NCSU is not alone in our disgust at the Duke/UNC double standard

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Other people are beginning to tire of the obvious “kid glove” treatment Duke and UNC have been receiving by the ACC. It is a subject that has been discussed on our blog many, many times.

In this article in the Augusta Free Press, Chris Graham makes many of the same observations we have made. Here are his observations about the latest debacles:

The suits didn’t expect lowly Virginia Tech to almost upset the apple cart 36 hours later in Durham. but a couple of phantom fouls on Tech senior Dorenzo Hudson prevented a Hokie second-half runaway and let the Dookies fight back to post an overtime win.

Sound familiar? A couple of interesting statistics to note, Duke shot 34 free throws to Tech’s 16 and Duke had only 13 fouls called on them compared to Tech’s 25.

Later Saturday, Virginia – long dormant, but threatening to be thorns in the side under third-year coach Tony Bennett – was doing its best to throw a wrench into the march toward the inevitable, somehow leading at the half against North Carolina despite losing star Mike Scott to two chintzy fouls, and taking another lead in the final six minutes after losing Scott to two more quick second-half fouls, including one that would have earned John Henson either a yellow card in European soccer or a Best Supporting Actor honor at tonight’s Academy Awards

In this game UNC shot 23 free throws to UVA’s 6 (yes that is four times as many free throws) and UNC was called for 11 fouls compared to UVA’s 17.

The writer’s conclusions are what interest me. He says:

For those of us who are fans and alums of ACC schools not named Duke and North Carolina, life goes on as always… But we never really do anything that will actually have an impact – like, I don’t know, boycott en masse the season tickets of our favorite schools, to send a message… As long as we keep acting like the sheep that we are, change in the ACC ain’t never gonna happen

The question I have is can the ACC be fixed? Can the ingrained mistreatment of the “other” schools ever be rectified? So far it has not even been acknowledged so how can it ever be fixed?

Time for some audience participation!  Try to guess which player had the foul called on him in this picture:

If you said Virginia player Mike Scott…you were correct! 

At least Len Elmore called the officials to task. Right after they called the foul on Scott, they went over to the monitor to see if Scott had also thrown an elbow. Elmore said, “You can’t cover up a bad call by pretending to check to see if the guy you called it on threw an elbow.”

 

 

 

About Rick

1992 and 2002 graduate from NCSU. Born and raised an NCSU fan. I remember the good ol' days and they weren't in the last 20 years.

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75 Responses to NCSU is not alone in our disgust at the Duke/UNC double standard

  1. wolfpacker 02/27/2012 at 12:23 PM #

    The sooner a change is made, the BETTER.

    However, you have to go all the way to the TOP.

  2. RedandWhite97 02/27/2012 at 12:26 PM #

    ‘Bout time someone from the media calls it like it is.

  3. tdouble 02/27/2012 at 12:32 PM #

    Typical banter from this fanboy site.

  4. @NCSTateFootball 02/27/2012 at 12:33 PM #

    The league needs an entire overhaul of its officiating but it will never happen.

  5. Rick 02/27/2012 at 12:40 PM #

    “Typical banter from this fanboy site.”

    clip clop the UNC sycophants come running

  6. TheAliasTroll 02/27/2012 at 12:40 PM #

    You ask can the ACC be fixed?
    I contend it already is fixed. As in rigged.

    This serious problem with the refs interjecting themselves into the games played by Duke/Carolina, especially the crucial moments of these games, has been very evident for several years now if you follow ACC basketball to a considerable extent.

    And of course, it’s not a problem with every game they play in. It’s just the close ones, or the ones where one of the blues is getting annihilated. It’s to the point where it’s like clock work and it has become extremely predictable.

    The question becomes what’s the incentive for these officials to do this? To this question I do not know the answer. Perhaps it serves to artificially inflate the Duke/UNC rivalry? And maybe that in turn generates a lot of dollars for the ACC? Perhaps it’s as simple as having a Tarheel running the ACC, but then of course that doesn’t explain the bailouts for Duke.

  7. Rick 02/27/2012 at 12:44 PM #

    “The question becomes what’s the incentive for these officials to do this?”

    Well their boss has gone on record as saying “UNC does not commit fouls”. Would you want to prove your boss wrong in a public forum?

