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.

If the favorites win, how the ACC Tournament will play out

This is a bracket of what the tournament would like like if the favored teams won the games they were supposed to in the final week. Most notably in those games is Duke beating North Carolina, but there is also Maryland losing twice, including to Virginia at home, and Miami losing tonight at NC State. The bottom four teams should all end up at 4-12, provided NC State beats Virginia Tech in Blacksburgh (no easy feat), Boston College beats Georgia Tech at home, and Georgia Tech beats Wake Forest at home. If this happened, Virginia Tech would own the tiebreaker with a better overall record, followed by Wake, Georgia Tech, and finally Boston College.

The things the immediately pop out when looking at this bracket from top to bottom are numerous. First, NC State has beaten Boston College twice this year, escaping with a five point win in Chestnut Hill. However, they lost at home to Virginia in a hard fought battle, where they had no answer for Mike Scott and lost by just one. Still one has to believe NC State would like to draw Virginia over Florida State or North Carolina, both of whom dismantled the Wolfpack with relative ease. Next, Maryland and Virginia Tech may end up being the most interesting game on the first day. The two teams have only played once this year, with Maryland winning by four at home. Terrell Stoglin had 28 points that game and Virginia Tech's backcourt could not match up with him. We have seen improvement in the Hokies since then, especially from Erick Green, and that matchup could be between potential all-conference guards. The Hokies would love another shot at Duke in the second round after just losing to them in overtime in Durham, although they have already beaten Virginia once and took Florida State down to the last second. Neither of those matchups seems likely for Tech, as they are pretty comfortably in the nine spot.

In the bottom of the bracket, Miami would love to draw Georgia Tech, already beating them by an easy 15 in Atlanta. The Hurricanes would also love to get Florida State again, a team they see as being able to put away comfortably with or without the reinstated Reggie Johnson. Florida State has to be rooting for the Hurricanes tonight versus NC State, as they would much prefer to play a Wolfpack team they dismantled earlier this month. If the draw came out like this, look for Miami to increase their NCAA tournament chances by making a push to the semifinals. In the final quadrant Clemson meets Wake Forest in a matchup that Clemson would love. The Tigers have beaten the Deacons by a combined 31 points in two game this year and are on a roll at the moment. If the Tigers got North Carolina one would think they would be excited, as well. The Tigers lost by 22 in Chapel Hill earlier this month but kept the game within ten for about 32 minutes. The Tar Heels' feelings could go either way after the Duke game. If they win, count on them having a lot of energy and momentum going into the postseason. If they lose, they could either drag themselves down or regroup and try to make it to the championship for a third meeting. Also, they have to be rooting for the Hurricanes the rest of the way, too. Tonight, they will be going for Miami just because NC State is not their favorite, and during the tournament (if it played out like this) they would love to face them instead of Florida State, who beat them by 33 points in January.

Anyway you look at it, get ready for a hell of a ACC tournament.

Top 40 Players of the ACC: No. 10-6

What they do best: Austin Rivers (0) driving on John Henson (31) who goes for the block. photo via Gerry Broome/AP

Ok, it's top ten time. There may have been controversy so far, but this is how it has laid out. It is really hard to this, especially this top ten, because every player is improving or losing ground each night. Reminder: this is who I feel are the best players in the ACC, and it does not necessarily mean where they will land on the all-conference team. For instance Seth Curry was 18 and Lorenzo Brown 19 but I think both have a shot at an all-conference team bid. Anyways, a quick recap:

11. CJ Leslie, NC State
12. CJ Harris, Wake Forest
13. Reggie Johnson, Miami
14. Kenny Kadji, Miami
15. Erick Green, Virginia Tech
16. Andre Young, Clemson
17. Durand Scott, Miami
18. Seth Curry, Duke
19. Lorenzo Brown, NC State
20. Glen Rice, Jr., Georgia Tech
21. Dexter Strickland, North Carolina
22. Travis McKie, Wake Forest
23. Scott Wood, NC State
24. Joe Harris, Virginia
25. CJ Williams, NC State
26. Devin Booker, Clemson
27. Dorenzo Hudson, Virginia Tech
28. Sean Mosley, Maryland
29. Richard Howell, NC State
30. Ryan Kelly, Duke
31. Matt Humphrey, Boston College
32. Malcolm Grant, Miami
33. Milton Jennings, Clemson
34. Jontel Evans, Virginia
35. Mfon Udofia, Georgia Tech
36. Andre Dawkins, Duke
37. Reggie Bullock, North Carolina
38. Tony Chennault, Wake Forest
39. Ryan Anderson, Boston College
40. Sammy Zeglinski, Virginia

And here is the first half of your top ten....

10. Bernard James, Florida State- James is the oldest player in the ACC (just turned 27) and shows it with his maturity. James is in only his second season with Florida State after a stint overseas serving in the military. He averages nearly a double double (10.4 ppg, 8.2 rpg) but his presence is felt most on the defensive end (2.3 bpg). The 6-10, 240 pound senior is shooting a stifling 60.7% from the field while bullying up on ACC big men. The main knock against James, who certainly has an NBA body, is his age. The forward's story is a great one, and one that should be told after he gets drafted this June.

9. Mason Plumlee, Duke- Plumlee has continued to improve his game during his three year career. Coming in as a top ten recruit in 2009 there was a lot of pressure on the big man. He has quietly raised his game to be one of the top big men in the country. His numbers (11.2 ppg, 9.7 rpg) don't lie and his athleticism is unquestioned. One of the top pro prospects in the conference, the Junior has also continued to assert himself on the defensive end (1.7 bpg). With work on his free throws (48.6%) he could come back as the most dominant big man the Blue Devils have had since Shelden Williams in 2006.

8. Terrell Stoglin, Maryland- Stoglin is an unquestioned scorer, leading the conference with 21.3 ppg. The questions for Stoglin are his defense and a recently raised point by coach Mark Turgeon on his selfishness, claiming Stoglin "gets his". Leadership qualities are clearly not there yet for the sophomore, and one has to believe that will come with time. Stoglin is only 6-1, and his size may lead to improvement with ball handling and distributing this offseason. If he becomes a point guard as well as a scorer, the leadership and teammate characteristics will make Stoglin a serious threat next season.

7. John Henson, North Carolina- The North Carolina foursome is hard to figure out. Henson along with teammates Kendall Marshall, Harrison Barnes, and Tyler Zeller are all sure to be first round draft picks and have put a stamp on the ACC this year. So, I decided to look at who the Tar Heels could afford to lose most, and was left with Henson. The Junior started off his career as a defensive stopper, now ranking second in school history with 263 blocks. But the improvement for the 6-11, 220 pound forward have come on the offensive end, where he loves going left on the block but puts up jump shots with his right. He still leads the conference in blocks (3.1) but now is putting in his offensive numbers (14 ppg, 10.4 rpg). Henson should be named ACC defensive player of the year this season.

6. Austin Rivers, Duke- Coming into a school that just saw maybe the most talented freshman since Kevin Durant in Kyrie Irving is a lot of pressure. Add to it that you come in as a number one overall recruit and you should be overwhelmed. Rivers has done a good job of staying focused and will become the first Duke freshman to lead the team in scoring (15 ppg) since Johnny Dawkins in 1983. What Rivers has improved on is his distribution and outside shot. We have learned that he is not afraid to take the big shot (late threes against North Carolina and NC State) and he is ready to be a leader. Coach K claims "he is not a freshman anymore" and it shows on the court. Maybe the quickest crossover in the conference, Rivers could be player of the year if he sticks around another season.

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.