Raycom ACC Power Poll Ballot–02/09/10

February 9th, 2010 by Brandon Rink

As the weeks progress, the more my optimism wanes for 7-8 NCAA Tourney bids as I was thinking back in December for the ACC. Duke is the leader and from the 6th spot on comes the bubble…

David Tucker over at the Maryland Raycom Blog has been compiling a poll of the ACC blogs for an ACC Basketball Power Poll, and here’s my ballot with semi-insightful commentary.

1) Duke Blue Devils

The Blue Devils swept their two games this week with a blowout of Georgia Tech and close road win at Boston College. Duke faces two huge games this week with North Carolina on Wednesday at Chapel Hill on Raycom at 9–and the next team on my ballot at home on Saturday at 1.

2) Maryland Terrapins

Maryland pulled out a road win at Florida State and pounded North Carolina at home by 21 to get to number two in the poll. The Terps, like Georgia Tech last week, get their shot at number one with facing Duke on Saturday.

3) Wake Forest Demon Deacons

The Deacs also swept their games this week as they beat Miami at home and won a fourth OT game this season on the road at Virginia 64-61. Home games with Boston College and Georgia Tech await the Demon Deacons this week.

4) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Jackets had a mixed week with a loss at Georgia Tech and a win over NC State at home, but were not impressive in the win defensively. They will have to improve on the road with games at Miami and Wake Forest.

5) Florida State Seminoles

The ‘Noles split their two game home-stand with a win over Miami and defeat at the hands of the Terps. FSU could bolster their NCAA Tourney resume with a win at Clemson and taking care of business at home against BC later in the week.

6) Virginia Tech Hokies

Virginia Tech notched two important home victories this week against North Carolina and Clemson to elevate their stature in the ACC and overall. Hokies face the Wolfpack on the road on Wednesday before a home date with the ‘Hoos for the rivalry sweep.

7) Virginia Cavaliers

The ‘Hoos split their home slate last week with a W over NC State and OT loss vs. Wake Forest. As with any ACC bubble team, a home ACC loss means that every game down the stretch is crucial as they will need to pull off 2-3 ACC road wins and take every home game while winning an ACC Tourney game or two to get back into the NCAAs picture.

8 ) Clemson Tigers

Tigers only game last week was an ugly loss on the road at Virginia Tech. As I wrote about in my last post, Clemson faces two home games this week with Florida State and Miami that are must-wins.

9) North Carolina Tar Heels

Unless you have been under a rock, you know of the Tar Heels’ struggles. ACC road games are tough–especially at Maryland and Virginia Tech, but UNC is clearly lacking a gear to get into to be a NCAA Tournament squad–shocking as many pundits including me had them at the top of their ACC preseason ballot. Heels have a shot to play the unfamiliar spoiler role with their home date with Duke on Wednesday which is possible if UNC plays its most energetic lineup with Dexter Strickland in it, but I think the Blue Devils prevail regardless.

10) NC State Wolfpack

If the Wolfpack played the entire game like they did the last 3 minutes of the Georgia Tech matchup–they could have pulled out a big ACC road win, but they came close and lost again. After the other loss to UVA also this week, NC State is at a 2-7 in the ACC after dropping four straight ACC games.

11) Boston College Eagles

The Eagles have certainly improved in their last five games where they have won twice and lost by 1, 3, and 4–the last loss being by 3 to Duke at home. We will see if BC can keep it together after the close losses lately with road games at Wake Forest and Florida State.

12) Miami Hurricanes

The Canes continued their horrendous ACC season as they dropped both of their games making it 7 out of their last 8 that they have lost. On the bright side, if there’s any time for a run–it’s now as Miami has 5 of its final 7 games at home down the stretch.

We are getting into that crucial time of the year for building the tourney resume–some ACC teams are looking at unfamiliar postseason tournaments without turnarounds.

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Coming Off Loss, Tigers Face Season-Defining Home-Stretch

February 7th, 2010 by Brandon Rink

February 10: Florida State, 7:00.

February 13: Miami, 12:00.

February 20: Virginia, 4:00.

Those three games will determine the direction of Clemson’s season as they are 16-7(4-5 ACC) with 3 of their final 4 on the road.

The Tigers lost 70-59 to the Virginia Tech Hokies in a game that had little rhythm to it as the defenses and referees’ whistles reigned. Clemson forward Trevor Booker only played 23 minutes due to foul trouble and added just 7 points and 4 rebounds. Tigers forward David Potter led the team in scoring with 11 points including three 3-pointers. Clemson would shoot 7 for 25 from the perimeter on the day and 19 for 62(30.6%) overall.

There were some positives out of the loss as Clemson out-rebounded the Hokies 42 to 31. Clemson forward Jerai Grant posted a third straight solid game as he had a double-double at 11 points and 15 rebounds. He has emerged as the secondary low-post option to Booker.

