By Tracy Smith, on February 1st, 2012 Sidney Lowe, the former coach of the North Carolina State men’s basketball team was shown the door for not winning enough with the talent he was able to recruit. New coach Mark Gottfried, with a roster not completely devoid of talent, had the Wolfpack tied for first in the conference standings through five games, with the possibility of making the tournament if they can keep up the good play. Last week was a big week for the Wolfpack, with games against North Carolina and Virginia-games that if they could win one or both, would be additional proof that the team could hang around in the conference for the long haul.
Unfortunately, the Tar Heels were the Tar Heels-meaning the team that was thought to be a national contender. They ran the Wolfpack out of the Smith Center 74-55. In the home game against Virginia, the Wolfpack didn’t shoot the ball well, but battled all game long before falling short by a point. While the two losses don’t doom the Wolfpack’s chances at the NCAA tournament, nor by themselves prove they can’t play with the big boys, they represented missed opportunities. Now they face of week of winnable games against Boston College and Wake Forest, which can help rebuild their confidence, if not necessarily enhance their tournament profile.
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By Tracy Smith, on January 25th, 2012 It has been a great last few days for the Florida State Seminoles, winners of four straight conference games. You could be forgiven if you had written off the Seminoles after losing to Princeton and Harvard. You could be forgiven if you paid no attention after the Seminoles lost the first conference game by twenty points to Clemson. Granted, the game was at Clemson, but twenty points? Especially when Florida State was still under some consideration as the third-best team in the conference?
Let’s just say that no one is overlooking the Seminoles now.
Sprinkled in those four consecutive conference triumphs was a thirty-three point beatdown of presumed national title contender North Carolina. Yes, the game was in Tallahassee, but how does a team a) beat the Tar Heels by that much anywhere; and b) score 90 points in the process? The Seminoles make their name on the defensive side of the ball, but in the last few games, it has been the offense that has stepped up. Nowhere was that more noticeable than in the Seminoles most recent triumph over Duke, at the cauldron known as Cameron Indoor Stadium. Florida State came from behind, scoring fifty points in the second half-finishing with a game-winning three point shot by Michael Snaer.
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By Tracy Smith, on January 18th, 2012 The wild week that was in the ACC found the team picked for last place winning twice, the team that perpetually sits on the bubble sitting at 0-3 in the conference, and the most shocking upset in the conference in many a year.
Surprise #1: Boston College, predicted to hold down the cellar in the conference, surprised by winning two games in three days. By virtue of two-point home wins over Clemson and Virginia Tech, the Eagles sit in a five-way tie for second place in the standings. It is hard to say whether this is the beginning of a surprising trend, or whether BC will eventually find its way back down to its predicted perch. What it does say is that the Eagles may not be the automatic win most pundits presumed it will be, at least at home.
Surprise #2: Granted, leading scorer Erick Green missed the BC game with a knee injury, but who could have foreseen Virginia Tech at 0-3? With no really great wins to speak of, the Hokies need to win as many games as they can in conference, because the schedule only gives them a few opportunities to defeat top-25 teams in the league. The Hokies do get two chances each at Virginia and Duke, but only one chance against North Carolina. That opportunity comes on Thursday night. Problem is, the Tar Heels are coming off a loss that no one saw coming. Which leads to…
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By Tracy Smith, on January 11th, 2012 Forgive me for jumping way ahead this college basketball season, but it is never too early to gaze in the crystal ball to see what might happen in the future. In college basketball, the future is in March, when teams, having finished their bodies of work, hope to hear their names called on Selection Sunday to get into the best tournament in sports, the NCAA basketball championship (my opinion; yours may vary).
Apparently it is not too early to begin what fans of the tournament have come to know as the Bubble Watch: explained as which teams may or may not be included in the field of 68 if the tournament were held on a given date. For the last few years, the Virginia Tech Hokies have been on and off the bubble so much, coach Seth Greenberg’s face should be pictured whenever the topic is discussed. This year may prove to be no exception. The Hokies have begun conference play with an 0-2 slate, after losses to Wake Forest on Saturday and Florida State last night. A look at their pre-conference schedule shows a lot of wins over teams they should have beaten, and no bad losses, unless you count the one to Minnesota, which has started out 0-4 in the Big Ten. The Wake Forest loss may prove to hurt them even more, unless the Demon Deacons prove to be better than expected going forward. That said, the Hokies will have some opportunities to improve their tournament bonafides, with upcoming games against North Carolina at home, a road game against Virginia and a non-conference matchup with BYU of the West Coast Conference. Wins in two of those three games will give the Hokies a boost; and they will get two cracks at beating the Duke Blue Devils down the line. Of course, last season the Hokies famously upset Duke at home, only to see themselves out of the tournament when the selections were made. If they prove to be the fourth best team in what is being looked at as a down year for the league, that might not be enough to get them a bid to the NCAA tournament. So every game from here on out is important as the Hokies try to build a good case for inclusion.
