ACC

2008-09: McDonald's All-American College Lineups

Jon Teitel — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:19:44 -0700

36 teams will feature at least one McDonald's All-American next year. Some programs like Duke feature a starting five full of high school superstars, while others like Rutgers and FSU are welcoming their first Big Mac Maestros. Here are projected starting lineups for all 36 teams with an All-American.

Incoming 2008 All-Americans In Bold (All-American Year In Parentheses)

Underclassmen Who Have Declared For Draft In Italics

TRANSFERS IN UPPERCASE

DUKE (8)

G: Greg Paulus (2005)

G: Jon Scheyer (2006)

F: Gerald Henderson (2006)

F: Kyle Singler (2007)

F: Lance Thomas (2006)

Bench: Elliot Williams (2008), Taylor King (2007), Nolan Smith (2007)

LOSSES: DeMarcus Nelson (2004)

NORTH CAROLINA (8)

G: Ty Lawson (2006)

G: Wayne Ellington (2006)

G: Marcus Ginyard

F: Tyler Hansbrough (2005)

F: Deon Thompson

Bench: Larry Drew II (2008), Ed Davis (2008), Tyler Zeller (2008), Bobby Frasor (2005), Danny Green (2005)

LOSSES: None

GEORGETOWN (4)

G: Austin Freeman (2007)

G: Chris Wright (2007)

F: DaJuan Summers

F: Vernon Macklin (2006)

F: Greg Monroe (2008)

LOSSES: Roy Hibbert, Jonathan Wallace

UCLA (3)

G: Darren Collison

G: Jrue Holiday (2008)

G: Malcolm Lee (2008)

F: Josh Shipp

F: James Keefe (2006)

LOSSES: Kevin Love (2007), Russell Westbrook

KANSAS (3)

G: Sherron Collins (2006)

G: Mario Chalmers (2005)

G: Conner Teahan

F: Matt Kleinmann

C: Cole Aldrich (2007)

LOSSES: F: Darrell Arthur (2006), Brandon Rush, Russell Robinson, Darnell Jackson

OHIO STATE (3)

G: William Buford (2008)

G: David Lighty

F: Evan Turner

F: Kosta Koufos (2007)

C: BJ Mullens (2008)

LOSSES: Jamar Butler, Othello Hunter

SYRACUSE (2)

G: Jonny Flynn (2007)

G: Eric Devendorf (2005)

G: Scoop Jardine

F: Paul Harris

F: Arinze Onuaku

LOSSES: Donte Greene (2007)

VILLANOVA (2)

G: Scottie Reynolds (2006)

G: Corey Fisher

F: Dante Cunningham

F: Shane Clark

F: Antonio Pena

Bench: Corey Stokes (2007)

LOSSES: None

ARIZONA STATE (2)

G: James Harden (2007)

G: Ty Abbott

G: Derek Glasser

F: Jeff Pendergraph

C: Eric Boateng (2005)

LOSSES: CHRISTIAN POLK

GEORGIA TECH (2)

G: Iman Shumpert (2008)

G: Lewis Clinch

G: Maurice Miller

F: D’Andre Bell

F: Gani Lawal (2007)

LOSSES: Anthony Morrow, Jeremis Smith

FLORIDA (2)

G: Nick Calathes (2007)

G: Jai Lucas (2007)

G: Walter Hodge

F: Dan Werner

F: Chandler Parsons

LOSSES: Marreese Speights

OKLAHOMA (2)

G: Willie Warren (2008)

G: Tony Crocker

G: Austin Johnson

F: Blake Griffin (2007)

F: Taylor Griffin

LOSSES: David Godbold, Longar Longar

OKLAHOMA STATE (2)

G: Byron Eaton (2005)

G: Terrel Harris

G: Obi Muonelo

F: James Anderson (2007)

C: Ibrahima Thomas

LOSSES: Marcus Dove

USC (1)

G: Daniel Hackett

G: Dwight Lewis

F: DeMar DeRozan (2008)

F: Taj Gibson

F: Davon Jefferson

LOSSES: O.J. Mayo (2007)

ARIZONA (1)

G: Nic Wise

G: Brandon Jennings (2008)

