Cooper’s Challenge

Roy Cooper’s challenge is the same one shared by every non-incumbent: the burden of proof is on the challenger. He has to prove that McCrory’s governorship has been bad for North Carolina. For incumbents like McCrory, it’s innocent until proven guilty. Roy Cooper knows a little about being a prosecutor and the case against McCrory […]
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Wolfpack Women get No. 6 seed in ACC tournament, need to solidify NCAA bid

The Wolfpack Women probably are in the NCAA tournament. They finished the regular season at 19-10 (10-6), and they are in the RPI top 50. That should be enough to get them into the NCAAs regardless of what happens in the ACC tournament, but we also can't deny the lack of signature wins on this team's profile.

The Wolfpack drew the six-seed in the conference tournament, which means they earned a first-round bye.

State is No. 49 in the RPI heading into the conference tournament, and will play either Virginia Tech (RPI No. 108) or Boston College (RPI No. 115) in its tournament opener. Get a win there and State should be fine, but a loss might lead to some sweating when the NCAA selections are made.

It's an interesting and common resume for a bubble team--State has no obvious big wins, but has essentially no bad losses, either. They've been close on multiple occasions to pulling off a breakthrough win and just have not gotten there. This is a good team, but one that is likely locked into the dreaded 7-10 NCAA seed range, barring a run in the conference tournament.

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MSNBC's keelhauling of Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry

The network's credibility has crumbled into dust:

It was a day before the Iowa caucuses, and despite being in Des Moines, she was not hosting the weekend show on MSNBC that bears her name. That privilege belonged to the network’s legal correspondent, Ari Melber, who quickly introduced her in a split-screen at the beginning of the show.

“It’s a very exciting day here in the ‘Place for Politics,’ ” he said, referring to MSNBC’s slogan. “We are going to get to Melissa, who everyone can see there live in Iowa, in just a second.” Ms. Harris-Perry vanished from the screen and Mr. Melber added, “That’s what we call proof of life.”

And it's what I call being a supreme jackass. I've known managers and high-level executives who operated this way for many years, and you can detect the stench of their machinations from down the hall. They have no good reason to get rid of somebody, so they take steps to make the job untenable and force that person to quit. But they also like to avoid any repercussions from their actions, so they put on a little Kabuki theatre to convince people they really don't want to lose said person:

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Taking shape

This weekend, the presidential race seemed to take a big turn. On the Republican side, the establishment hit the panic button and realized that Donald Trump will almost certainly be their nominee. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton’s almost 50 point win in South Carolina gives her solid momentum going into Super Tuesday. A New […]
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This NC State basketball season in context: Shoot, who knows

As human beings, we tend to rate things based on some ratio of immediacy and the surreal nature of whatever it is we just saw. That's fine, but it's also misleading a lot of the time. What I'm trying to address here is the sheer strangeness of talking about this NC State basketball team, which is nearly endless in contradiction.

This NC State basketball season has been awful. There have been brief moments of good times, and a couple upsets, but mostly it has been awful. State has no chance of reaching the NCAAs without winning the conference tournament.

That's a weird truth, because while we're used to living on the edge, the Gottfried era has also conditioned us not only to squeaking into the NCAA tournament but having success after the fact. This is not at all one of those years. (Barring that miracle conference-tournament-run part.)

Still I don't think this reality has been properly adjusted for context. We can turn so quickly. I think it's necessary to look at the last 15 years and scale accordingly.

NCSU	Pomeroy Rating	Off_Eff	Def_Eff
2016	67	47	134
2015	31	22	87
2014	55	25	125
2013	34	9	112
2012	44	33	78
2011	97	71	170
2010	70	135	35
2009	81	27	198
2008	111	90	153
2007	69	47	114
2006	41	40	82
2005	23	21	41
2004	8	2	46
2003	50	25	107
2002	17	26	28

(bold breaks up the coaching eras--Gott, then Sid, then Herb.)

I feel like the depth of the disappointment we feel about this season says something. Funny thing about Gottfried is that for all his faults, we've been able to assume not only his ability to construct a decent offense but also build a team that can make a March run. This team can score it, but it's ceiling is really low. That's the bummer of this season, which ended waaaaaay before we knew it ended.

It isn't always going to be this way. Next year can be another great time. But since the turn of the century, you never really know about Wolfpack basketball, and don't you forget that.

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It's the 2016 2016 Oscars liveblog!

Is this a bad idea? Will we be able to stay awake through all nine hours of live award givery? Probably, and no. Seriously why is this show always so long? There's only so many times you need to see rich guys in tuxedos clapping, and that's nearly none times.

Anyway, let's get on with this thing. Who are you wearing tonight? Which stupid crummy overrated movie is going to win an award? Why is The Martian nominated? How did Matt Damon get nominated? Why is The Martian nominated? Why is that Steven Spielberg movie nominated? What is this, the third DaVinci Code movie? Has anyone made a bigger career out of very compentent, very safe, occasionally interesting movies than Spielberg? The man's on like a 30 year dry-spell and yet here he is, riding another paint-by-numbers Tom Hanks performance.

DAMMIT, here I go again, angry Oscar-bloggin'.

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NC State football recruiting: 3-star 2017 quarterback Matt McKay commits to the Wolfpack

NC State held a big junior day event Saturday, with a whole bunch of prospects in the 2017 class on campus to meet the coaches and check out the facilities. A weekend like this often leads to commitments, and NC State was fortunate enough to land a verbal from Wakefield (NC) quarterback Matt McKay on Friday evening.

Committing to the Pack! #1Pack1Goal #Pack17 http://pic.twitter.com/OHUWxivI8j

— Matt McKay (@PigskinMatt) February 27, 2016

It's always encouraging when you can keep the talent in your back yard from heading elsewhere. McKay holds offers from Pittsburgh (Matt Canada connection) and West Virginia, along with some mid-majors. During his junior season, he threw for more than 2,400 yards and ran for more than 1,100.

He is a consensus three-star prospect at this point in the 2017 cycle (it's early), and he ranks as the No. 28 prospect in North Carolina. McKay is listed at 6'4, 185 pounds by 247Sports. He is the third member of State's 2017 class, joining Aycock (NC) TE Damien Darden and Mooresville Senior (NC) DB Chris Ingram.

Here are McKay's junior season highlights:

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Little Ricky shoots and misses on McCrory's out-of-state donors

NC Hometicks give astro-turfing another try

Salvage Saturday: Baseball Wins, Softball Looking for Late Night Upset

Finally and easy-ish one for Avent's crew.

NC State entered Saturday's game against Wright State (which I didn't even know was a state...what's the capital of Wright?) having allowed at least five runs in each of its previous five contests. With a 3-2 mark against a schedule of something less than world beaters, it was high time the Pack looked like the team that at least one poll honored with a preseason top 10 ranking. Behind Brian Brown, a freshman All-American a year ago, the Pack finally looked the part, cruising to a 6-1 win.

The "W" avenged a series-opening 10-8 loss to the Rowdy Raiders*. And, to their credit, in addition to owning a fabulous nickname, the Raiders were unbeaten heading into Saturday's game.

Brown, Cody Beckman, Chance Shepard, Evan Mendoza, and Josh McLain had a thing or two to say about that unbeaten start. Brown allowed just an unearned run over five innings, and when the Rowdy Raiders (5-1) loaded the sacks with nobody out in the sixth (in part due to Brown's error), Beckman spelled him with a strikeout and double play ball to get out of the frame unscathed. Beckman ended up surrendering just a lone hit and walk in 3.1 innings while fanning four.

State led 2-1 when it escaped the bases-loaded jam. A solo homer and RBI single from Shepard provided the first two runs. The Pack got an RBI single from Mendoza, who went 3-for-4 while making his first career start at third base, to spark a four-run rally in the bottom of the frame that blew the game open. McLain doubled home a pair for the biggest blow in the inning.

The Pack look to take the series and move to 5-2 Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

The women's softball team advanced to a super regional for the first time in school history last year but came up short against Oregon in their bid to advance further. If fans of Shawn Rychcik's program ever wondered what playing in the women's college world series would look like, they need look no further than the stacked Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, CA, a tournament that pits the Pack against four ranked foes in three days, including Florida (#1) and Michigan (#2).

So far so NOT good for the ladies. NC State opened on the wrong end of a 17-2 drubbing at the hands of #17 Missouri. The Gators edged the Pack 5-2 in a game that was closer than the box score would indicate. Florida outhit the Pack 10-2. The women had their best performance of the season against #25 California, getting homers from Tyler Ross, Meredith Burroughs, and Maggie Hawkins in a 7-5 win, but got torched 15-9 against the one unranked opponent on their slate, Stanford.

Burroughs and Ross have done their part to try to pick up the less than potent Pack pitching, homering three times apiece. Maggie Hawkins and Hanna Sommer have also done yardwork, and Sommer added a bases-clearing double in the losing effort against the Cardinal.

