Early, Early Picks for ACC Basketball–2010-11

May 13th, 2010 by Brandon Rink

Here’s a simulcast with my daily ACC blog at On The B. Rink…

Last couple weeks, we looked at the early entrants and the grads–but how about the ACC players coming back and how the ACC dominoes fall next season?

The News & Observer puts together an early projected starting lineup yearly with early entrants/graduation/new recruits factored in and here’s my early picks based off how the ACC is looking at this point.

1. Duke Blue Devils

2009-10: 13-3, first
G Kyrie Irving, fr.
G Seth Curry, soph. (20.2 ppg @ Liberty)
G Nolan Smith, sr. (17.4 ppg)
F Kyle Singler, sr. (17.7 ppg)
F Mason Plumlee, soph. (3.7 ppg)
Bench: G Andre Dawkins, F Miles Plumlee, F Ryan Kelly, F Josh Hairston

Outlook: Loooooooooooooooaded. They will be a unanimous choice for the ACC and one of the top teams in the country.

2. Florida State Seminoles

2009-10: 10-6, third
G Derwin Kitchen, sr. (8.1 ppg)
G Deividas Dulkys, jr. (8.7 ppg)
G Michael Snaer, soph. (8.8 ppg)
F Chris Singleton, jr. (10.2 ppg)
F Xavier Gibson, jr. (5.5 ppg)
Bench: G Luke Loucks, F Terrance Shannon, PG Ian Miller, F Okaro White, F Jon Kreft

Outlook: No Alabi, no problem? That’s what I’m saying–the cupboard isn’t bare at FSU and if there’s a year that Hamilton’s Noles make a run–it has to be this season.

3. Virginia Tech Hokies

2009-10: 10-6, fourth
G Malcolm Delaney, sr. (20.2 ppg)
G Dorenzo Hudson, sr. (12.0 ppg)
F Terrell Bell, sr. (6.1 ppg)
F Victor Davila, jr. (5.3 ppg)
F Jeff Allen, sr. (15.2 ppg)
Bench: F J.T. Thompson, G Erick Green, F Jarell Eddie, F Allan Chaney, F Cadarian Raines, F Manny Atkins, G Ben Boggs

Outlook: The time is now in Blacksburg as they return everybody. Greenberg needs to advance past simply making the ever-elusive NCAA Tourney, but win some games in said tourney.

4. North Carolina Tar Heels

2009-10: 5-11, 10th
G Larry Drew II, jr. (8.5 ppg)
G Reggie Bullock, fr.
F Harrison Barnes, fr.
F John Henson, soph. (5.7 ppg)
F Tyler Zeller, jr. (9.3 ppg)
Bench: F Will Graves, G Dexter Strickland, PG Kendall Marshall, G Leslie McDonald

Outlook: The Tar Heels are an interesting squad to watch this season because they had such a fall from grace last season. Heels are still young and Williams will have quite a coaching job to do to get UNC back to the top.

5. Maryland Terrapins

2009-10: 13-3, second
G Adrian Bowie, sr. (4.8 ppg)
G Sean Mosley, jr. (10.1 ppg)
G Cliff Tucker, sr. (5.7 ppg)
F Dino Gregory, sr. (4.2 ppg)
F Jordan Williams, soph. (9.6 ppg)
Bench: F James Padgett, G Terrell Stoglin, F Mychal Parker, PG Pe’Shon Howard

Outlook: Terps lose three of their biggest starters from last season with Vasquez, Hayes, and Milbourne, but they have a talented group coming back. Sean Mosley has to step into the go-to-guy role and Jordan Williams has to expand his role in the paint for the Terps to stay here.

6. Clemson Tigers

2009-10: 9-7, sixth
G Demontez Stitt, sr. (11.4 ppg)
G Tanner Smith, jr. (8.7 ppg)
F Milton Jennings, soph. (3.2 ppg)
F Devin Booker, soph. (4.5 ppg)
F Jerai Grant, sr. (7.2 ppg)
Bench: G Noel Johnson, G Andre Young, G Donte Hill, F Bryan Narcisse

Outlook: The Tigers are in transition between philosophies with a new coach in Brownell and lose star forward Trevor Booker, but this team still has the guns to compete in a wide-open(past Duke) ACC.

