ACC Matchups: The Players

Vermont won its play-in game Wednesday night and now all the matchups for the ACC are set up. Here are how the players for each team look:

Are Any of the ACC Teams Making a Deep Run?

Florida State won the ACC Championship. Can they make a splash in the Big Dance?

The brackets have been released and five ACC teams made the Big Dance. North Carolina was the third overall number 1 seed and has to travel to Saint Louis if it made it to the regional semifinals. Duke was thought to have a chance at a one seed but their loss to Florida State in the ACC semifinals dropped them to a two seed in the South Region. Florida State moved into a third seed after their ACC championship and is set up in the East Region. Virginia dropped down to a ten seed after many thought they could have gone as a high as four back in the beginning of February. They play in the West Region. NC State snuck in as an 11 seed in the Midwest Region after an impressive ACC tournament. Miami is the first team out for the ACC. Here is a look at each team's path to success in the tournament:

1. North Carolina: North Carolina, as expected, gets its first two games in Greensboro. This is about as close to a home court advantage out of any team in the tournament. They play the winner of Vermont and Lamar, two teams that won their conference tournaments to get an at-large bid. While Carolina will be heavily favored over either team, both have under-the-radar personalities. Vermont is led by by do-everything Brian Voelkel and freshman all-namer Four McGlynn. Lamar got publicity when coach Pat Knight (son of the great Bob Knight) called out his seniors two weeks ago. Since, Lamar has not lost and won their tournament with a 21 point romp of McNeese State. If Carolina wins they play either Creighton or Alabama. Both of these teams could have arguable been seeded higher, but for different reasons. Creighton ended their season 28-5 and besides a sloppy three game losing streak looked strong all year. All-American Doug McDermott is the leader of this team, and is very familiar with Carolina's Harrison Barnes, as the two played together in high school. Alabama comes in with a top 20 strength of schedule and finished fifth in the SEC. The knock against them is that they only have three wins over tournament teams, the best being over Wichita State in November. The top seeds in UNC's region are Michigan, Kansas, and Georgetown. While the Jayhawks are probably the toughest matchup of the group, it's hard to name anyone that player-of-the-year candidate Thomas Robinson has matched up with that plays better defense than John Henson or Tyler Zeller. Carolina has shown problems matching up against teams that can knock down threes, which is Michigan's specialty. But a lack of size for the Wolverines may end up a bigger problem. Georgetown has the ability to be really good or really bad. Jason Clark is a superb wing player and Henry Sims has come into his own as a center. Catch the Hoyas on a good day, and they could beat UNC. Catch them on a bad day and Carolina could beat them by 20.

2. Duke: The Blue Devils opening round matchup is against the Patriot League Champion Lehigh Mountain Hawks. Lehigh has now won eight in a row, counting their victory over Regular Season Champion Bucknell on Wednesday. The Mountain Hawks feature in offense surrounding junior guard CJ McCollum, who leads the team with 21.9 points and 6.5 rebounds a game. The team is offensive minded, averaging 76.2 points per game and have an interior presence in Gabe Knutson. It is still hard to see the 26-7 Mountain Hawks defeating mighty Duke, especially with a healthy Ryan Kelly to stretch a suspect defense. If Duke wins they face either Notre Dame or Xavier, two teams that have gone in different directions this year. The Irish were not favored to do much this season after losing all-Big East big man Tim Abromaitis. But a strong February led them to a number three seed in the Big East tournament, where they were ousted by eventual champion Louisville. Xavier was a top ten team that featured all-American candidate Tu Holloway until they slipped off a bit after the notorious brawl with Cincinnati in December. The top seeds in the South Region include Kentucky, Indiana, and Baylor. The Blue Devils would face off against Baylor in the Sweet Sixteen, a team that has size to match anyone in the country but has been beaten by teams with excellent guard play, something Duke possesses. Indiana and Kentucky would be a rematch of Kentucky's only regular season loss in the other Sweet Sixteen matchup. Kentucky is the prohibitive favorite to win the whole thing and the number overall seed. Indiana is a young and talented team that has weapons at every position.

