Frumpzilla

Now that the first of a new decade of newly formated NCAA tournament fields has been set, Frump figured it’s as good a time as any to examine the best of the previous decade.

Some of you may recall Frumpzilla’s Top 25 College Football Programs of the Decade – it was a pretty big hit for us.

This undertaking, while in a similar vein, isn’t necessarily intended as a definitive ranking of select college basketball programs from ‘00/’01 – ‘09/’10. We basically just thought it would be interesting to see how college basketball programs would stack up when plotting out each’s NCAA Tournament performance over the course of a decade.

More than anything, we wanted this to be fun. If nothing else, you might learn a thing or two about NCAA Tournament history from 2000 through 2010 – at least quantitatively — so make the jump to see how the NCAA Tournament of the 2000′s plays out…

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Yes, the entire ACC Championship-determining contest — including pregame warmups and post-game “Parade of Pomposity” — crammed into just under five minutes of footage.

Kind of makes it easier for the neutral fan to swallow, I suppose.

***UPDATE MARCH 8th, 2011: Delvon Simmons has reportedly asked to be released from his LOI (Letter of Intent) to the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. Not entirely sure as to why, but I’m sure it all may or may not come out eventually…***

***UPDATE March 10th, 2011: UNC is reportedly refusing to release Simmons from his LOI. This could get interesting…***

The dark, tempestuous cloud of investigations looming over Chapel Hill’s Kenan Stadium apparently isn’t a menacing enough threat to the sanctity of Tar Heel football. In fact, it appears Butch Davis’ program still doesn’t shy away from spitting into the NCAA’s wind.

As you may recall, UNC landed a big prospect when McKeesport, Pennsylvania’s Delvon Simmons signed his Letter of Intent on February 2nd, 2011. It was quite a National Signing Day coup.

Why a coup? Well, the 6’5″, 265 pound defensive tackle (Rivals’ #5 DT, #80 overall; Scout’s #3 DT, #15 overall; ESPN’s #25 DT, NR overall) had actually eliminated the Tar Heels only a couple weeks prior and — adding to the enigma of it all — never took an official visit to Chapel Hill.

Simmons’ coach, Jim Ward, even chipped in with a great quote to make the matter that much more curious, and just hours before National Signing Day: “I can tell you that UNC has been added. We had a meeting behind closed doors, and that is all I can say. The rest stays there.”

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Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day from Victoria's Secret...

A relatively long time ago, in a land not particularly far away, Frump would hit the field to “interview” your average, random UNC and Duke fans immediately after the big game.

As chronicled in the latter half of this post, it provided valuable insight into the minds, motivations and demons at the heart of a classic rivalry in one of its most honest and vulnerable moments.

Unfortunately, we no longer have the time or resources for “field work,” but at least we have the blogosphere — where perhaps some of those same aforementioned minds go to express sufficiently similar, honest, heartfelt sentiment about their beloved losers…

• Seriously, all jokes aside, this is a good read. It’s entertaining, presents a valid argument, and  includes at least one word that the average person will never use in everyday conversation (ever). As far as “Carolina lost because of the refs…” pieces go, that’s more than enough to earn Frump’s seal of approval.Oh, it also touches on topics such as racism, reverse-racism, napalm flamethrowers, and the use of cute little red arrows to highlight things that happen on nearly every other trip down a college basketball court.  Like I said, it’s good… [XTCIAN]
• While the Tar Heels are figuring out a way to keep from getting beat by the refs, N.C. State would probably be satisfied with a win over Peace College. Perhaps a new coach would help get things back on track. Tubby Smith, anyone? [Backing the Pack]
• We’re suckers for a good “ball to the face” video here at Frumpzilla. As such, linking you to this one was pretty much obligatory [The Score]
• You know, maybe I should reconsider the whole “hockey thing.” I mean, it’s basically two sports in one + added comedy, and that’s by all means a positive. More goalie fights, please [Larry Brown Sports]
• Green Bay, Wisconsin: Good at packing, cheese, football, math, and — most importantly — sticking it to Brett Favre [No Guts, No Glory]
• Hey, that Super Bowl thing happened earlier this week. Remember? Well, here’s why the NFL “dropped the ball.” [Awful Announcing]
• Hey, those Super Bowl commercial things happened earlier this week. Rememebr? How about the one where the NFL edited all those “classic” TV clips? Here’s the originals and edited versions side by side [Last Angry Fan]
• Our friend Dave from Carter-Finely takes a look at N.C. State’s 2011 recruiting class and the value of recruiting rankings [DFCF]
• If you’re looking for more lovely pictures of the lovely ladies pictured above, head over to… [Sharapova's Thigh]

