The Week Ahead

Another weekend of games is over, with some big headlines.  This weekend saw both of the top two teams in the ACC go on the road, with very different results.  You won't see a more bizarre outcome than what happened in Tallahassee on Saturday.  Florida State jumped on UNC from the get-go and really took it to them in the second half.  I tend to think this is more of a fluke game than anything, as I haven't seen anything else this season to indicate that either FSU is that good or UNC is that bad.  Duke, on the other hand, came out and won a game they were supposed to on the road at Clemson.  The Tigers made it tough at the end but Duke used a huge 3 by Andre Dawkins and some offensive rebounds to close it out.

Here's the slate of games for this week:

Tuesday:

Maryland at Florida State (9:00 p.m., ESPNU)
Florida State has a chance to build on their momentum from Saturday with a third straight win.  It wouldn't surprise me at all to see them struggle in this game, a natural letdown.  But they should still have enough to beat the Terps.  Maryland is quietly doing what they need to do to stay in the NCAA Tournament hunt, but they need a marquee win.

Wednesday:

Clemson at Miami (7:00 p.m., FSN)
Miami has had a week off after their loss to UNC and should be able to get their first conference win here.  Clemson has shown flashes that they can be a solid team but they haven't shown the ability to play well on the road.

Thursday:

Wake Forest at Duke (7:00 p.m., ESPN)
Wake looked like the Wake of last year in their horrible performance at home against NC State on Saturday.  Now they have to go to Cameron.  I think they'll play a little better but Duke should still be able to win this one by 20.

BC at NC State (8:00 p.m., ACC Network)
Not many people thought BC would be sitting at 2-1 in conference at this point, so you have to give them credit.  They will be hard pressed to get a win in this one, though, unless NC State lays another egg defensively like they did against Georgia Tech.

Virginia at Georgia Tech (8:00 p.m., ACC Network)
Georgia Tech struggled offensively in their game with Maryland yesterday, and will probably have a tough time against Virginia's defense.  This is an interesting game for the Cavaliers, and one they need to win if they want to be taken seriously as a contender on the national scene.

North Carolina at Virginia Tech (9:00 p.m., ESPN)
Virginia Tech is just a mess right now, and taking on an angry UNC team is not the prescription for getting healthy.  I expect Zeller and Henson to have big games.  Tech should play better than they have been but will probably still lose by double digits.

Final Thoughts:

A lot of people, including me, were pretty surprised by what went down in Tallahassee on Saturday.  But it is a fact that teams get up for their games against UNC and Duke.  They want to knock off the best.  What was surprising about it is how UNC just didn't compete.  Teams that have national championship aspirations don't lose by 30 points in any game.  That being said, I still feel right now that the ACC is a three bid league.  Yes, Florida State got a good resume building win.  But all that does at this point is cancels out one or two of the bad losses.  They still have to prove that they can be consistent, and at this point I don't see them doing better than 9-7 in conference.