F: Fendi Onobun

F: Jamelle Horne

F: Jordan Hill

LOSSES: Jawann McClellan (2004), Jerryd Bayless (2007), Chase Budinger (2006)

LOUISVILLE (1)

G Edgar Sosa

G: Jerry Smith

G Andre McGee

F: Terrence Williams

F: Samardo Samuels (2008)

LOSSES: David Padgett (2003), Earl Clark (2006), Derrick Caracter, Juan Palacios

ALABAMA (1)

G: Brandon Hollinger

G: Senario Hillman

F: JaMychal Green (2008)

F: Alonzo Gee

F: Demetrius Jemison

LOSSES: RICO PICKETT, Richard Hendrix (2005), Ronald Steele, Mykal Riley

KENTUCKY (1)

G: Jodie Meeks

G: Michael Porter

F: Patrick Patterson (2007)

F: Ramon Harris

F: Perry Stevenson

LOSSES: Joe Crawford (2004), Ramel Bradley

N.C. STATE (1)

G: Courtney Fells

G: Farnold Degand

G: Javier Gonzalez

F: Brandon Costner (2005)

F: Ben McCauley

LOSSES: J.J. Hickson (2007), Gavin Grant

NOTRE DAME (1)

G: Kyle McAlarney

G: Tory Jackson

F: Ryan Ayers

F: Luke Harangody

C: Luke Zeller (2005)

LOSSES: Rob Kurz

BAYLOR (1)

G: Curtis Jerrells

G: Henry Dugat

G: LaceDarius Dunn

F: Kevin Rogers

C: Josh Lomers

Bench: Tweety Carter (2006)

LOSSES: Aaron Bruce

LSU (1)

G: Terry Martin

G: Garrett Temple

G: Marcus Thornton

F: Tasmin Mitchell (2005)

C: Chris Johnson

LOSSES: Anthony Randolph

TEXAS (1)

G: D.J. Augustin (2006)

G: A.J. Abrams

G: Justin Mason

F: Damion James

C: Connor Atchley

LOSSES: None

AUBURN (1)

G: Rasheem Barrett

G: Quantez Robertson

G: DeWayne Reed

F: Korvotney Barber (2005)

C: Josh Dollard

LOSSES: Frank Tolbert, Quan Prowell

CINCINNATI (1)

G: Deonta Vaughn

G: Larry Davis

F: Mike Williams (2004)

F: Rashad Bishop

C: Anthony McClain

LOSSES: John Williamson, Jamual Warren, Adam Hyrcaniuk

GONZAGA (1)

G: Matt Bouldin

G: Steven Gray

F: Micah Downs (2005)

F: Josh Heytvelt

F: Austin Daye

LOSSES: Jeremy Pargo, Abdullahi Kuso, David Pendergraft

MEMPHIS (1)

G: Tyreke Evans (2008)

G: Chris Douglas-Roberts

G: Antonio Anderson

F: Shawn Taggart

F: Robert Dozier

LOSSES: Derrick Rose (2007), Joey Dorsey

WASHINGTON (1)

G: Justin Dentmon

G: Venoy Overton

G: Joel Smith

F: Quincy Pondexter

F: Jon Brockman (2005)

LOSSES: Ryan Appleby, Tim Morris

OREGON (1)

G: Tajuan Porter

G: Kamyron Brown

G: LeKendric Longmire

F: Joevan Catron

C: Michael Dunigan (2008)

LOSSES: Malik Hairston (2004), Maarty Leunen, Bryce Taylor

WAKE FOREST (1)

G: Jeff Teague

G: LD Williams

G: Ishmael Smith

F: James Johnson

C: Chas McFarland

Bench: Al-Farouq Aminu (2008)

LOSSES: None

CONNECTICUT (1)

G: AJ Price

G: Jerome Dyson

F: Stanley Robinson

F: Jeff Adrien

C: Hasheem Thabeet

Bench: Kemba Walker (2008)

LOSSES: None

FLORIDA STATE (1)

G: Toney Douglas

G: Brian Hoff

F: Chris Singleton (2008)

F: Uche Echefu

F: Ryan Reid

LOSSES: Isaiah Swann, Ralph Mims, Jason Rich

VIRGINIA (1)

