Weekend Preview

Non-conference season is kicking into high gear, and some ACC teams have interesting games.  First, a look at what's happened in the last few days: the conference got a big win Tuesday night when Duke was able to get past Kentucky.  That offset a couple of bad losses.  Virginia lost at home to Delaware, their second loss to a CAA team this year.  And Miami lost on the road to Florida Gulf Coast.  Why they are playing Florida Gulf Coast on the road is beyond me.  The Miami loss is a more damaging one, because if they end up on the bubble this could come back to bite them.

Boston College actually was quite competitive yesterday against Baylor, giving their fans hope that they might not be a cellar-dweller this year.  Ryan Anderson could be a very strong player for them.  N.C. State got a pretty easy win against Penn State as expected in Puerto Rico, and move on to face stiffer competition.  Right now seven ACC teams are still undefeated, although Duke is the only one that has really faced tough competition.

Now to this weekend.  There are a whopping eight games involving ACC teams on Friday, and some of them are good ones.

Let's start with N.C. State.  They take on UMass on Friday afternoon.  UMass already has decent wins over Harvard and Providence.  If N.C. State can win Friday, they will play the winner of Tennessee and Oklahoma State in the Championship Game on Sunday.  Both Tennessee and Oklahoma State should be competing for NCAA bids this year, so that will be a good barometer game for State.

Boston College is taking on Dayton Friday afternoon.  That should be a good battle and a game that BC can definitely win.  Their next game is on Sunday against either Auburn or Charleston.  Both teams did not look good in their first games.  What's interesting is BC has another game scheduled at home against Auburn on Wednesday, so they could end up playing the Tigers twice in a week.

Wake Forest is taking part in the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands this weekend.  They have a tough draw, having to play the best team in the tournament in the first game: UConn.  That game is Friday evening.  If they lose, which is likely, they will play the loser of Quinnipiac and Iona on Saturday.  I'm guessing that will be Quinnipiac, a team Wake should beat.  The final game of the tournament is not until Monday.

Florida State is playing in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic this weekend, a prestigious event with good teams.  And the Seminoles really need to play well, after their first game loss to South Alabama.  They take on BYU on Friday night, a team that is expected to be in the NCAAs this year.  Their second game is on Saturday, against either St. Joseph's or Notre Dame.  St. Joseph's is predicted to finish in the top two of the Atlantic 10 this year, so they are no slouch.  Florida State cannot afford to go 0-2 this weekend.

On more game of note on the schedule Friday night: UNC plays at Long Beach State, on their way to the Maui Invitational.  Long Beach State is the best team in their league and will definitely pose a challenge for the Tar Heels.  You have to stay up late to see that one: it doesn't tip off until 11:00 p.m.