March Madness - ACC Tournament preview

2008 ncca tournament bracket
2008 ncca tournament schedule
NCAA tournament bracket


The ACC tournament tips off early Thursday afternoon in Charlotte, N.C., with the first of four first-round games. And three of those first-day games carry big-time NCAA significance.

We can assume that North Carolina, Duke and Clemson are locks for the NCAA tournament. After that, there are four ACC teams competing for what is likely only at-large two spots. They are: Miami, Virginia Tech, Maryland and Wake Forest.

Here is Thursday's schedule (check with WagerWeb.com for game odds):
No. 8 Wake Forest vs. No. 9 Florida State, noon.
No. 5 Miami vs. No. 12 NC State, 2:30 p.m.
No. 7 Georgia Tech vs. No. 10 Virginia, 7 p.m.
No. 6 Maryland vs. No. 11 Boston College, 9:30 p.m.

Wake Forest certainly needs a few wins in the ACC tournament to have a shot after finishing 7-9 in the regular season. The Deacons did beat Duke once, and perhaps the tournament committee will consider how well the team fared in the wake of coach Skip Prosser's death this summer. But if Wake loses to FSU, forget it.

Virginia Tech: A one-point loss at Clemson in the regular-season finale halted the Hokies' four-game winning streak. With a first-round tournament bye and a season sweep of Maryland, a Friday win likely puts them in the Big Dance.

Miami coach Frank Haith insists his team is in the NCAA field based on a top-25 RPI and a strong schedule. And UM had a good late-season spurt, winning five of seven, although it did lose its season finale to Florida State. A loss to N.C. State could put the Canes in danger, but one win and they are probably in.

Maryland: The Terps were once 6-3 in the ACC but lost four of their last five games, blowing a 20-point lead at home against Clemson and being routed at Virginia. Coach Gary Williams is telling his 18-13 club it must win the tournament, but the players don't all agree. "I don't think we have to win the ACC Tournament," senior forward Bambale Osby said. "I think we have to win two games: Boston College, Clemson. Getting to that third game, I'm not going to say Duke is going to be there, but they have the highest RPI. I think a couple of games; we'll be in there, with 20 wins."Virginia Tech: A one-point loss at Clemson in the regular-season finale halted the Hokies' four-game winning streak. With a first-round tournament bye and a season sweep of Maryland, a Friday win likely puts them in the Big Dance.Here's Friday's quarterfinal schedule (with Thursday's projected winners):

No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 9 FSU, noon
No. 4 Virginia Tech vs. No. 5 Miami, 2:30
No. 2 Duke vs. No. 7 Georgia Tech, 7 p.m.
No. 3 Clemson vs. No. 6 Maryland, 9:30 p.m.

To say Clemson has struggled in the ACC tournament is an understatement. The Tigers have only won 14 tournament games in 54 years.

Clemson coach Oliver Purnell is ignoring that history. He is heading to Charlotte telling his team they have as good of a chance of winning as anybody.

"This is a place this program hasn't been, nor these players. In some way you could say the pressure's off," Purnell said.

The Tigers have only made the ACC tournament finals once in 1962, losing to Wake Forest. They have made the semifinals only 10 times. With that kind of history and facing a motivated Maryland team, well, here's how I project Saturday's semifinals:

No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 5 Miami, 1:30 p.m.
No. 2 Duke vs. No. 6 Maryland, 4 p.m.

Even Maryland's Williams says North Carolina and Duke are in their own "group."

North Carolina is tied with Duke for the most tournament titles (16). N.C. State (10) is the only other ACC program with double-digit tournament
victories and it has not won the tournament since 1987.

So it will be Part 3 of UNC-Duke in Sunday's final, with the healing Heels winning the rubber match and claiming the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Bet on the ACC tournament at WagerWeb.com and check back for game previews.