UNC MEN’S BASKETBALL TO PLAY BLUE-WHITE SCRIMMAGE IN CHEROKEE

Limited Number of Tickets Available on Friday

CHAPEL HILL – The University of North Carolina men’s basketball team will play three times in the preseason, beginning with a Blue-White scrimmage at Harrah’s Resort in Cherokee, N.C., on Sunday, October 13, at Noon.

A limited number of tickets will go on sale to the public on Friday, September 20, through Harrah’s Cherokee Resort Events Center.

Two nights later (October 15), the Tar Heels return to FedExForum for the first time since their 2017 NCAA Elite Eight win over Kentucky as Carolina plays a preseason game vs. the Memphis Tigers in the inaugural Hoops for St. Jude® Tip Off Classic.

The proceeds from the UNC-Memphis game, which is part of a doubleheader with the South Carolina and Memphis women’s teams, will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The Tar Heels and Tigers will play at 7 p.m. with the game broadcast on ESPNU.

Tickets to the Hoops for St. Jude® Tip Off Classic are available at Ticketmaster or the FedExForum box office with 100% of the proceeds going to St. Jude.

In addition, the four teams will fundraise for St. Jude from October 1–19 through Tiltify.

On October 27, the Tar Heels host Johnson C. Smith at 2 p.m. in the Smith Center. Single-game tickets for the exhibition game will go on sale in mid-October.

Carolina opens the 2024-25 regular season in the Smith Center on November 4 against Elon. On November 8, UNC travels to Lawrence, Kan., for just the second time ever to play the Kansas Jayhawks.

Going to end with an intact ACC?

Allegedly, the ACC is now seriously discussing with that pair a plan to alter distributions so that there is more money given to the schools with the best TV numbers.

Even the most foolishly stupid person knows that TV shows get paid by the TV numbers. Shows that do not produce needed numbers get moved into lesser slots, and then get cancelled. Yet college sports fans - and they are really prominent among schools not named Penn St that are located in the northeast -assume that not only should networks pay all leagues the same money no matter how little;e some leagues have TV viewers, but that then leagues MUST distribute revenue to all members exactly equal.

But If a Wake produces numbers that are half or less than are the numbers of an FSU, why shouldn't FSU get more of the revenue?

It reminds me of the Seinfeld season in which they get to write and film a pilot. George is infuriated by how much Ted Danson is paid for being the star of Cheers and assumes he should get the same - because they both will be on the NBC network. Shouldn't everybody on NBC get the same pay? George absurdly asserts that he is better than Ted Danson, perhaps because he thinks that all it takes is for his show to be on TRV and then it will have as many viewers as Cheers. That is exactly like the absurd claims made by BC nd Cuse fans that if inky they are on TV and can win, their TV numbers will be great!.

My starting point with this is that if FSU and Clemson have left, or are still making it clear they will leave as soon as they can afford to do so, then the next ACC TV deal will be so poor that what happened to the Pac will happen too the ACC if the BT and SEC between them want 8 or more ACC members. And I think they will. I think that of each could get the money from. network to pay for it, each would want 6-9, maybe 10. And 8 or more probably would get taken. The ACC definitely is more valuable than full Pac 12 was.

If the ACC internecine wars can end with some revenue distributed based on TV numbers, then the ACC is STUPID unto death not to do it. If doing that means schools like Wake, BC, and Cuse threaten to leave, shove them out the door. As quickly as possible. And bolt it afterwards.

The wife and I were talking some football. I pointed out that we were undefeated. She countered that we hadn't beaten anybody good. I pointed out that we beat a power 4 or 5 (take your pick) team in Minnesota. She responded that Minnesota wasn't any good. So, I looked them up. I didn't realize that no one has even scored a single point on Minnesota since our game. They beat Rhode Island 48 to 0. I remembered that because I seemed to remember that their quarterback had the highest QB ranking in the nation with PFF or something else that week. But, it was Rhode Island. But then last week, they beat Nevada 27 to 0. Now, granted, that's not exactly Killer's Row. But even the best teams are giving up a score or two against weak competition. Minnesota hasn't even allowed a field goal. So, maybe Minnesota isn't quite the walkover that some people claim. We'll see how they do this weekend against Iowa.

From The ACC...............


