Jeff Gravley
WRAL anchor Jeff Gravley is from Oxford and has covered sports in the Triangle since 1985.
By Jeff Gravley
May 8, 2013
West Virginia and Duke tip the ball at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis at the start of their NCAA Final Four game on April 3, 2010. (Matt Detrich / The Star)
West Virginia faced Duke in the second semi-final game of the NCAA Final Four Division I Men's Championships at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis Saturday, April 3, 2010.
Everybody has cable or satellite for their televisions right?
Nope. In the WRAL-TV viewing area, 12 percent don't have either and get their limited channel options by way of good 'ole free TV. That will have to change if any in the 12 percentile want to watch the Final Four in the future.
CBS and TBS moved up their window of sharing the Final Four by two years. In 2014 and 2015 the semifinal games will be on TBS and the championship game on CBS. The two networks will also split the regional finals which have been exclusively on CBS. Beginning in 2016, TBS will carry the Final Four and national championship in even numbered years through 2024. CBS will have the entire Final Four in the odd number years beginning in 2017.
Having worked for WRAL, a CBS affiliate, for a long time, I don't like it one bit. It takes incredibly popular inventory off of our air. Heck, I didn't like it two years ago when we weren't allowed to choose which NCAA tournament games we carry! That's why Duke, North Carolina and NC State games haven't all been WRAL the last two years. We are at the mercy of the agreement CBS and TBS made.
What the suits at CBS told us after their initial agreement with Turner Broadcasting in 2010 was hey, at least the NCAA tournament didn't go exclusively to ESPN.
The powerful sports network tossed a boat load of money to try and pry the tournament from CBS which has carried the Final Four since 1982.
The NCAA really
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By Jeff Gravley
Apr 24, 2013
Fans gathered at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. to watch the Panthers make the first overall pick in the NFL draft Thursday, April 28.
If you haven't seen ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary 'Elway to Marino' find a way to watch it. While John Elway and Dan Marino were the key subjects, the most valuable player of the doc is the agent of the two Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Marvin Demoff.
The 1983 draft was incredibly deep at quarterback. Elway, Marino, Jim Kelly, Tony Eason, Ken O'Brien and Todd Blackledge were all first round picks. Marvin Demoff kept meticulous, hand-written notes from the meetings he had with teams interested in Elway and Marino. In several parts of the documentary, you see Demoff scanning and reading his notes aloud.
We found out that the Raiders would have traded Howie Long to the Bears in a three-team trade for the rights to Elway. San Francisco coach Bill Walsh considered trading Joe Montana to the Colts for Elway, one year after Montana and the Niners won the Super Bowl.
Elway didn't want to play for Colts coach Frank Kush and threatened to play baseball for the Yankees if Baltimore picked him as the overall number one selection. Colts rookie GM Ernie Accorsi wanted five draft picks for the top pick and held strong through phone calls from many teams. When the first pick was announced it was John Elway to the Baltimore Colts.
Colts owner Robert Irsay was contacted directly by Broncos owner Edgar Kaiser who pulled off the trade giving up a backup quarterback, a draft pick and the 4th pick of the 1983 draft Chris Hinton for John Elway. Accorsi was so furious and
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By Jeff Gravley
Apr 2, 2013
Mason Plumlee #5 of the Duke Blue Devils goes up for a dunk against Chane Behanan #21 of the Louisville Cardinals during the Midwest Regional Final of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 31, 2013 in Indianapolis, IN. Louisville defeated Duke 85-63. (Photo by Lance King)
DUKE: A
The Blue Devils began the year 15-0, climbing to the top of the AP basketball poll. They had early wins over Louisville and Ohio State that caught the attention of many across the country. Then came the fall of Ryan Kelly.
After the Blue Devils loss to Louisville in the Regional Final, I asked Kelly how injured his foot was when he initially hurt it against Clemson. He would not talk about it.
“Maybe one day I will tell you,” Kelly said, “but not now.”
They guy was laboring on a bad wheel even when he returned, which made that magical 36-point outing against Miami even more incredible.
The most puzzling game for the Blue Devils was a very, lackluster effort against Maryland in the opening round of the ACC tournament. That certainly didn’t look like Duke was in postseason form, but a run to the Elite Eight showed why Duke was one of the elite teams in the country. They just ran up against what Mike Krzyzewski called the best team playing their best.
Duke loses their top 3 scorers in Kelly, Seth Curry and Mason Plumlee, but those in the Duke basketball circle feel they will be an explosive and very athletic team next year -- one capable of having a chance to play for the ACC title and a berth in the Final Four.