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By Tracy Smith, on January 7th, 2012 With eight conference teams headed to bowl games, including two in BCS bowls for the first time ever, it appeared the ACC had a chance to enhance its national perception on the gridiron. That chance has now come and gone, as the conference finished bowl season with a 2-6 record. The final results were disappointing in that the teams did not win more games, and as far as the BCS bowl results go, may have pushed national impression of the conference further into irrelevancy.
Start with the Sugar Bowl-Virginia Tech was derided by many for being chosen to even play in the game, and given it’s 1-4 record in BCS bowl games, perhaps rightfully so. While the Hokies kept it close against the Michigan Wolverines, the end result was like so many of the others-a loss. The 23-20 overtime defeat sunk the team and coach Frank Beamer to 1-5 in BCS bowls, and the reputation of Virginia Tech took yet another hit in the national press. For all the success the school has had in the ACC, it hasn’t made it over the hump in the big games. This was just the latest loss of note.
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By Tracy Smith, on January 4th, 2012 Many times in college hoops, teams are forced to start without players who are expected to make a positive impact on the season. Such was the case at the University of Maryland, where two important players were off the floor at the beginning of the year. The return of Pe’Shon Howard, and the appearance of Alex Len through three games have given way to raised expectations for the Terps going forward. Before Howard’s return from a broken foot and Len’s joining the team after a ten-game suspension, Maryland struggled to beat teams many figured they should beat and lost badly to teams where they were outmanned. Nevertheless, after last night’s win over Cornell, the Terrapins stood at 10-3 with a 7-game winning streak-albeit against weaker competition. Still, the fact that the Terps are gaining confidence with a full roster can only mean good things going forward, because conference play is finally about to arrive. Awaiting the Terrapins after finishing their pre-conference schedule is a trip to Raleigh to face North Carolina State’s Wolfpack. Recent ACC Player of the Week Lorenzo Brown, along with C.J. Leslie and three-point sharpshooter Scott Wood lead the Wolfpack under new head coach Mark Gottfried.
ACC teams will finish up with their up the first phase of the season by Thursday with some additional non-conference games. The most noteworthy of these games is Duke’s trip to Philadelphia to face the Temple Owls, whom they have beaten nine straight times. The Blue Devils have been something of an afterthought nationally, even as they won the Maui Classic, but were drubbed by Ohio State. The Blue Devils haven’t lost since, however, and head into this virtual home game with the Owls looking to get even better as they head into their first conference game on Saturday against Georgia Tech.
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By Tracy Smith, on December 28th, 2011 It was generally expected that the ACC would be a bit down this season, but it was hoped that things would be better than last year, when the ACC was looked at as a less than elite basketball conference. Sadly, the results thus far haven’t shown any of the improvement the conference’s fans were hoping for. So far in non-conference games, the ACC sits at 98-44, a .690 winning percentage. There are certainly plenty of wins left before conference play kicks into gear on January 7, so that record could and should get better. However, in comparison with the other Big Six conferences, the ACC ranks fifth, with only the Pac-12 holding a worse non-conference record (88-57, .609) to date. Even the SEC, never truly known as a hoops power, has won 101 out of 140 non-conference games-and that includes the struggles of preseason top-10 Vanderbilt.
While the non-conference season has seen its share of good wins, there have also been some lost opportunities for good wins by individual schools. In the past week, Clemson went 1-2 in the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii, with losses to UTEP and Hawaii. Florida State was routed by Florida and Georgia Tech suffered a home loss to Mercer. North Carolina played almost perfect basketball in a rout over Texas; the Longhorns seemingly were behind by double digits as soon as the game began. Duke started slow, but poured it on late to defeat UNC-Greensboro. Miami got Reggie Johnson back from a serious knee injury over the summer, and defeated Charlotte by 15 points. Johnson’s return is important for Jim Larranaga’s squad; it gives the ‘Canes an inside presence to add to what has been a perimeter-oriented offense.
