Locked On ACC - Daily College Football & Basketball Podcast - NC State Beats UNC for the ACC Championship

Episode Date: March 18, 2024

In this episode, Candace and Kenton get in a bit of a verbal tussle over the ACC Championship game results Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

All right, the brackets are out. We are here to talk Selection Sunday, some ACC championships, and just how great it is after 37 years, the Wolfpack are finally champions once again on today's episode of Locked on ACC. You are Locked on ACC, your daily podcast on the Atlantic Coast Conference, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello, everybody. Welcome to today's edition of Locked On ACC. I'm your host, Candace Cooper, joined by Kenton Gibbs of Locked on Wolfpack. every day you can find us wherever you listen to the podcast. Make sure you download, subscribe to the pod from anywhere. We're so close to 2,000 subscribers on our YouTube channel that we need a couple of you to tell your friends to tell your friends that they need to hit up our page. It is full of March Madness. We are in the thick of it. And March Madness was certainly the name of the game for ACC tournament this year. We'll talk about all of that here

on today's show. But first these days, every new potential hire can feel like a high-stakes wager for your small business. That's why LinkedIn jobs helps you find the right people for your team faster and for free. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com slash Lockstone College terms and conditions to apply. Now, as I mentioned, we have Kenton Gives here, host of Locked on Wolfpack, who is now the ACC champions of men's basketball. So after a 37-year drought living in the Jimmy V era, it is finally a new era for Coach Keats and company to get their first ship in quite some time. And boy, did they celebrate and deservedly so with MVP, DJ Birds at the helm. What a win for the Wolfpack, five games, five days, and you just have to tip your cap to what was truly a magical run.

How about those ACC champs, the Wolfpack? But more importantly, this win, this run, all of this was the most wolfpack thing possible. You want to know why? The law of the wolf states that when you expect the least from NC State, that's when you get the most. And you want to know what's funny. Candace, who was? Who will? was on upset alert on day one in the tournament? NC State. NC State. Playing the worst team in the ACC, a team that's coach had already accepted a buyout that we now know about in terms of,

I ain't going to be here. Trailed at halftime to that worst team in the conference, a team that ain't won two conference games in a row in almost three years. Last time that team won multiple games in a row in terms of ACC games, we didn't even know what the pandemic was. We didn't know. We didn't know what the N95. We didn't know.

And lo and behold, five days, an amazing buzzer beater, beating not just the one, not just the two, but also the three seats, top three seats in the tournament. And then, and to really get into this thing now, a team whose coach, the block was hot, as little Wayne was said in the early thousands. The block was hot, the block was hot. He was almost out. He was almost out. And instead, he ends up getting himself a 400K rate, 100K bonus. There ain't nothing to sniff at.

I mean, there ain't nothing to turn your nose up at. And retains his job based on one of the most improbable runs because they are the highest-seated team to ever win a Power 5 conference tournament. How about that Wolfpack? How about it? Yeah, and I think it's, It's also just fitting.

We talk about history all the time, but really repeating itself and how everything kind of lined up for them in terms of when they originally won ACC championship, they were facing a number one North Carolina team and all the bells and whistles. They were trying to get themselves to the big dance. And do I think they'll win the NCAA tournament? You know, who knows? Crazier things have happened, right? But I think it certainly is something that you can be proud of if you're an NC State fan, a lot of fans who've never seen it in their lifetime, who never thought they see it in their lifetime, just the joy. You have to just give it that old hand clap of praise.

You know, for me, someone, of course, North Carolina who lost, I think this was the time to lose. Every time we've lost the ACC championship, we've been close to or if not have won the national championship. So I'm not upset about it, right? For some people, ACC tournament is Super Bowl. For others, it's just another notch on the resume. However you look at it, praise God, we keep it pushing. There we go.

So first it was Duke's sights on bigger things. And now you would see sight. Everybody just won't. I mean, being in the one scene is actually, it has sites. Duke can talk as much junk as they want, but, I mean, they haven't exactly had anything substantial besides when an AC tournament where they ended up getting dogwalked in the NCAA tournament.

So, I mean, I guess, sure. I mean, listen, all I'm saying is this, you know, maybe I'm from the old school. Maybe it's just the way I was with, when I was at cash tech, we won two back-to-backstay championships, but we did not win the city championship either one of those years. The teams that beat us in the city championship give us hell about it to this day. And you know what I say?

