ACC

In all honesty it shouldn't come as a surprise that UCLA struggled with an in-state non-conference opponent, the very teams that most in the fan base expect the Bruins to simply roll over regardless of their level of interest. But in recent seasons it's become more of an issue as the Bruins haven't been talented enough to simply flip the switch, and there was another hard lesson to learn in the LA Sports Arena. The preseason pick to win the Pac-12 shot 40.7% from the field and made just two of fifteen from beyond the arc in a 69-58 loss to Loyola Marymount.

Here's how the ACC teams stack up over the last five years according to conference wins. Unlike many leagues, the ACC has a relatively strict caste system, with Duke and UNC firmly at the top. Tony Bennett's Virginia Cavaliers are one of the few teams with a chance to jump up a level, while Wake Forest is clearly going in the wrong direction.

 

Friday marks the first big day of the college basketball season with more than 100 games on the schedule. Sure most of the games look to be of the "opening sacrifice" variety, but a closer look reveals some intriguing matchups. It only makes sense to begin with the game that needs little introduction, the Carrier Classic game matching preseason national title favorite North Carolina and Michigan State. The game will be played on the USS Carl Vinson in San Diego, which will likely cue a few "I'm on a boat" jokes. 

We've finally reached the last question in this five-part series, where some college basketball writers took time to answer who their pick to win the national title is. There was one caveat, however: the pick had to come from outside of the top four that is North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio State and UConn. That led to some interesting choices, so enjoy.

Question: Outside of the generally accepted top four (UNC/UK/Ohio State/UConn) who do you think can win the national title?

With the beginning of games that will count towards win/loss records on the horizon (first games are Monday), these final days before the start of the college basketball season seem to be a good time to discuss some of the off-season's hot topics. With that in mind I caught up with some bloggers and writers to see what their thoughts are on topics such as conference realignment, the new rules regarding recruiting and the scholarship model, and some preseason picks as well.

In the latest installment in his "Coaching Greats" interview series CHN writer Jon Teitel spent some time with Hugh Durham. During his time as a college coach Durham led two programs (Florida State and Georgia) to their first (and to this date only) Final Four appearances, with Florida State losing to UCLA in the 1972 NCAA title game.

Jon Teitel: You were a highly-recruited athlete coming out of Eastern (KY) HS (all-state QB and all-region in basketball), and as a basketball player at Florida State your 18.9 career PPG is still top 10 in school history.