The Michigan game is slated or 10:30 this evening. An upset there would go a long way to salvaging the west coast trip that has dropped the Pack to 6-7.

*Wright State is named after Orville and Wilbur Wright, and the actual mascot of the team is a wolf, showing with certainty that the entire state of Ohio are all a bunch of North Carolina wannabes. Sure, the Wright bros may have been from Ohio, but where did they fly? And a wolf mascot? You better hope we don't get litigious on your ass.

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Syracuse outlasts NC State 75-66

In spite of a second half push, NC State ultimately lost to Syracuse by a 75-66 score. The loss drops State to 14-15 overall, a depressing record to acknowledge with March approaching, and 4-12 in ACC play. Syracuse improves to 19-10 with a 9-7 conference record following the win.

Syracuse can always be associated with two things - the presence of Jim Boeheim and an annoying zone defense. State managed to figure out an offensive attack in the second half as was seen by a 40 point total. However, just 26 points in the first half and figuring out the zone too late in the game played a significant role here.

The only player to have both a quality and efficient offensive showing was Abdul-Malik Abu. He went 5-10 from the field in his 14 point/12 rebound performance. Upon first glance, Caleb Martin's 18 point/8 board game would be more than acceptable. Then the realization of his 7-19 from the field, 1-7 from three-land shooting display sinks in. The same can apply to Maverick Rowan who went 4-11 from the field, 2-8 on threes and had 5 turnovers. Anthony Barber managed to go 8-9 from the line but didn't have his normal game.

What's painfully clear is that NC State doesn't have enough bodies, and some of the bodies that they do have are either too inconsistent or inexperienced. I wrote an article earlier in the year on Rowan contributing positively for State, but it has become clear, as others noted in replies to that article, that Rowan's inefficiency and lack of defense has hurt the Wolfpack in the long run. I still see Mav as a quality future piece, but this year has featured too many poor games.

Beyond Mav, there's plenty of blame to apply elsewhere, and some of that blame falls upon old fashioned luck. We haven't had Terry Henderson all year, and players who needed to step up in his absence have largely not done so. I feel like I've written that exact sentence in the past.

Lennard Freeman hasn't been fully healthy or effective, BeeJay Anya has never developed an offensive game, Shaun Kirk isn't quite ready for minutes, and the Martin twins, while excellent in parts, have been inconsistent. I realize this is a game recap for the Syracuse loss, but sometimes I can't help but speculate on the season as a whole when watching another disappointing result form before our eyes.

For the Cuse, they received an explosion of 34 points from Michael Gbinije. Normally not a great shooter, Gbinije went 8-13 on threes. Malachi Richardson had 13 points and Tyler Lydon also had 11 for Syracuse. If you would've told me pregame that Trevor Cooney would miss all his three attempts and score 5 points, I would've liked our chances. Too bad Gbinije had an unexpected superhuman effort for Boeheim and company.

As Syracuse prepares to play in March, we're left to wonder what could've been if Trevor Lacey returned, if Henderson didn't get hurt, if Kyle Washington didn't transfer, if this 2015-16 basketball season could've been different. Regardless, sometimes accepting disappointment and thinking on the future is a better feeling.

Only two ACC regular season games remain, and it would be fair to say this ACC run can't end soon enough. The next will be a Wednesday, 3/2 home game against Boston College at 9:00 PM ET.

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Bathroom "perverts" another right-wing manufactured threat

If your argument is lacking proof, just create some:

That’s what happened, by the way, in a Seattle incident that ordinance opponents have pointed to a lot in the past week. There, a man walked into a women’s locker room, took off his shirt, and said it was legal. But it turns out he wasn’t a trangender person. He was apparently protesting Washington state’s non-discrimination law. And by being there in that locker room against management’s wishes, he was breaking the law.

So unless you count a guy that wanted to protect women by spooking them, that brings us back to zero reported bathroom issues. And zero is less than some of the other things you can protect us from (since you’re in the mood and all).

And when this "special" Legislative session takes place, it's a good bet one of the lawmakers pushing this big-government intervention in local affairs will mention this Seattle guy as proof of the "danger" inherent in Charlotte's actions. If that *is* brought up, I sincerely hope one of our Democratic lawmakers will set the record straight about the motives and ideology of the bathroom bandit in question. We've already got way too many bills that have been passed based on faulty or misrepresented information, and a reality check is long overdue.

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NFL Combine results 2016: Joe Thuney improving stock, while Shadrach Thornton struggles

It's a critical time for aspiring NFL players, as workouts are underway at the Scouting Combine and every NFL franchise is watching. Joe Thuney and Shadrach Thornton are two of the five NC State players working out at the Combine, and their performances went in very different directions.

Thuney is making himself some money with impressive showings in multiple drills, including the 40-yard dash and the bench press. Thuney was one of only two offensive linemen to run a 40 under 5.0 seconds. Here is an assessment from WalterFootball.com:

A player who really impressed and opened some eyes was N.C. State tackle Joe Thuney. Thuney (6-4, 304) had the second-fastest 40 time at 4.86 seconds, but had the fastest time in the first 10 yards at 1.70 seconds. A day earlier, Thuney did well on the bench press with 28 reps. He did well in the field drills and helped himself to show teams that he could be a late-round pick to develop.

And here's a look at how he compared to his fellow offensive guards in various drills, via MockDraftable.com:

He was above-average to outstanding in every drill, and was below average in only the physical measurables. (Pfft, who needs long arms anyway?)

Shadrach Thornton's day, however, did him no favors.

Thornton rated poorly relative to his position group in nearly every drill, most notably running a 4.7 40-yard dash, which is no way to make an impression. Thornton already had a lot of obstacles to overcome because of the off-field issues that plagued him at NC State, and the rough showing at the Combine may be sealing his fate as an undrafted free agent.

As for the rest of the Pack's players: Jacoby Brissett and David Grinnage will work out Saturday, while Juston Burris works out on Monday.

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Are the parties over?

This year seems to herald the beginning of the end of the two party system. It’s probably actually been happening for awhile and it will probably take a lot longer to complete the transition. However, without some sort of intervention through legislation or the courts, the parties themselves seem anachronistic. Donald Trump is clearly not […]
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Friday fracking video

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What to expect on your March 15 Primary ballot

Everything but the Congressional races:

The legislature passed a companion bill — signed into law by Gov. Pat McCrory on Tuesday — that set June 7 as the new congressional primary date, with the candidate filing period March 16-25.

The March 15 primary election will otherwise go as planned, with races for president, governor, U.S. Senate, the legislature and county positions still in place. A $2 billion statewide bond referendum is also on the ballot. Your votes may be even more valuable to candidates because the updated election schedule law eliminated all primary runoffs in 2016.

As most of you are aware, there are now going to be two Primaries. But for Democrats anyway, the first (March) Primary is a "don't miss." There won't be a runoff, so whatever local or state nominations being contested by multiple Dem candidates will be decided on March 15, whether the winner hits 40% or not. For you Unaffiliated voters, this is two separate elections. If you choose to vote a Democratic ballot in March, you won't be locked in. You can choose Republican in June, if you so desire. However, the March ballot is not going to change to remove US House races, but fill 'em out anyway:

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Thom Tillis Really Wants to be Vice President

Thom Tillis, the author of many a progressive nightmare, is on course to paint his most distressing picture yet. It features his surname in bright colors, situated just below the name of another man. You’d see it from coast to coast printed on a rectangular piece of poster board. He wants to be Vice President. […]
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NC State forward Lennard Freeman has right leg injury, will be 'very limited'

NC State forward Lennard Freeman has suffered another injury to his right leg, the school announced Thursday. Freeman had a rod inserted in his lower right leg to address a fracture during the offseason, but an X-ray following the UNC game found a "reoccurring stress reaction" in that leg.

Freeman has apparently been playing in pain for most if not all of this season, and now State may be shutting him down for the final stretch of the schedule. In a statement, Mark Gottfried said that Freeman will be "very limited in his availability."

The Wolfpack's sports information director provided some additional details via Twitter:

Basically, Nard's been playing all season in great deal of pain. Been getting real lately. Docs found a little something last night. (1/2)

— Joshua M Rattray (@GoPackJRat) February 25, 2016

The rod in there stabilizes leg, but he's playing hurt. He's gone out there every day. Probably has some more work done this spring. (2/2)

— Joshua M Rattray (@GoPackJRat) February 25, 2016

So it sounds like Freeman will have to undergo another procedure this offseason, and while the release indicates that he can still play this season, I'm not sure there's any point to that. There's little left to play for this season, so we might as well let him rest.

We'll just have to hope for Freeman's sake that the doctors can get this sorted out during the offseason.

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Sue Googe: A New Breed of Republican

Sue Googe, candidate for Congress in the Research-Triangle based Fourth congressional district, is a new breed of Republican. One of a handful of Chinese-Americans running for Congress this year, Googe is the only one who isn’t a Democrat. She also has a compelling biography – born in Hainan Island in communist China to illiterate parents […]
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Charter school explosion in CharMeck projected

Future headline: "Hundreds of students in limbo after charter schools close abruptly."