When they give me hell about it, hey, y'all got us. That's it. I don't know. Hey, we won the states. We bad than y'all. I accept that y'all, you put the beats on us. Did I not say that? You did what you were supposed to do?

Did I mean? I'm just saying. Congratulations. I feel like NCSA people want the red carpet of something that, like, honestly, Coach Keats should have been done. But again, hey, you beat who you beat. Good job. Like, how much more praise do you need?

Should have been done. That's such interesting phrase here. Coach Keats has had the tools to be in conversations of being good teams. I agree, but should have been done as such an interesting phrase when you think about the fact that, again, the history. of this thing ever since Jimmy V got ousted. Ever since Jimmy V got ousted, right? You're looking at a team that has not done what Coach Keats did, period. And you're looking at him walking into a situation where it was Kay and Roy,

two of the most story coaches in the history of this thing. And even after they leave, you've still got these two extremely story programs right down the street. Oh, not to mention probably the best coach in the ACC and Tony Bennett, Oh, and when you were there, that was when Rick Petino said, drug bill is his stripples day in my entourage and had that program rolling. Should have been done this strong word. My biggest thing is, like, is he not of the same caliber of those guys?

Because if you're telling me he's just a regular old Joe and, like, they should be happy to be in the conversation, then we can definitely, if you want a level set and he's just not good enough, he's not of their caliber, that's fine. I'm happy to have that conversation. But what I do feel like is NC State is a high caliber in men's basketball program. So to say it should have been done, it shouldn't have taken 37 years. I stand on that. I stand on Coach Keats having those guys.

Okay. All right. You got it. Ride the high, boo-boo. Right the high. No, no. Hold on. I stand on what I say and you're not going to back you down of what I say. But I'm a big believer. But I'm a big believer in. I know that we all become prisoners of the moment and like to practice a little bit of revisionist history. But you asked, was Keith seen as the caliber of coach of a Tony Bennett? Roy Williams, Coach K, of that group, five days ago, five days ago, NC State fans were thinking, we may get upset by Louisville and we'll be happy for a big

off. If you're not coming at my point. You're not coming at anybody else's point. I'm telling you, I've always been to Coach Kee's on high on him. I didn't want him to get fired. So when I'm having this conversation should have been done, I still stand on that. And what, and my point is this. In the last five days, he has almost as many quad one wins as he had over the first.

first seven years like that is terrible right he should have had more and I still think he's had the people in the tools in place to be better and he should have done it glad he's done it now great like get you get your man's up I'm happy for him I don't know what you're bullying me to say happy congratulations harder like I don't know again again all I'm saying is I just I think it's interesting how we laughed at Duke when they said they they they sites were on bigger things but now when this the the dirty fuck club they sites are on bigger things and we got to respect I'm the same. If you're going to give Carolina a dirty slander, you also have to give Duke the dirty slander because they hate y'all just as much. So I really wish that would be consistent. But beyond that, I do feel like we do have our sights on Sunday bitter. We're our number one seat in the NCAA tournament for a reason. So either you take the congratulations and the thank you or you keep it pushing, but I'm real about done with this conversation. Well, of course you're done with the conversation. Candice, it makes a lot of sense that you're done with this conversation. I understand.

I don't know how much bigger congratulations you want, how much jubilee you want, how much all the things that I don't know what more is not good enough, it seems. And I feel like NC State fans sniffing themselves. Boogie, sniff yourself. It is well deserved. You did something incredible. That's why we love March. This is why you have those stories. DJ Horn crying was special. Having DJ Burns get excited about having O'Connell do the damn thing. Like that is very much exciting. All the things, all the story learns. Cool. Don't matter no more. Turn the page. Keep it pushing. Keep it wrong. Do more.

It's a lot like I remember seeing somebody. I can't remember who. But there was somebody because Duke's page posted, Carolina's been X days without an ACC championship. And I can't remember who. But there was somebody who posted. I know that ain't who I think it is. Because the context of the situation called for,

you need to sit out, sit there, and eat your food. I said, tweeted that because Duke is the same team that we dogged twice this year. That's what I'm trying to say. In the context of this conversation, I'm saying you and I both share the laugh at Duke's expense because they said our eyes are on bigger things. We're on to bigger and back.

Did we not? Duke literally is barely. Okay. And you know what? Yep. All right. Let's get to something else. Because clearly congratulations is just simply not enough.

