Georgia Tech vs. Wake Forest Live Blog, ACC Tournament 2007

So G Tech gets to wear the White with Old Gold accents as the putative home team (higher record, higher seed), and Wake is in Black with Old Gold accents. I feel like I should be polishing furniture.

Tech controls the tip and Crit takes it to the hoop immediately.

9:51 It’s two all after a Williams dunk gets Wake on the board.

Ishmael Smith misses both foul shots for Wake.

Crittenton takes it straight down the court and scores again.

4-2 Georgia Tech

9:52 Smith heads into the paint and commits the charge to turn the ball over.

10:40 Tupac Shakur shooting two for the Deacs.

Wakes ball handling leaves a lot to be desired. Lots of bobbles. Williams knocks in a three after all of the hot-potato.

5-4 Wake

9:55 Mike congratulates me on being freed from Billy Packer. It’s nice to have the option of watching the game on your local Raycom station.

Crittenton misses the shot but Smith slams it home trailing the play.

Visser makes a nice move to get the ball inside against the double team and scores.

9-all at the TV timeout

10:00 So, if Wake pulls off an upset, all lower seeds will have advanced in the tourney’s first day. That would bode well for the top seeds, one would think.

Some really crisp passing by Gtech leads to an easy bucket by Dickey.

Tech steals the ball but travels.

As often as Tech has had the ball over the past 3 minutes, you’d really think they’d have scored again, but they give the ball up and Weaver scores it for Wake.

11-all

10:05 Visser pounds in another one and Wake goes on top by two.

10:08 After a time out, we’re back. Tech is pressuring the ball slightly as it comes up the floor, which I find interesting this early in the game. Will that make them tired?

Still 13-11 Wake. Lots of missed shots (nice *doink* sound on the Tampa rim), turnovers, and offensive inefficiency.

10:11 Tech finally bangs one home after it hits every angle on the rim (doink, doink, doink, swish) and we’re tied at 13.

Wake can’t score without Visser in there. Tech doesn’t respect any part of their game without the big man as a threat.

And Visser knots it at 15 just to prove my point. Smith has been doing a great job of finding him at the right moment.

15-All

Visser rejects Crit and it goes back the other way for a Drum three, but Morral answers and keeps it close at 18-17 Wake.

10:15 Man, I can’t tell if the rims are really loud or the crowd is just really quiet, but I’m hearing the bricks loud and clear.

Smith (tech) takes an alley and oops the hell out of it. AND THE FOUL!

Jeremis misses the foul shot but Tech rebounds. Visser goes down and the ball is given to Wake.

19-18 Tech Weaver for Wake has two fouls. Timeout.

10:20 Wow, lots of empty seats on the overhead angle. I think I’d move down if I were that guy in the nosebleeds.

20-18 Tech after a missed free throw. Nice inbounds play Smith gets it to Williams on the backdoor cut you could have driven a truck through.

20-all

West hoists a desperation shot to beat the clock and it swishes to put Tech up 23-20.

Crittenton comes back in the game and pulls a sick spin move to score - he has six.

Tech 25, Wake 22 - Visser gets a free throw to go with yet another inside bucket.

at 10:25 we have a clock controversy - the officials failed to start the clock during the last Tech posession.

Visser is wandering around waiting for the clock stuff to be resolved. Nothing says ACC action like watching the clock operator scratch his head and poke buttons

We have 6:15 left on the clock (give or take) and we’re finally back on with Visser on the line.

Tech 27, Wake 23 Visser took a seat after making the free throw, not sure why - he just had a five minute rest while the clock was being reset.

10:30 Forgot to mention my commentators are Steve Martin & Mike Giminski. Wonder if Awful Announcing has anything to say about those guys?

Dicke misses but J. Smith cleans up the miss with a slam.

10:35 timeout

29-25 Tech

The Yellow Jacket mascot frightens me, with its floppy mandibles.

Thad Young scores and has seven, the game is at 31-25 in Tech’s favor.

Tupac Shakur shooting two for the Deacs.

10:40 Two minutes left in the first half. Neither Visser or Weaver has missed a shot all night, and Wake is still down two.

31-29 Georgia Tech

Wow, lots of free throws tonight.

Tech steals the ball but commits an offensive foul on the break. Another steal by Tech. Now there’s a travel. Wow, somebody please put together an offensive series here.

10:45 Wake on the line, Dukes hits one to make it 33-30 for Tech.

Scramble for the ball as it’s poked away, and Wake ends up with the ball out of bounds.

Wow… a whole ‘nother half of this. Don’t pity me, I volunteered.

Tech scores and then steals the ball and scores again to create more action in the last 16 seconds than has happened in the preceding 6 minutes.

37-33 Georgia Tech at the half

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Our “this moment in ACC history” takes us all the way back to…. yesterday, when Dave Leitao was named ACC coach of the year. Wow. That brings back memories.Oddly enough, no scorers in double figures for Tech, but they’ve spread the scoring around, which I think is a point in their favor. If Tech figures out how to stop Visser, Wake has nobody to go to.Hmmm…. Skip Prosser in High Def. Remind me to cancel the sattelite service tomorrow.19:38 left in the second stanza, and we start as herky-jerky as we left off.

38-33 Tech Jeramis Smith fouls Drum and bails him out of a shot clock situation.Drum makes both to get us to 38-35.

Thad Young strokes a three and puts Tech up six.

Wake’s PF (I like to call him “guy with braids”) knocks down an answering three.Visser goes inside again to get to 13 points on the night.

41-40 Tech - a sudden flurry from Wake brings about a timeout.

17:42 (eternity minus one) left in the second half. Dickey cuts Visser nigh in twain.Visser misses the first -throw. and the second. Yikes.

It stays 41-40 for Tech until Young puts down a trey and it’s back to a 4 point Tech lead.

Dickey gets his third in the Hack-A-Visser defense. Time to sit down.

16:20 left Visser shows nice hands picking up a loose ball and scores in close.

44-42 Tech - much more of a ballgame going on now.

They’ve got to quit showing the overhead of the building - it’s like watching your grandfather go bald as the seats get emptier and emptier.

Tech free throws make it 46-42 in Tech’s favor.

Young bangs in another three and our announcers break out the old chestnut “He’s not a freshman any more”.

Williams for Wake rains in a three - OFFENSE!!!! hooraay!

49-45 Tech

14:30 left. Williams with another three to make this one interesting at 49-48.

I just zoned out wondering if this would be a better football game than a basketball game and somewhere in there Tech made it 51-48.

12:00 My wife just came in and talked to me, so I’m going to have to back up the DVR to give you a score update: 54-50 Tech. Fortunately, backing up the telecast allows me to skip the Carlos Mencia commercial.

11:00 left. I can’t imagine how Mike got through the first three games of this. Hats off to you.

A flurry of offense puts Wake up 60-58.

See what happens when I take time to banter with AA and Mike? We’re down to 9 minutes left.

Wake’s swinging the ball around against a pretty effective Tech defense, but a shot gets over the top and Wake is up four

Tech has gone cold.

