ACC Roundup

In the final week of the regular season, Florida State goes to Miami, State heads to College Park, and Virginia puts the crown on the line at Wake Forest.

It's an unlikely turn of events: no one we can think of saw Virginia in this position, and credit goes partly to Dave Leitao, and partly to his superb backcourt of J.R. Reynolds and Sean Singletary.  And of course to the supporting players, who have so ably managed to overcome some limitations to be effective enough to win.

That said, could they blow it?  Well, yes, not that we'd count on it.  Wake is obviously having a tough year, but they aren't entirely hopeless; more importantly, Virginia at times has not shown up ready to play.  Most recently this happened on the road at Virginia Tech and Miami.  You'd think they'd have learned their lesson. If not, they'll regret it for the rest of their lives.

There's not much left to the season for Miami; two games, maybe three tops.  They'll be fortunate to win one tournament game. So their last stand, for all intents and purposes, is the chance to stick it to Florida State.  FSU, on the other hand, cannot afford to lose this game and retain any hope of making the NCAA field, other than winning the ACC Tournament.  This is the rare Florida-based game which could actually have some intensity, if not many fans.

Of course, Miami will not have Dennis Clemente, suspended for the rest of the season. On the other hand, FSU may have Toney Douglas back; he's telling teammates that he's going to play.

We'd be surprised if State beat Maryland.  The Terps are riding high and playing with great confidence; State is battered and limping.  But they've surprised us before.  We have a lot of admiration for the character State has shown this season.  Not many teams could have dealt with everything they have and done so well:  losing their coach, losing most of their freshman class, losing their point guard for much of the season, and having no significant bench.

Lowe has brought passion back to State, replacing the accountant's mentality Herb Sendek preferred.   Dave Leitao deserves to be coach of the year, but Sidney's year is no less remarkable, and in some respects is superior to Leitao's.  The bottom line is the record, of course, but State has really showed us something and we're very excited about the direction this program is taking.  It's going to be a lot of fun to watch his program develop. But if they win Saturday, we'll be amazed.

We're obviously not UNC fans, but every so often there's a guy over there who's impossible not to respect.  Wes Miller is one of them.

Dave Glenn has his choices up for ACC honors.   Jared Dudley will get a lot of support for player of the year, and it's justified.  We might opt for Sean Singletary, but it would be a close call.  Rookie of the year?  Hmmm....Brandan Wright will get some support, but Glenn might be right to pick Javaris Crittenton.  He's largely responsible for Tech's late surge.  Big question for Tech: how big of a hurry is he to get to the league? Rumor has it he wants to go quickly.

• NCAA Tournament bids: in or out?
• ACC Enjoying Revised NCAA Approach
• Douglas wants to play
• FSU's Reid quiet about his trip home
• Crittenton's talent surpassed only by his drive 
• Bubble Troubles Squarely in the Past for Terrapins
• Cavs try to close the deal
• Crittenton's talent surpassed only by his drive
• Virginia's Turnaround May Be an ACC First
• 'Canes try to deny 'Noles `must-win'

• Ouch! Duke rips Cavs; Heels clobber Hokies