  8. wufpup76 02/27/2012 at 12:46 PM #

    “Teams not named Duke or North Carolina are never going to get a fair shake in ACC basketball. That’s not whining or lamenting; that’s describing reality.”

    ^Love that quote. The guy is getting eviscerated in the comments though. Some of it is fair, but I’m still glad this was put out there.

  9. PackMan97 02/27/2012 at 12:46 PM #

    At some point some school in the ACC needs to put out of video (such as this “foul” on Scott) and just come out and blast the ACC refs and dare the ACC to take action. It has to a call that is complete BS (like this foul on Scott) and one that changes the complexion of the game.

    Force the ACC and the baby blues on defense. Don’t do it over every foul and certainly don’t do it on the ticky tacks we seem to collect (to be honest, we make it easy on the refs).

  10. Howler 02/27/2012 at 12:46 PM #

    Ever see “The Untouchables” where Capone’s jury was changed right before the trial? We need something like that with a wholesale change of refs.

  11. packof81 02/27/2012 at 12:50 PM #

    Several years ago, we were the only ones speaking out about this. It’s about time everybody starts comparing notes. There’s definitely a pattern here. It’s refreshing to see someone in the media outside the UNC Journalism School’s reach making the same points we’ve been making.

  12. 4PackinMB 02/27/2012 at 12:56 PM #

    I do not comment often, but I did say something a few threads ago about this very same thing. I may very well be naive to alot of things, but, doing the right thing is not one of them. I can not comprehend what power or knowledge of whatever sort is being held in the background that prohibits the other 10 ACC schools of banding together to correct what is obviously wrong. Does Johnny hold info or power over the powers that be at BC? Va? Md? GT? FSU? UM? Clemson? VT? Wake? It seems that Johnny has done enough to most of these other schools that they, too, would WANT to do something about it? Right, Clemson? Right FSU? So, why is it we can’t take back OUR conference????? I could possibly understand the power that the BOG has in the state of NC, so, I could see that we are or may be limited, but that still leaves 9 more schools, does it not? We can change things. Is the effort worth the outcome?

  13. HPWolf 02/27/2012 at 12:58 PM #

    The reason the ACC has hitched its wagon to UNC and Duke is very simple. Its the same reason the NBA hitched its wagon to Michael Jordan during his days in the league. MG was allowed to foul, walk, travel or do any damn thing he wanted during a game but no one was allowed to even touch him. Its all about the money. UNC and Duke are viewed by the ACC as the two teams everyone in the nation wants to watch. Ratings for these two are good. Because of this they are elevated to the top with a little help any time they need it. The fact that UNC is Swoffords school is just icing on the cake for that unfair prick. Someday someway we will have to kick the damn door down for justice in this bush league. I’m counting on Gott and a few others in the ACC to do so.

  14. packof81 02/27/2012 at 1:00 PM #

    “And of course, it’s not a problem with every game they play in. It’s just the close ones, or the ones where one of the blues is getting annihilated. It’s to the point where it’s like clock work and it has become extremely predictable.”

    Yes. It certainly has a scripted quality to it, almost like professional wrestling.

    I saw the beginning of it. I hope I live to see the end of it.

  15. Rick 02/27/2012 at 1:02 PM #

    “The reason the ACC has hitched its wagon to UNC and Duke is very simple”

    It is more advantageous for the ACC to have 6 teams in the NCAA than to have one big game.

  16. tjfoose1 02/27/2012 at 1:03 PM #

    Any plans on a forthcoming article detailing specifics and procedures to remove a sitting conference commissioner?

    No, I don’t have the time myself, just asking.

    I think such a piece should be shared with fan sites of the other 10 non blues. It would spike your new visitor hits.

    The ACC bylaws are public, right? Instead of just posting a link to a petition to move Swofford (one of the threads in the forum), let’s start a the movement, a call to arms to our conference brethren.

  17. HPWolf 02/27/2012 at 1:06 PM #

    Rick, You’re preaching to the choir.

  18. 4PackinMB 02/27/2012 at 1:07 PM #

    Here, here tj!!!!!! Case started basketball as we knew it….we can retake the ACC.

  19. pnasty21 02/27/2012 at 1:10 PM #

    If the 10 “other” schools in the ACC want to make a statement, a very serious and difficult one will be to boycott the ACC Tournament. How strong would that message be?

