Top 40 Players of the ACC: No. 20-16

Seth Curry drives on Lorenzo Brown in last night's victory for Duke. -photo via rivals.com

20. Glen Rice, Jr., Georgia Tech- In all reality the best player and prospect on this Georgia Tech team, Rice needs to improve on consistency and his headiness. His numbers (13 ppg, 6.7 rpg) continue to rise year to year but there have been stretches where he seems lost, not sure whether to depend on his shot or his natural ability. Certainly a prop prospect you can see his dad's genes coming out at times from deep.

19. Lorenzo Brown, NC State- What a difference a new coach can make. The minute Mark Gottfried got to Raleigh he decided Brown was going to be his point guard, skyrocketing his numbers (12.1 ppg, 6.6 apg, 4.3 rpg). Not only that but Brown has turned into a leader for this squad, calling out the plays and pushing through hard times when others look down. Brown has a natural build to be a two guard with the offensive skills of a point guard.

18. Seth Curry, Duke- When you think of Duke's players this year it's hard to pick out one that has been consistently good. Curry is the closest to that fit, coming on more so in recent games. He started off the season as the point guard but, like his brother Stephen, needs to be able to find his own shot. An underrated driver, Curry has unquestioned ability from deep and is getting better on defense.

17. Durand Scott, Miami- When you talk about consistent players for teams, Scott leaps off the page for his Miami squad. The junior leads his team in minutes (34.2) while posting solid numbers (12.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.3 apg). Scott is slowing becoming a leader for the Hurricanes and should show up on next year's preseason all-conference team. A bulky 205 pounds, the shooting guard continues to impress on defense, as well.

16. Andre Young, Clemson- Without Young, Clemson would be by far the worst team in the conference. A 5-9 senior, the leader of the Tigers plays as if he were 6-5. A strong, quick defender, Young also leads his team in scoring (13.6) and assists (3.3). If there was an award for toughness given out, Young would be in the lead right now. This is the kind of guy that Clemson is going to miss going forward.

Rapid Reaction: Clemson-Maryland

Wow, another amazing comeback for a Clemson team that has now lost by 7 points or less in six ACC games. Maryland's Terrell Stoglin and Clemson's Andre Young looked opposite of what they actually are at the end, however. Stoglin, a sophomore on the road, hit two clutch free throws with under ten seconds left after Young, a senior, only hit one of three just three only one second earlier. Milton Jennings, who had a terrific game coming back from a two-game ban for academic reasons, made it interesting for a second with a big three at the buzzer. And then one of the truly weird plays in college basketball happened. The Terps' senior defensive leader Shane Mosley, who had made one of two free throws following Jennings' three, caught a full court Clemson pass as it was going out of bounds. The rules, however, state the ball never went out of bounds and the Tigers got it back under their basket. This only resulted in a missed heave by Young at the buzzer.

What it means for...
Clemson- You're that close...to being in the middle tier of the ACC. The Tigers have now barely lost to six ACC teams, including Duke and Virginia, but are without a significant victory (besides middle tier NC State) and cannot beat a young Maryland team on their own floor.

Andre Young- It's time to step up. Senior leaders have no excuse when missing free throws with the game on the line. Especially after a big time decision to pump fake and draw the foul on the three point shot.

Milton Jennings- Let's see the consistency. The long junior has shown his inside-outside game, now let's see you assert yourself as one of the top players on this mediocre team.

Terrell Stoglin- Put your name down for first team all-conference. A 27 point, 4 rebound, 4 steal game including clutch free throws at the end mean a lot coming from a growing-every-game sophomore.

Maryland- Put it all together. You see Maryland lose a lot of their cool in the second half for the second straight game. They blew the lead against North Carolina on Saturday and were lucky that Clemson does not possess quite that kind of skill or they would be 0-2 in their last two games right now.

Maryland-Clemson Preview

Clemson: You have to like the emergence of KJ McDaniels. Despite that, nothing looked great in the Virginia Tech loss. Andre Young once again put in 14 points, but the senior needs more help. McDaniels, who missed two key free throws at the end (perhaps the first time the freshman had been in a pressure situation), is not the only answer. Devin Booker is very inconsistent and will need to have a big day defensively to shut down the emerging Alex Len.

Maryland: Terrell Stoglin is quickly etching his name into first team All-Conference. Yet, while Stoglin can score, he did not do much defensively against the Tar Heels backcourt, specifically at the end. Stoglin, and Pe'Shon Howard will have to step up defensively to stop Young. Watch how James Padgett and Alex Len do inside during this game. A second solid performance would mark the arrival of Len and Padgett is still waiting to have his breakout game. The interior defense of Clemson is nothing to write home about, but McDaniels had 5 blocks in the Virginia Tech game.

Key Player: Tanner Smith, Clemson. The Senior guard is having a stellar final season but has been inconsistent at times. If he can get going against Stoglin, and stop the Maryland sophomore on the other end, he could be the difference for the Tigers.

Prediction: Clemson 72, Maryland 66. Clemson is too hungry after two losses to let this one slip away at home.