A significant chunk of the media coverage that came out of the first day of the ACC Tournament had a sour tone. Some columnists correctly wrote about the often-choppy play in Thursday's games, but others seemed to go out of their way to find negatives. They made fun of the crowd. They took shots at the "football schools" that already (and typically) are going home. They wrote as if someone had sent them to bed without access to the media dessert tray.

Here's my take: Hogwash. Baloney. Get over yourselves. The first day of the ACC Tournament -- the first time with 12 teams, the first time with this four-day format, etc. -- was, by any objective definition, a considerable success.

So why the negative slant? Here's my guess: A substantial number of veteran ACC writers and columnists, especially those in basketball-crazy North Carolina and Virginia, still carry around such anger and bitterness about the league's recent expansion process that they just can't get past it.

Understandably, this group of old-timers -- most of whom couldn't care less about football, by the way, which helped explain their anti-expansion positions -- miss the round-robin format in basketball. In their eyes, the act of expansion took away something they considered sacred, sort of like finding out that the hospital inadvertently gave their newborn baby girls Rashad McCants-style "Born To Be Hated" tattoos. Seriously, that's how some of these guys still think about expansion. Just the word can cause them to spasm and cringe.

Back to the original point: I defy any sportswriter anywhere to show me a better opening-day atmosphere at a conference basketball tournament than what was present for a large chunk of Thursday's games here in Greensboro. The second half of the Miami-Clemson game had a great crowd, as did the entire second and third contests of the day. Where else does that happen?

No, it wasn't vintage ACC Tournament -- that's what Friday is usually all about -- but there were plenty of fans (almost 20,000 at some points) in the stands, two of the games were nail-biters, and there were several outstanding individual performances. The play was choppy at times, but that's been the case throughout college basketball all season long.

Starting today, of course, the ACC Tournament will revert to its old format, in a way. There are eight teams remaining, with four games today, two tomorrow and one Sunday -- just like the old days.

Moving forward, maybe the old-timers can just pretend that yesterday didn't happen, and that the ACC is an eight-team league again. There are a lot of great stories to tell, and they might miss them if they're too busy being bitter.

Random thoughts:

N.C. State forward Ilian Evtimov set the tone for the day by being quoted about today's Wolfpack opponent, Wake Forest: "I personally believe Wake Forest is a very dirty team. They've been dirty since I've been here." That accusation goes well beyond last year's Chris Paul-Julius Hodge incident. Could be an interesting pre-game handshake today....

Despite their disappointing defeat Thursday, Florida State's players didn't appear too down late last night. The Seminoles, who are staying at the same hotel as most media members, were hanging out in the hotel lobby after 11 p.m. While waiting for a bunch of pizzas to be delivered, they were singing, rapping, even dancing a little bit. Considering their bubble status, the "dancing" seemed particularly out of place, but it was good to see so many smiling faces. Meanwhile, several veteran FSU observers said they'd never seen coach Leonard Hamilton more down emotionally than after his team's loss to Wake Forest....

First Result: Duke 80, Miami 76

One sign of an outstanding team is its ability to win despite cold shooting. Duke missed a LOT of its open looks against Miami but still came away with a victory. Working often against the Hurricanes' well-polished zone defense, the Blue Devils hit only 7 of 21 three-pointers in the first half -- Lee Melchionni (0-4), Sean Dockery (1-4) and Greg Paulus all missed a few wide-open attempts -- but figured out a way to win. J.J. Redick (5-11) and DeMarcus Nelson (4-7) were the difference on the perimeter, as the Devils finished 12-32 from beyond the arc....

Duke center Shelden Williams (14 points, 13 rebounds) plays with a consistency of effort that is rare in college basketball today, especially among star players. He just seems to enjoy the battles, on the boards and for loose balls, and he's refreshing in the way he very rarely complains to the officials, despite the frequent contact in the post. Williams also has a very high basketball IQ, knowing when (and when not) to challenge for offensive rebounds, when and where to offer help defense, when to call for the ball in the post and when to kick it back out, etc. Like Redick, he also consistently demands the ball in clutch situations, rather than purposely fading into the background, as is the case with many other talented performers....

