The ACC tournament swung into gear yesterday, with the bottom dwellers slugging it out in order to earn the right to play on Wednesday. Let's break down the ACC teams, and their chances in the conference tournament.
The Ineligible:
Syracuse (18-13, 9-9 ACC)
As I'm sure you've already heard ad nauseam, Syracuse is serving a self-imposed postseason ban this postseason, as preemptive action in the face of an ongoing NCAA investigation. Apparently, it helped them out, because the sanctions handed down by the NCAA really lack teeth. Syracuse would likely have found themselves on the wrong side of the bubble at the end of the season anyway, and they'll be sitting this ACC tourney out. This is great news for the #10 seed, Florida State (who would've been bumped down a spot to #10 since Syracuse would've been the 8 seed), because they would've found themselves playing an extra play-in game against the #15 seed.
The Win on Tuesday Teams:
Don't expect any of these teams to make any noise in the tourney. That's why I don't really mind publishing this after these two games have already been decided.
#11 Wake Forest (13-18, 5-13 ACC)
Wake's a young team (check out the Greek Deac). Which is good. Because they aren't very good. I do expect them to take down Virginia Tech on Wednesday, but that isn't saying much. Also, Scotty Wilbekin's little brother (Mitchell) plays here. So, pedigree, I guess? Wake fell to Virginia Tech 81-80.
#12 Boston College (12-18, 4-14 ACC)
Olivier Hanlan made First-Team All-ACC. And Eddie Odi-Odi-oooh!
Beat Georgia Tech 66-65 to move on.
#13 Georgia Tech (12-18, 3-15 ACC)
No Georgia Tech player was named to the first, second, or third-team or to the honorable mentions. Also, Georgia Tech is 0-10 in games decided by 5 points or less or in overtime coming into the tournament. Eliminated in a 66-65 loss to Boston College. Fitting.
#14 Virginia Tech (10-21, 2-16 ACC)
Virginia Tech finished in last place in the ACC for the third straight season. Any sort of ACC win would be big for them, but don't expect them to knock off Wake. You've gotta wonder why Buzz Williams left a successful Marquette program for Tech. It wouldn't be surprising if Marquette gets hammered for sanctions in the near future. So, I was wrong. Virginia Tech pulled out a nail-biter, taking out Wake Forest 81-80.
Lots of Work to Do:
These teams have a lot to do to continue playing in March. And by a lot, I mean they more or less have to win the whole shebang.
#10 Pittsburgh (19-13, 8-10 ACC)
Pitt's second season in the ACC did not run as smoothly as the first for Jamie Dixon and the Panthers. One thing that needs to be noted though: Jamel Artis is a bad, bad man.
He's also got that Bron-Bron headband action going on. Artis and Mike Young were both given honorable mention nods by the ACC.
#9 Florida State (16-15, 8-10 ACC)
I'd describe Florida State's style as smashmouth. Unfortunately, this is basketball, not football. That said, freshman guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes did score 30 points in the last 4:38 against Miami. You read that right. See the highlights below, but I'd recommend watching the full replay on WatchESPN, because as awesome as this clip is, it was even crazier in real time.
#8 Clemson (16-14, 8-10 ACC)
Clemson is the same team its been for the last X years. They play slow. They have a guy with really long dreds running the point. This is a team who's most notable wins in conference were against Pitt and State, yet they beat Arkansas and LSU out of conference (it really shows you how great the SEC is).
Finally, The Bubble:
NC State and Miami have important tournaments coming up. Both teams have a lot at stake, with their performances this week having major NCAA tourney implications.
#6 Miami (20-11, 10-8 ACC)
Miami has one absolutely great win on their resume, when they beat Duke by 16 at Cameron. There are very few teams with wins that good in the entire country. And they have a certifiable budding star in Angel Rodriguez. The freshman has gone off a couple times this season: 24 against (then) #8 Florida to introduce himself to the country, 25 points in a close loss vs #3 UVa and 24 points in the aforementioned undressing of Duke. Here's some of his highlights from his coming out party against Florida.
