Georgia Tech

The first two weeks of the college basketball season are incredibly important for any team regardless of the size of the program or the team's preseason expectations. For teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference, almost every opponent faced thus far is one that is expected to be defeated. While there is not a lot that can be derived from a handful of performances, here are some early impressions of the ACC that are expected to remain true for the entire season. 

 

Gani Lawal has arrived for Georgia Tech

Four games are on the schedule before Saturday, with the big one being an ACC Coastal showdown between #23 Miami (7-3, 4-2) and Georgia Tech (7-3, 4-3). The Hurricanes, currently in the driver's seat in the division, need a win to keep that status since North Carolina lurks just one game behind in the standings. And with the Heels due to take on NC State and Duke to end the season, a loss here could essentially hand the division to a Carolina team that has already defeated Miami and Georgia Tech.

ATLANTA - Glen Rice, Jr., son of former Michigan and NBA star Glen Rice, has signed a latter-of-intent to enroll at Georgia Tech and play basketball, head coach Paul Hewitt announced Thursday.

 

Rice, a 6-4 guard from Walton High School in Marietta, Ga., is ranked No. 48 in the nation among 2009 high school seniors according to Rivalshoops.com, and No. 10 among shooting guards.

 

 

Conference Rank: 2nd

The Story: Georgia Tech guard Lewis Clinch will miss at least the first seven games of the season because of poor grades.  Coach Paul Hewitt announced that Clinch will return to the team after the fall semester, which ends December 12, if he can regain his eligibility. Clinch averaged 23.5 minutes per game last year and started 14 of 32 games for the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech has already lost team captain D'Andre Bell this year to season ending surgery to correct a spinal condition.

 

ACC Player Grades

 

Well, we're back for more this weekend with two huge games from a national standpoint and another game that could be a conference title preview. The three games are: #15 Florida State @ Georgia Tech (3:30 PM on ABC), #8 Florida vs. #6 Georgia in Jacksonville (3:30 PM on CBS) and #1 Texas @ #7 Texas Tech (8 PM on ABC). There are some question marks in each game, from the play of Florida State QB Christian Ponder to how effect the Red Raider defense can be against the powerful Longhorns. Here's a breakdown of each game by Billy Palmer and myself, along with predictions.

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.

 

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).