- Backing The Pack: One of the best posts of the year is back for its sixth edition. That’s right it’s time for @akulawolf”s postseason awards. Not only do the awards make you laugh, they’re also informative. For instance, did you know DeShawn Painter sported a smooth 37.6% effective field goal percentage this year? I don’t know how many times I told myself, “He’s really developed that 15-17 footer this year.” Well, apparently it was all a mirage.
- WxMoose: Speaking of informative and ironic, I did a double-take when I read this analysis of way-too-early rankings. No, it wasn’t NC State‘s frequent top-10 rating (CBS was the only early Top 25 to rank the Wolfpack in double figures). It was CollegeHoops.net ranking Duke number one. Yeah, their rankings are from before the NCAA tournament finished (and Austin Rivers declared), but number one?! By the way, these rankings are your ACC basketball reminders of the Mayan calendar: NC State is ranked above its Tobacco Road foes in all but two of the polls.
- Tar Heel Blog: With the news that North Carolina recruit Marcus Paige has already joined the list of Tar Heel injuries, Brian Barbour took the time to list all of the injuries during the Roy Williams era. It’s safe to say the last three years haven’t been kind, with 15 UNC players missing a total of 122 games.
- Run The Floor: ESPN reported that Pittsburgh and Syracuse won’t be at Big East meetings this summer; rather, the two schools will join the ACC proceedings. The strange thing is that neither team is slated to join the ACC until after the Big East bylaw-mandated 27-month waiting period. My guess is this is a sign that things are moving more quickly than anticipated (the Big East already replaced the departed schools).
- Baltimore Sun: Obi Enechionyia (I have no idea how this is pronounced, but it could be epic) is interested in Maryland. He’s only a rising junior, but he’s already on local schools’ radars, notably Maryland, Virginia and Virginia Tech. He really came out of nowhere this year to average 18/13 as a sophomore. If he improves again over the next year, you should expect to start seeing bigger names on that list. Mark Turgeon and his staff should have an advantage for getting into the recruiting race early.
EXTRA: This is real.