Here's an article on
the remarkably tight race in the ACC for third place - five teams have a
legitimate shot at finishing there: Wake, UNC, Maryland, Florida State and Tech.
For Wake's part,
they are re-establishing their inside game, For UNC's part, they
are resting.
| Conf. | Overall | |
| Duke | 10-1 | 21-2 |
| NC State | 9-2 | 16-5 |
| Georgia Tech | 5-5 | 18-6 |
| Wake Forest | 5-5 | 15-6 |
| North Carolina | 5-6 | 15-7 |
| Florida State | 5-6 | 17-8 |
| Maryland | 4-6 | 13-8 |
| Virginia | 3-8 | 13-9 |
| Clemson | 2-9 | 9-13 |
And above the pack, if you'll forgive the pun, is the Pack, enjoying
their time in the sun. The Post
has more on the Pack.
Tech is a team we really like to watch, particularly when everything is
clicking. They're a lot of fun. Marvin Lewis, as it turns out, has
become one of the better shooters in the school's history. He's also a
3.8 student with serious non-hoops job prospects after college.
Meanwhile, in Charlottesville, Devin
Smith is redefining the word courageous as far as basketball goes, playing
with a herniated disk. For anyone who has ever suffered any kind of
back pain, this is a phenomenal thing to do. It's difficult to walk, to
touch your toes, much less run, jump and take charges from guys who are really
powerful. This guy has our total respect, and we'd love it if the entire
arena gave him a standing ovation at the ACC Tournament. He certainly deserves
that kind of respect.
No great surprise here - Marcus
Melvin and Chris Paul won Player and Rookie of the Week honors
respectively. Paul's game against Cincinnati was huge. Here's a
thought: though the ACC has dealt with Paul fairly well, the rest of the country
hasn't seen him yet. Is it possible he could erupt in the
tournament? Yeah, it is.
This has nothing to do with anything, but we really like the way Woody Durham
says Raymond. Where we would all say "Raymond," the Woodmeister says
"Rrrrrraymond Felton!" As in "look who is crossing the
street - Rrrrrraymond Felton! Stepping to the foul line, Rrrrrraymond
Felton! Looking snazzy in warmups - Rrrrrraymond Felton!
It's just a side note to the season, but it's just fun to listen to him say
it.