Huge dunk by Weaver. That puts Wake up by six!

64-60 Wake with under 8 minutes to go.

7:39 left and Wake is up five after a free throw. The sideline reporter just gave the most baffling, drawling explanation of Wake’s defense (or was it their offense) that I’ve ever heard but not understood.

Skeen hits a three and Wake is up eight!

Wow, could this be the night of all upsets in the ACC tournament?

68-62 Wake with Drum taking free throws to make it 70-62.

Only five minutes left - Drum fouls a three-point attempt by Young, so Young has to take his three in sections.

Dangerous pass stolen by Wake’s Williams who starts the break, but it ends in a Tech foul.

Williams hits both

Steen (formerly known as “guy with braids”) gets his fourth foul.

Even as empty as the Tampa venue is right now, there are still more spectators than there were at the Sun Belt tourney.

OK, the color commentator just echoed my thoughts - he actually called the game “excruciating, with no flow and too many fouls”. Ouch, dude.

Wake is up 74-68 but Smith has to deal with a cramp after he scores.

Foul on a three-pointer that goes in and Tech cuts the lead to three with a chance to make it two when we come back from the commercial.

3:11 left, and it’s 74-72 Wake. Skip Prosser is calving.

Young ties the ballgame with a jumper in traffic!

Wake brings the ball up the court slowly - good to see them not getting rattled by the run.

Young has quietly racked up 29 points in this game, mostly in the second half, and I don’t imagine he’s done yet.

Ishmael Smith hits a three to make it 77-74 Wake and Tech commits an offensive foul on the ensuing posession.

2:06 left and Wake has a chance to go under 2 minutes with the ball and a lead.

Smith takes and makes another one - he has 10 pts and 12 assists - incredible!

I guess I was wrong earlier - Visser has been taken away in the second half and Smith has filled in very well for him.

1:05 left and Smith hits two free throws to make it Wake 80, Tech 76.

Tech misses a couple of chances, and two players crash into the stands and are very slow to get up.

L. D. Williams is still down for Wake but Tech’s Smith gets up.

With 45 ticks left, Williams is up, but looks like his wrist is hurt, probably from trying to catch himself as Smith fell on top of him. Gminski says “That’s a lot of man on top of you”.

Drum fouls out and puts Tech on the line to chip away at the 80-76 lead.

:38 remains

With a two point lead, Williams can’t get the ball in for Wake and they take a TO

Tech’s Jerimus Smith has fouled out (10pts) and we’re still sitting on roughly 33 seconds.

That hollywood stuff about coaches giving inspirational speeches in the huddle is bogus. The Wake huddle was miced and all I could hear was “OK, who has #10? OK, here we go, here we go!”

Crittenton scores and it’s 81-80 for Wake - tight game! Only 22 secs left.

Who will Tech foul when Wake gets the ball in? I guess that’s why they work so hard on inbounds plays.

It gets inbounds to Skeen, and he gets rocked to go to the line.

If he makes both, Tech can still tie, but they’ll need a three.

He misses one.

He hits the second.

Tech comes up the floor casually and Crittenton scores over Visser and gets the foul.

82 all, then Crit…. misses.

Wake looks tired coming up and loses the ball.

Tech misses the shot and we’re going to OT.

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Mike says: “This would be comfortable for GT if they made their free throws. They’re 16 of 29 from the stripe.” Missing free throws - doesn’t it drive a coach wild?Really a good finish considering how this game started.I’ll be interested to see who finishes this game. Smith is out for Tech, Drum for Wake. Six other players have four fouls, three on each team.

As I type, Aminu (17pts) goes out for Tech, and the score is 88-87 Tech in OT.

Dickey drops the ball when he has a clear path to the basket - these kids are getting weary.

Wake is up two with 3 mins left in OT.

Tied at 90, Ishmael Smith loses the ball and Crittenton takes his time setting up the offense - he takes it inside from the wing and scores!

92-90 Tech, and Hale answers with a Wake three.

Who would have thought this game could see both teams break 100?

93-92 Wake.1:29 left in OT

Smith loses the ball and Crittenton fouls Harvey Hale as they dive for it.

Morral ties it with a three! 95 all!

49 seconds left in OT and Weaver puts back a Williams miss to put Wake on top (for now).

97-95 Wake.

Tech’s coach just clearly mouthed the words f@#% off! on the sideline. Nice camera work, Raycom!

Visser fouls Dickey and puts him on the line with 13 seconds left.

Dongs the first.

They change the foul to Hale. Big whoop.

Dickey nails the second, but Wake gets the ball with 13 secs and a one-point lead.

Hale gets fouled hard as he receives the ball inbounds.

One thing’s for sure, neither of these teams has given up on their season.

Hale hits one, Hale hits two

99-96 Wake with 12.9 seconds left, and Prosser calls a :30.

Morrow hits the three. I hope Gminski is wearing his Depends tonight. We’re going to 2OT.

___________________________________________

Wake is first to 100 points and Tech has 99.

The laptop is trying to fry my legs. Fortunately, I have already procreated.

The best part is, whoever wins this marathon gets to come back in a few hours and play Virginia Tech.

Yay, clock issues!!!! Scoreboard issues!!! Amazingly, there are still some fans left in the St. Petersburg Musty Hole Pavilion. Sorry, St. Pete Times Forum.

Hale hits a three to make it Wake 104, Tech 101.

DeAndre Bell answers, and then Hale shortarms a reply, so we’re still tied at 104.

It’s 12:40 and we’re still rolling. Visser finally gets his 20th point on a FT, making it 108-107 in Wake’s favor.

Weaver’s out. Pretty soon we’ll be watching the ball boys play the 3rd OT.

Hmmm… I think I mentoined Clinch as a double-point scorer in my intro. Seems he’s been dismissed from the Tech team. Stupid internet.

110-108 Tech. sorry, I think I just closed my eyes for a second…..

Hale scored one point in regulation, but has 15 in the OTs. Nice of you to show up, Harvey.

111-108 Tech after free throws.

And of course there’s a Wake three-pointer to tie.

Crittenton commits an offensive foul on the drive.

Old Gold & White, or Old Gold & Black? Who gets to face the Brown & Orange? Ugh.

Hale makes it 18 in OTs by scoring another three.

I think Giminski is trying to say “this is like watching two bums fight”.

My god, I’m a grown man with a job…. and I’m still awake. March truly does induce Madness!

Wake is so tired, they stand and watch the ball bounce out of bounds after Tech misses a shot.

Holy hell, that cheerleader is still perky. I want to slap her.

I’m seeing vague moving colors and shapes. I don’t even know what the score is any more. These two teams are playing for the championship of each other now.

Tech misses! The low-seed meltdown in the ACC is complete!

Wake 114 - Gtech 112

Harvey Hale says he didn’t really show up in the first two halves. You mean the first whole? He also says God was on his side. What is he going to say when he has Deron Williams’ jock in his face 19 hours from now?

Where is your God now, Greg Paulus????

Now, if you’ll pardon me, I need to go get in bed with my work clothes on, so I can sleep as late as is humanly possible in the morning.