Mecklenburg County’s public school enrollment is expected to grow by roughly 3,200 students next year. And for every one that chooses Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, the district expects five to pick charter schools.

Now, during the season when families choose schools and districts plan budgets, CMS is making an educated guess that the district will gain about 500 students next year while charters will add almost 2,700. For starters, that means CMS expects to pass along about $45 million in county money to the charter schools serving Mecklenburg students, compared with $37 million this year.

If prior performance is any decent gauge of future performance, that equates to around $15 million in taxpayer dollars that will end up being spent with nothing in return. Let's hope that formula changes for the better, and soon.

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Tough luck

Republicans are crowing about the state’s revenue. John Hood notes that collections are up almost $900 million over expenditures. That maybe good if your primary goal is balancing the budget. However, we’re still in trouble if your goal is meeting the states needs. We didn’t get to that surplus by accident. Over the past five […]
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In which we appreciate Cat Barber for the thousandth time

It's a lot more fun to talk about individual highlights within the context of a team victory, but at the same time we have to take whatever this season--and Cat Barber--have left to give us. Cat was tremendous in the early-going against North Carolina, highlighted by this fantastic step-back three on Nate Britt.

This is the 2016 Cat Barber in snapshot form. Cat's a threat to make jump shots now, and Britt knows this. Britt also knows that Barber right by him with that right hand if he isn't careful. Britt makes a jab toward the lane as Cat moves in that direction, and Cat reads the slight overplay, pulls back left in a split second, and buries the three.

What do you do about that? Very, very little. You guess, like Britt did, and when you're wrong, you tip your cap. This moment is Cat's game fully realized. It's what he was clearly capable of when he stepped on campus as a freshman. I'm lookin' forward to seeing where he goes next.

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UNC vs. NC State final score: Wolfpack runs out of ammo against Tar Heels, falls 80-68

Cat Barber came out and played a brilliant first 10 minutes for the Wolfpack, but as we've seen all too often this season, Barber didn't get enough help from teammates. Barber would eventually cool from his incredible start, and North Carolina was able to take control and pull away for an 80-68 victory.

Barber had 13 quick points as NC State built a 13-point edge in the opening 20 minutes, and it seemed Barber was destined for some insane point total. Alas, it wasn't to be. He still finished with 32 points, but it took him 26 field goal attempts to get there.

UNC's size and depth once again played havoc on State, as the Tar Heels put the squeeze defensively on the painted area. When State stopped hitting jump shots, the Heels quickly turned the tide. At the offensive end, Carolina grabbed almost half of their missed shots, helping to mitigate a so-so shooting performance.

The Heels got points from seven different players, led by Brice Johnson's 22. NC State got no points from Cody Martin or Lennard Freeman, and BeeJay Anya was rendered a non-factor as well. Maverick Rowan had an incredibly ill-timed 2-12 shooting performance. Abdul-Malik Abu was the only Wolfpack player to hit at least half his shots.

But Abu also managed only one defensive rebound in 32 minutes. Freeman had one board total in 15 minutes. The Pack relies on those two to carry it on the defensive boards, and that sort of non-performance is not a recipe for beating a team like UNC. The Heels averaged more than 1.2 points per possession in this contest thanks in large part to their rebounding. NC State would have needed to be near-perfect at its own offensive end, and obviously fell well short (ha) of that.

It's frustrating, but UNC has a lot of very tall, very talented players. Give NC State credit for the energy and hustle it brought, and a strong first 12-15 minutes. Over the long run of 40 minutes, though, it's difficult to beat a team that is not only better, but also a terrible matchup for you.

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Progress NC files complaint against McCrory

A clear violation of campaign finance rules:

In December, Elections Director Kim Strach issued one opinion letter saying that candidates for office in 2016 could not serve as the face of bond advertisements. A second letter, issued less than two weeks later, said that candidates could appear in the advertisements but only if they were filmed at a public event and were not delivering scripted remarks.

The video at the center of the complaint has not aired on broadcast or cable television yet. However, the bond committee is poised to unleash a multimillion-dollar ad blitz in the next three weeks as the primary approaches. In their filing, Progress NC says that it appears McCrory sat down for a well-lit, highly produced interview that appears to violate the guidelines set forth by that second opinion.

This just keeps getting messier and messier, and the time to deal with this ethical quagmire has just about run out. At least for the Bond vote, anyway. If any of you are still sitting on the fence as far as this $2+ billion boondoggle, McCrory's crooning should be enough to snap you back to reality.

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An Afterthought?

An afterthought. That’s what the presidential primaries in North Carolina look like right now. Sure, things could change. Perhaps Marco Rubio gets some momentum going into Super Tuesday and wins a handful of states. That would certainly make North Carolina important. But barring significant events, it looks like both Trump and Clinton will romp in […]
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Dysfunctional and outmaneuvered again

The US Senate showed exactly how dysfunctional it is yesterday. The Republican majority decided that it will not even consider any appointment to the Supreme Court made by President Obama. Essentially, the Senators said we’re not going to do our job. In the real world, people get fired for doing that. In an election year, […]
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Bigotry and hyperbole on parade over LGBT ordinance

NC once again makes national news headlines:

Opponents dubbed it "the bathroom bill." The evangelist Franklin Graham, a North Carolina native, had called the law "wicked" and "filthy" and said it "would allow pedophiles, perverts and predators into women's bathrooms." North Carolina's speaker of the House on Tuesday called it "a major public safety issue."

"I think it's just inappropriate," Republican Sen. David Curtis, who represents a district outside Charlotte, told the Lincoln Times-News. "We have rules in our society and that's just one of the rules in our society. This liberal group is trying to redefine everything about our society. Gender and marriage — just the whole liberal agenda."

If there are any "rules" in a society, they play a distant second fiddle to the laws that are enacted via the democratic process. If anybody should know this, it's somebody who ran for and was elected to the NC Senate, for God's sake. I was going to post a link so you could donate to Curtis' Democratic opponent in November, but he doesn't have one. Grrr.

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The #goacc Moment of the Week (2/24/2016)

The weekly in-depth look at the best (worst?) moments in ACC schadenfreude.

Unsurprisingly, y'all overwhelmingly voted for that atrocious foul call in the Wake-NC State game last week. That truly was one of the worst foul calls by any official I've ever seen. Moving on to this week, y'all have a DOOZY of a vote on your hands. Seriously, I think y'all will enjoy this one immensely. We've also got a ridiculous #suregrin award winner, some hilarious photoshops, and a couple of BAH GAWDS that I think y'all will love. Let's get right down to it - which is your #goacc Moment of the Week? Vote below!

1. The ACC thought it used a picture of the US Capitol on its promotional materials for the 2016 ACC Tournament. They were wrong (h/t @dcsportsblog).

Love ya ACC, but this isn't the U.S. Capitol https://t.co/TSRQ9euAfQ (via @marctomik) http://pic.twitter.com/zDmjKq9kCE

— Dan Steinberg (@dcsportsbog) February 22, 2016

That is actually St. Paul's Cathedral in London! Who's up for some ACC Basketball, then a trip to a corner pub? I say let's expand the footprint ACROSS THE POND SWOFFORD!!

2. Miami basketball with a couple of hilarious fails in their last two games (h/t @ArmstrongABC11 and @RobDauster).

Angel Rodriguez going high off the....wait,no.. over the glass http://pic.twitter.com/4Q9gDCMDKx

— Mark Armstrong (@ArmstrongABC11) February 23, 2016

I'm guessing this isn't how Jim Larrañaga drew this one up.... https://t.co/ctl8P1LZRb

— Rob Dauster (@RobDauster) February 20, 2016

Yeah, I know y'all beat UVA, Canes fans, but I'm not letting you sneak away without that horrendous layup attempt going unnoticed.

3. Former FSU Football player Myron Rolle came to an important epiphany.

I dropped at least 4 or 5 interceptions at FSU. That fact literally crossed my mind as I'm catching these babies in my OBGYN rotation. Lol!!

— Myron Rolle (@MyronRolle) February 22, 2016

Yes, let's not drop the newborns during your rotation Myron!!

4. Boston College might be the worst division I team in the country (h/t @MarkEnnis and @BCHysteria).

They literally do not care. http://pic.twitter.com/2nv5Vrr0C8

— Mark Ennis (@MarkEnnis) February 22, 2016

Honestly, how BC can keep Jim Christian is beyond any level of comprehension I have. They are brutally bad, and I'm fairly certain a few high school teams could beat them. Seriously, a coach was practically half asleep on their sidelines during that same game:

BC basketball, it's electric! https://t.co/OeWFusjPKc

— Will Thompson (@thrillis4) February 22, 2016

It got so bad during this Wake game, that the official Boston College basketball account just stopped tweeting:

Even the BC basketball Twitter account has given up. Hasnt posted in almost an hour http://pic.twitter.com/xMFN3eW5V6

— A.J. Black (@BCHysteria) February 22, 2016

Poor Eagles fans.