7. N.C. State Wolfpack

2009-10: 5-11, 11th
G Javier Gonzalez, sr. (9.5 ppg)
G Lorenzo Brown, fr.
F C.J. Leslie, fr.
F Richard Howell, soph. (4.9 ppg)
F Tracy Smith, sr. (16.5 ppg)
Bench: PG Ryan Harrow, G Scott Wood, G C.J. Williams, F DeShawn Painter, F Jordan Vandenberg

Outlook: Expectations should be high in Raleigh with a talented crew coming in and back. If Lowe can capture the magic of the ACC Tourney run to the semis, the Pack can go far, but I’m staying a bit skeptical on them.

8. Miami Hurricanes

2009-10: 4-12, 12th
G Durand Scott, soph. (10.3 ppg)
G Malcolm Grant, jr. (9.6 ppg)
G DeQuan Jones, jr. (5.7 ppg)
F Julian Gamble, jr. (3.5 ppg)
F Reggie Johnson, soph. (6.4 ppg)
Bench: G Rion Brown, G Garrius Adams, G Antoine Allen, F Donnavan Kirk

Outlook: Miami will be a trendy pick this season, but I’m on the fence with them. I  like Scott and Johnson, but Miami has a lot to prove right now.

9. Virginia Cavaliers

2009-10: 5-11, ninth
G Jontel Evans, soph. (2.4 ppg)
G Sammy Zeglinski, jr. (8.9 ppg)
G K.T. Harrell, fr.
F Mike Scott, sr. (12.0 ppg)
F James Johnson, fr.
Bench: PG Billy Baron, F Will Regan, F Assane Sene, G Joe Harris, G Mustapha Farrakhan, F Will Sherrill

Outlook: I had the ‘Hoos at ninth in my early, early picks last season and that’s where they finished–completely new team coming to play next season with Bennett cleaning house, but they have some talent.

10. Boston College Eagles

2009-10: 6-10, eighth
G Reggie Jackson, jr. (12.9 ppg)
G Dallas Elmore, jr. (3.9 ppg)
F Corey Raji, sr. (11.4 ppg)
F Joe Trapani, sr. (14.1 ppg)
F Josh Southern, sr. (4.4 ppg)
Bench: PG Biko Paris, F Courtney Dunn

Outlook: New system, several transfers, and a squad of mostly unproven, consistently, players at this level–hard to get behind the Eagles at this point.

11. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

2009-10: 7-9, seventh
G Moe Miller, sr. (3.9 ppg)
G Iman Shumpert, jr. (10.0 ppg)
G Glen Rice Jr., soph. (5.4 ppg)
F Kammeon Holsey, r-fr.
F Brad Sheehan, sr. (1.2 ppg)
Bench: G Brian Oliver, PG Mfon Udofia, F Daniel Miller

Outlook: The Jackets return all of their primary guards, but the problem falls with losing the three best players off last year’s team with Favors, Lawal, and Peacock in the paint. I will stay cautious on Georgia Tech because I’m not sure the Jackets’ guards can carry them.

12. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

2009-10: 9-7, fifth
G Tony Chennault, fr.
G C.J. Harris, soph. (9.9 ppg)
F Ari Stewart, soph. (7.3 ppg)
F Tony Woods, jr. (4.6 ppg)
F Carson Derosiers, fr.
Bench: F Travis McKie, F Melvin Tabb, G J.T. Terrell, F Ty Walker, G Gary Clark

Outlook: New coach Jeff Bzdelik has a project on his hands, but the cupboard isn’t totally bare. If he can get the Deacs back to the NCAA Tourney, Bzdelik did a great coaching job.

Who’s too high? Who’s underrated? Can anyone knock off Duke? Early NCAA Tourney bid predictions?

Posted in Basketball | 2 Comments »

Blue Devils Bounce Hurricanes

March 14th, 2010 by tompopadak

The magic ran out and the miracles finally ended for the Miami Hurricanes in the 2010 Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. 

After two huge wins over #5 Wake Forest and #4 Virginia Tech, the Miami magic ran dry as the Hurricanes fought hard but fell to Duke 77-74 in the semi-final match of the ACC tourney.

