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ACC: Previewing Saturday’s Big Games

By Beaumont Rand

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Syracuse (18-12, 9-8 ACC) @ NC State (18-12, 9-8 ACC)

This game gained significantly more intrigue with news of the sanctions laid down upon the Syracuse program Friday evening. With literally nothing else but pride to play for this season, it will be interesting to see if this Orange team can rally one last time around Rakeem Christmas to emphatically end what has been quite the dismal season. This could really be a high point for the Orange, as the future (loss of 12 scholarships over four years) appears tenuous at best.

On the complete other side of the spectrum, NC State looks to cap what certainly was a topsy-turvy conference regular seasons. Their big wins (Duke, Louisville, UNC) are offset by some real duds (BC, Wake, Clemson). Syracuse will be a hard team to gauge coming into Saturday’s game, and Mark Gottfried’s team will need one last push at home to feel safely in riding into the conference tournament. A loss would put pressure on the Pack to win in Greensboro.

Prediction: NC State 67, Syracuse 62 – Too much clouding the Orange right now to get a good feel of them; I’ll go with the team with more to play for.

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Miami (19-11, 9-8 ACC) @ Virginia Tech (10-20, 2-15 ACC)

Coming off a 67-63 win at Pittsburgh that served as a de facto at-large elimination game for the Panthers, the Hurricanes now need to impress in the ACC tourney to sneak their way into the at-large picture. That starts with a win over last-place Virginia Tech on the last day of the season. The Hurricanes have been middling for most of the season, but have a win over Duke to boast. Though this won’t particularly add to their resume, a loss could be critical for the Canes’ at-large prospects.

Blacksburg has note been a kind place lately for top ACC opponents (see Duke, February 25th). While Miami isn’t among the conference’s elite, the Hurricanes have a shot to move out of the first four out (as per our Busting Bracketology) and into a more comfortable position. A win certainly does not put the Canes out of the woods, but it would give them some breathing room for the ACC tournament. In that scenario, a quarterfinal finish should likely be enough to get them in.

Prediction – Miami 70, Virginia Tech 59 – Hokies will keep it close for a half, but Miami’s (in particular Sheldon McClellan’s) ability to take it to the him will be too much.

Virginia (28-1, 16-1 ACC) @ Louisville (23-7, 11-6 ACC)

Take a good, long look at 28-1. Aside from the goose egg Kentucky currently sports, Virginia has strung together one of the more successful major conference regular seasons in recent memory. The Hoos have battled injuries, a little inconsistency on offense, and the nation’s best power conference to achieve this record. Their excellence truly has gone overlooked in the midst of Kentucky’s historic run.

Even if Virginia loses at Louisville this weekend, they will likely lock up a number one seed in the Big Dance. On the other hand, the Cardinals are a team that has seen their seed drop, stabilize, then threaten to plummet again. Sure, a loss to Notre Dame isn’t a tourney stock death sentence, but Louisville needs to end the season on a high note. This team post-Chris Jones needs to prove that it can make some noise, or they may face the possibility of a first weekend exit.

Prediction – Louisville 64, Virginia 61- There will be no Justin Anderson, and this is just icing on the cake for Virginia, and Rick Pitino teams are lethal late in the season when the stakes are high.

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Duke (27-3, 14-3 ACC) @ North Carolina (21-9, 11-6 ACC)

College basketball fans want this one to be remotely as good as the overtime thriller in Cameron. UNC is a team that- if the frontcourt and backcourt can string together a solid game- can compete with anyone in the nation. Their size and rebounding ability is on par with any squad not named Kentucky. Marcus Paige and Nate Britt will have their hands full with Quinn Cook and Tyus Jones, but if Kennedy Meeks and Brice Johnson can curtail Jahlil Okafor’s output, we could be in for another Tobacco Road classic.

Duke has a clear path to a one seed- advancing to the finals in Greensboro would likely secure it. But Carolina, rather, has much to gain in this final game as well as in the conference tournament. The Heels could snag a double bye in the ACC tournament with a win and a Louisville loss. The stakes will be high for the Tar Heels, and they will look to even the season series against Duke and aim for a three or four seed on Selection Sunday. Still, Duke is the second-most talented team in the country, and if POY candidate Okafor dominates, they will be extremely tough to beat.

Prediction – North Carolina 84, Duke 80 (overtime) – Why not? Carolina will be up for this team and unlike Roy Williams’ teams of the past three years, they have the pieces to put together a true run. It might start in Chapel Hill Saturday.

Next: Syracuse: Boeheim Lucky To Only Be Suspended