Posted by Brandon Rink on February 22, 2010 under ACC Basketball | Comments are off for this article
Here's Cliff Tucker when not stomping on the hearts of Georgia Tech coaches/players/fans.
Welcome to OTB’s ACC B-Ball Weekend Wrap-Up where we rewind the games by ranking the headlines from the weekend of ACC basketball.
1) Devils Maintain ACC Stranglehold in Hard-Fought Win Over Hokies
Duke shot 29% from the field, but made 10 3-pointers to get to a 67-55 win. It was physical game during and after play and one Hokies’ tweets showed it…
@RellBell1: Sorry fans, I’m pissed. I hate when they give duke every call and act like aint nothing happen
@RellBell1: @LolaMax @ACCSports @RellBell1 we not thugs at all, but we will play hard and win THE RIGHT WAY
Bell was obviously frustrated and its just another interesting mix of social media and sports with the ability to get in the players’ heads right after the game with the thoughts that don’t come out at a press conference. This was a game that Virginia Tech should be kicking themselves for losing with how poorly the Blue Devils were shooting in the second half. They couldn’t take advantage and broke down defensively leaving Duke shooters like Scheyer wide-open for soul-crushing 3s down the stretch. The Hokies and the Devils are better than they played on Sunday–they should both finish strong with Duke holding on to the ACC one seed and the Hokies headed towards the second seed.
2) Terps Stun Jackets with Last Second Shot
Georgia Tech did all they had to for an ACC road win until this…
Jackets are bubble-ly now with two wins needed before the ACC Tournament for their NCAA shot. Terps continue to ride high and compete for the ACC’s top seeds while improving their stock for the brackets.
3) Tigers Continue Winning Streak With Impressive Blowout of ‘Hoos
Clemson shot 92% from the free throw line–and about 52% from the field–late in the ACC season too! Maybe, just maybe, the mantra of Clemson collapsing down the stretch can finally be put to bed after this 3 game run with the latest win being a 72-49 drubbing of the Cavaliers. After the first media timeout, the game was never close–all phases of the ‘Hoos game has precipitously fallen off in this rough stretch of conference games in a row. Clemson forward Jerai Grant continues to complement Trevor Booker in the paint with adding 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Another encouraging sign for Clemson and bad one for the ACC–freshman and Mickey D’s American Milton Jennings hit every shot he took and two free throws for his 11 points in the most comfortable performance I’ve seen yet–the Tigers are not fading–they are heating up in February, which makes the Maryland game on Wednesday one to watch, folks.
4) The Deacs Continue to Buckle on Road–Lose to the Pack
If there is a team to come down on for fading late in the season–look at the Deacs right now–winning on the road in the ACC is never easy, but they weren’t even close to beating ACC bottom-feeder NC State on Saturday. Wake Forest shot a putrid 34% from the field, missed all 12 perimeter shots, and went 53% from the line with, understandably, never holding a lead on the ‘Pack. NC State was bound to pull one of these games out, but I wouldn’t have figured it would be against the Deacs–with UNC losing, the race for ACC/Big Ten Challenge exclusion is back on(lol). The Demon Deacons are a team playing for seeding rather than entry into the NCAA Tourney, and that seed is tanking at the moment.
5) Boston College Keeps Out of Fight for Cellar with Win over UNC
It’s a frustrating time for us, the most frustrating time I’ve ever had in coaching, there’s no question about that, North Carolina coach Roy Williams said. Some way, somehow we gotta keep trying to do the best we can do.
And he should be as he has no clue what is going on this season. The Heels are going to be sub .500 by season’s end and it’s inexplicable. On the other hand, BC has played well despite the record of late and inserted Reggie Jackson as the starter at point guard in the 71-67 victory. With a lot of the stats similar, the difference in the game was BC’s five more 3-pointers, 5 less turnovers, and 85% free throw shooting.
We only have a couple weekends to go in ACC basketball before the ACC Tourney! The games are getting more and more tense providing some dramatic finishes…
Nolan Smith and the Blue Devils seek to defend home-court/ACC top seed this weekend.
Welcome to OTB’s ACC Power Poll! My ACC basketball power ranking here is less text, but packed with info you need for the coming week in ACC basketball as I have NCAA Tourney projections, all the records, who’s on a roll, and my picks for the big games of the week…enjoy!
(Records as of February 19, 2010; Key game(s) and ACC game 2 Watch on a Friday to Friday week; Remember: NCAA projections based on projected W/Ls up to end of regular season; Bold denotes positive change from last week in tourney seed, Italics denotes negative change from last week in tourney seed) Rank..(LW)….Team………………………Record
1)..(1)..Duke Blue Devils…………………………22-4(10-2 ACC) OTB’s March Madness Stock Report: Buying–a 2 seed. Momentum level: High; Key game(s) this week: VT.
5)..(6)..Florida State Seminoles………….19-7(7-5 ACC) OTB’s March Madness Stock Report: Buying a–9 seed. Momentum level: High; Key game(s) this week: @UNC.
6).(5).Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets…………………17-8(6-6 ACC) OTB’s March Madness Stock Report:Buying a–10 seed. Momentum level: Medium; Key game(s) this week: @Maryland.
