ACC Basketball Roundup - NC State And UNC On Deck Tuesday

Tuesday is a Big Four day in the ACC as only the North Carolina schools are playing with Duke visiting Wake Forest and UNC busing over to Raleigh to play the Wolfpack.

As usual we talk about Duke separately, being the Duke Basketball Report, and the ACC as a corollary to that so check the main Duke story on the front page.

The State-Carolina game could be interesting.

UNC has dominated the Pack for a long time and unlike a lot of UNC folk, Ol’ Roy still gets fired up to play State and always has. He sees it as a huge rivalry and one worth busting your hump for and his teams have reflected that.

This year?

Hard to say but whatever happens, we don't think it’ll be an easy win for UNC. The Tar Heels split with State last year with a much tougher team, especially around the basket.

This year’s team will center much more (no pun intended) around guard play and that’s State’s strength. UNC is still very athletic but Ol’ Roy has complained bitterly about his team’s occasional lack of focus.

Playing at home should offer State some advantage but perhaps not as much as the sense that the Wolfpack is on the rise.

Keatts’s name has come up in UCLA’s search which seems a stretch at this point. That’s no knock on Keatts - we’re on record as admirers too - but it’s too early for a job like that. Not many people can handle it. The pressures are immense and there are some limitations that you wouldn’t see at a typical elite program (charter flights for one - UCLA doesn’t get many).

Back to the East Coast.

This is no guarantee of anything so take for what it’s worth: Keatts’ team is building a reputation for intensity while Roy is criticizing his for lacking it.

Tuesday should be interesting.

While the Triangle preps to beat each other’s brains in - it’s our tradition here and we like it - Virginia is for real and waiting for all three schools.

Unlike a lot of UVA teams, this one has some offensive punch and that starts with Kyle Guy, who was named ACC Player Of The Week after his outstanding outings against Marshall and Florida State.

Pitt still has a lot of work to do but the defense is vastly improved and Terrell Brown is a big part of the reason why.

Congratulations to Virginia Tech as the Hokies are now as high as they’ve ever been ranked. This Tuesday is Big Four day but next week we could have something we’ve never seen before: A Virginia-Virginia Tech game with both teams ranked in the Top Ten. That’s going to be a lot of fun to watch and great for the ACC. Buzz Williams is doing an amazing job in Blacksburg and keep in mind that he’s doing this despite suspending Chris Clarke for the entire season.

• UVa men’s basketball: Hot-shooting guy still invisible to NBA — for now
• Role reversal. NC State knows what it has to do to win. UNC still figuring that out.
• Running with UNC? Yes. NC State trash-talking Luke Maye again? No.
• Virginia Tech Basketball Achieves Highest Ranking In School History
• Three takeaways from Louisville basketball’s ACC-opening win over Miami
• Basketball Breakdown: No. 9 FSU gets blown out in Charlottesville
• N.C. State’s 10-man rotation keeps the Wolfpack ready to run
• North Carolina-NC State Preview
• Keatts, No. 15 Wolfpack thriving with 10-player rotation