The Replay: 2021 ends with some unexpected surprises
It wasn’t exactly a slow week after the holiday break as 2021 came to an end. N.C. State had its bowl game canceled hours before kickoff in San Diego. North Carolina did play its bowl and might have wished it didn’t. Duke had men’s basketball games against Clemson and Notre Dame postponed and North Carolina had a game against Boston College rescheduled.
The Carolina Hurricanes had one game postponed but finally returned to the ice for a game Thursday against Montreal as COVID-19 issues continued to be disruptive in the NHL. The John Wall Invitational basketball tournament was held, with good moments and bad.
Declaring victory
The Wolfpack didn’t play and win the bowl game but will count it as a 10th victory of the season. That was the outcome of UCLA’s late pullout from Tuesday’s Holiday Bowl in San Diego, saying there were too many players affected by COVID-19 to field a representative team — that after Bruins coach Chip Kelly said, “Our whole mindset is if we have 11 we’ll play.”
Under NCAA rules, the canceled game was ruled a “no-contest” and not a forfeit. A second opinion: Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren, who collected the Holiday Bowl trophy, said he considered it a forfeit and a 10th win. During the hubris of the Pack’s welcome-back gathering Wednesday at the Murphy Center, Doeren had a few choice words about the NCAA and again claimed that 10th W.
“It’s hard not to be angry,” NCSU athletic director Boo Corrigan said Tuesday of the bowl cancellation. “You’re angry because you know how hard the men in this program have fought to get to this point. Ir’s an emotional time.”
Taking a mayo bath
It was a rough day in Charlotte for the Tar Heels. South Carolina took a 18-0 lead in the first quarter of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Thursday and controlled the game in a 38-21 victory. That left the Tar Heels with a 6-7 record in a season that began with UNC ranked in the top 10.
USC coach Shane Beamer was given a mayo bath after the game, the video clip of him being covered with globs of the stuff going viral. UNC coach Mack Brown, by losing, did miss that unique if sticky “celebration” although Beamer was left beaming.
Back on the ice
It took a while but the Hurricanes finally played another hockey game. After having an early-week game against the Florida Panthers postponed as the NHL dealt with COVID issues, the Canes had a home game Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens at PNC Arena and won 4-0.
The Canes had last played Dec. 18 against the Los Angeles Kings. Since that game, several regulars including captain Jordan Staal and center Sebastian Aho, the team’s leading scorer, returned from the league’s COVID protocol, practiced and were ready for Thursday’s game.
John Wall Invitational
The John Wall Holiday Invitational has long been a basketball tournament that attracts strong teams and some great high school talent, causing college basketball coaches to roll in for a recruiting look-see. So it was this past week as UNC coach Hubert Davis and Duke head-coach-in-waiting Jon Scheyer were among those who came to Wake Tech’s North Campus.
Both the Blue Devils and Tar Heels are recruiting Matas Buzelis and Taylor Bowen of Brewster Academy (N.H.), a pair of 6-10 juniors. Buzelis has been offered scholarships by both schools and Bowen has an offer from the Blue Devils.
Unfortunately, the tournament was marred by an ugly incident Wednesday. Fans began fighting and the gym had to be cleared by security, requiring the use of tear gas.
“What happened tonight doesn’t represent John Wall, the Triangle Education Advancement Foundation or the Holiday Invitational,” co-tournament director Webb Wellman said in a statement. “We love our players, we love our fans and we will work hard to make sure this doesn’t happen again. This event is about the love of the game and violence will never be acceptable.”
This story was originally published January 2, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
