The Miami Hurricanes accepted a bid to the NIT, the lone ACC team in the 32-team field. They begin play tonight at home against Valparaiso, the regular season champions of the Horizon League. Those of you unfamiliar with the Horizon League, but are casual fans of college basketball this time of year may have heard of the Butler Bulldogs, the two-time national runners up in the NCAA tournament. Valparaiso plays in the same league. Should the ‘Canes win at home, they would face the winner of the LaSalle-Minnesota matchup, with site and time to be determined.

As for the five members of the conference playing in the NCAA tournament, the fun begins on Friday with opening (uh, excuse me) second round games. North Carolina State, the last team announced on Selection Sunday and one of the last teams in the field, kicks things off Friday afternoon with a game in Columbus Ohio against the co-champions of the Mountain West conference, the San Diego State Aztecs.  It will be interesting to see if State can shake off the frustration they felt after losing a close game against North Carolina to justify their inclusion in the tournament. Next up will be the Virginia Cavaliers, who will face a tough challenge from the Florida Gators of the SEC. Virginia finished the season shakily, losing five of the last eight games, but their defense will have to step up against a Florida team that loves to shoot the 3-point shot.

A few minutes later, Florida State, the ACC tournament champions, will take on St. Bonaventure out of the Atlantic 10. Andrew Nicholson of St. Bonaventure is a versatile big man who can play down low and step out and hit jump shots. The Seminoles make their name on defense, but with victories over Duke and North Carolina on their resume, they shouldn’t be worried about anything the Bonnies can muster. North Carolina steps up next taking on the winner of the first round matchup between Lamar and Vermont. The Tar Heels figure to have no problem with either team, but John Henson’s injury is a cause for concern going forward. Later in Greensboro, Duke will take on Lehigh, the Patriot League champions. They too, have an injury concern, as forward Ryan Kelly missed the ACC tournament with a foot injury.

ACC teams figure to be favored in three of the second round matchups, with Virginia-Florida a pick ‘em game and North Carolina State probably an underdog against San Diego State. However, the beauty of the NCAA tournament is that just about anything can happen.

If that’s the North Carolina team we see from here on out, they will be tough to beat-even by Kentucky or Syracuse. As for Duke and Florida State, their bodies of work are solid enough to merit entry without too much complaint. Few teams can boast the quality of wins the Blue Devils have, and the Seminoles have two huge wins over North Carolina and Duke on their ledger with only two really stinkers of losses. If the Seminoles defend as they are capable and do enough on offense, they should be a tough out in the tournament.

The title makes a better application for Virginia, North Carolina State and Miami. Virginia should still be in, but some shaky play down the stretch may leave some doubt in the minds of the selection committee. However, for the better part of the season the Cavaliers have been solid and if they can keep pushing forward (and certainly a win or two in the ACC tournament wouldn’t hurt), they will hear their name called on Selection Sunday.

For North Carolina State and Miami, there remains work to be done. Both teams should get past their opening round games over Boston College and Georgia Tech respectively. Those presumed wins won’t do much more than add to their win totals, but the following games-where the Wolfpack will meet the Cavaliers and the Hurricanes match up with the Seminoles-wins in those games should raise each team’s profile for an invite to the Big  Dance. Of course, should the Wolfpack and Hurricanes somehow get games against the two top seeds-and Miami already has a win over the Blue Devils on its resume-close games, if not wins, might seal the deal for both teams. But then again, it’s not just what they do, it’s what teams all over the country do, as there are many teams fighting for those last open slots for the NCAA tournament.

As for the ACC tournament, just about everyone I talk to expects another Tar Heel-Blue Devil championship game. That may well be the case, but in this tournament, surprises abound. In fact, many of the guesses I made above regarding the Wolfpack and Hurricanes may not come to pass-it could be just as likely they lose their opening round games as they could roll into the semifinals. And with the Blue Devils further weakened by Ryan Kelly’s foot injury, perhaps that championship game pairing may not come to pass either.