Sayonara readers (I think even Mike has gone to bed at this point). I have been your faithful correspondent:

El Extrapolador

Pimp-Tastic!

I’m coming around to this… I really am. I will be live-blogging the Virginia/NC State game tomorrow night for Digital Headbutt, and I was initially disappointed that Duke didn’t make it, because a UVA/Duke game is the sort of thing that really riles up my fellow Charlottesvilleans. However, Sidney Lowe is starting to charm me. There’s no way he takes off the red jacket now, right? I mean, it’s like Wimp Sanderson’s ugly plaid number at ‘Bama way back when - it’s a signature, and a good luck charm. He’d have to be nuts to leave it at the hotel now.

So I’m excited about that.

Tonight I’m going to be combining my Old Gold with my 40 of Old English as I live-blog the Wake Forest/Georgia Tech game. I have to admit I wonder how we’ll definitively tell the two teams’ fans apart. Both list Old Gold as a primary hue in their color scheme, so we’ll have to listen very carefully to tell our Atlantans from our Winston-Salemites, won’t we?

Enough of my japes. The winner of the nightcap gets to move on and face the Virginia Tech Hokies in the next round. Senior Center Kyle Visser is the only Deacon averaging double figures, though I would have to say his reabounding numbers leave much to be desired - only 7 1/2 per game. Georgia Tech has a much more balanced attack, with youngsters Crittenton, Young & Clinch scoring the ball well. (No, I don’t really say that players “score the ball”. Only a highly-paid announcer-type would say something so ridiculous)

That’s as much of a recap as you’ll get from me. I’ll start live-blogging as soon as the towel boys finish mopping up Coach K’s flopsweat and we get the final game of the evening fired up.

NC State vs. Duke Live Blog, ACC Tournament 2007

First off, I would like to welcome the readers of Awful Announcing for coming to tonight’s live blog. Tonight, Duke plays NC State in game 3 of my attempt to live blog the entire ACC Tournament this week. For a preview of each team, see my ACC Tournament Preview. Gerald Henderson’s suspension will hurt the Devils, but they have won plenty of games without much contribution from him, so I’m not too worried for them. I think the game will come down to whether or not Sidney Lowe breaks out the red suit. If he does, they’ll have a good chance of winning. If he doesn’t they’ll get run out of the building. It’s that simple. The Wolfpack just play better when he wears that thing.

6:58 pm: UPSET WATCH: Cal 37, UCLA 25, Halftime.

7:03 pm: Well, it looks like I will, for once, be spared from Billy Packer, as this game will only be on ESPN2. Tonight’s announcers: Brad Nessler and Jimmy Dykes. Imagine the double entendres we could use if Dykes and Packer were an announcing team.

7:06 pm: YES! YES! Sidney Lowe has the Red Jacket! This is going to be good.

7:07 pm: It looks like the Dookies are trying to establish control of the paint early. Whomever wins will need good rebounding.

7:08 pm: 2-2. Ben McCauley hits the first basket of the game, a mid-range jumper from the baseline.

7:09 pm: 4-2, Dook. McRoberts receives the alley-oop from Demarcus Nelson. He might be a better passer than Paulus. That wasn’t a complement. Paulus has struggled that much.

7:11 pm: 4-4. I’m surprised that NC State’s first two baskets have been inside, when they are a primarily outside team. They can’t win a trench battle; they need to spread Duke’s defense out so they can keep them honest.

7:12 pm: 6-6. Costner gets the easy basket As McRoberts picks up his second foul in four minutes. The first one was an offensive foul.

You know what? forget what I just said. NC State now needs to attack the paint.

7:16 pm: 6-6. Zoubek and Lance Thomas are in for the Devils, and Dook promptly turns it over.

7:17 pm: 10-6, NCSU. Courtney Fells gets two straight baskets, the last a breakaway dunk off a steal.

7:18 pm: 12-10, NCSU. Duke is having a hard time stopping NC State’s passing. Paulus is doing what he can to keep them in it.

7:19 pm: Zoubek now has two fouls. This is not good for their frontcourt.

7:20 pm: 14-12, NCSU. Costner gets another easy basket inside, as NC State continues to pass the ball extremely well.

7:23 pm: Who the hell decided that ancient Greeks and Romans should have British accents? Why not Greek and Italian accents? That makes much more sense.

7:25 pm: NC State is shooting 70% in this game so far. If only they can get a shot off. They’re starting to get sloppy and turn the ball over.

7:26 pm: 18-14, Dook. Paulus is playing well tonight . He now has 7 points, including a three to give Dook the lead, and a great assist to Jon Scheyer, who hit another three. God, I hate it when I see a little white guy in a Dook uniform draining threes left and right.

7;29 pm: 18-16, Dook. Costner gets another basket inside, this time off an offensive rebound. Brad Nessler has been pounding it into my head, but it’s true: offensive rebounds are really important toward winning.

7:30 pm: 21-18, Dook. Just as NC State gets the game back to a tie, Scheyer immediately drains another three. But a third Dookie, Nelson, picks up his second foul. This can spell big trouble in the second half.

7:34 pm: 21-21. Gavin Grant gets three the really, really hard way: he makes his first free throw, misses the second, the Wolfpack get the offensive rebound, pass it back to Fells, and he ’s blocked, but gets the ball back and makes the layup.

7:36 pm: 23-21, NCSU. Brad and Jimmy, I don’t want to hear about your dinner last night. Seriously. Costner scores again.

7:38 pm: 24-23, Dook. Who the hell is Pocius?

7:39 pm: 30-23, Dook. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Nothing gets my blood boiling more that skinny white guys in Duke uniforms making it rain threes. Even Jimmy Dykes pointed it out.

7:41 pm: RPI stands for Rat Poop Ingestion.

7:46 pm: 32-25, Dook. Costner finally ends the Wolfpack drought. He now has 12 and is the only reason NC State is in the game.

7:47 pm: 34-25, Dook. Don’t tell me that the Dookies are going to win because a guy who plays 6.7 minutes a game decides to suddenly play out of his mind. I’m talking to you, Martynas Pocius, the latest guy Coach K has inserted a computer chip implant into. Trust me, he does his all the time. How else can you explain Lee Melchionni?

7:51 pm: Costner gets the final basket of the half to bring the Wolfpack to within five. At halftime, Duke leads, 34-29. NC State is very competitive when they’re able to set up their offense with good passes. They will be able to keep it close of win if they can continue to pass efficiently, keep Duke in foul trouble and keep them from raining threes.

7:56 pm: UPSET WATCH: Cal 61, UCLA 61, end of regulation.

8:07 pm: 37-31, Dook. McCauley gets a nice basket inside for NC State, their 26th point in the paint, but Scheyer hits another three as my blood is steaming right now.

8:09 pm: 37-34, Dook. Engin Atsur finally drains a three, the Wolfpack’s first of the game.

8:10 pm: 40-36, Dook. Paulus hits another three. Ugh. At least McCauley is making McRoberts look like a defensive idiot.

