2007-08 Around the ACC: February 18th, 2008

After another great week of ACC basketball, there appear to be four teams
that are NCAA tournament bound.  A
fifth team pulled a big upset on Sunday night, and they are throwing their name
into the mix as well.  With five or
six games remaining for all 12 teams, a lot can still happen.

Current ACC Standings
School	Conf.	Overall	RPI.
Duke	10-1	22-2	3
North Carolina	9-2	24-2	4
Clemson	7-4	19-6	21
Maryland	7-4	17-9	51
Wake Forest	6-5	16-8	61
Virginia Tech	5-6	14-11	81
Miami	4-6	17-7	36
Georgia Tech	4-6	11-13	80
NC State	4-7	15-10	60
Boston College	4-7	13-11	92
Florida State	3-8	14-12	87
Virginia	2-9	12-12	127
RPI Data from RealTimeRPI.com, as of 2/18/08, 11:10 a.m.

Recent Games (click score for recap)
Date	Matchup	Location
02/12/08	North Carolina 75, Virginia 74	Charlottesville, Va.
02/13/08	Duke 77, Maryland 65	Durham, N.C.
02/14/08	Boston College 82, NC State 65	Chestnut Hill, Mass.
	Clemson 82, Georgia Tech 67	Clemson, S.C.
	Wake Forest 78, FSU 70	Tallahassee, Fla.
02/16/08	UNC 92, VT 53	Chapel Hill, N.C.
	Clemson 71, NC State 64	Raleigh, N.C.
	Maryland 82, FSU 72	College Park, Md.
02/17/08	Miami 64, Georgia Tech 63	Atlanta, Ga.
	Virginia 79, Boston College 74	Chestnut Hill, Mass.
	Wake Forest 86, Duke 73	Winston-Salem, N.C.

Upcoming Games
Date	Matchup	Location	Broadcast Info	Time/Stats
02/19/08	Clemson @ FSU	Tallahassee, Fla.	RSN (XM 190)	7:00 p.m. Gametracker
02/20/08	UNC @ NC State	Raleigh, N.C.	ESPN (XM 190/191)	7:00 p.m. Livestats
	Duke @ Miami	Coral Gables, Fla.	RAYCOM (Split) (XM 190)	9:00 p.m. Gametracker
	VT @ Maryland	College Park, Md.	RAYCOM (Split) (XM 192)	9:00 p.m. Gametracker
02/21/08	Virginia @ Georgia Tech	Atlanta, Ga.	RSN (XM 190)	7:00 p.m. Gametracker
02/23/08	BC @ FSU	Tallahassee, Fla.	RSN (XM 190)	12:00 p.m. Gametracker
	Georgia Tech @ VT	Blacksburg, Va.	RAYCOM (Split) (XM 192)	2:00 p.m. Livestats
	Maryland @ Miami	Coral Gables, Fla.	RAYCOM (Split) (XM 191)	2:00 p.m. Gametracker
	St. John’s @ Duke	Durham, N.C.	CBS (XM 190)	4:00 p.m. Livestats
02/24/08	NC State @ Virginia	Charlottesville, Va.	FSN (XM 190)	4:30 p.m. Livestats
	Wake Forest @ UNC	Chapel Hill, N.C.	FSN (XM 192)	6:30 p.m. Gametracker
CSN = Comcast SportsNet; CSS = Comcast Sports Southeast; FSN = Fox SportsNet; FSNS = Fox SportsNet South; NESN = New England Sports Network; RSN = Regional Cable Partners (check listings)

A Look Around the League…

Duke (22-2, 10-1)

The Blue Devils finally lost an ACC game. After beating Maryland for the
second time 77-65 on Wednesday, Duke was ambushed by Wake Forest 86-73 in
Winston-Salem on Sunday night. Despite the loss, Duke is still #1 in the ACC, a
game ahead of in-state rival UNC.