3. Florida State- I like Florida State to make a better run at the final four than any other team in the conference. Experience is necessary for a big tournament run, as is size. These are the two attributes you first think of with a deep Seminole team that is rolling at the right time. They start off with a matchup against Atlantic 10 tournament champion St. Bonaventure's in the 3-14 game. The Bonnies stole a bubble team's spot and surprised most by winning the A-10. But Florida State is too hot right now to be slowed down by an average offensive team like the Bonnies. Their second round matchup will be interesting. They get the winner of Cincinnati and Texas. Cincy may be a bit overrated in my opinion, and probably moved way up in the seeding with a strong Big East tournament. But they were slowed by a good defensive team in Louisville in the championship and the Seminoles are even stronger than the Cardinals on that end of the floor. Texas was a bubble team till the very end of the season but possess one of the nation's elite scorers in J'Covan Brown. ACC Tournament MVP Michael Snaer will probably get that individual matchup and there is nothing that tells me that Snaer, who may be the hottest player in the country right now, would not win that battle. The other top seeds in the East Region are Syracuse, Wisconsin, and Ohio State. Syracuse has a tough draw to reach the elite eight, as a potential second round matchup with a fiery Kansas State team looms. Wisconsin can shoot the three and stretch defenses with the best of them, and that is exactly what you need to beat Syracuse's patented 2-3 zone. However, a first and second draw includes Vanderbilt, Harvard, and Montana, perhaps the most competitive draw of the first two round anywhere in the bracket. Ohio State, I believe, has the power and talent to win the whole thing. If they play the way they did against Duke back in December they beat anyone in the country. But Jared Sullinger, Aaron Craft, William Buford and the gang are inconsistent and have appeared vulnerable on both ends of the court before.

10. Virginia- The Cavaliers open with one of the opening rounds most enticing matchups. They drew the Florida Gators, who have been a top 25 team all year long but have lost 4 of 5. The Cavaliers have lost 3 of 4 themselves, including a heartbreaking defeat to NC State in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament. The Gators possess talent, and a lot of NBA level caliber at that. Irving Walker is small but makes plays while Kenny Boynton adds athletic ability and a good shot to the backcourt. Brad Beal is thought by many to be a top ten pick in this year's draft and is joined in the frontcourt by big man Patric Young, who is one of the best inside talent's in the country. None of them, though, have had as much of an impact on this season as Mike Scott. The power forward is having an all-American type of year and the Cavs defense is one of a few that could slow Florid'a high powered attack. If Virginia were to win, they would more than likely play second seeded Missouri in the second round. The Tigers feature a four guard lineup that can score and run with anyone. Virginia's backcourt would be challenged in this one but Missouri would struggle to find an answer for Scott. Unfortunately for the Cavs, I don't think they will win going basket for basket with Mizzou.

11. NC State: The Wolfpack were the last team announced on the CBS broadcast of the unveiling of the brackets, so had to hold their breath. They were not, however, the last team in, and proved to the committee they belonged with a strong ACC tournament performance. Their reward: San Diego State, the regular season champions in the strong Mountain West conference. The Aztecs were supposed to be having a rebuilding year but, led by sophomore guard Jamaal Franklin, have another good seed. This is a matchup that the more experience Wolfpack team could win, however, and a good matchup to watch will be CJ Leslie and the Aztecs' Deshawn Stephens. Stephens is defense first but Leslie is playing the best basketball of his career. If State were to win they would get the winner of Georgetown and Belmont. A lot of people are looking for an upset out of Belmont, and while they are a strong mid-major I don't see it happening. Georgetown is too strong at every position and has senior leadership. This might also spell doom if the Wolfpack get the Hoyas in the second round. Henry Sims is playing great basketball in the middle and has done a good job of getting opposing centers into foul trouble, something that has plagued the Wolfpack all year. Like Virginia, I am going to steer clear of anymore what-ifs with the Wolfpack.

