ACC Tournament Semifinals Preview

Before I get into today's semifinal games, let me go back to Friday. It's pretty remarkable that the 11 seed and the 12 seed are among the last 4 teams left. Some may say it speaks to the strength from top to bottom of the league, others may say it's a sign that the conference is down when the "best" teams can't beat the bottom ones. What it does is make me uneasy about how the ACC teams will perform in the NCAA Tournament. Let's take a look at how the teams below Duke fared:
#2 seed Maryland had a horrific first half performance against #7 seed Georgia Tech, and despite an almost complete unraveling by the Jackets in the second half still lost.
#3 seed Florida State couldn't do anything offensively against #11 seed NC State, was behind most of the game, and lost.
#4 seed Virginia Tech had a terrible game from its best player, Malcolm Delaney, and couldn't beat #12 seed Miami.
#5 seed Wake Forest didn't show up in their game against #12 seed Miami and lost by 21 points!
#6 seed Clemson looked really bad offensively against #11 seed NC State and lost after trailing most of the game.

These teams really need to step it up next week! Now, let's look ahead to Saturday:

#1 Duke vs. #12 Miami (1:30 p.m.)
This tournament could not have opened up better for Duke. They first had to face a Virginia squad that they match up better with than BC. And now instead of having to play Virginia Tech, they get Miami. The Hurricanes have certainly played their best basketball of the season in their last two games. But I don't think they have the legs or the talent to stay with Duke. They might make it interesting for a half or less, but Duke should roll.

#7 Georgia Tech vs. #11 NC State (4:00 p.m.)
This is looking like deja vu all over again for the Wolfpack. Three years ago, they made a run to the finals, and could do that again. The Wolfpack haven't been setting the world on fire, but have been playing solid defense. Georgia Tech is the definition of streaky. You only had to watch their game against Maryland to see that. NC State will have the crowd edge but I do like Georgia Tech's superior talent to win out. Expect a big game from Derrick Favors.