Sights, sounds and observations (updated throughout the day) from press row in Charlotte on the third day of the ACC Tournament:

UNC's Williams Celebrates Smith, Hansbrough

After North Carolina's 68-66 semifinal victory over Virginia Tech, UNC coach Roy Williams was asked about two of his favorite topics — his mentor, former Carolina coach Dean Smith, and his star player this season, Tyler Hansbrough.

The 77-year-old Smith, this year's UNC representative in the ACC's annual "Legends" celebration, was among the 12 men honored at midcourt during halftime of the UNC-Tech game. Smith, who walked gingerly onto the court for the ceremony, received by far the loudest and longest ovation of the 12 honorees. Most of the capacity crowd (20,000-plus) in Bobcats Arena offered him a standing ovation for about a minute.

After pointing with appreciation toward a few sections filled with UNC fans, Smith obviously became uncomfortable with the length of his ovation, which came from fans of all school colors. He waved his arms a few times, asking for the clapping to stop, to no avail. When the next Legend was announced and the crowd was not as loud, Smith tried to initiate more clapping himself.

"His ego is about as little as anybody I've ever known in my life," Williams said of Smith. "But I think (the ovation) must have felt good."

Williams also was asked about Hansbrough, who clearly was the difference between winning and losing against the Hokies. The junior big man finished with 26 points (9-18 FG, 8-8 FT), nine rebounds, two huge steals and countless hustle plays.

"I've never had a player who wanted it more (than Hansbrough)," Williams said. "I'd be the best dadgum coach that ever lived if I could put that kind of heart into every player."

Greenberg: "Certifiably Insane," "Absolutely Absurd"

In his opening statement to the media after his team's loss to UNC, Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg wiped tears from his eyes as he discussed the evolution of his team — and one of the ACC's youngest lineups (five freshmen in the rotation) — over the course of this season. He said his players impressed him as much as any group he's ever had in his career.

Soon afterward, the coach lashed out at those who don't consider his Hokies (19-13) an NCAA Tournament-worthy team. Tech is considered a possible fifth entry from the ACC this season, joining UNC, Duke, Clemson and Miami, but bracketologists offer mixed reviews of the Hokies' body of work.

"If you don't think we're one of the best 65 teams in the country, you're certifiably insane," Greenberg said. "We're the No. 1 RPI league in the country. They're talking about 'maybe' a fifth team from the conference? That's absolutely absurd."

The Hokies' ACC quarterfinal win over Miami remains their only victory over a team currently ranked in the top 50 in the Rating Percentage Index (RPI), a formula that members of the NCAA selection committee consider when making their at-large selections for the NCAA Tournament. Tech has four losses this season to teams outside the RPI top 100: at Penn State (66-61), at Old Dominion (72-69), at Richmond (52-49) and at N.C. State (73-63).

"Do I think we're an NCAA Tournament team? Without a doubt, I think we're an NCAA Tournament team," Greenberg said. "But what I think doesn't mean anything."

Beware: "Sign Police" Very Active

Here's some free advice to any fan who may be considering the idea of holding up a sign from the stands this weekend at Charlotte Bobcats Arena: Be careful.

During the first two days of the tournament, ushers frequently approached sign-holding fans and asked those with "negative messages" to put the signs down. There were no reports of anyone refusing to cooperate, signs being confiscated or individuals being removed from the arena, but many fans were upset that they were not allowed to display what they considered benign language.

A small group of Clemson fans about five rows from the court had a sign Friday with the words "Boo Duke" on the front. Told to take it down, they complied. They said the usher who approached them said the sign violated the ACC's sportsmanship policy.

Many of the ushers working the ACC Tournament this year also work games for the NBA's Bobcats. They said that, during Bobcats games, they are told to approach only those fans whose signs either (a) obstruct others' view of the court or the game for more than a few seconds, or (b) include language that is considered profane and/or vulgar.

At the ACC Tournament, the ushers said, their directive includes a third category of unacceptable signs, at the request of ACC officials: anything that is considered "negative" — toward officials, a player, a coach or a school, etc.