5. Old grumpy UNC fans perfectly personify the Wine and Cheese crowd nickname (h/t @DemetriRavanos).

http://pic.twitter.com/8AMb84Yu9p

— Demetri Ravanos (@DemetriRavanos) February 18, 2016

I have nothing more to add to this. Everything about this picture is just so perfect.

6. Play between Syracuse and Pittsburgh was interrupted because a cheerleader left a sign on the court (h/t @BR_Syracuse).

[ESPN Video] Stoppage of play due to one of Syracuse cheerleaders' signs left on the court.:
Stoppa... https://t.co/yumo0tnLUo #Syracuse

— Syracuse Orange (@BR_Syracuse) February 20, 2016

LOL at the shade that ref threw the cheerleaders as he was carrying that sign off the court. Honestly though, I'm surprised this doesn't happen more often.

7. After UNC lost to Duke, a UNC football player tweeted that they were now a football school.

UNC is officially a "FOOTBALL SCHOOL"

— Nazair Jones (@nazjones90) February 18, 2016

I'm actually amazed this tweet is still up on twitter dot com. Can't believe someone at UNC hasn't forced Mr. Jones to delete this. If you feel adventurous, look at some of the replies to his tweet.

8. This is the most #WelcomeTo2016 moment of the year so far (h/t @bzcohen).

Big winner tonight was the person who wrote this credit. http://pic.twitter.com/7qhNqARwwi

— Ben Cohen (@bzcohen) February 18, 2016

We're acknowledging bitmojis on air. WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE.

9. Grayson Allen ain't too pleased about that call, ref (h/t @TwillieStein).

Grayson Allen that will be $20 in the swear jar https://t.co/cdya5C1dj3

— Twillie Stein (@TwillieStein) February 20, 2016

Allen actually one of the few players to receive 6 fouls in a single game this season (he was whistled for a technical after dropping that F bomb).

10. This ref decided to emphatically kick during his foul call motion (h/t @nolte).

And the kick is up... WIDE RIGHThttps://t.co/uwxKE6tp3L

— Connor Nolte (@nolte) February 18, 2016

What the damn hell was the point of that? Even TV Teddy is confused.

the #suregrin award.

An entire team is going to win this week's award. That's right, I'm acknowledging the entire New York Yankees club for this following tweet:

Yankees tell players to be less like Cam Newton, more like Russell Wilson https://t.co/PJaziPmAoA http://pic.twitter.com/G2wKC1KV34

— CBS Sports MLB (@CBSSportsMLB) February 22, 2016

You want all of your players to be soulless robots that Google Bing how to talk to girls, and post nonsense about #nanobubbles? Or, do you want them to have so much passion for winning that they just despite losing with every fiber of their being? Given how terrible the Yankees have been lately, maybe consider being more like Cam instead of Russell.

The best photoshops of the week!

First, going back to that grumpy old UNC couple, you know damn well they were going to get hit with the Crying Jordan treatment, and Andrew here was up to the task:

IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT, AMERICA?? ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?? I HATE EVERYTHING http://pic.twitter.com/AJjdfqGfVD

— Andrew (@awbatchelor) February 18, 2016

Next, if you were like me and saw Monday Night Raw this week, you noticed that 1) Shane McMahon returned, and 2) Jim Harbaugh was there. Well, the fantastic Nick Pants put this together for your enjoyment:

alright jim this is getting awkward http://pic.twitter.com/XdH722rpq9

— nick pants (@nick_pants) February 23, 2016

And now, for your moment of wrasslin'...

THE JIM ROSS BAH GAWD MOMENTS OF THE WEEK!!

Let's start with the Lady Wolfpack, who once again defeated UNC this season, and I feel like this vine ultimately sums up how things in general have gone for UNC this season:

A SUMMARY OF THE PACK WOMEN'S VICTORY OVER UNC-CH, AS CALLED BY JIM ROSS!! (Orig. video by @rwwilmington). https://t.co/so2gRNCEwo

— Will Thompson (@thrillis4) February 22, 2016

Next, the Pack Wrestling team's tremendous victory over Iowa on the road called for some special JR treatment as well:

JIM ROSS CALLS THE PACK WRASSLIN' WIN OVER IOWA!! (Original video by @packwrestle) https://t.co/Ty0eozyFF2

— Will Thompson (@thrillis4) February 24, 2016

Have a great week everyone! BEAT UNC!!

Poll

Which is your #goacc Moment of the Week?

• That's not the US Capitol, ACC
• Miami Basketball everyone!
• Myron Rolle making sure he's got extra stick-em on in the delivery room
• Boston College is so very bad
• The Wine and Cheese crowd's official representatives
• Cheerleader forgot to pick up their sign in the Pitt-Syracuse game
• UNC is now a football school per one of the football players
• Bitmoji's receiving credit over the air
• Grayson Allen, LANGUAGE SIR!
• This ain't soccer, ref

  154 votes | Results

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NC State vs. UNC, round 2: The Wolfpack has a few things to fix to make an upset possible

NC State will host North Carolina on Wednesday night hoping to avenge a 67-55 loss earlier in the season. The Wolfpack managed to keep close with the Tar Heels for a significant portion of that game, but State also had some glaring deficiencies that ultimately cost it. The Wolfpack will have to correct what went wrong in Chapel Hill to have a shot at an upset in Raleigh.

UNC Offense -- Four Factors	eFG%	TO%	OR%	FT Rate
2015-16 Overall (National Rank)	52.5 (65)	15.1 (15)	38.8 (9)	33.5 (254)
2015-16 ACC Only (Conf. Rank)	50.4 (5)	15.7 (4)	38.9 (1)	33.1 (10)

You can pretty much set your watch to Roy Williams' offenses. They aren't gonna shoot a lot of threes, they're going to grab a lot of offensive boards, and they're going to push the action whenever they can. That was true of Roy's first UNC team in 2004, and it's still true in 2016.

NC State has traditionally done a poor job of countering the Tar Heels' strengths. The Pack's been bullied on the glass numerous times in the Roy era, and that's helped submarine plenty of games. In the first meeting this season, Carolina grabbed 51.2% of their missed shots, which was crucial because the Tar Heels missed a lot of shots. Defensive rebounding always feels extra important to me against UNC. State was absolutely dreadful in this area.

Aside from getting better there, NC State also needs Marcus Paige to repeat his 1-9 shooting performance from the first meeting. (Not likely, since Paige always plays like a basketball genius at PNC Arena.)

As a team, Carolina shot uncharacteristically poorly in the first game, and again I'm gettin' back around to rebounds--if the Tar Heels shoot closer to their average, State could get buried quickly if it isn't at least cleaning up the defensive glass.

UNC Defense -- Four Factors	eFG%	TO%	OR%	FT Rate
2015-16 Overall (National Rank)	48.1 (96)	19.0 (127)	29.4 (149)	29.9 (45)
2015-16 ACC Only (Conf. Rank)	46.4 (2)	19.1 (4)	32.2 (8)	34.4 (8)

One of the reasons why NC State has struggled to beat Carolina over the last decade--aside from the fact that UNC always has more talent--is the way Roy Williams constructs his teams. It's practically guaranteed, year after year, that the Tar Heels will be a terrible matchup for NC State. That's especially true in the Mark Gottfried era, and super extra especially true this season.

Carolina does a pretty good job of forcing turnovers, and its interior defense has been outstanding. In Chapel Hill, the Wolfpack committed 18 turnovers (TO% = 29.0) and made only 41.9% of its two-point attempts. That's incredibly difficult to overcome without a plethora of outside shooting options, which State obviously does not have.

State's not going to turn the ball over on 29% of its possessions Wednesday night. The performance in Chapel Hill was an aberration for a Wolfpack team that has otherwise done well in that area. So that's a built-in help heading into Wednesday night. But what else is fixable, realistically?

NC State hasn't been a good two-point shooting team all year. It's weakness on strength, and it's a problem with no answer, unless you consider crossing your fingers an answer. It'll be tough for the Pack to score efficiently in the paint, which might make it necessary for the Pack to lean more heavily on three-pointers, even if State is not at all inclined to do so.

On the bright side: for as good as the Heels are on the offensive boards, they're only average on the defensive glass. State pulled down 17 offensive rebounds in the first meeting, and the Pack is plenty capable of having another good effort here. But if that's the only thing buoying the offense--as was the case in the Dean Dome--then an upset ain't happening.

The Pomeroy Predictor has UNC by six.