He and Booker are needed to step-up in this coming stretch of home games with Florida State on Wednesday, Miami later in the week, and Virginia in two weeks. FSU and Virginia have each notched two ACC road wins(FSU at BC, GT; UVA at NC State, UNC)–Miami has not been as fortunate and have struggled all ACC season so far. Clemson is 3-1 at home in ACC play with blowout wins over North Carolina and Boston College–also a more hard-fought victory against Maryland.

Clemson goes 3-0 in their home-stretch and they are at 19-7 and more importantly, 7-5 in conference–just one game away from the most likely NCAA Tournament bid securing the 8-8 ACC record they need with four games to go.

The pressure is on Clemson’s guard play down the stretch as senior guard Demontez Stitt is playing hurt(played 27 minutes against Virginia Tech with few results as he only scored 3 points). The Tigers’ inexperienced guard-play outside of Stitt hurt them against the Hokies as no one stepped-up with the underclassmen guards shooting 7 for 25 from the field and two of those were garbage-time 3-pointers.

The Tigers’ forwards are talented enough to carry them to wins in this home-stretch, but the home-court is usually kinder to shooters and it will have to be in each of these games so it all does not rest on Trevor Booker’s shoulders.

Clemson is just one of many ACC teams that will look to grind out every ACC victory they can to get an NCAA Tourney bid, but the ACC scheduling has given them a great opportunity to gain momentum into March.

I think the Tigers pull off the sweep, but the hardest of the three games is Wednesday with the ‘Noles coming off the big win over Miami.

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ANOTHER WILD WEEK AHEAD IN THE ACC

February 3rd, 2010 by Mike Gminski

ABC- Anything But Cavalier! What an incredible game up at Chapel Hill on Sunday. It was almost surreal! Due to the weather, many seats in the lower bowl were empty but quickly filled as the PA announcer invited folks down from the upper deck. The atmosphere was raucous but Virginia came out with poise and took control of the game and the tempo immediately. It was as impressive a road win as I have seen in recent memory. If this is any indication,and I know it is just one game, but Tony Bennett is going to have a very successful career at UVA. Carolina has a lot to figure out in a very short amount of time. They have road games this week at Virginia Tech and Maryland. They could have 10 losses and a 2-6 record in conference after Super Sunday!

I have a jammed packed weekend. Let me give you a preview of my three games:

Thursday- Maryland @ Florida St. – Maryland won the first game of the series,77-68, in College Park on January 10th. The Terps broke out to a 41-27 halftime lead and held on for the win. They did a good job of spreading State out and driving them.This is the best shooting team in the league and they were incredible in this game, 47% from the field and 63% from 3. They took good care of the ball and got quality shots. They will need to do the same in this game. When Eric Hayes is scoring, the Terps are tough to beat.He was 5-6 from three in game one and he will need to put up similar numbers tonight. Greivis Vasquez will need to be special and make good decisions with the ball.Maryland is 1-2 on the road in the league and need to prove that they can take that potent offense on the road. Florida State will need to defend much better in this game. Their overall defensive numbers are gaudy but they go up in conference play.Solomon Alabi was in foul trouble in game one so his presence will be key. He has averaged 15 points over his last 6 games and must dominate the paint. Chris Singleton is very versatile and is a legitimate Defesive player of the year candidate.If he shoots fewer 3’s and drives more, he will be much more of a scoring threat. The Seminoles must turn Maryland over and create offense from their defense. They must dominate the paint and the backboards.

Saturday- Wake Forest @ Virginia- This is a return game as well. Virginia, one of the better shooting teams in the ACC, could not find the basket at Wake, shooting 21% from the field, 14% from three and 33% from the line in the first half.They wound up losing 69-57 but the game wasn’t that close. They are 10-2 at home this year and have re-established JPJ Arena as a home court. Sylven Landesberg has been wildly consistent this year and is having an all-league season. Keeping him out of the lane is a priority. Mike Scott must have a better game in the post than he did @ Wake and Sammy Zeglinski has to score more than 1 point. Virginia has bet much better than anticipated, ( ask the Tar Heels!) and will have to keep Ish Smith at bay. Wake must dominate the paint and attack the rim- they were 20-29 from the free throw line in game one. They also must do a better job of taking care of the ball, having turned it over 24 times at home. Against the Cav’s “D”, Ari Stewart and CJ Harris will need to hit jump shots.It should be a great matchup in snowy Charlottesville!

Super Sunday- UNC @ Maryland- As I said earlier, Carolina will be coming off a tough game at VT and will face a Maryland team that is tough at home. The Terps beat UNC here last year as Vazquez had the game of his life. You know he is waiting for another chance at the Heels. Maryland will want to push and Carolina should fall in line with that. This Maryland has bought into the defensive end of the floor and will no doubt clog the paint and test Carolina’s perimeter offense. Ed Davis has been bothered by an ankle injury and has been less than dominant lately.He needs to regain his early season form. It will be interesting to see how much urgency the Heels approach this game with.

We are almost at the Halfway pole and I don’t think anything definitive has been learned. There is absolutely no separation in the league at all- seven teams at the top all have 2 or 3 losses!  And as part of the bottom 5- Clemson UNC and Miami! Teams are going to have to get serious in a hurry to spruce up their tournament resumes. Hopefully, by the end of games next Wednesday, the picture will be a little clearer.

