NCAA Basketball Boston College

This will be a transition year for most of the ACC. Pretty much everyone took a hit this offseason, with only four teams really looking like locks for the NCAA tournament. There is little doubt that North Carolina will be the favorite ... but remember that this was the case last year ... and UNC was nearly the #5 seed in the ACC tournament. NC State, Duke and Clemson have the best shot at giving the Heels trouble for the title

1-North Carolina: Sometimes subtraction isn't a bad thing. The Heels lose Brandan Wright and Reyshawn Terry, but the rotation should be tighter and everyone more understanding of their roles. If UNC is going to make its title run, they better do it now before Ty Lawson and Tyler Hansbrough bolt.

2-NC State: Brandon Costner is my pick for ACC Player of the Year. With JJ Hickson running alongside him in the paint, Costner is free to show his entire game [similar to how Wright helped Hansbrough last year in Chapel Hill]. This team is ready to break out and get back into the ACC's elite. At issue is finding Engin Atsur's replacement ... since he was so key in the success of the Pack last year.

3-Duke: With Kyle Singler and Taylor King coming in, expect Duke to go back to its gun-slinging ways. Last year's team wasn't normal Duke: they struggled to find their offense and were very inconsistent shooting. The big issue this year is ... well, what happens if they keep missing those threes? Josh McRoberts is gone and there really isn't anyone reliable in the paint to score or rebound.

4-Clemson: Can the Tigers get back that team that was scorching the early part of the season? Well, they have four returning starters and has one of the better frontcourts in the conference. They just need to get their minds right. This team has the talent ... they just need to tighten the bolts and clean the sawdust.

5-Virginia: Dave Leitao better thank God that Sean Singletary came back. The ACC player of the year candidate will be asked to do even more with JR Reynolds and Jason Cain gone.

6-Maryland: Gotta love those Terps! The head-scratchers are gone, with their understudies ready to take their place. The team will rely on James Gist and Greivis Vasquez to become leaders on and off the floor. However, this streaky team must find someone who can hit a shot.

After the Hoyas had rallied to take a 48-46 lead, Dudley and Sapp got tangled up battling for a rebound with about six minutes left.

"I'm undersized and a lot of guys down there might be stronger, so I'm grabbing and I might push," Dudley said. "But I'm getting pushed, too. (Sapp) didn't like it and he said a few words. I didn't walk away."

It was the attitude BC coach Al Skinner thought the Eagles had to have to pull the upset.

"I don't want him to walk away. That's not how you're going to handle yourself," Skinner said. "It's up to the officials to control it."

The ACC contiued its stellar week [ACC clubs NC State, Clemson and Florida State each won their opening round NIT games] as Boston College and Maryland won their NCAA tournament openers.

Boston College beat Texas Tech, 84-75, in their East Regional first round game. The Eagles stars shone bright this afternoon as Tyrese Rice, Sean Marshall and ACC Player of the Year Jared Dudley all caught fire and carried BC into the 2nd round. BC did was BC does. Those three stars combined for 66 points and shot 25-for-48 from the field and were the catalysts for a 14-4 run midway through the 2nd half that took control of this game.

BC heads to on to play tournament darling Georgetown on Saturday.

As for the Terps, they fought off a game Davidson squad, 82-70 in their Midwest Region opener. Maryland had problems dealing with Stephen Curry ... son of former Charlotte Hornet Dell Curry . But Maryland coach Gary Williams made the adjustment to have DJ Strawberry get in his face the rest of the game, making Curry's shots more difficult and forcing other Davidson players to have to beat them. It worked. Curry's shots weren't falling and he ultimately fouled out after scoring 30 points. Rest assured, Curry and Davidson will be heard from again as they will return all five starters.

Maryland advances to play the winner of the Butler-Old Dominion game.

The ACC is now 5-0 in post-season play with Duke and North Carolina set to lace them up tonight. Tomorrow, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech begin their tournaments.

Okay, the ACC tournament is done with UNC's 89-80 win over a very impressive NC State team today. One this we are certain of is that North Carolina will be in the dance. After that, there are teams pretty much in, but who knows how the committee views them or views this conference.

NORTH CAROLINA: IN. [RPI: 3, SOS: 5] They are in by winning the ACC tournament and will be, at worst, a #2 seed and will most likely play in the Winston-Salem pod next weekend. With UCLA losing two in a row [both to unranked teams] and depending on the outcome of the Big Ten tournament [UNC probably needs Ohio State to win that one] the Tar Heels could be looking at a #1 seed.

MARYLAND: IN. [RPI: 16, SOS: 10] The Terps have been very impressive over the 2nd half of the ACC season, and they probably won't get caught up by their loss to Miami on Thursday due to the overall weirdness of the ACC tournament. Right now, they are probably a #5 seed, but hopes to be a #4 that can get to that Winston-Salem pod.

DUKE: IN. [RPI: 15, SOS: 3]. Despite what people may hope, Duke is definitely in. I mean, their computer numbers are outstanding and it isn't like they've been losing to horrid teams. Still, there will be much debate about where Duke should be placed in the NCAA tournament. I feel either the #8 or #9 seed ... which, of course, should peeve off whomever the #1 seed in their bracket is.

