The Confidential

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Archive for the tag “Virginia”

07 Apr 2012

Mel Kiper’s Latest Mock Draft

ESPN’s NFL Draft guru, Mel Kiper, has issued a mock draft that goes two rounds deep–63 projected selections.  The draft is very heavy on ACC players.

Kiper has the first ACC player off the board in pick #11, with Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College to Kansas City:

Kuechly is a rare talent at linebacker — instinctive, explosive, able to make plays from sideline to sideline, but very sound in reading plays into the backfield and making stops. Kansas City has a need here, and Kuechly is a safe pick, a guy who can get on the field early and pick up the nuances of the NFL game right away. A tackling machine at linebacker, he’ll make any defense better.

At #12, Kiper goes right back to the ACC with Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina, to Seattle:

Even if Kuechly is still on the board, it would be tough for Seattle to pass on perhaps the safest 4-3 DE option available. Coples has prototypical size, can play every down as a pass-rusher and has a solid arsenal of moves to get to opposing quarterbacks, but with the size and discipline to be a force against the run. Seattle can’t go wrong here with either the top LB or DE available. This defense is close to being considered among the NFL’s finest.

At #18, rapidly rising Chander Jones, DE, Syracuse, is projected to go to San Diego:

Listed as a defensive end at Syracuse, Jones has the talent, upside and a great frame to make the move to OLB in a pass-rushing role. He’s still a little raw, but the instincts are there and offensive linemen have a really tough time getting their hands on him. Could blossom into a star for the Chargers.

At #30, San Francisco goes for offense with Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech:

Hill is the biggest home run threat in the draft when you combine his speed and size, and it’s no secret the 49ers need some help at wide receiver, even with the additions of Randy Moss and Mario Manningham. He’ll need an adjustment period as he gets used to doing more in terms of scheme than he was asked at Georgia Tech, but he’s the kind of weapon this offense needs to expand.

Pretty interesting first round–not a single player from Miami, Florida State, Clemson, or Virginia Tech.

Here are Kiper’s second round projections:

Round 2
Pick Team Player Position School

42 Miami Andre Branch DE Clemson
A great fit in Miami’s adjusted scheme, Branch offers late-first-round value at this spot.

46 Philadelphia Zach Brown LB North Carolina
A great athlete who can fill a big need at linebacker for the Eagles. Even with DeMeco Ryans, they need help.

51 Philadelphia (from Ariz) Dwayne Allen TE Clemson
My top tight end for much of the year, Allen didn’t test well, but he’s there on tape.

60 Baltimore Terrell Manning LB N.C. State
They lost another good OLB this offseason, and Manning makes sense as a reinforcement.

63 New York Giants David Wilson RB Virginia Tech
They lose Brandon Jacobs, but Wilson will bring some power of his own, with a lot more explosiveness.

So Kiper sees nine ACC players going in the first two rounds.  Still nobody from Miami or Florida State though.  That is pretty shocking really.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , ,
17 Mar 2012

The ACC and the Post-Season: Update 3

Well, it is College Basketball Tournament season.  The Big Dance is already down to 32 teams.  As noted earlier, Duke is not among them.

But it was not all bad for the Atlantic Coast Conference on March 16, 2012.  Even without John Henson, #1 North Carolina had no trouble defeating #16 seed Vermont, 77-58.  Tyler Zeller had 17 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Tar Heels.  In Henson’s absence, James Michael McAdoo started and scored a season-high 17 points also.  With the win, North Carolina advances to play #8 Creighton, who defeated Alabama 58-57.

Perhaps the most impressive win of the day for the ACC was #11 seed North Carolina State upsetting #6 seed San Diego State, 79-65.  While not an extraordinary seed difference, nobody expected the Wolfpack to run away with the game.  After all, they were on the wrong side of the bubble for most of Championship week.  But North Carolina State shot an amazing 58.5% from the field en route to the victory.  Richard Howell led the team with 22 points, but State picked up big contributions from Lorenzo Brown (17 points), C.J. Leslie (15 points) and Scott Wood (10 points).  The Wolfpack moves on to play #3 seed Georgetown, who finally got over their first round issues by defeating #14 seed Belmont, 74-59.

The most disappointing performance of the day for the ACC was not Duke’s loss, but #10 Virginia’s utter collapse against #7 Florida, 71-45.  While the Gators have more talent than the average #7 seed, they have not played to potential very often at all.  But a 41-23 second-half made this an unexpected blowout, ending Virginia’s surprisingly good season.  As usual, it was Mike Scott leading the way for Virginia with 15 points.

