Tim Hall
Tim Hall covers ACC basketball and football, and is the morning sports anchor from 6-10 a.m., Monday-Friday, on 99.9 FM The Fan.
By Tim Hall
Nov 20, 2009
USA's coach Mike Krzyzewski, center, wears his players gold medals as they celebrate after beating Spain 118-107 in the men's gold medal basketball game at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008. Flanking Krzyzewski is Deron Williams, left, and Jason Kidd. (AP Photo/Dusan Vranic) Original Filename: Beijing_Olympics_Basketball_Men_OLY804.jpg
A lot of discussion has been made about the balance of power between North Carolina and Duke's basketball programs. It doesn't take a genius to say it's North Carolina's time right now. The Tar Heels are not only doing better than Duke in the past five years, they're doing better than everyone.
Well-known sportswriter for The Washington Post and best-selling author John Feinstein joined 99.9 The Fan ESPN Radio on Thursday. Feinstein, a Duke alum and friend of Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski, said Duke losing Harrison Barnes to UNC was a "big hit."
"But I'm still waiting for someone to show me one piece of evidence that being the Olympic coach helps Duke," Feinstein said. "I haven't seen it yet. It might help Mike's book sales but I haven't seen one piece of evidence."
"Are the kids there going to win a national championship this year? I don't think so. Now I can be proven wrong, and then I'll shut up."
Feinstein did give Coach K a great compliment by saying he is one of the two or three greatest coaches to ever live. He put him next to Wooden, Smith, Rupp and Knight.
But while Feinstein argues that Coach K's Olympic experience has yet to prove it can be a useful recruiting tool, I would argue that it hasn't proven to be a detriment either. Barnes
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By Tim Hall
Nov 16, 2009
I figured I would not just use this as a chance to give my second AP college basketball poll of the season. Still not much has happened to base the rankings on. I wanted to use this as a chance to double up the value of the column and also give you my votes for the AP All-America first team.
A couple of weeks ago the votes from the 65-member national panel were calculated and the actual preseason team was released. Luke Harangody from Notre Dame, Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins from Kansas, Patrick Patterson of Kentucky and Duke's Kyle Singler rounded out the list.
The only two I voted for that ended up on the actual team were Patterson and Aldrich. I think Aldrich is the most important player in the country this season. If you think Ed Davis can alter a shot, watch Aldrich play a few games.
The other three I voted to my team were Willie Warren of Oklahoma, Robbie Hummel of Purdue and Greivis Vasquez of Maryland.
Before you call me crazy understand the criteria we are given to form the team: The only qualification is that it must be a team that can take the floor. I took that from the e-mail the AP sent me before the season. So in choosing these team's it goes back to the age-old discussion of what constitutes an MVP or a Player of the Year. What do you look at?
For me, I wanted to select a traditional team. I didn't want to put four centers and a guard
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By Tim Hall
Nov 10, 2009
North Carolina didn't play great and it didn't play terrible. That's how sophomore Tyler Zeller put it. That's about how the story went.
Even with the Tar Heels losing Hansbrough, Ellington, Lawson and Green this was a season opener against an over-matched team. We had a great story line with NBA legend Isiah Thomas in the building making his college coaching debut. He only brings back one starter from a 13-20 team a year ago. Thomas brought in some junior college transfers and his team scrapped hard, but even that wasn't enough to keep within 10 points.
The people in Vegas were way off on this one making UNC 32.5 point favorites. The final score was 88-72. Some of the fans that were there would say the refs tried to favor the Golden Panthers in the second half and that's what kept it from getting out of hand. Maybe there was a bad call or two, but gimme a break.
The Tar Heels had a ton of freshmen making their debuts today and a lot of them made expected mistakes. They turned the ball over, they didn't block out and gave up an offensive board, they didn't help out on defense.
It's no secret that this team is going to struggle to find guys that can knock down the 3-pointer. Marcus Ginyard, Will Graves and Larry Drew II seem to be the best trio in the shooting department but a team with size like the Heels should operate in the paint first.
