Hey guys, so with Duke on deck on the football schedule and basketball season right around the corner, I wanted to get a little interest generated in hoops, so I decided to do a quick run-down of the ACC teams:

Boston College (22-12, 9-7 NCAA 1st Round)

Key Players: Joe Trapani, Rakim Sanders, Reggie Jackson

The Skinny: Fresh off an NCAA tournament appearance, the Eagles will have to replace all-world guard Tyrese Rice.  However, they return all four starters besides Rice and Joe Trapani and Rakim Sanders both look to handle the scoring load with Reggie Jackson handling the ball.

3 BIG GAMES: 12/2 @Michigan, 2/6 Duke, 2/20 UNC

Clemson (23-9, 9-7 NCAA 1st Round)

Key Players: Trevor Booker, Demontez Stitt, Milton Jennings (Fr.)

The Skinny: Oliver Purnell has led his Tigers to the past two NCAA tournaments, but replacing three key starters from those teams, K.C. Rivers, Terrence Oglesby, and Raymond Sykes, will not be an easy task.  Trevor Booker returns as an ACC POY candidate and Demontez Stitt provides some experience in the Clemson backcourt.  Look for freshman Milton Jennings to give some good minutes.

3 BIG GAMES: 12/2 Illinois, 1/3 @Duke, 3/2 Georgia Tech

Duke (30-7, 11-5 NCAA Sweet 16)

Key Players: Kyle Singler, John Scheyer, Nolan Smith

The Skinny: Even with the loss of Gerald Henderson, this Blue Devils squad appears loaded for a tourney run.  Singler, Scheyer and Smith are now all upperclassmen who should be able to mentor the three McDonald’s AA’s from the incoming recruiting class.  Look for freshman Ryan Kelly to be the “go to” guy for the Blue Devils in the paint.

3 BIG GAMES: 1/9 @Clemson, 2/10 @UNC, 3/6 UNC

Florida State (25-10, 10-6 NCAA 1st Round)

Key Players: Solomon Alabi, Ufe Echefu, Michael Snaer (Fr.)

The Skinny: FSU returns almost the entire starting lineup from a year ago.  The problem is the “almost” piece missing is one of the school’s best basketball players ever in Toney Douglas.  Besides Douglas, no Seminole averaged in double figures last year and only two players averaged eight points or better.  Solomon Alabi and Ufe Echefu return to form an experienced front court and superstar freshman Michael Snaer will look to replace some of Douglas’ point production, but the ‘Noles will ultimately need another player to step up if they want to get back to The Dance this year.

Georgia Tech (13-19, 2-14)

Key Players: Iman Shumpert, Gani Lawal, Derrick Favors (Fr.)

The Skinny: The only team to lose more conference games than UVa last year was the Yellow Jackets.  However, few teams enter the 09/10 season with as much confidence as the Ramblin’ Wreck.  Freshamn sensation Iman Shumpert returns along with talented forward Gani Lawal.  D’Andre Bell also returns for the Jackets after spending a year on medical reserve and should provide quality depth to a starting five littered with talent.  Paul Hewitt once again brought in a stellar recruiting class, landing 5-star all-everything Derrick Favors as well as top-100 player Mfon Udofia and Glen Rice Jr.

3 BIG GAMES: 1/9 @Duke, 1/16 @UNC, 3/2 @Clemson

Maryland (21-14, 7-9 NCAA 2nd Round)

Key Players: Grievous Vasquez, Adrian Bowie, Eric Hayes

The Skinny: The Terps return three starters including All-ACC guard Grievous Vasquez.  Adrian Bowie, who came on strong in the ACC and NCAA tournaments last year also returns as well as Eric Hayes, Sean Mosley and Landon Milbourne for the Terps.  This is a key season for Gary Williams and staff.  They have a player in Vasquez who can lead them back to the depths of the NCAA tourney, but is there enough talent surrounding Vasquez to take them there?