After one controversial call that went against Duke, lip-readers at court-side could see coach Mike Krzyzewski yell "Holy Mackeral!" at the officials. Coach K has a well-deserved reputation among fans, media, officials and other coaches as one of the most profane, bullying personalities in college basketball, but as he gets older he seems to tone down (without eliminating) his sideline antics more often, especially on the road and in tournament settings. "Holy Mackeral" is a welcome alternative within the vocabulary of an intelligent, influential man who may lead the civilized world in nationally televised F-bombs....

Duke obviously will not back off on the minutes of Redick and Williams, even in this three-games-in-three-days environment. Rarely used freshmen Eric Boateng and Jamal Boykin did make brief appearances for the Blue Devils, but Williams ended up playing 38 minutes and Redick 40 in what basically remained the team's typical seven-man rotation....

Miami coach Frank Haith will win a lot of people over during his career with his genuine humility. Whether interacting with the fans, the media or his players, he's refreshingly candid and self-deprecating, and he stays pretty consistent after both wins and losses. Those qualities also likely contribute to his immense popularity with high school coaches, parents and kids on the recruiting trail....

Miami may have a blossoming flower on its hands in sophomore Raymond Hicks. A muscular 6-7 forward, he has played the best basketball of his college career in Greensboro, finishing with 12 points and six rebounds against Duke. In one sequence, he had a huge block against Williams, then handed off a pretty assist to UM center Anthony King. Most importantly, Hicks played with consistent effort, energy, aggression and confidence. Every good team needs complementary players who fit that description....

It is with a heavy heart that we say good-bye to the Miami dance team. We don't know where the Hurricanes do their recruiting, but let's just say the energetic, entertaining and thoroughly attractive 12-woman group has the equivalent of a recruiting class full of McDonald's All-Americans. To be fair, we must await the initial appearances of the NCSU, UNC and Boston College squads before declaring a 2006 champion, but let's just say that UM is the leader in the clubhouse. During one TV timeout today, most of the men along press row had their attention on the Miami group, which wasn't even on the court at the time, because it was the Duke cheerleaders' (a solid group this year) turn to take center stage....

One of the great traditions of the ACC Tournament is how fans of the remaining teams gobble up tickets from those whose teams lost the previous day. A quick glance around the Greensboro Coliseum today shows that North Carolina fans now dominate the section once occupied by Florida State....

Second Result: Wake Forest 82, N.C. State 71

Let's get right to the point: State fans have a right to be mad this time. It's one thing to lose; that's going to happen to 11 of 12 ACC teams this weekend. But it's another thing to fall short without even making things difficult for your opponent. This game was over by halftime, when Wake Forest led 37-20. That's embarrassing and unacceptable, especially for a team built around seniors and juniors....

Losers of three in a row heading into the game, NCSU again ran into problems early. The Wolfpack hit only 1 of 11 three-point attempts in the opening 20 minutes. Even the team's fans seemed to lack intensity. When the Pack went on a mini-run with less than two minutes remaining before the break, which is a long-standing cue for noise from the crowd, most of those in the NCSU section continued to observe quietly....

State coach Herb Sendek talked a lot after the game about his admiration for his players' positive attitudes during their four-game losing streak, but his team is an absolute mess. This is an emotionally fragile group, and in particular starters Tony Bethel and Cedric Simmons again looked out of sorts against the Demon Deacons. In what essentially has become a six-deep rotation -- seventh man Andrew Brackman played only seven minutes -- only two men, Cameron Bennerman and Gavin Grant, showed a healthy combination of aggression and intelligent play. That's not nearly enough....

State repeatedly utilized what appeared to be a 1-3-1 zone, with 6-4 guard Engin Atsur on the baseline. The Wolfpack forced a handful of misses with that scheme, but time after time Wake grabbed the offensive rebound and converted for two points or free throws. Overall, the Demon Deacons dominated the battle of the boards 40-24. State center Cedric Simmons had zero rebounds, fouled out in 17 minutes and was thoroughly dominated by Wake center Eric Williams in every way imaginable....

Like many upperclassmen, Wake Forest senior Justin Gray has on-going conversations with some of the game officials, especially during stoppages of play. I missed the first half of an on-court exchange between Gray and official Les Jones, but it must have been funny. Gray's reply to whatever Jones said was this: "Hey, you get paid for this. I don't!" Both guys then smiled....