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Lucky Number 13 for Cal Cunningham

The new 13th district, located in the western part of the state, is the most competitive of the ten “Republican” districts. But it’s still a seat with a distinct Republican advantage. Mitt Romney defeated Obama there by 7%. Thom Tillis beat Kay Hagan by 8%. Thus, a lot of Republicans in the General Assembly see […]
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When the unthinkable becomes the inevitable

As the unthinkable becomes the inevitable, Republicans across the country are coming to terms with the reality that Donald Trump may well be their nominee. Some are moving to support him. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced that he could work with Trump. Former presidential candidate and centrist Republican Jon Huntsman said he would probably back […]
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Tuesday Twitter roundup

Three cheers for equality:

@CLTMayor gavels in vote. Ordinance passes 7-4. #CLTequality #cltcc #ncpol

— Equality NC (@equalitync) February 23, 2016

And when the Republican-led NCGA moves to countermand this vote, they will demonstrate (once again) their big-government, power-hungry roots.

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NC State wrestling hands No. 2 Iowa its first loss of season

The tail end of senior heavyweight Nick Gwiazdowski's career is starting to become a little ridiculous, even by story-book standards. The two-time national champion was the deciding factor in NC State's dual against No. 5 Missouri a week ago, and he was the deciding factor again on Monday night, at No. 2 Iowa. Gwizz helped the Wolfpack deliver a historic victory over the Hawkeyes, 21-17.

It's difficult to put the brilliance of State's wrestling team into perspective, especially for a layman like me. NC State has had standout, national-title winning wrestlers before. NC State has won a lot of ACC titles. But NC State has never been a player on the national level like it has been this season.

Take it away, GoPack.com:

NC State became the first ACC team ever to defeat Iowa, as the Hawkeyes were 12-0 against the conference. NC State also accomplished the same feat at Oklahoma State, as the 19-15 win in December was the first for the ACC over the Cowboys.

Prior to this year literally zero ACC teams had ever beaten Iowa or Oklahoma State, which count among the bluebloods of the wrestling world. When you add up the the national titles between those two, you get about 400. Give or take.

The Wolfpack won on the road at both of those schools this year. The Pack's win in Iowa City was the Hawkeyes' first loss in a dual match all year. NC STATE WRESTLING JUST WON AT IOWA. That's insane. It's insane that this has become possible. There is not a team better on campus than the wrestling team, and no one is as singularly dominant as Nick Gwiazdowski.

23-1! Wins @ #2 Iowa, @ #4 Ok. St. and vs. #5 Missouri. 9-1 vs. ranked foes over. We are on to the ACC Championship! http://pic.twitter.com/r8ZKyk2gBd

— NC State Wrestling (@PackWrestle) February 23, 2016

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Pack Matsmen Upend Iowa in National Duals

An unprecedented duals season is in the books. Spoiler alert: Nobody beats The Gwiz.

NC State's historic season on the mat continued Monday night with a 21-17 victory at previously unbeaten Iowa at the national duals. The teams split the 10 matches five to five, but the Hawkeyes couldn't overcome the bonus points scored by Pack top guns Kevin Jack and Nick Gwiazdowski. Jack scored a win by technical fall and "The Gwiz" moved to 55-0 in his duals career at State when he finished his opponent due to injury.

The Wolfpack (23-1) became the first program to ever record duals wins at Oklahoma State and Iowa (16-1) in the same season while extending their school-record win total yet again. The Pack concluded duals season with a 9-1 mark against ranked opponents that featured three wins over top five teams. State will likely finish the season ranked second in the nation behind Penn State.

In addition to the bonus points accrued by Jack and Gwiazdowski, Pete Renda was instrumental in State's success. He avenged an early season, 8-7 loss from the Midlands tournament against Sammy Brooks with a 7-3 decision in the pivotal match at 184 pounds. Brooks entered the bout at 20-2 and was ranked 10^th in his weight class.

Renda's win put the Pack ahead 15-14 and meant that no matter what happened at 197, The Gwiz could win it in the finale, and win it he did.

Wrestling is so big at Iowa that their SBN site liveblogged this puppy in addition to writing multiple previews. Said previews did not give Jack enough respect. In addition to the unfortunate "We Must Break You" headline, Black Heart Gold Pants predicted unranked Brody Grothus as being a possible candidate to surprise Jack, who finished fifth at the nationals as a freshman and is ranked third this year. Uh. No. Jack dismantled Grothus to the tune of an 18-3 technical fall.

The Gwiz has scored bonus points in nearly four out of five matches this season; he was stomping a mudhole in his opponent, seventh-ranked heavyweight Sam Stoll, when the Hawkeye redshirt freshman was injured and unable to continue. The score was 11-1 at the time.

Thomas Gantt also earned a bonus point with a major decision over ranked opponent Edwin Cooper at 157 pounds.

Here's the complete rundown of results:

125	#2 Thomas Gilman (I)	15	Sean Fausz (N)	5	4-0
133	#3 Cory Clark (I)	9	Jamal Morris (N)	3	7-0
141	#3 Kevin Jack (N)	18	Brody Grothus (I)	3	7-5
149	#2 Brandon Sorensen (I)	13	Beau Donahue (N)	4	11-5
157	#4 Thomas Gantt (N)	13	#17 Edwin Cooper (N)	5	11-9
165	#6 Max Rohskopf (N)	6	Patrick Rhoades (I)	3	11-12
174	#10 Alex Meyer (I)	4	Nicky Hall (N)	2	14-12
184	#16 Pete Renda (N)	7	#10 Sammy Brooks (I)	3	14-15
197	#4 Nathan Burak (I)	9	#19 Michael Boykin (N)	4	17-15
HWT	#1 The Gwiz (N)	Inj.	#7 Sam Stoll (I)		17-21

NC State now turns its attention to the ACC Championships, held Sunday, March 6^th in Charlottesville.

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NC State basketball stats check: Wolfpack a mix of mild surprise, bad luck, and bad defense

In the wake of the win over Clemson, there's good news and bad news for NC State. Or really, just a slight adjustment to what we already knew. The Wolfpack ranks 31st in adjusted offensive efficiency, which I'm pretty sure is a season high. (Last year's team finished 22nd.) The defense, on the other hand, is down to 146th (!), which I'm also pretty sure is a season low.

Let's have a look at where we stand with four games remaining.

NCSU Offense -- Four Factors	eFG%	TO%	OR%	FT Rate
2015-16 Overall (National Rank)	48.2 (245)	16.0 (43)	37.1 (19)	41.1 (72)
2015-16 ACC Only (Conf. Rank)	49.2 (11)	16.8 (8)	36.9 (3)	38.1 (3)

The turnover is dying. Ten years ago, the national average turnover percentage was 21.3. This year, it's 18.3. Grandpa on all you want about the one-and-done era and the quality of college hoops, but fact is teams have gotten better and better at taking care of the basketball.

In 2006, State turned the ball over on 19.8% of its possessions in league games. That ranked third in the ACC. This season, State is at a very impressive 16.8%, and that ain't even good enough to rank in the top half of the league. Ten years ago, a 16.8 turnover rate would have ranked in the top seven in the country.

I digress, but that's an interesting snapshot of how the game has changed. It's slowed on down, and teams have been more careful.

As for what that means for this NC State team: a pretty good turnover rate that's pretty good.

State's shooting has improved a smidge in league play (it pretty much had to), though interior scoring remains a problem. The biggest boost has come from three, where the Pack is hitting 35.9%. That's above its season average of 34.5%. The Pack is also hitting nearly 72% of its free throws in league games.

NCSU Defense -- Four Factors	eFG%	TO%	OR%	FT Rate
2015-16 Overall (National Rank)	49.8 (171)	15.0 (334)	29.8 (176)	29.7 (42)
2015-16 ACC Only (Conf. Rank)	52.0 (13)	13.5 (15)	31.5 (6)	33.9 (7)

And here, folks, we see the problem(s). NC State did an okay job of defending the interior during non-conference play, if little else. In ACC games, that's been exposed as mirage, and State has done pretty much nothing else well.

Opponents continue to light it up from outside--ACC foes are shooting 37.6% from three. That is ridiculous by any standard of defense, by which I mean, if every team we played had a five-on-four power play, then it'd still be pretty dang impressive if those teams hit 37.6%. Defenses have very little control over how its opponents shoot from outside. Best you can do is employ a style that deters opponents from attempting threes (see: Duke) and cross your fingers.

Throw in a nearly comical inability to force turnovers, and you got yourself a serious problem at the defensive end. Shooting is the long and the short of everything in basketball, but I also think turnover rate is far more important than defensive rebounding percentage or free throw rate.

State's 13.5% turnover rate means that 86.5% of opponents' possessions end with a shot at the basket. That is super not ideal, unless you're brilliant at forcing missed shots and collecting those misses. The Pack's defensive rebounding has been solid, but there's not nearly enough here to compensate.

It's a shame, because as it's turned out, this NC State team's offense in league play is markedly better than it was last year. Weird, I know. But the defense fell off a cliff, and it is buried so deep, it'll take decades to excavate.