8:11 pm: 40-39, Dook. Atsur hits another three. Where did this come from?

8:12 pm: 41-41. Courtney Fells ties the game with a tough shot inside, tying the game and reminding of his existence. I hadn’t heard from him since about 24 minutes left in the first half.

8:13 pm: Yet another reason why the ACC Tournament in Tampa was a bad idea: in Tampa, the tournament is one of the big events in the area (along with Spring Training, and most of the things associated with such a large metro area). In Greensboro, the Tournament is the one and only event, and can thus receive its appropriate spotlight. Moving the tournament isn’t just bad for the ACC, it’s bad for Greensboro.

8:16 pm: UPSET WATCH: Cal wins over UCLA, 73-69 (OT).

8:17 pm: 43-42, Dook. Just as NC State takes the lead, McRoberts gets an easy layup inside.

8:20 pm: 45-44, Dook. The Wolfpack and Dookies exchange baskets, and then McRoberts makes a really dumb play. After making a great steal, he was about to either make a layup or draw a foul. Instead, he throws it out of bounds to his bench. I just laughed and cheered when I saw it. Is schadenfreude a sin?

8:21 pm: 47-45, NCSU. Atsur hits another three! He’s on fire in the second half. The Wolfpack are two completely different teams with and without him in the lineup.

8:26 pm: 47-47. NC State has to stop turning the ball over, especially in these crucial situations. One thing I’ll say about McRoberts, he’s good at stripping the ball on defense.

8:28 pm: Sidney Lowe’s voodoo red jacket, don’t fail us now!

8:30 pm: 49-47, NCSU. Unbelievable. Atsur scores again, giving NC State the lead. The Wolfpack are now 7-8 on field goals. Which reminds me, what has Costner been up to in the second half?

8:31 pm: 49-49. Exactly when did McRoberts finally decide to be a post-up player?

8:33 pm: Uh-oh. Atsur is on the bench with some sort of cramp, and the Wolfpack are already making bad decisions in his absence.

8:35 pm: 51-49, Dook. Uh, Josh, that was a gret play, but there’s an unwritten rule: in the second half, you must have scored at least 15 points or contributed to at least 25 before you can start showboating. Costner finally scores in the second half and ties it at 51.

8:38 pm: 56-53, Dook. Oh crap. Paulus hits another wide open three.

8:43 pm: 60-54, Dook. The Dookies’ set pieces are really starting to work against the Pack.

8:44 pm: Just as it looks like McRoberts is starting to play well, he commits his fifth turnover, a travel.

8:45 pm: 60-58, Dook. Costner is finally a factor in the second half. He now has 20. Where are Courtney Fells and Gavin Grant? They came up huge in the UNC game, but they’re nearly non-factors tonight.

8:47 pm: 62-62. Right now the go-to guy is McCauley. He and Costner having a field day posting up on McRoberts after great passes by Atsur.

8:49 pm: 64-62, NCSU, 3:10 left. McCauley makes an insane behind the back pass to Atsur, who makes an unbelievably tough shot that goes in off the backboard. The Wolf pack force Duke’s 18th turnover and leads to an easy Gavin Grant layup. 66-62, NCSU.

8:51 pm: 66-65, NCSU, 2:50 left. Coach K calls a timeout, and and Duke immediately gets a basket to stop the momentum. Who didn’t see that coming a mile away?

8:56 pm: 66-65, NCSU, 2:11 left. NC State is going to the line, but the big play was McCauley getting the offensive rebound.

8:57 pm: 68-67, Dook, 1:50 left. Are you kidding me? Are you f—ing kidding me? The Wolfpack are about to get beat by Martinys f—ing Pocius?

8:59 pm: 70-68, NCSU, 1:00 left. What a HUGE play by Engin Atsur! What an unbelievable shot! And NC State has the lead with less than a minute left! WHOOOOOOO!!!

In case you’re just tuning in, I’m a Tar Heels fan. It is thus my obligation to cheer for anyone playing Duke as if they were the Tar Heels.

9:01 pm: 70-70, :40 left. Again Duke calls a timeout, and again they get a basket within ten seconds, this time a tough layup by Nelson to tie it. WHY WON’T YOU DIE?!?

9:04 pm: 70-70, :03 left. NC State has two good looks at the winning shot, but they can’t convert. Still, they have the ball with 3 seconds left. The worst that can happen is overtime at this point.

9:06 pm: With the game on the line, the ball goes to…Courtney Fells? Is that the play they drew up? Atsur tries to tip in the miss, but to no avail. it’s 70-70, and we’re going to overtime.

9:17 pm: 82-76, NCSU. You’re not going to believe it, but something happened to my computer, and WordPress deleted all that I wrote about overtime. What you must know is that Costner started the scoring by converting a three point play, and since then McRoberts and McCauley have dictated the scoring for each team. In particular, McCauley has done an excellent job of playing in the post, and he fouled out Nelson.

9:20 pm: 85-80, NCSU, :13 left, OT. Pocius converts a three point play, but it seems too little, too late, as NC State hits enough of their free throws enough to seemingly put it out of reach.

9:22 pm: 85-80, NCSU, :05 left, OT. Paulus misses his running shot, NC State rebounds, and this game is pretty much over.

9:23 pm: YES! YES! YYYEEEESSSSS!!! NC State wins, 85-80!!! WHOOOOOO!!!!!

NC State played out of their minds, especially when it mattered most. In overtime, even though they had three key players with four fouls, they managed to stay out of trouble while still playing effectively. Brandon Costner has an unbelievable game, scoring 29 points, keeping the game within reach in the second half, while Atsur kept it in reach in the second half, and McCauley helped to put it out of reach in overtime. They deserve a lot of the credit, but we all know it has to be Sindey Lowe’s voodoo red jacket.

I can’t believe that I’ve been able to cover three such exciting games in one day. But that’s why I love the ACC Tournament. I hope tonight’s final game, Georgia Tech vs. Wake Forest, will be as exciting. The Extrapolater will be blogging that one. I’m exhausted. I”l be back tomorrow at noon to liveblog UNC vs FSU on Tar Heel Mania.

Miami vs. Maryland Live Blog, ACC Tournament 2007

Today Maryland, perhaps the hottest team in the ACC (”they are SO in right now”), play Miami in game 2 of the ACC Tournament first round. For a preview of each team, see my ACC Tournament Preview. I would be shocked if the Terps lose this game. There’s too much injury on the team for Miami to make a concerted effort.

2:30 pm: 2-0, Maryland. Mike Jones! who? Mike Jones! who? Mike Jones! draws first blood as his first shot rattles in.

2:33 pm: 4-2, Maryland. Miami ties on the next possession, but Maryland is starting to crack down on defense, and Vasquez gets an easy layup.

2:34 pm: 4-4. The Terps are suffering from poor shot selection early in the game. If they do that, eventually Miami is going to take advantage.

2:35 pm: 7-4, Maryland. Mike Jones! who? Mike Jones! who? Mike Jones! hits the first three of the game to give the lead back to Maryland.

