After eighth-ranked North Carolina defeated Duke by a score of 76-72 on Saturday evening to clinch the ACC regular season title, the seeding for this week’s conference tournament was officially set. It’s hard to believe that the regular season has already wrapped up, but with conference tournament play beginning swiftly this week, we quickly enter the most exciting time of the year in college basketball. Without further ado, here’s your ACC Tournament Day One Preview.
***All games will be played at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C.
#12 NC State Vs. #13 Wake Forest, Noon ET on ESPN2
Game Notes
- NC State has epitomized mediocrity for a good portion of the season. Their last 10 games were played at a 4-6 record, but included a win against then-ranked number 15 Miami.
- The Wolfpack offense is essentially Cat Barber or bust. The junior guard is scoring 23.2 points per game this season on 43% shooting from the floor. No other player averages more than 12.7 points per game.
- This year can easily be described as a tale of two seasons for Wake Forest. They opened the season on fire, going 9-3 in the non-conference schedule which included wins over #13 Indiana, Arkansas, and LSU. However, since ACC play began, the Deacs have stumbled to a 2-16 mark.
- The Demon Deacons were expecting a formidable scoring punch with seniors Devin Thomas and Cody Miller-McIntyre returning to the fold. However, the plan never fully materialized, as Miller-McIntyre never seemed to fully recover from his off-season foot issues. His 9.2 points per game this season are down from his career-high 14.5 points per game as a junior.
Prediction
While Wake Forest has struggled for the better part of the last two and a half months, the Demon Deacons have the talent to hang with the Wolfpack. These two teams are very evenly matched, as evidenced by both of their respective struggles on both ends of the court this season. The statistics offensively, defensively, and on the glass mirror one another nearly to a T, and the game flow is similar for both teams, as neither has been afraid to get up and down the court in transition this season.
NC State has the best scorer on the floor in Cat Barber, but in games where the rest of the team has struggled to shoot, the Wolfpack prove to be a one-trick pony, making their offense much easier to stop than that of Wake Forest. Devin Thomas has been a force for the Demon Deacons down low, as he is averaging 15.7 points on 55% shooting, while also snagging a team-high 10.1 rebounds per contest.
Wake Forest has displayed a much more balanced offense than NC State, as Danny Manning is not afraid to use his deep bench (almost to a fault) to grind out wins. The Demon Deacons generally play at least 10-11 players in the rotation, with seven of those rotation pieces averaging 7.2 points per game or more.
Depth and balance rule the day here, and ultimately will lead to a Wake Forest win, and a subsequent date with fifth-seeded Duke in the second round on Wednesday.
Wake Forest 77 NC State 74
#11 Florida State Vs. #14 Boston College, 2:00 PM ET on ESPN2
Game Notes
- Boston College finished the season going an unprecedented 0-18 in ACC play. The school is the first institution since World War II to go winless in the conference slate for football and basketball in the same season. Additionally, this becomes the first such occurrence of a winless conference schedule in Atlantic Coast Conference history.
- This season was nothing short of a roller coaster ride for Leonard Hamilton and his Florida State bunch. The Seminoles were very up and down for a good portion of the season, but really lost the handle on things in the month of February, as they endured a stretch where they dropped five straight games.
- A large part of the struggles for Florida State came as a result of the lack of communication on the defensive end of the floor. In four of their last five losses, the ‘Noles allowed at least 80 points or more, with many baskets coming as a direct result of wide open driving lanes and open shooters.
Prediction
I’d love to provide real analysis for this game, but I’m afraid Boston College is not worth the keystrokes.
All respect (and hope for any wins) was lost for the Eagles when they were embarrassed by Wake Forest on February 21st. The Demon Deacons entered the game slotted one spot ahead of Boston College to stay out of the cellar in the ACC, possessing a 1-13 record in conference play at the time. Wake opened the game on a 41-14 run, and ultimately dispatched BC 74-48. Keep in mind the Deacs were 1-13 in the ACC. 1-13!!!!!!!
Florida State could win this game by 30, and shouldn’t be worth watching after the first eight or so minutes.
Florida State 82 Boston College 50
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