This Week in ACC Hoops

Can you believe that the regular season is over? I for one can’t believe that I’m writing my final “This Week in the ACC” of the season. I have had a great time covering the conference and can’t wait for this weekend’s ACC Tournament.

Biggest Win of the Week: Georgia Tech over North Carolina 84-77

The Yellow Jackets moved just a little closer to an NCAA Tournament berth, after a win on their home court Thursday night in a game that was one of the most entertaining ACC games of the year. Both teams played magnificently on the offensive end, particularly in the 1^st half when neither team was putting forth much effort on the defensive end. Play tightened up in the 2^nd half a little, but overall it was a fantastic display by some of the best offensive players that the ACC has to offer.

After the victory over #8 UNC, followed by a win against BC Sunday, GT’s resume now includes those two wins, plus wins over Purdue, Memphis, Duke, and Florida State (twice). That should be enough to get them in the Big Dance, especially if they win a game or two in the ACC Tournament.

Worst Loss of the Week: Virginia going down at Wake Forest 78-72

To say that Virginia didn’t have their “A” game on Saturday might be an understatement. In fact, I’m not even sure they had their “D” game. The Cavaliers shot a woeful 35% from the field, and 25% from behind the arc. J.R. Reynolds was one of the biggest perpetrators of Virginia’s poor shooting, as he was only 3-of-14 from the field.

The loss will really sting anyone associated with the Virginia basketball program, as the Cavaliers blew a golden opportunity to win an outright conference title. Now, Virginia must share the title with UNC, and also because of the tiebreaker rules, the Cavaliers will now be the #2 seed in the ACC Tournament instead of the #1 seed.

Having to share a championship with another team is like a game ending in a tie…it just doesn’t feel right. On the bright side, the Cavaliers will be making their 1^st NCAA Tournament appearance since 2001.

ACC Power Rankings

1. North Carolina

2. Virginia

3. Virginia Tech

4. Maryland

5. Boston College

6. Duke

7. Georgia Tech

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8. Florida State

9. Clemson

10. NC State

11. Miami

12. Wake Forest

ACC Player of the Year

Jared Dudley - Boston College

All ACC 1^st Team

G- Zabian Dowdell- VT

G- Sean Singletary- Virginia

F- Jared Dudley- BC

F- Al Thornton- FSU

F- Tyler Hansbrough- UNC

All ACC 2^nd Team

G- J.R. Reynolds- Virginia

G- Javaris Crittenton- GT

F- D.J. Strawberry- Maryland

F- Josh McRoberts- Duke

F- Brandon Costner- NC State

All ACC 3^rd Team

G-Tyrese Rice- BC

G-Jamar Gordon- VT

F-Kyle Visser- WF

F-James Mays- Clemson

F-Brandan Wright- UNC

ACC Freshman of the Year

Javaris Crittenton-GT

All ACC Freshman Team

G- Javaris Crittenton- GT

G- Ty Lawson- UNC

F-Jon Scheyer- Duke

F- Brandon Wright- UNC

F- Thaddeus Young- GT

ACC Coach of the Year

Al Skinner - BC

Game of the Week: The entire ACC Tournament

With the exception of GT and FSU, all the teams entering the tournament have a pretty good idea about what post season tournament they’ll be attending after they leave Tampa Bay. However that doesn’t mean that they aren’t a lot of intriguing storylines besides seeing which team will be crowned the 2007 ACC Tournament Champion.

For starters, an intriguing aspect of the tournament will be how each team’s performance will affect their NCAA Tournament seeding. If any of the top 6 teams in the ACC win the post-season title it could vault their NCAA seeding by as many as 2-3 spots.

Of course, don’t forget if a team like FSU or Clemson makes a miracle run to the championship game it could vault them into the “Dance”. Remember how NC State did just that back in the 2003 ACC Tournament? With a 16-11 record heading into the conference tournament, the Wolfpack looked NIT-bound….until they made a run to the finals.

Finally, does it get more exciting than when a team that’s in the bottom third of the conference makes it to the championship game needing one win to automatically qualify for the NCAA Tournament(see NC State circa 1997) ? Could Miami, NC State, or WF pull off a miracle run this year? Stay tuned…..