The ACC Tournament Begins Today

Click to see the 55th ACC Tournament Bracket.

UPDATE:

Florida State, Miami, Boston College and Georgia Tech all advanced to the second round. That sets up games with Florida State vs. North Carolina, Miami vs. Virginia Tech, Duke vs. Georgia Tech and the night cap is Clemson vs. Boston College.

Florida State dropped its game to North Carolina 82-70. North Carolina will now face the winner of Miami and Virginia Tech. Miami dropped their game to Virginia Tech 63-49. Duke faced Georgia Tech, winning 82-70 and Clemson defeated Boston College in the last quarterfinal match-up.

That set up Saturday games between North Carolina vs. Virginia Tech and Duke vs. Clemson. The first semi-final game saw North Carolina defeat Virginia Tech on a Tyler Hansbrough jump shot with .8 seconds left on the game clock. In the other semi-final, Clemson defeated Duke 78-74 in, somewhat of a surprising fashion, by hitting their free throws down the stretch. I heard Coach K say (paraphrasing) "there are games that you loose and there are games that you just don't win, and this is one that we just did not win."

Tournament Recap:

The Tournament final was North Carolina vs. Clemson. This was the third time that the two teams have faced off this year. The first two games ended with North Carolina wins, but not before going to double overtime and a single overtime the second time they played in Chapel Hill. North Carolina was able to pull this one out as well, but by a closer margin than it should have been. North Carolina could not hit their free throws throughout the entire game. A team that normally does not miss, at least not very often, was only 58% from the charity stripe. North Carolina defeated Clemson 86-81.

Virginia Wins Make-Up Game

The Virginia Cavaliers traveled back to Atlanta to face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, again. The first game, which was to be played on February 21st, was postponed when leaks in the roof allowed for a soaked gym floor. It was a back and forth game, but Virginia made the most of their trip back to the Georgia Dome. Virginia comes out on top, with a 76-74 victory.

Two North Carolina Programs Going In Different Directions

The University of North Carolina men's basketball team and the North Carolina State University men's basketball teams are heading in opposite directions when it seems to matter the most. Carolina picked up another win last night against Wake Forest 89-73. Wake Forest, not having played since beating Duke last Sunday night, played very well during the first half, keeping pace with North Carolina. But in the end North Carolina proved to be too strong. This is the sixth game that North Carolina has been without their starting point guard, Ty Lawson. In that stretch, UNC is 5-1. The Tarheels will not play again until March 1st when they travel to Chestnut Hill to play Boston College. The Tarheels must be looking forward to this week off, hoping to get healthy again.

The North Carolina State Wolfpack, on the other hand, are struggling. They traveled to Virginia yesterday afternoon to take on Sean Singletary and the Cavaliers. NC State could only manage 18 points in the first half, ending the period with a twenty point deficit. The 18 points was only a symptom to what ailed the Wolfpack. The real problem was ball security. The Wolfpack turned the ball over 17 times in the first half and 25 times for the game. The Wolfpack had got to find an answer at point guard.

This is the time of year when the you hope that your team is coming together, that you team is "gelling", that your team is peaking at the right time. Fortunately for Taheel fans, UNC appears to be moving in the right direction. NC State fans do not have that same luxury.

Clemson cannot stand success

Clemson entered tonight’s game with Florida State tied for third place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. After a horrible night shooting the basketball, Clemson will leave Tallahassee in sole possession of forth place. Shooting just under 31% from the floor and not much better from the free-throw line, Clemson lost 55 - 64. They were only able to muster 17 points in the first half. Unbelievable for a team that was showing promise for a tournament bid.

Duke Remains Unbeaten in Conference Play

Duke topped Maryland last night 77-65. Duke remains unbeaten in conference play with a 10-0 record; Maryland fell to 6-4 and has sole possession of third place in the conference. Duke had the game well in hand for the majority of the 40-minute contest. Maryland was able to trim a halftime deficit of 11 points down to two points midway through the second half, but that was as close as they could muster. Duke was again on fire from behind the three-point line, hitting 12-25. Maryland only managed to make 3-13 from behind the arc. Kyle Singler with 26 points and Greg Paulus with 20 led Duke. Singler and Paulus were a combined 10-17 from behind the three-point line. Maryland will face Florida State on Saturday and Duke's next game is Wake Forest on Sunday.

ACC Basketball UPDATE

The North Carolina Tarheels escaped with a win over a very good Virginia Cavalier. Last nights game at Virginia was by all accounts Virginia's best showing of the year, even in a loss. Unfortunately for Virginia, they are now the only team in the ACC with a record below .500 (11-12 overall and 1-9 in the ACC).

The Tarheels play is again noticablely handicapped without Ty Lawson. The injuries continue to mount. Marcus Ginyard continues suffers from a painful toe injury and Deon Thompson, who continued to play, suffered an apparent knee injury early in the first half of last nights game. The Tarheels also continue to miss back up Point Guard Bobby Frasor.