G: Sylven Landesberg (2008)

G: Jeff Jones

G: Calvin Baker

F: Mamadi Diane

F: Mike Scott

LOSSES: Sean Singletary, Adrian Joseph

RUTGERS (1)

G: Corey Chandler

G: Anthony Farmer

G: Mike Coburn

F: JR Inman

F: Jaron Griffin

Bench: Michael Rosario (2008)

LOSSES: None

NEVADA (1)

G: Brandon Fields

G: Armon Johnson

G: Lyndale Burleson

F: Luke Babbitt (2008)

F Malik Cooke

LOSSES: JaVale McGee, Demarshay Johnson, Marcelus Kemp

TENNESSEE (1)

G: Ramar Smith

G: JP Prince

F: Scotty Hopson (2008)

F: Tyler Smith

F: Wayne Chism

LOSSES: Chris Lofton, JaJuan Smith

Daily Dribble: 2009 NCAA Tournament Projection

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:25:35 -0700

We're only one day beyond the 2008 National Championship Game.. but its never too early to start thinking about next year's Tournament. Here's an early projection of the 2009 NCAA Tournament field:

Multi-Bid Leagues (46)
Big East (9) - UCONN - (Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia)
ACC (6) - Duke - (Clemson, Miami, UNC, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest)
Pac-10 (5) - UCLA - (Arizona, Arizona State, Stanford, USC)
Big 12 (5) - Kansas - (Baylor, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M)
SEC (5) - Florida (Kentucky, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Tennessee)
Big Ten (4) - Purdue - (Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin)
Mountain West (2) - BYU - (UNLV)
A-10 (2) - Xavier - (Dayton)
Missouri Valley (2) - Creighton - (Drake)
Conference USA (2) - Memphis - (UAB)
WCC (2) - Gonzaga - (Saint Mary's)
WAC (2) - Nevada - (New Mexico State)

One-Bid Leagues (19)
America East - Vermont
Atlantic Sun - Belmont
Big Sky - Portland State
Big South - Winthrop
Big West - Pacific
CAA - VCU
Horizon - Wright State
Ivy - Cornell
MAAC - Siena
MAC - Kent State
MEAC - Morgan State
Northeast - Robert Morris
Ohio Valley - Murray State
Patriot - American
Southern - Davidson
Southland - Stephen F Austin
SWAC - Alabama State
Summit - IUPUI
Sun Belt - MTSU

Next In Line: Washington State, Washington, San Diego State, San Diego

Note: I'll be doing an updated projection later on in the summer once decisions about the NBA Draft are made. Let me know in the comments section if you agree or disagree with the selections.

Also: Check out last year's projection which had some good, bad, and ugly picks.

And Then There Were 16.. Weekend Review

Jason Brubaker — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 06:56:22 -0700

What a weekend in college basketball. A plethora of close games. A few Cinderellas trying on their dancing shoes. Buzzer-beaters. Fired-up coaches. Chest-thumping players. And at the end of it all, 48 teams have been sent packing, their championship hopes dashed. The final 16 teams includes two 12 seeds, as well as a 10 and 7 seed...who would've thought? Here's a look back at four days of Madness

- How in the world did every major school miss on Stephen Curry? The sharp-shooting Davidson sophomore averaged 35 points per game in leading the Wildcats to wins over Gonzaga and Georgetown on their way to the Sweet Sixteen. Lightly-recruited by bigger schools, Curry has proven time and time again he has no problem match-up up against elite players. He nailed 13 shots from beyond the arc in the first two rounds, using textbook form and a lightning-quick release. The Wildcats will again be giving up size when they face Wisconsin next round, but with Curry on the floor, you can't count them out.

- UCLA and Stanford occupied most of the spotlight in the Pac-10 this year, but don't forget about Washington State. The Cougars had as impressive of a weekend as anyone, pounding upstart Winthrop 71-40, and then shutting down Notre Dame in a 61-41 victory, holding them to an average of 27% shooting from the field. The Cougars calling card all season has been their defense, and they proved why, engulfing Big East POY Luke Harangody and holding him to just 10 points. Their defense will be tested in the next round however, by North Carolina, who has scored over 100 in each of their first two games.