The final game of the day involved #3 Florida State and #14 St. Bonaventure.  Give credit to the Bonnies for making this game close throughout, but the Seminoles ultimately prevailed 66-63.  While Michael Snaer has been the hero for most of the season, he was absent on Friday and held scoreless on 0 for 7 shooting.  Bernard James stepped up to lead the Seminoles with 19 points.  Ugly as it was, Florida State moves on to play #6 seed Cincinnati, who defeated Texas 65-59.

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, March Madness and tagged , , , , , , ,
13 Mar 2012

ACC Basketball Rankings: March 13, 2012

Here is how the Confidential ranks the ACC basketball schools as of March 13, 2012:

1. Syracuse (31-2)  Notwithstanding the loss to Cincinnati, Syracuse has been the best ACC team from start to finish.

2. North Carolina (29-5)  Sure, the Tar Heels were swept by Florida State.  But Florida State had four more losses overall.

3. Duke (27-6)  Like North Carolina, Duke lost to Florida State twice.  Again, however, the upsets of Duke were far more reasonable.

4. Florida State (24-9)  Give the Seminoles credit for the head-to-head victories over the teams above them here.  But to win it all, you’ve got to win the winnable games too.

5. Virginia (22-9)  Virginia has been struggling for weeks now.  Good, but not great.

6. North Carolina State (22-12).  The Wolfpack rallied in the ACC tournament to get off the bubble and into the Big Dance.  Likely at Miami’s expense.

7. Miami (19-12)  A good first season for the new Miami coaching staff.  The NIT will be good for this team, as long as they take it seriously.

8. Clemson (16-15)  At 8-8 in conference play during the regular season, Clemson fell to Virginia Tech in the ACC tourney.  Season was a stepping stone though.

9. Maryland (17-15)  At 6-10 in conference play, Maryland actually made progress.  Consider that this team was 3-3 heading into December.

10. Pittsburgh (17-16)  After starting 13-2, the team finished 4-14.  12 of those 16 losses were to teams in the Big Dance field.

11.  Virginia Tech (16-17)  A disappointing record obviously.  At some point, you’ve got to win a lot more of the close, winnable games.

12. Wake Forest (13-18) Like all the teams down this far, the Demon Deacons were a significant disappointment all season long.

13. Georgia Tech (11-20).  The new coaching staff did not have much success.  Next year should be better.

14. Boston College (9-22)  The Eagles were so young this year that the future is actually quite bright.  These were freshmen struggling, not juniors.

Agree?  Disagree?  Let us know!

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , ,
07 Mar 2012

The Confidential’s Basketball Top 30 for March 7, 2012

With over 300 teams in college basketball, the top 25 is just not enough anymore.  Here is the Confidential’s Top 30 for March 7, 2012:

  1. Syracuse (30-1).  Syracuse looked very good in its home finale against Louisville, a team that has historically solved the 2-3 zone.
  2. Kentucky (30-1).  Kentucky is a team on a mission.  Is this the year for Coach Calipari?
  3. North Carolina (27-4).  The preseason favorites are rounding into form at the right time.  Nobody will want to play the Tar Heels.
  4. Kansas (26-5).  There has been a lot of rotation between the teams ranked 3rd through 8th… this week Kansas moves up to #4.
  5. Missouri (27-4).  Missouri looked very good defeating Iowa State and Texas Tech.  Recovered from a tough week the week before.
  6. Duke (26-5).  Lost big to North Carolina, leaving the Blue Devils with 2nd place in the ACC.  Tiebreaker in the ACC tournament perhaps?
  7. Ohio State (25-6).  Wins over motivated teams like Northwestern and Michigan State suggest that Ohio State is also peaking at the right time.
  8. Marquette (25-6).  Loss at Cincinnati was disappointing, but Marquette handled a very good Georgetown team to end the regular season.
  9. Michigan State (24-7).  No real shame in losing to Indiana and Ohio State.  Being handled by Indiana, even on the road, was surprising.
  10. Georgetown (22-7).  The Hoyas split a tough week–beating Notre Dame and losing to Marquette.  The slight edge over Baylor due to foe quality.
  11. Baylor (25-6).  Iowa State really needed to beat Baylor.  And did.  The Bears are still primed to make some noise in March Madness.
  12. Michigan (23-8).  Michigan got important wins to keep its hopes for a #3 seed alive, even if Illinois and Penn State are not great teams.
  13. Wisconsin (23-8).  The Badgers got two more wins, over Minnesota and Illinois, keep pace with the Big 10 leaders.
  14. Indiana (24-7).  Wins over Michigan State and Purdue–a great way to end the surprise turnaround season.  Especially in a deep year for the Big 10.
  15. Murray State (30-1).  Murray State struggled in the conference tournament championship game, but pulled out the victory late.  Teams on the bubble everywhere exhaled.
  16. Florida State (21-9).  The Seminoles finished strong, beating Virginia and suddenly challenging Clemson during the final week.  A lot of good wins for this Seminole team.
  17. Creighton (28-5).  With so many teams ahead of them losing, Creighton takes advantage with its three-win sweep of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.
  18. San Diego State (24-6).  Like Creighton, San Diego State was able to avoid losing this past week.  Even if the wins were not overly impressive, they did not lose.
  19. UNLV (25-7).  UNLV lost to Colorado State, but rallied to defeat a good Wyoming team to end the regular season.  Up next?  Wyoming again.
  20. Wichita State (27-5).  The Shockers were shocked in the MWC tournament by Illinois State.  Still, this team is looking solid for an at-large bid.
  21. Notre Dame (21-10).  Notre Dame got back in the winning way with a victory over Providence.  Now it is on to the Big Apple to make some noise in the Big East tournament.
  22. Virginia (22-8).  Virginia lost to Florida State at home, which hurt.  But they got a key overtime win over Maryland to stop the losing streak.
  23. Louisville (22-9).  The Cardinals are really struggling offensively right now.  Also playing and losing to very good teams.
  24. Florida (22-9).  No shame in losing at Vanderbilt and to Kentucky.  But the Gators are really tacking on the losses right now.
  25. Temple (24-6).  A couple of nice wins over Massachusetts and Fordham to end the season on a high note.  A very good profile for the Owls.
  26. Virginia Commonwealth (28-6).  Three more wins for Virginia Commonwealth.  Big win to qualify for the Big Dance.
  27. Iowa State (22-9).  In a week with games against Missouri and Baylor, winning the home game and losing the road game is a fine result.  A tourney lock at this point.
  28. St. Mary’s (27-5).  St. Mary’s gets the edge over Gonzaga by defeating them in the West Coast Conference tournament championship game.
  29. Gonzaga (25-6).  See above.
  30. Vanderbilt (21-10).  Vandy responded to the nice win against Florida by losing to in-state rival Tennessee to conclude the season.

Tell us what you think.  Is anyone unfairly missing?  Anyone too high or too low?

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Rankings and tagged , , , , , ,
06 Mar 2012

ACC Basketball Rankings: March 6, 2012

This is particularly complex with Pitt and Syracuse not yet in the ACC, but it can still be done.  Here is how we view the ACC basketball schools as of March 6, 2012:

1. Syracuse (30-1)  What more can you say?  30-1 with a Big East schedule, plus victories over Florida, North Carolina State, Stanford, and Virginia Tech.

2. North Carolina (27-4)  North Carolina appears to be peaking at the right point of the season.  After getting demolished by Florida State, the Tar Heels won 12 of 13 down the stretch.

3. Duke (26-5)  Duke has had a great season.  Had the Blue Devils beat North Carolina they would have been a #1 seed in the Big Dance.

4. Florida State (21-9)  The Seminoles were an impressive 12-4 in conference play.  Plus, they beat Virginia last week.

5. Virginia (22-8)  One of three 9-7 teams, Virginia has had the best season start-to-finish.  The best overall record too.

6. Miami (18-11)  Miami and North Carolina State are squarely on the bubble.  Need some ACC tournament wins to feel safe.

7. North Carolina State (20-11).  Missed some opportunities down the stretch.  Probably need to win two in the ACC tournament to get off the bubble.

8. Clemson (16-14)  Clemson is now 7-7 in conference play.  They followed up the win over Virginia by beating Georgia Tech and North Carolina State.

9. Maryland (16-12)  After beating Miami, Maryland was primed to move up a few spots.  But then they lost to Georgia Tech.

10.  Virginia Tech (15-14)  This team has had more closes losses.  This past week was a 2-point loss to Virginia and an OT loss to Duke.

11. Pittsburgh (15-14)  Pittsburgh’s small momentum is over.  Hard to believe this team was once 13-2.

12. Wake Forest (13-15) They did beat Boston College by nearly 30.  Not a bad way to end the week.

13. Georgia Tech (10-18).  The losing streak is over.  And Georgia Tech beat a good Maryland team to accomplish that task.