3 BIG GAMES: 1/16 @Boston College, 2/7 UNC, 3/3 Duke

Miami (19-13, 7-9 NIT)

Key Players: Dwayne Collins, James Dews, Durand Scott (Fr.)

The Skinny: Frank Haith’s squad looks to find out what life is like without the indispensable Jack McClinton suiting up every night.  McClinton averaged one fourth of his teams total points a year ago, so finding someone to replace him will be easier said than done.  The ‘Canes will also be breaking in two other starters to go along with McClinton’s replacement, as Brian Asbury and Lance Hurdle are also gone.  Even with all the losses from last years team, the ‘Canes were able to sign a top-20 recruiting class including guard Durand Scott and still have some talent left over in forward Dwayne Collins and senior guard James Dews.

3 BIG GAMES: 12/2 Minnesota, 1/26 @Maryland, 2/17 Duke

North Carolina (34-4, 13-3 NCAA National Champs)

Key Players: Deon Thompson, Marcus Ginyard, Ed Davis

The Skinny: Gone from the Heels’ squad are the two winningest seniors in program history in Tyler Hansbrough and Danny Green.  Also gone are guards Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington.  The four combined for 66.2 ppg a season ago, and even though Roy Williams once again stuffed his cupboard full of talent, it will be hard to replace what the ’09 team lost.  Returning for the Tar Heels are seniors Deon Thompson, who started all 38 games last year, and Marcus Ginyard returns after a medical redshirt season.  Talented big man Ed Davis also returns and looks to be the primary scorer in the paint.  Freshmen John Henson, Dexter Strickland and twins David and Travis Wear could all make an impact this season for North Carolina.

3 BIG GAMES: 12/2 Mich. St., 12/19 vs. Texas, 3/6 @Duke

N.C. State (16-13, 6-10)

Key Players: Javier Gonzalez, Tracy Smith, DeShawn Painter (Fr.)

The Skinny: The Wolfpack lose three starters from a mediocre ’09 team.  In Sydney Lowe’s time at N.C. State, he has proven to be a good recruiter and the ’09 class was no different as he landed two four stars in DeShawn Painter and Richard Howell.  Javier Gonzalez returns and should get most of the minutes at point guard while Tracy Smith provides an experienced post player for the ‘Pack.

3 BIG GAMES: 12/23 @Arizona, 1/16 Clemson, 1/26 UNC

Virginia (10-17, 4-12)

Key Players: Sylven Landesberg, Mike Scott, Jeff Jones

The Skinny: The Hoos are coming off one of their worst years in their basketball program’s history.  New coach Tony Bennett has his work cut out for him in the ’09/’10 season, but Dave Leitao didn’t leave the cupboard completely bare.  The Cavs return ACC Rookie of the Year Sylven Landesberg as well as talented big man Mike Scott, who will look for more of a feature role in Bennett’s offense.  Bennett was able to bring in the two Leitao commitments in Tristan Spurlock and Jontell Evans, both of whom could provide quality depth for UVa this season.

3 BIG GAMES: 11/24 vs. Stanford, 2/10 @Maryland, 2/28 Duke

Virginia Tech (17-13, 7-9 NIT)

Key Players: Jeff Allen, Malcolm Delaney, J.T. Thompson

The Skinny: The Hokies’ emotional leader from a year ago, A.D. Vassallo, graduated, but Jeff Allen and Malcolm Delaney return for a solid one-two punch for Tech.  However, Virginia Tech will need someone to step up and provide a third scoring option for the Hokies to have a successful season and make it to the NCAA tournament.  Look for junior forward J.T. Thompson to fill that role.