The Maryland Terrapins will visit Cameron Indoor Stadium tonight. The Duke Bluedevils continue to play excellent basketball and remain undefeated in conference play. The Terrapins are also playing inspired basketball. Look for a good game from Osby and Gist.

Thursday night, there are three games on the slate, NC State at Boston College, Georgia Tech at Clemson and Wake Forest at Florida State. The Wolfpack has been playing better of late, with wins over Wake Forest and Virginia Tech prior to a tough loss at Maryland. Boston College will be looking to rebound, having come off of six conference losses in a row.

The Georgia Tech vs. Clemson game is critical to Clemson. Coming off an overtime loss at North Carolina, a place where they have never won in 53 tries, how will they respond? In my opinion, this is a chance for Clemson to prove that they belong in the top of the ACC.

The Wake Forest vs. Florida State game also promises to be worth watching. Wake Forest has played well for coach Dino Gaudio, in his first year following the death of Skip Prosser. Florida State always plays well at home, recently taking North Carolina into an overtime period, before falling 84-73.

This week's schedule continues to prove that there is no better basketball conference in the country.

A Rivlary Continues: Wake Forest 65, NC State 67

NC State University and Wake Forest University have battled on the hardwoods 226 times (including today). Today's match-up must have been one of the most exciting. The entire game was close, although Wake Forest held the lead for the entire first half and much of the second. But the Wolfpack would not be denied and took a slight lead late in the second half. The two conference foes traded the lead within a few points and the game was tied at 65 a piece with just 5 seconds to go. Coming off a time out, the Pack got the ball to Gavin Grant who took a 3 with a couple seconds left. The 3 rimmed out, but Ben McCauley was there to put it back with a one-handed slam dunk. And NC State won the game 65-67 with just .2 seconds to spare.

Carolina vs. Boston College

North Carolina improved its record to 20-1 tonight. This is Coach Williams' 18th season with 20 or more wins. The Tarheels defeated a very young, but good Boston College team. All five Tarheel starters finished in double figures. North Carolina led the entire game, with the exception of 26-25 at the 9:15 mark in the first half, when John Oates banked in a three pointer. A wholesale substitution followed soon after and the Tarheels never looked back. The final score was 91-69.

For more game highlights, click here.

Who will be in, Who will be out?

Rivals.com has released their March Madness projections! How many of these will come true? Only four teams from the ACC? Surely the ACC will have a better showing than that?

Terps vs. Heels - Ladies' Turn

When the Carolina Tar Heels and Maryland Terrapins met last weekend for an ACC Men's Basketball showdown, the Terps handed the Heels their first loss of the season. This weekend was the ladies' turn on the hardwoods. Could the Lady Terps repeat what the men accomplished and beat the Heels?

In Chapel Hill, #4 Maryland's women's basketball team battled the 3rd ranked Lady Heels for two halves and two overtimes this afternoon. At the end of regulation through the beginning of the 2nd OT, it looked like the Turtles would come out on top. But the Lady Heels kept battling and broke away mid way through the 2nd Overtime to end a 12 game Maryland winning streak and their first loss in the ACC.

Final Score: 86-97 UNC.

Tar Heels Fear the Turtle.

Conference opponents Maryland Terrapins defeated the University of North Carolina Tar Heels today 82-80, giving Carolina its first loss this season. ACC Football might have been less than desired this past season, but there is no question ACC Basketball is in a class by itself. Congrats to the Terps for beating the unbeatable. From this Pack fan's perspective, its always a good day when UNC takes a loss... even if it does come at the hands of someone else.

Lucky and Good

The saying goes, "I'd rather be lucky than good." Last night, the North Carolina Tarheels were both lucky and good. The Tarheels traveled to Atlanta to face the Ramblin' Reck of Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech was looking to defend its home court, which is so important in ACC conference play. By doing so, they would be one of only three teams that has been able to hold serve with the Tarheels four times in a row. Duke and Virginia are the two teams that have been able to do this.

It was an up and down, run and gun, fast paced basketball game. North Carolina was certainly on pace to meet or exceed their scoring average of 92 on the road. The problem for the Tarheels was that Georgia Tech was playing and scoring at the same pace. From the games that I have seen, and this was echoed by the commentators last night, a game with North Carolina is a game of attrition. North Carolina will continue to fly up and down the court, they will "trap" after a made basket. Often times causing a steal, resulting in another made basket. This played out a couple of times last night. But Georgia Tech kept pace. In fact, Georgia Tech had two opportunities, inside of 12 feet in the closing seconds to win the game. The shots would not fall and Carolina came out on top with an 83-82 win.

There is no doubt that the North Carolina Tarheels are good, in fact they are very good. But without luck last night, Georgia Tech would have added their name to a list that only Duke and Virginia sit on today.

Here is the Associated Press' take courtesy of Foxsports.

In other ACC play from last night, Duke went into Tallahassee to play a Florida State Seminole team that always give Duke a tough time. Last night was no different. With 3:56 seconds left in the game, Florida State held a 55-54 lead. Duke managed to finish out the game by making 16 of the last 18 points. The final score was 70-57.

Here's more information on the game.