Semifinal Capsules

James Michael McAdoo (dunking) will have an increased roll for the Tar Heels after John Henson's injury. -photo via Gerry Broome/AP

1. North Carolina (28-4, 14-2)
Yesterday: beat Maryland 85-69
Today: vs. NC State (1 pm)- Previous Meetings: Won 74-55 in Chapel Hill, January 26th. Won 86-74 in Raleigh, February 21st.
Player to Watch: James Michael McAdoo, Freshman, Forward. The biggest story of yesterday's quarterfinal win over Maryland was not the way that North Carolina was able to grind out a win when they were not firing on all cylinders. It was not that Kendall Marshall set the ACC single season assist record while recording 12 yesterday. Rather, it was that all-conference and defensive player of the year John Henson went down in the first half with a left wrist injury. Coach Roy Williams said, "he could not grip the ball with his left hand". After he tried to come back, Henson stayed on the sidelines in the second half and was replaced by McAdoo. The freshman did a very adequate job, recording 14 points and grabbing 8 rebounds in 29 minutes of work. He should get his first start today, and will be counted on heavily as backup power forwards behind him are either little used Desmond Hubert or Harrison Barnes, who is obviously more comfortable as a swing forward. What's more? McAdoo will draw the matchup of CJ Leslie, who put up 19 points and 14 rebounds in NC State's three point win over Virginia.

2. Duke (27-5, 13-3)
Yesterday: Beat Virginia Tech 60-56
Today: vs. Florida State (3:30 pm)- Previous meetings: Lost 76-73 in Durham, January 21st. Won 74-66 in Tallahassee, February 23rd.
Player to Watch: Andre Dawkins, Junior, Guard. One could make an argument that Dawkins, one of the best pure shooters in the country, is the most inconsistent player in the country. In their loss Dawkins scored 14 points but was the culprit of a lack of defense in allowing Michael Snaer to be open for his buzzer beating shot. In their win over the Seminoles, Dawkins scored 22 points while shooting 6-9 from deep. Since that meeting, Duke has had four games and Dawkins has scored three total points on 1-12 shooting. The sense is that Dawkins, who has only average 11.5 minutes during that four game span, is spending a lot of time on the bench because of his lack of defensive intensity, especially compared to Tyler Thornton. Duke needs Dawkins' offense, especially since part of their philosophy is to jack up a lot of threes. What's more? He matches up well on the slower Delvydas Dulkys, who he helped hold to just three points in their last meeting.

3. Florida State (22-9, 12-4)
Yesterday: Beat Miami 82-71
Today: vs. Duke (3:30 pm)- Previous meetings: Won 76-73 in Durham, January 21st. Lost 74-66 in Tallahassee, February 23rd.
Player to Watch: Michael Snaer, Junior, Guard. Snaer has become the leader for the Seminoles, including the game high 20 points he scored in putting a real damper on Miami's NCAA tournament hopes on Friday. Snaer was voted second team all-conference while getting a spot on the all-defensive team. Snaer will be remember for the game winning shot against Duke in January but he also scored 14 points on 6-10 shooting, while getting his teammates involved, and did a good job of shutting down freshman of the year Austin Rivers. In the second game Snaer scored 18 points, but did it on 8-18 shooting, and Rivers was able to lead the Blue Devils to a rather easy victory. Snaer will probably be guard by Thornton, Duke's best defender, for the majority of the game and will need to get his teammates involved rather than settling for bad shots. What's more: He shuts down Rivers, who has been by far Duke's most consistent offensive threat, and Florida State's chances double.

5. NC State (22-11, 9-7)
Yesterday: Beat Virginia 67-64
Today: vs. North Carolina (1 pm)- Previous meetings: Lost 74-55 in Chapel Hill, January 26th. Lost 86-74 in Raleigh, February 21st.
Player to Watch: CJ Leslie, Junior, Forward. It would only be logical to think that the Wolfpack are ready to be blown out once again by North Carolina, who have already had no trouble in knocking off NC State twice. But there is a big difference this time. John Henson going down may have been better suited to come against any team in the conference besides Leslie and NC State. The junior has been red hot the last month of the season, earning himself a spot on the second team all-conference. Leslie (19 points, 14 rebounds, 9-11 FG) may have had the most impressive individual performance so far in the tournament in their victory over Virginia and his 24 point, 12 rebound game against North Carolina was just the tip of the iceberg. Without Henson in the post to guard him there's the though that Leslie should be able to use his talent to take over. What's more: Leslie shot 9-17 from the field in their second loss to the Tar Heels, his worst shooting night since a 6-16 night in a loss at Duke.

First two games of the tournament have little excitement

Maryland's Terrell Stoglin (12) played one of his most rounded games in a win over Wake Forest. Can he do it against North Carolina?

