Day 2 of ACC Network

It's time to talk a little hoops. We're at the ACC tournament, don't you know? Joel Berry from the ACC Network is joining us here on the Adam Golds. You get the night session tonight. I wonder if you're interested in the night session. Who's playing at night tonight?

Oh, that's right. The Tar Heels are. How are you going to keep it together? I'm going to do my best, man. You know, the emotions and the intensity of being there from the sidelines.

I'll be itching to try to get in, but I'll be trying to keep my emotions contained tonight. You know, it's funny. Most of these guys have, like Armando can play a fifth year. Leaky's played, been there five. So, you know, different time. You could have actually suited up.

They could use you. Exactly. I mean, I was watching one of the games earlier this year and Memphis had a guy that was, that is 26, and I'm 27, and I'm like, man, I could still be in college playing.

So, definitely wish it was different times. Joel Berry is joining us here on the Adam Gold show. All right, to North Carolina specifically. They've been so close in so many of these games. They had a chance to win the game Saturday night against Duke. They had a chance to win the game at Duke.

What is the difference for them between getting to the finish line and coming up just short? Yeah, you know, it's, you know, the question is how is that happening with so much experience? And not only with the guys that are on the team, but, you know, having Pete Nance come in that has been well traveled playing at Northwestern.

You know, those are the things, those questions arise. How is this happening? But it's just a small place. It's small place that make the difference, especially in this time of the season where it's win or go home. And they just haven't been able to get over that hump. And a lot of it has been shooting, shooting the basketball when you're at the bottom of the ACC and three point field goal percentage and field goal percentage in general. It is really hard to win games. So the simple term is, you know, they just have to make shots. But, you know, just being able to, if you can't make shots, there are other ways to be able to have an impact on the game. And a lot of those are 50-50 balls, taking care of the ball, no live balls, turnovers, and being able to make those big time plays down the stretch.

And they just haven't been able to do that and hopefully coming into this tournament that can turn around for them. Joel Berry from the ACC Network is joining us here on the Adam Gold show. Carolina will take on Boston College today. BC, I've been saying this all year about the Eagles. They're kind of plucky. I know, I know they finished what, 10th in the league, but man, they are, they can be a headache.

They really can. Adam, I said it at the beginning of the season that Boston College was a team to look out for. And they started out the season and they had a lot of injuries. Alibe wasn't there.

They were missing, quitting polls. And once they got those guys back and they started really playing the system that Earl Grant wants them to play, man, they can be a dangerous team. But they just been dealing, when you deal with injuries, it's so hard to kind of plug and have guys in the lineup, have guys out. But this is a team that is gritty and that is physical. And Makai Ashton-Langford said it yesterday that their games aren't pretty, but they're gritty.

And they come out and they want to play that way. And, you know, that's something that North Carolina will have to look out for is that physicality defensively. I'm going to ask you about another team that I think plays kind of physical, gritty basketball. And this may hurt, but Duke, for all of their, you know, pre-season recruiting rankings and all of that, I mean, that team is not pretty either, but they just kind of grind things out. When you watch them, I mean, you would fit really well on that team, I think.

I really would. That's what I prided myself on. This Duke team has been getting progressively better all through the year. And I got to give my hats off to John Shire blocking out all the noise, especially with, you know, Coach K moving over and moving out of the way and him taking over. You know, you had so much, so many expectations, kind of like that North Carolina team where it's coming in and you just went to the national championship.

Now you have all these expectations and everyone thought, you know, wanted to see John Shire have that success right away. He just has kept this team getting better and better. Those freshmen have improved. Derek Lively has taken on his identity being that shot blocker, being that guy that just wreaked havoc in the paint. Tyrese Proctor has made huge improvements throughout the season and they get it done defensively.

They're physical. They know that they are the best offensive team. So they get it on the defensive end.

They get out on the break. They get easy baskets. And like I said, man, they really got better. And this is a team to look out for as we as they get ready to start their tournament play. Joel Berry from the ACC Network is joining us here. I'm real quick about NC State. I think they did not play as well.

I think defensively the last couple of games. But when you watch them, what stands out with one of the best savings rates in America? Banking with Capital One is the easiest decision in the history of decisions. Even easier than choosing Slash to be in your band.

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Now available exclusively at the Home Depot. How doers get more done. There are another team that gets after it. I feel like that has been a common theme with some of these teams is just being able to be physical and get up in you. And this is a team that Coach Keats has always imagined his team being is guarding you.

Ninety four feet, making it wreaking havoc, making you speed up and not being able to run your fit. And they have two guys that can get out in the open court and run with the best of them. And then you've got the big guy down low, which I think he is a fan favorite throughout all of the ACC is D.J. Burns. Just a just a heavy body.

Someone that leans on you is good with that left hand. This is a team that can compete with the best of them. And like I said, they just wreak havoc in what they're doing. And to your point, they dropped off at the end of the season. And I think a lot of that had to do with her Quavion Smith getting in foul trouble quite a bit. And he is, you know, the catalyst for that team. And he needs to kind of watch out for that, you know, because he needs to be on the court for NC State.

No question about it. I love their backcourt with Joyner Smith and Morsell. If they can stay on the court for thirty seven minutes.

Yeah, they could they could be dynamite. Final thing, as somebody who played in this league and won a championship in this league, does it have to hurt a little bit to see how everybody is say, well, the ACC is no good. The only five teams going to get in. How do you combat that when you guys are sitting in the green room and somebody is trash talking the league? Yeah, you know, I it's just it's blasphemy because the league has historically always produced great teams. Not only do we have really good teams, we have holes throughout the league. We we we show up in a tournament and that's what matters. You know, you put yourself in a position to have yourself where you can get to the tournament.

And I think a lot of people are looking at that. But the thing is, it's about winning championships. And if there's anyone that knows winning championship is me and alongside the people that I sit next to. And this team has championship caliber. This league has championship caliber team. We saw what our teams did last year. It's not about quantity.

It's about quality. We saw the big 10 have 10 teams in last year and all of them were out. But we had the ACC setting two teams in the final four, one team making it to the Elite Eight.

And so that's what speaks for itself. There should never, ever be any blasphemy against the ACC because they they have always, always produced historically. As you did, Joel Berry, I appreciate your time, my friend. We'll be watching on ACC Network tonight.

Good luck to you, Tar Heels. And I will talk to you again soon. Yes, sir. Thank you for having me, Adam. Joel, appreciate it, man. Take care. How doers get more done.