Virginia Tech outlasted the Virgina Cavaliers in a 70-69 overtime win. A.D. Vasallo led the Hokies with 22 points and 5 rebounds. The Cavaliers were led by Sean Singletary with 34 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists.

Game Recap.

Don't Throw The Record Books Out Yet.

After starting as a defensive contest with the score 9-9, the North Carolina Tar Heels went on to score 34 more points before the half, while State missed 18 straight shots and only put up an additional 4 points before the break. So much for throwing the record books out for this rivalry match, NC State couldn't hit a shot and didn't play much like a team. The second half proved better, in-part because of adjustments made by Coach Sidney Lowe, but probably also due to the large lead and lack of urgency felt by Carolina.

State went on to score 49 in the second half, but Carolina scored 50, so the 30 point margin from half was actually increased by 1 at the final buzzer.

Its time for the red coat to go back in the closet for a while and for Coach Lowe and the boys to regroup. I certainly hope we make a better game of it when the Heels come to Raleigh... it can't be much worse.

Tobacco Road: The Red Coat Returns.

Whether you believe the rivalry has renewed or never left, you can't question that its in full force now. The last time rivals NC State and North Carolina met was last year's ACC Tournament. As happened then, you can throw records and stats out the window... these two rivals play each other hard, with the winner often determined by heart as much as ability.

Today State heads to the Dean Dome (or Smith Center for all my Tar Heel friends). And even Jones Angell will have to admit that this first ACC contest is a big game. We might be out matched on paper, and we might not be wearing dark blue like your other Tobacco Road rivals, but we're going to put up a fight until the last whistle blows.

Forget UNC's 16-0 start... this is a historic battle. Its the 212th meeting between the Wolfpack and Tarheels, and like the 211 contests before, it will be a good one. Tip-off is at noon.

Go Pack!

Wins by all of the Big Three

All three Triangle schools won non conference games last night. NC State beat North Carolina Central University 57-29 to win their seventh straight contest. The Duke Bluedevels beat Temple 74-64 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA. This was Coach K's 787th victory, making him sixth on the all time career win list. Duke is currently ranked No. 9 with a 12-1 record overall. North Carolina also won, defeating UNC Asheville 93-81. UNC Asheville has the country's tallest player, Kenny George who is 7 foot 7. George had 14 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. North Carolina is still ranked No. 1 in the polls with undefeated Memphis and Kansas on their heels.



NC State travels to the Dean Dome this Saturday for what promises to be a typical high energy, high intensity, throw the records and rankings out the door Tobacco Road battle.



For information on NC State, click here. For Duke, click here. And for North Carolina, click here.

North Carolina Eaks Out An Overtime Win at Littlejohn

The North Carolina Tarheels began their conference schedule last night by traveling to Clemson's Littlejohn Colesium, taking on the number 18th ranked Clemson Tigers. This game, in my opinion, is the epitome of ACC basketball and why ACC basketball is so special. It was a track meet; up and down the court, back and forth. Clemson held a 41-38 lead at the half. Both teams had managed 81 points at the end of regulation.

In the overtime period, Clemson pulled ahead with 13.9 seconds left when Freshman sensation, Demontez Stitt made two free throws, giving the Tigers an 88-87 lead. Following two timeouts by North Carolina, the ball was put in Wayne Ellington's hands. He nailed a three pointer with 0.4 seconds left on the game clock.

It was an outstanding game for both programs. North Carolina picked up a key conference road win and proved that they could win without a dominating performance from Tyler Hansbrough. Wayne Ellington showed up big with a career high 36 points, hitting 11-19 (5-8 from behind the three point line) from the field and 9-9 from the line. And Clemson, in my opinion, really validated there place in the top 25. Their were questions as to whether Clemson was for real, given their 17-0 start last year, and then failing to make the NCAA tournament.

For more information about North Carolina vs. Clemson, click here.

Chic-fil-a Bowl

For my money, the best game of the day kicks off tonight at 7:30 EST. The Chic-fil-a Bowl pits the Clemson Tigers of the ACC and the Auburn Tigers of the SEC. Both teams finished the regular season nationally ranked. Both teams boast very stout defenses. The edge offensively should go to Clemson with the dual threats of C.J. Spiller and James Davis.

Expect a hard hitting contest from the Georgia Dome.

UPDATE: Auburn is the 2007 Chic-fil-a Bowl Champions. Auburn needed extra time to pull the game out. Auburn held Clemson to a field goal in their first and only series in overtime. Auburn then converted a 4th down and less than a yard, already trailing by three points. Freshman Quarterback, Kodi Burns kept the ball on a quarterback sneak to score the final touchdown of the game.

The Seminoles finally get a win at Georgia Tech

Senior Jason Rich made his last shot at Alexander Memorial Coliseum count. This is the first time the Rich has experienced a win at Georgia Tech. His jumper with 4.3 seconds left, propelled the Seminoles to a 66-64 win. Florida State is now 1-0 in ACC conference play and 11-4 overall, Georgia Tech dropped to 0-1 and 6-6 overall.