The first two games of the 2012 ACC Tournament were expected to be decent at best, but instead they came up flat. Maryland and Wake Forest met in the first game, an eight-nine matchup, with Maryland taking the romp 82-60. The second game featured what was supposed to be the largest margin of any of the first round games as fifth seeded NC State met twelfth seeded Boston College. The Wolfpack took the win 78-57. If nothing else, the first two games showed off a couple of the young stars in the league, while the boredom of it all was the theme.

In the first game Maryland pulled away in the second half to defeat Wake Forest and complete a season sweep of the Demon Deacons. Terrell Stoglin led all scorers with 25 points, and, in one of his most complete games of the season, added seven rebounds and four assists. Freshman Nick Faust added 19 points while ten players scored for the Terps. Travis McKie led the Deacons with 22 points, while Nikita Mescheriakov added 16 and CJ Harris 14. The rest of the team combined for eight points. Maryland, especially in the second half, was a Terrapin team we have not seen this year. They were playing as a team, sharing the ball (18 assists) and were not settling for Stoglin jacking up 25 shots. While walk-on Spencer Barks was one of the players that scored, the ten that made it into the scoring column showed a sense of playing as a team that Maryland has not shown on a consistent basis. This all happened against Wake Forest though. The Terps are lucky they were able to rest their regulars as they have a noon matchup with mighty North Carolina tomorrow.

NC State had to be thinking win or go home for their NCAA chances. It did not really come across that way in their win over Boston College in the second game of the day. While the Wolfpack won by 21, there was a lull during the second half where their lead stuck between seven and ten points for about 10 minutes. Boston College came out of the halftime locker room angry, bringing the lead back to six after being down 13 at the half. Scott Wood led NC State's scorers with 22 while going 5-9 from beyond the arc, while Lorenzo Brown had 12 points and 8 assists. The most impressive player for either team had to be Boston College freshman Ryan Anderson, who also put in 22 points while grabbing 12 rebounds. The season may now be over for the Eagles but Anderson gives fans a reason to think the Eagles would have been right there without 19 turnovers. CJ Leslie added 11 points and grabbed 11 boards but was almost unheard of for a the section of the second half where the Eagles remained in the game. The Wolfpack get Virginia next, and Leslie is going to need to show up the way he has the past month in order to matchup with Mike Scott. The Cavaliers beat the Wolfpack by one on January 28th.

Hopefully the games tonight will be more interesting. Virginia Tech and Clemson promises to be the best matchup of the first round while it will be a surprise if Georgia Tech sneaks up on Miami.

Bracketology: Explained ACC Style March 5th

North Carolina's Big Four of (from left) Kendall Marshall, Tyler Zeller, John Henson, and Harrison Barnes are focused on a long tournament run.

I realize that a few more teams punched their tickets to the Big Dance last night and the bracketology that I released last night would have already changed but the only two games that had any bearing on the seeds for ACC teams were the Virginia Commonwealth victory over Drexel in the CAA championship and the St. Mary's win over Gonzaga in the West Coast championship. Both VCU and Drexel entered the Colonial championship with the possibility of making the tournament regardless of a victory. VCU had a bit better of a resume and I believe it will be a stretch for Drexel, 225th ranked strength of schedule, to make it as an at large school. However, if they do there is a good chance that Miami or NC State would be one of those teams pushed out. Gonzaga and Saint Mary's were both in no matter the result, and the overtime win for the Gaels will just give them a higher seed. Now, I had St. Mary's as an eight seed, but see them pushing ahead to about a six. Gonzaga should feel comfortable as a five, with a chance they will move down to a six or seven. The only affect this would have is that both of these teams may have a chance at facing NC State or Miami, who both could be a 12 or 11 seed. Anyways, let's look at the bracket I released and what it means for ACC schools...

1. North Carolina vs. UT-Arlington- North Carolina moved up to a one seed after their beatdown of previous-one-seed Duke on Saturday. It would be the biggest upset in tournament history if the Tar Heels lost to a 16 seed, and in all reality if they played Arlington 1,000 times they would win 998 times. Looking ahead, the half of their region here is not easy. A second round matchup against a surging Nevada team or an underrated New Mexico club would be a battle. Looking beyond that, Indiana would be the most likely candidate in the sweet sixteen, and the Hoosiers have already beaten Kentucky and Ohio State, when they were ranked number 1 and 2 in the nation, respectably. I believe North Carolina would go in as the third best one seed if the tournament started today, so I matched them with the second best two seed, Michigan State, who they already beat in the first game of the season.