Wake Forest stars Justin Gray (19 points, 10 assists) and Eric Williams (20 points, 8 rebounds) joined coach Skip Prosser for the post-game press conference, as expected. When that ended, NCSU surprisingly brought senior Ilian Evtimov with coach Herb Sendek, rather than the team's top producers. Gavin Grant (24 points) and Cameron Bennerman (23 points) played well, but their frustration was obvious throughout the game, and Sendek probably wanted another opportunity to compliment Evtimov, who has remained positive throughout his injury-plagued career and continues to battle a foot problem....

Prosser, a well-read, highly intelligent, thoughtful, insightful and humorous former school teacher who always has been a favorite among interviewers, had the best line of the day so far. Asked about the possibility of having to play four games in four days, the coach relayed a story Justin Gray told him before the tournament. "Justin said that, in AAU ball, they used to play three games in ONE day," Prosser said. "Of course, Justin didn't play defense in any of those games." Gray, obviously used to his coach's sense of humor, just shook his head and smiled....

Third Result: North Carolina 79, Virginia 67

In a continuing theme, UNC coach Roy Williams gushed after the game about the attitude and effort of this year's Tar Heels. "I don't think I've ever coached a team that I've loved coaching more than this group right here," Williams said. "We make lots of mistakes, but this is a fun group to deal with, even when we're going over our worst mistakes."...

This isn't exactly a news flash, but Greensboro is a very pro-UNC town. During the UNC-UVa game, the Carolina supporters were much louder than any group of the weekend. After previously taking over the FSU section, UNC fans dominated the NCSU slice of the coliseum, and there were even dozens of light-blue shirts scattered throughout the Virginia section. This wasn't a home game for Carolina, but "neutral court" didn't feel like an appropriate term, either....

UNC is playing better defense than anyone in the ACC, and it's not even close. UVa shot only 27.9 percent from the field, thanks to the tremendous pressure the Tar Heels placed on the Cavaliers' only two offensive threats, guards Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds. UNC guards Wes Miller, Quentin Thomas and Marcus Ginyard took turns on Singletary, while Bobby Frasor and Reyshawn Terry saw most of the action against Reynolds. The Tar Heels repeatedly executed switches and double-teams with impressive efficiency....

It's not a long list, but there are a few examples of how it's better to watch the ACC Tournament from home than from here at the arena. Perhaps the biggest: You get to see controversial plays and close calls multiple times. We don't. League policy prevents such replays on the big screen hanging above the court....

Virginia coach Dave Leitao wasn't happy with the officiating, especially in the first half. At one point, he spent an entire UNC possession standing and screaming at the officials while on the court in the corner near the UVa bench, just a few feet away from the action. After a whistle, Leitao continued to berate official Bryan Kersey, at one point ignoring Kersey's motion to calm down. Kersey then gave Leitao a well-deserved technical foul, and UNC's Wes Miller converted the two free throws. When Leitao spent the first 30 seconds of the next stoppage posing and staring at Kersey, the official rolled his eyes and turned his back to the coach....

UNC's mental toughness continues to show. Center Tyler Hansbrough (17 points, eight rebounds) simply refuses to be out-worked, whether he's trying to score in the post, battle for a rebound, challenge an opponent's shot or secure a loose ball. Forward Reyshawn Terry (24 points, seven rebounds) missed his first three three-point attempts early, but he got himself going by repeatedly driving to the hoop for slashing buckets and/or trips to the foul line. Forward David Noel (10 points, 11 rebounds, five assists) remains a rock of stability; the guy just wins individual battle after individual battle at both ends of the court. Guard Wes Miller (15 points, 4-4 FG) patiently waited for open shots, then hit all of them. Finally, with starter Bobby Frasor limited by foul trouble, reserve Quentin Thomas (three points, six assists, two turnovers, two steals) played 24 steady minutes at the point, an unimaginable thought just two months ago....

North Carolina teams will make up three-quarters of the semifinals, a powerful fact that reminded me of another incredible item of ACC Tournament trivia. Q: In the previous 52 ACC Tournaments, how many times was the championship game played without a single North Carolina-based team? A: Only one! In 1990, Georgia Tech beat Virginia for the league title. In EVERY other year, one or both finalists came from the state of North Carolina....

Boston College is killing Maryland, meaning my predicted Saturday matchups have come true. (I'm as shocked as anyone.) I'll take Duke over Wake Forest in the first game, then UNC over BC in the second....

More blogging tomorrow. In the meantime, I hope you'll check out my Saturday morning radio show (9-noon) on 850 The Buzz in Raleigh. I'll be doing it live from the coliseum and taking phone calls from listeners....