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Districts Democrats could win

The past week has reinforced the need for an independent redistricting commission in the state. If the disruption to our elections for the third decade in a row was not enough, Republicans’ arrogance and cavalier approach toward the process is. The GOP clearly put their interests ahead of those of the voters, moving entire districts […]
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Out of the Frying Pan, into the Fire

Assuming the district lines don’t change again (which could be a big assumption), the title of this post aptly describes Renee Ellmers’ situation. Already embroiled in a heated contest for renomination, Ellmers now finds herself in a dramatically transformed district. And now it looks like she’s going to have to deal with an even stronger […]
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White flight when CIAA comes to town

It's not an invasion, it's a basketball tournament:

Last year, when I structured a major deal with CIAA, I was informed that by February, when the games began, white people would leave Charlotte, running in fear of their lives because, God forbid, the blacks were coming to town. And they were bringing their wild parties and shameless outfits and affinity for massive traffic to the city with them.

It’s unfortunate that there is a history of collegiate sportsmanship behind the CIAA brand that exists beyond the fear of too many black people being in close proximity to one another. The college athletes don’t get recognized for their skill and tenacity. The aunts and uncles and grandmothers that come to support their alma mater go unrecognized. The scholarships and community service that are provided in the name of education and sports are not mentioned in conversation.

She's right, and the mainstream media is just as guilty of "reducing" this event to a public nuisance as the white elite are. I don't remember which teams won the Championship games in the last few years, but I do remember a fight that took place off the court between rival teams. Every Spring when (mostly white) fraternities converge on beaches ranging from the Jersey shore to Cancún, scores of them are arrested for fighting, drug abuse, and other behavior "frowned upon" by society; but that's just kids "blowing off steam" and doesn't pose a threat to the general public. Our perception of what is and is not a threat is colored. No, I didn't forget to finish that sentence.

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NC State Basketball Recruiting Update, New 2016 Offer

With the 2016 basketball recruiting cycle in turn four, the Pack are ramping up their pursuit of tall people as well as continuing to battle for five-star Rawle Alkins.

Rawle Alkins

Arizona has made a huge push for the five-star shooting guard. Alkins has visited Tucson twice recently, once unofficially and once officially, and had great things to say about his time there. These weren’t the usual "I like the coaches and facilities and the tradition is great" lip service every recruit says after a visit either. According the New York native’s blog, seeing how the Arizona team reacted to a loss (they lost to Oregon 83-75) was the highlight of his first visit.

Coach Miller was saying that he hopes this doesn’t affect their recruitment of me, but I told him I love the fact that one loss is like the world ended! I love that because I’m a winner. And winning is the only option. Honestly, seeing their reaction to losing was a high point of the visit for me.

Alkins made a return trip there and the Cats have established themselves as one of the leading teams for his services. They have taken a substantial lead in 247sports’ Crystal Ball feature, which you can probably put some stock into in this particular case.

Alkins also visited UNLV before his first Arizona visit and continues to list UNLV as a team he is actively considering.

As far as things go for the Pack, Alkins was supposed to attend the Duke-University of North Carolina Chapel-Hill game, but elected to work out instead, which might be good news. He did attend the Pack’s victory over Clemson on Saturday. Alkins has two officials remaining following his second visit to Arizona. There’s a decent chance a NC school will not be receiving one because of proximity and the amount of times he’s already been to State and University of North Carolina Chapel-Hill.

Taurean Thompson

The Taurean Thompson experiment appears to have come to the end. The top-100 forward is reportedly down to Syracuse, Georgetown, Seton Hall, and Providence. Kansas extended a late offer as well but did not make the cut. He’s been regarded as a Syracuse lean for a while and State never really seemed to make up any ground after they offered.

Cheickna Dembele

State’s pursuit of the 6’10" big man from Mali has kicked into gear. Mark Gottfried went to watch him in person, which means that things have gotten serious. His offer is most definitely legit and the Pack are most definitely in hot pursuit of the athletic and skilled center.

Dembele’s recruitment is on the edge of exploding though, as he recently received an offer from Providence and will almost certainly receive one from Syracuse soon. Other schools will certainly follow and hopefully none of them are named Kentucky, Duke, or Kansas. This player is very good and you should very much want him. He went 14-14 from the line in his last game for SPI according to an interview with Coach Jareem Dowling.

Bruno Fernando

Fernando is the newest offer in 2016, but the Pack might have to make up some ground in a hurry. Fernando stands at 6’10" and weighs in a 225, and plays in Florida for basketball superpower Montverde Academy (That’s where future 17-time NBA MVP and Nobel Prize winner Ben Simmons played).

His other offers include Alabama, Auburn, LSU, SMU, UCF, Florida State, and Marquette. He also drew interest from Duke, but the Blue Devils have not extended an offer. Fernando’s recruitment has been a quiet one from an NC State perspective but he did list the Pack as one of the schools recruiting him the hardest recently. He also said that a decision will likely be coming soon, which is why the Pack will have to make up some ground and do it pretty quickly.

Fernando is regarded as a strong rebounder and shot blocker with a developing but still somewhat raw offensive game. Below is a quick highlight video and here’s a full highlight package that is definitely worth checking out. I'm no expert scout, but one thing that impressed me was Fernando's footwork in the post.

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Sunday Afternoon at the Park

Pack puttin' up runs, scorin' wins.

The strength of NC State baseball is supposed to be its deep pitching staff, a group that ranked among the nation's best in ERA and opponents' batting average a year ago, but the staff has been both hittable and generous with free passes in the early going, giving up 20 runs in their first three games. After getting shutout in the season opener, the Pack batsmen have had their pitchers' backs. A day after exploding for 13 against a ranked Coastal Carolina nine, the Pack outlasted Kent State 7-5 to improve to 2-1.

Andrew Knizner swung the biggest stick for the Pack, homering for the second straight day. His three-run bomb was part of a 2-for-5 day. Preston Palmeiro, Joe Dunand, and Brock Deatherage also had two-hit days, with Detherage homering. A Palmeiro RBI single and a two-out RBI double from Dunand gave the Pack the lead and an insurance run in the seventh.

Evan Braband made sure the lead held, hurling the final three innings in impressive fashion. He allowed just one hit and struck out three in closing the game out for his first career save. Cody Beckman vultured the win; he coughed up a couple of runs in just two-thirds of an inning but was the pitcher of record when State took the lead. Joe O'Donnell had the longest outing of the season for a Pack starter, lasting 5.1 fairly effective innings (three runs, two earned).

Dunand, a rangy (in terms of size, if not ground coverage) experiment at shortstop after playing the hot corner last year, committed his second error in three games.

After a 2-1 mark in the Caravelle Resort tournament in Myrtle Beach, the Pack host Morehead St. Tuesday at the Dail at 3 p.m. in their home opener.

***

In softball action, NC State earned a split in the inaugural ACC-Big Ten Challenge thanks to some generous defense from Wisconsin and Tyler Ross's yardwork. As has been the case too often for the ladies in the early going, a lead was blown, but this time they bounced back to win 6-5.

Behind Ross's three-run bomb and six (!) Badger errors, State led 5-0 entering the bottom of the fifth. Harli Hubbard ran into trouble in the frame, loading the bases with one out. Courtney Mirabella took over for her armed with a can of gasoline...she yielded a grand slam to Kelsey Jenkins, the first batter she faced, and, an out later, Chloe Miller knotted the contest at five with a solo shot.

Mirabella would not only settle down - she dominated - recording six of the last seven outs by strikeout to earn the win when her Pack pushed a run across in the top of the seventh. Maggie Hawkins delivered the game winner, a double that scored Molly Hutchison. Hutchison led all players with three hits on the day.

The ladies are a respectable 5-4 as they adjust to life after Renada Davis and Emily Weiman, and five of those games have come against P5 opponents. Life is about to get astronomically harder for Shawn Rychcik's crew, who head west for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. They will play five opponents over four days; four of those opponents are ranked. Two of those opponents are ranked #1 (Florida) and #2 (Michigan).

***

I can neither confirm nor deny rumors that Sherman Basinger's head exploded when the women's basketball and softball teams won (including hoops going on something like a 40,000-2 run at UNC) within minutes of each other on the same day. Your thoughts and prayers are welcome either way.

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UNC-Chapel Hill takes out hurt feelings with bad scoreboard joke

The NC State women's basketball team is in Chapel Hill this afternoon hoping to finish out a season sweep of a very mediocre Carolina team. The Pack won the first meeting by 29, and the Tar Heels are only .500 on the season, the program having been destroyed by all the cheating done by the football and men's basketball teams over the last quarter century. (Such a sad, yet common story.) So given that context, um, this was probably not the greatest idea...

Scoreboard at UNC for today's State-UNC game has @PackWomensBball listed as UNC-R. http://pic.twitter.com/A50zbnSwRP

— Pack Pride (@PackPride) February 21, 2016

Awwww look who has hurt feelings. This is just precious.

It's because State's been referring to UNC-Chapel Hill as "UNC-Chapel Hill" in game stories and game notes, isn't it. The entirely, factually correct name of the school, which is UNC-Chapel Hill. I will use it in a sentence to demonstrate. Ahem. "The UNC-Chapel Hill women's basketball team was throttled Sunday by NC State, 235-22, and then run over a dozen times by UNC administrators driving a very large truck."