Looking ahead, Virginia looks to keep rolling along even as players transfer out of the program. It was recently announced that James Johnson was given his release and would transfer from Virginia, making four players from coach Tony Bennett’s first recruiting class that will leave the program. Despite that, the Cavaliers have won eight straight games, and should push the string to ten with games against Maryland Eastern Shore and Towson. The Cavaliers will face a test on Monday night against an LSU squad that recently gave Marquette its first loss. The Tigers may be heading into that matchup on a seven-game win streak of their own, should they handle Grambling on Thursday night. Maryland gets Alex Len on the floor after his ten game suspension is over for two non-conference games this week. Len will give the Terrapins some much needed size, but he isn’t exactly built for bruising down low-though he stands over 7 feet tall, he only weighs in at 225 pounds. Still, he will give the Terrapins another option on offense, adding to ACC leading scorer Terrell Stoglin. The Terps will put their four-game win streak on the line against Albany tonight, with games against Samford on Saturday and Cornell next Tuesday to follow. Boston College, the only conference team under .500, faces a nemesis of the recent past on Thursday, as Harvard comes to Chestnut Hill. The Crimson have had the better of it over the Eagles in the recent past, and should be favored to win again. A game with Rhode Island follows on Monday.
By Tracy Smith, on December 21st, 2011 Last week in my initial post for ACC Basketball, I focused on the Syracuse-North Carolina State game. While the Wolfpack kept it close for awhile, Syracuse eventually proved itself to be the better team, pulling away in the second half to win by double digits. However, another out of conference game the next night that didn’t get any mention in my previous post may prove to have a bit more meaning.
A look at the conference standings at the moment shows that the Virginia Cavaliers have the second best record in the conference, a half game behind the Duke Blue Devils. Granted, the standings don’t mean a whole lot at the moment as ACC teams as a whole have primarily built their won-loss records on a bunch of guarantee games, mixed in with a few more challenging matchups. For the Cavaliers, this meant a trip out west to face the Oregon Ducks. While the Ducks aren’t exactly a Pac-12 power, they are expected to be improved in their second year under former Creighton head coach Dana Altman. The fact that Virginia went to Oregon, which can be a tough place to play, and came out with a 13-point victory augurs well for the upcoming season. Virginia has been getting it done on defense, and while it’s 9-1 record is impressive, they have been mostly under the radar, save for a win over a ranked Michigan team in the ACC-Big Ten challenge. As stated last week, the ACC has several candidates who could be the third-best team behind consensus 1-2 picks North Carolina and Duke, and it’s possible that Virginia could be that team. Of course, there’s a long way to go before that is determined-and the proving will begin when conference play starts.
With conference play scheduled to start on January 7, the upcoming slate is filled with non-conference games. Notable matchups include tonight’s Texas-North Carolina game in Chapel Hill. Former Clemson coach Rick Barnes brings a Longhorns squad that isn’t loaded with future pros as in years past to face the team many have picked to win the national championship. That’s not a knock on Texas; they still have talent, just not as much as in previous seasons. The game will feature two young talented point guards in Kendall Marshall for the Tar Heels and Myck Kabongo for the Longhorns. The big question will be can Texas handle the talented front line of North Carolina. Thursday night finds the Seminoles of Florida State meeting the Gators of Florida in an ACC-SEC tilt. Florida State makes its name with defense but often has trouble scoring points, while the Gators are a good offensive team whose only losses are to top-five teams Ohio State and Syracuse. Also on Thursday, Clemson’s Tigers begin a trip to Hawaii to participate in the Diamond Head Classic, where possible dates await with Kansas State and Xavier following tomorrow night’s opener versus UTEP.
