ACC Weekend Preview

It’s been a rough couple of days getting over the Terps game from Wednesday. I am still struggling to find the words to describe that game. It was the first time in awhile that I left the stadium feeling disappointed by Maryland.

Luckily, I am currently sitting on a balcony enjoying a beautiful Miami morning. This is one of the few things that could help me get over that Maryland game.

Regardless, this post is supposed to be about the games today, not me attempting to find positives and make sense of Wednesday night. Today features a good slate of games across the board. They do have to go head to head against the NFL Playoffs, but it should make for some fun checking into during commercials.

Duke at North Carolina State – 12:00 ESPN: Not much time to really settle into your day before this game starts. It’s a young season, but this is the biggest game to date, which became even more interesting when Duke lost Ryan Kelly. The Blue Devils don’t go very deep, and don’t have anyone else on the roster who brings what Ryan Kelly did to the table. North Carolina State gains a huge advantage at the 4 spot, with CJ Leslie now getting to go up against PJ Hairston or Amile Jefferson. Lorenzo Brown will have his hands full at both ends with Quinn Cook who is coming off a 23 point game against Clemson.

This game is tough to pick because of the injury to Ryan Kelly, but also how will North Carolina State deal with the pressure. Both on the court and off, Duke will make sure to pressure the ball, as they always do but also to prevent the ball from getting inside to CJ Leslie. If they can force him to catch the ball outside the paint, Duke will have a chance of being able to slow down Leslie and force him to be a passer. On the other hand, North Carolina State hasn’t responded well in high pressure games, is today the day they change that around? Can Scott Wood get enough open looks to extend the defense and free up Leslie?

My Pick: Duke: They are still the team to beat in conference, and Coach K is still the best coach in conference. It will be tough, but if any coach can get their team ready after losing someone to injury, it’s Coach K.

Virginia at Clemson – 12:00 ESPN3: This is the weakest game of the day, Virginia in true fashion, followed up their win against North Carolina by losing at Wake Forest on Wednesday night. Clemson scored 10 points in the first half at Duke on Tuesday. Virginia will look to keep the score low, Clemson will undoubtedly help with their poor shooting. It’s do or die time for Clemson, who could drop to 0-3 with a loss. As for Virginia, a win would get them back on track at 2-1 to stay in the hunt for an upper half of the conference finish.

Clemson struggled on Tuesday with Duke’s guard, primarily Quinn Cook. Granted he was coming off an 0-11 shooting night the game before. Either way, Clemson will have to find a way to slow down Joe Harris if they want to protect LittleJohn. Joe Harris will get his numbers, but most importantly if he is comfortable, then he will be able to execute the Virginia offense and set up high percentage looks for his teammates.

My Pick: Virginia: I have more faith in Coach Bennett getting his team to respond from a road loss than I do with Coach Brownell getting his team to play with urgency.

North Carolina at Florida State – 2:00 ESPN: Duke at NC ST will get most of the headlines, but this game is just as important to the conference race. After pulling out two road wins, the Noles return to Tallahassee to face a now in desperation mode Tar Heels team. Florida State has improved their defense over the past two games, and the win at Maryland should give them the confidence that they can compete with anyone in the conference. What should give them even more confidence heading into this game is the emergence of Okaro White in the post. White has elevated his game since conference play started, most notably on Wednesday with 20 points 9 rebounds and 6 blocks. For the Tar Heels, how will Reggie Bullock respond from an off shooting night against Miami? Bullock has to be a consistent scoring threat for a UNC team who lacks many scoring options.

My Pick: Florida State: Coming home with confidence is key for the Seminoles. The seniors on this team know that they can beat anyone in conference, and the freshman were just a part of them stealing a road win with great defense. Florida State should have everyone bought into Coach Hamilton’s defensive scheme now.

Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech – 2:30 ESPN3: Ok, maybe I was a little too high on the Yellow Jackets at the start of conference play. Saw their games against Illinois and Saint Mary’s and felt confident they could steal a couple of games in conference. Georgia Tech doesn’t have many high volume scorers, but Virginia Tech’s poor defense and small line up can turn anyone into a big time scorer. Daniel Miller is coming off a great game in a loss to North Carolina Sate, so I would look to him to continue his solid play. The Virginia Tech bigs wouldn’t be as difficult as some of the other front lines in conference. Marcus Georges-Hunt is only a freshman, and he will have his hands full trying to slow down the nations leading scorer, Erick Green. Hunt’s numbers haven’t been great, but if he can make Green work for his baskets he will give Georgia Tech a chance to win.

For Virginia Tech, the key will be defense. They are giving up an average of 90 points in conference, and don’t have the type of scoring to match that. Georgia Tech isn’t a high scoring team, but if they are getting easy baskets in transitions and off of poor rotations, then the Hokies will be in an uphill battle to get a much needed win.

My Pick: Georgia Tech: It’s not just about being big on the Jackets at the start of conference play, it’s about believing that to win a game of basketball, you need to play defense. Don’t think Virginia Tech can get enough stops to keep this game within striking distance.

Boston College at Wake Forest – 4:00 ESPN3: A surprisingly good match up now that both teams won on Wednesday night. Boston College has shown a lot of heart so far, they battled North Carolina State to the very end, and then went on the road an put up 84 in a double digit win at Virginia Tech. Wake Forest was able to protect their home court against what looked like a surging Virginia team. By no stretch should you be turning off the NFL Playoffs to catch this game, but it’s one to keep an eye on. Boston College is about to enter a tough stretch of their schedule, and they can’t afford to drop winnable games, with not very many on the schedule. I can’t believe I’m typing this, but Wake Forest can potentially go on a 4 game winning streak. Trust me, I don’t get it either, and it won’t be easy for them. However, they have BC at home before going on the road to Clemson and Virginia Tech. If there was ever a time for Coach Bzdelik to grab some momentum to keep his job, this is the time.

My Pick: Boston College: Typing that last sentence about a Wake Forest 4 game winning streak did me in. I can’t see that happening one bit, better to grab the road team who just put up 84 in their previous road outing.

I’m going to do my best to keep up with the games, however can you really expect me to while this is my current view?