Debbie Yow had a great response to this silliness:

We r in it and have been the last hour over here. They r just being themselves

— #1 state fan (@gopacknow) February 21, 2016

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More on Burr's hypocrisy over IT security protocols

And his artful dodging of questions:

The Fourth Amendment protects citizens from warrantless searches and seizures. How would you ensure that Americans are protected against government spying but still protected against terrorism?:

"San Bernardino is a sobering reminder that America is under constant threat from hostile forces that will stop at nothing to see us fall. I will continue fighting to equip America's intelligence professionals with all the tools that are legal, valid and effective to subvert terrorist plots and thwart attacks."

As you can see, Burr's only recognition of the core of this question, how he will protect us from unconstitutional search and seizure, was the brief and dismissive "tools that are legal." As we learned from the Bush administration, such legality is easily decided with a clever staffer's scribbled brief. As to his flag-waving and fear-mongering election-year posturing, here's an excerpt from a bill he sponsored last year:

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Charlotte LGBT non-discrimination ordinance on Monday's agenda

Another chance to get it right:

My girlfriend and I were denied a hotel room when we first moved to Charlotte. We finally got a hotel room in Gastonia after being denied at 3 hotels.

In the end, almost 60 percent of the 146 people who responded said they’d faced discrimination. Scott Bishop, board chair of the LGBT advocacy group MeckPac, read those responses as they came back last year. “I don’t think there was anything in there that surprised me,” he said.

Discrimination comes in many forms, and many of those forms cannot be cured by a government action. But for the ones that can be, such as denial of service based on prejudice, that government action should be supported by all those who believe in equality. A society that allows a subset of its population, however small, to be discriminated against, is a society that has stopped evolving and has complacently accepted a certain amount of bigotry, as long as it doesn't negatively affect the engines of economic growth. But no matter how prosperous that formula is, the injustice remains and will leave a scar that society will live to regret.

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Diamond Update: Wolfpack Bats Awaken

Two out of three ain't bad.

Runs were hard to come by on the diamond for both NC State's baseball and softball programs on Friday; the men dropped their season opener 5-0 and the women were tripped up 6-1. It was a different tune a day later. Pack baseball hung 13 on #21 Coastal Carolina, triumphing in a 13-10 slugfest. Softball, which had lost three of its last four games despite leading in the last inning in all of them, turned the tables with an eight-run explosion in the top of the seventh to down Nebraska 11-6. Unfortunately, the momentum didn't carry over for the ladies, as they dropped their second game of the day to Wisconsin, 2-1.

Preston Palmeiro paced the Pack at the Caravelle Resort tournament in Myrtle Beach, going 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles, a homer, and four RBI. His homer capped a four-run 8^th that broke a 7-7 tie and ultimately propelled the Pack to victory. A day after managing just three singles, State went yard five times against the Chanticleers. Josh McClain, Andrew Knizner, Joe Dunand, and Xavier LeGrant joined Palmeiro with their first long balls of the season. Freshman LeGrant's homer came in his first career at bat.

The rally made a winner out of Will Gilbert, the only one of four Pack pitchers to escape unscathed on the afternoon. The senior allowed a single and a walk while fanning three in 2.1 innings. Despite getting hit hard, Pack hurlers did fan a dozen Chanticleers, though they also issued six bases on balls.

The women, playing in the inaugural ACC-Big Ten challenge for softball, tied their game with previously unbeaten Nebraska with four consecutive hits in the top of the seventh from Lana Van Dyken, Tyler Ross, Molly Hutchinson, and Maggie Hawkins. Meredith Burroughs untied it with a three-run blast, her second homer of the day, to put the Pack up 8-5. They would go on to score three more, making the Cornhuskers' run in the bottom of the inning moot. Harli Hubbard evened her record at 2-2 in something less than dominating fashion; she allowed 12 hits and 6 earned runs in 6.1 innings. Courtney Mirabella recorded the final two outs.

Mirabella was the tough-luck loser against Wisconsin. She went the distance, scattering four hits and fanning 10, but her shot at a shutout was undone by a Pack defense that made three errors behind her. Both runs charged to Mirabella were unearned and ultimately proved to be the difference. Hannah Sommer homered to account for the Pack's lone tally.

Both teams return to their respective events Sunday and both will be trying to get over .500. Baseball, 1-1, faces Kent State in a Sunday morning tilt at 11. Softball, 4-4, gets a 12:30 rematch with Wisconsin at the Dail Softball Stadium.

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NC State highlights: BeeJay Anya, Abdul-Malik Abu lead dunk parade against Clemson

Making shots: good. Making shots that happen to be dunks: even better. NC State was outstanding on the offensive glass against Clemson on Saturday afternoon, which played a big role in the Wolfpack's victory. The Pack had three put-back dunks off of Cat Barber misses alone.

It was a mix of good passing to create opportunities for Abdul-Malik Abu and BeeJay Anya at the rim, and a mix of sheer aggression on the boards. That pair made a huge difference by rescuing a handful of possessions in what ended up being a one-score final.

Can't emphasize how much NC State needed those second-chance points with -9 turnover margin in a close game. Clemson had a huge edge in effective possessions ( those are possessions that end with a field goal...

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NC State 77, Clemson 74: Cat Barber struggles, but Wolfpack supporting cast shines in win

That was a strange one, but hey, whatever works. Cat Barber struggled all afternoon from the field, missing a number of shots he normally makes look easy. Clemson went on an incredible hot-shooting streak in the first half, and committed exactly one turnover the entire game. But the Wolfpack's supporting cast was tremendous, and State pulled out a 77-74 win.

Four Factors	NC State	Clemson
eFG%	54.2	50.8
Turnover Rate	16.4	1.6
Off Reb Rate	44.4	27.0
FT Rate	26.7	18.8

	Pts	Poss	OFF_EFF	DEF_EFF
Clemson	74	61	121.3	126.2
NC State	77	61	126.2	121.3

While Barber hit only one of 12 field goal attempts, State got big games from Abdul-Malik Abu, Maverick Rowan, and the Martin twins. BeeJay Anya scored eight points on 4-5 shooting, and most of those buckets were dunks. Abu slammed home a few as well.

That was a big part of the story for NC State--rebounding in general, but also throwing home rebounds off of missed shots. Clemson did a poor job boxing out all afternoon, and it was hugely costly. Cat Barber wasn't making shots, but several of his misses were quickly grabbed by State's forwards and dunked for an easy two points. That helped mitigate some of Barber's struggles.

The first half was back-and-forth, and the second half was mostly the same, though State was able to create some breathing room thanks to hot shooting from Rowan and the continued solid play from the forwards. In the first half, Caleb Martin's outside shooting kept the Wolfpack's offense from sputtering. In the second, it was Rowan's hot streak that started to turn the game.

Rowan finished with a team-high 20 points, while Abu scored 17 and grabbed 16 boards. Caleb added 16 points on 6-10 shooting, and Cody scored seven while grabbing four boards. Enough can't be said about the cast around Cat today. For once this year, Cat needed the bailout, and they got this done.

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The switch to nat gas power plants a climate nightmare

And we're going to end up paying for it:

This is not an isolated repurposing from Duke, but merely the beginning of a wave as Duke seeks to build 15 or more such plants across North Carolina in the coming years. As welcome as the news was for us locally that our toxin-spewing, mountain-destroying coal burner would soon be put out to pasture, this new development is hardly an improvement. Statewide, Duke is simply trading in one destructive, extractive energy source for another while continuing to milk legally guaranteed profits from its outrageous monopoly privilege over North Carolina ratepayers.

Like many of my environmental friends, I have been pleased to see the closure of several old and dirty coal plants in Duke Energy's "fleet." They closed more than I thought they would, which brought me to (at least) two realizations: 1) They're up to something, and 2) They had a hell of a lot more capacity than they have claimed. Another realization: Even with these closures, they are still able to provide for current power demands. Meaning, the smaller incremental addition of renewable energy generation via wind and solar farms (and waste-to-energy projects, geothermal, etc.) could easily keep up with increasing demand. But guess what? Large power plant construction projects are moneymakers. Billions, which is the only unit of measurement Duke Energy pays attention to. But forget about money for a second while we examine the climate change dangers of ramping up nat gas plants:

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After dark

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Pack Nine Punchless in Opening Loss to Old Dominion

It's just one game, but feel free to temper your expectations.

NC State, ranked as high as 10^th in at least one preseason poll, had an inauspicious debut to the 2016 campaign, dropping a 5-0 decision to Old Dominion at the Caravelle Resort tournament in Myrtle Beach. The Pack made more errors (4) than hits (3) and struggled to throw strikes

Johnny Piedmonte got the opening-day nod over freshman All-American Brian Brown for the Pack nine but didn't make it through the third, surrendering three runs (two earned) thanks largely to issuing four free passes. State issued seven walks on the day. Bright spots from the staff included successful debuts from redshirt freshman Austin Staley, who was first out of the pen with 1.1 scoreless innings. Senior Kyle Smith, who sat out last year after transferring, fanned a pair in a scoreless ninth.

