If you’ve been with me long enough, you know that I grew up a North Carolina fan. I wear Red and Black now by conversion, not by birthright. But I still keep up with the Tar Heels, and it’s almost a sense of deja vu with what’s been going on in Chapel Hill this summer. All we need now is an awkward ESPN interview with Butch Davis pleading his case to Lee Corso and promising that “it will all come out.” Consider:

– The affected programs are the secondary sport at the school (if that high).

– They bring in a big-name journeyman coach who has moderate, but not great, success.

– The scandal starts with a relatively minor thing. At UGA, it was Tony Cole. At UNC, it was the agent. Jim Harrick probably could have survived Cole, and Butch Davis wasn’t going to get much heat over the agent.

– But then the academic scandals hit. Georgia had a fraudulent course with players getting improper benefits (though it was just a glorified PE class). UNC now has Davis’s nanny allegedly writing papers for multiple players. Several key players and starters are potentially involved.

As for reaction? Georgia of course set fire to the hoops program, cut incoming recruits loose, and is just now recovering. UNC has been cooperative and are investigating on their own, but something tells me UNC won’t be so quick to fall on their own sword. I wonder if we’ll see Jeremy Schaap stalking Butch Davis from behind a dumpster as Davis leaves his office.

Both programs even have an assistant taking much of the heat. The Dawgs had Jim Harrick, Jr. UNC has John Blake.