- The RPI aside, most people would agree that the Pac-10 and Big East were the nation's toughest conferences this year, and the remaining teams are proof. Both conferences have three teams still standing, while the ACC and SEC each only have one. However, while the Pac-10 teams (UCLA, Stanford, Washington State) were somewhat expected, the three Big East might be a little surprising. No Georgetown, no Notre Dame and no Connecticut...replaced by West Virginia (5th in the conference) and Villanova (8th in the conference). Madness indeed.

- Out of the six mid-major at large teams, five lost in the first round, including ugly losses by Kent State and South Alabama. However, Xavier is still very much alive, having grinded out tough wins over a hot Georgia team and a scrappy Purdue squad. The Muskies have an incredibly balanced attack, and really get after teams defensively, denying passing lanes and just generally frustrating opponents. Diminutive point guard Drew Lavender, the heart and soul of the team, is a joy to watch as he speeds by defenders, while fellow seniors Stanley Burrell and Josh Duncan are as tough-minded as they come. Guards CJ Anderson and BJ Raymond are versatile players, while forward Derrick Brown has NBA-athleticism. If Jason Love continues to produce down low, Xavier should be able to knock off West Virginia in the next round, setting up a potentially interesting game with UCLA with a Final Four berth on the line.

- Duke haters can rejoice again after another tournament sees the Devils fail to make it past the first weekend. Last year, it was VCU shocking the Devils; this year West Virginia did the deed, exposing Duke's over-dependency on three-point shooting and lack of inside presence. Thought to be the weakest of the 2-seeds in the field, Duke did nothing to disprove that, barely escaping Belmont in the first round before bowing out to the Mountaineers. A severe lack of athleticism outside of Gerald Henderson once again doomed the Devils, who couldn't stay in front of anyone on defense. Another early exit next year, and the over-rated chants will be louder than ever.

- In other over-rated news, how does a team with Arizona's talent keep getting bounced early? The Wildcats boast two probably future lottery picks in Jerryd Bayless and Chase Budinger, along with future NBA player Jordan Hill, yet they won't see the second round of the tournament for the second straight year. It was a trying year to be sure, with the Lute Olson distractions and nagging injuries, but at some point, you'd like to see them start playing up to their potential.

- Indiana concluded their bizarre season by mailing in most of the game against Arkansas in bowing out in the first round. When Kelvin Sampson was replaced as head coach on Feb. 22 following an investigation into NCAA violations, the Hoosiers spiraled downwards, going 3-4 under interim coach Dan Dakich. Star freshman guard Eric Gordon struggled against Arkansas, going 3-15, and many of the Hoosiers appeared uninterested in playing defense. Indiana is too proud of a program to let this bog them down for too long, but there's no doubt this was not the same team that entered February at 17-3.

- Thanks for stopping by Michael Beasley and OJ Mayo. The two superstar freshmen, both likely headed to the NBA, saw their seasons over the weekend. Beasley showed why he's up for POY honors as he led the Wildcats to a first-round victory over USC and Mayo, totaling 23 points and 11 rebounds. The Wildcats then ran into an experienced Wisconsin team in the second round, bowing out despite another good effort from Beasley (23 and 13). But both kids should hold their heads high. They entered the season with enormous expectations and lived up to them, not an easy task for a young kid.

- It's hard to pin down the best game over the weekend, but there were a few that stood out. Western Kentucky and Drake put on a shoot-out for the ages in the first round, with WKU winning in OT on a Ty Rogers' 30-foot heave at the buzzer. Following that, San Diego stunned UConn, getting giant performances from Brandon Johnson and Gyno Pomare, plus a buzzer-beater of their own by De'Jon Jackson. UCLA needed late-game heroics from Darren Collison to hold off Texas A&M on Saturday, while Stanford got a baseline shot from Brook Lopez with one second left to knock off Marquette in overtime. Then, Tennessee needed late free throws to hold off a gritty Butler team in overtime on Sunday, while Memphis grinded out a three-point win over a tough Mississippi State squad. All in all, even though my brackets are destroyed (Siena anyone??), it was a great weekend for hoops.