NORTH CAROLINA: B
When the Tar Heels were picked 11th in the AP preseason poll, that was the program that earned that ranking, not the team. Carolina
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By Jeff Gravley
Mar 30, 2013
Krzyzewski had high praise for the Louisville back court, but said they were different than the Miami duo of Shane Larkin and Durand Scott. Miami's guards play more of a half court game. He said Siva and Smith "put incredible pressure on you, the whole court, both offensively and defensively."
"There's not a better transition guard in the country as Smith," Krzyzewski added.
Poise was a word used quite a bit by the Blue Devils when asked about facing Louisville's pressing defense. Duke has enough guys who can handle the ball, and Ryan Kelly is a smart inbounder.
But there's not one second that they can relax. When you do, that's when the Cardinals get one of their 18.8 turnovers they produce per game. Friday night against Louisville, Oregon turned it over only 12 times, which prompted Pitino to say," We didn't play a stitch of defense last night, so we're well rested."
Sunday's regional final matchup will be the first NCAA tournament game that Pitino and Krzyzewski have faced each other since Christian Laettner's shot beat Kentucky in the 1992 NCAA regional finals in Philadelphia. That game is one of Mike Krzyzewski's 11 regional final wins against just one loss.
A win over Louisville would put Coach K in his 12th Final Four, which would tie the NCAA record held by the great John Wooden.
"Coach Wooden, I felt, was the greatest teacher of any sport of any game," Pitino said. "And Coach K is the modern-day John Wooden."
High praise and mutual respect from two programs that will see a lot of each other in the coming years.
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By Jeff Gravley
Mar 20, 2013
JF Webb celebrates state 3A basketball championship.
Oxford is a small town in Granville County with a population of about 8,000 people. I am proud to say Oxford is my hometown. There is a hometown pride that comes with growing up in a small community where pretty much everyone knows everyone.
So when the JF Webb Warriors were making their run in the state 3A basketball playoffs, support grew more and more with every breathtaking win. The support wasn't confined to the Oxford community, it reached beyond the town's borders. People who once lived there started talking about Webb's chances of winning a state title. Being an alum, I was rooting like crazy for this team and this town to get a shot at a state championship.
Individuals have won state championships at Webb but I can't remember a team capturing the state's top prize. The closest we got when I played there was in baseball, but some jackal gave up back-to-back home runs at home against Eastern Randolph and we lost.(Yes that was me on the mound for those who don't get the self-inflicted joke.) I'll get over it one day.
Anyway, when Webb made it to the state championship game this past Saturday, I wanted to be at Reynolds Coliseum to witness it in person. Thanks to my co-workers who did all they could to make it a quick exit for me from the ACC tournament to make the drive from Greensboro to Raleigh.
Before walking into Reynolds, I could hear crowd noise leaking through the brick building. When I walked in, it was an atmosphere usually reserved for
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By Jeff Gravley
Mar 12, 2013
UNC head coach Roy Williams reacts to a call during the North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Duke Blue Devils NCAA basketball game, Saturday, March 9, 2013 in Chapel Hill, NC.
Unless your league only gets one NCAA bid or you are on the tournament bubble, conference tournaments don't carry the weight that they used to.
"I do still want to win the dadgum thing," Roy Williams told the media Monday as he prepares his Tar Heels for the ACC Tournament.
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By Jeff Gravley
Feb 26, 2013
C.J. Leslie (5) and Coach Gottfried watch as Tyler Lewis takes free throws during the St. Bonaventure vs. NC State game on December 22, 2012 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
C.J. Leslie was the preseason pick for ACC player of the year. He may not make first team all-conference.
His team was the preseason pick to win the ACC. They may not even make the top four.
Preseason AP voters had NC State sixth in the nation. They didn't get one single vote in this week's poll.
Leslie is a microcosm of the Wolfpack's season. Sometimes both the team and the player are good. Sometimes they leave you scratching your head. The bottom line is Leslie and the Wolfpack are too talented to be in the position they are.
Looking at last year's stats compared to this year, Leslie averages .7 more points, .3 more rebounds, .2 more assists, fewer blocked shots, fewer steals and more turnovers. That's not a great margin of improvement. But moving past the statistical comparison, the most puzzling thing about Leslie is those times when his effort doesn't meet the moment.