14. Boston College (8-20)  Boston College had been showing some signs of life.  Losing by 29 to a sub .500 Wake Forest team is not such a sign.

Agree?  Disagree?  Let us know!

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , ,
04 Mar 2012

All Three ACC Favorites Win on Sunday

Today was a big day for three ACC teams.  While Florida State and Virginia are playing for seeding, North Carolina State is playing to get on the right side of the proverbial bubble.  All three teams won.

As noted above, North Carolina State really needed to win on Sunday.  And they did, beating Virginia Tech, 70-58.  With the win, the Wolfpack improved to 20-11 and 9-7 in conference play.  Scott Wood led North Carolina State with 19 points, but CJ Leslie was a huge contributor with 18 points and 11 rebounds.  Although Virginia Tech has struggled to a 15-16 record, the Hokies play everyone tough at home and rarely lose by a significant margin.  Cadarian Raines scored 15 points to lead the Hokies.

In Maryland, #24 Virginia improved to 22-8 and 9-7 in conference play by getting an overtime road win over the Terrapins, 75-72.  The big hero of the day was Virginia Senior Mike Scott, who scored 35 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.  He also scored 7 of Virginia’s 14 overtime points.  Terrell Stoglin scored 25 points to lead the Terps, who dropped to 16-14 overall and 6-10 in conference play.

In Tallahassee, #22 Florida State held off suddenly-rolling Clemson, 80-72.  Clemson was down by 16 at the half, but rallied to get it within 3 with 30 seconds to go.  But Florida State scored the final five points to improve to 21-9 and 12-4 in conference play.  With the loss, Clemson drops to 16-14 and a respectable 8-8 in conference play. Michael Snaer led Florida State with 23 points, while K.J. McDaniels and Andre Young scored 16 points to lead Clemson.

With these results, here are the final standings for the ACC regular season (including the March 4, 2012, games):

School Conf. Pct. Overall Pct.
North Carolina 14-2 .875 27-4 .871
Duke 13-3 .812 26-5 .839
Florida State 12-4 .750 21-9 .700
Virginia 9-7 .562 22-8 .733
NC State 9-7 .562 20-11 .645
Miami 9-7 .562 18-11 .621
Clemson 8-8 .500 16-14 .533
Maryland 6-10 .375 16-14 .533
Virginia Tech 4-12 .250 15-16 .484
Wake Forest 4-12 .250 13-17 .433
Georgia Tech 4-12 .250 11-19 .367
Boston College 4-12 .250 9-21 .300
Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Game Review and tagged , , , , ,
03 Mar 2012

ACC Basketball: Final Weekend of Regular Season Games

Unfortunately, the ACC basketball season–at least the regular season–is about to come to an end.  This weekend will be the second-to-last games for several teams.  However, there is still much to be decided.

The current standings:

ACC
Team Conf. W-L Tot. W-L
Duke 13-2 26-4
North Carolina 13-2 26-4
Florida St. 11-4 20-9
Virginia 8-7 21-8
N.C. State 8-7 19-11
Miami (Fla.) 8-7 17-11
Clemson 8-7 16-13
Maryland 6-9 16-13
Virginia Tech 4-11 15-15
Wake Forest 4-11 13-16
Boston College 4-11 9-20
Georgia Tech 3-12 10-19

The games themselves will sort out a lot today.

The key game, of course, is the matchup between #4 Duke and #6 North Carolina.  It always is.  The intensity is even greater when the two teams enter the game with identical records at 26-4 overall and 13-2 in conference.  And today’s game just happens to be for the regular season title and the #1 seed in the ACC tournament.  So there’s that.

While #22 Florida State has third place all locked up, there is a 4-way tie for 4th place between Virginia, North Carolina State, Miami, and Clemson.  Miami has the easiest path, playing 9-20 Boston College.  Clemson has the toughest opponent, traveling to #22 Florida State on Sunday.  On Sunday, #24 Virginia will travel to Maryland for its finale, while North Carolina State travels to Virginia Tech.  The only other game features Wake Forest and Georgia Tech.

Meanwhile, #2 Syracuse will conclude its regular season on Saturday by hosting #17 Louisville.  Pittsburgh will travel to Connecticut in a battle between two disappointing teams.