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Raycom ACC Power Poll Ballot–02/02/10

February 2nd, 2010 by Brandon Rink

Duke and UNC go down over the weekend while a couple of contenders distinguished themselves this week…

David Tucker over at the Maryland Raycom Blog has been compiling a poll of the ACC blogs for an ACC Basketball Power Poll, and here’s my ballot with semi-insightful commentary.

ACC Power Poll Ballot With Commentary

1. Duke Blue Devils

Just when you think you know about who is the ACC’s best–the Blue Devils go on the road and get blitzed by Georgetown on defense. Duke gave up 71% shooting while shooting under 40% themselves and missing 20 three pointers. The Duke Raycom blog explains the Devil’s issues well, but if there was any question before, the ACC is not on top of the college basketball conference world at this point. The Blue Devils face a tough turnaround coming up as they face Georgia Tech at home on Thursday then up to Boston College on Saturday against the up-and-down Eagles–will be interesting to see how they come out of those two games.

2. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

The Jackets drilled Wake Forest in Atlanta and Kentucky State over the weekend for a strong week. Georgia Tech has a similar schedule to Duke as they travel to Durham Thursday for a chance to be on top of this poll next week and back to GA to face NC State. Paul Hewitt’s squad has had a number of guards step up lately with D’Andre Bell, Brian Oliver, and Iman Shumpert being most prominent which only aids to the strong frontcourt the squad already has.

3. Florida State Seminoles

As we go into February, I’m most interested in whether the teams at the top can stay there — FSU is a prime example as they rose up the rankings after splitting their road dates at Duke and Boston College with the trip to Chestnut Hill being the victory. FSU faces Maryland and Miami on the short turnaround also from Thursday to Saturday(going to be really interesting how this scheduling quirk works out–top two teams go on the road and at home while FSU stays at home for both).

4. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

The Deacs had the sting of a 79-58 loss on the road to carry them through the weekend off before facing Miami on Tuesday at home. They shot 32.8% from the field and 16.7% from behind the arc in the loss and Georgia Tech’s size bothered the large frontline of the Deacs as they were -8 in rebounding margin. Wake Forest struggled this time last season and they get their chance to stave off a repeat performance of their late season slide with the game against Miami then the trip to UVA on Saturday.

5. Virginia Cavaliers

After two consecutive ACC losses, Virginia roared back with the 75-60 road win over the Tar Heels. With home games against NC State and Wake Forest coming up, the ‘Hoos have a real shot at being 6-2 through the first half of ACC games–which would be remarkable. There’s no question that Virginia guard Sylven Landesberg is who makes this offense go as he put up a career high 29 points on the road and far and away leads the ‘Hoos in scoring at around 18 a game. Though another guard stepped up big time for the ‘Hoos also in the UNC win as Sammy Zeglinski knocked down 5 three pointers, had 4 assists, and 4 steals. With this hot start, Virginia has become an over-night success in Tony Bennett’s first season as coach with a squad that can keep this up into March.

6. Maryland Terrapins

26 turnovers. 14 of them from the top two scorers on the court. 2-10 from the perimeter. 53 points. The Terps did not have their “A” game, but Clemson also forced them into many of those bad situations as the Tigers had the right combination of size to shut down both Hayes and Vasquez from any rhythm to get the Terps going. Maryland faces Florida State in Tallahassee on Raycom on Thursday before facing the struggling Heels at home on Sunday.

7. Clemson Tigers

The ailing Tigers split their games in the last week as they lost to BC at the Eagles and beat the Terps at home in a 62-53 slugfest. Clemson forward Jerai Grant stepped up in both games with his effort being key in the Tigers pulling away from a battle against Maryland. Clemson guard Demontez Stitt was too injured to play either game with a sprained foot so sophomore guard Andre Young has had to step up in his place–and he’s learning, but not quite where Stitt was at this point. If Stitt is able to come back healthy in the near future, this development of Young as a player could be big in March. Clemson plays their lone game this week on Raycom on Saturday at Virginia Tech.

8. Virginia Tech Hokies

Hokies are at 16-4 overall and 3-3 in the ACC after beating rival Virginia on the road and falling to the Canes 82-75 in a game that was not quite that close even. Virginia Tech played a solid second half at Miami and the Canes shot 63% from the field and over 50% from the perimeter so I’m not too worried about the Hokies. Two huge ACC home games are coming up with the Tar Heels on Thursday and the Tigers coming up on Saturday.

9. NC State Wolfpack

The Wolfpack laid an egg against a North Carolina team that played much better than they did against Virginia, but NC State really needed that win for any shot at making the NCAA Tournament as they are at the bottom of the standings at 2-5. The forecast is rather gloomy for the inconsistent Wolfpack as they travel north to Charlottesville to face the hot Cavaliers and down I-85 to Atlanta to face possibly next week’s number one in Georgia Tech.

