BE HONEST ...HOW MANY OF YOU HAD THE HOOS WINNING EIGHT GAMES MUCH LESS LEADING ACC?
Of several things:
Raise your hand if you thought Virginia’s Cavaliers
would be 8-1 and atop the ACC?
Liar.
So, maybe they were not as bad as the league’s 14th best
team, which was its preseason ranking. But No. 1, at 5-0
… with Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh just behind (both 5-
1) … with Louisville, Duke and SMU lurking, all at 4-1?
As for the usual favorites … Miami, Fla., is seventh (2-2),
Clemson (2-4) 12th and Florida State (1-4) 15th (of 17 in
all
UVA brings a seven-game winning streak to its Saturday
night matchup in Charlottesville with ninth-place Wake
Forest (5-3, 2-3). Kickoff is 7.
Hoos are 6.5-point favorites at home where they haven’t
lost (5-0). The over-under is 47.5 but TOM CASALE,
who made the spread for BetMGM, wants us to
understand … “how really bad the ACC is this year.
“I hope everybody bets Virginia,” he said, “because I need
a lot of money for Christmas presents.”
AT A PRESS conference earlier this week, Boston
College 1-8 football coach BILL O’BRIEN was in a foul
mood, snapping at the most innocent of questions from
reporters. Finally, he calmed down long enough to say:
“The sun will come up tomorrow, and we’re still fighting
… That’s my message for our fans.”
RICHMOND’s ZAC JONES remains in Rochester, N.Y.,
with the AHL Americans despite leading all league
defensemen with 13 assists in 11 games. In fact, only
career minor-league forward TJ TYNAN of the Colorado
Eagles has been able to keep pace with Jones. The 5-9,
165 pound Tynan has 13 assists in 12 games … but like
the 5-11, 190 pound left-hand shooting defenseman is still
looking for his first goal.
Nevertheless, they are a point off the AHL lead. As best
as we can tell, no other d-man has more than seven
assists.
Rochester is 7-4, in second place, two points behind
Syracuse, with a game in hand. Also, the Amerks are
third in the 32-team AHL with 173 penalty minutes,
averaging 16.6 a game.
FOR THE fourth time in six home games, all loses (0-5-
1), your New York Rangers were shut out Tuesday night.
This time the Carolina Hurricanes did the deed.
According to reports, the rabid Big Apple fans and media
are baring their fangs … and somewhere former coach
PETER LAVIOLETTE (fired) can’t get the smile off
his face. You think?
Hard to believe but the Rangers have led a total of 11:57
on Madison Square Garden ice. Over their past three
games in all their power play is 0 for 12.
The defense has been brutal … but what could youi
expect with CARSON SOUCY and UHRO
VERKANAINEN playing regular shifts? Eventually a
writer will suggest they made a major mistake letting
Jones go – which they did, of course.
ARTEMI PANARIN hasn’t had a point in six games,
and Thursday he turned up at practice with a shaved head.
“I had to try something,” he explained.
And, if that doesn’t work? “Then I’ll have to go to left-
handed sticks,” the right-handed veteran sniper said.
The booing at MSG has been sporadic but building. Don’t
be surprised if GM CHRIS DRURY makes a blockbuster
trade … involving Panarin for starters. Most coveted by
rivals is young, rugged, willing defenseman BRADEN
SCHNEIDER who, to this point, has been untouchable.
Not any more.
Until next time ...
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