ACC Football Notes

Through Week 3 of the 2024 season:

• Week 0 – Florida State versus Georgia Tech saw 5.0 million viewers and was the most-watched Week 0 game on any network since 2019.
• College GameDay from Ireland was the most-watched Week 0 episode ever – 41 percent over the previous most-watched Week 0 show (2022) and averaged 1.6 million viewers, including 2.0 million in the final hour.
• Week 1 – ACC was part of a historical day on Saturday, August 31, as it was ABC’s second-most-watched Kickoff Saturday on record.
• 7.9 million viewers - The Clemson versus Georgia Aflac Kickoff Game in Atlanta was the most-watched Week 1 Noon Game on record, peaking at 9.5 million viewers.
• 6.6 million viewers - The in-state rivalry contest between Miami and Florida in Gainesville, Florida, was the most-watched Week 1 Late Afternoon Game since 2017.
• The ACC has three teams ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll this week – Miami (No. 8), Louisville (No. 19), and Clemson (No. 21).
• Five other teams received votes in the poll - Syracuse (62), Boston College (47), California (11), North Carolina (3) and Pitt (1).
• The ACC has three teams ranked in the Coaches Poll this week – Miami (No. 11), Clemson (No. 19) and Louisville (No. 20).
• Six other ACC teams received votes in the coaches poll - Syracuse (32), Pitt (17), North Carolina (14), NC State (12), California (10) and Boston College (6).
• The ACC has seven teams undefeated after three weeks of play – tied for the second-most among all FBS conferences.
• Eight ACC teams are undefeated in non-conference play – tied for the second-most among all FBS conferences.
• The ACC is 31-9 overall in non-conference play.
• Week 4 features eight non-conference games - including three against Power 4 opponents.
• Three of the four conference games in ACC play this year have been decided by one score or less (eight points or less).
• Week 4 features four ACC games – including the first-ever conference games as ACC members for Stanford (Friday) and California (Saturday).

The ACC is the Conference of Quarterbacks and Preeminent Players:

• Seven quarterbacks are ranked in the top 25 of FBS in passing efficiency – the most of any conference.
• Six quarterbacks are ranked in the top 15 of ESPN’s Total QBR – the most of any conference.
• Five quarterbacks are ranked in the top 15 of FBS in total passing yards – the most of any conference.
• Five quarterbacks have thrown eight touchdown passes or more this season – the most of any conference.
• Six quarterbacks are ranked in the top 20 of FBS in passing yards per game – tied for the most of any conference.
• Five quarterbacks are ranked in the top 20 of FBS in total yards per game – tied for the most of any conference.
• Nine different ACC quarterbacks have thrown for at least 300 yards in a game this year.
• Three quarterbacks have done it in every game they have played - Cam Ward (Miami), Eli Holstein (Pitt) and Kyle McCord (Syracuse).
• Ward is the first Miami quarterback to begin a season with three consecutive 300-yard passing games.
• Holstein is the first freshman (redshirt or true) in Pitt history to throw for 300 yards or more in three consecutive games.
• McCord is the first quarterback in Syracuse history to throw for 300 yards or more in consecutive games, doing it in his first two starts for the Orange.
• ACC had the most of any conferences on the following QB preseason watch lists: Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (13); Maxwell Award preseason watch list (10); and Davey O’Brien Award (8).
• The ACC has the top-ranked group of quarterback transfers in 2024 by CBS Sports.
• 13 QBs in the league enter the 2024 season with over 20 career touchdown passes and 3,500 career passing yards.
• Since 2018, the ACC has had at least one quarterback drafted in the first round in five different drafts — the only conference to do that.
• The ACC has the FBS leader in interceptions – Nohl Williams (Cal) with four interceptions.
• The ACC has three of the top four sacks leaders in FBS - Jahvaree Ritzie (UNC) with 5.0 sacks, Tyler Baron (Miami) and Antwaun Powell-Ryland (Virginia Tech) with 4.5 sacks.
• Four of the top 11 NCAA leaders in sacks per game this season in all of FBS are in the ACC.
• ACC has six of the top 25 in tackles-for-loss per game this season.
• Syracuse's Fadil Diggs leads the nation in tackles-for-loss per game with 3.0.
• Miami's Tyler Baron is tied for second in the nation in tackles-for-loss per game with 2.3.
• Pitt’s Rasheem Biles is tied for ninth in the nation in tackles-for-loss per game with 1.8.
• ACC has three of the top seven punt returns in all of FBS in punt return average.
• Stanford’s Tiger Bachmeier leads the nation with 34.0 yards per punt return this year.
• ACC has four of the top 10 punters in all of FBS in yards per punt average.
• Florida State’s Alex Mastromanno leads the nation with an average of 49.8 yards per punt this year.

The ACC’s non-conference schedule continues to be the most challenging in the country:

• 26 games against Power 4 opponents, including Notre Dame, the most of any conference.
• Nine non-conference games against teams ranked in the final 2023 Associated Press Top 25 Poll, the most of any conference.
• 10 non-conference games against teams in ESPN’s 2024 Way-Too-Early Top 25, the most of any conference.