The ACC's sign policy is in tune with the message it sends to fans over the arena's public-address system before each session of the tournament. The brief announcement encourages fans to be "positive" toward the game's officials, coaches and participants, as well as other fans. ...

Quiet Arena Quickly Gets UNC Flavor

At about 11:30 a.m. Saturday, two hours before the start of the first game (North Carolina-Virginia Tech) of the afternoon, the interior of the arena had very little activity.

Light music played over the PA system. Large groups of ushers met quietly in bunches to discuss their plans for the day. About two dozen media members, mostly from television and radio, settled into their places along press row. (Another 50 or so media members were in the media work room or the dining area, in the bowels of the arena.) There was not a single fan in the seating section of the building.

At about noon, the first fans began to trickle in, and the arena's big scoreboard (previously silent) soon started a video about the 2006 ACC Tournament. At about 12:15, the first player — UNC's Will Graves — took the court and practiced some jump shots. By 12:30, the entire Virginia Tech team had arrived, at the opposite end of Graves, now joined by some of the Tar Heels' walk-ons. By 12:45, the entire UNC team was on the court.

By about 1 p.m. — 30 minutes before game time — there were only a few hundred fans in their seats. By the opening tip, a few minutes after 1:30, the arena appeared to be about 90 percent full. Bobcats Arena has a capacity of 20,035 for the tournament.

It's always difficult to quantity such things, but a quick poll of media members at the opening tip — "What percentage of this crowd looks to be pro-Carolina?" — resulted in estimates of 50-60 percent. ...

For Seniors, Hugs Can Mean A Lot

Through the first two days of the ACC Tournament, only three teams — Boston College, Georgia Tech and N.C. State — left the court with a feeling of finality. The league's other five early losers expect and/or hope to play again this season, in the 65-team NCAA Tournament (Miami), the 32-team NIT or the new 16-team College Basketball Invitational.

The early ACC Tournament exits were especially emotional for the seniors at BC, Tech and NCSU.

In the final moments of the Yellow Jackets' quarterfinal loss to Duke, senior forward Jeremis Smith and senior guard Anthony Morrow had tears in their eyes as they came off the court for the last time as collegians. They briefly hugged Tech coach Paul Hewitt, then went down the line and embraced each of their assistant coaches, teammates and members of the support staff. At the end, Smith and Morrow turned to each other and came together in a tight, both-arms, full-bodied, tears-flowing bear-hug, holding it for maybe 20 seconds as the game's buzzer sounded.

Smith, a powerful 6-8, 236-pounder with spider-web shoulder tattoos and a gregarious personality, must have left quite an impression — beyond basketball — during his four-year career. As the game ended, ACC officials Mike Eades and Ray Natili approached Smith with smiles on their faces, offered him a few words, and hugged him. (Imagine the reaction if that had occurred with a Duke or UNC player!) In the two teams' postgame handshake line, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski took extra time to speak with Smith.

On an otherwise sad day for Smith, did the details of the final moments of his college career offer him a silver lining?

"I'm glad you asked me that question, because it meant a lot to me," Smith said. "I know most people just see us as basketball players, but we're people first, and that's something I've always tried to keep in mind when I deal with other people, in every area of life. What you saw out there was four years of relationships, four years of fighting through adversity, four years of success and failure and everything in between. That's what life is all about, right? That's what was so emotional about it.

"I'm the type of guy who builds relationships. I love my coaches and teammates, and it's about more than basketball. I don't like every call the refs make, but I always try to remember that they're people, and they have a hard job to do, and I've built good relationships with them. I'm trying to beat those guys on the other team, but they're people, too. You can play hard and try to win and try to beat them and still remember that they're people.

"This is a hard day for me, sort of the end of a difficult but great chapter of my life. That's why you see my eyes are so red right now. But that stuff? The hugs? My teammates? Coach Hewitt? Coach K? The refs? That kind of stuff brings a smile to my face, even though it's a sad day, too."