Second half of the first day goes as expected

Erick Green (11) and Virginia Tech beat Clemson by five in the game of the day. -photo via Washington Post

It's the best time of the year. March Madness starts now, with each conference pitting the best against the best. We see bubbles burst, buzzer beaters, and big name programs go down. But...not in the ACC today. After Maryland crushed Wake Forest and NC State blew out Boston College, the other two games were rather uneventful. Virginia Tech beat Clemson by five in what ended up being, as promised by yours truly, the closest and most intriguing game of the afternoon, and Miami pulled away from Georgia Tech in a yawner.

In the seven o'clock game Virginia Tech avenged a loss from just a week prior by beating Clemson 68-63. Clemson led by five at the half but the Hokies used a 9-0 run when the score was tied at 52 and held on to beat the Tigers. A few things were most evident during this game. First of all, Erick Green is a prime time performer. The junior led all scorers with 24 points which included a three during their run and a couple clutch free throws late. Dorenzo Hudson, the only senior playing in the game for the Hokies added 19 with four rebounds. The fifth year senior has obviously been playing with urgency lately, averaging almost 13 points over the Hokies' last four. Clemson and coach Brad Brownell deserve to be noticed for a successful season. The Tigers were picked to finish seventh in the preseason but came out flat, losing to the College of Charleston and Coastal Carolina early in the season. But the Tigers held firm and finished their ACC season winning 5 of 7. This team is going to lose some players but have NBA talent coming back in Devin Booker and Milton Jennings.

In the late game Miami and Georgia Tech successfully put most viewers to sleep. The Yellow Jackets were thinking upset with the score 20-19 at the half. Both teams were shooting below 30% and both had at least eight first half turnovers. But Miami restored order by going on an 18-0 run and outscoring Tech by 19 in the second stanza to win 54-36. During the run we were reminded of what Reggie Johnson is capable of. The big man finished with only seven points on 3-10 shooting but six of those points came during the run. Shane Larkin was also the obvious spark plug behind everything. His defense (3 steals) and up tempo driving ability motivated his teammates, specifically Durand Scott, who finished with 11 points and 7 boards on 4-5 shooting. But watching also gave the viewer the ability to see just how talented Georgia Tech really is. Jason Morris proved he can jump out of the gym when he went up for a put back (that was eventually called interference), Mfon Udofia showed his quickness by keeping up with Larkin for most of the game, and Daniel Miller came off the bench and was really the reason why Johnson was held in check for the majority of the contest (10 rebounds, 5 blocks). The pieces are there for the Yellow Jackets and the future is bright.

Friday's schedule:
8. Maryland vs. 1. North Carolina- 12 noon
5. NC State vs. 4. Virginia- 2 pm
10. Virginia Tech vs. 2. Duke- 7 pm
6. Miami vs. 4. Florida State- 9 pm

Crazy Weekend in the ACC May Have Gone Unnoticed

The weekend was another crazy one throughout the country, as Kansas and Missouri completed their storied rivalry with an overtime game in Lawrence. Wisconsin upset Ohio State on the road. Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame, and New Mexico all joined Ohio State in being upset. This all may have left the happenings of the ACC in the back of some analyst’s minds. It should not have, the last couple of days in the conference left storylines that are going to dominate the rest of the season. Here is what happened if you missed it…

Reggie Johnson can only watch from the bench during the Hurricanes win versus Florida State. -photo via Associated Press.

Reggie Johnson of Miami was declared ineligible… According to ESPN.com news services Johnson “has been declared ineligible by the Hurricanes after an investigation revealed that members of his family took impermissible travel benefits that…came from a member of former coach Frank Haith’s staff…The Hurricanes said Johnson was not aware of the benefits and personally received nothing.” Miami is currently seeking his immediate reinstatement and first-year coach Jim Larranaga is sticking to the fact that Johnson did not do anything wrong. This is tough for the Hurricanes as Johnson averages 10.6 points and 6.9 rebounds a game. Johnson has been up and down but recorded an 11-point and 9 rebound game against North Carolina and is a key part for the Canes bubble chances. Johnson was replaced in the starting lineup by Raphael Akperjiori (1.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg).

Without Johnson, Miami routed Florida State… Not only does this boost Miami’s chances of being on the right side of the bubble as they add another big win to go along with their victory at Duke, but it also ended a poor week for the Seminoles. Florida State lost this one 78-62 and was outscored by 24 points this week. Surely, it was tough to travel to Coral Gables after falling at home to Duke on Thursday but a three-day layoff should have given the Seminoles more rest to challenge the Hurricanes. Bernard James, Xavier Gibson, Jon Kreft, and Okaro White managed only 16 points between the four of them while not taking advantage of a 280-pound opening on the inside with the absence of Johnson. Durand Scott led the Hurricanes with a 17 point, 7 rebound, 2 assist, one steal performance.

