ACC Roundup (1/16)

[gw67]

The following are some thoughts on last night’s ACC games:

Maryland – Wake Forest
Must to DBR’s dismay, the Terps didn’t lose last night and drop to last place. As a sign of the weakness of this year’s ACC, the Terps are mediocre at best but they could be 3-0 in conference (They led BC until Vasquez lost his temper with 5 minutes left to go and they led VT by 5 with a minute to go. They lost both games by 2.). Vasquez had an interesting game – 22 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 steals along with 8 turnovers. The Terps desperately need a healthy Eric Hayes at point guard to run the offense.

The Wake starting five is young and has lots of potential. A strong case could be made that Johnson and Teague are having better freshmen seasons than Singler and Smith. However, the player they really need on their team is King. Their three-point shooting last night was woeful (5-30) and they are easily the worst three-point shooting team in the ACC.

Miami – BC
The Canes need to beat teams on the road before they can be considered a good team. As usual, they are a guard oriented team. Last night, McClinton went 6-26. BC is a well coached team and they have re-stocked their team with three good freshmen (Sanders, Paris and Raji). I don’t know about the 12-4 record predicted by DBR but Rice is one of the best players in the ACC and Blair is either the 2nd or 3rd best center in the league.

N.C.State – Clemson
State has to be the biggest disappointment in the ACC and Costner is the biggest bust as a player. The Tigers finally have a decent eight man rotation and some players who can hit three pointers (10-25 last night). However, they are still pitiful from the foul line (6-12).

So far, there have only been three road wins by ACC teams, although I expect the Devils and Heels to add to this total tonight.

gw67

[Olympic Fan]

Maryland-Wake:

Agree that the Terps remain dangerous. Last night's win, while predictable, was HUGE for the Terps in that their next game is at UNC, which they won't win. An 0-4 ACC start would have been tough to overcome. Then Duke visits College Park next weekend -- the second weekend in a row where Duke's opponent has a whole week off to prepare (although it didn't help Virginia).

I can see the Terps getting better and better as Gary's kids get experience. But I'm not sure they haven't dug themselves too deep a hole in preseason. I'm not sure 8-8 in the ACC would get them an NCAA bid this year ... and I'm not sure this team can finish 8-8 ... Duke's visit next weekend will be a key indicator as to how far they've come. And I agree -- to compete with the top teams, they've got to get Eric Hayes back.

As for Wake, I like the direction of this team. Johnson and Teague are an impressive pair of freshmen and Ish Smith is growing as a PG. I think they're a year away -- they add three big men next year (including a GREAT PF in Aminu). They do need to add a 3-point shooter -- Hale and Williams are supposed to fill that role and both are erratic.

BC-Miami:

I also watched Miami-BC and I'm still not sure how good these two teams are going to be. I saw the DBR prediction that BC finishes 12-4 ... but I'd rather hold off. Three of their next four games are at Virginia, at UNC and at Clemson. They have a game at Duke coming up after that. Any team that can lose at home to Robert Morris can't be counted on to win all the games we think they're supposed to.

And while I really respect the job Frank Haith has done this year at Miami, I'm not sure they're better than a middle-of-the-road ACC team. Let's see how they do at NC State this weekend, then against UNC and Clemson at home.

Clemson-NC State:
Right now, Miami is the league's most pleasant surprise, while State is the league's biggest disappointment. That should make their game in Raleigh Saturday very interesting.

The thing is, as bad as State has looked, it's the margins that make us write them off. But when you look at it, they started the ACC season with road games at UNC and at Clemson. How many ACC teams will even split that duo? That's what makes Miami at home such a key for the Pack.

Acually, I'm just playing Devils advocate. I think State stinks -- the losses to New Orleans and ECU early, the blowout loss to Michigan State and the lackluster wins over Presbyterian and NCCU just before conference play ... this is not a very good team right now.

Clemson barely avoided its annual "Start the ACC" slump. With the heartbreaking loss to UNC followed by a bad homecourt loss to UNC Charlotte (a couple of days before Maryland beat Charlotte in Charlotte), the Tigers were in precarious position. Then they miraculously survived a 2 OT game with FSU at home and knocked off the staggering Pack.

They'll come into Cameron Saturday with some restored confidence and plenty of motiviation after last year's clock fiasco.