- Similarly, it's hard to put out a list of the best individual performances of the weekend, since there was so many. But a few that simply can't be ignored: Davidson's Stephen Curry (40 pts vs. Gonzaga, 30 pts vs. Georgetown), Kentucky's Joe Crawford (35 pts vs. Marquette), Marquette's Jerel McNeal (30 pts vs. Stanford), West Virginia's Joe Mazzulla (13 pts, 11 reb, 8 ast off the bench vs. Duke), Arkansas' Sonny Weems (31 pts vs. Indiana), Miami's Jack McClinton (38 pts vs. St. Mary's), Stanford's Brook Lopez (30 pts vs. Marquette), WKU's Tyrone Brazelton (33 pts. vs. Drake), Xavier’s Drew Lavender (18 pts, 9 ast vs. Purdue), Duke's Gerald Henderson (21 pts, 7 reb, 5 stl vs. Belmont) and Villanova's Scottie Reynolds (25 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast vs. Siena).

Today's Game Predictions: Conference Finals

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 09:08:42 -0700

A companion to our daily Three Stars of the Day, we present the top three Games of the Night.

#5 Kansas (30-3) vs #8 Texas (28-5)

3:00 PM ESPN

Although Texas has a higher RPI, 4 more Top 50 wins, and a stronger SOS.. Kansas is still favored by 6 in the Big 12 Championship game. This is partly due to the game being held in Kansas City, and partly due to the false perception that Kansas is a great team. I actually think is should be a simple pick'em.. so I'm going to pick Kansas to win, but suggest that Texas is a much better bet.

Prediction: Kansas

Clemson (24-8) vs #1 UNC (31-2)

1:00 PM ESPN

Perhaps decades of underachievement are suddenly behind Clemson? They beat Duke in the semis and now face nemesis UNC who barely beat the Tigers twice in OT. Ty Lawson didn't play in the last game in Chapel Hill, and though Roy Williams can claim he's only 80%, it's still a major difference. The Tar Heels are 6 point favorites.. which seems like an appropriate amount.

Prediction: UNC

Georgia (16-16) vs Arkansas (22-10)

3:30 PM ESPN2

It's hard to say whose a bigger surprise.. Georgia in the SEC or Illinois in the Big Ten? Either way, it would be an amazing wrinkle on Selection Sunday if one of these pedestrian squads snuck into the NCAA Tournament. Arkansas is a heavy favorite, which isn't surprising consider Georgia has a sub 100 RPI and played 80 minutes of high quality basketball yesterday. Still, it was the Bulldogs who won 82-69 the last time these teams met. Georiga's already knocked off three Top 60 teams on their way to the title game.. but I'm not sure they have any magic left.

Prediction: Arkansas

Previous Game of the Night (Predictions, 98-58)

March 14th - St. Joseph's vs Temple (1-2)

March 13th - Ohio State vs Michigan State (2-1)

March 12th - Arizona State at USC (2-1)

March 12th - Syracuse vs Villanova (2-1)

March 11th - IUPUI at Oral Roberts (3-0)

March 10th - Gonzaga at San Diego (1-2)

March 9th - Florida at Kentucky (1-2)

March 8th - UNC at Duke (2-1)

March 5th - Tennessee at Florida (2-1)

March 4th - UNLV at New Mexico (3-0)

March 3rd - Texas Tech at Kansas (3-0)

March 2nd - Clemson at Maryland (1-2)

Poll: Who Will Win the ACC Tournament?

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:01:18 -0700

Poll: What Will be the Most Exciting BCS Conference Tournament?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:33:48 -0800

Review - Across the Line: Profiles in Basketball Courage

Jeff Fox — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:51:14 -0800

Across the Line

Profiles in Basketball Courage: Tales of the First Black Players in the ACC and SEC

Barry Jacobs

The Lyons Press

$24.95 ($29.95 in Canada)

With February being Black History Month, now is the perfect time to check out Barry Jacobs’ Across the Line. Jacobs’ tome is a fitting tribute to the brave black basketball players who first suited up for ACC and SEC teams in the mid-1960s to early 1970s. The fact that none of these players will be known my most college basketball fans (with the probable exception of UNC’s Charles Scott) is a true crime.

