Friday, March 01, 2013

Weekend Preview: 3/2-3/3

I'm not going to proclaim that Virginia is in the NCAA Tournament after beating Duke, because that came back to bite the Hokies a couple years ago.  But they certainly made a big step toward securing a berth.  The Duke win, coupled with the wins over N.C. State and Wisconsin, looks good for a bubble team's resume.  Maryland, meanwhile, went in the other direction, thoroughly outplayed on the road at Georgia Tech.  The Terps have only won one road game in the conference this year.

This weekend's slate is highlighted by the ACC game of the year, Duke hosting Miami.

Saturday:

Maryland at Wake Forest (12:00 p.m., ACC Network)
Maryland desperately needs a win here, but they are at a big disadvantage.  Their road woes, coupled with Wake's strong play at home, doesn't bode well.  A loss here could be the death knell for the Terps' NCAA Tournament chances.

Miami at Duke (6:00 p.m., ESPN)
Miami certainly has a lot of confidence coming in, knowing what they did to Duke in Coral Gables.  Duke had actually been playing better than Miami in their last few games, until their performance against Virginia.  It is unlikely now that Duke will be able to win the regular season title, and they may have lost their chance at a #1 seed.  But you better believe they will be fired up at home.  I expect a tight game.

Clemson at Virginia Tech (8:00 p.m., FSN)
Clemson has really struggled away from Littlejohn, and is heading for a second straight disappointing season.  Virginia Tech won last week at home against Florida State, and should come out inspired on Erick Green's senior day.  These two teams always seem to play close games, and this should be no exception.

Sunday:

Florida State at North Carolina (2:00 p.m., CBS)
This game looked a lot more attractive at the start of the season for CBS than it does now.  North Carolina is rounding into form.  Even though Florida State has pulled off some good road wins this year, they are on a downward trend, and it's hard to see them keeping up, especially if the Tar Heels start hitting some threes.

Virginia at Boston College (4:00 p.m., ACC Network)
Two years ago, after knocking off Duke, Virginia Tech failed to beat Boston College, a very costly loss.  Virginia will try to avoid the same.  The Cavaliers have been really solid in the last month, but Boston College has the ability to pull off the upset at home.  The team that can hit more outside shots will have the upper hand.

N.C. State at Georgia Tech (6:00 p.m., ESPNU)
This is the type of game that N.C. State has struggled with this season.  They are 2-5 on the road this year, and their two wins are by a combined six points.  The Wolfpack still have a chance of getting a first round bye in the ACC Tournament, but they have to win this one.  After a really rough start to the conference season, Georgia Tech can actually finish with the 8th seed.

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