More important than the Hurricanes loss was the new found R E S P E C T they developed during their trip to Greensboro.  Nobody expected Miami to make an impact on the tourney and yet the Hurricanes made their presence felt and left their mark on the ACC heading into next season.

And that next season looks very bright as Miami’s best players were Freshmen or Sophomores and return for the Hurricanes next year. 

All-ACC Rookie team Freshman Durand Scott, Reggie Johnson, Malcom Grant and DeQuan Jones all form a nucleus of solid returning players for the Hurricanes.

Toss it up and let’s see where things land next year. 

Miami appears to be ready.

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Hurricanes Hammer Hokies – Tom Popadak of Canespace

March 13th, 2010 by tompopadak

Come on, even U have to admit it: “Who woulda thunk it?”

For the second consecutive day in Greensboro, NC your 12th seeded Miami Hurricanes have advanced in the ACC tournament by taking out a higher ranked team in convincing fashion.

When was the last time that a Hurricane Warning was issued in March?  Brace yourselves, North Carolina, and more specifically the Duke Blue Devils, you are now squarely centered in the suddenly expanding “cone of danger.”

After easily disposing of Wake Forest by beating the Demon Deacons all to Hell on Thurday by 21 points Miami faced 4th seeded Virginia Tech Friday afternoon.  This time it was the Hokies turn to get hammered by the more physical Hurricanes 70-65.

Miami’s surprising play in Greensboro has everyone wearing this dazed and confused look while asking each other: “Who dem Canes?”

Even hard core Miami fans have been heard wondering out loud: “Where has Haith and this Hurricane team been all year long?”

Miami is playing solid defense and well enough on offense to have stunned not only two pretty good teams but the entire ACC as they have made some serious noise in North Carolina.  Shockingly, they are doing all of this damage without leading scorer Dwayne Collins who has watched the first two games from the Hurricanes bench in street clothes due to injury.

In  place of Collins the Hurricanes have played RS Freshman Reggie Johnson who has done more than hold his own against high caliber ACC competition.  In fact, he has given Miami a whole new identity.  The Hurricanes are playing a totally new brand of tough, physical defense not seen since well, forever.

Johnson is a big man with a bad attitude on defense.  You see Big Reggie doesn’t like it when univited guests come into his house, an area of the court also commonly known as “the paint.”  Johnson has become an imposing force under and around the basket where he is blocking shots, grabbing rebounds and intimidating opposing players with his physical presence.

Another surprise performer for Miami has been the athletic play of DeQuan Jones who been seen ”flying around” ( inside joke for UM football fans) the court and has played above the rim early and often.  As only a Sophomore, Jones has Hurricane fans salivating over his potential as a dynamic scorer and playmaker over the next few years.

ACC All-Rookie team player Durand Scott has been solid but not spectacular so far in the tourney while fellow guards James Dews and Malcome Grant have helped add scoring when needed.

The upstart Hurricanes will now face top seeded Duke on Saturday at 1:30 PM.  Funny thing is we just can’t wait for the game to start!

And it’s no wonder why that is, now is it?

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Haith Exorcises His Demon Deacons – Tom Popadak of Canespace

March 12th, 2010 by tompopadak

University of Miami Head Coach Frank Haith has heard it all before from Hurricane fans and outsiders alike.  They all said:

“Miami is not a basketball school.”

“The U can’t win in the ACC.”

“You’ll never land a big time recruit.”

Yet for two hours on a Thursday afternoon in March in the cradle of college basketball greatness known as North Carolina, UM Head Coach Frank Haith managed to prove all of his critics wrong.

Haith’s Hurricanes left the Demon Deacons in their wake as they destroyed all of the myths that exist about UM basketball.  Miami won by 21 points and going away by the score of 83-62 in the first round of the ACC tourney.

Put that in your Fighting Ibis pipe and smoke it!

Nobody in their right mind gave these Miami Hurricanes a fighting chance at progressing beyond the first round of the the ACC tournament.  Nobody except a certain few Hurricane fans who hoped against all odds that their team could pull off at least ONE win to make them proud.

And they did.

Haith’s Hurricanes dominated the game from start to finish as they took an early lead and rode a 14 point margin into halftime.