By Tracy Smith, on December 14th, 2011 I can’t believe the ACC basketball season is already a month old. Seems like yesterday that North Carolina faced Michigan State on the USS Carl Vinson out in San Diego on Veterans Day. And while the hoop season was playing in the shadow of that diversion known as ACC football, everyone knows that the ACC is most famous for being a premier basketball conference. And seemingly as always, the Tar Heels and the Duke Blue Devils have been proclaimed top two teams in the conference and have been getting the lion’s share of attention. Both were ranked in the preseason top 10, but it hasn’t exactly been a smooth ride in the first month. The Tar Heels have already suffered two losses; one to UNLV and another to Kentucky in one of the best games of the young season. Duke did win the Maui Invitational in a great game over Kansas, but was drilled by Ohio State in one of the marquee games of the ACC-Big Ten challenge. Both teams are capable of taking home the title, but both have seen chinks in their armor early on that will have to be shored up come March.
While those two teams are generally considered threats, the rest of the conference has mostly been considered afterthoughts. The national perception has been that the ACC is a two team conference-Tar Heels and Blue Devils, and that the ACC is not the conference it used to be. Those folks who believe that can use the ACC-Big Ten Challenge results as fuel for their argument. With an 8-4 victory, the Big Ten won its third Challenge in a row, suggesting that the ACC isn’t as deep in quality teams as their competitors in the Midwest. After one month, it’s too early to tell how teams below the top two will change over time.
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By Tracy Smith, on December 7th, 2011 The final post for ACC Football takes a look at the conference championship game, and the teams headed to bowl games.
Count me among the surprised to see Clemson defeat Virginia Tech last Saturday in such dominating fashion. It’s not so much that Clemson won the game; after all they had beaten the Hokies already this season. But to beat them the way they did, when they seemingly had no momentum going into the game has to qualify as a shocker. Just a reminder, the Tigers had lost three of their last four games, while Virginia Tech had not lost a game since losing to Clemson; and further were coming off a dominating performance of their own in shutting out Virginia. Clemson proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it was the best team in the ACC this season.
With the conference title in hand, the Tigers now get ready for their BCS showcase-a game against West Virginia in the Discover Orange Bowl. This looks to be an offensive showcase, as both team can put up points with the best of them. The early question seems to be which defense will make enough plays or get enough stops to keep points off the board. In what has to qualify as an “only in the BCS” moment, Virginia Tech also received an invite to a BCS bowl, as they will take on Michigan in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Virginia Tech had to have gotten their invite simply for the fact that their fans “travel” well. The Hokies passed several teams ranked ahead of them in the BCS standings-Boise State, Kansas State, Arkansas and South Carolina-to snag the bowl invite. While that is great news for the conference for putting two teams in BCS bowls for the first time, many pundits have criticized the Hokies’ selection. Chalk that up as one more reason there should be some kind of playoff in college football, but to argue that point is for another post and another time. The Hokies will have their hands full with Denard Robinson, who is just as athletic, if not more so, than Tajh Boyd of Clemson.
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By Tracy Smith, on November 30th, 2011 Even though there were some scenarios that may have prevented the matchup in Saturday’s ACC Championship game, there seemed to be an inevitable march for Clemson and Virginia Tech. The two teams have proven themselves to be the best in the conference; although since their earlier meeting, they appear to be heading in different directions. Clemson ran out to an 8-0 record, which included a victory over the Hokies, but has lost three of its last four. Virginia Tech has rolled along, having won seven straight since the loss to the Tigers.
If you use the last game as a barometer, the momentum going in favors Virginia Tech, based on its 7-game win streak, but also the last game, a 38-0 shutout of Virginia. Clemson’s last memory is a 34-13 loss to rival South Carolina. The Tigers will have to find what they had going early in the season in order to beat a Virginia Tech team that looks like many other Hokie teams of the past; seeing Virginia Tech in the championship game is nothing new. The Hokies have been the dominant team in the conference over the last few years, and while they are currently ranked #5 in the BCS standings, they have almost no shot at the BCS Championship game. The rant about how college football crowns its champion (and which renders just about all of this weekend’s games meaningless) will have to wait for another post, or someone else to take up. If you ask me to pick, I’ll go with the hot team, as the Hokies will avenge their only loss of the season and will wait to see who they will play in a BCS bowl game (again).
