NCAA Tournament: Saturday Preview

We are down to the Elite 8, and one ACC team is left standing after Duke and Florida State lost in the round of 16. Among the eight teams left, we have a team from the Horizon and the CAA, but none from the Big Ten. That is a wow. Here's a preview of today's games:

#8 Butler vs. #2 Florida (2:30 p.m.) - What can you say about the job that Brad Stevens has done at Butler? In each of the last two years, many people have picked Butler to lose in the first round. All they have done is won 8 games in those two years (so far). And it's getting harder to pick against them. Meanwhile, Florida is enjoying its best year since it won back-to-back championships with the Joakim Noah team. This matchup should be familiar for fans of both teams - they do have a history against each other.

I think the key for Butler is preventing the drive and kick for Florida. I saw the Gators doing a lot of that against BYU, and they ended up knocking down a lot of threes. For Florida, I would go right at Matt Howard down low and make him commit fouls. Butler is much better when Howard is on the floor and out of foul trouble.

#5 Arizona vs. #3 UConn (5:05 p.m.) - Arizona opened a lot of eyes with their play in the second half against Duke on Thursday. Derrick Williams had a coming out party with a number of eye-popping dunks and 3-pointers. They carry a lot of momentum into this game against a Connecticut team that has been truly remarkable the last couple weeks. After winning five games in five days, they have continued their run in the NCAAs on the back of Kemba Walker.

I think the key in this game is the secondary scorers. You know that Walker and Williams will have big games. But how Momo Jones and Jeremy Lamb play will go a long way in determining today's winner.

ACC Teams Update

Three ACC teams are still playing - all are in the NCAA Tournament. Boston College and Virginia Tech lost in the second round of the NIT, and Miami lost in the quarterfinals. That leaves Duke, North Carolina and Florida State. Duke and Carolina were expected to make it to the Sweet 16; FSU was not. Here's a look at their matchups for the Sweet 16:

Thursday:

#1 Duke vs. #5 Arizona - Most people thought this would be a matchup between Duke and Texas, but the Wildcats won in the last minute, setting up this showdown with Duke. Understandably, the Blue Devils were a little rusty in integrating Kyrie Irving back in the lineup. They will get a good game from an Arizona squad that has the talent to win.

Friday:

#2 UNC vs. #11 Marquette - Like the Duke game, most people thought UNC would be facing a stiffer challenge against Syracuse. Instead they get Marquette, one of the two Big East teams left standing. Marquette was very up and down this year. They certainly believe that they can pull another upset. I'm not as confident.

#11 VCU vs. #10 Florida State - I don't think many brackets had this Sweet 16 matchup. Both teams played very well last weekend. VCU is riding high right now, playing great on both ends of the floor. It will be interesting to see how they play against a Florida State defense that is one of the best in the nation. I could see this game going either way.

Postseason Update


All of the ACC teams that have played in the postseason so far have won - and all have won by double digits. Here's an update on their next games:

NCAA Tournament

#12 Clemson vs. #5 West Virginia (Thursday, 12:15 p.m.) - Clemson played well in a big win over UAB, and is rewarded by making a very short turnaround and flying from Ohio to Florida. They have to face a Mountaineer team that may be overseeded as a 5 but always plays well in the NCAA Tournament. This should be one of the better matchups on Thursday.

NIT

Northwestern at Boston College (Saturday, 11:00 a.m.) - BC won big at McNeese State, and gets to return home to face a tougher opponent. Northwestern had promise to start the season, and won big over Georgia Tech early in the year. But they have not been good on the road and BC should win this one.

Wichita State at Virginia Tech (Sunday, 11:00 a.m.) - The Hokies came out and put the NCAA snub behind them, creaming Bethune-Cookman. They will have to carry the same energy in an odd Sunday morning start against a Wichita State team that also played well on Wednesday, beating Nebraska. The Shockers may be the toughest challenge the Hokies have to make it to MSG.

Missouri State at Miami (Monday, 7:00 p.m.) - The Hurricanes won their first round NIT game pretty easily against Florida Atlantic. They should get a good game Monday against Missouri State, which was the best team in the regular season in the Missouri Valley before losing to Indiana State in the finals of the MVC Tournament.

ACC in the Postseason

All year long, the talk from the experts was that the ACC was down. The respect (or lack thereof) given to the conference this weekend is a representation of that statement. Only 7 of the 12 teams made any sort of postseason play, with just 4 in the NCAA Tournament. The season is over for Maryland, Virginia, NC State, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest. The other 7 play on. Here's a look at their next games:

NCAA Tournament

Clemson vs. UAB (Tuesday, 9:00 p.m. in Dayton) - It's a good news/bad news situation for Clemson. The good news is they made the tournament in Brad Brownell's first year. The bad news is that Clemson has to play in the play-in game, and if they win, they have to turn around and play early on Thursday in Tampa. I do think Clemson is a better team than UAB, and they should win this one to set up a matchup with West Virginia.

