There are only three ACC teams in action Saturday, which seems a perversion of our traditional winter pastime in these parts. But at least one game should be fun, as UNC visits Tucson to take on the Wildcats. We'd love to know what's going on in Herb Sendek's mind as his past nemesis meets his new one.UNC should be favored, but they haven't been in that sort of environment before, and it could rattle them.
| ACC Standings As Of January 25 | ||||
| Boston College | 6-1 | .857 | 14-5 | .737 |
| North Carolina | 5-1 | .833 | 18-2 | .900 |
| Virginia Tech | 5-1 | .833 | 15-5 | .750 |
| Duke | 4-2 | .667 | 17-3 | .850 |
| Virginia | 4-2 | .667 | 12-6 | .667 |
| Clemson | 4-3 | .571 | 18-3 | .857 |
| Maryland | 2-4 | .333 | 16-5 | .762 |
| Florida State | 2-4 | .333 | 14-6 | .700 |
| Georgia Tech | 2-4 | .333 | 13-6 | .684 |
| Miami | 2-5 | .286 | 9-12 | .429 |
| NC State | 1-5 | .167 | 11-8 | .579 |
| Wake Forest | 1-6 | .143 | 9-10 | .474 |
The McKale Center has become one of the better homecourts around, and it is a very difficult place to succeed. And while Arizona has had their problems this season, the coach, the team, and the crowd live for games like this. It's a really, really big deal. Plus there's the starting time, which is bizarre for Tucson: 1 EST, which means 11 AM in the desert. Apparently Arizona wanted this game badly. There's no other way to understand such an early start time.
But here's why Arizona has a chance: the coach relishes this sort of a challenge. He has historically gotten his team up for them. And the fans know when it's happening and that building roars. It's no sure thing, but the elements are there, not least of all that UNC is a young team.
In the only other game of the day, Wake Forest and Florida State tangle.
This game isn't nearly as interesting, and really, FSU should have total control over the game. Being FSU, they might not, but they really should, especially since it is at home.
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