Tyler Zeller (44) completes a key last minute dunk at Virginia. -photo via Star News Online.

North Carolina grinds out win over Virginia… The Cavaliers could not have asked for a better pace. The Tar Heels average a third best nationally 81.9 points per game while the Cavalier average a second best nationally 51 points per game. The final score of this one was 54-51. Carolina shot a poor 33.3% while the Cavaliers scored four more field goals while shooting 35%. Virginia committed only four turnovers to North Carolina’s 11. The game plan was clear for the Wahoos, but they struggled with foul trouble. Player of the year candidate was thrown out of rhythm when four fouls forced him into only 22 minutes. The team committed six more fouls than UNC and the Tar Heels shot 18-23 from the line while the Cavaliers shot just 3-6. Henson should win an Oscar for this one, as his acting helped Scott pick up his fourth foul with 12 minutes left. Tyler Zeller’s 20 point performance, including a clutch last minute dunk, may have gave him the edge over Scott for the player of the year race, but I am still not convince that it is a lock.

NC State’s bubble may have just burst… Barring a run to an ACC tournament championship, the Wolfpack may be done. A 72-69 loss to Clemson in overtime means State has lost four in a row in the most important stretch of their season. Clemson tied NC State at 7-7 in the conference for sixth place. For the first time in this stretch, foul trouble was not the main point of interest for the Wolfpack, as CJ Leslie, who was the most consistent player down the stretch, was the only player who picked up four fouls. Clemson big man Devin Booker, who finished with a very respectable 9 points and 10 rebounds, fouled out for the Tigers. Down the stretch, the story may have to belong to Clemson guard Tanner Smith, however. Smith finished with 15 points, four rebounds, and five assists, while scoring five points in the final minute and overtime. This also included the two free throws with six seconds left that forced overtime.

Austin Rivers (0) goes up for a tough shot against Virginia Tech in the first half. -photo via Gerry Broome/AP

Duke survived to keep hope of a number one seed… Virginia Tech came into Durham with a mission to take advantage of Duke’s tired legs and come out with an upset. Duke looked lackadaisical, not giving their normal effort for loose balls while coming off a tough battle in Tallahassee two days earlier. But Coach K applauded his team’s effort, saying that this is just like a tournament game, where you have to face two solid teams in three days. Krzyzewski gave all the credit in the world, noting that the Hokies have been part of 11 games in the conference that have been decided by four points or less, now with a 4-7 record in those games. Cadarian Raines had a bit of a coming out party for Tech, with a 16 point, 5 rebound game, and their best player, Erick Green, scored all 16 of his points in the second half, but missed the biggest shot of them all with a missed jumper from the elbow with three seconds left. Seth Curry and Austin Rivers both made three free throws in overtime, and scored 19 and 23 points, respectably. Miles Plumlee continued a charge with 15 rebounds.

Other results…
Wake 85, Boston College 56- CJ Harris and Travis McKie combine for 44 points in battle for tenth place in conference.
Maryland 61, Georgia Tech 63- Disappointing loss in Atlanta for the Terps, who could have been in sixth place right now. Leading scorer Terrell Stoglin shot just 5-17 from the field as Maryland drops to eighth.

What Last Night Proved- February 22

Clemson 56, Georgia Tech 37-

Milton Jennings drives on Kammeon Holsey (24). photo via John Bazemore/AP

This may be the late-in-the-season game that Clemson needed to show off next year's cornerstones. Junior Milton Jennings scored 15 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in 23 minutes while freshman K.J. McDaniels scored 10 points in 13 minutes as the Tigers overcame a down night for leading scorer Andre Young. While Young is graduating this year, Jennings, McDaniels, and Devin Booker seem to be the face of this talented team going into next season. The Tigers have now won 3 of 4 including a win over Virginia. If they can win two of their final three they could quietly grab the number five seed in the ACC tournament.
For Georgia Tech this marks now losing 9 of 10 and 14 of 16. Georgia Tech is bad and worse with Glen Rice, Jr. suspended. The good that came out of it is the continuing improvement of sophomore Kammeon Holsey, who led the team with 12 points and 8 rebounds. Holsey has now put up double digit point totals in 4 of Tech's last 5 games.