As the college basketball world is now well aware, Larry Drew II quit the North Carolina Tar Heels basketball team recently. Such a shocking move, mid-season, was sure to ruffle some feathers in Chapel Hill, so I suppose it’s no surprise that some of the Carolina faithful were none too pleased about Mr. Drew’s decision.

That said, the heaps and mounds of  dirty laundry dumped on Roy Williams’ UNC program via former Tar Heel Damion Grant’s Facebook page was very surprising, indeed.

We already highlighted a bit of this via a  post on James McCant’s vitriolic message in response to Drew II’s decision being chided as a “total d-bag move.”  Mr. McCants, father of Tar Heel great Rashad McCants, was a tad more sympathetic to Larry’s plight, and apparently didn’t mind letting the world know what he thought of Roy Williams either.

Well, as they say, the apple typically doesn’t fall too far from the tree, and (thanks to our friends over at CarolinaSucks.com) we now have access to what appears to be the entire Facebook debate — one that Rashad McCants himself decided to chime in on (after the jump)…

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I believe this screenshot of a facebook reaction to Larry Drew II (what, no JR?) transferring from UNC says it all. Rashad McCants’ father isn’t a huge fan of Roy Williams. Heck, with the way he treats the fans, it doesn’t take a strong imagination to feel he’s not a player’s coach.

Savon Huggins — Scout and ESPN’s #4 RB, Rivals’ #7 — committed to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights today. Huge pickup for Greg Schiano’s program.

For whatever reason, the Jersey City native also felt it necessary to pull the classic “hat switch” at the expense of the embattled University of North Carolina football program. He really sold it well, too.

Around the 1:24 mark you can see Huggins pull a UNC cap from under the table, proudly don it, and then bask in the uproar of the Tar Heel faithful that apparently made the trip up to St. Peter’s Preparatory School for Savon’s announcement.

Unfortunately for Carolina, the prized running back recruit soon reveals a Rutgers cap underneath the UNC one, laughs, then officially commits to the Scarlet Knights.

What a kick in the nuts, eh? Almost makes me feel sorry for the Heels. Almost…

Thanks to The Gingerhead Man for the tip…

More specifically, “The Best of Scott Wright’s Draft Countdown Senior Bowl Weigh-in Notes“, because (1) his work is the primary source for this post, and (2) it’s probably the only Senior Bowl weigh-in feature deserving of and/or awkward enough for Frump to recap.

Now, I’m not entirely sure what Mr. Wright was going for — or perhaps looking for, I guess. At times his analysis seems quite pertinent, but then, without warning, you’re greeted with something likable to the pitch of an ad that’s likely sitting in your spam folder right now.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not trying to be critical. This approach certainly made for probably the most compelling feature on a Senior Bowl weigh-in I’ve ever read.  It just, you know, also happened to be one of the most WTF inducing as well.

Things start off relatively innocently. Take FSU QB Christian Ponder’s “note“: Great definition with a six-pack.

A six-pack, eh? Good to know?

Then again, I guess that’s fair to highlight. After all, if we’re going to deride the Terrence Cody’s of the football meat market, we might as well take note of the guys that actually put a bit of effort into their protein shake endorsement appeal.  Take the “good” with the “bad,” right?

