Well let's get it on! ACC action starts in earnest Saturday, with five games. Maryland and Virginia Tech play in a game which could be thoroughly boring, depending on which Maryland shows up, Miami, at 13-1 hosts erratic Georgia Tech, Wake and B.C. go at it, Florida State and Clemson rumble, and in the highlight game of the day, the Pack travels to UNC.
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| North Carolina | 1-0 | 1.000 | 16-0 | 1.000 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Wake Forest | 1-0 | 1.000 | 11-3 | .786 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida State | 1-0 | 1.000 | 12-4 | .750 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Boston College | 1-0 | 1.000 | 10-4 | .714 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Miami | 0-0 | .000 | 13-1 | .929 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Duke | 0-0 | .000 | 12-1 | .923 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| NC State | 0-0 | .000 | 11-3 | .786 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Virginia | 0-0 | .000 | 10-3 | .769 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Clemson | 0-1 | .000 | 12-3 | .800 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Maryland | 0-1 | .000 | 10-6 | .625 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Virginia Tech | 0-1 | .000 | 9-6 | .600 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Tech | 0-1 | .000 | 7-7 | .500 | |||||||||||||||||||||
In some respects, State matches up with UNC fairly well, but the critical difference is at the point, and there State has no answer for Ty Lawson. Courtney Fells was injured last time out and we're not sure what is status is. But in the frontcourt, the Pack matches up fairly well, and we're curious to see how J.J. Hickson matches up against Tyler Hansbrough.
It should be a great game, and one thing that Sidney Lowe may have learned from Jim Valvano is how to pump emotions, or at least the emotions that surround big games (he may have a way to go in mastering the more mundane emotions).
It's also worth noting that UNC hasn't played especially well lately. Looking for an omen? Try this - unless you're a UNC fan. Apparently Ol' Roy might wear a cap to cover it. Psycho-T offered him one of his masks from last season. May we suggest a simple bandage instead?
One of the things that sets the ACC apart is the level of pressure that starts early and never lets up. It's going to show up in Clemson, S.C., big time.
Florida State is an improved team, but Clemson has a chance to be a tremendously improved team. A three-game losing streak, though, would bring back devastating memories of last season's collapse, not to mention headlines and speculation: is it happening again? Will Clemson bend or break?
Florida State is in a familiar spot as well: 12-4 with one conference game under their belt, and the record potentially sliding towards NIT land.
It's only the second game of the conference season for both, but it's absolutely huge.
We're intrigued by Wake's early success. Can it continue? This is a fun team and if they keep improving, who knows? Lots of talent all of a sudden. Kudos to Dino for his job thus far.
Miami has whiffed success and they're enjoying the idea of success, particularly after last year's grueling failures, where injuries just cut the team to shreds. But six of their next nine games are on the road. It's a tough haul.
On the other side of the court, Tech is distinctly mediocre. Point guard play is an issue again after Javaris Crittenton bolted for the NBA after one season, where he's averaging about 3 ppg for the Lakers and getting less than one assist per game.
Tech's point play isn't that much better.
Maryland dug themselves an early hole, and their RPI is horrible right now. It's a long haul to get back to NCAA contention. But Gary's teams are almost always resilient, and James Gist has really decided to work hard on being a leader. It's paying off. You can't draw much from their last four games, but the Terps are more confident than they were earlier. Virginia Tech has serious offensive issues. This could be a pretty ugly game. Tech's Malcolm Delaney, a Maryland native, gets a crack at his home-state team as Tech's starting point guard.
Obviously the two Techs are in trouble early, and Maryland has some cause for concern, although they could conceivably get on a roll.
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