Now the fun begins.
#8 Wake Forest vs #9 Florida State
There is really not much on the line here other than trying to win this game for the right to play UNC which cannot be considered much of a prize. Both of these teams will go to the NIT but the hope of playing spoiler versus the #1 team in the nation might be motivation in this one. FSU comes in as the hotter team having won four of their last five including a win over Miami last weekend. Wake Forest looked like world beaters in winning over Duke but after that receded a bit. Wake also has not played well away from home and FSU is a little more experienced which I think gives them the edge here. However Wake is 2-0 playing on ACCT Thursday, both those wins as the #12 seed so they should not be take lightly.
FSU 76 Wake 70
#5 Miami vs #12 NC State
Despite the fact that NCSU beat Miami earlier this season and despite the fact Sidney Lowe will probably break out the red jacket I do not think there is any magic left to click off another ACC run. Last season NCSU showed signs of life and had an experienced PG. None of that is true this season with the exception of 38 minutes against Duke two weeks ago. Miami has recovered from a 2-6 start in the ACC to get to 8-8 and must win on Thursday to have a shot at the NCAA Tournament which I think they can lock up by beating Virginia Tech on Friday should they get there. Miami should handle NCSU since they will be operating on motivation and talent. Mercifully for NCSU and their fans, the season ends.
Miami 85 NCSU 68
#7 Georgia Tech vs #10 Virginia
The bottom line here is Virginia is a better team now that earlier in the year and seem to be coming together as a unit. Georgia Tech on the other hand has been somewhat inconsistent all season so you never know which version you will get. In this matchup I would be very surprised not to see Sean Singletary play a huge game and push the Cavs into a rematch with Duke. This incredibly frustrating season for Georgia Tech will end on Thursday night.
UVa 88 GT 86
#6 Maryland vs #11 Boston College
This game will be ugly and Maryland is in a must win while Tyrese Rice would love to play spoiler to the Terps’ NCAA hopes. However, I have almost no expectation that we will see anything close to resembling beautiful basketball from these two. It will be physical and most likely turnover prone on both sides. Not one to write home about.
MD 67 BC 59
Honestly, after watching these teams play this year, these games look pretty boring. I think I’ll watch the Big East games instead.
I agree. While it is not basketball, the Big East Wrestling Invitational is usually good entertainment…
So the dilemma is which game to watch tonight at 9:30 since MD-BC will put on Big East basketball at it’s finest.
I give the edge to any game featuring the Terps because there is always the added chance that Gary Williams head will literally explode, and you don’t want to miss that!!
Actually there is a chance that BOTH Al Skinner and Gary Williams respective heads could explode.
Hey, if Gary’s head explodes you can watch it later on You Tube and not have the time investment involved in watching the whole daggum game.
Now, it would be worth watching on TV if BOTH respective heads actually exploded.
THF, you got the 1st two games right. Since my brother is one of those guys who chants WAHOOWA, WAHOOWA, UNI-V, VIR-GIN-I-A, HOO-RAH-RAY, HOO-RAH-RAY, RAY! RAY! U-V-A! from time to time, I hope you get the 3rd one right as well.
Gary Williams head looking a little flammable right now.
for some reason Al Skinner reminds me of Mr. Nightlinger (Roscoe Lee Brown) in “The Cowboys”.
who won the Pitt/L’ville game? Pitt was looking strong.
Pitt won.
this is going to be very physical underneath the rest of the way.
Well, I guess things didn’t end too badly tonight. One of my pet peeves about the new tournament format is that the league has not made the first day’s play a play in round. Thus, in many years, due to upsets, the first seed ends up playing higher seeded teams in their first game than the other teams who got byes. It seems to make the tournament less to result in better games as it goes along and fails to reward hard work during the regular season enough.
Fortunately, things went more or less according to schedule today, with the possible exception of BC upsetting Maryland. Hopefully, they will not beat Clemson, which might give Duke an easy path to the finals.
Between Wake and FSU, it is a tought choice as to whom I would rather play, but at least FSU is not an in-state rival always gunning to get us.