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11:13 p.m.: It's not us, it's you - The ongoing battle of media vs. The Internet was finally settled by Time Warner Cable today when they eventually just took down the password-protected section of wireless access needed earlier to connect.

That problem led to Internet issues for nearly all media who attempted to get on the coliseum's wireless connection. Here's what Greensboro Coliseum spokesman Andrew Brown had to say:

"The Time Warner Cable technicians on site have informed us they believe the wireless issues were due to viruses present on some of the users’ personal computers that infected the password gateway. The password system for media access has now been bypassed, which has appeared to remedy the situation. The password system will continue to be bypassed for the remainder of the Tournament."

Translation: It's the reporters, not the system.

OK, that seems to mean that some folks need to do better with their company laptops. We won't speculate on which sports-related Web sites could carry viruses. - GERALD WITT, Staff Writer

10:49 p.m.: They travel well - In the totally subjective race to see which out-of-state team's fans had the most cohesion in terms of wardrobe, Clemson won.

Nearly the entire stands for sections 104 and 103 in the Greensboro Coliseum were clad in orange. Now, for in-state teams, that's not hard to do. Nobody has to travel much more than an hour to get to the coliseum from the respective hometowns of N.C. State, UNC or Duke. And Wake Forest is just a hop, skip and jump away in Winston-Salem.

But based on just the color of shirts, Clemson figured out how to get here and get dressed. Talk about orange.

"There is no doubt that we are proud of our team," said Clemson University Foundation president Harrison "Hack" Trammell. "And we wear our colors."

That's not to say that Miami and Boston College were underrepresented, or Georgia Tech. But that is a little more of a haul. A close second may be Virginia fans, who showed up in good numbers for their noon game, but we're basing this totally subjective award on attendance and color-coordination. - GERALD WITT, Staff Writer

9:54 p.m.: Her last game - Outside the coliseum on the wet pavement three UNC fans walked to their car.

"Dangit," said Geraldine Hill, who drove from Durham with her daughter and son-in-law to see UNC's loss to Ga. Tech, and watch her granddaughter cheer in her last basketball game as a UNC cheerleader.

"I was the one down in front yelling 'Go Tar Heels'," Hill said. "I'll be hoarse tomorrow, but I don't care. I'm retired."

With the exception of the upcoming spring football "Blue and White" game, that was the last game that Tiffany Hinesley would cheer for UNC, said her mother, Sheron Hinesley.

"Unless they go to the N.I.T.," Sheron Hinesley said.

"I kinda doubt it," said her husband, Chip Hinesley.

The family was not bummed about the Tar Heels' last game, or its tough season.

"We're very proud of our team," Hill said. "They tried very hard to get through the adversity." - GERALD WITT, Staff Writer

6:37 p.m.: A team without a clue - Wake Forest coach Dino Gaudio called a timeout early in the second half to chew out center Tony Woods who had failed to block out a Miami player and was, thus, dunked on.

Gaudio motioned to officials he wanted a 30-second timeout, but when it went to the scorer’s table, television requested it become a full timeout, which is a TV option. The announcement was made, but Gaudio didn’t hear it.

After he finished chewing out Woods, the players were sent back out on the floor by Gaudio who went and sat down. Miami was still in its huddle and would be for another minute and a half while the Wake players stood on the floor and waited.

Eventually, Wake guard Ish Smith walked up to referee Jamie Luckie and asked “Was that a full timeout?” - ED HARDIN, Staff Writer

6:16 p.m.: Famous names - Some famous names suited up for Thursday’s ACC tournament game between Virginia and Boston College.

For the Cavaliers, Mustapha Farrakhan, a junior guard from Harvey, Ill., is the grandson of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam.

For the Eagles, Peter Rehnquist, a sophomore walk-on from Sharon, Mass, is the grandson of the late William Rehnquist, the former chief justice of the U.S Supreme Court.

And then there’s Reggie Jackson, the Eagles’ sophomore guard from Colorado Springs, Colo.

Wrong.

He’s not related to the famous civil rights leader and says his parents didn’t know the other Reggie Jackson. - DON PATTERSON, Staff Writer
 

1:39 p.m.: Folks, we're sorry, but technical issues at the coliseum involving Time Warner are preventing the staff on site from blogging or Tweeting.

The best-laid plans ...

Hang in there with us. As soon as the experts figure out how to make it work, we'll be back in action.

11:34 a.m. First session tickets? $20 - You can get a $72 seat to the first session games for $20 today.

That’s what Roger Ratliff asked after he got an upgrade from the upper level to lower level seats for the first-round ACC tournament games

At noon, Boston College plays Virginia. The 2 p.m. game features Wake Forest Vs. Miami.

“For the first session, we lucked out really quick,” said Ratliff, who for the first time in 20 years was able to get a book of tickets ahead of time for the tournament. Then, when the Virginia native got to his hotel in downtown Greensboro, he got lower level seats from somone who didn't want them.

Near an entrance to the free ACC Fan Fest, scalpers were taking offers for the first-round games.

"Whatever you offer," one man replied after asked his price.

Another man, who didn’t give his name, wanted to sell a weekend book of tickets for $200.

“My buddy got a job promotion and can’t make it down,” he said. “He told me to take whatever I could get for them.” - GERALD WITT, Staff Writer
 

10:43 a.m. Breakfast meats in Tourney Town - From 20 feet away wafts the unmistakable morningtime scent.

Then you look up and see the orange-and-blue two-tone limo parked along Coliseum Blvd.

The Vriginia contingent is already at the Greensboro Coliseum parking lot, cooking up bacon, sausage, eggs and biscuits.

Pregame radio broadcasts pour out of a nearby auto.

“I’ve been doing this for 46 years,” said Jim Graves of Syria, Va. “I’ve only missed one tournament.”

They have a spread under three tents with fresh fruit and plenty of drinks.

About a dozen Virginia and Va. Tech fans mill around as a handful of UNC fans arrive in the come-one, come-all atmosphere.

“And later, we’ll have bear burgers, turkey fries, ribeye steak and chicken tenders,” Graves said. He owns Graves’ Mountain Lodge, a meeting ground for conventions and bluegrass festivals in the hills between Harrisonburg and Culpeper.

“The lodge opens next weekend,” said his wife, Rachel. “So this is our last hurrah.”

Jim Graves then takes over, stumping for Greensboro as host for the tournament.

“Greensboro is where the tournament should be,” he said. “Here, they want you. You go elsewhere, it’s about money – they want you to come, spend your money, and then, ‘to hell with you.’

“Here, everybody works with you,” he said. - GERALD WITT, Staff Writer
 

10:14 a.m. Tight games - The 57th edition of the ACC men’s tournament, which starts today, will have to go some to top the inaugural event held in 1954 at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh.

Four of the seven games were decided by a combined eight points.

And three ended in overtime, including N.C. State’s 82-80 win over Wake Forest in the championship game.

Twins - Don’t worry if you can’t tell UNC’s identical twins, David and Travis Wear, apart.

Lots of folks have that problem.

Before the season, UNC officials took individual photos of all the players but the shots didn’t include jersey numbers.

When officials tried to identify which Wear was which, they couldn’t.

So they called in the California twins to solve the problem.

“We showed them to them,” said Steve Kirschner, associate director of athletics for communications, “and they weren’t sure which was which.” - DON PATTERSON, Staff Writer