Ian Jackson scores for North Carolina in the Smith Center. PHOTO BY UNC COMMUNICATIONS PEYTON WILLIAMS
Duke is running away with the ACC statistically. Here are two illustrations.
Top six ACC men’s teams in KenPom rankings 1/8: Duke first overall, offense 9, defense 1; Pitt 25, 22/43; UNC 30, 26/47; Clemson 34, 40/35; Louisville 37, 41/45; SMU 55, 25/103.
In NET rankings 1/8, Duke was 2, 13-2 overall, 5-2 in quad 1 games; Pitt 20, 12-3, 1-3; UNC 39, 10-6, 1-6; Louisville 40, 11-5, 2-5; Clemson 41, 12-4, 2-2; SMU 48, 11-4, 0-3.
Six ex-Florida State players sued Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton last month, alleging he failed to make good on a promise to get each of them $250,000 in name, image and likeness compensation for the 23-24 season. None is still with the team (four transferred, two used up their eligibility). Hamilton, 76, is in 37th year of coaching, 22 at FSU.
Miami coach Jim Larrañaga “doesn’t love what college basketball has become,” so he’s decided that “he’s leaving.” The 75-year-old Larrañaga stepped down last month, saying “I’m exhausted. I’ve tried every which way to keep this going.” Larrañaga joins a “long line of prominent college basketball coaches” who have “left their jobs in recent years citing the changes in the game and the challenge of coaching in the name, image and likeness (NIL) era of college sports.” He coached for 41 years including 14 at Miami.
Miami had eight players “enter the transfer portal after the Hurricanes went to the Final Four in 2023.” Larrañaga said, “The opportunity to make money someplace else created a situation that you have to begin to ask yourself as a coach what is this all about.” Bill Courtney, the associate head coach, is Miami’s interim coach.
Before the North Carolina-UCLA game at MSG, John Starks, a former teammate of Hubert Davis on the New York Knicks and a hard-nosed NBA player and fan favorite, spoke at the team’s pre-game meal about playing with toughness. It looks like Starks helped inspire the strong comeback against the Bruins.
Former UNC coach Roy Williams was honored by Gov. Roy Cooper with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in a ceremony in Raleigh. Hurricanes hockey coach Rod Brind’Amour also received the honor reserved for those who made “extraordinary contributions to the state.” It’s North Carolina’s highest civilian honor. J.B.