Then Florida State ran into some problems. Namely, one bad week of basketball featuring losses to Duke at home and to Miami on the road. Because of those losses, Florida State went from having the inside track to the regular season conference title, to third place in the conference race. Which leaves our old friends, North Carolina and Duke, battling it out for the regular season title. Again.

Redundant though it may be, it has to be stated that those two have been without a doubt the two best teams in the conference. And with their performance over the course of the season, they both are in play to receive top seeds in the NCAA tournament, depending on who does what in the next few days. Which means that Saturday’s showdown at Cameron Indoor Stadium (with Duke defeating Wake Forest last night and assuming the Tar Heels defeat Maryland tonight) looms large not just for the conference championship and the ACC tournament top seed, but nationally as well.

As for the Seminoles, they have done enough to warrant a spot in the NCAA tournament, even though they have lost their last two games, and need a bit of momentum to finish the season strong. A tough road game against Virginia is next, followed by a home game against a Clemson team that beat the Seminoles by 20 points at the beginning of the conference season. Both games are winnable, but the Seminoles need to put two good halves together in both of them to get victories.

Miami, now with two wins over the two of the top three teams in the conference, now has a chance to build on its resume. With Reggie Johnson now reinstated after missing the win against Florida State, the full lineup is available to see if they can win the last two games of the regular season. Tonight the Hurricanes will face an N.C. State team that may have played itself out of tournament consideration, unless it can start winning some games. A date with last-place Boston College follows on Saturday. Winning those two and even adding one game in the ACC tournament will go a long way in getting Miami at least some favorable looks by the selection committee.

But as far as this week goes, all anyone will be talking about is North Carolina and Duke, once again proving that in the ACC, what’s new really is old.

The remaining six teams in the conference are playing for pride, or the chance to keep their seasons going beyond the ACC tournament. Clemson and Maryland are the very definition of mediocre in conference. Maryland finally got a win over a team above them in the standings when it defeated Miami last night; and while Clemson has victories over Florida State (by 20 points) and Virginia, it also has a loss to Boston College. It would seem that tournament bids would be a long shot for both of them at this point. For Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, BC and Georgia Tech, there may not be enough games to string enough wins together to play beyond the conference tournament.

Of course, I’m talking about the Florida State-Boston College game.  While that game is also of some importance, what with the Seminoles trying to hold on to first place in the conference race, while BC tries to avoid the cellar of same, there can only be one game that fits the description I gave above. No, it’s not Wake Forest vs. Virginia either.

That game is Duke-North Carolina. The Blue Devils come in to the Smith Center off their second home loss of the conference season, an overtime defeat at the hands of Miami. I can’t say I remember a time when the Florida schools walked into Cameron Indoor Stadium and snatched away victories in the same season, if ever. That said, Duke faces a challenge against a North Carolina team that is beginning to get the look again of a national championship contender. The Tar Heels survived a battle against Maryland on Saturday, holding off the Terps 83-74. A Duke loss will put them two games behind North Carolina (and Florida State, should it win at Boston College) in the conference race. Can the Tar Heels use their imposing front line and high powered offense to defeat Duke’s strong perimeter play? Will Carolina defend enough to secure a victory?

Elsewhere, Maryland gets the week off to a good start with a 64-62 win at Clemson, getting their first road conference win in the process. The Terps continue their season of beating the lesser conference teams while struggling with the stronger teams. Florida State keeps the winning streak going with wins over Georgia Tech and Virginia. The win over the Cavaliers was a defensive struggle, but the Seminoles had just enough offense to win.

For the Miami Hurricanes, a big week beckons. The ‘Canes bring a four-game win streak into this week’s matchups against Virginia Tech and Florida State. If the Hurricanes can beat the Seminoles, chatter about their tournament chances will grow. The Duke win put them in the picture; a win over a first-place team riding a long win streak of their own would most certainly enhance their tournament resume. North Carolina State gets a breather this week, with only one game on the schedule-a road game against Georgia Tech. The Wolfpack’s top seven players are logging a lot of minutes; they can use the extra days off to rest up for the stretch run.