2. Duke vs. Valparaiso- Valpo can clinch their ticket with a win in the Horizon league championship tonight. That may be the last win of the season for them. Valpo's resume includes a 152nd ranked strength of schedule, with eight losses to teams ranked below 100 in the RPI. IF they won tonight they would be 9-1 in their last ten games however. Coach K won't be fooling around here and Duke should take this game with ease. The Blue Devils could also still clinch a one seed if they beat North Carolina on the way to an ACC tournament championship. In the second round Duke's road would start to get iffy. Iowa State has already beaten Kansas this year, and is 12-6 in the mighty Big 12. Long Beach State does not have a top 50 win on their resume but comes in hot off of a 15-1 conference record. If they handled either of those teams, Duke would have the chance for a Maui rematch with Michigan in the regional semis and Kansas in the finals. The Blue Devils beat both teams, but both are better than they were in November, and will be looking for redemption.

5. Florida State vs. Northwestern- This would be very intriguing 5-12 matchup. While Florida State is certainly a lock as the third best ACC team to make the field, Northwestern is square on the bubble. For the Seminoles, their 12th ranked strength of schedule is helping, but two losses to sub-150 teams is still hurting them. Clearly, they have improved since a shaky early season that featured losses to Princeton and Harvard, but a late season surprise loss to Boston College took them from a three down to a five seed. Northwestern's RPI of 48 and SOS of 14 are solid, but a 1-10 mark against top-50 teams is only helped by that lone victory over Ohio State. Florida State's next stop would be Murray State most likely, a team that is seeded anywhere from 3 to 9 in brackets but still boasts that 29-1 record. They are, however, without a win over a power six conference foe and it could be a good set up for the Seminoles. A sweet sixteen matchup with deadly Syracuse may be a different story.

9. Virginia vs. Notre Dame- A lot of brackets have Notre Dame higher than an eight, but when I look at their 10 losses, including four to sub-100 teams, I can't put them higher without a strong Big East tournament appearance. Virginia is an interesting team as well, as they are thought of as a lock in almost all predictions, but have been slipping lately, going just 5-5 in their past 10 games. This is a battle of teams going in different positions, but the two had good seasons in good conferences. On the other hand, they are just battling to play Kentucky, who just about no one wants to see.

13. NC State vs. Temple- This is the dream for NC State. To play against a non-power conference leader as a lower seed would be the best matchup they could hope for. If this was the matchup, however, they could not count their chickens before they hatched. Temple already beat Duke, and is coming in having won 9 of 10. Of course NC State is not looking forward to this yet as many think if they lose one of their first two games in the ACC tournament they would be done. However, I'm not NC State and I'm looking ahead. If they pulled an upset over Temple here they would go up against Washington or Memphis, two young teams who took the regular season crown in their conferences. Both would be favored over the Wolfpack, and one wold think that Memphis, who has gone 13-3 in Conference-USA, would not be the preferred opponent. However, Washington is 8-2 in their last ten games and is proving themselves as the leader of the Pac-12.

13. Miami vs. Tennessee in Play-in game- These two teams may be my last two in right now and one may be able to get out of the play-in with VCU's win last night. However, this would be a great play-in matchup. Miami is getting in holding on to wins over Duke and Florida State, with a solid 41st ranked strength of schedule, while Tennessee has won 8 of 10 on the way to a 10-6 mark in the SEC. Both have to win a couple games in their respective tournaments, but both would be coming in hot if that was the case. Looking ahead, the winner would take on Wisconsin, who slows down the game and wins with defense. Miami beat Florida State, who is similar to this style, and one would think they would not mind this game with their inside presence and Wisconsin's lack of the same. This could set up well for Miami, as they could also match up well with Gonzaga or Texas, who they would have to play in their third game.

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.

