Weekend Preview

Here we are, finally at the real start of the conference season. I'm sure a bunch of ACC teams are happy to get to conference play after having less than stellar non-conference seasons. There are plenty of big games this weekend, so let's get right to it:

UNC at UVA (Saturday, 12:00 p.m.)
UNC has impressed with its recent play, and UVA has not. The Tar Heels bring a lot of confidence in, and I think will benefit from a fairly sparse crowd at JPJ. UVA has struggled lately, but this young team has the ability to play well, so Carolina can't think of this one as a pushover.

Wake Forest at NC State (Saturday, 2:30 p.m.)
What a nightmare of a season it has been so far for Wake Forest. They open ACC play on the road against one of their Tobacco Road rivals. NC State hasn't been setting the world on fire, but should do enough at home to beat the Deacs.

Florida State at Virginia Tech (Saturday, 3:00 p.m.)
This is the game of the day in the conference. It is a game that Virginia Tech simply has to win, already losing a home game to UVA. Florida State is a tough matchup for them, with a lot of size. Although FSU is coming off a head-scratching loss to Auburn. If the Hokies can play well out of the gates, they can win this game.

Georgia Tech at Boston College (Saturday, 4:00 p.m.)
Boston College is coming off another disappointing loss to Harvard, but has played pretty well so far this year. Georgia Tech has been a horrible road team over the last couple years and will likely struggle to win this one.

Miami at Clemson (Saturday, 6:00 p.m.)
This is an intriguing matchup. Clemson is still trying to figure out Brad Brownell's system, and has had a few bumps on the road. If Miami can find a way to win at Littlejohn, they will be taken more seriously as a contender for an NCAA berth.

Maryland at Duke (Sunday, 8:00 p.m.)
This is being showcased as one of the games of the weekend nationally. I think most of the people who are doing that are doing so based on history. Because Duke is simply too good to get beat at home by a Maryland team that has struggled to score this year.