North Carolina 86, NC State 74-

Kendall Marshall goes for a layup over Lorenzo Brown (2). photo via Gerry Broome/AP

Kendall Marshall can score. The point guard and nationally-leading assist getter led the Tar Heels with a career high 22 points. He also dished out 13 assists while committing no turnovers. The sophomore was 7-8 from the field including 4-5 from deep. Teams have been daring Marshall to shoot and if he can put out even half of his effort from three point land the rest of the country is in trouble. The Tar Heels asserted dominance over the Wolfpack in the last season the two teams will meet twice, beating their Raleigh rivals by a combined 31 points.
For an impressive performance in a losing effort, one looks to NC State's CJ Leslie. The forward led the team with 24 points and 12 rebounds while not committing any turnovers. This team has to become Leslie and point guard Lorenzo Brown's. Brown's 18 point, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists were good enough to put him in the same category as Marshall when looking at ACC point guards. Mark Gottfried has done a good job in his first season at Raleigh but just lost three straight to the best the conference has to offer and NC State's bubble is quickly popping.

Maryland 75, Miami 70-

James Padgett (35) is surrounded by teammates after completing a late three point play. photo via Baltimore Sun/Kenneth K. Lam

Maryland may have the harshest crowd in the conference. The team rode the momentum of the screaming fans to a clutch victory. James Padgett was the hero, grabbing an offensive rebound and completing a three point play in the closing minute to help the Terps secure their sixth ACC victory. Sean Mosley may have been the most impressive Terp, scoring 15 points while dishing out 6 assists and grabbing 5 boards. The conference's leading scorer Terrell Stoglin scored 20 points on 6 of 17 shooting after Mark Turgeon claimed the star sophomore "gets his" while not necessarily looking for the team win.
Miami may have just fell off the NCAA train. The Hurricanes were riding their victory at Duke hard in order to stay on the bubble and now have dropped to 7-6 in ACC play. They clearly missed Durand Scott after he fouled out in the final minute as they wasted an opportunity to tie with a Shane Larkin turnover. Kenny Kadji scored 16 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in the losing effort.

Virginia 61, Virginia Tech 59-

Virginia's Mike Scott goes up for a dunk against Virginia Tech. photo via Don Peterson/AP

Virginia righted the ship by not allowing a Virginia Tech sweep of the season series. Virginia did it with their defense, holding the Hokies scoreless for an eight minute stretch to overcome a three point halftime deficit. Both teams were cold in the last four minutes and the Cavaliers defense outdid the Hokies'. Mike Scott led all scorers with 20 points while grabbing 9 boards. Sammy Zeglinski helped out with 13 but Virginia still won this almost entirely with defense.
Erick Green continues to impress, scoring 17 of his 19 points in the second half. Green has endured a rough season, becoming a complete player while his team is far from a finished project. The junior has to use this momentum into next season though, as he will be joined by sensational freshman Dorian Finney-Smith and sophomore Jarell Eddie, who showed his athleticism with a block on possible ACC player of the year Mike Scott.

ACC Players' NBA Worth, Part 1

A quick look at the top NBA prospects from the ACC. I want to explain that the NBA dream result (NBADR) is only who I see them best relating to in terms of their game. This does not mean how good i think they actually are. Anyways, here they are....

Boston College:
Ryan Anderson, Freshman, 6-8, 217 lbs.- Anderson has length and great rebounding ability for a freshman. In the NBA he would translate to a small forward while he is being used more as a postman for the Eagles. While Anderson is definitely in contention for all-conference freshmen team there is no reason for him to be leaving Chestnut Hill anytime soon. Projection: Second round-undrafted (2014-15). NBA dream result: Thaddeus Young.

Clemson:
Devin Booker, Junior, 6-8, 245- No one question's Booker's size but the skill factor still needs work. A talented defender with great rebounding ability. Booker no doubt will be back for his senior year as a leader for the Tigers. Projection: Second round-undrafted (2013). NBADR: Elton Brand.
Milton Jennings, Junior, 6-9, 215- A lanky, long forward, Jennings can cause havoc with his range and defensive ability. His long arms allow for great reach and his quickness allows him to match up with smaller guards. Projection: Second round (2013). NBADR: Hakim Warrick.