2:37 pm: 9-6, Maryland. If there’s one guy playing well for the Hurricanes, it’s Jimmy Graham (#00).

Another reason holding the ACC Tournament in Tampa was a bad idea: the Gulf of Mexico. Even ACC fans might prefer the beach when their team isn’t playing.

2:43 pm: I can’t get enough of Bamable Osby. Just seeing him on the court is awesome. Not only is he a great defender, he’s got the hair. You gotta love the ‘fro.

2:44 pm: 12-10, Miami. Don’t you find it creepy when Billy Packer says things like “watched his penetration” and “creating some action”?

2:46 pm: 16-12, Miami. Osby finally breaks the Maryland FG drought, but Miami keeps getting all of the shots they want. they desperately need to clamp down on defense, and get the ball more to Mike Jones! who? Mike Jones! who? Mike Jones! Before the Osby dunk, Jones had Maryland’s only two field goals.

By the way, Jones is a senior, so I’m going to milk that joke for all it’s worth.

2:50 pm: Interesting sidenote: Graham is black, but he also has red hair. Hmmm… How do you think this can be quantified on Cartman’s Ginger Scale?

2:51 pm: 19-12, Miami. The Hurricanes are playing out of their minds right now. Meanwhile, Maryland still looks asleep. This reminds me of UNC when Virginia Tech made that big run on them in Blacksburg. It didn’t look like they played especially bad, jut that they seem to have tuned out.

2:53 pm: 24-14, Miami. Mike Jones! who? Mike Jones! hits another field goal (he’s responsible for all but one of their FGs), but McClinton hits two straight shots for the ‘Canes. No one came to defend their best shooter in either case. Not only is Miami leading, they’re leading by double digits. I live in ACC country, in Chapel Hill as a matter of fact, but even I can’t figure this conference out.

2:59 pm: I just saw this stat: 12 of Miami’s 24 points are from seconds chances, namely their 10 offensive rebounds in 13 minutes. Maryland needs to box out more than anything else if they want to get back in this game. Without the second chance points, the Terps lead 14-12.

3:01 pm: 26-14, Miami. Graham, aka Ginger Black, gets another easy basket, dunking from the baseline to give the Hurricanes a 12 point lead.

3:03 pm: 26-16, Miami. The Terps finally box out on the offensive end, and they’re rewarded with points courtesy of a putback by Ibekwe.

3:04 pm: Did Billy Packer just make a reference to his own coverage of the UNC-Duke elbow? My God, he did! If he had any sense of humor, that may have even been a joke! WTF?

3:07 pm: 29-17, Miami. The Hurricanes make another easy three and are really starting to make my preview look bad. I don’t think anyone expected this. Miami’s gameplan has been brilliant so far.

3:08 pm: 29-19, Miami. D.J. Strawberry finally gets an easy basket off a fast break turnover.

Meanwhile. Gary Williams is throwing a tantrum like a girl on the sideline. If that girl were an East German Olympic swimmer.

3:13 pm: 31-20, Miami. Good Lord, Graham even has freckles! This is too funny. Just so you know, he’s now on the bench in foul trouble and Anthony Harris hits another shot for the Hurricanes.

3:18 pm: 35-21, Miami. If I had bet someone for enough money today that Miami would have a double digit lead at halftime of their game against Maryland, I wouldn’t have to worry about paying for insurance. Seriously, that s— is expensive.

3:21 pm: The first half ends with Miami leading Maryland, 37-24. This has turned out to be a very exciting game, because on one expected this to happen. Miami has brought a near perfect gameplan, and they’ve executed it exceptionally well. On the other hand, Maryland has looked flat for the entire first half. We know that hey can play better in this game. In order for them to get back in this, they will need to dominate the low post, by spreading the defense out to drive inside, by clamping down on layups on defense, and by boxing out and being more physical on both ends. Overall, they just need to be more aggressive.

3:33 pm: Are you a fan of Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs? I am. If so, you’ll find this very, very surreal.

3:34 pm: Another reason the ACC Tournament in Tampa was a bad idea. George Steinbrenner is a citizen of Tampa. I’m a Sox fan. This can’t end well.

3:42 pm: 39-26, Miami. This might be Maryland’s ticket to a comeback: Anthony Harris now has four fouls.

3:43 pm: 39-29, Miami. Ibekwe gets three the hard way, and Vasquez steals the inbound pass, but Maryland is unable to take advantage of the turnover. Still, it looks like Maryland is starting to play a faster pace in Harris’ absence.

3;44 pm: 42-29, Miami. McClinton hits a three from the baseline and brings the lead back to 13. But Graham, one of Miami’s best players from the first half, now has three fouls. What’s worse. he seems to be hurt now.

If Maryland loses this game, it will also be because they couldn’t make their free throws.

3:46 pm: 44-29, Miami. Surprisingly, Miami doesn’t seem to mind playing at a faster pace, if only for a short time.

3:48 pm: 44-34, Miami. The Terps are playing much better with Hayes at point guard than with Vasquez.

3:52 pm: 46-34, Miami. The Terps must have allowed Miami 5 chances on that possession. They have to do a better job of rebounding than this. You’re telling me that Maryland’s tall, athletic forwards can’t get a rebound when they have 5 cracks at it?

3:55 pm: 48-37, Miami. For crying out loud, Brandan Wright shoots better free throws than the Terps! If you watch UNC, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

3:56 pm: 50-37, Miami. Ibekwe now has four fouls. With 12 minutes left, Maryland is running out of time to make a comeback.

3:58 pm: 50-42, Miami. Vasquez hits the three, Maryland forces a turnover, and Gist gets the layup AND the foul. For the first time, Maryland’s fans are in this game, and the Terps seem to have momentum for the first time.

One of the few perks of holding the ACC Tournament in Tampa: the distance makes it harder for Maryland fans to come. Of all the fans in the ACC, they are the only ones who are truly mean-spirited.

4:02 pm: 52-43, Miami. Just when it looks like Maryland has all the momentum, Vasquez takes a bad shot, Miami rebounds, they get two chances on the other end, and get the easy layup.

4:04 pm: Tim Brant and Billy packer have made a big deal about how Maryland changed their shoes at halftime. If they come back to win this game and ultimately the tournament, we will never hear the end of this from ESPN.

4:06 pm: 52-45, Miami. Strawberry gets a tough layup, but Gist picks up an offensive foul, his fourth. I haven’t heard from Mike Jones! who? Mike Jones! at all in the second half. I wonder why. They need him to shoot in the second half.

4:08 pm: 54-47, Miami. Vasquez finally gets a good inside shot to bring it back within seven. They then get the steal, and Ibekwe is going to the line. Cover your eyes.

4:14 pm: 54-50, Miami. Miami turns the ball over, Gist emphatically posterizes Copeland, and the Terps are now within four. I would hate to see Miami lose this game now, they’ve played so well and shown so much effort. It would be just wrong for Maryland to win if they decided to play only the final 10 minutes of the game.

4:17 pm: 58-54, Miami, 4:55 left. Unlike Maryland, Miami is hitting their free throws. But it looks like Maryland has decided that they don’t need no stinkin’ free throws. Strawberry gets another easy inside shot.