10. North Carolina Tar Heels

Consider the panic button pushed in Chapel Hill as UNC is a team that is discombobulated, extremely. Tar Heels will have to go 4-2 in their remaining games and beat rival Duke at home along with every other home game to just get to .500 in the ACC overall and that would leave the Heels at a rather unimpressive 19-10 overall.

11. Miami Hurricanes

Signs of life are present in the Hurricanes as they defeated Virginia Tech 82-75 on Sunday after being drilled earlier in the week at Maryland. Miami guard James Dews led the scoring for the Canes with 21 points and Malcolm Grant came off the bench with 13 points including 3 three pointers. Miami goes on the road to Wake Forest and Florida State this week–will be tough to keep up their momentum off this win.

12. Boston College Eagles

Oh, BC, had a chance to really make a statement with two ACC wins in a row and three of the last four, but Florida State stole the win in the end from the Eagles and there went any slight glimmer of a shot at the NCAAs. Eagles have a shot at playing spoiler against Duke on Saturday and maybe continue to build some momentum going into the month of March and the ACC Tournament.

Can Georgia Tech pass Duke in the poll this week? Is Florida State a legit contender for the ACC too? Are the ‘Hoos going to re-claim their early ACC lead back? ACC is getting fun, but its hard to distinguish them as it has been for a while now.

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Raycom ACC Power Poll Ballot–01/26/10

January 25th, 2010 by Brandon Rink

Here we are at the poll again where we place them, but they do not seem to like to stay in one spot unless you are Duke. After the Blue Devils, the ACC is wide-open.

David Tucker over at the Maryland Raycom Blog has been compiling a poll of the ACC blogs for an ACC Basketball Power Poll, and here’s my ballot with semi-insightful commentary.

ACC Power Poll Ballot With Commentary

1. Duke Blue Devils

The evolution of the Blue Devils in a year came full-circle as at the site of their most embarrassing loss last season–they turned the tables on Clemson and held them under 50 points! The Devils defense never let up on the Tigers and they were able to put up 60 on an effective Clemson D. I think they have turned the corner on their struggles as the NC State loss looks more the exception rather than the rule. The Devils face another tough ACC opponent in FSU, but it’s at home so I expect a win there going into a tough out-of-conference game at Georgetown later in the week.

2. Maryland Terrapins

Maryland’s lone blemish this month was an overtime loss at Wake Forest where they played excellent in my opinion and they are on a roll. The Terps have two more games left in this month of goodwill to Maryland with Miami at home and Clemson on the road Sunday–if Maryland sweeps those games, they are a legitimate contender for the ACC.

3. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

The double digit wins over North Carolina on the road and over the previously undefeated Cavaliers of Virginia were impressive this week–no doubt about it. The Deacs are one of a few teams in the ACC that really has any forward momentum and they only have the one tough road game at Georgia Tech this weekend.

4. Florida State Seminoles

FSU made the most of the light week on games as they defeated the visiting Jackets 68-66. The ‘Noles continue to have an array of different scorers that step-up with forward Chris Singleton being the man this week with his 23 points. Seminoles are on the road all week as they make their way up the East Coast with a game at Duke on Wednesday then onto Boston College on Saturday where a split is really needed to stay up at the top(though I’m not sure anyone will pull away regardless).

5. Virginia Cavaliers

The ‘Hoos go back to the drawing board after a 12 point loss at Wake Forest that seemed like even more than that. Virginia scored 15 in the first half–a number that only Clemson could aspire to on the road in the ACC. When the second highest scorer of the starters is at 6 points for the entire game–not a good sign as Landesberg was the only one with an impact of the starters. A win at Wake would have been more of a cherry on top of a mid-portion of the season for the ‘Hoos as the real prize would be a home win over the Hokies–and to step even farther out of the box, a win over UNC on the road? I’m not sure either will happen, but they are certainly possible.

6. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Georgia Tech, so close, they were to being up near the top portion of the conference with oh-so-many shots at getting an important ACC road win, but they could not pull it off. The Jackets are uber-talented, but the road wins might just be out of their capability–though they are close to breaking out. Protecting the home court is key for the Yellow Jackets to stay in the Big Dance and improve seeding with Wake Forest coming to town Thursday.

7. Clemson Tigers

47 points. At home. If that number looks familiar, Clemson held Duke to 47 in last year’s game at Littlejohn, but they were on the ugly side this time on Saturday. A Clemson team with a healthy Stitt is a lot better than the team that played Duke Saturday, but he and Booker need a lot more participation on the offensive end. The Tigers had six players that played at least one minute in the game and scored zero points including starting forward Jerai Grant. Other players that played significant minutes did not add much more as Tanner Smith(starter) knocked in two points and Devin Booker had one. It was a total offensive abomination by the Tigers and that does not bode well going into two tough games this week with the rematch with Boston College at BC without Stitt as he is injured and at home versus the hot Terps.