Duke:
Seth Curry, Junior (RS), 6-2, 180- A similar game to older brother Stephen, Seth does not have the two inches that allow older bro to shoot over a lot of point guards. Seth does have a smooth stroke and a continuously improving drive. Projection: Second round (2013). NBADR: Well, why not, Stephen Curry.
Andre Dawkins, Junior, 6-4, 200- Dawkins has a smooth jumper and when he pushes himself can put up 25 points. His consistency is his main issue and defense against bigger opponents will be tough at the next level. Projection: Second round-undrafted (2013). NBADR: JJ Redick.
Ryan Kelly, Junior, 6-11, 230- A slender forward who can stretch the floor, Kelly is a very poor man's Dirk Nowitzki. Kelly is not the most athletically talented but can shoot better than anyone in the conference with his size. Projection: Second round (2013). NBADR: Channing Frye.
Mason Plumlee, Junior, 6-10, 245- Arguably the best prospect for Duke, Plumlee is as athletic as big men come. His interior moves continue to get better and his rebounding has taken a huge leap this year. Plumlee will decide after the season to leave early, but I don't see him going anywhere different after another year. Projection: First Round. NBADR: Jermaine O'Neal
Miles Plumlee, Senior, 6-10, 245- Plumlee is a weird subject. An athletic specimen for a guy with his size, he is yet to break out. He has shown glimpses of being aware enough to be in the right spot and the ability to hit a mid-range jumper, just not on a regular basis. Projection: Second round-undrafted. NBADR: Markieff Morris.
Austin Rivers, Freshman, 6-4, 200- Rivers has been compared to Dwyane Wade a lot and I see that comparison. While obviously not at Wade's level, Rivers has similar size (needs to add strength, though) and enjoys the drive more than the jumper (although that it is beginning to look better every game, ask Tyler Zeller). Rivers' decision to stay or go will be one of the biggest offseason topics in the ACC. Projection: Lottery-First Round. NBADR: Dwyane Wade

Florida State:
Xavier Gibson, Senior, 6-11, 250- Gibson has all the potential in the world. An athletic big man who likes playing defense way more than offense. He also possesses that urge to do better than his opponent. Projection: Second round-undrafted. NBADR: Kendrick Perkins.
Bernard James, Senior, 6-10, 240- James' biggest negative? He just turned 27. Which is unfortunate for his NBA prospects (great story of how he got here though http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=5866376) since he has the ability to be a great player/defender in the post. Projection: Second round. NBADR: Joakim Noah.
Michael Snaer, Junior, 6-5, 205- Snaer might be the best chance the Seminoles have to a draft pick. The shifty guard can play on both ends. He can stretch the court with his jumper (ask the Cameron Crazies) and can drive against most anyone. Projection: Second round (2013). NBADR: Jason Richardson.

Georgia Tech:
Kammeon Holsey, Sophomore, 6-8, 226- A super talent who can jump out of the gym, Holsey continues to raise his draft stock. He would be smart to at least stay through his junior year but the prospect has all kinds of talent on both ends. Projection: First-Second round (2013-14). NBADR: Corey Maggette.
Daniel Miller, Sophomore, 6-11, 258- Miller is definitely a work in progress but has the size to make people notice him. Still a bit clumsy with the ball, Miller has developed defensively. Projection: Second round-undrafted (2014). NBADR: Rik Smits.
Glen Rice, Jr., Junior, 6-5, 205- When he wants to be, Rice can be a deadly weapon for the Yellow Jackets. He has some of his dad's genes from deep and is the best player for Georgia Tech with the ball in his hand. Projection: Second round (2013). NBADR: Gerald Henderson.
Mfon Udofia, Junior, 6-2, 195- While he may not have grown up as a point guard, Udofia is getting better at handling the ball and his vision is getting better, as seen with his rise in assist numbers. Udofia has the strength to be a good backup point guard, he just needs to continue working on his vision. Projection: Second round-undrafted (2013). NBADR: Toney Douglas.

Maryland:
Nick Faust, Freshman, 6-6, 175- Faust's athletic ability is without question there. He has great drive technique and his jumper is getting better. A couple more years in College Park should be able to get this talented freshman the physical and mental strength he needs. Projection: First-Second round (2014-15). NBADR: Vince Carter.
Alex Len, Freshman, 7-1, 225- Len has a world of potential that has not been discovered yet. He has the size to shoot over anyone and the range to stretch big guys. Strength will be gained over the next couple years. Projection: First-Second round (2013-15). NBADR: Chris Bosh.
Terrell Stoglin, Sophomroe, 6-1, 185- Stoglin is a scorer by nature, but his size won't allow him to play the same way he does now at the next level. The guard would do good to stay another year and develop his point guard abilities. Projection: First-second round (2012-14). NBADR: Monta Ellis.

Miami:
Malcolm Grant, Senior, 6-1, 188- Grant has the strength to match up with just about any point guard in the league but not the ability. A great leader and clutch scorer, Grant has not been able to do everything he needs to prove his NBA potential. Projection: Second-undrafted. NBADR: Tyreke Evans.

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.