  20. ryebread 02/27/2012 at 1:14 PM #

    One needs to keep in mind that the ACC is in the middle of pushing ESPN for more money now that we’re bringing Syracuse and Pitt into the league. Syracuse looks like a catch in basketball, but one wonders what happens when Jim B. leaves. Pitt looked like a fantastic addition a year ago, but this season has taken some luster off. The ACC needs something compelling to pair with them on the basketball side for those contract negotiations.

    Right now it’s in the ACC’s best interest to prop UNC and Duke up to get them as high of seeds in the NCAA tournament as possible. They’re the only two teams that have a chance of getting out of the Sweet 16 as it, and they’ll need an easy of a path as possible.

    UVA and FSU? They won’t get out of the first weekend because they’re each critically flawed (UVA, depth and FSU, see results in grind ’em out games). Sacrificing them to advance the blues only makes good business sense.

    VT? Forget about them. They’re dead men walking about to have a coaching change.

    It really doesn’t take much to put it together. It doesn’t take much to see how the other schools can go along with it either when one thinks about conference revenue sharing.

    Now, this sort of thinking has been what has caused the other teams to be so bad. Why would good coaches really want to put up with this? They leave causing turnover, player transfers, etc.. Hire a mediocre coach, and you’ll get mediocre results. It’s a nasty cycle for the rest of the league.

    What can we do to change it? Fundamentally nothing will change in season. Our best chance is if the ADs of the other 10 schools band together at the off season meetings and put pressure on Swofford.

    For that to happen though, they’ll need to be pressured by their constituents (i.e. fan bases). There’s a lot of money that has been made and will continue to be made by just playing along. Change may upset things, particularly short term. They’ll have to be brought, kicking and screaming, to action by their fan bases.

    I think sites like this one actually can help. If their operators and admins got together, and linked each other — highlighting the egregiously bad things (like the call above) that happen in virtually ever game against the blues — then the anger in the respective fan bases will grow. Most schools’ fans (if they’re paying attention) have to have noticed it by now. By banding together though, in a move of “other 10” uniformity, awareness can be raised that can actually drive change.

    The mods and admins have a golden opportunity here. I hope they use it!

  21. Rick 02/27/2012 at 1:16 PM #

    Might as well boycott the ACC tourney, the only two that will be allowed to win it are Duke or UNC.
    Frankly I do not look forward to it. You will have Duke and UNC in the final, I can guarantee you that. And you will have Thursday and Friday games that will be U-G-L-Y.

  22. wufpup76 02/27/2012 at 1:16 PM #

    “Does Johnny hold info or power over the powers that be at BC? Va? Md? GT? FSU? UM? Clemson? VT? Wake?”

    ^J. Swofford is … J. Edgar!

    ‘Yes, Mr. Hoover. Anything you need, Mr. Swofford.”

  23. ncsu1987 02/27/2012 at 1:16 PM #

    “It is more advantageous for the ACC to have 6 teams in the NCAA than to have one big game.”

    But it’s not one big game. By artificially elevating the blues, ACCESPN makes sure they have a big TV audience for EVERY UNX or Duke game. Walmart fans everywhere like to hitch themselves to a winner. It’s much easier for them to stay attached to the tit if their team is essentially “guaranteed” a minimum number of wins.

    Damn, I’m getting too cynical about this stuff.

    Great finds on these articles, btw.

  24. tjfoose1 02/27/2012 at 1:17 PM #

    “If the 10 ‘other’ schools in the ACC want to make a statement, a very serious and difficult one will be to boycott the ACC Tournament…”

    That ain’t never going to happen, nor is it advisable, IMO. Too much collateral damage, from the players and fans, to the vendors and local merchants.

    However, what is possible and (I think) prudent, is a behind the scenes, slow, deliberate, (clandestine if necessary) effort to gather up enough votes from membership schools for legislative/administrative action to remove Swofford. The ACC Conference equivalent of a parliamentary “no confidence” vote.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_of_no_confidence

    The ACC bylaws must of something close to the equivalent. Before such efforts to such action even began, I would think two votes (NC State and Clemson) at a minimum, are already a given, w/ FSU at least a probable.

  25. pnasty21 02/27/2012 at 1:20 PM #

    “If the 10 “other” schools in the ACC want to make a statement, a very serious and difficult one will be to boycott the ACC Tournament…”

    “”That ain’t never going to happen.””

    What if the fans themselves boycott the tournament?

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