3/2/07

Wow, what a week it was in the ACC. Let's dive right in...

Clemson 74, Miami 70 (OT) - Well, at least Clemson won. They really needed this game, but they also needed to make a Statement. By beating the conference's worst team by only 4 points in overtime at home, the only Statement Clemson made was, "we're headed to the NIT, and we know it."

Maryland 85, Duke 77 - Now, this was a statement. Maryland led most of the way, including all of the second half, and look like one of the ACC's elite. With a trip to UNC upcoming, Duke is in danger of finishing the ACC regular season at 8-8. That'll still be good enough for an NCAA berth, but it looks like they'll be seeded no higher than 8th, unless they do some serious damage against UNC and then in the ACC tourney.

Virginia 69, Virginia Tech 56 - Another statement, this time by the Cavaliers, who have quietly won 11 of 13 and grabbed the top spot in the conference. They are looking like a 3 or 4 seed, maybe better, depending on their ACC tourney performance. The Hokies continue their up and down performance. In their last 8 games, they have lost to NC State, been blown out by BC, trounced Virginia, edged out a win at Chapel Hill, then got pantsed by NC State, then blew out BC, spanked Miami, and finally, got trounced by Virginia. Some of those wins are very impressive, but the Hokies are obviously way too inconsistent to grab a protected seed.

Georgia Tech 84, North Carolina 77 - Wow, now this was a statement! By taking care of the Heels, the Jackets have kept hope alive for an 8-8 finish in ACC play and a definite NCAA berth. They have one more tough game remaining, but this was the Big One that they needed. As for the Heels, they appear to be in somewhat of a funk all of a sudden, that could potentially cost them a 1 seed. They'll need to be impressive against Duke and probably have to win the ACC tourney if they want to be a top seed in the Big Dance.

This weekend marks the final game of ACC regular season play. The games...

3/3, 12:00 - Florida State (18-11, 6-9) @ Miami (11-18, 4-11) - For the second straight game, Miami is playing against a team sitting on the bubble with 9 conference losses that needs to beat them, and beat them badly, to make a statement to the NCAA selection comittee. This time, their opponent is Florida State. The Seminoles need to win this game, win big, and then do some serious damage in the ACC tourney. The Selection Comittee do not like taking a team with a below .500 conference record, and even though this is a weak bubble year, FSU needs to make their case emphatically.

1:00 - Virginia (20-8, 11-4) @ Wake Forest (13-15, 4-11) - UVA can clinch the ACC regular season title with a win over Wake. That and a good showing in the ACC tournament - making the finals, for instance - might be a strong enough combination to get them as high as a 2 seed in the NCAAs. They'll need to avoid this potnetial trap game however. Georgia Tech and Clemson can both attest to what Wake Forest can do at home to the unwary opponent.

3:30 - North Carolina State (15-13, 5-10) @ Maryland (23-7, 9-6) - The Terrapins continue to keep right on rolling. Winners of 6 games in a row now, Maryland has probably played its way into a protected seed. But they can still play their way right back out of it if they aren't careful. And losing to NC State would be a really good way to get the Selection Comittee to rethink a top 4 seed for the Terps.

3/4, 1:00 - Clemson (20-9, 6-9) @ Virginia Tech - Clemson gets another opportunity to make a statement, but this one won't be nearly as easy. The Tigers absolutely need to win this game - a 6-10 conference record simply will not get it done. And even with a win here, Clemson would probably need 2 or maybe even 3 wins in the ACC tourney to crash the NCAAs. As for the Hokies, their roller coaster ride has to be as frustrating for them as it will be on the Comittee when they try to evaluate the team that swept North Carolina but got swept by NC State. They would do very well to win this game and at least do something to answer a lot of people's questions about this squad.

3:00 - Boston College (19-9, 10-5) @ Georgia Tech (19-10, 7-8) - This is the most important game of the weekend. The Yellow Jackets shocked the world Thursday with their huge win over the Tar Heels, but the work isn't done yet for Tech; they need one more win to get to the critical 8-8 conference mark. As for BC, despite their win over Clemson last weekend, they have lost 3 of 4 and are in danger of some serious slippage in their NCAA seed. A win on the road against a Desperate Georgia Tech team that just punked the perceived class of the conference under the same circumstances would do a lot to convince everyone that their problem stretch is behind them. A loss here, and they would probably need a strong ACC tourney showing to keep their seed at around 5-6, where it probably is now.

4:00 - Duke (22-8, 8-7) @ North Carolina (24-6, 10-5) - The Greatest Rivalry In Sports renews Sunday afternoon. UNC is trying to hold on to a top four seed and the bye that comes with it, not to mention a #1 seed in the NCAAs, while Duke is trying to avoid an 8-8 conference finish and a corresponding 7 or 8 seed - or worse. That, and all of the baggage that always goes with this rivalry, and you've got another can't miss between the ACC's two royalty programs.

Of course, it isn't just ACC action going on this weekend. Quite a few NCAA tickets are going to be punched between now and my next entry in this blog.

Atlantic Sun - Down to East Tennessee State, Lipscomb, Campbell, and Belmont. Semifinals are this evening, and the finals are tomorrow.

Big South - The final between Winthrop and The Virginia Military Institute is Saturday.

Colonial Athletic - The CAA tournament starts today and will wrap up on Monday.

Ivy - The Ivy League has no tournament. Pennsylvania can wrap up the League title, and the League's automatic NCAA berth, with a win over Yale tonight.

Metro Atlantic Athletic - Same as the CAA - tourney starts today and runs through Monday.

Missouri Valley - Perhaps the country's premiere mid-major, the MVC is down to 8 teams: Southern Illinois, Drake, Bradley, Northern Iowa, Creighton, Indiana State (Larry Bird's alma matter), Missouri State, and Wichita State. The quarterfinals are today, the semifinals are tomorrow, and the final will be on Sunday.

Ohio Valley - Down to Austin Peay, Samford, Eastern Kentucky, and Tennessee Tech. The semifinals are today, with the final coming tomorrow.

Southern - Down to Davidson, Furman, Appalachian State, and College of Charleston. The semifinals are today, the final is tomorrow.

West Coast - Like the CAA and MAAC, the WCC tourney starts today and runs through Monday.

Besides the CAA, MAAC, and WCC, three other conferences are starting tournament play this weekend.

The America East tourney starts today and runs through the 4th, and then goes on break before the final on the 10th (go Retrievers!).

The Big Sky tourney has first round games tomorrow, and the semifinals and finals take place on the 6th and 7th.

The Mid-Continent tournament starts tomorrow and runs through the 6th.

I'll be back here Tuesday with a recap of all this action. This weekend sometime I'll post in the politics blog.

Till we meet again...