3 BIG GAMES: 12/1 @Iowa, 1/28 @UVA, 2/4 UNC

Wake Forest (24-7, 11-5 NCAA 1st Round)

Key Players: Al-Farouq Aminu, Chas McFarland, L.D. Williams

The Skinny: Dino Gaudio’s hopes of a second straight top-five league finish took a serious hit when underclassmen James Johnson and Jeff Teague left school early for the pros.  On the flip side, the Deacs still return an All-ACC caliber player in Aminu and Gaudio’s recruiting continues to improve as he signed top-50 player Ari Stewart who looks to contribute this year.  Chas Macfarland returns up front for Wake and guard L.D. Williams is also back to provide senior leadership in the backcourt.

3 BIG GAMES: 12/5 @Gonzaga, 1/17 @Duke, 2/27 UNC

The injury reports are listed below for this Saturday’s game between Duke and Virginia.

Duke

RB Re’quan Boyette (knee) – Questionable
CB Lee Butler (leg) – Doubtful
LB Abraham Kromah (leg) – OUT
WR Tyree Watkins (leg) – OUT
RB Kyle Griswould (leg) – OUT FOR SEASON
S Anthony Young-Wiseman (knee) – OUT FOR SEASON

Virginia

This report is compiled by the University of Virginia Sports Medicine staff under the direction of Dr. David Diduch.

Out
Aaron Clark (knee)
Matt Conrath (ankle)

Probable
Oday Aboushi (knee)
Landon Bradey (knee)
Darren Childs (leg)
Nate Collins (leg)
Cam Johnson (knee)
Corey Mosley (shoulder)
Brandon Woods (shoulder)

All remaining players on the Virginia roster are available to participate.

Key
Probable = Virtual certainty will be available for normal duty
Questionable = 50-50 chance will not play
Doubtful = At least 75% chance will not play
Out = Definitely will not play

With Duke up next on the Cavaliers’ schedule, The Sabre agreed to swap questions with The Devils Den to get both teams’ fans ready for the Halloween football contest. The Devils Den is part of the Scout.com network – click here to visit the site! David Dohrmann, who has been a Duke Football analyst for The Devils Den for nine years, answers some Duke questions – who to watch on defense, Thaddeus Lewis’ top targets, and more – for The Good Ol’ Blog.

Duke snapped a long ACC losing streak against Virginia last season. Do you think that helps or hurts the Blue Devils this week?

TDD: This is a wishy-washy answer, but I think it helps and hurts at the same time at least early in the game. On the help side, the current Duke players know that they CAN beat Virginia. Because of Duke’s horrific past decade, the team’s psyche is still fragile. Having won last year, the Blue Devil players should be able to draw some confidence from that experience. On the hurt side, I expect the Cavaliers to come out with a little revenge on their mind. Despite the game being closer than the score indicated, the bottom line is that they lost by 28 points to a team with the worst D-1 reputation around. There has to be a little payback on the mind of the Virginia players. These factors might matter in the first quarter or so, but at some point those initial emotions fade, and then it becomes a matter of execution.

Duke certainly has improved on the football field since coach David Cutcliffe arrived. What do you think are the top 2 or 3 things that Cutcliffe and his staff have done to turn things around?

TDD: First off, Cutcliffe has brought the confidence of a winning football coach. The guy won five bowl games at Mississippi in six seasons. He knows how to win football games. His players know his track record and believe in his ability to lead them. After that, you have the strength and conditioning aspect. Duke was the most poorly conditioned football team in the ACC year in and year out for the last decade. The Blue Devils had some talent, but were a step slow and tired faster than their opponents as the games wore on. Cutcliffe has this team whipped into shape. Duke is noticeably faster on both sides of the ball than they were two years ago and no longer fades in the second half. Lastly, the staff continuity is paying huge dividends. Cutcliffe brought in a coaching staff that is on par with the best in the ACC. Duke’s QB Thad Lewis will likely end his career in the top-5 all-time in ACC passing, yet this is the first season that he’s had the same offensive coordinator and position coach that he had from the previous year. This continuity with the coaches gives the players at all positions the familiarity with the schemes implemented to execute faster. They can just react now, rather than think and then react.

