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ACC Tournament 2010: A Brief Primer

2010_acc_bracket_medium

See that up there? That's the ACC bracket. And there are some things you need to know about it. I'm not going to school you on the ins and outs of each team - you probably already know them. But there were a few things I did find interesting after a quick hour surfing the internet.

Georgia Tech is giving up. Rumors are flying that Paul Hewitt is done at GT. Fans are displeased with him. They lost at home to Virginia Tech in what was very nearly a must-win game. North Carolina doesn't have much more going for them, but at least Roy Williams isn't about to be fired. If they can get past UNC, which is a big if at this point, Maryland will be a big game, but do they really care?

Star-divide

UNC has a better attitude...at least publicly. Of course there's been a lot of turmoil in that locker room, but fans aren't as down on the team and Roy Williams is at least saying the right things. Here's hoping it can lead to an upset (for one round).

Don't sleep on Clemson. They have an awful history, but I like them.They're the third best team in the ACC by KenPom, and have quietly won seven of their last nine games, with Maryland and a road game at Wake Forest being the only losses. Clemson/FSU should be a great game, but Clemson has already beaten them twice. They're clicking right now, are healthy, and few teams have an answer to Trevor Booker. They're my sleeper team, should they beat Maryland, which is fully possible - the two teams split the season series.

Vegas odds favor Duke. Unsurprisingly, odds are 4/5 for Duke. Maryland is at 5/2 right now. 

Duke got a walkthrough. Sometimes, the seeding breaks just don't go your way. Their opponents should be worse than Maryland's simply due to seeding, but by how much? Maryland's potential first matchup - Georgia Tech - has essentially the same KenPom rank as the best team on Duke's side of the bracket (29 against VT's 28). The bottom half of the bracket also houses #17 and #18 in KenPom, while the #3 team on Duke's side is Wake Forest, #41 in KenPom. Had Clemson beaten Wake Forest, FSU (#18) would've swapped with Wake Forest (#41), evening things out substantially. Of course, every team Duke lost to in the ACC is on the other side of the bracket, too. Thems the breaks.

LRMC says Duke over Maryland. One of the more unique, accurate rating systems, Joel Sokol's predictions are relatively unsurprising - each higher-seeded team wins, except for my darkhorse Clemson squad, which actually beats FSU in the second round. Maryland then prevails and meets Duke in the finals, only to fall. Sad. Of course, stats aren't supposed to predict upsets.

History isn't on Maryland's side. The last time Maryland went into the ACC tournament with a 7 game winning streak? Lost in the first round to Miami. The last time Maryland was #2 in the tournament and Duke was #1? 2000, when the Dukies won in the championship game. Maryland, however, did meet up with them in the finals, losing by 13.

PoY: Go big or go home. It's been split right down the middle the past decade: half of the ACC Player of the Year's teams won the ACCT. The other half didn't make it to the finals. I suppose that's rather fitting given Greivis Vasquez's on-and-off personality.

Happy memories. Maryland's last ACC tournament championship came in the Greensboro Coliseum. It'll be played there again for the first time since 2006, so it's a good chance to relive some memories of John Gilchrist. Y'know, before he went crazy and all that.

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I think FSU wants a piece of MD

Let me tell you, if Tomahawk Nation is anything like the majority of the fan base, they hate us more then dUKE.

Don't give up, don't ever give up. - Jim Valvano
Fear The Turtle!!

by BaltimoreSportsFan on Mar 9, 2010 5:55 PM EST reply actions  

I predict Boston College upset of Duke. Anybody like those odds?

by kryptonianjorel on Mar 9, 2010 6:03 PM EST reply actions  

Terps if ...

If the Terps win Friday, I think they win it all. I too like a Duke upset …

by King of France on Mar 9, 2010 7:08 PM EST reply actions  

Pulling for Landon

Even with the attention that Greivis has received (deservedly so), the Terps are a team. Everyone has contributed to making this a team but none more so than our seniors. Among the three, I hold Landon in particularly high regard. Unlike Eric and Greivis, Landon has played out of position on the frontline, usually matching him against a taller opponent with more bulk. As our most athletic starter, he often hasn’t been able to take advantage of that athleticism to showcase his skills. He’s had to battle underneath for boards and find ways to score inside. He has done well. While Jordan was developing and Dino was sitting it out, Landon was our frontline scoring. However, as we come to tourney time, Landon is struggling. This has to be tough on him. Their senior year is a difficult one for any player to have to play out of position. Its the last one to build that resume for the pros. James Gist knew he would be a 3 in the pros but played a 4-5 for us. Seeing him go to the perimeter his senior year to use that nice jumper he developed was understandable even if it wasn’t what Gary wanted? But Landon, he continues to work inside even now as he struggles with his scoring. Greivis and Eric are finishing well and I want Landon to finish strong too. Not only will it really help this team but it will give him a chance to get some national attention too. His offensive game isn’t that far off…maybe he is shooting too much of a fade away rather than going straight up on his jumper. Whatever it is, it looks correctable. If he gets it going, he could be the catalyst for that deep run. I would love to see him do it.

by wmterp on Mar 9, 2010 8:41 PM EST reply actions  

Good thoughts...

I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments. Also, interesting comparison between LM and Gist. I still feel (though I know I may be in the minority) that Gist was not much of a team player and — for all his talent — hurt the team with his poor/quiet play at least as often as he helped us with hot shooting and electrifying dunks. Landon has needed to subjugate his own skills and flashiness for the good of the team, and ultimately the team’s play has made it worthwhile. But it sure would be nice to see him break out of the offensive funk, even if just for his sake…

by jellisjenius on Mar 9, 2010 10:53 PM EST up reply actions  

I don't know enough about James' attitude to even offer an opinion on him as a team player

As I am sure you know, he just had a few basic skills when he came to UMD. I think he was basically a rebounder at Good Counsel. So, he was a project. GW did a great job bringing him along but he was still learning the game when he left here. He may have been a couple of years into his pro career before he fully appreciated what Gary taught him.

by wmterp on Mar 9, 2010 11:39 PM EST up reply actions  

Slight irk....

2 should be the bottom line on the bracket

1
4

3
2

Don’t know why it bothers me as much as it does, but it does. Yuck.

"The moment you stop thinking you're the best, it's time for you to get out the game." -'King' Mo Lawal

by duck on Mar 10, 2010 8:11 AM EST reply actions  

so what is the easier game for the terps. georgia tech or north carolina?

i would go with the team that has a coach on the hot seat.

I'm all about covering the spread and moneylines. I was building a house, I don't deserve this, deserves have nothing to do with it. Bang. "Unforgiven" I drink your milkshake. I drink it up! "There Will BE Blood"

by wolfmanshowlforever on Mar 10, 2010 8:35 AM EST up reply actions  

Its hard to beat team three times in a season

So hopefully tech succumbs to the toothless tar heels because I really dont want to see tech again and there unstoppable second half play that almost beat us:

Tech guard shoots a hopeful shot——> if it goes in…..sweet!——→ More likely a miss——→Favors/Lawall grabs rebound and scores on put back -—> repeat until victory.

by ccrun1800 on Mar 10, 2010 11:06 AM EST reply actions  

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