One Day Down 3 To Go In Greensboro

North Carolina State along with Virginia and Miami had upsets in the first round of ACC tournament play. The only team that went down that was supposed to was North Carolina, something I most certainly enjoyed. So let us take a look at what is coming today:

#4 Duke vs. Virginia: Yesterday on paper didn’t look like a huge upset for Virginia but considering that their best 2 players, Sylven Landesberg a second team all acc player and Calvin Baker a senior leader for Virginia are off the team, it was huge. Can they pull off another upset? I think not. Duke is playing really well right now and on top of that has had a couple days to rest their team, especially Smith, Scheyer, and Singler who are one of the best group of players in the country. Also Duke is fighting to keep or get the number one seed in the NCAA tournament and a loss here would end that hope so expect Duke to get an early lead and keep it.
My score: Duke 72 Virginia 57

Virginia Tech vs. Miami: Miami smashed Wake Forest yesterday in the first round without their best player Dwayne Collins. With such a large lead for the whole game it really didn’t wear out a Miami team so don’t think they will be tired for this game. Also Miami needs a win to make the post season NIT so expect that to factor in to how they will play. Virginia Tech on the other hand has slowed down at the end of the season losing 3 of its last 5. Look for them to come out rested and try to take advantage of the zone defense Miami will play. If VT can get going from outside the arc then expect them to win this one, however if it is a poor shooting day for the Hokies then expect Miami to win.
My Score: Miami: 85 Virginia Tech 78

# 19 Maryland vs. Georgia Tech: Maryland beat Georgia Tech by 2 in the regular season so expect GT to have some fire after that loss. Georgia Tech came out strong against UNC after a sloppy first half. Expect this to cause some fatigue against Maryland. On the other hand Maryland is on fire right now after winning 7 in a row. It should be noted thought that Maryland likes to take games down to the wire where Vasquez, a senior leader, takes control usually for the win. I expect this to be a close game even with Tech being tired.
My Score: Maryland 72 Georgia Tech 68

Florida State vs. NC State: NC State is on a role right now winning 4 out of the past 5 games. They always seem to play well in the ACC tournament when it is held in Greensboro. They are fighting for a spot in the NIT which could be assured with a win today. In the one meeting earlier in the season NC State won 88-81 but Scott Wood had 31 points, which we can’t count on today. On the bright side Tracy Smith had a poor day so if we can get good play on the inside it should open up Wood for his long range shots. Florida State on the other hand has won 5 of the last six and are looking improve their seed in the NCAA tournament. If they can keep Tracy Smith from getting going on the inside and force a poor 3 point shooting team in NC State to take the long range jumpers then expect Florida State to win.
My Score: NC State 78 Florida State 75