The Week Ahead

It was a pretty tame first week for the ACC teams, with most just playing one game. There were a few notables, though:

-What a bad start to the Jeff Bzdelik era in Wake Forest. I thought Wake would have a bad year, but losing at home by 10 to Stetson is a different story. Wake needs to figure things out quickly or it could have a real struggle in November.

-Along those lines, many of the teams in the ACC struggled in their first game. This isn't unusual. A lot of times you just want to win the first game and move on from there. Teams like Wake Forest weren't so lucky.

-Some early props for Maryland freshman Pe'Shon Howard. He came up big in a game against the College of Charleston that the Terps probably should have lost. Howard took and made the shot on the last possession to give Maryland the win.

We should have a step up in competition for the teams this week. Here are a few games to watch:

ESPN's 24 Hour Tip-off
Miami at Memphis (Tuesday, midnight)
Virginia Tech at Kansas State (Tuesday, 4:00 p.m.)

A pair of tough road tests for ACC teams. Miami has a decent shot to knock off the Memphis Tigers, who are still trying to find their way under second year coach Josh Pastner. And the Hokies will face a difficult challenge in Kansas State, which is ranked #3.

Coaches vs. Cancer
Maryland vs. Pitt (Thursday, 7:00 p.m.)

Maryland will face a big step up in competition here against a Pitt team that many people think will win the Big East this year. This game is being played at Madison Square Garden.

Virginia at Stanford (Thursday, 10:30 p.m.)

This is a good road game for Virginia, which is looking to survive the first several weeks of the season without Sammy Zeglinski. Stanford is not expected to be very good, but it's still a cross-country game against a Pac-1o team.

Puerto Rico Tip-Off
North Carolina vs. TBA (Friday)

The Tar Heels will have a tough second round matchup in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, against either Minnesota or Western Kentucky. They would then likely play either West Virginia or Vanderbilt on Sunday.

Charleston Classic
NC State vs. TBA (Sunday)

NC State is playing in the Charleston Classic this week. If they win their first two games, they should be in line to play Georgetown in the final. The Hoyas already have a solid road victory over Old Dominion this year.