Zach’s Wish List, Part I
This is the first of many wishes in college basketball I will share throughout the season. None will happen, but a boy can dream right?
This week’s wish: An All-ACC station (and that I have it)
Beauty: The quality that gives pleasure to the mind or senses and is associated with such properties as harmony of form or color, excellence of artistry, truthfulness, and originality. Webster never intended for this definition to ever describe sports, but when it comes to the caliber of play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, no word better describes.
It’s hard not to love a conference in which all nine teams (can we ignore Miami (FL) and Virginia Tech?) have a decent shot a making the tournament. Or one where three of the top five teams in the country reside in your conference. Or one where you host the top rivalry in the country, and the teams play twice each season. But it’s not only that the teams are all good; they all play the game the right way. In a word, it’s beautiful.
Watching an ACC basketball game compares to Broadway, the symphony or a Steven Spielberg film. So many elements are woven together harmonically, from passing to defense, motion offense to elegant one-on-one moves. After a game is over, the question is not, “Did you enjoy the game?” but “What facet of the game did you enjoy the most?”
So why not a station devoted to ACC hoops, 24/7? Indulge me for a second and take a look at the games we would enjoy this week with ACC TV:
- Tuesday – Maryland at Wake Forest. The Deacons are one of those top five teams mentioned earlier. Not like the Terrapins are chopped liver, ranked in the Top 20.
- Wednesday – Georgia Tech at North Carolina. After beating Maryland at home by 34, is there any question the Tar Heels are scary good? Do the Yellow Jackets really need to prove how talented they are? At least ESPN will televise this one as I await my dream station.
- Thursday – Duke at NC State. The Blue Devils are sweet. The Wolfpack is sweet. This game will be sweet. It would be sweeter watching it on ACC TV.
- Saturday – North Carolina at Wake Forest. You heard it here first: a preview of this season’s national championship game. Perfect time for the debut of the perfect station.
What differentiates the ACC from the every other conference is that it’s a level above the rest of the country from top to bottom. There are no cake walks in the ACC. Duke almost routinely loses at Florida State. Clemson and Virginia are always tough places to play. Miami and Virginia Tech are unknowns, but simply playing against these spectacular teams will elevate their play. And of course, Boston College arrives next season, yet another Top 25 program.
Why would anyone want to watch college basketball besides the ACC? The Big Ten is Illinois and a bunch of middle-of-the-road teams. The Big East will be sweet next season, but until then, who cares about Syracuse’s boring zone? Speaking of boring, did I mention Texas and Kansas? Minus Oklahoma State (which may be the source another one of my wishes), the Big 12 is also a snooze fest. Do they still play basketball on the West Coast? I remember when a UCLA game was noteworthy, now; apparently Washington is the cream of the crop out there. Oh, and I hate Kentucky. So much for the SEC.
Please local cable station, I’m begging you. One can only take so much adolescent college action. Don’t even get me started with the NBA. I want Chris Paul. I want the Cameron Crazies. I want Raymond Felton, Julius Hodge, Gary Williams cursing up a storm and Georgia Tech backing down from no one. Hell, I even want Dickey V and his insanity. My Seinfeld DVDs need to carry me through spring; if I watch them now all I have to do once April hits is cut my neighbor’s grass. So for the love of a poor, depraved college basketball fan, give me some ACC hoops. All day, every day.
