On Monday morning, ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale was in the office at his home in Sarasota, Fla., pouring over pages and pages of notes as he gets ready to broadcast the ACC tournament. For Vitale, March is his favorite time of the year, and sitting courtside in Atlanta this weekend will be a big part of that.
Here are Vitale’s thoughts on some issues of local interest.
What did you think of Mark Turgeon’s first year at Maryland?
| Honoring Williams |
| At his 2012 V Foundation Gala, which raises money for pediatric cancer, Dick Vitale will be honoring former Maryland coach Gary Williams. For more information, go to dickvitaleonline.com. |
Vitale » “I think that he is going to be great at Maryland. He had a tough first year. He had to replace a living legend in Gary Williams. Then he loses forward Jordan Williams to the pros, and he is worth another five wins. Look, Mark is a great teacher and a fantastic recruiter, so Terps fans won’t need to wait long to see them back competing for ACC titles.”
Can Virginia win the ACC tournament, or is this a Duke-North Carolina showdown?
Vitale » “Sure, on paper this looks like a Duke vs. North Carolina final. However, FSU is a team that is fearless, and they won’t be intimidated anyone. Virginia wants to prove they are a NCAA worthy team, and getting to at least the semifinal game would prove that.”
What are Georgetown’s chances in the Big East tournament?
Vitale » “John Thompson III has a great inside-out team. They are strong inside with the play of Georgetown center Henry Sims, who is both an offensive and a defensive force. Then there is the outside shooting of both guard Jason Clark and forward Hollis Thompson. Georgetown is a force in any game they play and capable of winning the Big East.”
Is the CAA a multibid league this year?
Vitale » “There is no doubt in my mind that they are. VCU and Drexel are certainly worthy, and you could make strong cases for both ODU and George Mason. I am going to make it a point on our Sunday ESPN selection show to talk about the leagues like the CAA and the Horizon League, where you had Cleveland State and Valparaiso with 20-plus win seasons in the same league that Butler won the past two years. I really don’t feel that teams from the so-called power conferences with a .500 league record deserve to be in the NCAA tournament. Butler and VCU have proven the NCAA needs to look at schools beyond the power conferences.”
Examiner columnist Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this!, on washingtonexaminer.com.