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Weekend Preview and tagged , , , , , , ,
02 Mar 2012

Bracketology Update: ACC Style

There are now several individuals that offer predictions as to who is going to be part of the 68-team field for the Big Dance.  Here is where the major ones currently stand with respect to ACC teams:

As of February 29, 2012, ESPN “bracketologist” Joe Lunardi has Syracuse and five current ACC teams making the field.  In addition to the obvious Duke and North Carolina, Lunardi has Florida State, Virginia, and Miami.  The respective seeds are Syracuse (#1), Duke (#1), North Carolina (#2), Florida State (#4), Virginia (#8), and Miami (#12).  Hard to disagree with that. Florida State’s narrow victory over Virginia last night, 63-60, is not likely to change his analysis.

ESPN’s Eamonn Brennan has the same basic structure for teams either in the field or close to it.  Surprisingly, he has completely eliminated North Carolina State from consideration.  With a 19-11 record, this seems a bit hasty.  Especially after North Carolina State just beat Miami.

CBS’s Jerry Palm is not quite as positive.  Palm does not have Miami in his field currently.  So that leaves only Syracuse (#1), Duke (#1), North Carolina (#2), Florida State (#6), and Virginia (#9).  Palm is definitely “cool” on ACC teams as everyone beyond a #2 seed is at least one round lower than Lunardi.

Mike Huguenin of Rivals/Yahoo has a blend of Lunardi and Palm.  He has the teams just like Palm does in terms of seeding.  But unlike Palm, and like Lunardi, he also has Miami in the field as a #12 seed.

Finally, the interesting site the Bracket Project pulls from 50+ bracket projections.  After combining the various brackets, this is the national consensus:

  • Syracuse is a #1 seed and second overall
  • Duke is a #1 seed and third overall
  • North Carolina is a #2 seed and sixth overall
  • Florida State is a #5 seed
  • Virginia is a #8 seed
  • Miami is a #12 seed
  • North Carolina State is 7 spots out of the final at-large position.

So there it is.  Barring a run by North Carolina State, only Miami really seems on the fence for the Big Dance right now.  Hard to believe that brackets will be announced in just 9 days.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, March Madness, Predictions and tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,
28 Feb 2012

The Confidential’s Basketball Top 30 for February 28, 2012

With over 300 teams in college basketball, the top 25 is just not enough anymore.  Here is the Confidential’s Top 30 for February 28, 2012:

  1. Syracuse (29-1).  Another road win for Syracuse as it continues its best season ever, this time over Connecticut.   One regular season game left.  Next up: Louisville.
  2. Kentucky (28-1).  What more can be said about Anthony Davis?  This team is rolling.  Next up: Georgia.
  3. Michigan State (24-5).  Two more wins, albeit over less than daunting competition.  It gets tougher.  Next up: @ Indiana.
  4. Duke (25-4).  Big win over Florida State, followed up by narrow win at home over Va Tech.  Next up: @ Wake Forest.
  5. Kansas (25-5).  Big win over Missouri.  Avoided the let down against Oklahoma State too.  Next up: Texas.
  6. North Carolina (25-4).  Two big wins over North Carolina State and Virginia.  Matchup with Duke looms.  Next up: Maryland.
  7. Missouri (25-4).  Tough week, with losses to both Kansas State and Kansas.  Is the lack of depth catching up to the Tigers?  Next up: Iowa State.
  8. Marquette (24-5).  Suspended four players for the first half and still beat a good West Virginia team.  Marquette is dangerous.  Next up: @ Cincinnati.
  9. Baylor (25-5).  Struggled with the upper echelon of the Big XII, but beating up on the middle of the pack.  Next up: @ Iowa State.
  10. Ohio State (23-6).  Home loss to Wisconsin hurts a little, but this is still a very good team.  Will be a challenge in March.  Next up: @ Northwestern.
  11. Georgetown (22-6).  The Hoyas have now won two in a row, after losing to Seton Hall.  The Notre Dame win was particularly impressive.  Next up: @ Marquette.
  12. Michigan (21-8).  Despite losing to Purdue, it is difficult to move anyone ahead of the Wolverines.  Next up: @ Illinois.
  13. Wisconsin (21-8).  The Badgers are alternating wins and losses.  This past week, a loss to Iowa followed by a win over Ohio State.  Next up: Minnesota.
  14. Murray State (28-1).  The one minor conference team that has punched its ticket to the Big Dance.  They need to keep winning though.  Next up: Conference Tourney.
  15. Wichita State (26-4).  The Shockers will be the #1 seed in the always tough MWC tournament.  A very nice season, indeed.  Next up: Conference Tourney.
  16. Indiana (22-7).  That’s give Big 10 teams in the top 16.  The wins were not impressive, but certainly better than losses.  Next up: Michigan State.
  17. Louisville (22-7).  Loss to Cincinnati hurts a bit, but the Cardinals rebounded against disappointing Pittsburgh.  They cannot overlook South Florida. Next up: South Florida.
  18. Florida (22-7).  If Florida was in a deeper conference, this might be a 10-loss team.  The loss to Georgia is inexplicable.  Next up: @ Vanderbilt.
  19. Virginia (21-7).  There are worse crimes than losing to North Carolina.  Even at home.  Next up: Florida State.
  20. Florida State (19-9).  The Seminoles have hit a rough patch.  A great chance to right the ship against Virginia.  Next up: @ Virginia.
  21. UNLV (24-6).  UNLV is starting to get some momentum back.  Two decent wins, with a tough road game coming up.  Next up: @ Colorado State.
  22. San Diego State (22-6).  San Diego State got two good wins last week.  This team will make some noise in March.  Next up: @ Boise State.
  23. Notre Dame (20-10).  After winning 8 in a row, Notre Dame has now lost two in a row.  They are in the Big Dance with all the good wins though.  Next up: Providence.
  24. Vanderbilt (20-9).  There is no shame in losing to Kentucky.  This is an improved Vanderbilt team.  Next up: Florida.
  25. Temple (22-6).  Lost to St. Josephs was bad, but not awful.  Temple still has plenty of good wins.  Next up: Massachusetts.
  26. Iowa State (21-8).  Jumps into the top 30 with two more wins.  Hard to ignore an 11-5 conference record in the Big XII.  Next up: @ Missouri.
  27. South Florida (18-11).  This team has a lot of losses, but most were early in the season when not at full strength.  11-5 in the Big East is good.  Next up: @ Louisville.
  28. St. Mary’s (25-5).  With a 14-2 conference record, St. Mary’s is the #1 seed in the conference.  Is it enough for an at-large?  Next up: Conference Tourney.
  29. Virginia Commonwealth (25-6).  Two more wins for the Rams.  And it is on to the conference tourney.  Next up: Conference Tourney.
  30. Creighton (25-5).  Two more wins for Creighton.  On to the conference tourney.  Next up: Conference Tourney.