Across the Line is an educational, yet very entertaining read. Each school’s first black player(s) is given his own chapter, allowing Jacobs to go into quite descriptive detail into the player’s background, the history of the school and the political and social climate in the southern states at this point in history. The hostile environment that these players were thrust into is truly shocking and sad and makes their lives all the more heroic. You truly shake your head in disbelief when reading about the racist mindsets of people at this point in time, many of them people in power positions of law enforcement, government and university leadership.

The world we live in today is far from perfect, as there are plenty of bigoted small minded people still around today (look no further than Tim Hardaway’s comments on homosexuals, a golf announcer joking that Tiger Woods should get lynched, or Don Imus). However, after you read this book and then consider that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton both have fighting chances to be the next president of the United States, you see we are in a much better place today. Across the Line should be a required read for all college basketball players enjoying the freedoms that the books’ players helped make possible.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Welser Wonders: Big East Bids?

Joel Welser — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 06:55:59 -0800

What I’m really wondering right now is why I tivoed 30 hours of the NFL Combine in high definition. Naturally, I record anything in HD if it is available, but boy was that a mistake. The only thing worse than watching a 350 pound guy running the 40 in 5.82 seconds is watching a 350 pound guy running the 40 in 5.82 seconds in high definition. Don’t worry, everything else has to do with college basketball in this week’s “Welser Wonders…”

…who benefited the most from BracketBusters Saturday?

The answer is an easy one. Kent State went from an outside the bubble team to a Top 25 group that has a legitimate chance at an at-large bid. The Golden Flashes traveled to Moraga, California and knocked off St. Mary’s 66-57.

The rest of Coach Jim Christian’s schedule is pretty difficult with games at Bowling Green and Akron and a senior night hosting Miami (Ohio). Assuming Kent State can win those three, which might be a little too much to assume, the Flashes will head into the conference tournament with a 26-5 record. Those five losses were against Detroit on the opening day of the season, against Xavier, at North Carolina, at Ohio and a heartbreaker at Toledo. That’s not too shabby and certainly deserving to be on the bubble.

…who else was a big winner on BracketBusters Saturday?

They would get an at-large bid either way, but the Drake Bulldogs suddenly became a legitimate Sweet Sixteen contender…or even more [Ed: Note that Drake lost to Missouri State shortly after this article was submitted]. After a home loss to Bradley, the Bulldogs went to Butler and played extremely well, winning the battle of the Bulldogs 71-64.

The issue that remains is how they well they can play against a team with a more traditional big man. Against Butler, it was really a battle on the perimeter. Would Drake’s style of play work as well against a team that was not so much like their own? At the least, I’m one step closer to being sold on Drake as a Sweet Sixteen team than I was last week.

…when the ACC will sort itself out?

After North Carolina and Duke, the Atlantic Coast Conference remains jumbled. Clemson, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Miami and Wake Forest are all at least .500 in conference, but the ACC is not going to get seven teams into the NCAA Tournament. With four games left for most teams, there are plenty of opportunities left for separation to occur, but the way things have been going, it won’t happen. Amazingly, none of those five teams play Duke or North Carolina the rest of the regular season. That leaves a ton of great games against the other teams fighting for an at-large berth.

…whether the Big East could end up as a five bid league?

Georgetown, Louisville, Notre Dame, Connecticut and Marquette are all virtual locks. West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Villanova and Syracuse are pretty much on the bubble.

West Virginia is 8-6 in conference with a 19-8 overall record. Not too shabby, but there is not a big win on the schedule right now besides beating Marquette at home. The Mountaineers travel to Connecticut and host Pittsburgh in March and they need to win at least one of those games to feel good heading into the Big East Tournament.

Pittsburgh is 19-8 overall and 7-7 in conference. What hurts the Panthers the most is their three game losing streak. All those games were against better teams, but they need to turn it around this week when they host Cincinnati and take a trip to Syracuse.

Villanova started out strong, but are just 7-8 in conference. The win over Connecticut on Saturday was big, but beating Louisville on the road on Sunday would be even bigger.

Like Pitt, Syracuse is on a tough losing streak. Somehow they lost to South Florida a few days before beating Georgetown. With Pittsburgh and Marquette coming to town and a trip to Seton Hall remaining on the schedule, it will not be easy for Syracuse to end up with a .500 conference record. Sometimes that would be enough, but the Orange non-conference losses to Ohio State, Massachusetts and Rhode Island do not sound as impressive as they did a month ago.

