For those in the know, Reynolds represents the storied history of NC State and, in some eyes, the true birthplace of the ACC and Tobacco Road basketball. Did you know that some attribute the tradition of cutting down the nets after a big win to Everett Case? After winning the Southeast Conference Championship in 1946 Case cut down nets for the first time. The building, which opened in 1949, was the largest college basketball facility in the southeast (Case insisted that the plans for the coliseum be updated in 1948 for a larger seating capacity than Cameron Indoor Stadium which opened in 1940). Reynolds held the Dixie Classic and ACC men’s basketball tournaments from 1954-1966 (State won the championship in 1955, 56 & 57) and has been the host site of numerous men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournament games. For those of you who were unaware of the rich NC State Basketball history prior to the NCAA championship years of 1974 and 1983, please check it out on the web. You might be amazed how deep the roots are.

To further set the tone of the game, all of the tickets for the Marist game were snapped up by the students and Wolfpack Club members in a pre-sale period before they could be made available to the general public. Fans started lining up outside Reynolds for the general admission seats in the cold rain up to 3 hours before tip off and the gym was packed an hour and a half before start time. There was an energy and buzz in the building, which was palpable.

By the time Sidney, in his now famous bright red jacket, and the team took to the floor for introductions, the crowd was ready to explode and everyone showed their appreciation and excitement with a deafening standing ovation. NC State basketball is back with a new charismatic leader and a spirit reminiscent of teams long gone. There was no better place to celebrate the resurgence than Reynolds – an amazing building full of history and pride.

By the night’s end, the Wolfpack held Marist–with the nation’s assist leader for the past two seasons–to 19 points in the first half and over came some second half adversity to win the game 67-62, advancing to the next round of the NIT.

ACC Friday has always been a day most professionals are found skipping out to “watch the game”.  It really does not matter who you are a fan of, Duke, UNC or NC STATE. (I have heard there are Wake fans here too)  Today is a day of sheer basketball gluttony!

Only in Raleigh do they roll TV’s into the classroom or cafeteria to watch College Basketball.  WRAL has all the games.  Here is the bracket. http://www.wral.com/sports/sports_specials/acc_tourney/

Enjoy your Statewide Holiday, no one is in their office today anyway.

Go Pack.

J.T. "The Brick" on Fox Sports News tonight was contemplating what pressure this puts on Panthers coach John Fox with "Cowher in town".

I spent a little while researching this competition because even my nerdy little mind wasn’t ready to accept the true definition of the word “autonomous.”  But, as it turns out, the geeks who defined this thing also have decent vocabulary skills.  These vehicles are required to navigate a simulated urban environment with no input from humans.  Yep.  That’s right.  No humans.  And here we all have been totally spellbound and skeptical of those “self-parking” cars.  I don’t know about you, but hell if I’m going to let my $65,000 Lexus LS park its damn self (if I actually had a $65,000 Lexus LS!).  I love and trust computers more than I should already…

Just take a gander at the technical FAQ document to read things like:

C.23. What type of paint will be used for lane markings? What condition will the markings be in?
The paint used for lane markings has not been specified, as correct vehicle operation must be robust to variations in marking type and quality. Vehicles must contend with lane markings that are damaged, incomplete, or of varying quality.

No, I didn’t make this up.  And yes, it makes my brain hurt too.

This competition doesn’t actually occur until next November… which means State fans have quite a bit more pain to endure before potentially feeling the sweet sensation of success.  (Spoken like a true Wahoo!   And don’t worry, I’m hurtin’ right there with ya!)

   "I had every intention of wanting to be here, even if I had to
sign a one-year deal here and come back and sign a multiyear deal
in the spring," he said. "My wife and I are just thrilled that
we’re going to stay here and be part of not just this organization
but this community."

Also, we have seen rumors flying around that the Stanley Cup will make an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman tonight.  His site doesn’t say anything about it, but I’m going to set my DVR just in case.  The rumors didn’t say who would be with the Cup or even if it would be a Hurricane at all… though it would be weird if a player did not appear along side it, dontcha think?

Hey, it’s not much, but at least we’re getting some airtime!

My wife and I just got back from the Glenwood South celebration and while I have many, MANY negative things to say about the leaders of Raleigh including those who call the shots for our police force, I will just leave it for now by saying that the Raleighers tonight were fantastic and made me very proud.  What a fantastic thing for our city!  I love the fact that the announcers on XM and other sports outlets were singing our praises all night.  We deserve it!

Sorry my moblogging didn’t go so well tonight.  Several of the pictures I took during the game didn’t make it onto the site and then my dang phone died.  Oh well.  It was worth a shot!

Dana and I will have several followup posts reflecting on the whole thing, but for now I’ll just say CONGRATULATIONS CANES and CONGRATULATIONS CANIACS!!  The CUP now lives in RALEIGH!!!