Another season has come and gone in the ACC and once again it was not a banner year for the conference. North Carolina and Duke carried the conference on their back as they usually do, while the other teams floundered for the most part. The ACC has a shot at getting six teams into the NCAA Tournament but could also have as little as three teams make it. Below are synopses of the six teams that have a chance to make the NCAA Tournament, and also have a chance to be cutting down the nets in Greensboro on Sunday.#1 North Carolina (24-6, 14-2)
All is right in Chapel Hill after the nightmare that was the 2009-2010 season. Carolina is back atop the ACC and have proven to everyone but blinded Duke fans that they are the class of the conference. If Carolina could win the ACC Tournament they could put themselves in the discussion for a #1 seed, something that seemed impossible just a few weeks ago. The best thing to happen to the Heels was rapper and wannabe point guard Larry Drew II leaving the team, allowing freshman Kendall Marshall to take over. Harrison Barnes has begun living up to the hype that preceded his freshman season and Tyler Zeller has made tremendous strides. The Tar Heels aren't very deep so they will need to avoid foul trouble to continue their hot play.
#2 Duke (27-4, 13-3)
What might have been is the question Blue Devils fans keep asking themselves. If only Kyrie Irving has stayed healthy. However, he didn't and the Blue Devils are resigned to the fact that save for a half, they were out classed by the Tar Heels. Putting my hate aside, Duke is a very talented team that does a lot of things well. Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler provide most of the scoring punch, while Seth Curry and Andrew Dawkins are threats beyond the three point line. Mason Plumlee is the garbage man inside and also an incredibly atrocious free throw shooter, hitting just 43% of his free throws. Duke has very good shooters and they have a history of playing well in this Tournament.
#3 Florida State (21-9, 11-5)
The Seminoles are likely to be without leading scorer F Chris Singleton for the ACC Tournament but have been managing without him, going 3-2, and nearly knocking off ACC Champion North Carolina. The Seminoles aren't a team that beats you with offense, but as has become their staple under Leonard Hamilton, their ferocious defense is what carries them to victory. Singleton not only provided the scoring, he was also the Seminoles leading rebounder. I think his loss will be too much for the Seminoles to overcome to win three straight games in this Tournament.
#4 Clemson (20-10, 9-7)
The Tigers sit squarely on the bubble. At least one win in the ACC Tournament should be enough to get them into the NCAA Tournament. Much like the Seminoles, Clemson plays an ugly brand of basketball. Clemson gets most of their points inside as they are atrocious from beyond the arc. Demontez Stitt leads the Tigers in scoring and assists, while Jerai Grant, Devon Booker, and Milton Jennings are their leading rebounders.
#5 Boston College (19-11, 9-7)
Save for the Tar Heels inexplicably putting up 104 points on them at Chestnut Hill the Eagles have been an accomplished defensive team all season. G Reggie Jackson was one of the best players in conference, averaging 18.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, and 4.5 apg. The Eagles will need F Joe Trapani to get his rebounding back up, as after averaging 7.2 rpg, he only had 11 in his last three games. F Corey Raji comes is playing some of his best basketball of the season, including a 19 point, 12 rebound effort against Virginia Tech last week. The Eagles are another bubble team who could use a few more wins to feel safe about their NCAA Tournament chances.
#6 Virginia Tech (19-10, 9-7)
Save for the home win against Duke it has been a disappointing season for the Hokies. Injuries haven't helped, but the Hokies had a chance to finally feel secure about their NCAA hopes and then dropped their last two games after defeating Duke. Virginia Tech is used to life on the bubble and if they were to lose to Georgia Tech it would be another NIT season for them. Win that game and then have at least a respectable showing in the Second Round might be enough. The Hokies are carried by Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen. Delaney averaged 18.8 ppg, while Allen brought down 10 rebounds per game.
Below are my predictions for today's First Round games and then how I see the rest of the ACC Tournament playing out.
First Round
#8 Virginia over #9 Miami
#5 Boston College over #12 Wake Forest
#7 Maryland over #10 NC State
#11 Georgia Tech over #6 Virginia Tech
Quarter-Finals
#1 North Carolina over #8 Virginia
#5 Boston College over #4 Clemson
#2 Duke over #7 Maryland
#3 Florida State over #11 Georgia Tech
Semi-Finals
#1 North Carolina over #5 Boston College
#2 Duke over #3 Florida State
Finals
#1 North Carolina over #2 Duke
For years Carolina and Duke always seem to miss out on playing each other in the ACC Tournament. However, I believe this year will be different. They are clearly the superior teams to the rest of the conference and I think that will show in Greensboro. I could never pick Duke to beat Carolina, hence my pick of the Tar Heels, but a result either way would not be surprising.
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