ACC: All-January

Jeff Fox — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 07:33:06 -0800

It’s strange times in the ACC, as only two teams are nationally ranked. Not surprisingly, those two teams happen to be Duke and North Carolina, who are both heads and shoulders above the rest of the field in the conference. Also not surprisingly, three out of the five spots on the ACC All-January team are taken by Blue Devils and Tar Heels.

Guard – Ty Lawson – North Carolina – SO
14.1ppg, 6.0apg, 1.9spg
Best game – Jan 23rd – Miami (FL) – 23 points, 10 assists, 5 boards

As important as Tyler Hansbrough is to Carolina’s success, it can be argued that the play of Ty Lawson is just as crucial (see the Duke loss last night). The speedy (perhaps an understatement – what is quicker than speedy?) point guard had another stellar January – 16 points, seven assists and four boards a game. Most importantly, he only turned the ball over 16 times in eight games.

Guard – Tyrese Rice – Boston College – JR
19.8ppg, 4.9apg, 3.6rpg
Best game – Jan 12th – Wake Forest – 32 points, 8 assists, 6 boards

The second of three Ty’s in this month’s list, Tyrese Rice continues to lead a young Eagles’ team that only has three upperclassmen on the roster. His January averages of 21 points, four boards & four assists includes his monster game versus Wake mentioned above, where he went 11-11 from the charity stripe.

Guard – DeMarcus Nelson – Duke – SR
15.3ppg, 5.9rpg, 3.1apg
Best game – Jan 27th – Maryland – 27 points, 7 boards, 4 assists, 4 steals

TyMarcus, oops – DeMarcus, Nelson has gotten steadily stronger for the Dukies as the season has progressed. The senior leader has been showing off his all-around game, filling up the points, rebounds, assists & steals columns (January averages – 18 points, six boards, three assists, two steals). He’ll have to keep it up if undersized Duke has a shot at a National Championship.

Forward - James Gist – Maryland – SR
15.4ppg, 7.9rpg, 2.4bpg
Best game – Jan 8th – Holy Cross – 22 points, 9 boards, 5 blocks

January was a big month for the Terrapins (6-2) and for James Gist (19 points, eight boards, and two blocks per game). It didn’t get any bigger than on January 19th when they went into Chapel Hill and handed Carolina their first loss of the year. Gist had 22 points and 13 boards that game.

Forward – Tyler Hansbrough – North Carolina – JR
21.8ppg, 10.4rpg, 1.4spg
Best game – Jan 16th – Georgia Tech – 27 points, 11 boards, 3 steals

The third man in our triple threat of Ty’s, Tyler Hansbrough is far and away the best player in the ACC. January was no different, as he averaged 21 points and 10 boards and notched four double-doubles. The ACC might as well give him its player of the year award now.

Up next – Big 10

Welser Wonders: ACC Bids, BracketBuster, A10 vs B10

Joel Welser — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 09:25:26 -0800

There is a reason February is the shortest month of the year. It makes March come quicker than we expect and that means BracketBusters is coming soon and the bubble watch is in full swing. This week, those topics dominate what “Welser Wonders…”

…who will step up in the ACC?

At the moment the nation’s best conference has only three NCAA worthy teams. No surprise that North Carolina and Duke are locks, but Clemson is the other team who would be dancing if Selection Sunday were today. At this time last year Clemson was all but a lock too, only to blow it in February and March so we won’t put it past them to do it again.

Of course the ACC will get more than three teams into the tournament, but the other nine teams are simply a mess right now. Coming off a loss to Wake Forest, Miami has taken a step back towards the pack after a solid start. Boston College is actually third in the conference standings at 3-2 and has a decent overall record (12-6), but their RPI is 11^th in the conference. Maryland has a nice signature win over UNC, but they also lost to American University. Even Virginia, with a 1-4 conference record, is not out of the running quite yet. A couple home losses to the Tech schools has hindered the Cavaliers conference campaign, but there are plenty of opportunities for big wins.