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.

The Wolfpack’s place among the leaders in the conference was taken by the Tar Heels, who did what they were supposed to do in dispatching N.C. State and Georgia Tech by double figure margins. Last night’s 68-53 win at Wake sends the Heels to Maryland, where the Terrapins are in need of a big win to improve their profile. The loss of Dexter Strickland will affect the team’s perimeter shooting and defense, and may be troublesome going forward, but their front line is still imposing and their offense can still overwhelm most opponents.

Elsewhere, Miami evened up its conference record by beating up on Georgia Tech and Boston College. The Hurricanes have won three of their last four, with big games this week against Maryland tonight and Duke on Sunday. The Blue Devils overcame the Terrapins and St. John’s last week, with Mason Plumlee having the best week of his ACC career so far. Following it’s loss to Virginia Tech, the Virginia Cavaliers also fashioned a 2-0 week, beating Boston College in addition to the win over the Wolfpack.

Looking ahead, it is a big week for the Terrapins. The Miami and North Carolina games give the Terps opportunities for some solid, resume-building wins. Whether or not they are capable of getting one or both of them will depend on what kind of effort they give on both ends of the floor. Saturday’s matchup between Virginia and Florida State pit the conference’s best defensive teams against each other-despite Florida State’s recent improvement on offense, points will be hard to come by on both sides. The Seminoles will look keep up their improved play, while Virginia has been a surprise, hanging around the top of the standings all season long.

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.

In fact, it is the offense that is making Florida State look good lately-so good, they are now tied for the conference lead with Duke and North Carolina State. There are still eleven more conference games to go, and it says here the Seminoles reputation for tight defense will reappear long after the offensive hot streak disappears. Even so, the Seminoles won’t have to face the Tar Heels again, and they get another shot at Duke at home late next month-and if they can remain consistent and keep winning the games they should, they can stay in the running for the conference title, and a decent seed in March. There’s a lot of basketball yet to be played though.

One game is on the schedule for the ‘Noles this week, a road game against on-again, off-again Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons split its two games last week, getting toasted at Duke, but beating Boston College, one of last week’s surprise teams. This game is similar to the Maryland game for the Seminoles-it’s a game they should win, but it follows a big win over one of the two top teams in the conference. A win will help prove that Florida State could be in the conference race for the long haul.

Last week’s notable results: Virginia Tech got its first conference win, beating Virginia in Charlottesville; North Carolina State swept its two games over Boston College and Miami; setting up a big showdown in Chapel Hill Thursday night against the Tar Heels; North Carolina bounced back from its loss in Tallahassee by defeating the Hokies, but lost guard Dexter Strickland for the season.

Looking ahead: Maryland tries to shake off losses to Florida State and Temple when Duke comes to the Comcast Center tonight in the first of two home games. The court will be named in Gary Williams’ honor prior to tip-off-but who knows whether the ceremony will give the Terps what they need to upset the Blue Devils? The aforementioned Wolfpack vs. Tar Heels matchup will see if the Heels can rejoin the top of the conference, or whether N.C. State can keep rolling along. Virginia Tech has a big game tonight against BYU in Blacksburg-a win would give the Hokies a boost in its quest to return to the NCAA tournament.

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.

Every other team not named North Carolina or Duke is basically in the same boat as Virginia Tech, although Virginia is making a name for itself as the third best team in the conference. The Cavaliers can further cement their standing if they can get a victory over the Blue Devils tomorrow night in Durham. Virginia opened conference play with a one-point victory over Miami on Saturday. North Carolina State got its first conference win by holding off Maryland 79-74 on Sunday. The Wolfpack can put themselves at 4-0 in conference with three winnable games coming up against Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Boston College. Clemson may have pulled off the conference season’s first shocker by defeating the Seminoles by 20 points on Saturday; after a trip north to face the Eagles, the Tigers will face the Blue Devils on Saturday in a game which will show whether Clemson can enter the conversation as a tournament team.