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.

The Top 40 Players in The ACC: No.40-36

I have arranged a list of the top 40 players currently playing in the ACC. The list was made today, February 14th, and is subject to change. As it were today here it my list...

40. Tony Channeault, Wake Forest- The sophomore guard has seen his numbers sky rockets by 12 per game this year. This is the main reason his point total has doubled to more than 9 a game and his assists round out around 3 a game. A natural scorer, Channeault has learned how to play better defense (1.0 spg) and dish much better than his freshman season (2.2 to/g).

39. Sammy Zeglinski, Virginia- A fifth year senior, Zeglinski has become such an integral part of the Cavaliers on both sides of the ball. A solid deep ball shooter, Zeglinski has seen his point totals go up every year (8.2 ppg). Zeglinski has turned into a better all around player (2.7 apg, 3.2 rpg, 1.6 spg) while becoming a very vital part of Virginia's run.

38. Ryan Anderson, Boston College- What a solid freshman Anderson has shaped into. The 6-8, 217 pound forward has become the most important and all around rounded player for the Eagles (9.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg). Anderson has had to match up with larger players all year, holding his own, showing that he is the future in Chestnut Hill.

37. Reggie Bullock, North Carolina- Bullock had the spotlight thrown onto him during the second half of this year when starting shooting guard Dexter Strickland went down. Strickland was the best defender on the team, and there was worries in Chapel Hill as to whether the three point marksman Bullock would be able to accept that roll. He has done a good job with it, and continues to be the best long range shooter on the team (4.6 3PA/g).

36. Andre Dawkins, Duke- No one questions Dawkins from beyond the arc. Perhaps the prettiest stroke in the conference (a tie with NC State's Scott Wood), Dawkins has had nights where he has put up 26 or 25 points (career high 26 vs. Michigan State). The main issue for Dawkins (.406 3P%) is his consistency, something the junior needs to continue working on.