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haven't checked out fire TV channels, you should. Trust me on this. To learn more, go to Amazon.com slash locked on fire TV. Well, NC State was certainly a bid stealer. Definitely kept some teams out in conversations were to be had about the ACCC getting five teams into the NCAA tournament. Kudos to NCSA for being won as well as Virginia, Clemson, North Carolina, and Duke.

So as we talk through Selection Sunday, not really that many surprises. The only one which we'll talk about later is pit. But to see some of our top programs get that nod and move on, I think it's pretty exciting as we're allegedly supposed to only have been a two-bit conference. Let's just be honest. Joe Lenardi is very unsurious. And at this point in time, I don't know how anybody can take him serious with the way that he spoke about the ACC, with the way that he's coming at former ACCADs, with the way that he's coming in former ACC players and all that. Anybody that Joe Lenardi can get his hands on involving the ACC, he's going to call you everything

but a child of God. I mean, that's just the reality of what this is. And I think at least, at the very least, from a standpoint of professionalism, from a standpoint of doing your job, from a standpoint of being serious, Canada and I just did an entire segment going back to about the whole UNC, NC state thing. But we're also very honest about that. And we know where our leaders is lying and all that good stuff. And we would never sit up here and say, we are responsible for putting together the, what we believe will be a full team, field of teams that are going to get into tournament X, Y, Z, A, B, and C because of that. And if we were, we could do that job well enough to not dig our heels in to say, we think

this team is bad, therefore they're bad, despite what the metrics say, despite what the numbers say, despite what this or that says, and particularly point out people who say, hey, we think that this team should have got in and that team should have got it. L.O, your team had a strength of schedule out of conferences, did it do, da, da, da, well, what about the net ranking? Oh, well, you know, that doesn't really count for this situation and so on and so forth. So long story short, I think that it's, it's extremely, extremely, extremely unsurious to say that this was a too big conference at any point in time, because this conference has always been and always will be the ACC, even if it's not the old

ACC that you think about, even if you don't have Ralph Samson, Michael Jordan, all those cats walking through that door, this is still very much so the ACC. So I think a lot of people also can just if you're someone who likes just watching the game of college basketball, you talk about in fairness and a lot of things have come down to scheduling and points and Ken Palm and rankings and all that. I do credit the NCAA or excuse me, the committee for at least saying, listen, the eye test is the eye test. In some ways they got it right and other ways they got it wrong. But for the simple fact that we were still questioning here towards the late midnight hour, whether or not North Carolina was the number one seed, I think those sorts of things are heinous.

I think the fact that we were trying to make, improve and show reasons why certain people deserve certain places when it was clear that as day that this is like the hottest teams and fish grease happening at the moment. It just speaks again to the noise of national media is becoming far greater, but hopefully the committee can still stay true to what we know to be loving and picking the right people to play this incredible tournament that we have here with the NCAA, which I think, you know, is nice for now. but someone made a good point, will it be nice for always in a way, an area with which NIL starting to become rampant. We have a lot of money tournaments. Could be on the rise, whether it's Amazon or some Netflix placing a team to where people don't even want to do NIT anymore. Like, is the state of college basketball, as we know it, sort of in limbo?

I don't think it's in limbo. I think that if you are used to the college basketball of the 2010s and earlier, that's dead. that's going. That's never coming back, right? The time where college basketball players were truly stars, who's the longest 10-year big name in college basketball right now? I'd probably say Zach Eddie up at Purdue. What's the last commercial you've seen any of those to them? Caleb Williams was everywhere, everywhere with the Wendy's commercial, everywhere with the Dr. Pepper commercials with Bryce Young and whatnot, all that good stuff. They were everywhere.

basketball doesn't function in the same way. It just doesn't. I'm sorry. That's the reality. We are not seeing the best players stay in college three to four years anymore. We could even ask when's the last time you saw a good draft where there were a bunch of guys who stayed in college three, four years at the top of the draft? When's the last time we saw that? The reality is college basketball is different.

It's so much different from what it used to be. And with that in mind, if you're expecting what college basketball used to be, if you're expecting what Selection Sunday used to be, I'm sorry to tell you, those days long. 100%. So out of the East region, we don't have any ACC schools. Out of the West region, we'll have North Carolina. They'll face off between the winner of Howard or Wagner, as well as Clemson, who is in the West region. They'll face off against New Mexico to start on March 22nd.

