UNC 2024

[Finster]

UNC O flowed better without Duffy?

Good for UNC, because he won't be there next year.

[DocBarrister]

UNC O flowed better without Duffy?

Good for UNC, because he won't be there next year.

Owen Duffy is transferring to Johns Hopkins?!?

Did not know that.

DocBarrister

[PulpExposure]

That was such a fun game to watch as a Terps fan and utter Duke hater. Thanks, Heels!

[FMUBart]

UNC O flowed better without Duffy?

Good for UNC, because he won't be there next year.

Rumor is Hobart will be his next stop! Spallina also coming to Geneva!

[DocBarrister]

Tough season for the Tar Heels.

Even when they win they lose.

North Carolina won the battle against Duke, but allowing that late run (and UVA’s loss) cost North Carolina a spot in the ACC tournament. Tar Heels lost the war.

That’s it … 2024 season is over, and so are the careers of the seniors.

DocBarrister

[Laxfan23]

Well UNC very easily could have quit on themselves and their coaches after losing four straight towards the end of the year and three of them by 1 goal. They played ND tough for one half before the expected ND comeback.
To finish the year and beat NUMBER 2 Duke is a testimony to their grit. Team did not quit though a number of fans certainly did. Sure a disappointing season but the players and coaches never quit. Very proud if them!

[10 10 2]

Another bitter turd of a season in the books. See ya next year.

[gymman1031]

Why does Duke get into the ACC Tournament instead of UNC?

[DocBarrister]

Why does Duke get into the ACC Tournament instead of UNC?

Goal differential tie breaker.

If UNC had won by 5 goals they would have clinched an ACC tournament berth. Instead, their season ended when UVA lost. One could argue that Coach Breschi should have discussed with the team that they needed to win by at least five goals. Reportedly, he never did during today’s game.

DocBarrister

[coda]

Why does Duke get into the ACC Tournament instead of UNC?

Goal differential tie breaker.

If UNC had won by 5 goals they would have clinched an ACC tournament berth. Instead, their season ended when UVA lost. One could argue that Coach Breschi should have discussed with the team that they needed to win by at least five goals. Reportedly, he never did during today’s game.

DocBarrister

Brutal way to go down. Basically, some garbage goals ended the season

[DocBarrister]

Why does Duke get into the ACC Tournament instead of UNC?

Goal differential tie breaker.

If UNC had won by 5 goals they would have clinched an ACC tournament berth. Instead, their season ended when UVA lost. One could argue that Coach Breschi should have discussed with the team that they needed to win by at least five goals. Reportedly, he never did during today’s game.

DocBarrister

Brutal way to go down. Basically, some garbage goals ended the season

Yep. It’s hard to argue about any win over Duke.

Having said that, folks will debate whether UNC should have tried to score that open net goal. That would have left maybe 30 seconds to win the FO and score another goal to clinch the ACC tournament spot.

Again, hard to argue against UNC focusing solely on getting the win. That was job one.

DocBarrister

[CU77]

One could argue that Coach Breschi should have discussed with the team that they needed to win by at least five goals. Reportedly, he never did during today’s game.

If all that is true (a win by 5 would have gotten UNC in, and Breschi did not inform the team), it's coaching malpractice.

I can see not telling the team early on, when the need to win by 5 might seem demoralizing, but when winning by 5 is in sight late: yeah, the team has to be told!

[DocBarrister]

One could argue that Coach Breschi should have discussed with the team that they needed to win by at least five goals. Reportedly, he never did during today’s game.

If all that is true (a win by 5 would have gotten UNC in, and Breschi did not inform the team), it's coaching malpractice.

I can see not telling the team early on, when the need to win by 5 might seem demoralizing, but when winning by 5 is in sight late: yeah, the team has to be told!

Well, the IL story merely quoted a UNC player as saying that wasn’t discussed during the game. Maybe discussions were had some other time. I don’t know.

Still, as you note, folks may say Coach Breschi should have emphasized that point in the waning moments of the game.

From my perspective, I think Breschi should have called a timeout after Duke had closed to 15-9.