8. Virginia Tech Hokies

Virginia Tech just keeps squeaking by as they pulled out a tough home win against BC with a late Hudson layup. Hokies used a very short bench with all of their starters averaging over 30 minutes and Hudson/Delaney at 37+ in the 63-62 win. Two road games await the Hokies this week as they travel to Charlottesville to play the ‘Hoo on Thursday and then down to Miami on Sunday–a sweep could really flip the standings in the Hokies’ favors.

9. NC State Wolfpack

Said last week:

NC State has to be the best 11th team in any conference–heck, they could probably win the Pac-10 right now, but they need to start pulling off these ACC home games as they are now 1-3 and once again at the bottom of the standings.

So, Duke counts right? NC State was on fire as they were hitting the lost art of college basketball–the jump shot. Their dominance of Duke was shocking and they could really be on the right track. The trip to Maryland yielded a 24 point loss though as they continue their rise to the top which means an NCAA Tourney bid is still a bit of a long shot without more consistency.

10. North Carolina Tar Heels

Oh, hello there bubble, meet the 2009-10 North Carolina Tar Heels. They can’t really miss the tourney can they? Why not? With a trip to NC State coming up Tuesday, they lose there and they will be only 4 games above .500 and will have to go 7-4 down the stretch to even get to 8-8 for the ACC season(and that’s with the bulk of their remaining games being on the road). Heels are in trouble, but far from being out of it per se–they just have to find the right combination of players on the court and the style of play that fits them(which sounds a lot easier in theory, huh?).

11. Miami Hurricanes

The common short form acronym for Miami is MIA and that has taken a whole new meaning so far in the ACC as they stand at 1-4 in the ACC. First half against the Eagles was solid–they were up by 10, but they forgot to play defense in the second half and their guards let them down in the final minutes. The trip to Maryland could get ugly if they cannot get it together and that home game against Virginia Tech is huge on Sunday.

12. Boston College Eagles

The new and improved Eagles almost knocked off not one, but two ACC opponents on the road as they had an excellent second half at Miami for the win and could not convert on the final possession at Virginia Tech. The record is still ugly-looking, but the Eagles have three straight home games coming up with Clemson, Florida State, and Duke that could change their standing real quick if they are balling every game.

What’s up with Clemson/Georgia Tech? Are Maryland and Wake legit? Can the ‘Hoos stay up on top of the ACC standings with the Terps? Will FSU/VT/BC show out this week? UNC/Miami going to show this week? NC State going to pick up their home momentum? Lot’s of questions and would love to see your answers…

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Duke vs. Clemson Part Two: Revenge of the Tigers?

January 22nd, 2010 by Brandon Rink

The unique aspect of college basketball as opposed to college football is that, in conference, redemption can usually be achieved in the same season rather than waiting an entire year.

Clemson hosts the Blue Devils who beat them 74-53 earlier this season up at Cameron Indoor Stadium and they get their shot at revenge on Saturday at 9 p.m. at Littlejohn Coliseum.

As we wrote about earlier this season with Duke having to overcome the 27 point margin from last year’s blowout in Littlejohn Coliseum, the Tigers have an uphill battle in this game as they struggled offensively and could not defend the Blue Devils attack. Duke’s pressure shut down any rhythm to the Clemson offense while they pulled away to a comfortable lead in both halves.

Here’s what I see happening in this installment of the budding rivalry:

1) Clemson Pressure Will Be More Effective Than Prior Matchup

Putting on defensive pressure at a home-court environment just works better than on the road. The foul calls are going to come more often on the road with the aggressive press style of defense that Clemson employs while usually at home it becomes more lenient. This was seen evidently last season as not only were the Blue Devils not well equipped to deal with the press, but Clemson was able use a home-court advantage too.

2) Duke Is Better Equipped to Deal With Press Than Last Time in Clemson

As we saw this season already, the Blue Devils have come a long way with their guards like Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer to deal with the pressure. Duke will not be near as flustered as last season, but there will be as many and probably more than the 15 turnovers that were given up at Cameron in their prior matchup.

3) Game Comes Down to Clemson Guard Demontez Stitt vs. Duke Guards Jon Scheyer/Nolan Smith

Stitt played hurt at Georgia Tech, but did so for 36 minutes and he almost led the Tigers to an ACC road win down the stretch against the Jackets. He is the one guard on Clemson that can effectively drive on the Devils and be able to open up holes in Duke’s pressure. The Tigers’ most important player will be Trevor Booker when it comes to the actual scoring, but Stitt has to be on his game to clinch a victory for the Tigers.

4) Result: Close Clemson Win

Duke has lost every true road game they have played so far, but they have received each team’s best shot–especially from NC State on Wednesday. Duke is the better team, but home environments, especially Clemson, are tough to come out of with a win on the road in the ACC. Clemson will put the pressure on Duke from when they get off the bus which will force missed shots and turnovers that the Tigers will convert on just enough to pull out this key home ACC victory.

Duke/Clemson should be an outstanding game–who do you think will win?

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Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus- Wow!