Tell us what you think.  Is anyone unfairly missing?  Anyone too high or too low?

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Rankings and tagged , , , , , ,
27 Feb 2012

ACC Basketball Rankings: February 27, 2012

This is particularly complex with Pitt and Syracuse not yet in the ACC, but it can still be done.  Here is how we view the ACC basketball schools as of February 27, 2012:

1.  Syracuse (29-1)  Syracuse went on a 26-0 run to defeat South Florida.  Syracuse gave up a 17-point lead against UConn, but still won.  This team just wins right now.

2. Duke (25-4) Duke and North Carolina have identical 25-4 records, including the same 12-2 conference record.  But Duke beat North Carolina.

3. North Carolina (25-4)  North Carolina does get a chance at revenge this Saturday against Duke.  It should be winner take all for the ACC crown.

4. Florida State (19-9)  Have looked vulnerable lately.  A loss to Boston College and now a loss to Miami by 16.

5. Virginia (21-7)  At 8-6 in conference, Virginia is still a few wins behind Florida State.  Still lacks a high-quality win.

6. Miami (17-10)  Miami lost to Maryland earlier in the week, but rebounded nicely to take care of Florida State handily.  Needs a few more wins for March Madness to call.

7. North Carolina State (18-11).  The loss to North Carolina is excusable.  At this time of year, no excuse for losing to Clemson.

8. Clemson (13-13)  Clemson is now 7-7 in conference play.  They followed up the win over Virginia by beating Georgia Tech and North Carolina State.

9. Maryland (16-12)  After beating Miami, Maryland was primed to move up a few spots.  But then they lost to Georgia Tech.

10.  Virginia Tech (15-14)  This team has had more closes losses.  This past week was a 2-point loss to Virginia and an OT loss to Duke.

11. Pittsburgh (15-14)  Pittsburgh’s small momentum is over.  Hard to believe this team was once 13-2.

12. Wake Forest (13-15) They did beat Boston College by nearly 30.  Not a bad way to end the week.

13. Georgia Tech (10-18).  The losing streak is over.  And Georgia Tech beat a good Maryland team to accomplish that task.

14. Boston College (8-20)  Boston College had been showing some signs of life.  Losing by 29 to a sub .500 Wake Forest team is not such a sign.

Agree?  Disagree?  Let us know!

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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