Well, if it ended there, I wouldn’t be frumping this post right now. As you’ll see after the jump, things began to spiral rapidly — and progressively — out of control as Draft Countdown went through the position groups…

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• The title nearly says it all: “Roy Williams would like Carolina fans to keep their calls to themselves during his radio show” [No Guts, No Glory]
• I still have a shit load of Starting Lineups — yes, in the packaging — tucked away in storage somewhere. Just biding my time til the market comes back, ya know. I do not, however, own a stuffed monkey. So I’ve got that going for me. Which is nice. [Sharapova's Thigh]
• LeBron James wants to hammer home the fact that the size of one’s ego is potentially limitless — especially when you have so many viable alter egos to work with [Last Angry Fan]
• Time to strike through the “See a one-legged stripper in action” line on your bucket list. Well, sort of. [Busted Coverage]
• If you haven’t yet heard enough excuses for the Patriots loss to the Jets, how about the possibility that Brady was playing on a fractured ankle [NESN]
• Meanwhile, Jets fans are making green bagels. [Sportress of Blogitude]
• Brush up on your NCAA rules and regulations by taking this nifty little quiz [Dave from Carter-Finley]
• Speaking of NCAA rules and regs, Auburn and 2 Live Crew’s Luther Campbell have been throwin’ down lately. What could possibly go wrong? [Sports By Brooks]
• If you’ve been thinking about inventing a cool sport like Alaskan Distance Surfing, well, you’re shit out of luck [The Score]

Perhaps this role isn't such a departure for McCants...

After five NBA seasons in which he averaged 10 points, 2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game, it now appears former UNC star — and integral part of the Heels’ 2004/2005 NCAA Championship team — Rashad McCants may be returning to “prison.” Only on the big (and/or small to medium-sized) screen this time.

Yes, according to the Big Lead, McCants is hoping his professional acting career plays out a bit better than his basketball — by playing the “bi-sexual leader of a shoplifting ring” in an upcoming series entitled The Booster Club.

Now, how in the hell The Big Lead figured that out from the above trailer, I’m not sure. I’ve watched it three times now and still haven’t deciphered the slightest semblance of plot, but I guess I’ll just take their word for it.

Real mutha f@ck*n mythological, indeed, Rashad. Break a leg…

Sure, in terms of stage presence, he may offer all the emotion, theatrics and general appeal of a Tar Heel tailgate — but at least he’s putting himself out there. Right?

And yeah, he might have been slightly out of key for a few bars there, but that’s par for the course around Chapel Hill these days, isn’t it? All kidding aside, though, it’s clear the man’s a music lover, and no one could fault him for that.

Seriously, just when we thought Holden’s Pit performance of Thriller would stand — ironically — as the single piece of evidence demonstrating that life indeed exists in the Chancellor’s body, he pops up shredding to this Chuck Berry classic. Bravo!

The Gingerhead Man was not impressed…

I’m not gonna name names, or incidents, but let’s just say I know a small handful of folks that may or may not think The Worldwide Leader’s love for University of North Carolina athletics is a tad fervent at times.

Now, to be fair, no one could accuse ESPN of being the only media outlet that was high on UNC freshman “sensation” Harrison Barnes coming out of high school. No qualms there.

The problem is, halfway through the season, Barnes has yet to be anything but sensationally mediocre, at least relative to expectations.

Still, as the above graphic from ESPN’s 2nd half coverage of the Tar Heels’ 64-61 win over Virginia Tech highlights , it’s clearly very important to remember one thing: If Harrison Barnes were just a little bit better — like, even just one shot a game better — well, he’d be fairly solid. And don’t you forget it.

Barnes — the nation’s first freshman to make a Preseason All-American team — was 5/11 from the floor, good for 12 points against the Hokies, by the way. That’s  6/12 for either 14 or 15 points, if you want to consider what might have been.

Heh, and I bet  you thought preseason polls were the greatest threat to the integrity of college athletics…

Thanks to The Admiral for the photo…

In what was almost certainly the wildest game of the bowl season thus far, the North Carolina Tar Heels managed to pull out a bizarre Music City Bowl win last night over Tennessee.

The Volunteers clearly weren’t able to finish UNC on the field — I’d say they went as far as snatching defeat from the jowls of victory even — but you never would have known it from watching some of their players’ taunting gestures and antics throughout the game.

As seen above, Tennessee signal caller Tyler Bray was no exception to this unsportsmanlike behavior, and his lack of couth came back to haunt him in rather cathartic fashion.

Yeah, if you’re going to be as bold as the “throat slash” before it’s all said and done, you’ve got to be able to choke back the tears if and when the proverbial blade is pressed to your neck, dude. Pitiful.