So that's out of the West. Of that West region, you know, I think Clemson definitely has their work cut out for them. They playing against a New Mexico team that is very much, you know, hungry and wanting to win. You also have a North Carolina team who, while I do think they'll beat Howard or Wagner, have, you know, potentially a Michigan state or a Mississippi state matchup that could hinder them if they're not careful. They will, granted, be in Charlotte, but, you know, you got to get that win. You got to have heart. you got to have grit, which is something that I hope after that loss in ACC championship,

they'll give. What do you think about that West region for our ACC matchups? Yeah. So when you look at Carolina and you talk about Michigan State and Mississippi State, I mean, both of those teams are teams that are, you know, Michigan State and Izzo, he's earned his reputation in March and April. This is where Izzo makes his hey. This is where he's at his best.

And so, you know, that's a particularly interesting storyline there in Mississippi State. That's one where you kind of look up and you say, well, what really are they? Because they got extremely hot at the right time down the stress, but there were lows during this season where you were like, I'm not really seeing it, not really, you know, not really thinking that this is going to be a powerhouse or a team to worry about. But, you know, North Carolina has shown that they can play with the best, they can lose the best.

They've had some phenomenal wins this season. They've also lost the Georgia Tech, right? They've had some phenomenal blowouts this season. If you look as recently as the tournament, they ran Florida State off that floor in a way that had, I mean, they said, listen, if y'all want to go to the ACC, if you don't want me, then don't talk to me type of whoop. And they put on them boys and then to go forward and lose to their rivals who they've already, who they already beat twice this year, it's very much so like a, you know, which team are we going

to get type of thing. But I think that they have enough firepower. I think that RJ Davis has got nothing. Like you said, that moment of having your chin tested and having to get up off the mat could be good for the hands. Agreed. Now, moving on to the South region, you'll have Duke number four seed facing off against number 13 seed, Vermont. And you'll have NC State number 11 seed facing off against a good number six Texas Tech seeded team. I think that, you know, being in Pittsburgh, definitely going to bring a crowd for Duke.

You'll be in Brooklyn. But, you know, all in all, that to me is just the hunt to try and figure out if you can face off against a really good Houston program or a really strong Marquette program. So for Duke and NC State, they definitely had their work cut out for them, but not impossible to get to the road to the national championship. Absolutely. I'm not going to lie and say I've watched enough Vermont or I know enough about Vermont

to give a very accurate description there, but Duke better come ready. Duke better come. If you said your eyes were on bigger things, congratulations. There's no such bigger of a thing, right? And at this point, you know, if you lose here, you look a lot like how people used to talk about Michael Beasley with, oh, he could be the best player in NBA if you wanted to. Well, why hasn't he? What's the bigger thing that he's waiting on, that he just hasn't done it, you know? And that's no offense to Mr. Beasley.

I'm just saying, using them as an example. So, you know, that's the deal of there. This Texas Tech matchup, very intriguing one for NC State. That is a team that has had some very good guard play this year, especially defensively. And you're looking at NC State and saying, hey, if Horn can't get it done, because let's make no bones about it. The only reason that team was on upset alert against Louisville is because DJ Horn was out. With DJ Horn back, that team totally different, totally. I mean, he led Staten scoring for multiple games in the tournament, despite the fact that he missed the first one.

So that's a young man, and coming off the bench in one or two of those games. So that's a young man that, you know, he's a Raleigh native that you can tell. It means everything to him to do it in Raleigh. So, you know, that's going to be a very interesting matchup. And we know that that Texas Tech basketball team going to want some get back for last season, regular season loss against NC State and football. Absolutely. Then when we have the Midwest region, we will see Virginia have to do a playing game against Colorado State.

Not impossible for Virginia to go ahead and get into this thing, but they'll face a really good Texas team down in Charlotte should they get out of the first four matchup. Yeah, and this is very interesting. This is what's very interesting about the first four matchups because you would think about Virginia, you say like, how did they end up here? How did they end up in this play in, which is another thing on top of the pit all mission that kind of has people scratching their heads and whatnot? But it's the reality of, you know, when you know that you're a part of a conference that's

been a little bit marked, a conference that's been very heavily disrespected, a conference that hasn't gotten the national notoriety that deserves, you can't lose in your first game in the tournament. Or I'm sorry, you can't lose in a semifinal in the tournament to a double-seated, double-digit seated team in the ACC, even if they did go on to win the championship. It's just, it's not a good look to lose that game. And so here we are. But I'll tell you what, if Bennett and the boys can find a way to fill it up, I've always said this, about Tony Bennett teams and I stand by this. Tony Bennett and his guy can get

the 75 consistently, they can beat anybody. 100% agree there. All right, let's finish this thing, talking about some of our teams that got snubbed in this bad boy. But first, reminding you guys about our friends at LinkedIn when you're hiring for your small business, you want to find quality professionals

