There were some surprising results in the ACC this week. Let's start with Wake Forest's win over N.C. State. This has to be a red flag result for the Wolfpack. They had a 12 point lead at halftime, and couldn't hold that in the second half against Wake. Give the Demon Deacons credit, this is the biggest win that Jeff Bzdelik has had in his three years. But this is a bad loss for N.C. State. They can't afford to be taking games off. And their defense has to step it up.
The other pretty surprising score was Miami 90, Duke 63. We knew that Miami had a good chance of knocking off the Ryan Kelly-less Blue Devils, but didn't think Duke would let anyone go on a 25-1 run. This game was completely over at halftime.
Elsewhere, Virginia picked up a nice road win in coasting over rival Virginia Tech. If the Cavaliers can shoot threes like they did in this game, they will finish in the top half of the league. Clemson came oh so close to beating Florida State but let Michael Snaer lead the Seminoles to a dramatic win. Florida State has been wildly inconsistent this year, you never know which team you will get.
Here are the games this weekend:
Saturday:
Boston College at Virginia (1:00 p.m., FSN)
Boston College has come pretty close a few times, but will need to have their outside shooting going if they want to win in Charlottesville. The way Virginia plays, it wouldn't surprise me if they lost a game like this. But they have been good at home so far and should win this one.
Maryland at Duke (1:00 p.m., CBS)
This game doesn't have the same luster that it did a few weeks ago. Duke is coming off a blowout loss to Miami, and is still without Ryan Kelly. Maryland won their last game but have really struggled offensively in the last couple weeks. They need a better first half performance than they had last week at North Carolina or it's going to be a Duke rout.
Wake Forest at Georgia Tech (3:00 p.m., ACC Network)
This is an intriguing game. Georgia Tech has struggled in conference play, but has the talent to win. Wake is coming off their biggest win in three years, but will they have a letdown? Neither one of these teams is going to make the NCAA Tournament but this should be a good fight.
North Carolina at N.C. State (7:00 p.m., ESPN)
This is a big game for both teams, especially the Wolfpack. They haven't looked like world-beaters since they toppled Duke, going 1-2 with the only win a narrow one at home against Clemson. Meanwhile, the Heels are coming in on a roll, with as much confidence as they've had all season. They won't be intimidated by going to Raleigh. This one is all about emotion. If N.C. State is able to play fired up but not too fired up they will win.
Sunday:
Virginia Tech at Clemson (1:00 p.m., ACC Network)
Clemson has been playing better, but have two narrow losses in the last week. They will be happy to go back home, where their defense has really clamped down on opponents. Virginia Tech has to get more from players other than Erick Green to be able to compete in this one.
Florida State at Miami (6:00 p.m., ESPNU)
Miami just keeps rolling through the ACC schedule, a surprising first place team. As I mentioned earlier, Florida State is very inconsistent. If they bring their A game they can win. But they can't afford to take stretches off and have Miami jump on them like they did in the Duke game.
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