4:22 pm: 59-54, Miami, 3:58 left. Graham is playing out of his mind today, but what is McClinton doing?!? The Hurricanes have really not shot well in the second half. Maybe they’re gassed at this point.

4:25 pm: 61-56, Miami, 3:10 left. Graham gets another basket thanks to another offensive rebound. But then they throw the ball away after a defensive stop.

4:27 pm: 61-58, Miami, 2:37 left. Back then they didn’t want me, now I’m hot they all own me. Jones finally gets a basket in the second half.

4:28 pm: 61-58, Miami, 2:01 left. After Maryland is again outhustled for the rebound, Ibekwe commits his fifth foul. Even worse, Maryland almost plays with four guys.

4:30 pm: 62-58, Miami, 1:24 left. Miami is trying as hard as they can to eat the clock. But will it be enough? They need to hit a shot.

4:32 pm: 62-60, Miami, :52 left. Strawberry does an excellent job of forcing another turnover, and now they have a chance to tie…but he immediately turns the ball over and the Terps foul McClinton.

4:34 pm: 63-62 Miami, :23 left. McClinton only hits one of two free throws, and and Gist gets a basket on, of all things, an offensive rebound.

4:37 pm: 65-62, Miami, :21 left. Graham again makes a great play, catching the inbound pass and immediately passing it back to Ashbury, who is fouled and hits both of his free throws. I would give Graham the game ball if Miami wins.

4:39 pm: 65-62, Miami, :04.7 left. Maryland misses their opportunity to tie the game, and Miami rebounds. They have pretty much wrapped this one up.

4:41 pm: Miami hits their free throws, Maryland misses a garbage shot, and Miami wins, 67-62. This has to be biggest upset of the conference tournaments so far. This was the perfect combination of Miami playing their best game of the season and Maryland playing their worst game of the season. The Hurricanes won this game because they won the battle of the boards, getting about 15 more rebounds than the Terps. Maryland was expecting to go deep into the tournament; no one expected them to be ousted on day 1.

The next game is Dook vs. NC State at 7:00 pm. Let’s just hope Sidney Lowe brought his pimp jacket to the tourney.

I should also note that The Extrapolater has generously volunteered to help me tonight. He will live-blog Georgia Tech vs. Wake Forest at 9:30.

Florida St. vs. Clemson Live Blog, ACC Tournament 2007

Today, Florida State plays Clemson is this first of eleven games that will be liveblogged on Digital Headbutt and on Tar Heel Mania. As far as I know, this the first time liveblogging an entire conference tournament has been attempted. For a preview of each team and their chances of winning, see my ACC Tournament Preview. You won’t find a preview on TV; it’s been pre-empted by “The Price is Right.” How am I supposed to concentrate on basketball when an 87-year old lady just won a pick-up truck? She will become a menace to us all! But I digress…Both of the teams are fighting for at at-large bid in the NCAA tournament, and the loser is almost certainly headed to the NIT. I would pick Florida State because of their gamebreaker, Al Thornton.

12:08 pm: Oh s—, it’s Billy Packer! Run for your lives! He wants to kill me after I have mocked him so. Listen good: don’t pay attention to anything he says.

12:10 pm: 3-2, Clemson. Jason Rich gets the first basket of the game, but Cliff Hammonds hits an open three off a great screen.

12:11 pm: 5-4, Clemson. Vernon Hamilton forces a turnover, and he gets an easy layup on the other end. But the Tigers don’t get back on defense, and Echefu makes an easy inside shot of his own.

12:13 pm: 6-5, FSU. Florida State takes the lead back, as it’s Echefu, not Thornton, who shows his range early with a 16-foot jumper. Jerel Allen hits the Seminoles’ first three to make it 9-5, FSU.

12:15 pm: 9-8, FSU. This is first and perhaps the only time I’m going to say this name. A.J. Tyler hits a three for Clemson to reduce the lead to 1.

12:19 pm: What the hell kind of shot was that, Hammonds? This games now has 7 turnovers in 5 minutes.

12:20 pm: 11-9, Clemson. The Tigers are now 3-3 from beyond the arc as Hammonds redeems himself from that last play. Seriously, he hit the scaffolding behind the basket.

12:22 pm: 13-11, FSU. Florida State takes the lead, as Thornton emphatically gets his firstbasket of the game.

12:23 pm: 13-13. See, this is why the tournament should not have been in Tampa. This is perhaps the most intriguing game of the day, and the TV shows so many empty seats and the stadium seems so quiet. Even though this has become such an exciting game (17-15 FSU, as both teams are shooting lights out), the crowd can;t seem to get too excited. There’s so much more excitement in Greensboro. Or maybe this is only since the ACC expanded to 12 teams.

12:24 pm: 18-17, Clemson. I think the Tigers have still yet to miss from three. This is shaping up to be a really exciting game. So why am I yawning?

12:28 pm: Correction: Clemson is 4-5 from 3-point range. But still.

12:29 pm: 22-17, Clemson. The Tigers, in particular James Mays, are strting to show some really good defense, and that’s leading to some very good offensive opportunities.

12:30 pm: Mays has so far neutralized Thornton, and he’s is already in foul trouble. The Seminoles cannot afford to lose him.

12:32 pm: 24-17, Clemson. Clemson ins continuing to shoot the ball well, and is starting to play good defense. If not for the turnovers, they might be running away with this game.

12:33 pm: 24-19. Clemson. Thornton takes off the headband, gets back on the court, and immediately drains a 20-footer.

12:34 pm: 26-19, Clemson. FSU did a really bad job of boxing out for the rebound, and Booker takes advantage. Clemson has been running the full court press since about the second TV timeout, and the ‘Noles seems to be really fazed by it.

12:37 pm: 26-22, Clemson. Thornton gets three the hard way. Clemson has switched to zone.

12:38 pm: 26-24, Clemson. Jason Rich runs right through the zone and gets another easy layup.

12:40 pm: 28-27, Clemson. Isaiah Swann hits a three to cut the lead to 1. With the exception of a goaltending, the ‘Noles have scored the last 8 points.

12:42 pm: 31-30, FSU. Thornton is finally coming alive in this game. He hits a three to tie this game, and is attacking the basket. He now has 12.

But just as he’s shooting free throws, he has to temporarily leave the court, bleeding from the collision that sent him to the foul line. He returns, but the momentum may be gone, as he misses the second free throw.

12:44 pm: 33-30, FSU. The Seminoles are picking this zone apart. Clemson will need to go back to the full pressure in the second half.

12:48 pm: 34-33, Clemson. The Tigers take back the lead by attacking the inside.

12:50 pm: 36-35, Clemson. We have our first sighting of K.C. Rivers. He hits his first shot of the game to give the lead back to Clemson.

12:52 pm: 38-36, FSU. Thornton hits a wide open three to end the first half and give the Seminoles the lead going into the locker room. He now has 18. This has really turned out to be a very exciting game. It’s too bad several thousands of fans, with tickets to the event, are missing it. This is why the tournament should be in Greensboro. To win in the second half, both of these teams will need to cut down on turnovers, play more aggressive defense, and stay out of foul trouble. Bring on the mascots!