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Pitt being one of them, the big name that many people thought deserved an opportunity. They played hard throughout the year. Coming up short into ACC, ACC tournament certainly did not help their case. Having NC State Wind didn't help their case either. But all you can say for Cable and the boys is, I think advocating next season for your out-of-conference schedule

definitely has to be a little bit easier so you can pat it win big at home and hopefully get into those Kim Palm conversations and not even have to worry about things like this. I mean, they have one of the highest nets ever to be left out of the tournament. Like, let's just, let's be very honest about this. This absolutely was a snob, you know, and the reality is I talk a lot about how Jimmy Pete needs to be beating the table for our teams and all that. This is why you need to beat the table for your conference and not let these talking heads. disrespects or conference because you end up in situations like this where one of the highest

nest ever be on the outside looking at is. And let's be very honest about this, right? You and I both know NC State stealing a bid, her pit. It did. It did. The more bid stealers you get, the more of the less bubble teams you have because that's just how the numbers work out. We all knew that NC State and IT at best, right? Like walking into the championship game against UNC. It was if this team wins, I mean, hey, more power to them. At best, they'll end up

at best they'll end up in the NIT. And yet, they found a way in. They knocked down every single team that was on the bubble got knocked down because obviously UNC's going to get in. Virginia's going to get in. Duke's going to get in. So who's hurt by this? The team's on the bubble. And Pitt, unfortunately, was a casualty of not just NC State, but there

for multiple bid stealers this past weekend. And so, you know, it hurts, but cable and company, you got to get off the bubble. You know, being in a situation where your conference isn't here on it, can't be on the bubble, can't make it close. For sure. I think you also can make a case, not necessarily for Wake Forest in terms of, you know, being on the bubble or last four or anything like that. But during the season, they definitely had a chance.

And I think that also speaks to, you know, you look at PJ Hall who made comments during the press conference, at Clemson talking about how good the ACC is, how many great guys and teams that there are, and yet still the lack of respect by only having five is just really a testament to how our league is portrayed. And just to have a Wake Forest team that definitely has quality on any given night can beat some of these teams and have beaten some of these teams that are going to the NCAA tournament is very telling. And I think there should be more hailed about how good you have to be on any given night around this conference. And yet we still see our teams falling up short. So I don't necessarily know the answer besides the advocacy, but I do think that it has to start early.

It has to start throughout the summers as you're planning for the start of the season. Like there should be a whole bigger conversation. We all know that if our powerful teams do well, the Carolinas and Virginians of the world do well. People definitely take notice. It's nice to have the North Carolina team be one, but can you bring other people along as well by when you have those upsets? Can it show how just how good we are as a group? Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And I say start gaming the system like the Big 12. Yeah, you can play it.

You know, stop playing real teams early in the season. If the out of conference is what keeps out, no, it's not. A lot of Big 12 teams who did not play a soul in the regular season. Got all the respect and love because they beat the island of Misfit Toys Community College by, you know, 90 points or whatever the case may be. Obviously, that's an exaggeration, but you get the point. They, you know, there was even articles written about is the Big 12 gaming the system. Whenever people have to ask that deeply, the answers, yes. Right. The answers, yes.

So, you know, it's an unfortunate situation. But again, I'm a very firm believer. Again, I'm from old school. Leave no doubt. Leave no doubt. I'm obviously, I'm only 28, so I'm not actually from the old school. I was just raised under that old school mentality of if you give folks the opportunity to take it away from you, they will. Every single time.

Don't make it close. Yeah, a thousand percent. We've got more to talk about Selection Sunday as the women had. their work cut out for them and they're going to be in respective regions. And I think some of them will do well and some of them will have early exits. And, you know, that's just the nature of the beast. But we have all of it here for you. For Candace Cooper, Kenton Gives, we hope you come back.

We hope you listen and give us your thoughts towards the ACC Championship, towards Selection Sunday, a little bit of snubs and what maybe the ACC can do better moving forward. But we'll leave all of that for next time.