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'Mocha Friday' for ACC
Submitted by jpg on 03/21/2009 - 08:17
For those ACC fans not old enough to remember "Black Sunday," Wake Forest, Florida State and Boston College were kind enough to commemorate the 30th anniversary on Friday.
The ACC went 0-3 in the NCAA Tournament on "Mocha Friday" — not quite as dark as the twin losses by UNC and Duke on Black Sunday at Reynolds Coliseum in 1979, but a decaffeinated buzz-kill of a day for the conference nonetheless.
All three teams were the better-seeded team. Wake, the No. 4 in the Midwest Regional, got handled by 13th-seeded Cleveland State, 84-69.
Boston College, the seventh seed in the Midwest, also lost by double-digits, falling to No. 10 USC, 72-55.
Florida State, which just reached the ACC Tournament final for the first time, fell as the No. 5 seed in the East to 12th-seeded Wisconsin, 61-59 in overtime.
The most memorable "winless" opening day by the ACC happened in 1979, dubbed "Black Sunday." UNC, the No. 1 seed in the East, lost to ninth-seeded Penn, 72-71. Duke, the No. 2 seed in the East, lost to St. John's 80-78.
It's only the second time the ACC has had four teams (plus Clemson on Thursday) lose in the first round. Four of the six conference teams in the field lost in the first round in 1987. The ACC finished 5-6 that year, the only time it has had a losing record in the tournament since the NCAA allowed more than two teams per conference in the field in 1980.
With UNC, Duke and Maryland still alive, it's unlikely the ACC will finish the tournament with a losing record, but the league needs a big day, namely a Maryland upset of Memphis, to offset Friday's nightmare.
At 3-4, the ACC trails the Big East (6-1), Big 12 (6-0), Big Ten (4-3), Pac-10 (5-1). The only conference the ACC did better than in the first round was the SEC (1-2).
About the blogger
J.P. Giglio covers the ACC for the News & Observer, where he has worked since 1997. Want to post a comment?
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Comments
Sample Size
Sat, 03/21/2009 - 15:19 — EdwardGreene7 games should not undo what 166 games already told us. The ACC had the second best combined winning percentage (behind only the Pac-10 which played 49 less games), had the highest overall average RPI, 2nd best avg non-conference SOS to the Big East out of top 10 RPI conferences, and the best non-conference RPI. Florida State lost the dreaded 5-12 coinflip in each of those guys first dance to a gritty Big 10 team that's been there before and was a 2 seed last year. Clemson lost a close game that was always going to be determined be how well Michigan shot. BC, a streaky team themselves, lost to an equally streaky, and currently blazing, USC team. And a young WF in the middle of a freefall (remember they weren't supposed to be good 'til next year) lost to a quality Horizon league team starting three seniors. This is like when people say a baseball player isn't clutch because he has one bad postseason, when if you actually looked at the entire wealth of data, you would see that statistically he actually is pretty clutch. Long story short, if Clemson wins their coinflip and FSU pulls it out in overtime, this discussion isn't happening.
when you break it down like this
Sun, 03/22/2009 - 17:34 — gvillegatrit is hard to argue.
BUT, FSU and BC are made up of one exceptional player surrounded by decent players. stop those two guys and you stop them all. both foes were successful ... especially Southern Cal.
Tyrese Rice
Sat, 03/21/2009 - 13:28 — gvillegatrjust stood behind the 3 pt line in front of his bench the entire 2nd half. never would move. unbelievable. I can't explain FSU b/c I was watching the Saints beat osu with exception of the last minute of the Noles game. I just never felt like FSU would lose even though it was close the last 16 mins.
The ACC is an embarassment and has not come around like we all thought they had. It is clearly still top heavy.
Standing Still...
Sat, 03/21/2009 - 15:41 — jeromfitzI learn that when this happens when you play any game you usually lose the game. You have just keep moving and keeping move until you get into that second wind mode...just keep moving...just will just happen after while.
Embarassing
Sat, 03/21/2009 - 13:25 — gvillegatryou can't tell me any of those teams were the better team with exception to Cleveland St and I sincerely mean that. Wake is terrible and wouldn't know team basketball if it were beat into them.
Black Sunday
Sat, 03/21/2009 - 09:27 — GainesT1958As a sophomore at Carolina that day, I well remember watching that carnage with my hallmates, and just being stunned at the way the ACC was, basically, banished from the post-season. That day also saw Clemson and another conference team lose in the NIT, so it truly was a total banishment, in four fell swoops. At least Penn, the team coached by Bob Weinauer, did end up making the Final Four; one that included Michigan State and Magic Johnson and Indiana State and Larry Bird, with a memorable first match-up between those future megastars in the championship game. But it was a day of true shock and dismay that Carolina, with such a talented team including Dudley Bradley, Mike O'Koren and Jeff Wolf, and Duke, with Mike Gminski leading the way, could lose the way each did--and in Reynolds Coliseum, of all places. That 26-1 in all-time NCAA games in-state for Carolina includes many of which we have fond memories, indeed, and one of which we definitely don't. Hopefully, today will yield one to be the 27th in the "w", the fond memories, column.