It has been a hectic couple of weeks for this sports fan and now I find myself flustered in preparation for this week’s sports column.

It occurs to me as I write this that what I really need is a little R&R.

So here it goes, my rants and raves…

Duke and Maryland will be playing for the NCAA Women’s Championship.

I of course wanted to see my Tarheels pull out a win over the Terrapins, but the best team Sunday won.

That is not to say the best team won Sunday, but that the best team Sunday won.

As a fan of the Atlantic Coast Conference, it is great to see two of the conference’s squads make it to the final and three of the Final Four teams all ACC affiliated schools.

The men may not have represented their conference as well as many had hoped, but the women have had no problem proving once again that the best basketball is played in the ACC.

Speaking of Duke, the time has come for the university to take more action regarding the lacrosse team.

A woman came forward and accused three players from Duke University’s lacrosse team of rape.

Now I am a strong believer in the phrase &uot;innocent until proven guilty,&uot; but this claim combined with previous incidents leading up to this are cause for action despite any finding the Durham Police/District Attorney may come to.

There are claims that as many as 15 of the players, nearly a third of the team, had been charged in recent months with various crimes following apparent drunken behavior.

According to other reports, there have been at least five formal complaints to police regarding disruptive behavior at the residence where some of the players lived and the alleged rape took place.

Regardless of their success on the field (they lost to Johns Hopkins in last year’s national championship game), they have tarnished the reputation of one of this country’s most reputable universities and athletic departments.

The suspension of the remaining season pending the police investigation is both too little and too late.

It’s time the athletic director learned a few things from one of his coaches.

Do you think Coach K would have allowed this to happen with his basketball program?

I think not.

Switching back to hoops talk, the Basketball Hall of Fame announced it’s 2006 inductees this past weekend and one of the worst snubs in NBA history may have been at least partially righted.

A longtime fan of the NBA, I was shocked when almost 10 years ago David Stern announced the 50 best players in league history and Dominique Wilkins was not included.

I was pleased to see that he, along with &uot;The Round Mound of Rebound&uot; Charles Barkley, Joe Dumars (new NBA fans don’t remember that he was the best defensive player in the league for almost a decade), UCONN coach Geno Auriemma and two other guys I have never heard of made it into the hall of fame.

Nique’, or &uot;The Human Highlight Reel&uot; as he was often called, was one of the league’s most prolific scorers and his offensive prowess often overshadowed his defensive abilities.

The Beaufort County native is finally receiving some of the appreciation he deserves.

It’s about time.

I’d like to hear from you. If you agree or disagree with my opinion on something, have an idea for a column topic or just want to let me know someone is reading this every once in awhile please e-mail me. My address is david.friedman@r-cnews.com. See ya next week!