The Hurricanes pulled away to a lead of 25 points in the second half before accepting a 21 point final margin of victory.  That’s the way to make a statement in the ACC tourney.

And your Miami Hurricanes just did.

Next up: Virginia Tech Friday at 2 PM.  See U then…

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Hurricanes Can’t Run From Wolfpack

February 28th, 2010 by tompopadak

The North Carolina State Wolfpack hunted down and killed the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday in an ACC basketball game at the Bank United Center in lovely and relatively warm Coral Gables, Florida.

The Hurricanes looked as though they were on their way to running away with an easy win against fellow ACC cellar dweller NCST as Miami took a nine point lead at the halfway mark of the second half.

But they allowed the Wolpack to run right by them and into the lead with just over one minute to go in the game before stretching their lead to the final 5 point margin, 71-66.

Dwayne Collins led Miami with 15 points as the Canes dropped to 18-10 and tied for last place in the conference (4-10 ACC) on the season.  Faith in Haith is once again wavering among Hurricane fans as the season nears its merciful end.

The Hurricanes close out their ‘09-’10 campaign by facing ACC foe North Carolina in Chapel Hill this Tuesday before playing their last home game of the season against Florida State on Saturday March 6 at noon.

Join us won’t U?

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Tigers Maul Miami

February 13th, 2010 by tompopadak

Two in a row was apparently too much to ask.

Your University of Miami Hurricanes were going for their second consecutive ACC win against the Clemson Tigers on the second Saturday in February.  But it was not to be as the Tigers used a strong second half performance to beat the Hurricanes 74-66 in Clemson.

The Tigers’ Trevor Booker scored 18 points to lead Clemson to back-to-back victories, something Miami simply could not manage.

The Hurricanes could not match the inside play of  Booker as Dwayne Collins registered two early fouls and sat out the rest of the first half out.  As a result, Miami tailed by 5 going into halftime 33-28. 

Clemson (18-7, 6-5 ACC) then utilized a consistent outside shooting game in the second half to pull away from the Hurricanes (17-8, 3-8 ACC).  The Tigers Andre Young had four of Clemson’s nine 3-pointers.

Miami was led by Malcome Grant who scored 13 points for the Hurricanes.  The ‘Canes have lost seven of its last nine games, six of which have been on the road.  Freshman guard Durand Scott posted 10 points for Miami, his ninth double-digit scoring effort of the season for the Hurricanes.

Miami will next play Wednesday when Duke visits lovely Coral Gables for another ACC contest at the Bank United Center at 7 PM.  The game will be broadcast live nationally on ESPN.   Miami pulled a huge upset of the Blue Devils in their last visit to the 305 in 2008 by the score of 96-95.

Could it happen again?  Who knows but I will be on hand for the game to try to keep hope and “Faith in Haith” alive.  Go ‘Canes!

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Hurricanes Wear Out Yellow Jackets

February 11th, 2010 by tompopadak

Your University of Miami Hurricanes won possibly their biggest game of the season Wednesday night when James Dews sank a 15-foot buzzer beater to give Miami a 64-62 victory over the 20th ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Miami had built a 14 point lead early in the second half before they once again pulled their usual late game collapse and allowed Georgia Tech to launch a furious rally that pulled them to within four points with a minute left in the game.  This time the Cardiac Canes managed to hold on to win as Faith in Haith was restored for at least one more game.

The Hurricanes (17-7, 3-7 ACC) managed to win only their third Conference game of the 2010 season as they won for only the second time in the past eight games. Georgia Tech (17-7, 5-5 ACC ) dropped to 1-4 on the road in the ACC, while Miami improved their home record to 11-1 this season.

The Hurricanes fell behind early in the first half but then outscored Georgia Tech 41-19 the rest of the first half.   Dwayne Collins led the ‘Canes with 13 points and 11 rebounds.  Adrian Thomas made four three pointers and Malcome Grant posted 11 points for Miami.  Reggie Johnson added 10 points and 7  rebounds off the bench for the Hurricanes.

