First ACC Weekend Recap

The first weekend of ACC play is in the books, and for the most part it was a good weekend for the teams that are supposed to be in the upper echelon in the conference.  Duke and Maryland both got easy home wins against lesser teams.  N.C. State did not play well but was able to escape with a road win at Boston College.  And Miami had perhaps the most impressive performance of the weekend, winning by 13 on the road against Georgia Tech.  That game was actually more of a blowout than the final score indicated.

A couple of other games may have been minor surprises.  Florida State controlled their game in the first half at Clemson, and then were able to hold on despite some questionable play in the last minute.  And North Carolina really struggled down the stretch at UVA, letting the Cavaliers go on a 10-0 run late in that one.

On paper, the weekday game schedule is pretty weak.  But there could be some close games:

Tuesday:

Clemson at Duke (7:00 p.m., ESPNU)
Clemson is staring at an 0-2 start in the conference, as they have to go to Cameron Indoor and try to compete with the Blue Devils.  Duke coasted to a pretty easy win in their home opener, and have another favorable game before their big matchup with N.C. State this coming weekend.

Wednesday:

Boston College at Virginia Tech (7:00 p.m., FSN)
If there is an opportunity for Boston College to sneak a road win, this is it.  They didn't win a game on the road in conference last year, but came very close a few times.  Virginia Tech is reeling right now, not being able to stop anyone on defense.  Boston College played well at times against N.C. State but just couldn't hit the shots in the final minute.  I expect this one to come down to the wire.

Florida State at Maryland (8:00 p.m., ACC Network)
Florida State played pretty well at Clemson, but winning up at College Park is a much stiffer challenge.  Maryland looks like the second best team in the conference right now, with a lot of depth.  If the Seminoles can win the three point percentage, they can win.  But I expect the Terps to come out on top in this one.

Georgia Tech at N.C. State (8:00 p.m., ACC Network)
Georgia Tech was able to pull off the surprising road upset in this game last year.  But they have to come up with a lot more offense to top the Wolfpack.  The Yellow Jackets are capable of putting together a good offensive game, and they may be able to catch the Wolfpack looking ahead to their big game against Duke.  But this one is all about N.C. State.  If they come out with a focused effort, they won't lose.

Virginia at Wake Forest (9:00 p.m., FSN)
This is an interesting week for Virginia.  They are coming off a big win over North Carolina, their first in John Paul Jones Arena.  Now they have two winnable road games against Wake Forest and Clemson.  For Wake, this is a big game to get some confidence.  If they are patient against Virginia's pack line defense they have a chance.

Thursday:

Miami at North Carolina (7:00 p.m., ESPN)
This is the best game of the week and a big one for both teams.  The schedulers did Miami no favors.  Look at their first five conference games: @GT, @UNC, vs. Maryland, @BC, vs. Duke.  They need to win as many games as they can in this tough early stretch to build that NCAA Tournament resume.  For North Carolina, it's about getting back to Tar Heel basketball.  They did not look good at all against Virginia, and right now Miami is the more talented team, even without Reggie Johnson.  If the Heels don't win this one, they are no lock to make the NCAA Tournament.  Their next two are at Florida State and home against Maryland.  An 0-4 start is not a reach.