7)..(8)..Clemson Tigers………………19-7(6-5 ACC) OTB’s March Madness Stock Report: Buying a–11 seed. Momentum level: High; Key game(s) this week: Virginia, @Maryland.
8)..(7)..Virginia Cavaliers…………14-10(5-6 ACC) OTB’s March Madness Stock Report: Selling an–NIT Bid. Momentum level: Low; Key game(s) this week: @Clemson, @Miami.
9)..(9)..Boston College Eagles………………….12-13(3-6 ACC) OTB’s March Madness Stock Report: Selling–no postseason. Momentum level: Low; Key game(s) this week: UNC, VT.
10)..(10)..Miami Hurricanes………………………17-9(3-9 ACC) OTB’s March Madness Stock Report: Selling–CBI bid. Momentum level: Low; Key game(s) this week: UVA.
11)..(11)..North Carolina Tar Heels………………………14-12(3-8 ACC) OTB’s March Madness Stock Report: Selling a–CBI bid. Momentum level: Low; Key game(s) this week: @BC, FSU.
12)..(12)..North Carolina State Wolfpack………….13-13(2-10 ACC) OTB’s March Madness Stock Report: Selling a–no postseason. Momentum level: Low; Key game(s) this week: Wake Forest.
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ACC Game(s) 2 Watch This Week(12-4 record so far):
(2) Virginia Tech Hokiesat (1) Duke Blue Devils, Sunday at 7:45. OTB’s Prediction:Devils76 Hokies 68 The Why: I know the Hokies are on a roll–and have experienced guards, but I see the distinct possibility that Jeff Allen fouls out of any quality minutes and Delaney being mauled without the normal amount of fouls called with playing at Cameron. Duke is not that much better and could very well lose, but they have owned the home-court so far and have the experience to pull this out.
(7) Clemson Tigers at (3) Maryland Terrapins, Wednesday at 9(Raycom). OTB’s Prediction: Terps 66 Tigers 62 The Why: This game might not jump off the schedule to the ACC fan, but the Tigers should be riding a three game winning streak and held the Terps to only 53 points in a home win. Coach Purnell has swept the Terps before and always seems to be ready for this game–expect the Terps to slow down offensively, but the Tigers not to get enough scoring on the road to pull it out.
We are getting close to March…crunch-time in the ACC…seven teams are left eligible realistically for the NCAA Tourney unless a team makes a run in the ACC Tourney. Thoughts?
Posted by Brandon Rink on February 18, 2010 under ACC Baseball | Comments are off for this article
This guy plays football too I hear.
ACC baseball opens up this weekend and here’s how I see it going down…
Coastal Division
1) Virginia Cavaliers
*Return everybody off from the CWS-making squad. Conventional wisdom says they make it back to Omaha, but back-to-back trips to the CWS are not easy.
2) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
*The Jackets won’t be far behind the ‘Hoos with returning ace pitcher Deck McGuire and most of their potent lineup.
3) Miami Hurricanes
*Miami has one of the ACC’s best in Grandal at catcher, but a number of spots to fill in the order. They have talent in the rotation and a potential ace in Erickson coming off an injury that held him out in 2009.
4) North Carolina Tar Heels
*UNC has been one of the better ACC programs in the last few years, but with losses in the lineup and the rotation—they will struggle this year in such a tough division.
5) Duke Blue Devils
*Duke had a legitimate shot at making the NCAAs last season, but have too much to replace to be back there in 2010.
6) Virginia Tech Hokies
*The bottom of the Coastal is a coin flip, but schedule is a beast to over-come for the Hokies.
Likely CWS Teams: Virginia, Georgia Tech. Likely NCAA Tourney Teams: Virginia, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina. In the Hole for the Tourney: N/A.
Atlantic Division
1) Florida State Seminoles
*The Noles came on strong to get a host last season until the Razorbacks ended the party—much of that FSU team is back and they should be a top ten squad with their talent on the mound and at the plate.
2) Clemson Tigers
*The Tigers have 8 of 9 from a lineup that came on down the stretch to advance to the Super Regionals last year before hitting the buzzsaw of Arizona State. The rotation is the issue as Clemson will need an ace to distinguish himself early along with a couple other reliable starters.
3) Boston College Eagles
*BC was a great story last season with their run to the NCAAs and should back it up with another tournament-worthy one in 2010.
4) NC State Wolfpack
*NC State has to better than last year, right? The ‘Pack will be powered by the offensive side as pitching is not really their thing unless somebody steps up out of nowhere.
5) Maryland Terrapins
*The bottom of the Atlantic is bad—real bad, but the Terps have a little more hope to do something with their season.
6) Wake Forest Demon Deacons
*The Deacs’ combined ERA was by far the worst in the ACC last season—they have a few good hitters coming back, but in a heavy offensive league like the ACC this season—not a chance that the Deacs rise out of last without a miracle.
Likely CWS Teams: Florida State Likely NCAA Tourney Teams: Florida State, Clemson, Boston College. In the Hole for the Tourney: NC State.
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