GUESTWRITER "BLUEDUKE" ANAYLYZES THE ACC TEAMS SO FAR

UNC: Predicted to finish first and probably will. Trio of Hansbrough, Ellington, and Wright is a very potent 1-2-3 punch. Lawson is really coming on as a distributor of the ball. I think he's quicker than Felton, although Felton was a better defender. Hansbrough gets easily frustrated when going against a physical defender. This could cause a problem in the NCAA's. Terry is very unpredictable. A healthy Frasor could really improve their chances

Duke: They're as good as their record, but no better. Paulus, like Terry of UNC, is on again\off again. Never know which player will show up. The injury that kept him out all preseason and the first few games of this season could be a factor in this. McRoberts needs to get greedy on offense. His D is very good. Nelson has hurt them almost as much as he's helped them. I'd keep him on the floor for defensive purposes only. Scheyer will end up a better all around player than Redick. The light hasn't come on all the way in Henderson's head. Once it does he's going to be very good. McClure has been a pleasant surprise.

NCSU: Lowe has done a great job with this team. I didn't think State would go 8-20, but I didn't think they'd be much better than that. McCauley is my pick for most improved player in the conference. His play now compared to last year is like night and day. Gavin Grant and Courtney Fells have improved as well but McCauley is legit.

BC: Whenever they suspended Sean Williams I figured the Eagles were dogmeat. Their record while good isn't as good as it seems. They've really benefited from the unbalanced schedule. They've lost to some real weak teams as well. They are also the dirtiest team in the conference. Their coach Al Skinner is the biggest whiner among coaches in the conference. He needs to hook up with Maryland fans. That'd be a match made in heaven. Whiner Heaven it would certainly be. Wish they'd take their thug ball and go back to the Big East where they belong

VT: They're legit. Just ask UNC and Duke. Their backcourt is the ACC's best one game and the ACC's worst the next however. They're quick and athletic and their coach HATES Duke and UNC and will now probably add NCSU to his hate list. Dowdell is a pack of hell to contain.

UVA: Another surprise. Great backcourt.

FSU: Probably has the most raw talent of any team in the league. Too bad being consistant isn't on their list of important things to do.

Wake: I feel sorry for them. I really do

Clemson: I don't think they've recovered from the loss at Duke. They haven't been the same team since. If they wake up though they're a tough out

Ga Tech: Another team with alot of talent but their coach doesn't seem to know how to harness it. Wouldn't want to play them in the ACC tourney though.

Miami: Pitiful. The ACC was screwed when they added this school to the conference though I know it was for football purposes and not basketball. Their football and roundball teams seem to be on par talentwise. Ask these bums to leave and let's take South Carolina back

Last but not least it's Maryland. This team is about even with Duke this season. They got off to a rough start but seem to be coming on. Mike Jones and James Gist are potent outside threats and Strawberry is starting to blossum into a very good ACC player. In the paint however Ekene Ibekwe has regressed but only slightly. Gary Williams is the best coach in the country when it comes to developing obscure players into valuable assets. In the past Joe Smith wasn't on anyone's radar and he ended up as one of the ACC's best. He seems to have a guy like this every year. Too bad they have THE WORST fan base in college basketball. The Turtles are cheered on by battery throwing, ref baiting, "Duke gets all the calls and they control college basketball" whining dorks who seem to act as though it's their first day out of prison. They are an NCAA tema and one that will win at least one game.

YOU'RE GAY AND NOBODY CARES

Okay, former NBA center John Amaechi is gay. So what. Who cares? Why do former athletes who are gay feel compelled to announce their sexual preference to the world? If they are trying to revolutionize the sports world and make athletes accept homosexuality as normal, it'll never happen. Sports, particularly pro sports, are for the macho...the uber-macho. Athletes will always talk about loose women, fast cars, and yes...they'll make "fag" jokes.

Announcing that you are gay AFTER your playing career is downright unmanly. But what should we expect? Man up...announce it when you're playing. Nobody's going to whip your butt. Judging by current NBA player reaction nobody would give a damn. It is also nearly an invasion of privacy of your former teammates. Who the hell wants to think that they showered next to a dude that might like to spend a night with you in the sack? Personally, I think group showers with men is a bit queer anyway, but that has nothing to do with the issue at hand.

So now Amaechi has a book coming out describing how he thinks the gay jokes in the locker room are offensive. He describes how tough it is to keep your sexuality quiet. He laments that nobody would be comfortable if they knew he was gay. Well....yeah. Let's say I'm into erotic asphyxiation masturbation (look it up), another deviant sexual practice. I'm not going to announce it to my co-workers. I'm not going to cry in my Earl Grey and wish that everyone understood me. I would KNOW that I'm not normal. If I truly believed that I was normal (like Amaechi does) I certainly would tell them. I'd be a man.

Of course national television and politicians want to convince us that homosexuality is normal. Well it's not. Biologically, physiologically, theologically, socially, hygienically, etc. Amaechi can preach all he wants to arouse sympathy or empathy, but he'll never get much. Again...most likely nobody would care. The worst thing that could have happened to him if he came out of the closet while in Orlando or Utah would be some taunts from opposing fans or perhaps some loss of popularity among teammates. But he admits to being an oddball loner anyway. If he was cut because he was gay he'd make more money in court than he ever did on the court. On the bright side, his millionaire teammates probably would have pitched in for a private shower.

One more thing - After seeing that Snickers commercial during the Super Bowl I'll never eat another Snickers again. What's funny is that GLAAD is furious that the commercial is homophobic. I guess they figure that the two guys who liplocked should have enjoyed the experience.