In a stat that might surprise you, all five Duke starters fouled out against
the Demon Deacons. Lance Thomas managed to foul out in just 15 minutes of
action. The Blue Devils shot just 28.6% from three-point range, and committed an
uncharacteristic 22 turnovers.

Duke travels to Miami, then will host their traditional February yawner
against Big East doormat St. John’s on Saturday. That game will be very, very
ugly.

Postseason: NCAA tournament lock

North Carolina (24-2, 9-2)

North Carolina proved a couple of things this past week. They can appear to
be an average ACC team at times, but they can also be a completely dominant team
at times. UNC barely got out of Charlottesville with a 75-74 win over last place
UVA. They followed that up with a 92-53 demolition of Virginia Tech on Saturday
afternoon.

The Tar Heels are the most talented team in the ACC. The only question is,
will they bring that intensity that we saw on Saturday every night down the
stretch and in the postseason? They haven’t done it up to this point. If they
can, they have the talent to win it all.

They play at NC State on Wednesday, and host Wake Forest on Sunday. There is
a solid chance they won’t lose again before their rematch with Duke.

Postseason: NCAA tournament lock

Clemson (19-6, 7-4)

Clemson is playing some of the best basketball in the ACC right now. They
have won four of their last five games, with their only loss being a near-win at
the Dean Dome. Three of those four wins have been easy, double-digit wins. They
beat Georgia Tech 82-67 last week, then knocked off NC State 71-64 on Saturday.

With home games against Miami and Virginia Tech, as well as winnable road
games against Florida State, Maryland and Georgia Tech, Clemson is almost a lock
to get to 9 ACC wins, which would put them in the NCAA tournament.

They play at Florida State on Tuesday. The Tigers will have the weekend off.

Postseason: NCAA tournament

Maryland (17-9, 7-4)

Maryland lost at Duke 77-65 on Wednesday, but helped themselves out in the
ACC standings with an 82-72 home win over Florida State on Sunday. With the win,
Maryland kept pace with Clemson for third place in the ACC standings. The Terps
have five games remaining, and they are all winnable.

There seems to be quite a battle developing for third place in the
conference. Maryland and Clemson are tied at 7-4, while Wake Forest is at 6-5.
Maryland travels to Wake on February 28, then hosts Clemson on March 2.

This week, the Terps get a shot at revenge on Virginia Tech on Wednesday
night. Then they’ll play at Miami on Saturday.

Postseason: NCAA tournament

Wake Forest (16-8, 6-5)

Wake Forest has improved quite a bit since the beginning of the season, and
that improvement was evident this past week. The Demon Deacons won 78-70 at
Florida State, then beat Duke 86-73 at home on Sunday night. Wake has won three
games in a row, two of them by double-digits. They’ve put themselves squarely on
the bubble.

What makes their winning even more impressive is that Wake is one of the
youngest teams in the ACC. They regularly start two freshmen and three
sophomores. Freshmen guard Jeff Teague scored 26 points against Duke, while
freshman forward James Johnson had 26 points and 14 rebounds. They are Wake’s
top scorers on the season. That’s amazing production from two first-year
players. Fellow freshman guard Gary Clark is starting to play better off the
bench as well.

The Demon Deacons get the week off before playing at UNC on Sunday. They have
two home games against Maryland and NC State remaining. They have road trips to
Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. An NCAA tournament berth is still very much
attainable, considering they have three wins against Top 50 teams.

Postseason: On the bubble, NCAA tournament

Virginia Tech (14-11, 5-6)

After
rising as high as third place in the ACC with a 5-3 record, the Hokies have
dropped three in a row. The latest was a 92-53 blowout at the hands of UNC in
Chapel Hill on Saturday afternoon.

Tech is very much off the NCAA tournament bubble, and they must concentrate
on winning two of their last three home games to make themselves eligible for
the NIT or CBI. They have the ability to do so, but two of the three home games
are against Wake Forest and Georgia Tech, who have already beaten the Hokies
once this season.

The Hokies travel to Maryland on Wednesday night, then host Georgia Tech on
Saturday. The Georgia Tech game looks like a must-win at this point.