Virginia coach Al Groh said this at his Monday press conference: “As we understand it, the school has upgraded its commitment to being successful in football, that’s always part of it. And it’s usually, it’s more than just the coach. They’ve upgraded their commitment to being successful and done some things in that direction.” We know this could be hard to answer in this short space, but hopefully you can give us a snapshot look. What sort of changes has Duke made to better support its football program? Anything on the academic front like admissions, majors, transfer credits, and so forth?

TDD: There is a now commitment by Duke University to put a winning football team on the field each and every year. For the better part of 40 years, the University decided that they would pay lip service to football and treat it as a red-headed stepchild. Other than a few blips on the radar under Steve Spurrier and Fred Goldsmith, Duke has basically been an automatic W for the good teams in the ACC. About 4-5 years ago, the light switch went on somewhere that Duke was betraying its school’s mission by allowing the football team to compete in a half-assed fashion. Duke was good at just about everything athletically and academically, except football. The alumni seemed to be the main impetus for change and they took a proactive role in banding together and making their voices heard that it is not acceptable to field a continual loser. By the way, you can thank Wake Forest for this. Duke has a better athletic brand name, more money, and higher ranked school. Many Duke Alumni were thinking, “If Wake can do it, why can’t we?”

Duke is investing heavily in many phases of the program. Hiring a proven, successful D-1 coach like David Cutcliffe was a big step. The stadium is being completely overhauled over the next 5-7 years. Duke hired an associate AD who was full-time for football. The admissions standards have really not changed too much, though the number of exceptions is probably a little higher. They are building an indoor practice facility that should be ready next year. The bottom line is that the University is no longer paying lip service to football, and is investing in the program. I don’t think we’ll become Florida State or Miami, but, Duke will not be an automatic W for anyone in the conference going forward.

Are Duke fans reacting at all to having a better football team?

TDD: They definitely are. In Cutcliffe?s first season, attendance was up almost 10,000 per game. This year, I believe the attendance is slightly down for two reasons. One, we’ve played two home games in terrible weather (NC Central and Maryland). Two, the season-opening loss to Richmond left a really sour taste in many fans’ mouths. The consensus (and rightfully so considering the past) was that we’re seeing the same old Duke. Now that Cutcliffe and staff have righted the ship, the students and community are engaged. Most Duke fans realize that the winner of this game Saturday greatly enhances their chances of a bowl invite. IF Duke comes away with a win either this week or next (UNC), you will see a full stadium for the next home game against Georgia Tech. Hopefully, we can finally get some decent weather and not have to sit through a driving rainstorm for the 3rd time this year.

(more…)

Man, that was a tough one to swallow.  It wasn’t exactly a surprise that the Hoos stumbled their way to a 34-9 defeat to No. 11 Georgia Tech, it was the way they did it that made it so troubling.  The Jackets were able to drive the proverbial railroad stake down our defense’s throat to the tune of 362 yards rushing and our offense was about as inept as it has been the entire year.  And all this happened in the midst of a Nor’easter settled directly above Scott Stadium.  At noon.

So, while I feel like I could sit here for hours listing off reasons why UVa laid such a big egg on the field Saturday afternoon, Kris covered most of them in his post-game article.  Besides, aren’t you just dying to know what I can safely surmise following this rain-soaked weekend?

