DURHAM – Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski came out in favor of more ACC expansion Wednesday but cautioned against splitting up an expanded ACC too much.
“It seems to me that if you’re going to go to 14 [schools], you should go to 16,” Krzyzewski said at his preseason-opening news conference. “And anytime I hear the word ‘pod,’ it makes me vomit.”
Last month the ACC announced it is adding Pittsburgh and Syracuse from the Big East, although their date of entry has not yet been declared. That would bring conference membership to 14 schools.
ACC commissioner John Swofford hasn’t ruled out the idea of expanding to 16 schools, and Notre Dame, Texas, Connecticut and Rutgers all have been mentioned in reports as possibilities.
One of the formats that’s been the subject of speculation for a 16-school conference is a split of four mini-divisions or “pods” of four schools each. Schools in each pod would play one another once each football season, plus home and away during basketball season.
That would allow the North Carolina “Big Four” schools of Duke, North Carolina, N.C. State and Wake Forest to strengthen their rivalries. Krzyzewski doesn’t like that idea.
He said it wouldn’t help national recruiting.
“The pods, I think that’s one of the worst business models there could possibly be,” Krzyzewski said. “I just break out in a rash when I hear it. You’ve got to be kidding me. A pod.
“ ‘Well, what did you this year?’
“ ‘We won our pod.’
“What’s the trophy for that?”
Krzyzewski advocates a split into two divisions. He said that would create scheduling formats for basketball that would expand from the current 16 ACC games to 19 in the case of a 14-team conference, and 18 ACC games for a 16-team conference.
He also was asked about negative comments his friend, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, made about joining the ACC. Boeheim predicted that the ACC tournament would stay mostly in the South but also would occasionally be held in New York City, where the Big East tournament currently is played annually.
“It’s a great place for a tournament,” Boeheim told an audience in Birmingham, Ala. “Where would you want to go to a tournament for five days? Let’s see: Greensboro, North Carolina, or New York City? Jeez. Let me think about that one and get back to you.”
Krzyzewski said Boeheim was reacting to a big change for his program, but said Syracuse officials are happy to be in the ACC.
“He just needs his coffee early in the morning,” Krzyzewski said. “He’s all right. He’s not a glass-half-full guy
Ken Tysiac
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Krzyzewski despises 'pod' idea for ACC
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5 comments:
The ACC is already too big. The only reason conferences expanded is because of the BCS junk but in the process college basketball took a step backward, especially ACC basketball. Anyone thinking ACC basketball has not suffered was not around in the 80s and 90s.
FINALLY...get the ACC Championship out of Walmart Tarhole country for good! (not that it's really helped UNC win that tourney...)
re: "ACC basketball has not suffered was not around in the 80s and 90s." It's not because of expansion, it's because NCSU got rid of Herb for not doing well enough, UVA simply stinks year after year, Maryland has been in college "park" since their national championship and Wake has not recovered from Skip's death, FSU is a one trick pony and the trick was old, Clemson well we'll see. Any two or three of those get better and things can return to the 80's and 90's bball. I will concede that Miami may prove to be a mistake and we all likely agree BC was a dumb move but you cannot argue that adding Virginia Tech has not been a beneficial addition for the ACC. They are the only university thus far that has lived up to and exceeded expectations. The ACC is not what-it-used to be long before expansion.
Is that a joke?
well as a matter of fact, that idea is way too lame and I would myself despises that "pod" idea for ACC as well LOL
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