He was benched in the game at North Carolina, and his teammates said he apologized at halftime of that game. His coach has gone out of his way not to publicly chastise the guy he calls Calvin. But after the North Carolina game, Mark Gottfried told the world, "He's (CJ) a great player and great players got to step up and play, period. I love him as much as anybody but when you're a good player, then you have to play better."
When referencing rebounding Gottfried said, "Are we expecting Richard (Howell) to get 30 rebounds? I mean, holy mackerel, somebody else has to rebound
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By Jeff Gravley
Feb 14, 2013
Duke's Seth Curry during the Blue Devils' 73-68 victory over North Carolina on Wednesday, February 13, 2013 in Durham, NC (Photo by Jack Morton).
There were MANY times Wednesday night when I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face as I sat there engulfed by the atmosphere of the greatest rivalry in college basketball. Whether it's played in Durham or Chapel Hill, it is a privilege to witness it in person.
I was sandwiched between a wooden press row and a group of high-energy students who hopped and hollered the whole night. They left remnants of blue paint on my shirt (I always wear an old one and never a coat) and they deposited heavy doses of noise into my ears. I loved every decibel of it.
Last night drew an audience at Cameron Indoor Stadium that included Gov. Pat McCrory, who sported a smile that looked like he had just won the election. Seated a couple of rows behind the home basket were former Oklahoma Sooners head coaches Barry Switzer and Billy Tubbs.
But the main cast of characters were the Blues Brothers. One dressed in light blue, the other trimmed in dark blue. Two hall of fame coaches conducted their bands, and it took two TV networks to cover all of the angles.
What made this such a fantastic show was the effort put forth by both teams.
It has never been about a lack of talent for North Carolina this year. They have just had a difficult time of finding consistent effort and focus. The Tar Heels had both last night, and nothing proved that more than the defensive pressure they put on Duke in the first half. Bring it like that every game and there would be no questions
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By Jeff Gravley
Feb 3, 2013
We have had two weeks of Super Bowl talk and once the teams arrived in New Orleans, the topics really heated up. Deer antler spray, anti-gay comments and enough chatter to keep Twitter ablaze.
Thank goodness we have arrived at Super Bowl Sunday. It's the day when the focus turns to the bright green field and for some, the commercials that fill the idle time.
I enjoy watching the Super Bowl, picking out the players, coaches and story lines with local ties. We saw San Francisco's Chris Culliver score many touchdowns for Garner High School. Look across at the Ravens roster and you'll see an All-Pro fullback Vonta Leach out of East Carolina. The Richmond County High School family tree is full of players named Ellerbe. Baltimore's Dannell Ellerbe is in the same meeting rooms and drills as Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis. On the offensive side of the ball, Baltimore's play calling comes from former Wake Forest head coach Jim Caldwell. His triggerman is quarterback Joe Flacco who lost his final college game to which team?? Appalachian State 49, Delaware 21 in the 2007 FCS national championship game.
I'm interested in the Harbaugh angle, watching Jim and John's sideline demeanor and decision making. But the one shot I can't wait to see is the post game exchange at midfield. Can you imagine the contrast of emotions these guys will feel? What about the parents? Dad, Jack, was the coach who introduced his sons to football. But Mom, Jackie, gave them another great gift.
"There
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By Jeff Gravley
Jan 24, 2013
Rodney Purvis (0) takes a jumper during the Duke vs. NC State game on January 12, 2013 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Florida State won the ACC championship game last year and Miami currently leads the ACC with a 5-0 record. That's what ACC officials thought could happen in football but BASKETBALL?? It's a sign of the times of equality.
NC State
State was the preseason pick to win the ACC with the preseason player (CJ Leslie) and freshman of the year (Rodney Purvis). They certainly have the talent to win the league but there are a puzzling team. When engaged, they are fantastic but there are too many times when defensively they just look disinterested. Road losses at Maryland and Wake Forest have the 4-2 Wolfpack still in the strike zone. But if they can't win AT Maryland and Wake, how will they fare at North Carolina, Duke, Virginia and Florida State? The good news for Pack fans, they play Miami one time this year and it's at home on February 2. But first, they have that little get together on Saturday. ESPN's Game Day crew is in town and so is North Carolina, a team that has beaten the Wolfpack 13 straight times. "Ten hut!!!"
Duke
Twice the Blue Devils have been ranked number 1 in the nation and twice they have been beaten sitting atop the national poll. The first time they were ranked was deserving. They are not the top ranked team without Ryan Kelly,sporting a 1-2 record without the senior tri-captain. The Massacre at Miami was so bad that the coaching staff just sat there in silence. Believe me, if that highly emotional
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