ACC Roundup

The ACC is a proud league, and one which is on the one hand full of sincere
respect among the schools, is also one full of riveting tensions and
undercurrents and an absolute terror of falling behind. These are
immediately obvious on the court - witness the periodic ugliness between Duke
and Maryland, N.C. State and UNC, Wake and State, Clemson and just about anyone
north of Charlotte.

And so on.

The most gripping games on Saturday were obviously Virginia Tech's huge upset
of UNC and Clemson's loss at Maryland, which changes the upcoming matchup
between Clemson and UNC considerably: instead of fighting for obvious
supremacy in the conference with undefeated records and only one loss between
them, the teams now are going to meet with a considerable tumble in the
standings at stake instead.

If Miami beats Duke on Sunday and goes to 3-1, then the loser in the Clemson-UNC
matchup will fall all the way to fifth place.

But that's only part of the story.

For the traditional ACC - and we're going to take a leap and include Florida
State in that group - seeing the three expansion schools in the top four in the
conference is not going to go over well.

At all.

It's to a certain extent temporary - UNC is clearly the best team in the
conference, and they're not going to lose many more games.

But still, it's going to drive traditionalists crazy. Where's Lefty when you
need him?

If you just looked at the score, you'd think it was a close game in
Blacksburg. It wasn't, not until the very end. The Hokies were up 16
with 3:39 left. UNC scored 24 points in their furious stretch run.

Unfortunately for UNC, it wasn't enough.

In College Park, Maryland's seniors decided they'd had enough. They called a
players-only meeting and, as D.J. Strawberry told the Washington Post, "[w]e
got the point across. It had to stop. We had to win. We had to play as if
our life depended on it."

Mission accomplished. The team which was shellacked by Miami was
nowhere in sight. Clemson was definitely in the game and might have won it had
they not shot 38.5% from the line.

Meanwhile, in Boston, Dave Leitao saw his team go up 9-0, but called it
"a stay of execution," saying his team was doomed because they
couldn't match B.C.'s physical play.

You may recall last year that Al Skinner complained about the disparity in
foul calls in the Duke game. In Saturday's game, B.C. got 45 foul shots to
UVa's 19. Don't hold your breath waiting for Skinner to point it out
again.

In the day's undercards, N.C. State was extremely impressive against Wake
Forest, winning 88-74, but dominating the game throughout.

It was even more impressive since Engin Atsur didn't play due to his
hamstring injury. He's been a fun player to watch over the years, and it's a
shame his senior year is turning out this way.

Georgia Tech knocked off Florida State, as the Seminoles season continues to
disappoint. This had the potential of being a breakthrough year for the 'Noles,
but it certainly hasn't gone that way, at least not yet.

• First
  they beat Duke, now the Hokies down No. 1 North Carolina
• Tigers’
  loss is no reason For concern
• Cavs
  still road trippin'
• Hokies
  Turning Into Elite Teams Killer
• State
  steals first ACC victory
• Virginia
  Tech builds big lead, hangs on to shock No. 1 UNC
• Hokies
  knock off top-ranked Heels
• Men’s
  basketball recap
• With
  Ghost of Miami Behind Them, Terps Prove Tournament-Worthy
• Hokies
  Surprise No. 1 UNC
• A
  SHOCKER: UNC BEATEN AFTER ONE WEEK AS NO. 1 Hokies top Heels
• Wolfpack
  smacks around Deacons
• Wolfpack
  dominates struggling Deacs 88-74
• Despite
  first loss, Tigers are dangerous
• Jackets
  absorb Morrow’s message
• Maryland
  Beats Clemson and Dreams Anew
• Cavaliers
  falter at foul line in loss
• Yellow
  Jackets Down Seminoles, 88-80
• Virginia
  Tech knocks off no. 1 UNC
• Five
  Freshmen Prove Fast Learners for Tar Heels
• Tech
  shocks No. 1 North Carolina