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| ACC sees no issue playing in Maryland’s back yard without Terps | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| While in Washington on Thursday evening to promote next month’s Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball tournament at Verizon Center, Commissioner John Swofford said the conference has experienced no decrease in interest despite the exclusion of Maryland, which left no conference members within a 100-mile radius of the District. | While in Washington on Thursday evening to promote next month’s Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball tournament at Verizon Center, Commissioner John Swofford said the conference has experienced no decrease in interest despite the exclusion of Maryland, which left no conference members within a 100-mile radius of the District. |
| The ACC announced it would bring its marquee event to Washington in November 2013, a year after Maryland announced it would leave for the Big Ten beginning in the 2014-15 school year. Washington hosted the tournament once before, in 2005. But even without the largest local school and longtime conference staple, Swofford expressed confidence in Washington’s ability to host. | The ACC announced it would bring its marquee event to Washington in November 2013, a year after Maryland announced it would leave for the Big Ten beginning in the 2014-15 school year. Washington hosted the tournament once before, in 2005. But even without the largest local school and longtime conference staple, Swofford expressed confidence in Washington’s ability to host. |
| “Our schools, starting with our presidents, are bullish about coming here, not just for the pure basketball reasons and everything that goes with that,” Swofford said. “From a development standpoint, from a governmental standpoint, there’s a lot of things that our institutions set up related to those kinds of functions that they tie in to the tournament. They see it as a real plus, not only for the tournament and our basketball programs but for the institutions — just because it’s Washington, D.C. It’s an appealing place to come for a lot of people for a lot of reasons.” | |
| With Maryland in the Big Ten, Virginia is the only ACC school within a three-hour drive of Verizon Center. But Swofford pointed to the central location for what has become a far-flung conference and the dense alumni bases in Washington. | With Maryland in the Big Ten, Virginia is the only ACC school within a three-hour drive of Verizon Center. But Swofford pointed to the central location for what has become a far-flung conference and the dense alumni bases in Washington. |
| [Isaiah Wilkins fitting Cavs’ mold more than his Hall of Fame stepfather’s] | [Isaiah Wilkins fitting Cavs’ mold more than his Hall of Fame stepfather’s] |
| “You’ve got Virginia and Virginia Tech kind of in the back yard, and Pitt now in the league. They’re not that far away,” Swofford said. “All of our schools have significant alumni bases in and around D.C. We really haven’t seen any real difference in terms of coming here, and didn’t really expect to. When you look at our league and footprint, going from Boston to Miami, the entire Eastern Seaboard, slightly into the Midwest, it’s a very logical geographic fit for us.” | |
| For the second consecutive year, the ACC had to alter the tournament bracket because of a school’s self-imposed postseason ban. Last week, Louisville disciplined itself in the wake of a scandal involving the use of prostitutes to entice recruits. Rather than three opening day games March 8, there will be two, played at noon and 2 p.m. | For the second consecutive year, the ACC had to alter the tournament bracket because of a school’s self-imposed postseason ban. Last week, Louisville disciplined itself in the wake of a scandal involving the use of prostitutes to entice recruits. Rather than three opening day games March 8, there will be two, played at noon and 2 p.m. |
| [Duke is down by its standards but enters U-Va. game on uptick] | [Duke is down by its standards but enters U-Va. game on uptick] |
| Louisville penalized itself in the hope of avoiding more stringent punishment from the NCAA down the road, just as Syracuse did last season. Louisville did not consult the ACC, with Swofford calling it “purely an institutional decision.” | Louisville penalized itself in the hope of avoiding more stringent punishment from the NCAA down the road, just as Syracuse did last season. Louisville did not consult the ACC, with Swofford calling it “purely an institutional decision.” |
| Louisville’s postseason ban drew an outcry from those who believe the school placed its self-interest over its players, who will be robbed of the chance to play in the ACC and NCAA tournaments for misdeeds they had no part in. Louisville Coach Rick Pitino suggested that schools and their coaches face significant fines as an alternative. | Louisville’s postseason ban drew an outcry from those who believe the school placed its self-interest over its players, who will be robbed of the chance to play in the ACC and NCAA tournaments for misdeeds they had no part in. Louisville Coach Rick Pitino suggested that schools and their coaches face significant fines as an alternative. |
| “It’s interesting, because a lot of times in the past that’s been applauded,” Swofford said. “Now it seems some people want to question that, which I think is indicative of the dilemma institutions have. There’s been in recent years more and more conversation in a general sense of, shouldn’t the NCAA really focus on identifying individuals that caused the problem, whatever that problem is, and deal with those individuals? Rather than years after the fact, penalizing the university or the program that has at that point in time different players, maybe even different coaches involved. | “It’s interesting, because a lot of times in the past that’s been applauded,” Swofford said. “Now it seems some people want to question that, which I think is indicative of the dilemma institutions have. There’s been in recent years more and more conversation in a general sense of, shouldn’t the NCAA really focus on identifying individuals that caused the problem, whatever that problem is, and deal with those individuals? Rather than years after the fact, penalizing the university or the program that has at that point in time different players, maybe even different coaches involved. |
| “I think the trend of those conversations is more toward identifying the problem people and focusing on those. But we’re not there yet. That conversation continues. We’ll see where it leads us.” | “I think the trend of those conversations is more toward identifying the problem people and focusing on those. But we’re not there yet. That conversation continues. We’ll see where it leads us.” |
| [Why the Terps are ranked No. 2 but their projected NCAA tourney seed is No. 3] | [Why the Terps are ranked No. 2 but their projected NCAA tourney seed is No. 3] |
| Swofford also called for improving and hastening the NCAA’s investigative process, which promotes self-imposed penalties because schools do not want to be left in limbo. North Carolina, for one, has faced the prospect of NCAA sanctions over academic fraud for years. | Swofford also called for improving and hastening the NCAA’s investigative process, which promotes self-imposed penalties because schools do not want to be left in limbo. North Carolina, for one, has faced the prospect of NCAA sanctions over academic fraud for years. |
| “That becomes a sanction in itself,” Swofford said, speaking generally about delayed investigations. “That becomes a negative impact on those programs. It has a negative impact on the university’s brand, if you will, not just athletically. I think the NCAA, we’ve got work to do in that area. Hopefully there will be a more defined, more improved process that brings itself to conclusion much more quickly than what we have now. | “That becomes a sanction in itself,” Swofford said, speaking generally about delayed investigations. “That becomes a negative impact on those programs. It has a negative impact on the university’s brand, if you will, not just athletically. I think the NCAA, we’ve got work to do in that area. Hopefully there will be a more defined, more improved process that brings itself to conclusion much more quickly than what we have now. |
| “When these things go on six or eight years, we’ve got to find a better way. That in itself tells us there’s got to be a better way to do this.” | “When these things go on six or eight years, we’ve got to find a better way. That in itself tells us there’s got to be a better way to do this.” |