• I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, but the Jameel Sewell QB dive in the second quarter on 3rd and 5 was a good play call.  For the first time in their 70 attempts at it, the line blocked well and Sewell ran with purpose for a 25-yard gain and a first down in GT territory.
• Georgia Tech’s Anthony Allen is a horse.  His 21-yard run in the second quarter where he bounced off about seven UVa defenders and took it to the 4-yard line was very impressive.
• Even for casual baseball fans like myself, the Yankees/Phillies World Series should be a fun one to watch.
• The New Orleans Saints are legit.  I know they looked bad in the first half of their game vs. the Dolphins, but I believe the true mark of a great team is their ability to respond in tough situations.
• This past Sunday featured a number of snoozers on the NFL docket.  Out of the 12 games played, six were absolute blowouts and only two games had final scores within a touchdown difference.
• There is no excuse for Tennessee not blocking enough to allow their kicker to attempt the game-winning field goal in Tuscaloosa on Saturday.
• I guess I would say it’s Colt McCoy at this point, but I don’t really feel like there is any true front-runner for the Heisman Trophy yet.
• It pains me to say this, especially in lieu of a 189-yard performance against my Bears, but Cedric Benson is finally showing he was deserving of a top-five draft pick.
• The whole Sam Bradford situation has me feeling sympathetic for the junior Sooner.  I know he’s still going to make millions in the pros, but you’ve gotta appreciate the kids who want to come back to school, and to have one like Bradford get hurt is only going to deter kids from doing it in the future.
• Just as I suspected when I first saw the trailers, there is no where near enough content in Maurice Sendak’s 10-page picture book “Where The Wild Things Are” to make a motion picture. Visually, the movie was stunning, but other than that, you should wait til it’s out on DVD.

Here is the Thursday night injury report for UVa’s game with Georgia Tech:

Virginia
Out
Matt Conrath (ankle)

Questionable
Oday Aboushi (knee)
Joe Torchia (shoulder)

Probable
Javaris Brown (ankle)
Cam Johnson (knee)
Corey Mosley (shoulder)
Mike Parker (knee)
LaRoy Reynolds (knee)
Jameel Sewell (ankle)
Brandon Woods (shoulder)

This report is compiled by the University of Virginia Sports Medicine staff under the direction of Dr. David Diduch. All remaining players on the Virginia roster are available to participate. Please note the status of an injured student-athlete’s ability to
participate can increase or decrease between the time this report is issued and game time.

Key:
Probable = Virtual certainty will be available for normal duty
Questionable = 50-50 chance will not play
Doubtful = At least 75% chance will not play
Out = Definitely will not play

I thought I’d take a few minutes this morning to take a tour around the World Wide Web (don’t hear that term much these days …). Here’s what some other folks are talking about in recent entries:

• The bloggers at 7even Win Society are talking about redshirts: Why Plan for 2013 When You Can Go 5-7 in 2009?
• A pair of “from” blogs swapped thoughts on GT and Virginia. From Old Virginia answered questions about the Hoos – Guest Blogger: Zima, Sportscoat, and Wahoo Edition – while From The Rumble Seat talked about the Jackets – Q&A with From The Rumble Seat.
• Dear Old U.Va. has a two-parter up on the non-conference hoops schedule: I and II.
• Blair Capps is exclaiming about Bees on the Official Campus Correspondent Blog.
• ACC Now had a couple of interesting basketball posts up. One is about Coach K respecting UNC. The other is about Bill Guthridge looking back at pre-UNC Roy Williams.
• You know football isn’t what it used to be in Tallahassee when the ScalpEm blog is talking about hoops in October.
• Tar Heel Fan is talking about playing on Thursday night.
• Wake’s Blogger So Dear is looking at ACC basketball.
• And not least … Yahoo! Sports’ Dan Wetzel on BCS scheduling.

Virginia kicker Robert Randolph stopped by the John Paul Jones Arena on Monday for the Cavaliers’ weekly media day with the press. For the music fans out there, I asked him if he listens to Robert Randolph and The Family Band since the lead singer shares his name.

“I actually had not heard him. I’ve heard of him of a lot,” UVa’s kicker said with a grin. “People tell me about him all the time. If I meet somebody, they’ll say ‘Do you know Robert Randolph and The Family Band?’ I’ve heard of them and I’ve listened to some of their songs but not regularly.”

Stay tuned to the Sabre EDGE later this week for a feature on Randolph, the kicker, from Sabre intern Paul Montana. In the meantime, enjoy this YouTube clip of Randolph, the musician. The song is “Going In The Right Direction” … well, because that seems apropos for the Cavaliers right now since they are on a three-game winning streak.