But, Miami is in Lunardi's First Four Out right now. Why's that? Losses to ACC scrubs Georgia Tech (home), Florida State (away) and Wake Forest (away). That's not even mentioning their embarrassing home loss to Eastern Kentucky. A strong ACC tournament (probably at least a trip to the semis, meaning they beat Duke again) would hopefully help the committee ignore those ugly losses.
#7 NC State (19-12, 10-8 ACC)
Like Miami, NC State has some great wins this year. They've taken down three of the top 5 seeds in the ACC (Duke, Louisville and UNC), so you know they can compete with the big dogs. And like Miami, they have some bad losses (they've lost at Boston College and at Wake Forest). They're near the good side of the bubble, but things could change with an early loss in the ACC tourney. The Wolfpack will hope that Trevor Lacey will continue to play like a star (16.1 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 3.4 APG). Lacey has some late game heroics of his own to write home about, including this game-winner in OT at Georgia Tech.
The Contenders:
UNC, Louisville and Notre Dame have been top teams all season. They have flaws for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised to see one of these teams win the whole thing and dramatically improve their seeding come tourney time.
#5 North Carolina (21-10, 11-7 ACC)
I'm not a believer in UNC. They've been up and down all season. I think Marcus Paige is overrated and they don't feed the post as much as they ought to. Kennedy Meeks is missing their game Wednesday with a fever, so he most likely won't be back at any point in the ACC tournament. I think they lose to Louisville. If they figure out how to play defense, and Tokoto shows up they could make some noise.
#4 Louisville (24-7, 12-6 ACC)
Louisville is without Chris Jones, and there will surely be growing pains with freshman PG Quentin Snider. But, it's not like their offense was efficient even with Jones. Their defense is just so suffocating that they stand a chance in literally every game they play. And they managed to pull out a tough win against top seed UVa this past Saturday. So, maybe Louisville can still look like the Elite Eight caliber team that they looked like earlier in the season. One more thing, Montrezl Harrell is a bad, bad man.
#3 Notre Dame (26-5, 14-4 ACC)
Notre Dame has been blasted for their weak OOC schedule. I'm just gonna leave some Jerian Grant highlights here.
Jerian Grant could absolutely be a Kemba or a Shabazz for Notre Dame this year. Don't sleep on them.
The Favorites:
Duke and UVa are lined up on opposite sides of the bracket, destined for what is sure to be an epic ACC final. Duke won the first matchup between these powerhouses in a thriller. Lots will be at stake if this plays out, with potentially the #2 overall seed (and the right to play near home in Greensboro, NC) in the tournament going to the victor.
#2 Duke (28-3, 15-3 ACC)
Duke has a high powered offense. They don't really play that much defense (though they flashed some serious potential to do so in their game against UVa), but they have a really, really high powered offense. Jahlil Okafor is playing as hyped (though yes, he needs some defense work if he really has plans at the next level), but Tyus Jones is the real reason for their success this year over last. His emergence at the point has let Quinn Cook off the hook in regards to ball handling responsibilities. And Quinn Cook as been lighting it up from beyond the arc (over 40% on the season, up from a solid 37% last year). Duke just has weapons, and they're oh, so dangerous.
Inside:
And out (that was incredibly hard for me to link to).
#1 Virginia (28-2, 16-2 ACC)
So, I'm going to be a real homer here, but I think UVa constantly gets disrespected when people talk about talent. Yes, Duke has the better recruits, but that doesn't mean they necessarily have the better college basketball players right now. UVa's team is absolutely talented. However, they miss Justin Anderson. Their offense, formerly top 10 in efficiency, has really lost its groove. Without Anderson to space out the floor (both with his deadliness from beyond the arc, and his ability to attack the basket), UVa's offense looks plodding. I think with Anderson healthy (he'll be playing regardless I think, since he needs the game time), UVa wins the ACC tourney, and gets that #2 overall seed in the tournament. I'm hopeful. UVa has had 26 stretches holding an opponent scoreless for 5+ minutes. They doubled up both Georgia Tech and Wake Forest. And they did this to poor Harvard.
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