"Just because they play zone does not mean we have to take the first
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By Tim Hall
Nov 7, 2009
The Victory Bell will stay in Chapel Hill, the same place it's been since 2004. The same place it's been 19 of the last 20 years. The offenses dissapointed in this football game on cool November Saturday but North Carolina's defense again proved it's the most stout "D" in the ACC, and still one of the better ones in the nation.
Pros: For Carolina, the defense was awesome. Robert Quinn keeps getting better, and better, and better on defense. He was an absolute animal out there. When does a freaking lineman lead the team in tackles? He had 7, and 3 sacks and a forced fumble. How about the defense collectively having its best game of the season, holding a pretty darn good passing offense to 125 total yards. We know Duke can't run the ball effectively but 12 yards on 19 carries? Dang!!! And for the defense to keep Thad Lewis to 113 yards with a long pass of 22 yards, that's pretty darn impressive. Don't forget Charlie Brown's pick with a 54 yard return to set up the winning score. And the ground game was great behind a bruising Ryan Houston. He had 37 carries for 164 yards filling in for the injured Shaun Draughn who left after his first carry.
And oh yeah, North Carolina is 6-3 and needs one more win to get a shot at a bowl game. They have three chances to do it.
For Duke, there isn't much. I don't know how highly we regard North
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By Tim Hall
Oct 30, 2009
It's that time of year. Whether you like the preseason polls or not, whether you are for them or against them, they are still done. This year I will have a vote in the AP poll. Go ahead, let the heckling begin. But I can bet you that when I'm not covering nearly every basketball game here in the triangle I'm watching other ones on TV. So allow me to break down my first poll.
If you compare my votes to the actual first AP poll of the season they aren't drastically different. I do think Kansas is stockpiled with talent starting with Cole Aldrich and guard Sherron Collins. They've had problems off the court for sure. But these are the same types of kids Bill Self won a national title with a couple of years ago. Fighting with the football team shouldn't something they can't overcome.
I put Kentucky ahead of Texas in my top three because it's hard to overlook the talent in their recruiting class. Power forward Patrick Patterson passing on the NBA was huge for the Wildcats. Throw in freshmen DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall and just like that you have one of the most feared teams in the nation.
Four teams I voted in my Top 25 didn't show up in the first poll. UCLA, Oklahoma State, Northern Iowa and Wake Forest . I left out Georgetown, Clemson, Illinois and Minnesota.
UCLA lost some big time players in Darren Collison and Josh Shipp from last year's team. But I put some
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By Tim Hall
Oct 23, 2009
North Carolina missed a golden opportunity on Thursday Night Football. There was more excitement and build up for this game than there has been in a long time in Chapel Hill and after a half of football it seemed fans would have a good story to tell. But the Tar Heels failed to turn in a complete game. The defense wilted down the stretch as Christian Ponder made easy completions for big chunks of yards en route to a 30-27 come from behind win.
Pros: There really aren't many to speak of. But if you have to choose one it's Shaun Draughn and his day running the football. The Tar Heels have had a pitiful rushing attack, but getting back Jonathan Cooper back at guard clearly helped. Draughn ran for 126 yards and carried a 5.5 yard average. It was only the second 100-yard day by a Carolina tailback this season. Draughn had one against The Citadel. The entire running game was effective too as the Heels gained 238 yards. Greg Little scored on a nice end-around play. They had those working with Little and Jheranie Boyd all night.
Cons: The passing attack didn't go along with the running game. There was still no balance. T.J. Yates missed some throws. He passed for 64 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. It's hard to win in a pro-style offense with 64 yards from the quarterback position.
The team show itself in the foot with
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By Tim Hall
Oct 10, 2009
Duke embarrassed an already shaky secondary at Carter Finley Stadium on Saturday night with a 49-28 conference road win. Duke hadn't had one of those since 2003.
Pros: Where do I begin. You beat your rival. You won on the road in the ACC. You improved your conference record to 1-1 and overall record to 3-3. Your quarterback Thad Lewis tossed it for 459 yards and five touchdowns while running for another score. Coach David Cutcliffe said that it was the greatest performance by a quarterback he's ever had in college. You know that guy coached Peyton and Eli right? You have an open date and then Maryland at home after that. Did I mention that you beat your rival, N.C. STATE?