Postseason: NIT or CBI

Miami (17-7, 4-6)

Just when you thought Miami was done, they are back in the picture. After an
upset win at Virginia Tech last Saturday, Miami went to Atlanta and pulled out a
64-63 win against Georgia Tech, thanks to a Jack McClinton three-pointer with 45
seconds remaining. Although Miami still has a lot of work to do, a two-game
winning streak is a very good sign.

It’s also a good sign that Jack McClinton is coming out of a slight slump. He
was 6-of-14 from three-point range against Georgia Tech.

The ‘Canes get home games against Duke and Maryland this week, so they have a
chance to improve their argument for an NCAA tournament berth. They also have a
chance to end their hopes altogether with two losses. Needless to say, it’s a
big week for Miami.

Postseason: NIT or CBI

Georgia Tech (11-13, 4-6)

Georgia Tech had been playing better basketball, but they’ve now lost three
straight games, and they are two games below .500 overall. They suffered defeats
at the hands of Clemson and Miami in the last week. They’ve got to get on a
winning streak at some point, or they won’t have any kind of a postseason with
their overall record.

The Yellow Jackets are getting inconsistent play from everyone on their team
this year. Matt Causey dropped 20 against Miami, but he has also been held
scoreless once in the last month, and also had a 2-point performance. They need
him, and others, to perform more consistently.

Georgia Tech host Virginia on Thursday, then travels to Virginia Tech on
Saturday.

Postseason: None

NC State (15-11, 4-7)

The Wolfpack have look good at times, but they were pretty bad this past
week. They lost on the road to a bad Boston College team 82-65, then suffered a
home loss to Clemson 71-64. They had a chance to get on that NCAA tournament
bubble, but now their chances don’t look very good.

Their chances look even worse when you look at their schedule down the
stretch. They have to play UNC and Duke at home, and also must play at rapidly
improving Wake Forest.

NC State hosts UNC on Wednesday night, then travels to Charlottesville to
take on UVA on Sunday.

Postseason: NIT or CBI

Boston College (13-11, 4-7)

Despite their 82-65 home win in an almost totally empty Conte Forum on
Thursday, BC might qualify as the worst team in the ACC right now. They lost at
home to Virginia 79-74 on Sunday. It was just UVA’s second ACC win of the
season, and both wins have come against the Eagles.

BC lacks a lot. Three of their four guards are freshmen, and their frontcourt
simply isn’t athletic enough to compete night in and night out in the ACC. They
are very well coached by Al Skinner, but he can only do so much.

The Eagles get the week off, then travel to Florida State on Saturday. Three
of their final five games are on the road, and one of their two home games is
against UNC. Overall, they have lost seven of their last eight games.

Postseason: None

Florida State (14-12, 3-8)

Florida State lost senior guard Isaiah Swann to a torn ACL, and they have
lost two straight games 78-70, against Wake Forest and Maryland. They aren’t
playing poorly; they just don’t have the horses to get over the hump against ACC
talent, especially with a good, experienced senior guard out of the lineup.

They do get three of their final five games at home. However, they’ll have to
develop some kind of an inside game. Guards Toney Douglas and Jason Rich are
being forced to carry the team.

FSU hosts Clemson on Tuesday, then they get Boston College at home on
Saturday.

Postseason: None

Virginia (2-9, 12-12)

It was a much better week for UVA basketball. The Hoos nearly knocked off UNC
at home, falling 75-74, then they went on the road and defeated Boston College
79-74. They appear to be improving. They have a chance to climb out of the
cellar, as they stand just one game behind Florida State. An NIT or CBI berth is
also possible.

One reason they have improved is the return of post player Laurynas
Mikalauskas from injury. He scored 13 points and had five rebounds in the win
over Boston College. Sean Singletary also got some help from Mamadi Diane, who
scored 20 points.

UVA travels to Georgia Tech on Thursday, and then hosts NC State on Sunday.

Postseason: None