The ACC should have at least five or six bids to work with, so it will all come down to who can pull it together right now and make a run. If everybody continues to just beat up each other and nobody besides Duke and North Carolina can separate themselves from the pack, the league could end up with fewer teams dancing than they deserve.

…what will come of the most over-hyped event in college basketball this year?

Sure, it is fun to go out and play somebody out of conference in February, but there are more important games going on right now…which nobody cares about. The showcase BracketBusters game this year should be matching up the top two current teams in the field, Saint Mary’s and Drake. Yet, those two teams already played earlier this year. The Gaels won 72-66 and handed Drake their only loss of the year if you don’t remember that November 10^th match-up.

Since that game won’t happen again, we are likely looking at Kent State traveling to Saint Mary’s and Drake heading to Butler. There are some other teams who have at-large hopes like Illinois State and George Mason, but really those are the big four at the moment. Unfortunately, it is the visiting teams that need the victory the most for at-large purposes. Barring huge collapses, Saint Mary’s and Butler should be in the tournament with a win or loss on BracketBusters Saturday. So Kent State and Drake can really boost their hopes with a win, but they won’t be devastated with a loss either. Losing on the road to the Gaels or Bulldogs certainly will not be a big blow to the RPI. In fact, even a loss is resume booster compared to beating Evansville or Ball State.

What’s that all mean? It means the BracketBusters probably won’t really bust any brackets at all. Saint Mary’s (unless they keep losing to teams like San Diego) and Butler are in either way, Drake is likely in with a win or a loss and it is more important for Kent State to keep beating who they should beat in conference play. That’s not to say it wouldn’t help if the Flashes win, but it certainly won’t knock them out of contention. Looking ahead to traveling to the west coast and losing on February 19^th to Buffalo would knock them out of contention.

…whether the A-10 will get more teams into the big dance than the Big Ten?

Top to bottom the A-10 is not better than the Big Ten, but on the top it is very close. In the A-10, Xavier, Dayton, Rhode Island and Massachusetts are all deserving of an at-large bid at the moment. The Big Ten has Michigan State, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Indiana that fit into that category. Where it gets interesting is comparing the fifth teams in each conference…St. Joseph’s and Purdue. Both teams have five losses, but it is the Hawks who are more deserving of a bid right now thanks to a healthy dose of non-conference road games. Usually at this time of the year we figure the Big Ten team will get an RPI boost since they play in the Big Ten. But that is not the case this year since the A-10 is hanging with the Big Ten blow for blow as far as the RPI is concerned.

Luckily there is a long way left to go and St. Joe’s has their big games ahead of them and plenty of opportunities to get a signature win or two. The Hawks have yet to play Xavier and also take on Villanova, Rhode Island and Dayton before all is said and done. The Boilermakers just got their big win against Wisconsin and can follow that up with another win over Wisconsin, Michigan State or Indiana in February. If the committee had to pick a team now they should pick the Hawks over Purdue, but who knows if that would really happen.

…when Davidson will be noticed (again) as a team that can do damage in March?

The Wildcats failed to prove they could beat any NCAA Tournament caliber team when they lost to North Carolina, Western Michigan, Duke, Charlotte, UCLA and NC State in November and December. But since then Davidson has found its groove by beating up on fellow SoCon opponents. Bob McKillop’s squad has won the last seven games by an average of over 17 points. The most impressive part is that six of those games were on the road. With the bulk of the remaining schedule in their friendly confines, the Wildcats could very well finally find their comfort zone after spending the first three months of the season playing most of their games on the road.

There is no doubt that the team is very talented. They have already begun to play how we all expected to them in November and it could get even better. Yet, this is not a team that needed time to develop. Everybody from last year is back and virtually playing the same minutes. That is why a big win or two in the non-conference schedule would not have been surprising. What better time to beat NC State when they are still adjusting to life without Engin Atsur?

Davidson may have overscheduled a bit during non-conference play, but it seems like we have completely stopped talking about them since there is not a quality win to be found on the schedule. This is still a deep team with a ton of dangerous weapons who will most likely be in the NCAA Tournament after winning the Southern Conference Tournament. I certainly wouldn’t want to be a three or four seed and see Stephen Curry and Jason Richards on my bracket in the first round.