BOSTON COLLEGE: IN. [RPI: 33, SOS: 12]. BC has pretty good computer numbers but has really fallen on hard times of late. Is their physical style getting them worn out? This should be around a #7 or #8 seed.

VIRGINIA TECH: IN [RPI: 32, SOS: 22]. Tech's biggest moments have come in their two wins over UNC and a big win at Duke. However, they've lost 3 of 4 and 4 of 6 which should drop them down in the same #7-#8 range that BC is in.

VIRGINIA: IN. [RPI: 54, SOS: 50]. If this team wasn't co-ACC champions, they'd be a marked team on the bubble. They played the weakest ACC schedule, were clipped in their first ACC tournament game and lost a huge game against Wake Forest to end their season. Their record says a #5 seed, but their numbers say a #7-#9 seed.

Conference: Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)
Record: 20-11, 10-6 in conference
RPI: 32
How They Got In: At-Large
Seed/Bracket: #7/East

Mascot: Eagles. No really good reason why they adopted the name. According to the university's web site, an 'old man' suggested the name after the owl and antelope were considered. The eagle is majestic and soars to great heights....or Boston College's Heights.

Big Win: Their only really impressive win was their ACC opener against Maryland, 73-62. They have also beaten Michigan State, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Clemson.

Notable Loss: A 98-93 loss at home to Duquesne. But the Eagles were without Jared Dudley for that one.

Player You Should Know: ACC Player Of The Year Jared Dudley. Not only was he the best player in the ACC, but the most valuable. He was the man for BC, leading the team in scoring, rebounding, three point shooting, FG % [for a regular] and 2nd in assists.

Outlook: It is really hard to put your finger on Boston College. They've brought their physical style from the Big East, which has helped them in the offensive minded ACC. They get a really good Texas Tech team right off the bat with one of the nation's hottest teams, Georgetown, on deck. I don't see the Eagles getting past the weekend.

WHEN: Saturday, 1:30pm

ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA: The Tar Heels [26-6/11-5] looked very good defensively in their win over Florida State yesterday, holding Al Thornton - the ACC's leading scorer - to just 12 points and fouling him out. Also, their freshmen all performed swimmingly in their first ACC tournament outing.

ABOUT BOSTON COLLEGE: The Eagles got a huge lift as sophomore Tyrese Rice exploded for 32 points in BC's overtime win over Miami. Especially since ACC player of the year Jared Dudley was less-than-average.

WHAT THIS GAME MEANS: UNC is trying to nab one of those #1 seeds, while trying not to fall below a probable #2 seed. Also, they are in dire need of some good momentum heading into the NCAAs. BC's win over Miami yesterday should lock them into the dance.

OUTLOOK: When these two met earlier this season, Jared Dudley missed three free throws at the end of the game that pretty much cost them a win. In that game, UNC used a lot of different guys on Dudley to try to give him different looks to deal with. One thing that was successful was attacking him on the defensive end, putting him in some foul trouble. It will also be interesting to see how the masked Tyler Hansbrough holds up against the physical Eagles.

PICK: North Carolina. UNC used it's size to win at BC earlier this year and, judging by their game against FSU, Roy Williams wants to continue to do that. That Tyrese Rice-Ty Lawson matchup should be a darn good one.

Wow. What a day in the Tampa Bay area today. The ACC sent it's beloved tournament down to the Sunshine State for some good ol' fashioned fun. And, boy, was there some fun.

Four games. Four upsets.

• Game one wasn't that big of an upset as the #9 Florida State Seminoles beat the #8 Clemson Tigers, 67-66. Probably the most talked about moment was from this game, as an iffy foul call with 1.5 seconds remaining gave Al Thornton a free throw to win the game for the Noles ... and most likely send Clemson packing for the NIT. Also, where else but college sports could you see the most dominant player in a game being interviewed, smile, and all you see are braces?
• Next, the biggest of all the upsets. Miami, the last place team in the ACC, beat Maryland, 67-62, who entered the game as the hottest team in the nation. The Terps can beat Duke and UNC, but not Miami?
• On to the Duke-NC State game, where the 10th seeded Wolfpack beat the Blue Devils, meaning this will be the first ACC finals in a decade that won't have Duke in it.
• Finally, #11 Wake Forest beats Georgia Tech in double overtime, 114-112. Wake's Harvey Hale scored 1 point in regulation then 21 points in the two overtimes. This game also set ACC tournament records for most points scored by a team and most points scored in a game.

So we had Maryland, Duke, Clemson and Georgia Tech clocking out and going home today. All those teams have been ranked at some point and all were looking at getting into the NCAA tournament. Now, there could be some doubt about all of those teams. Entering the day, Florida State, NC State, Miami and Wake Forest were on the outside looking in. Really, only FSU has a look at it ... but if any of the others get on a nice roll, they could take the ACC title and an automatic bid. You just don't know this year.

Meanwhile, North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Boston College sat in hotel rooms thinking to themselves that the road to an ACC championship just got a lot easier. Or that the first day of action proves that anything can happen.

In my personal ACC awards, I pretty much nailed what would ultimately be what the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association voters named for their awards.