Bracketology: Explained ACC Style

CJ Leslie and NC State have to be nervous about their current position. -photo via The Sports Fan Journal

The ACC teams, in my opinion of bracketology, turned out like this:

Duke: 1 seed, Midwest Region (St. Louis). RPI:3 SOS: 3. Best Win: Michigan St.-N (4th in RPi). 6-4 vs. Top-50. Worst Loss: Miami (49). Last 10: 8-2. Right now, Duke has one of the top 4 resumes in the country. A win tonight against Florida State would also erase the memory of one of their losses. Duke's road is going to travel through Greensboro in the first and second round no matter what, giving a nice home court feeling. I have them going to St. Louis for their regional games just because Kentucky is arguable the overall number one seed and certainly one of the top two. They want to go to Atlanta just as much as the Blue Devils and deserve their choice a little more as of right now. If the tournament set up as it is here, I see Duke cruising over UNC-Asheville, beating a surging Kansas State team in a close game, taking down an overrated Louisville team, and then a neutral court rematch with Ohio State, who pasted the Blue Devils in Columbus earlier this year.

North Carolina: 2 seed, West Region (Phoenix). RPI: 5 SOS: 12. Best Win: Michigan St.-N (4th in RPI). 5-4 Top-50. Worst Loss: @Florida St (19). L10: 9-1. North Carolina is certainly the two seed that is challenging most for a one seed right now, with Missouri right behind them. They had to be put in the West Region in order to play the lowest ranked two seed (Michigan State). This could easily change to the East Region in order to be closer to home, but they would then have to play Syracuse in Boston. A rematch against Kentucky is something the committee tries to avoid and there is no way they are going to be put in the same region as Duke. The Tar Heels will also start in Greensboro no matter what and if the tournament set up like so I would see them winning easily over Bucknell, getting and beating Iowa State in the second round, defeating a big Baylor team in the Sweet Sixteen and setting up a rematch with the Spartans for the regional championship.

Florida State: 5 seed, East Region (Boston) RPI: 19 SOS: 13. Best Win: @Duke (3rd in RPI). 4-4 Top-50. Worst Loss: @Boston College (222). L10: 9-1. That Boston College loss does not look good on Florida State's resume. Neither does a loss to Clemson (150) or Princeton (98). But the Seminoles do still boast a tough schedule and solid RPI. Wins over Duke and Virginia in their remaining games and then a good showing in the ACC tournament could boost them into a top three seed. Because they are in a 4-5 region the four seed would not get a very good pick at where it wanted to go, meaning these matchups may end up being in Portland or Albuquerque. If it shaped up like this, I like Florida State beating a pesky St. Joe's in the first round, a close battle with Indiana or Northern Iowa (could see NI pulling that upset), and then a showdown in Boston with Syracuse.

Virginia: 7 seed, South Region (Atlanta) RPI: 34 SOS: 101. Best Win: Michigan (10th in RPI). 2-3 Top-50. Worst Loss: @Clemson (150). L10: 6-4. Virginia needs to beat North Carolina on Saturday if they want better than the 7 seed I gave them. They are clinging on to a victory of Michigan early in the year and love seeing the Wolverines succeeding but they need some more help. In this scenario they would have to go to Omaha and play a feisty and hot New Mexico team. If they snuck by New Mexico they would have to go up against Missouri, which I think would be a game that Mike Scott could control and Virginia would match up well with their guards. However, this is far from comfortable territory for Virginia and a win over UNC, followed by Florida State, and then a strong showing in the tournament should boost them up.

Miami: 12 seed, West Region (Phoenix) RPI: 49 SOS: 32. Best Win: @Duke (3rd in RPI). 1-6 Top-50. Worst Loss: @Maryland (89). L10: 6-4. Miami is limping hard and needs a win over Florida State on Sunday to patch up their record versus the top teams in the country. They are still riding the Duke win hard and manage to sneak in as one of the last four in because of a strong strength of schedule. Southern Miss would be a blessing for Miami to get in the first round but Florida would not stop short of putting a smack down on the Hurricanes.

NC State: 13 seed, West Region (Phoenix) RPI: 64 SOS: 33. Best Win: @Miami (49th in RPI). 1-8 Top-50. Worst Loss: Georgia Tech (186). L10: 5-5. I'm not sure that NC State actually makes it at this point, but I wanted to put them in mostly to talk about them. State needs to finish the season without anymore losses. 49th ranked Miami is not a "big time win" but beating them twice would help their chances. State blew its chances in the last three games versus Duke, UNC, and Florida State. Unless they get to the finals of the ACC tournament I don't see much of a chance for them. But just for fun let's see what they would do if the tournament shaped up like this: they would lose in the play-in game to a reeling Illinois team. Maybe it would be better to try to make a run in the NIT?

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.