Gerogia Tech was paced by Brian Oliver who notched 19 points off the bench and junior Gani Lawal had 17 points and a career-high 18 rebounds.  The Yellow Jackets struggled from the charity stripe, making only 50% of their free throws (8 of 16). They also shot poorly from long range, making only 6 for 17 attempts from 3-point range.

The Yellow Jackets used a full court press in the second half  to confuse and frustrate the Hurricanes and get them off their game.  Tech was able to cut the deficit to 52-50 at one point before Miami rallied back to stretch the lead to 60-52.

Collins’ slammed home a vicious dunk that made it 62-58 before Tech sank two free throws with 20 seconds left and then hit a layup to tie the game before Dews’ nailed the game winner at the buzzer.

The Hurricanes now face two more ACC opponents when they hit the road to take on the Clemson Tigers on 2/13/10 before returning home to take on the Duke Blue Devils at the Bank United Center on 2/17/10.

I will be on hand for the Duke game and hope to see U there.  GO CANES!

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Crash And Burn

January 25th, 2010 by tompopadak

THUD!

That sound you heard was the noise created by the University of Miami’s basketball team that recently came crashing back to earth.

You see the Hurricanes were flying high after posting their best early season record in fifty, that’s right 5-0, years.  Miami had waltzed through the first 16 games of the season with a 15-1 record and had reached #23 in the AP poll before reality set in.

By reality I mean playing against some real competition in the ACC.  Since running up the score on weak teams like Stetson, the Canes have dropped off the radar in their conference.  Miami now stands at 1-4 in the ACC, which is good enough to earn them last place.

If you want to know just how bad things have turned for the Hurricanes then just check these stats on how they stack up against ACC competition:

  • Scoring Offense: 11th (65/ppg)
  • Scoring Defense: 10th (72/ppg)
  • Scoring Margin: 11th (-7.4)
  • Field Goal %: 11th
  • Free Throw %: 10th
  • Rebounding: 12th

    •  

    The Hurricanes are last in home attendance in the conference as well.  Seems all of a sudden nobody wants to watch a train wreck.  Imagine that?

    The only bright spot for Miami is the play of Senior forward Dwayne Collins.  Collins is averaging 12.4/ppg and 8.2 rebounds/pg.  Collins will play TE for the UM football team next year so all is not lost.  Just kidding, that could never happen (Note: see Jimmy Graham who will be a NFL draft pick)!

    So now once again as the ACC basketball season moves into the homestretch and the ACC games continue, Hurricane fans have little to look forward to other than the warm glow of the cheerleaders.

    Which, if you haven’t seem them lately, are worth a look.

    I’m just sayin’…

    Posted in Uncategorized | 18 Comments »

    Don’t Hate The State, Hate The Game

    January 17th, 2010 by tompopadak

    If Virginia is for lovers, call me a hater.

    This past week your University of Miami men’s basketball team managed to lose two consecutive games to ACC rivals Virginia Tech and Virginia.  The Hokies hammered the Hurricanes 81-66 on Wednesday only to be outdone by the Cavaliers who crushed the Canes 75-57 on Saturday.

    That is a combined butt whooping of 33 points by the teams from Virginia.  Now that’s gonna leave a mark!

    The Hokies shot 62% in the first half and had their biggest lead at  48-13 before closing out the first half with a 17 point lead and a score of 50-23.  The Hurricanes lead the ACC in three point shooting percentage but somehow managed to miss their first eight attempts while shooting a miserable 27% in the first half.

    The loss to VT ended Miami’s seven game winning streak and may have erased any dreams of the Hurricanes being competitive in the ACC this year.

    As was the case in Blacksburg, Miami came out cold and started slowly in Charlottesville.   The Hurricanes missed their first nine shots and trailed by 12 points at halftime 33-21.  For the game, Miami hit only 31% of their shots and never got closer than nine points in the second half.

    Miami had entered the week with faith in head coach Frank Haith, a 15-1 record and a #23 AP ranking attached to their name.  Off to their best start in fifty years the Hurricanes hoopsters were finally getting some love from their fans and the national media.

    They finished the week getting no love from anyone especially the two teams from the State of Virginia where apparently love flows freely.  Miami is now 1-3 in the ACC after suffering the two lopsided losses in the conference where success has been hard to find for the Hurricanes.  Faith in Haith is once again clearly waning.