Mmm … a three-game win streak.  Feels nice doesn’t it?  OK, so there were some glaring problems in UVa’s 20-9 win over Maryland on Saturday. And yes, I was getting flashbacks of the infamous “7-5 Game” while watching it; but in the end we did what a lot of Al Groh-led teams have failed to do in the past and that’s find a way to win. Besides, anyone else who watched the ‘Skins/Chiefs game Sunday can attest to the fact that it is far better to win ugly than lose pretty … or in the Redskins’ case, lose ugly, but I digress …

So, at 3-3 overall and 2-0 in conference, our beloved Hoos now claim sole possession of first place in the ACC Coastal Division.  But, I’m sure you knew that already, so here are some things I surmised from a sports-filled weekend:

• The Jameel Sewell QB dive still doesn’t work and needs to be extracted completely from our offensive playbook.
• Thanks to his 380-yard performance in South Bend on Saturday, the “Matt Barkley for Heisman” campaign just gained a lot of steam. I hope you’re ready to hear about it for the next three years …
• UVa only did two out of the five things I suggested in my “Virginia Will Beat Maryland If …” entry.  I guess I overestimated Maryland’s abilities …
• Brett Favre was about to be out “Favre’d” by young Joe Flacco on Sunday until Ravens kicker Steven Hauschka shanked his 44-yard attempt as time expired.
• The Tennessee Titans have fallen further than any team I’ve ever seen in a 12-month span.
• I’m glad the AP voted Alabama No. 1 this week.  Not that I necessarily consider them the best team, but it goes to show they care less about preseason rankings and more about on-field production.
• Our defense will have to play a lot better next week if we want to beat Georgia Tech for a third straight time.
• Our offense will too …
• Love ‘em or hate ‘em, anytime the Yankees are involved in October baseball, it’s better for MLB.
• South Street Brewery’s “Satan’s Pony” is the best tasting micro-brew in Charlottesville.
• It only happens so often these days, but any Saturday where UVa wins and Virginia Tech loses is certainly one to cherish.

This week’s injury reports:

This report is compiled by the University of Virginia Sports Medicine staff under the direction of Dr. David Diduch.

Out
Javaris Brown (ankle)

Doubtful
Mikell Simpson (neck)

Questionable
none

Probable
Landon Bradley (knee)
B.J. Cabbell (ankle)
Patch Duda (flu)
Mike Parker (knee)
Zane Parr (ankle)
Brandon Woods (foot)

All remaining players on the Virginia roster are available to participate. Please note the status of an injured student-athlete¹s ability to participate can increase or decrease between the time this report is issued and game time.

Key:
Probable = Virtual certainty will be available for normal duty
Questionable = 50-50 chance will not play
Doubtful = At least 75% chance will not play
Out = Definitely will not play

Maryland’s weekly report:

Out for season
Tyler Bowen (foot)
Nolan Carroll (leg)

Out
Travis Baltz (ankle)
Masengo Kabongo (leg)
Da‚Rel Scott (wrist)

Questionable
Bruce Campbell (leg)
Demetrius Hartsfield (hand)

I was going to blog about this tidbit this afternoon, but Zach Berman over at The Washington Post typed it out faster than I did. Read his whole post here. The gist: Al Groh caught the end of reporters’ conversations as he checked in for his weekly teleconference this morning and found out that Wes McElroy, a good friend and former contributor for The Sabre, was doing a fundraiser for breast cancer research. Basically, 250 additional dollars = a shaved head for McElroy. Here’s the quote from Zach’s blog:

“Why don’t you do this,” Groh said. “When we get off the phone, call [Groh’s secretary] and give her the information. I’ll give you the $250 and then you can decide whether you shave your head or not. I’m not contributing the money on the condition that you shave your head.”

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.