January 21st, 2010 by Mike Gminski

We are at the quarter pole and Virginia is undefeated and in 1st place in the ACC. Everyone who predicted that, raise your hand. Nobody in Charlottesville has their hand raised either! Great job by Tony Bennett and his staff- he has them playing hard-nosed defense and not looking at the bench when they make a mistake. They have a big test at Wake on Saturday- more on that later.

At least as surprising is a look at the bottom three- UNC,Miami, and Virginia Tech. We know about the talent drain at Carolina and the injuries and killer non-conference schedule, but 1-3?? Their guard play has been spotty but the most glaring weakness is their defense, last in the ACC, giving up 73 points per game. The defense can be improved but I’m not sure about the guard play and perimeter offense. At this point, Carolina is barely a bubble team with 3 of their next 4 on the road where they are 0-4. Miami has been the most disappointing team in the league to me. They got off to 16-1 start, built on a very easy schedule, but have hit the wall hard in league play. The loss to BC at home on Tuesday was one of the great head scratchers of the season so far. Miami was ahead by 16 in the second half to a team in disarray and still found a way to lose.3 of their next 4 are on the road as well where they are winless to date. Virginia Tech has only one win but have 5 of their next 8 at Cassell. Jeff Allen has to step up to get the Hokies rolling.

Can I show you to your seats? Congrats to Sidney Lowe and the red jacket for the Wolfpack’s win against Duke. I thought that Tracy Smith would struggle against taller front lines but he was terrific. It was also impressive to watch Javi Gonzalez pull out of his funk and play with confidence. I look forward to being at RBC next Tuesday when the Tar heels come to town!

Games this weekend- Virginia @ Wake- 4:00pm – This will be a tough test for the Cav’s. They must battle Wake’s size advantage on the boards. Mike Scott must be a man in the post- his production will be a key. Virginia’s point guards must also keep Ish Smith under control-no easy task. Smith is playing with a lot of confidence. This is clearly his team and he is the engine that drives Wake. Wake is really tough when freshmen C.J. Harris and Ari Stewart are making shots. If they are making 3’s, Virginia will be hard pressed to match Wake’s offense. The best matchup may be L.D. Williams against Sylven Landesberg.This game is all about tempo- Wake wants it in the 80’s, Virginia in the high 60’s.

Sunday- Noon- Georgia Tech @ Florida St. – Yes, Noon! Lots of coffee for the G-man!! This is a rematch of a game in December when FSU went to Tech and got a win. This will be a battle of two BIG teams that are very good defensively. The first game’s score was 66-59…in overtime!! Look for another low scoring game. Chris Singleton may be the best defender in the ACC. He’s in the top five in blocks and steals- a rare feat! FSU does not have a dominant scorer but are much more balanced. The big difference is a healthy Iman Shumpert for Tech. He missed the first game but is back and playing at a very high level- witness his 30 point effort in the win at Carolina. Tech has beaten 3 ranked teams in their last 4 games. They are playing as well as anyone in the conference. They will be looking for revenge on the road!

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Raycom ACC Power Poll Ballot–01/19/10

January 18th, 2010 by Brandon Rink

Could we be seeing a breakaway at the top with Duke, Clemson, and…Virginia? This week’s ranking offers an odd placement of the Tar Heels and just a crazy early ACC picture here in January.

David Tucker over at the Maryland Raycom Blog has been compiling a poll of the ACC blogs for an ACC Basketball Power Poll, and here’s my ballot with semi-insightful commentary.

ACC Power Poll Ballot With Commentary

1. Duke Blue Devils

Duke put on impressive second half runs to cruise to victories over Boston College and Wake Forest at home this past week. The Blue Devils have two tough road tests coming up this week with a trip to Raleigh to face the Wolfpack and down to Clemson on Saturday where ESPN’s College Gameday is being held.

2. Clemson Tigers

The Tigers went 2-0 like Duke in ACC play by taking out BC at Littlejohn Coliseum and on the road at NC State. Clemson’s senior PG Demontez Stitt sprained his foot in the ‘Pack game and is not going to be 100% for Tuesday’s game with Georgia Tech on the road and we shall see how healthy he is for the big game against Duke Saturday. There are no easy weeks in the ACC, but Clemson has a real test with both games this week.

3. Virginia Cavaliers

Bracketologists have the ‘Hoos around a 12-13 seed right now even with them being undefeated in the ACC at 3-0 so far, but this is an ACC power poll and they are undefeated along with 3 top 25 wins along the way. Virginia deserves to be up in this place and they have another huge opportunity to prove their worth at Wake Forest on Saturday on Raycom at 4. (Monday’s 69-67 win over UNC-Wilmington did not figure into this ballot that was set Sunday, but it had me sweating having them this high for a second).

4. Maryland Terrapins

The Terps have slowly moved up my ballot with putting together a solid couple of weeks with a 2-1 early ACC record. Their wins over Florida State and Boston College were blowouts in both cases and the one loss was in overtime on the road at Wake Forest. Maryland has shown an ability to have a deep bench to go with the amount of experience they have in the starting lineup with Grievis Vasquez being the catalyst.

5. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

The Deacs split their games with a home win over the Terps, but falling to Duke by 20 at Cameron Indoor. The Demon Deacons’ Aminu led the scoring and rebounding in both games and he continues to lead the ACC overall in rebounding by a considerable margin. North Carolina is the next up for Wake on the road in Chapel Hill and then back home to face Virginia.

6. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

The Jackets could stay about here all year and they may go win one–drop the next all season long. The Yellow Jackets, needless to say, split their two ACC games with traveling to Virginia in a loss and taking down UNC 73-71 at the Dean Dome. Georgia Tech has five guys that average double figures in scoring with forward Gani Lawal being the leader of the pack. The Tigers come to the ATL Tuesday and they get their revenge bout with Florida State on Saturday to attempt to steal a victory from their gym like the Noles did in December.

7. Florida State Seminoles

As we are in the big, largely indistinguishable middle of the ACC, the Noles put up a couple of ugly home performances with one being a win over Virginia Tech 63-58 and the other being a loss to NC State to the tune of 88-81. FSU is loaded with talent and they can beat anybody in this conference, but they are still finding themselves with inconsistent play–they are dangerous though and only have Georgia Tech at home on Saturday for this week.

8. Virginia Tech Hokies

Hokies are a team missing a piece right now as they are getting adequate guard play, but the loss to Florida State put the spotlight on the post-play that was non-existent for Virginia Tech. And when we say post-play, that’s junior forward Jeff Allen who seemed to amass fouls every time he was on the floor. Hokies face BC at home in a game that should get them on the right track, but consistency from post-play could very well be something to watch all season.

9. North Carolina Tar Heels

UNC went down by large margins to Clemson and Georgia Tech this week–recovered to come back late, but ended up losing by a worse margin than half-time at Clemson and did almost come all the way back against Georgia Tech only to suffer the same late-game-situation fate as they did against College of Charleston. UNC at 9 looks ridiculous, I know, but can you really argue that they deserve so much better than the rest of these teams that are ranked ahead of them. Overall, after that top 3, a win here–a loss there can really take on a roller coaster ride and the extreme variations among the different ACC power polls out there are due to the different viewpoints on these teams. As I posted on my site this week, the Heels really should go down against Wake Forest on Wednesday extending their losing streak to 3 and that’s a product of the rest of the ACC be a little ahead of the curve right now on UNC.

10. Miami Hurricanes

Good news Canes, no more trips to Virginia this season are on the schedule. They were out-scored 156-123 on the road combined between Virginia Tech and Virginia. I don’t know if Miami was exposed as much as they just did not show on this road trip, but has put a damper on the momentum they gained from the Wake Forest win and they now have a lot to prove in the ACC. As for Virginia Tech, BC might be the cure to their ills down in Miami on Tuesday.

11. NC State Wolfpack

The Wolfpack had an up and down week as they slugged out a win with a great performance from Scott Wood to beat FSU on the road and nearly came all the way back from being down 21 to defeat Clemson at home–but fell short 73-70. NC State has to be the best 11th team in any conference–heck, they could probably win the Pac-10 right now, but they need to start pulling off these ACC home games as they are now 1-3 and once again at the bottom of the standings.

12. Boston College Eagles

They are 1-4 in January. Have not scored more than 60 points against a team not named “NJIT” in 2010. They hung around for a half against Duke with some lineup changes, but were eventually blown away. Against Maryland, the Eagles left no suspense as they were thoroughly dominated the entire game at home. When you look at the landscape of the ACC, you can point out that one guy that takes over a game for each ACC team–except for BC, and there lies your problem for the Eagles. When they struggle offensively against good teams, BC does not have that answer and this will continue without a player stepping up to take the lead on this team.

What’s up with UNC? Can the ‘Hoos stay up at the top? Would love your thoughts throughout the week here for the next ballot…

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Tale of Two Teams: Clemson and UNC

January 14th, 2010 by Brandon Rink

Let’s do a little bit of a blind resume…

Team A

They looked slow. Gave up about as much turnovers as made field goals(turnovers: 25; field goals: 27). The other team was just superior from the opening tip to the final buzzer.

Team B

Hit about every 3 pointer they shot in the first half then grinded it out in the second half in the paint with superior forwards as they staved off a late run by the opposing team to even increase their lead.

Team A is the North Carolina Tar Heels? Yes. Team B is Clemson? True.

In this bizarre world that we have entered in the early ACC season, Clemson showed that they were not only better than North Carolina–but they are a lot better. Clemson’s forwards pushed around UNC’s. Clemson’s guards out-classed the Tar Heels’ guards from the perimeter and about every other aspect.

The most stunning part of the game was when Roy Williams had to sub-out his entire starting five to school them on how to deal with full-court press that Clemson employs. Among that group was two seniors and all five them were apart of last season’s national championship team. UNC’s best player in the game was put in at that point in freshman guard Dexter Strickland who lead the Heels in scoring and made 7 of his 8 shots in the game–got to think they can find a place for him in the starting five.