    Miami head coach Frank Haith will not have to wait too long to get a chance to redeem himself  and his team .  Tuesday night the Hurricanes take on the Boston College Eagles in another ACC show down in lovely Coral Gables.

    Let’s see if playing in the State of Florida makes a difference in the results.

    We never really liked Virginia anyway and love is so over-rated.

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    Make Some Noise!

    January 12th, 2010 by tompopadak

    Don’t look now but your University of Miami Hurricanes may be on the verge of making some serious noise in the ACC this year in a sport you never would have dreamed possible: basketball.   That’s right, b a s k e t b a l l.

    In a sport and in a conference usually dominated by teams from North Carolina (UNC, Duke, Wake) the Miami Hurricanes are 15-1, have won seven straight games and are winning their games by an average margin of 19.5 points.   I don’t care who you have played, that’s not too shabby if I do say so myself.

    The Hurricanes huge win over Wake Forest last Saturday at the Bank United Center may have been the wake up call to the ACC that this UM team means business.   It certainly woke up the AP Poll voters as Miami jumped into the top 25 at #23 after the big win. It marks the first time the ‘Canes have been ranked since the 2008 season when UM made it to #21 in the same poll.

    This Miami team is young but balanced.  Unlike last year, when they relied on Jack “McMoney” McClinton to carry the team and throw the ball up from anywhere on the court, they play unselfishly and pass the ball to work for the best shot.   They have a real point guard for the first time in years and a deep bench.  Most of all they play solid, team oriented defense.

    Sure, I hear “The U” doubters out there.  You say “The Hurricanes only beat Wake by a single point” and “They only evened their record at 1-1 in the conference” and “They have played one of the weakest schedules of any team in the country so far.”   That is true, true and true.

    But a closer examination of the numbers reveals many positive aspects of this team’s performance to date.  Let’s take an in-depth look the early season stats and what they may mean going doing the stretch.

    Among the 12 teams in the ACC, Miami is fifth in scoring offense, averaging 77.5 points per game (UNC is #1 at 85.3 ppg) and second in scoring defense at 58 ppg (FSU is #1 at 57 ppg).

    The Canes are first in field goal shooting percentage at 49%, first in 3 point shots made at 140 and third in three point shooting percentage in the conference.   Pretty impressive numbers wouldn’t you agree?

    The ‘Canes are led on offense by Senior forward Dwayne Collins who averages 12.9 ppg, good enough to rank 19th overall in the ACC.   Collins also leads the Hurricanes in rebounding averaging 8.6 per game.  Miami has three outstanding long range shooters in James Dews, Malcom Grant and Adrian Thomas who rank 4th, 5th and 6th in three point shooting percentage and in the top 10 in the ACC in three point shots made.

    Miami is ranked seventh in defensive rebounding and eighth in offensive rebounding.  The are ranked seventh in steals and turnover margin and fourth in assists.  Leading the ‘Canes in assists is Freshman guard Durand Scott who dishes out 4.5 assists per game and is ranked third in the ACC in turnover-to-assist ratio.  Scott has already been selected as the ACC Rookie Of The Week three times this season in recognition of his efforts.

    The Hurricanes weakness is shooting free throws.  Miami is ranked dead last in the conference in free throw shooting percentage at an abysmal 62%.  Duke leads the ACC in this category at 76% and has scored 53 more points than Miami from the charity stripe.

    If the Hurricanes can find a way to improve their rebounding and free throw shooting they could surprise many teams in their conference and make some serious noise in the ACC in 2010.

    The UM men’s basketball team hits the road for a pair of games this week, taking on Virginia Tech (12-2, 0-1 ACC) on Wed., Jan. 13, and Virginia (9-4, 1-0) on Sat., Jan. 16. Wednesday’s game will be broadcast online at www.TheACC.com at 7 p.m. for a fee, while ESPNU will carry the Miami-Virginia game at 8 p.m.

    Miami then returns home to face Boston College on 1/19/10 at 9 PM.  So ‘Canes fans we suggest that you show up at the Bank United Center and make some serious noise of your own cheering the Hurricanes on to victory.

    Who would have thought that making noise could be so much fun?

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