1:07 pm: Amazing. No bizarre ads yet.

Just thought you should know: Clemson has one of the best fight songs.

1:12 pm: 40-38, FSU. Both teams attack the inside and get easy layups from their guards to start the second half.

1:15 pm: 42-41, FSU. Cliff Hammonds hits another three. He now has 16, and the Tigers are 5-7 for 3-point range.

1:16 pm: 44-43, FSU. Booker dunks off of a turnover to give Clemson the lead, but Echefu immediately gives it back to the ‘Noles.

Both of these teams are suddenly playing very sloppy, giving up turnovers. Echefu picks up his third foul.

1:20 pm: 46-45, FSU. You know this game is going at a fast pace when the referee pulls a hamstring.

1:22 pm: David Potter must be a pothead. Because he was handed the ball, and he simply stood still and dropped it out of bounds.

1:23 pm: 48-47, FSU. Trevor Booker cannot stop Al Thornton. Al Thornton cannot stop Trevor Booker. Surely there must be a solution to this conundrum…

1:24 pm: 50-48, Clemson. …Oh, right. Clemson’s 3-point shooting.

1:25 pm: 53-50, FSU. Sykes comes in for Booker, and Florida State’s guards come alive. Jerel Allen hits an open three to take the lead back, and Jason Rich attacks the basket and gets another easy layup. There must have been at least 14 lead changes so far in this game.

1:30 pm: 53-51, FSU. What the hell is this? BASKETBALLL?!?! How can they show basketball at this time of day?!?!? “The Bold and the Beautiful” is on! I need to know who’s the father of Brooke’s baby! How can they preempt it with a stupid game? I need a drink.

1:35 pm: 55-54, Clemson. Vernon Hamilton is tearing FSU’s defense apart, driving the lane and getting two straight layups to give Clemson the lead.

1:37 pm: 56-55, FSU. Toney Douglas gives the lead back to the Seminoles. I haven;t heard much from him until the second half.

1:40 pm: 59-56, Clemson. Could someone from the Clemson faithful please tell me what IPTAY means? I’ve seen it in a lot of Clemson athletic events, but I have no idea what it is. Hamilton scores again.

1:45 pm: 60-58, Clemson. Al Thornton shows us the dying art of the midrange jumpshot.

1:46 pm: OHHHH!!! Mays makes an unbelievable block and stops an easy layup. He’s a great defender.

Just as I type that, Swann hits a three and give Florida State the lead back. I hadn’t heard from him in a while.

1:47 pm: 62-61, Clemson. K.C. Rivers is making me look really bad. I said that he was the x-factor for the Tigers as one of the conference’s best sixth man. He has only 4 so far.

1:48 pm: 64-61, Clemson, 5:00 left. Booker is now 9-9 shooting. It doesn;t hurt when all of your shots are dunks.

1:50 pm: 66-61, Clemson, 4:00 left. Rivers scores again, this time a rebound and easy putback. With FSU’s shots no longer falling, this could spell big trouble.

1:51 pm: 66-64, Clemson, 3:00 left. Just as I say that, Toney Douglas runs the fast break off a rebound and drains a wide open three.

1:55 pm: 66-66, 1:30 left. Florida State ties the game as Thornton takes matter into his own hands, driving the baseline and dunking on two defenders. Each team has only 1 timeout left, and Clemson hasn’t scored in nearly three minutes.

1:58 pm: 66-66, :50 left. The worst thing that could happen for Clemson, as K.C. Rivers commits the offensive foul. Florida State now has the ball with the chance to take the lead. I will kill my TV if Thornton doesn’t touch the ball. For once, I agree with Packer.

2:01 pm: 66-66, :09 left. Clemson brings the clock down, then blocks the shot and gets the ball back, and then Hammonds drops the ball and commits a backcourt violation. They still haven;t scored since the 4:00 mark.

2:03 pm: 66-66, :01.5 left. Thornton gets the ball, and Clemson is called for the foul. Clemson is really going to complain about that call, but but if they didn’t want to be in this situation, they should have score in the last four minutes.

2:05 pm: 67-66, FSU. Thornton misses his first, leaves us hanging, and makes his second free throw. Clemson can’t get a shot off in time, and Florida State wins 67-66. Thornton finishes with 25 points points, and and Florida State will advance to play North Carolina tomorrow. This is a big win for them and takes them one step closer to reaching the tournament. Conversely, Clemson is pretty much out of it. Very few people expected the Tigers to start the season at 17-0, but I think even fewer people expected them to have a collapse monumental enough to miss the NCAA tournament.

On to Game 2 of 11, as Maryland plays Miami.

ACC Tournament Preview: Seriously, Tampa? Was Wilkesboro, NC Not Available?

I’m going to post a live blog of every ACC Tournament game this week, including UNC games on Tar Heel Mania. TheACC.com has an excellent bracket that updated constantly (requires flash), but before action starts today in Tampa, and I can’t believe it’s in Tampa, it would be useful to quickly preview each team and what to look for.

By the way: yes, that is a Simpsons interpretation of the ACC. And no, I don’t appreciate being Krusty the Clown, but it could be worse. I could be Mayor Adam West.

#12. Miami (4-12): After the early departure of their best player of 2006, point guard Guillermo Diaz, the Hurricanes were not expected to do much damage in the ACC. Still, losing four of their best players due to injury did not do anything to help matters. With those players healthy, they could be 8 or 9 deep, but as of now they can only play with six players, the only one of whom is a significant threat is undersized guard Jack McClinton. I would be shocked if they were to make it past today and their first opponent, Maryland.

UPDATE: Miami upsets Maryland 67-62.

#11. Wake Forest (5-11): Last year the Deacons were in a similar position, near the bottom of the ACC. Still, they had the talent (the only missing piece was Chris Paul) and the experience to make it to the Semifinals of the tourney before bowing out to the #1 seed Dookies. This year their strength is in their depth. They have 13 underclassmen playing alongside projected NBA center Kyle Visser. If Wake has any chance of winning, the offense must go through him. This is a deep team, but they lack experience, and that could be poison in a tournament like this.

UPDATE: Wake Forest beats Ga. Tech 114-112 (2OT).

#10. NC State (5-11): This team is truly an enigma. Certainly they have played better in the return of point guard Engin Atsur from injury, and they have beaten UNC and swept Virginia Tech and Wake Forest this season. The Wolfpack have also stunk it up against everyone else this season. They seem to be underachievers at their core, but this tournament could be the place to showcase their talent. NC State plays with only 7 players, but all of them can hit the 3-pointer. Their strength will be using the three to lure the opposing defense away from the paint, allowing for lanes to drive inside and get easy layups. But their most important asset is coach Sidney Lowe, or more specifically, his red blazer. If he wears it, the Pack can make a deep run. If he doesn’t, Duke is running them out of the building tonight.

UPDATE: NC State beats Duke 85-80 (OT).

