Friday, February 15, 2013

Weekend Preview: 2/16-2/17

Even when you think the game isn't going to be good, North Carolina/Duke does not disappoint.  The Tar Heels played up to their competition throughout most of the game, and almost pulled off the upset.  James Michael McAdoo's failings at the free throw line near the end really hurt Carolina.  And make no mistake, Duke did not play their best game.  They had a lot of foul trouble, and Mason Plumlee did not have his normal effort.  North Carolina needs to get over this quickly because they have a big bubble game against Virginia on Saturday.

Once again, Miami impressed.  I thought Florida State had a good shot at home, but they were playing from behind all game and couldn't catch up.  Miami at Duke looms large later in the season.

Here is this weekend's schedule:

Saturday:

Boston College at Florida State (12:00 p.m., ACC Network)
Boston College pulled off a nice last second win at home against Wake this past week.  They had been losing all their close games until this one.  But I would imagine they would have a tough time in Tallahassee against a Florida State team that is stinging from that second loss to their rival.  You never know what you are going to get from the Seminoles but they should win.

Virginia at North Carolina (12:00 p.m., ACC Network)
This is the game of the weekend in my opinion.  Virginia has played really good basketball in the last couple weeks, and passed their last road test at Maryland.  You can bet they will be fired up to try to sweep the Tar Heels.  This game will be a good test for how Coach Roy Williams can get his team to rebound from a tough loss.  If they come out flat, like they did at the start of their game against Virginia Tech, they will be in trouble.

Georgia Tech at Wake Forest (2:00 p.m., FSN)
You can bet that this game won't be like the first one between these two teams, which Georgia Tech won big.  The Yellow Jackets can really struggle to score at times.  Wake plays much better at home and should be favored in this one.

Virginia Tech at N.C. State (2:00 p.m., ESPN2)
N.C. State hasn't really played a complete game in a while, and they have had a week of rest.  It will be interesting to see how they come out in this one.  Virginia Tech is wearing down and won't present a very difficult challenge, so it's up to the Wolfpack to put them away early.

Duke at Maryland (6:00 p.m., ESPN)
I think the Terps are seeing their NCAA Tournament chances slip away, so they need this win in the worst way.  Maryland has been pretty good against the bottom teams in the league, but their best conference win was a one point home win against N.C. State.  Duke has played pretty shaky in their last two games, so the Terps have a chance.  And you know that crowd will be fired up.

Sunday:

Miami at Clemson (6:00 p.m., ESPNU)
Littlejohn is a tough place to play, but it's hard to forecast a Miami loss to one of the teams in the bottom half of the league.  Shane Larkin should have a great game in this one.  Clemson needs the best games of the year from Milton Jennings and Devin Booker to have a chance at the upset.

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