among fans of the same team, there are some teams you may hate more than I.  Maybe because of age (as a 40 yr old, I remember the rabid UNC-State rivalry), of proximity (I now live in Kentucky so the UNC-Kentucky games have a bit more smack talk involved) or just general taste in opponents.

But, as a Tar Heel fan, here is the order of the ACC teams in terms of hoops hate.

14-VIRGINIA TECH:  Honestly, does any UNC fan hate the Hokies yet?  To Heels hoops fans, we tend to forget the Hokies are even in the conference (UNC leads series 65-13).

13-BOSTON COLLEGE:  The Eagles used to be a lot higher on this list.  When they first came into the league, they (more than Va Tech or Miami) brought the bruising Big East style with them.  Jared Dudley and crew came into the league wanting to push around the status quo of UNC and Duke.  Since those mid-2000s, the Eagles haven't really been much to deal with and their far away location doesn't lend itself to much fan interaction (UNC leads series 12-5).  

12-NOTRE DAME:  The most hateful thing I can say about the Irish right now is that they didn't try harder to keep Matt Doherty back in the early 2000s (UNC leads series 18-5).

11-MIAMI:  The Hurricanes have been annoying, winning four straight against the Heels.  Not only is the atmosphere down in Coral Gables tough on UNC, they seem to play Carolina well no matter where the game is played (UNC leads series 19-6)

10-LOUISVILLE:  They are the new guy, so I haven't developed too much of a hatred for them yet.  Yet.  However, their two meetings in the Cards first ACC season have been epic and hopefully leads to a nice future to come (UNC leads series 10-4).

9-PITTSBURGH:  A new ACC team, but they've climbed up the ladder a bit.  They beat the Heels in the ACC tournament last year and during the season this year (UNC leads series 8-3).

8-CLEMSON:  Clemson is a longtime nemesis, but UNC has kind of owned them.  Clemson has never won in Chapel Hill (amazing stat).  There was the tense years during Rick Barnes tenure in Clemson which leaps them up the ladder (UNC leads series 129-20)

7-SYRACUSE:  It's easy to hate Jim Boeheim.  He's whiny and he has openly complained about the Orange's move from the Big East to the ACC, even dissing Greensboro as a host to the ACC Tournament.  They are also an excellent program who will battle UNC for conference crowns for a long time (UNC leads series 5-4).  

6-WAKE FOREST:  It is usually tough to "hate" Wake, but anyone who remembers the 1990s knows that it was quite a huge rivalry.  From Rodney Rodgers to Randolph Childress to Tim Duncan to Chris Paul (UNC leads series 157-66).  

5-GEORGIA TECH:  Tech has always been a thorn in Heels sides (UNC leads series 65-23).  

4-VIRGINIA:  On the surface, the Cavs-Heels rivalry doesn't seem that big.  But these are two old schools who are closer in proximity than you'd think that have played for a long, long time (UNC leads series 128-52).  

3-FLORIDA STATE:  For whatever reason, FSU scares me each season.  When they come up on the schedule, I get nervous.  Even the game last week was quite a nailbiter even though the Noles are a bit down this year.  They area always tough, yet athletic.  Well coached.  They also introduced the term "wine and cheese crowd" to the world (UNC leads series 45-12).  

2-NC STATE:  As a 40-yr old, I remember when UNC-State was a more rabid rivalry than the one with Duke.  State hates UNC.  Hates the Heels.  While we Heels fans hate State, the glamour of the Duke rivalry has made the one with the Pack less known.  But it is a big one (UNC leads series 151-77).  

1-DUKE:  Duh.  The biggest rivalry in college basketball and one of the best in all of sports (UNC leads series 133-106).