Cons: This one win doesn't mean that Duke is going to a bowl game. N.C. State absolutely lit up your defense just as you did to theirs in the first half. This was an N.C. State secondary that was in complete disarray coming into the game. They are giving up career days to just about every quarterback they face now. Riley Skinner and Thad Lewis makes two in a row. But I do want to say there aren't too many cons to go along with pounding N.C. State by 21 points.
Turning point: A muffed punt. It wasn't even the guy that was supposed to field the punt either. Justin Byers, a safety who was playing cornerback, let a punt bounce off
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By Tim Hall
Oct 8, 2009
There are some things in sports that just drive me nuts. I hate how there isn't a better replay system for baseball. I hate how rookies hold out two months into the season. I hate how teams that are under .500 make the playoffs. But above all I hate when long established rivalries suddenly vanish.
It makes me angry that there are two schools in the same conference separated by only 25 miles. And they don't play each other every year! When the ACC expanded earlier in the decade it decided that N.C. State and Duke aren't rivals. I think it was a huge mistake.
The only other intra-conference teams (in BCS conferences) that are closer in proximity are Duke and North Carolina (It's two shades of blue and seven miles or whatever it is you Duke and Carolina fans say) and UCLA and USC. Only 15 miles separate the Trojans and Bruins. Only 25 miles separate Duke and N.C. State.
The first two rivalries still happen every year. Duke and N.C. State doesn't. Conferences shouldn't be allowed to ban a classic rivalry just so it's easier to re-stack divisions. There's a lot that goes into what makes a rivalry. History, proximity, recruiting and bragging rights.
Duke and N.C. State started playing each other in 1924. They played every single year except 1944. Then the series took four years off from 2004-2007 just so the ACC could get more teams in and figure out ways for Florida
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By Tim Hall
Sep 8, 2009
I sure know how to pick the exciting football games.
Last Thursday I thought I was in for a real treat. It was a nationally televised season opener featuring pretty decent ACC and SEC teams. Three hours and fifteen minutes later of time I can never get back and N.C. State loses 7-3. They had 133 total yards.
I didn't think it could get worse. Then I went to a football game at Duke on Saturday.
I thought it was a done deal. I went to the Duke opener last year at Wallace Wade Stadium. That was Cutcliffe's very first game, and they also had a really strong FCS opponent in JMU. That was the year where you would have considered the upset. But Duke handled the Dukes. They didn't handle the Spiders on Saturday. It wasn't even close.
It's really hard to put into words when an ACC team loses at home to a team in a smaller division. Even with Richmond being a very highly ranked FCS team and Duke being a lowly ranked FBS team, I still was shocked. It was the most shocking thing of the football weekend for me.
Duke's mistakes in their opener left you leaving with an awful taste in your mouth. The defense played fine. But the special teams was horrendous. They got a punt blocked and returned for a touchdown. They missed two make-able field goals. Offensively the line couldn't block anybody. The running game was worse than pathetic.
You might
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By Tim Hall
Aug 14, 2009
It's been a week marred by discussions of sports figures who have done some really bad things. Rick Pitino, Michael Vick, and Donte' Stallworth all fit that bill.
In listening to sports radio all morning on 99.9 The Fan ESPN Radio I have heard many listeners and e-mailers comments on the Eagles signing Vick. That news may have overshadowed Stallworth's year long suspension from the league, but I was surprised to hear how the two are being compared.
So that brings up an interesting discussion. Which guy is worse? Donte Stallworth killed a person by accident. Michael Vick killed animals on purpose.
I think Michael Vick is so much worse of a person for his crime.
Before you want to jump down my throat and crucify me understand that I do think a human life is more important than a dog's. But I own a dog. I love them. They're domestic in this country and along with cats they are the next most important beings in terms of human affection for them.
Here's the differences in Stallworth and Vick.
Stallworth made a mistake. He was legally drunk, significantly above the .08 limit. Maybe he really thought he was safe to drive, maybe he didn't. He used poor judgment that night. It ended in a horrific result that he should pay for.
Even though Stallworth was under the influence, Mario Reyes(according to Stallworth's account) suddenly ran into the street in front of a moving car.
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