ACC Roundup

First things first: we're sorry to hear that Dean Smith is having a tough time recovering from knee replacement surgery. He's 77 now,. and that's a tough surgery at that age. Best of luck to him. We're pulling for you, coach! (first time for everything...)

In Saturday's ACC action, there's a Tech on Tech game, as the Hokies head down to Atlanta to try to add to Paul Hewitt's misery, while B.C. tries to add to Virginia's miserable start, Miami tries to stick another bad loss on State, and UNC tries to keep Maryland near the cellar.

Wow, we have a theme for the day!

While Georgia Tech remains winless, with a win in this game, Va Tech can officially be called an early surprise in the conference. They have a lot to overcome, and they're doing it. Bravo.

In Hotlanta, things are getting hot for Hewitt, as Mark Bradley continues to build a case for firing Tech's coach, who isn't helping himself by saying things like "[I was] the eighth or ninth choice” to coach Tech and suggested, “There might have been a reason seven or eight guys turned the job down.” Burnout?

Bradley actually makes a pretty good argument here. Tech should be doing better. Hewitt may be on thin ice if things don't turn around.

B.C. should move to 4-0 against the punchless Cavs, and if they do, Virginia's season could be on the verge of implosion. From there, they'll travel to FSU, maybe get a breather at home against Georgia Tech, then off to Maryland and Blacksburg before hosting Clemson. An 0-8 start is distinctly possible, and here's what's particularly grim: Dave Leitao. Like Sidney Lowe, Leitao is still new, so you have to give him some time to get his guys in and so forth. But unlike Lowe, Leitao seems a brittle personality. In fact, the guy he most reminds us of is Matt Doherty. If his season collapses, it's not going to be pretty. He seems to have mastered scorn, but not necessarily mentoring.

State has probably the best chance of any of the underdogs, if they can actually come together, and there's no guarantees there, since they haven't done that all year. They have chemistry issues, obviously, and point guard concerns, but they still have talent, and Miami, while they are 14-2, haven't yet really established themselves as official bad-asses. It is worth noting, though, that the expansion teams all have reason for optimism.

Sidney Lowe says he's not hitting the panic button, but there's no easy button for State. It's just hard work and getting along.

Maryland has improved a lot, but they have almost no chance against UNC in Chapel Hill. Gary's teams have long been able to win on defense and gumption, but they've generally been able to score, and in upsets, in bunches. This team has shown no ability to do that, and we dont' think they're particularly good defensively, either. And Eric Hayes is still out.

On the other hand, even though UNC is rolling, we don't think they're playing particularly well. Toss out the State game, and what do you see? Lucky to win at Clemson and Tech, and got a game from Asheville. Clemson we can buy - they're legit - but this team should be vastly superior to both Tech and of course Asheville. It's nothing like what State's going through, it's likely a bump in the road, but they're not world-beaters at the moment.

Still, Gary Williams has a knack for pulling of upsets. Odds are long against it, but the man does have a history, and if we can see UNC is vulnerable, surely he can from a mile away.

• Wolfpack hunting for answers
• Bradley's Oglesby hitting 3's with ease for Clemson
• Wolfpack's Costner mired in scoring slump
• Getting the Point
• Victory at Virginia showed heart of young Tech team
• Wolfpack badly in need of a win
• In a hole, Cavs face must win
• ‘Lucky’ Tar Heels comfortable in clutch
• Jackets seek rebound against Hokies
• Odds stacked against Terps in Chapel Hill
• Lowe Says Effort is There for N.C. State