DocBarrister

[CU77]

In hockey some years ago, there was a weird situation where Notre Dame would get an NCAA bid if they won or lost their final game, but not if they tied! The coaches knew this, and were prepared to have the team deliberately score an own goal if tied late.

[stupefied]

Why does Duke get into the ACC Tournament instead of UNC?

Goal differential tie breaker.

If UNC had won by 5 goals they would have clinched an ACC tournament berth. Instead, their season ended when UVA lost. One could argue that Coach Breschi should have discussed with the team that they needed to win by at least five goals. Reportedly, he never did during today’s game.

DocBarrister

Brutal way to go down. Basically, some garbage goals ended the season

Yep. It’s hard to argue about any win over Duke.

Having said that, folks will debate whether UNC should have tried to score that open net goal. That would have left maybe 30 seconds to win the FO and score another goal to clinch the ACC tournament spot.

Again, hard to argue against UNC focusing solely on getting the win. That was job one.

DocBarrister

Thought they should have been trying to score and not have to rely on another team winning to get them into acc tourney .

[coda]

One could argue that Coach Breschi should have discussed with the team that they needed to win by at least five goals. Reportedly, he never did during today’s game.

If all that is true (a win by 5 would have gotten UNC in, and Breschi did not inform the team), it's coaching malpractice.

I can see not telling the team early on, when the need to win by 5 might seem demoralizing, but when winning by 5 is in sight late: yeah, the team has to be told!

I think it is more a lack of preparation. Someone on the staff should have been aware of this. Even if it is just a volunteer coach, whose only job is to keep track of the path to the ACC tournament, so the OC/DC/HC can focus on the trees. He could have walked up to Breschi in the 3Q and simply said “5 goals gets us in with a UVa loss. We need to play this like it is 0-0”

[ICGrad]

Brutal way to go down. Basically, some garbage goals ended the season

From what I can tell, the players had no idea about the goal differential tie-breaker, which if true is absolutely shocking.

ETA: I don't follow UNC, Duke, or the ACC particularly closely, and I knew about the 5-goal goal differential threshold. How in the hell could the UNC coaches and players not have known?

[CU77]

I think it is more a lack of preparation. Someone on the staff should have been aware of this. Even if it is just a volunteer coach, whose only job is to keep track of the path to the ACC tournament, so the OC/DC/HC can focus on the trees. He could have walked up to Breschi in the 3Q and simply said “5 goals gets us in with a UVa loss. We need to play this like it is 0-0”

Yep, exactly, not having an eye on this ball is what constitutes the coaching malpractice. How does any coach in any sport go into the last game of the regular season not knowing what it takes to get into the post season?

[Laxfan23]

That is a very good question. If fans knew of a five goal win differential insuring an ACC tournament bid and the players and UNC coaches did not, then that is a terminal indictment of the UNC coaching staff and should result in a total termination of the staff.
On the other hand i dont believe any UNC fan, no matter how positive expected the team to be up as they were. Unfortunately it appears that the team was ill-prepared regarding a goal differential and if that is true that is an inexcusable and terrible oversight

[51percentcorn]

So this goal differential is amongst all ACC teams? That was not explained well yesterday. Then I see the math. Duke and UNC would have tied at -6 (with the 5 goal cap on differential) and then UNC would have gone. Of course if UVA had lost to Notre Dame by 5 or more they would have been out with a differential of -7.

I said that Breschi should have known and taken every step to try to get there. I don't recall whether he took one but he should have taken both timeouts during the 6 goal Duke run. UNC got a little bit unlucky IMO on the reviewed Duke goal not because of goalie interference (as QK suggested) but because I thought there was a really legitimate argument the Carolina defender had control of the ball in flipping it back to the crease and a flag was down. Of course - Duke could have scored on the EMO. I would not have informed the team before hand. Go out play hard - kick your rival's A$$ - that's the message. But it always had to be in the back of the head coach's mind - he CLEARLY should have scored on the empty net - or shot at it at least - and give your freshman faceoff man one more crack.