To do list for your sports weekend

With the weekend at hand, here’s a five-item to-do list while wondering how the national championship game would have been different if Texas quarterback Colt McCoy hadn’t gotten hurt:

1. It’s finally college hoops season

Now that the clutter of bowl season is behind us, college basketball finally kicks into gear. After too many games that don’t really matter, conference play takes over now.

It’s a full-out assault in the ACC. Just look at Saturday’s schedule: Virginia visits N.C. State; Duke has a potentially monster game at Georgia Tech; Boston College visits Clemson; and, Wake Forest goes to Miami.

And on Sunday, the North Carolina roller-coaster gets back to business hosting Virginia Tech.

2. Hey, that guy looks familiar

That’s because it’s Buzz Peterson, the former Appalachian State basketball coach who is again the Appalachian State basketball coach.

Peterson brings his Appalachian State Mountaineers to Davidson for a 2 p.m. game Saturday. The Buzzer can swing by home while he’s here. Peterson, who spent the previous two years as director of player personnel for the Charlotte Bobcats, still has a home in Charlotte where his wife and children are still living.

3. Memphis has an NBA team?

No one’s saying the Bobcats are at the top of the NBA’s most recognizable teams list but they’re probably ahead of the, uh, Grizzlies, who visit Saturday night. At least one question will be answered, though. Whatever happened to Hasheem Thabeet?

Allen Iverson was briefly with the Grizzlies this season until he realized the franchise was rebuilding – again. That apparently took A.I. by surprise. He’s the only one who was surprised.

4. It’s playoff time

It’s rematch weekend in the NFL as the playoffs start. The good news is we can sit inside and watch games without having to worry about sitting in the cold to see one here.

Best match-up of the four games? Gotta be Philadelphia-Dallas, Part 3. But only if the Eagles and Donovan McNabb are better than they were last Sunday.


5. It just screams A-10 hoops

After a disappointing loss to undermanned Tennessee that almost made coach Bobby Lutz pop a vein earlier this week, the Charlotte 49ers return home Saturday night to host St. Bonaventure. Sounds like a nice way to bounce back from a loss.

-- Ron Green Jr.