Like me, they named Boston College forward Jared Dudley the Player of the Year. Dudley had a stranglehold of this honor for most of the ACC season. There was some late sentiment for Virginia's Sean Singletary [who had a great season as well] due to the Cavs' run for a share of the ACC title.

Both Dudley and Singletary did end up on the All-ACC team. They are joined by North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough, Florida State's Al Thornton [who did end up 2nd in POY voting] and Virginia Tech's Zabian Dowdell. Again, no surprises at all here. In fact, I nailed that one with my mid-season awards I made in January. The 2nd team was made up of Virginia's J.R. Reynolds, Maryland's D.J. Strawberry, Boston College's Tyrese Rice, Duke's Josh McRoberts and North Carolina's Brandan Wright. The 3rd team is Wake Forest's Kyle Visser, Georgia Tech's Javaris Crittenton, NC State's Brandon Costner, Virginia Tech's Jamon Gordon and Miami's Jack McClinton.

Wright won the rookie of the year award, much to no one's surprise. This is the third straight season a Tar Heel has won this award. In 2005, Marvin Williams won it, while Tyler Hansbrough won it last season. Joining Wright on the All-Freshman team is teammate Ty Lawson, Georgia Tech's Crittenden, NC State's Costner and Duke's Jon Scheyer.

And...ho-hum...Virginia's Dave Leitao ended up as the Coach of the Year. Leitao took a team that many picked in the bottom half of the ACC and made them into co-champions.

There are three games left in the ACC season, and all three have ramifications to how next week's ACC tournament will be seeded. The games are Boston College at Georgia Tech, Clemson at Virginia Tech and Duke at North Carolina.

We know that:

• NC State is the #10 seed
• Wake Forest is the #11 seed
• Miami is the #12 seed
• Clemson and Florida State will be the #8 and #9 seeds and face each other Thursday in the ACC tournament. If Clemson wins today, they'll be the #8 seed. If not, they'll be the #9 seed.
• If Ga Tech beats BC, then Tech is the #6 seed and Duke is the #7 seed. If Tech loses, the seeds switch

After that, it's a bit dicey. Using the ACC tiebreaker procedures, here is what's at stake today:

VIRGINIA

• If UNC, BC and Va Tech all lose....Virginia is the top seed
• If all those three win....Virginia is the #4 seed
• If two of the three win....Virginia is the #3 seed
• If one of the three win...Virginia is the #2 seed

NORTH CAROLINA

• TO BE THE #1 SEED...UNC beats Duke and Virginia Tech loses to Clemson.
• TO BE THE #2 SEED...UNC beats Duke and Virginia Tech beats Clemson.
• TO BE THE #3 SEED...UNC loses to Duke and Boston College loses to Ga Tech.
• TO BE THE #5 SEED...UNC loses to Duke and Boston College beats Ga Tech.

BOSTON COLLEGE

• TO BE THE #1 SEED...BC beats Ga Tech and UNC loses to Duke
• TO BE THE #2 SEED...BC beats Ga Tech and Virginia Tech loses to Clemson
• TO BE THE #3 SEED...BC beats Ga Tech and Virginia Tech beats Clemson
• TO BE THE #4 SEED...BC loses to Ga Tech

VIRGINIA TECH

• TO BE THE #1 SEED...Va Tech beats Clemson and UNC beats Duke OR Va Tech beats Clemson and UNC and Boston College both lose
• TO BE THE #2 SEED...Va Tech beats Clemson, UNC loses to Duke and Boston College beats Ga Tech OR Va Tech loses to Clemson, and both UNC and Boston College loses.
• TO BE THE #3 SEED...Va Tech loses to Clemson and either UNC or Boston College loses
• TO BE THE #4 SEED...Va Tech loses to Clemson, plus UNC and Boston College both win

MARYLAND

• TO BE A #4 SEED....North Carolina must lose to Duke and Boston College must beat Georgia Tech
• TO BE A #5 SEED....Anything else happens.

Excuse me if you wake up tomorrow and someone tells you different - I did not copy any of this from any web site. I actually worked out the tiebreakers with a good ol' pen and paper.

The 22 finalists for the Wooden Award were announced, and the ACC placed four players on the list. Most likely none have a legit shot at winning the award [if I had a vote, it would be for Texas' Kevin Durant]. Here are the ACC nominees:

• Jared Dudley, Boston College. Probably the frontrunner for the ACC player of the year.
• Sean Singletary, Virginia. Could be a darkhorse for the ACC player of the year award and one of the reasons the Cavs have won at least a share of the ACC title.
• Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina: The most known of the candidates and could end up with more votes than any ACC player.
• Al Thornton, Florida State: Has had a fantastic year, but will be lost because of Florida State's struggles.

Ten former ACC players have won 11 of the previous 30 awards: Phil Ford [UNC], Ralph Sampson twice [Virginia], Michael Jordan [UNC], Christian Laettner [Duke], Tim Duncan [Wake Forest], Antawn Jamison [UNC], Elton Brand [Duke], Shane Battier [Duke], Jay Williams [Duke] and JJ Redick [Duke].