There was little in terms of offensive highlights. Stephen Pitarra had a pair of hits in his first career start, and Preston Palmeiro accounted for the other. All were singles. Pitarra started at second, bumping last year's second sacker, Ryne Willard, to third. Pitarra committed one of State's four errors; Joe Dunand, who has moved from third to short, also had a miscue.

Storm Edwards and Xavier LeGrant, two of Elliott Avent's more highly-regarded recruits to make it to campus the last couple of years, did not play.

Sam Sinnen got the win for ODU with five shutout frames. Brett Smith and Nick Hartman finished the shutout off with two innings apiece; they got seven of their 12 outs via strikeout. The Monarchs went winless in the Myrtle Beach tournament last year on their way to a 27-29 season.

Tournament host Coastal Carolina will be the Pack's next opponent tomorrow at 2 p.m.

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Jay Faison's not-so-clean tech and Republican fundraising

If you thought it was too good to be true, trust your instincts:

North Carolina clean energy philanthropist Jay Faison is becoming known as a proven entrepreneur trying to change the narrative about economic and climate benefits of clean energy, especially among his Republican cohorts. Along with the ClearPath Foundation he founded and formalized in 2015, he’s embarking on a bid to affect policy.

Among his early priorities is a sharp focus on need and value of more capital investment and market-based solutions, paired with less bureaucratic red tape and increased government efficiency, to clear the way to significant commercial nuclear power advances.

Before we get into debate about the cleanliness of nuclear power, I've looked into Faison's written (and spoken) commentary, and while he tosses out the phrase "next generation" often, he's not really talking about Gen IV Nukes, just more of the same. I wrote about the potential new technology several years ago, which would include rigorous recycling/reuse of spent fuel rods as well as using ceramic chips to cool the rods instead of super-heating water and dumping it back into lakes and rivers. But the nuclear issue aside, Jay Faison has also formed a PAC, ostensibly to support Republican Congressional candidates who support "clean" energy. But before you whip out your checkbook, look a little closer:

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Ch-ch-ch-changes

The election cycle in North Carolina keeps evolving. Yesterday, the legislature moved the Congressional primaries to June 7 with a new filing period from March 16 to March 25. The House has proposed eliminating runoff elections for any elections this year. And a three-judge panel found retention elections for judges unconstitutional. Legislators left the March […]
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Previewing Clemson: Tigers overcoming bad early-season losses, one surprising ACC win after another

How to watch or listen to the game

Tip time: 3 p.m. ET, Saturday, Feb. 20

TV: ACC Network -- affiliates

Online streaming: ESPN3

Radio: Wolfpack Sports Network (affiliates)

Clemson vitals

Record: 16-10 (9-5)
RPI: 94
Pomeroy ranking: No. 52
Best win***: 66-62 over Louisville (KenPom No. 6)
Worst loss: 89-83 to Minnesota (KenPom No. 180)

(***Best win or loss based on opponent's Pomeroy Rating, not the scoring margin.)

Adjusted tempo: 64.5 poss/40 minutes (ranks 337th)
Adjusted offensive efficiency: 109.8 (ranks 63rd)
Adjusted defensive efficiency: 97.9 (ranks 61st)

Clemson roster
Clemson schedule
Clemson stats 2016

The Clemson offense and starters

CU Offense -- Four Factors	eFG%	TO%	OR%	FT Rate
Regular Season (Nat'l Rank)	49.9 (176)	16.3 (53)	31.2 (131)	35.1 (216)
ACC Games (Conf. Rank)	49.4 (9)	16.2 (6)	30.3 (9)	38.6 (4)

There are plenty of strange things about this college basketball season, with the Clemson Tigers chief among them. Apparently it takes Brad Brownell's team a month or two to get cookin', or uh, get respectable. The Tigers have already won more ACC games this season than they did all of last year.

Brownell needed a bounce-back effort after Clemson's tepid 16-15 campaign in 2015, and early on at least, that did not appear to be a possibility. Clemson lost early-season contests to UMass and Minnesota, two teams that rank outside the KenPom top 150. But here the Tigers are in mid-February with a 9-5 ACC record that includes wins over Duke, Miami, Syracuse, and Louisville. Go figure.

The turnaround has a lot to do with Clemson's offense, which may end up being the best of the Brownell era. The Tigers ranked just 177th in offensive efficiency last season but have improved to 63rd.

They're relying quite a bit on threes (about 39% of their field goal attempts come from outside), and although this is only an average-ish three-point shooting team (35%), it's significantly better than last season. The Tigers are also much better at  the free throw line (73.3%). The improved shooting in those areas along with better ball security have made a big difference for them.

It's not an offense with many obvious strengths, but it has no glaring weaknesses, either. That's a huge improvement over 2015, and it may be enough to sneak the Tigers into the NCAA tournament.

Starters

Jordan Roper (6-0, 165) -- Roper's dialed back his involvement in the scoring to do a little more distributing this year. He's still a good three-point threat and excellent at the free throw line.

Avry Holmes (6-2, 195) -- In two seasons at San Francisco, Holmes made 44.9% of his three-point tries. He hasn't been able to replicate that success in his first season at Clemson, or even come close, but safe to say he's a threat to have a big game on any given day. He's pretty good at getting to the free throw line, where he's a career 78.6% shooter.

Donte Grantham (6-8, 210) -- Seems to be finding his shooting touch after an abysmal freshman year. His 3FG% is up from 27.6% in 2015 to 36.2% this season. He's also improved dramatically at the free throw line, though he doesn't get there often.

Jaron Blossomgame (6-7, 215) -- You might say Jaron's game ... has blossomed. Ugh, I'm sorry. Blossomgame has emerged as the leader of Clemson's offense thanks to career-highs in FT% (77.8), 2FG% (53.8), and 3FG% (40.5). All of that despite a larger workload. He's also blocking shots at a significantly higher rate this season.

Landry Nnoko (6-10, 255) -- Good rebounder at both ends, and an elite shot blocker (12th in blk%). He's hitting a career-high 56.2% of his twos, though he can be prone to turnovers. Foul trouble tends to be a problem as well.

The Clemson bench and defense

Reserves: Gabe DeVoe (6-3, 205), Sidy Djitte (6-10, 240). Ah, yes, our old pal Gabe DeVoe, who scored approximately one billion points against the Wolfpack late last season. Actually it was 18 points. That's still a career high, by the way. (He hasn't scored more than 11 in any other game.)

DeVoe is struggling in a big way (35.7% from two, 29.9% from three), but we learned last year how moot that can be. Djitte is a brilliant offensive rebounder, though not usually much of a factor in the scoring.

CU Defense -- Four Factors	eFG% (National Rank)	TO%	OR%	FT Rate
Regular Season (Nat'l Rank)	47.3 (70)	18.1 (182)	29.3 (142)	28.1 (25)
ACC Games (Conf. Rank)	48.9 (7)	17.6 (9)	31.3 (6)	30.3 (3)

Brownell's track record with defenses is very good and probably deserves a little more recognition. (It'd probably help if he'd taken Clemson to the NCAAs more than once in the last five years.) He's been a head coach at three different places, and he's had at least one top-25 defense at each stop. If he could get his offenses figured out with any sort of consistency, he'd really be on to somethin'.

His Clemson defenses generally have made their success through defending the paint well and avoiding fouls. The Tigers rank 56th this season in 2FG% defense, and they are ranked among the top 10 in block percentage for the second time in the last three years.

They are only average at forcing turnovers and grabbing defensive boards, but that's not such a big deal if there are no glaring problems elsewhere, and Clemson has none. Like the offense, the defense doesn't really jump off the page, but when you put all the average-to-above-average parts together, you have a pretty good unit.

The Pomeroy Predictor likes NC State by two.

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Friday fracking video

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A Kinder, Gentler Gerrymander

So the new map is out. Democrats are flustered because the new map is so beautiful. In the Redistricting Committee meeting yesterday afternoon, Sen. Dan Blue’s prepared talking points clearly anticipated an ugly monstrosity of a map when he said that Republicans’ latest efforts took gerrymandering to a whole new level. Obviously, that’s not accurate. […]
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Senator Burr lies shamelessly in national Op-ed

Trying to take a bite out of Apple:

The FBI believes that Syed Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, attempted to destroy as much evidence as possible before their attack. They did not, however, destroy everything. Investigators found an intact Apple iPhone in a vehicle they used.

The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California has issued an order directing Apple to assist law enforcement agents in unlocking the phone. There are no decryption demands in this case, and Apple is in no way required to provide a so-called backdoor. The FBI needs access to the phone so the agency can better piece together information about the terrorists and whom they contacted.

Bolding mine. In true GOP fashion, Burr reveals exactly what he's trying to do through his denial. The FBI is most certainly trying to obtain a backdoor that can be used on other devices in the future, by forcing Apple to create a custom program to circumvent security lockouts:

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