Duke vs. Hampton (Friday, 3:10 p.m. in Charlotte) - Duke was rewarded with a 1 seed and two games in Charlotte. They shouldn't have much trouble with a Hampton team that lost at Wake Forest by 7 in the first game of the year.

Florida State vs. Texas A&M (Friday, 4:10 p.m. in Chicago) - This is a very interesting 7/10 matchup. It looks like Florida State will have Chris Singleton available to play. They will have what likely will be a low-scoring affair against a Texas A&M team that won 13 straight games earlier this year but hasn't been playing its best ball lately.

North Carolina vs. Long Island (Friday, 7:15 p.m. in Charlotte) - Tar Heel fans have to be a little nervous after the Heels' performance in the ACC Tournament. They didn't play anywhere near their potential in those three games. Whether they can put it all together could mean the difference between a second round exit and a final four run. Regardless, they will win this game.

NIT

Boston College at McNeese State (Tuesday, 9:00 p.m.) - Boston College got a 1 seed in the NIT, but for some reason are playing in Louisiana at McNeese State. I can only assume that the Conte Forum was booked on Tuesday night. McNeese State finished first in the Southland Conference. They lost all their games against power conference teams, including a 20 point loss at Miami.

Florida Atlantic at Miami (Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.) - Florida Atlantic will make the short drive down I-95 to Miami to take on the Hurricanes. It's curious that Miami got in the NIT instead of Maryland. Regardless, they have a chance to gain some momentum heading into next year. Florida Atlantic won 13 games in the Sun Belt and won at Mississippi State early in the year.

Bethune-Cookman at Virginia Tech (Wednesday, 8:00 p.m.) - Obviously the biggest question going into this one is motivation: will Virginia Tech's players really be up for an NIT matchup against a team from the Mid-Eastern Conference? Bethune-Cookman did well in conference, but lost to Arizona by 34 and Baylor by 44.

ACC Tournament: Final Preview

First off, sorry that I didn't have a semifinal preview. After the late and crazy ending of the Virginia Tech-Florida State game, I decided to go to Greensboro for yesterday's semis, and had to leave early for that. It was an interesting Saturday at the ACC Tournament. Clemson has to be kicking themselves for losing their game at the end to UNC. They outplayed the Tar Heels for much of that game, only to see Harrison Barnes and company make big shots at the end of regulation and overtime. Clemson sure looks like an NCAA Tournament team - we'll see how things shake out.

The second game wasn't quite as exciting. Virginia Tech fought hard but didn't have enough left in the tank to compete with a Duke team that seems to be bringing its best to the ACC Tournament as always. Nolan Smith was terrific against the Hokies. Like Clemson, Virginia Tech now waits its fate tonight.

So now to today's game: Duke vs. UNC. Surprisingly, these two teams haven't met in the ACC final since 2001. The atmosphere in the Greensboro Coliseum is going to be off the charts. It's not often you get college basketball's best rivalry at a neutral site with lots of both teams' fans.

As for the game, I give Duke the slight edge. They have definitely been playing better than UNC over the last two days. They are just a more disciplined and defensively sound team. Smith and Singler appear to be playing well at the same time, which is a big boost. I think Duke will be able to neutralize the fast break of UNC and will have a defense set up to stop Barnes. Like the game in Cameron, I see Duke's strategy being to try to make Kendall Marshall a shooter. He's shown the ability to make big shots (had a critical 3 in OT yesterday) but is inconsistent.

The Heels have to get off to a better start. They can't get down double digits to Duke and expect them to fold at the end of the game like Miami, and to a lesser degree, Clemson. UNC will have the majority of the crowd support and certainly has a good chance, but I like the Devils to win this one and probably earn a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

ACC Tournament: Quarterfinals Preview

It wasn't the most riveting day one at the ACC Tournament, with the last three games all being pretty much no contest. You saw several teams that just had no life, no fight in them. And that has to be frustrating for fans. NC State and Georgia Tech in particular just seemed to be playing out the string, waiting for their season to be over. We did have one amazing game that saw Virginia have one of the biggest late-game collapses I've ever seen. That has to be just a crushing way to end the season.

