ACC Roundup

We weren't sure what to make of Tuesday's games going in, but Florida State beat Virginia Tech 86-75 and Pitt nipped BC, 61-60.

The Hokies simply couldn't stop FSU in the first half, where the Seminoles shot 73.1%. That slipped to 51.9% for the game, but still - Virginia Tech couldn't stop Florida State.

And it wasn't all Florida State's immense size advantage: Florida State hit 7-10 from three point range in the first half. But size helped nonetheless, because Florida State outrebounded Virginia Tech 42 to 22 overall and 15-8 offensively.

Without 6-11 Joey Van Zegeren, currently suspended indefinitely, Virginia Tech had no answer inside.

Despite everything though it's worth noting that Florida State only outscored the Hokies by eight in the first half and just three in the second. Virginia Tech lost, but as usual this season, the Hokies competed.

As for BC, the Eagles had a 10-point lead on Pitt with 3:24 to go. In the last 2:01 Aaron Brown missed a layup, Olivier Hanlan coughed it up, Brown fouled, Hanlan missed the front end of a one-on-one, Dennis Clifford had a turnover, Patrick Heckman fouled, Brown turned it over, and with two seconds left, Heckman missed a layup.

BC is improving, but there's no one to blame but themselves. The Eagles should have had this one.

For Pitt, it's a huge win and the Panthers have now won six straight overtime games.

On Wednesday, Georgia Tech gets Syracuse after a near miss against Notre Dame, State goes to Virginia, Clemson goes to Louisville for a pounding and Duke of course visits Wake Forest.

Some bad news for State as transfer guard Terry Henderson was arrested for shooting an air-powered gun at a vehicle in Raleigh in the wee hours of Monday morning.

There's no excuse for that. Whoever's vehicle was hit was most likely terrified and such an act could have led to serious injury or worse.

We have no idea what State plans to do, but firing a weapon - any weapon - at a car is just nuts. At times like this we miss Dick Sheridan. Not that he coached basketball, but Sheridan was perfectly clear on this: if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, you're in big trouble.

That worked pretty well for State's football team.

Whatever State opts to do, we would hope that it would be public and transparent. This sort of thing simply cannot be tolerated.

This is a depressing bit of modern life: after 62 years, ACC Tournament has a sponsor: New York Life. So from now on, it'll be referred to as the New York Life ACC Tournament.

Everett Case is rolling over in his grave.