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By Tracy Smith, on November 23rd, 2011 Last weekend was a great one for college football, particularly if you like upsets of top ranked teams. Oklahoma State got the party started by losing in double overtime to Iowa State on Friday night; then on Saturday, Oregon and Oklahoma both went down within minutes of each other. Sadly, this phenomenon touched the ACC as well as Clemson-at that point the highest ranked conference team in the BCS-forgot to show up and was drilled by the Wolfpack of N.C. State in a game that may not have been as close as the 37-13 final score. While it’s true that Clemson had nothing to gain conference-wise by winning, the team could have avoided what has become the seemingly annual Clemson moment-where the Tigers lose a game that they shouldn’t. What makes this loss more painful for Clemson is that three teams above it in the BCS standings (the aforementioned Oklahoma State, Oregon and Oklahoma) all lost. Clemson could’ve been in the top 5 of the BCS, on the doorstep of possibly playing for a national championship. Granted, that was probably a long shot, but you have to be in position to even get a look. If Clemson had won out, and that assumes a victory over Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship game, and another team or two took on a loss, the Tigers would’ve had more to play for than a trip to a BCS bowl game. But it wasn’t to be, and once again, the ACC is on the outside looking in.
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By Tracy Smith, on November 16th, 2011 With the regular season down to its last two weeks, each team must find something to play for, whether it be a conference championship, a division title, enough wins to hopefully get in a bowl game, or pride to finish the year out on a positive note. Like all other FBS teams, those in the ACC are no different. September 1 seems like a million miles away now, but when Georgia Tech and Wake Forest kicked off their seasons, they both had all of the above goals in view. Of course, some goals are more realistic than others. Neither could really believe they were going to be national champions, at least not without winning a lot of games and getting quite a bit of help. That said, they both could dream of winning the ACC, or at the very least earning a spot in the championship game by virtue of winning their respective divisions. Those dreams died last week, as Georgia Tech’s division hopes crashed after losing to Virginia Tech last Thursday, while Wake Forest gave Clemson all they wanted before falling on a last second field goal to the Tigers on Saturday. For those two, it now becomes a matter of finishing strong and seeing where they may play in the postseason. Georgia Tech already is bowl eligible, while Wake Forest needs one more win in its final two games. Wake figures to have its best chance on Saturday, when the reeling Maryland Terrapins head down to Winston-Salem. A win over the Terps would make the Demon Deacons bowl eligible, something no one predicted when the season started, except maybe the players and coaches.
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By Tracy Smith, on November 9th, 2011 Once upon a time, Miami vs. Florida State was a matchup that no college football fan wanted to miss. Between the amount of talent suiting up for both teams, the games were usually close, and also meaningful in the national picture. Once Miami joined the ACC, these battles took on more importance in a conference setting. It was thought this season, with Florida State ranked high in the preseason polls, and Miami bringing back a lot of experience, that the teams would make the game important both nationally and in conference. This weekend, it can now be argued that it isn’t even the most important game on the conference schedule.
The game’s national importance took a hit before the season started, when the Nevin Shapiro scandal blew up. Several important Hurricanes were suspended, some for multiple games-for their acceptance of impermissible benefits. While the players all gradually returned, the Hurricanes were up and down from week to week. While they have beaten Georgia Tech, they have lost to Maryland (albeit when the number of suspended players was at its highest). Additional losses to Virginia Tech and Virginia further hampered the Hurricanes championship chances. The Seminoles did their part as well; after losing a close game to then-#1 Oklahoma (where starting QB E.J. Manuel was injured), they then lost to Clemson and Wake Forest. That brutal three-week stretch not only crushed their national championship hopes, it made them almost an afterthought in conference.
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By Tracy Smith, on November 2nd, 2011 Just like every other season, the ACC looks to be on the oustide peeking in for a spot in the BCS national championship game. The Clemson Tigers were at least in the hunt, having risen to fifth in the BCS rankings prior to this past Saturday’s games. With four games left on the schedule, if the Tigers could win out and get some help, there was a slight chance they could be playing for the national championship. Staring them in the face, though was their history. Many seasons Clemson would have a team capable of big things, but would always suffer a defeat that was not expected, or let down in the most humiliating fashion. Personally, I thought that Clemson would have had their moment by now, and while watching them play Maryland a few weeks back, I thought surely that would’ve been the night, particularly after falling behind by 18 points. But the Tigers roared back in the second half and won going away.
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able to recruit. New coach Mark Gottfried, with a roster not completely devoid of talent, had the Wolfpack tied for first in the conference standings through five games, with the possibility of making the tournament if they can keep up the good play. Last week was a big week for the Wolfpack, with games against North Carolina and Virginia-games that if they could win one or both, would be additional proof that the team could hang around in the conference for the long haul.
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