Thankfully, Friday should be much more entertaining. Here's a preview:

#1 UNC vs. #9 Miami (12:00 p.m.) - I've heard a lot of chatter about how Miami is a sleeper team and UNC should be on the lookout. I don't agree with this at all. Miami was frankly really lucky to beat UVA - they had scored only 10 points in the second half through the first 19 minutes. I think UNC will run all over the Canes.
Pick: UNC

#4 Clemson vs. #5 Boston College (2:30 p.m.) - It's hard to glean much from BC's win over Wake Forest. Both of these teams know that they have to win this game to put them in good position for the NCAA Tournament. Clemson beat BC in their first meeting in Littlejohn. Clemson's size will cause a problem for BC, but I think Reggie Jackson will carry the Eagles to a win.
Pick: BC

#1 Duke vs. #7 Maryland (7:00 p.m.) - Gary Williams and the Terps were able to pull things together to play a good game against NC State. They will face a much stiffer challenge tonight against a Duke team that has lost 2 of its last 3 games. I think Kyle Singler will step it up, and Duke's guards will make life tough for Pe'Shon Howard and Terrell Stoglin.
Pick: Duke

#3 Florida State vs. #6 Virginia Tech (9:30 p.m.) - The Hokies played inspired ball against Georgia Tech on Thursday, turning around their recent struggles. They know that they have to get work done this week to make the field. There are rumblings that Chris Singleton will be back for Florida State, but how productive he will be is a big question. I think the Hokies will carry the momentum from last night and knock off the Noles.
Pick: Virginia Tech

ACC Tournament Preview: First Round

The ACC Tournament starts on Thursday, with some interesting matchups. For most teams, though, the real interest doesn't start until Friday. This week's tournament could mean the difference between an NCAA bid and a berth in the NIT. It can also be huge in terms of seeding.

Last year, the tournament was chaos. The 11 and 12 seeds won multiple games, and in the quarterfinals, the 2, 3 and 4 seeds all lost. I don't see that pattern repeating this year, but you never know.

So here's a look at Thursday's slate:

#8 Virginia vs. #9 Miami (12:00 p.m.) - These are two teams that at the beginning of the year you would not have thought would have matched up in this 8/9 game. But Virginia has held things together very well while Miami has moved in the other direction. The Hurricanes have more talent than Virginia, but have lost so many close games this year. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are playing some of their best basketball of the year.
Pick: Virginia

#5 Boston College vs. #12 Wake Forest (2:30 p.m.) - Here's an eye-opening stat for you: Wake Forest has only played in two conference games in which they have not lost by double digits. Last year they were in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. They just played up in Boston and lost by a significant margin, and I don't see anything changing in this one.
Pick: BC

#7 Maryland vs. #10 NC State (7:00 p.m.) - It seems like once the Terps lost any hope of making the NCAA Tournament, the air was let out of the balloon. They have lost their last two games by double digits to Miami and Virginia. NC State looked very uninspired in their last two games against Virginia and Florida State. This game could be ugly.
Pick: Maryland

#6 Virginia Tech vs. #11 Georgia Tech (9:30 p.m.) - This is really the only Thursday game that affects anyone's NCAA possibilities. The Hokies have to find a way to play much more inspired ball than they did in the last two games. Georgia Tech has been playing out the string the last month, but has won its last two games and gets Brian Oliver back. Regardless, Virginia Tech is the better team and must win this game.
Pick: Virginia Tech

Weekend Preview

Well, here we are. This is the last weekend of games in the regular season, and there is a lot at stake for several ACC teams. Obviously, Duke vs. UNC is the biggest game on the national radar. But there are other crucial matchups as well. Here we go:

Saturday:

Virginia Tech at Clemson (12:00 p.m.) - What a big game this is for both teams. Virginia Tech is coming off a pretty damaging home loss to Boston College. Clemson is coming off a loss at Duke. Both teams really need to win this game to feel better about their chances of making the NCAAs. I think that the Hokies can still get in if they lose this game, but if Clemson loses they are out. You have to believe this one will be a low scoring slugfest. First to 60 might win.

Virginia at Maryland (2:00 p.m.) - The Terps pretty much blew any chance they had of making the NCAAs with an uninspired performance at Miami. They have to feel deflated in this game. I think Virginia is catching them at the right time, coming off a nice home win over NC State. The Terps should win this one but don't be surprised if Virginia pulls the upset.

Duke at North Carolina (8:00 p.m.) - What can you say about this matchup? I don't think anyone thought UNC would be a home win away from winning the regular season title. But with their last second win over FSU they are right there with a great chance. Duke certainly looked vulnerable in last week's loss to Virginia Tech. This one should be a great contest.

Sunday:

Wake Forest at Boston College (12:00 p.m.) - I thought Wake had a decent chance at a win at home against Georgia Tech, but they didn't even come close. I certainly don't see them pulling off a road win against a Boston College team that is feeling better about their NCAA chances.

Miami at Georgia Tech (2:30 p.m.) - These are two talented but underachieving teams. There really isn't much to play for here. It may be the last time Paul Hewitt coaches at the Thriller Dome.

Florida State at NC State (6:15 p.m.) - Florida State showed some heart in their matchup with UNC, but at the end of the day it was still a loss. They should be comfortably in the NCAAs, but if they lose this one they could be in a little trouble. NC State isn't playing for anything but could be a spoiler.