Coach Jamie Dixon did not seem optimistic that the ACC would ever pull the trigger on moving the ACC Tournament to NYC. Even though, he made it clear that it absolutely should happen.

“Obviously, coach Boeheim and I are excited about New York, but I also know that Greensboro has a strong, strong presence here at these meetings,” Dixon said. “I think [Madison Square Garden] would be the best thing for the conference. I hope that’s the way they’re headed, but I don’t know that it is.”

One item that apparently has been ruled out is having New York City as part of a rotation with other cities, including Greensboro. Dixon said both major New York venues, Madison Square Garden and the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, would require long-term commitments.

“They’ve got to lock in an event on an annual basis,” Dixon said. “They can’t open it up for five days once every five years or something.”

Dixon also said that his bid to have Pittsburgh as host of the tournament, at least occasionally, was shot down.

“I think Greensboro has the home-field advantage,” Dixon said. “They’ve got a lot of things tied in there. There’s a lot of tradition. …

“I think in the best interest of all the universities involved, for the conference, I think being in Madison Square Garden would be best. But I think it’s going to be very difficult to pull away.”

But then, Jamie Dixon has not had dealings with Ninja Swofford.

So, just when you think things are as they will be. He strikes.

The ACC is “thoroughly investigating” playing its men’s basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.

One source was adamant that the ACC tournament eventually would be held in the World’s Most Famous Arena, which would take it out of traditional ACC country for the first time.

“We’ll be playing there,” a source said. “It’s just a matter of getting all the legal ramifications worked out.”

…

“There is real momentum to play the tournament at Madison Square Garden,” a source said. “Why shouldn’t the premier basketball conference play in the world’s premier arena?”

Sources attending the meetings said the ACC should always look at ways to improve its product.

“No matter what business model you’re in, if you’re the best — and our league is the best — you should take it to New York,” a source said.

Now the fly in the ointment is basketball only New Big East.

That’s because in March, the new Big East Conference and Madison Square Garden announced a 12-year deal through 2026. However, MSG executive vice president Joel Fisher was non-committal about the ACC playing there.

“I don’t want to speculate about (the ACC),” Fisher said in March.

Sources said MSG can get out of its deal before 2026 if the new Big East doesn’t reach certain benchmarks. That would open the door for the ACC, which is holding its spring meetings in Amelia Island.

Nobody should start planning a trip to NYC in March for the ACC Tournament quite yet. Greesboro is still locked in for the next two years. As for the 2016-2021 sites (the most recent bid submissions), I see no way that the ACC gets to MSG in that timeframe. Not with their deal with the Big East.

I see MSG (or even Barclays in Brooklyn with the A-10) exercising an out by 2021 to nab the ACC, but it will take some time. I would be completely stunned if it could happen sooner. But it can’t be ruled out because Ninja Swofford can be just that good.

On the topic of the Ninja, this Andy Staples piece on John Swofford is a good read. Especially how he handled the FSU Board of Trustees and skated around Florida sunshine laws.

It also confirms something I long suspected. Swofford began honing his ninja skills after what happened in the 2003 expansion.

At least one person understood: a former North Carolina defensive back named John Swofford. “At that given point in time, as much as anything, it was looking ahead and understanding that football was going to be driving the future more than it had,” Swofford said. “We felt like we needed to be stronger and better positioned both from a football and a marketplace standpoint.”

In taking those three schools, Swofford also learned something valuable. At that time, the ACC’s bylaws required site visits before a new school could be accepted. After the ACC’s pursuit of those schools leaked and caused a firestorm, Swofford and his presidents tweaked the bylaws so that if they ever needed to add more schools, they could do it quickly and in secret. At the time, Swofford couldn’t imagine adding more schools.

Swofford and the ACC got burned badly — from a PR standpoint — with their raid on the Big East. They got called out for skullduggery when Mike Tranhese went public and blasted them. They lost time and nearly lost the expansion game when it was leaked and the Big East actually had a chance to respond and react. Luckily for the ACC, they were dealing with the Big East. And the Big East did their thing: mainly stand around, threaten to sue, be incompetent and do nothing.  Nothing until it was too late and Miami and VT left, followed by BC a year after their departure.

Happy noises continue to be made about setting up Pitt-Penn State for the long term.

“Whether it’s every single year or not, we’ll have to see how it works out,” Pederson told ESPN on Tuesday at the ACC spring meetings. “My hope is to try to make that work on a regular basis. I do feel like both sides would like to have it happen. I’m very optimistic.”

Pitt and Penn State have played 96 times since 1893, including annually from 1900-31, 1935-92 and 1997-2000. They will play four times between 2016-19, but after discussions with Penn State athletic director Dave Joyner, Pederson said he believes the schools will schedule more games in the future.

Joyner concurred, speaking to reporters at the Big Ten spring meetings in Chicago.

“We’d be interested in talking about that. It’s a great series,” Joyner said. “It’s been a great linchpin in Pennsylvania for everyone there. Steve and I will definitely talk about doing that. We’ve always threatened to meet halfway on the turnpike somewhere at one exit.”

As for the Backyard Brawl there’s a little bit of a contrast in the enthusiasm to renew that.

“I would sign a 30-year deal, if I could,” Pederson said. “It shouldn’t matter who the (university) president or the head coach is, these institutions should always play. It’s a great game. It’s got history to it, we’re three hours apart and in the same state. Those games ought to be played.”

While Pitt is seeking an annual series with Penn State, the Panthers will not be able to reinstate the Backyard Brawl with West Virginia on an annual basis, Pederson said. The schools have played 104 times, but the series ended in 2012 when West Virginia left the Big East for the Big 12. Pederson said he spoke recently with West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck about scheduling some future games between the Panthers and Mountaineers.

“We’re both trying to figure out when we can do it,” Pederson said. “We’re both in favor if it’s in the best interest of both schools.”

You know, sometime out there in the future. It’s just that things are in such flux now. The moving. The unpacking. The new community. But really. No, really. We will get together for a cup of coffee and talk. Just like we used to do. Promise.

Both beat writers have notes from the ACC meeting in their blogs. Here and here.

DiPaola has some stuff from FSU Football Coach Jimbo Fisher talking about his players staying out of trouble. Which, for some reason seems to be an issue for Pitt these days.

He was crowing about his players staying out of trouble, and I asked him — very simply — how he does it.

“Do a lot of praying,” he said, laughing, and everyone laughed with him.

But, then, he got serious.

“Constant education, constant development of programs around your kids to understand how to act and what environment they are (in) and constantly educating them with different speakers, different people who have been in their shoes.

“We are trying to educate them as much as you possibly can about the pitfalls, and why you should and why you shouldn’t, and build the team dynamics to where the good guys are rewarded and those are the examples you should follow.”

Prayer still seems like the best option. I mean, yeah, there’s the education. There’s the reminding them of the consequences. There’s reminding them of the players that are no longer on the team because they screwed up.

But it’s never going to be perfect. Sooner or later someone is going to do something really stupid. How stupid (and criminal) is the question. There are 85 scholarship players, giver or take, on a team. There’s only so much control that can be exercised. Only so much you can presume the kids are of the “character” that will not get into trouble. Cynically, I think most coaches just hope the problems come spaced out so there isn’t a rash of bad stories at once.