Boston College

Heading into this Saturday it seemed like the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were well on their way to a seventh victory and a berth in either the Gator or Sun Bowl. All they had to do was beat Syracuse, playing for a recently dismissed head coach in Greg Robinson and dead last in the Big East. But while the Orange haven't played particularly well this season, you can't accuse this team of quitting. What ensued was one of the more stunning results of the day, with Syracuse stunning the Irish 24-23 on a late touchdown pass. Where do the Irish go from here?

The talented senior; it’s become an endangered species in college basketball with the top underclassmen leaving each year for NBA riches. This year’s group however is loaded with future NBA players in the frontcourt and the backcourt. These players will be expected to lead their teams deep into March and will be ready to make an immediate impact on the pro level next fall.

ACC Player Grades

UNDERRATED PLAYERS

In a powerhouse conference like the ACC, high-quality talent is everywhere to be found. Unfortunately, many do not look past the Tyler Hansbroughs, the Tyrese Rices, or the Jack McClintons when acknowledging such talent. We take a look at five players who, to this point, have been largely uncelebrated in the conference but will be difference-makers for their teams in the 2008-2009 season.

This is the first of my annual six statistical projections of BCS conference starters. The lineups are based on the Starting Fives series of articles released two weeks ago, along with a couple of changes due to recent developments.

Ah, the old floor general; the point guard. He is the player responsible for standing at the helm of his team and guiding them as an offensive catalyst, while also serving as the first line of defense on the other end of the floor. Is it any wonder then that seven of the last nine national champions have seen their point guard drafted in June? Probably not.

ATLANTA, GA – For a second-straight year North Carolina was a unanimous choice to finish first atop the Atlantic Coast Conference basketball race in voting by 40 media members at the league’s annual Basketball Media Day.

Duke was picked for second, while Wake Forest was voted third. Miami was fourth, followed by Clemson (fifth) and Virginia Tech (sixth).

ACC FIVE-YEAR STANDINGS

This ranking tries to answer a simple question: Who has been the best team in the ACC over the last five years?