In Wednesday night ACC action, Miami gained ground, Maryland lost ground, and State just lost.
All Maryland really has to do is to win the games it should win. Now, after getting upset by Virginia Tech 69-65, things are getting tougher. Miami and Wake Forest suddenly look like formidable road games, with both angling for their own bids. Clemson won't be easy, either. Only Virginia is a good bet.
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| ACC Standings | |||||||||||||
| North Carolina | 10-2 | .833 | 25-2 | .926 | |||||||||
| Duke | 10-2 | .833 | 22-3 | .880 | |||||||||
| Clemson | 7-5 | .583 | 19-7 | .731 | |||||||||
| Maryland | 7-5 | .583 | 17-10 | .630 | |||||||||
| Wake Forest | 6-5 | .545 | 16-8 | .667 | |||||||||
| Virginia Tech | 6-6 | .500 | 15-11 | .577 | |||||||||
| Miami | 5-6 | .455 | 18-7 | .720 | |||||||||
| Georgia Tech | 4-6 | .400 | 11-13 | .458 | |||||||||
| Boston College | 4-7 | .364 | 13-11 | .542 | |||||||||
| NC State | 4-8 | .333 | 15-11 | .577 | |||||||||
| Florida State | 4-8 | .333 | 15-12 | .556 | |||||||||
| Virginia | 2-9 | .182 | 12-12 | .500 | |||||||||
Maryland failed at possibly the worst point in the season for them.
In Raleigh, a long season for State continued as UNC ran over them again, although not nearly as badly as they did in Chapel Hill. State hung around in the first half, trailing only 34-31, and actually had a six point lead fairly late, but ended up losing 84-70.
UNC didn't take kindly to the presumption of parity and went on a 31-7 run. Tyler Hansbrough finished with 32 points and 12 boards. Sidney Lowe finished with a headache.
Though some say this is a down year for the ACC, it's anything but when it comes to being competitive. This season really is remarkable. It seemed like Maryland was a sure bet after they got hot, but now? Not so much. Miami had been winning, but not in conference. The Duke win is huge for them - and their RPI. Wake and Virginia Tech aren't dead yet. The only team with a losing record is five spots from the basement. When you look around at the other power conferences, this just isn't happening. The Big 12 is close, but Colorado is at 10-15. The SEC is close, too, but LSU is 9-16. The Big East has St. John's at 10-15, South Florida at 11-16, and Rutgers at 10-17 (good decision, Lance). Oregon State is a gimme in the PAC-10 at 6-19. Northwester and Michigan have won seven and eight games, respectively. Memphis is 26-0, but they have ECU in their conference (8-16), and SMU (Matt Doherty is 8-16 also), and Rice, pathetic at 3-22. The ACC is pretty unusual.
That said, if Tech beats Virginia, they'll drag the Hoos down to a sub .500 record as well.
Seth Greenberg has a better understanding of violence than, we hope, anyone who reads this ever experiences. What happened at Virginia Tech last year was horrible for everyone there, but Greenberg was not just a coach, but also a father - his daughter is a student at Tech. So it's both understandable and very admirable that he reached out to the coach at Northern Illinois after the recent massacre there.
- Heels top rival NC State
- What if FSU wins its last four men's basketball games?
- ACC 'X Factors'
- NEMESIS: Hansbrough is a thorn in Pack fans' sides
- Heels Back In Contention
- Focal Point Guard
- No one guaranteed playing time for reeling Jackets
- U.Va.'s Mikalauskas is human energy at work
- Tyler, heels blow past pack
- Dascenzo: Poise gets job done for UNC
- Hokies' coach reaches out
- Hansbrough Ranks No. 2 - For Now
- Is Wake Forest Bound for the Tournament?