#9. Florida State (7-9): Now on to the teams that have a legitimate chance of winning. This Florida State team is really confusing. They are good enough to have beaten Florida, Virginia Tech and Duke at Cameron Indoor, and they may have the most talented player in the ACC in Al Thornton. At the same time, before winning their final two games of the season they had lost their previous five. Granted, all of those opponents were competitive, but the Seminoles cannot afford to have that kind of inconsistency. Perhaps their inconsistency is due to the fact that they have no true point guard. Isaiah Swann and Ralph Mims usually are the guards controlling the ball, but do not play the role of a point guard on the court. Florida State certainly has the capacity to go deep in this tournament, but they may need to commit to a point man and get some consistency in order to do so. To not see Thornton in the Big Dance would be the biggest waste of talent I’ve seen in a while.

UPDATE: Florida State beats Clemson 67-66. 

#8. Clemson (7-9): If there’s one team that’s more enigmatic than FSU, it would likely be Clemson. The Tigers began the year as the last undefeated team at 17-0. It took them 12 more games to reach win #20. At 21-9 in the ACC, at first glance one’s tourney chances would appear safe. In fact, after their first loss I predicted that they would finish 22-8, 8-8, and safe from being left out of the Dance. But their collapse has been nearly epic, highlighted by coming back from 5 points down in less than 10 seconds to tie the game in Cameron Indoor, only to have extra time unjustly left on the clock, and a defensive lapse leading to a Duke win at the buzzer. At that point things really got ugly. They still have the talent they’ve had all year, including what may be still the best sixth man in the conference in K.C. Rivers. Still, they probably don’t have the mindset to make a deep run. If they lose to FSU today, they are almost certainly NIT bound.

#7. Duke (8-8): As a die-hard Tar Heel Maniac, it’s tempting for me to kick the Devils while they’re down now, especially after Henderson is getting suspended for today. But that wouldn’t be fair to this team. Tyler Hansbrough has moved on from the elbow incident, and so should everyone else (at least until the novelty shirt comes out next week at the Shrunken Head Boutique on Franklin Street). Beneath their inexperience and struggle lies a good deal of talent. The big problem is that they have absolutely no senior leadership on this team. With experience, they will certainly be back with a venegance next year, so don’t feel too sorry for the Dookies. Most teams would kill to have their “rebuilding year”. They could make a deep run this week, unless Sidney Lowe brings his red jacket, in which case it’s over for them before it even begins.

#6. Georgia Tech (8-8): Unlike most teams in the ACC this year, Goergia Tech finished the season strong, winning 7 of their last 9 games. However, don’t overlook the fact that 6 of those 7 victories were home games, and their one road win coincided with Florida State’s 5 game losing streak and is their only true road win for the entire season. They aren’t out of the NCAA woods yet by any stretch of the imagination, because the committee is going to notice that and wonder if they’ll struggle out of their friendly confines. This is a very young team, led by potential lottery pick Thaddeus Young and 6-5 point guard Javaris Crittenton, and they are very deep and athletic, which is a huge asset come tournament time. However, they must play their A game today, because if Wake beats them, the Yellow Jackets will have a lot of explaining to do.

#5. Maryland (10-6): Okay, everyone from this point on in the list is definitely going dancing next week. Of the top teams in the tournament, the Terps definitely have the most momentum, currently riding a 7-game winning streak that includes a home win over North Carolina and a season sweep of the Dookies. A far cry from when they were 17-7, 3-6 in the ACC and on the outside looking in. Their meteoric rise can e explained in many ways. The biggest improvement the have made is in their offense. Players like D.J. Strwaberry, James Gist, and Ikene Ibekwe were already great defenders, but Strawberry now has an offensive game to make him a more complete player, freshman Greivis Vasquez is playing point guard wonderfully, and senior sharpshooter Mike Jones! who? Mike Jones! who? Mike Jones! is finally getting significant PT. What most surprised me is that while most teams would try to slow down the Tar Heels’ fast pace, the Terps had the athleticism to play at our pace and beat us at it. That’s a big reason why I think they can win this tournament.

#4 Boston College (10-6): All of the top four seeds have really struggled to end the season, but none more than Boston College. The loss of Sean Williams, has had a bigger impact than I has expected, but Al Skinner and the Eagles have always capable of doing more with less. BC has been able to keep the ship afloat thanks to great play from sharpshooter Sean Marshall, point guard Sidney Rice and ACC Player of the Year Jared Dudley. They will all need to play exceptionally well if the Eagles want to get past the Terps on Friday. Oh crap. I just jinxed Maryland, didn’t I?

#3 Virginia Tech (10-6): This is a very dangerous team. The Hokies have all of the building blocks necessary to do serious damage in the Big Dance. They have an excellent, cunning coach in Seth Greenberg. They have experienced, talented guards in Zabian Dowdell and Jamon Gordon. And they have a signature win, the distinction of being the only team this year to have defeated the vaunted Tar Heels in Chapel Hill. Still, they have had their inconsistencies. They were swept by NC State, and they lost at home to Clemson with the chance of clinching the ACC’s #1 seed. Which Virginia Tech will we see from this point on? I’m betting on the former.

#2 Virginia (11-5): This team is practically a mirror image of the Hokies. They have one of the nation’s best and most experienced backcourts in Sean Singletary and JR Reynolds. The have one of the coolest customers in the business in coach Dave Leitao. In spite of having one of the easiest ACC schedules, they have had their share of signature wins, including home wins over Duke and Va. Tech. But they have also blown their chance at the #1 seed with inexplicable losses down the stretch to Miami and Wake Forest. Unlike the Hokies, however, I think the struggling team will show up, as they are inconsistent outside of their new home, John Paul Jones Arena.

The Extrapolater has been so kind as to do the live blogs of Virginia games this weekend (well, at least the quarterfinal).

#1 North Carolina (11-5): What can I say about the Tar Heels that I haven’t already said on Tar Heel Mania? But let’s review anyway. UNC is by far the deepest and most talented team in the conference, if not the entire nation. Most teams would kill for a lineup of Deon Thompson, Alex Stepheson, Danny Green, Marcus Ginyard, Wes Miller, Quentin Thomas, and Bobby Frasor. That’s our bench, for Christ’s sake! Tyler Hansbrough and Brandan Wright may be the best frontcourt in the nation, ad frankly, I think Psycho T is going to play even more aggressively after after last week’s incident. We have two major weaknesses, however. The guards are inexperienced, and with the exception of Ellington, they have real trouble shooting the ball well. A team like Virginia Tech beat Carolina because their backcourt practically ran laps around ours. Our second, and perhaps bigger, weakness, is Roy Williams’ (bless his soul) inability make adjustments in the middle of a game, some that Coach K and Seth Greenberg are excellent at doing. If UNC struggles and Roy doesn’t have a backup plan, they could end up going home early. But with the right mindset, I don’t think there’s a single team in the nation that can beat the Tar Heels.

If you’re really curious, you can look here to see how people are predicting the outcome of the ACC Tournament.

My Pick to Win: Do you really have to ask?