Playing in Littlejohn Coliseum with a team/fanbase hungry for a win over a traditionally elite ACC program is not a walk in the park–even with North Carolina on 100%, there’s a good chance they lose anyway. This game had 2009 Duke at Clemson written all over it just minutes into the game. North Carolina was more than ill-equipped to deal with the full-court press with 25 turnovers in the game and not all of them being due to great defense–some were just careless mistakes.

Clemson used the raucous environment, their strengths with defense and power in the paint, good luck with the perimeter shooting as everybody was hitting them, and UNC’s inability to string any momentum whatsoever together to the blowout. Clemson’s Trevor Booker was outstanding, but watch out for his brother, Devin too. He only played 11 minutes, but his presence was easily seen as he grabbed 3 rebounds and added a basket.

From here forward, the real struggle begins for Clemson as they have had big success like this before and did not capitalize on it. The absolute key to any run from this point on for the Tigers is senior point guard Demontez Stitt’s play and his 20 points against UNC is a positive sign as he controlled the game and kept Clemson going.

For UNC, not to go all Duke student newspaper on you, but lineup changes need to be made for there to be a change in results for the ACC schedule that will be unkind to this team on the road. All I’m saying is that Strickland guy is pretty good and deserves the spot. The Heels will get to 8 wins in conference on name alone, but every road game is going to be a battle–and from what we have seen so far with losses at College of Charleston and Clemson, this team has a ways to go(of course, it could just be a “lose in the state of South Carolina and to top 5 programs” thing and they will be just fine–you never know).

Clemson gets back in action against NC State on Raycom at 12 this Saturday while the Tar Heels face the up-and-down Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at 2 on Saturday also. Thoughts on the Heels and Tigers going into the rest of the ACC season?

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Of Heels & Hoos & That Thing Called “D”

January 13th, 2010 by Mike Gminski

A look back- It was interesting to talk to Roy Williams on Sunday about his team. You could hear the frustration in his voice in post game press conferences when he discussed their performance. He told me his frustration comes from his squad making the same mistakes over and over. He has had to do a lot more teaching with this group and they are having a tough time retaining information. He vows to keep working and teaching until the light comes on. They were impressive in the second half of their game against Virginia Tech. Larry Drew was solid at the point and he and Will Graves gave them good 3 point production. Ed Davis is a star and continues to solidify his position as first team All-ACC. Marcus Ginyard proved his worth as a lock down defender when he cooled off Malcolm Delaney in the second half. Delaney was spectacular in the first half, scoring 20 point, but he could manage only 6 after the half. Dorenzo Hudson had 14 but was only 7-22 from the field. Jeff Allen was disappointing, scoring only 4 points on 2-5 shooting. He has to produce more offense, especially against the upper echelon teams, for Tech to compete.

My first Raycom game turned out to be Tony Bennet’s first ACC win when Virginia traveled to Raleigh and beat the Wolfpack. It is going to take Bennet a while to change the culture at UVA and he is first working on getting his team tough-minded on defense. They were terrific in the second half, with Sylven Landesberg leading the way with 23 points. He has an incredible knack for scoring in the lane and getting to the line. Mike Scott is a big key. When he produces, it gives UVA a post presence and takes pressure off their perimeter. Sammy Zeglinski has proven to me he is a legitimate ACC guard, probably a little bit better off the ball as a scorer. This team will win some games this year that it shouldn’t because of Bennet’s abilities. The Boo’s were very evident as the Wolfpack fans were very disappointed in the final result…and then…

There’s no “D” in Seminole! NC St. goes to Tallahassee and beats the ‘Noles on Tuesday- scoring 88 points in the process! I have to wonder about FSU’s defensive numbers. In their last two games against ACC comp, both losses, they have given up 77 to Maryland and 88 to the Pack. They have an RPI of 60 but their strength of schedule is 219. FSU came into those two games allowing 59 points a game. Was that number built on weak competition? We will see how it holds up during the rest of conference play. Kudos to Scott Wood and his career high 31 points. The Pack hit 11 3’s and outscored FSU at the line by 4. What a turnaround from Saturday! It’s going to be a crazy year.

My next Raycom game is Saturday, back in Raleigh, when Clemson visits NC St. for a noon game. The Tiger’s have a HUGE game Wednesday at home against Carolina. It will be interesting to see if their press can get into UNC’s guards. They are always a little more active in their press at Littlejohn. The Pack should have some of their confidence restored after that big win vs. FSU. Javi Gonzalez and Farnold Degand will be a big key against Clemson’s pressure. Shooting the three, especially Wood and Dennis Horner, will also be a bonus.  The Tiger’s must create room for Booker to operate in the paint. Teams are really crowding him and forcing him more on the perimeter.

Then it is over to Durham for the Wake-Duke matchup on Sunday night! Should be a great matchup. Ish Smith is turning into one of the best clutch scorers in the league- Duke is going to have to deal with his speed and quickness. Best matchup- Kyle Singler vs. Al-Farouq Aminu! Can’t wait for the weekend!

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