First Round - Thursday, March 10

Game 1 - (8) Virginia vs. (9) Miami (FL) - 12:00PM - Miami 69 - Virginia 62 (OT)
Game 2 - (5) Boston College vs. (12) Wake Forest - 2:30PM - BC 81 - Wake 67
Game 3 - (7) Maryland vs. (10) NC State - 7:00PM (ESPN2) - MD 75 - NC State 67
Game 4 - (6) Virginia Tech vs. (11) Georgia Tech - 9:30PM - VT 59 - GT 43

Second Round - Friday, March 11

Game 5 - (1) North Carolina vs. Miami - 12:00PM (ESPN2) - UNC 61 - Miami 59
Game 6 - (4) Clemson vs. Boston College - 2:30PM (ESPN2) - Clemson 70 - BC 47
Game 7 - (2) Duke vs. Maryland - 7:00PM (ESPN2) - Duke 87 - MD 71
Game 8 - (3) Florida State vs. Virginia Tech - 9:30PM (ESPN2) - VT 52 - FSU 51

Semifinals - Saturday, March 12

Game 9 - North Carolina vs. Clemson - 1:00PM (ESPN) - UNC 92 - Clemson 87 (OT)
Game 10 - Duke vs. Virginia Tech - 3:30PM (ESPN) - Duke 77 - VT 63

Championship Game - Sunday, March 13

Game 11 - North Carolina vs. Duke - 1:00PM (ESPN) Duke 75 - UNC 58

I'm being lazy and not doing my own research... I was wondering why Andre Dawkins is receiving no more minutes than he has been - at least no more than he did in Saturday evening's game. Is he (or has he been) injured or could he be in Coach K's dog house?

I would have thought that he may have been more of a factor in the game given how everyone but Seth was struggling from beyond the arc. I'm certainly not complaining about the lack of success out there, mind you, but after it became obvious that guys like Ryan just didn't have it, I would have thought that this would been an opportunity for Andre to get some additional time.

Your thoughts?

I don't see any team outside of Duke and UNC that can win this. That's not to say that another team can't reach the title game as it's rare we ever get to see a Duke-UNC championship. I would probably guess the only other teams with a chance would be Florida State and Virginia Tech.

The Duke Invitational. My favorite time of the year.

I like the draw for Duke, winners of the event in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2010, in terms of potential semi-final match-ups, if the Blue Devils should get to that point of the tournament. Likely, the Blue Devils would face Florida State as Va Tech seems to be on course to once again implode at just the right time, setting up another Seth Greenberg missing the NCAAs tear-jerker on March 13. And, in comparison to North Carolina's likely semi-final opponent, Clemson, Florida State is playing the least best of the two. And, especially with the Seminoles' top offensive threat in Singleton not expected to be back, I like the Blue Devils' chances at capturing some revenge and moving on to the ACC championship game for the 12th time in 14 years.

I absolutely want Carolina in the finals.

Virginia is on a roll. Will be interesting to see if they keep it up. I like UVA Maryland bc and ga tech in day one.
Figure I'll go to evening sessions fri and sat and hopefully a duke Carolina final on sunday. Ol Roy is right it is a cocktail party. It's a blast though.

As for Andre Dawkins' playing time or lack thereof recently, there could certainly be other factors at play outside of pure basketball. His sister did get into a car crash and die en route to one of his games last season. That's what I would call a difficult situation. And, on top of that, Dawkins was only 17 years old when it happened (as many know, he completed his class requirements and left high school a year early to play for Duke). I think he has really struggled, at times, to come to grips with this and figure out how to deal with the kind of emotions that such a tragedy evokes. That's just my guess. There are times on the floor when he just looks lost or disinterested.

Basketball-wise, he has proven that he possess the tools to be a star at Duke -- tremendous athleticism, superior outside shooting and a very competitive spirit. But there are flaws. He plays man-to-man defense with the same interest and intensity that a turtle would have for playing man-to-man defense. And, despite owning one of the most lethal long-range Js in the ACC, anymore he rarely moves offensively without the ball. There are times when I think a stationary bike would provide more movement for Duke on the floor. (And, if it were being pedaled, it probably would.)

I love Andre, and still think he will leave Duke one of the greatest Blue Devils shooters of all-time. That is, if he really wants it and puts in the necessary work that previous Blue Devils shooting greats such as J.J. Redick and Trajan Langdon have. Andre has it. Without his pair of 25-foot three-pointers against Baylor in last season's South Regional final late in the first half, which helped close a furious Bear run that threatened to run Duke right out of the tournament, Duke doesn't raise championship banner No. 4. Early last season, in a game Duke was trailing against Wisconsin at the hostile Kohl Center in Madison by double-digits late in the second half, Andre drilled four consecutive threes in a span of three minutes to bring the Blue Devils back within a single point. Wisconsin won the game, but that effort proved the kind of ice Dawkins has running through his veins. He is a competitor and has delivered some bright moments this season, as well. Lately, however, he has been struggling to fit in. I hope he discovers the best way to do this, because, without his deep ball shooting and point production, Duke will not win a fifth title.

As for Andre Dawkins' playing time or lack thereof recently, there could certainly be other factors at play outside of pure basketball. His sister did get into a car crash and die en route to one of his games last season. That's what I would call a difficult situation. And, on top of that, Dawkins was only 17 years old when it happened (as many know, he completed his class requirements and left high school a year early to play for Duke). I think he has really struggled, at times, to come to grips with this and figure out how to deal with the kind of emotions that such a tragedy evokes. That's just my guess. There are times on the floor when he just looks lost or disinterested.

Basketball-wise, he has proven that he possess the tools to be a star at Duke -- tremendous athleticism, superior outside shooting and a very competitive spirit. But there are flaws. He plays man-to-man defense with the same interest and intensity that a turtle would have for playing man-to-man defense. And, despite owning one of the most lethal long-range Js in the ACC, anymore he rarely moves offensively without the ball. There are times when I think a stationary bike would provide more movement for Duke on the floor. (And, if it were being pedaled, it probably would.)

I love Andre, and still think he will leave Duke one of the greatest Blue Devils shooters of all-time. That is, if he really wants it and puts in the necessary work that previous Blue Devils shooting greats such as J.J. Redick and Trajan Langdon have. Andre has it. Without his pair of 25-foot three-pointers against Baylor in last season's South Regional final late in the first half, which helped close a furious Bear run that threatened to run Duke right out of the tournament, Duke doesn't raise championship banner No. 4. Early last season, in a game Duke was trailing against Wisconsin at the hostile Kohl Center in Madison by double-digits late in the second half, Andre drilled four consecutive threes in a span of three minutes to bring the Blue Devils back within a single point. Wisconsin won the game, but that effort proved the kind of ice Dawkins has running through his veins. He is a competitor and has delivered some bright moments this season, as well. Lately, however, he has been struggling to fit in. I hope he discovers the best way to do this, because, without his deep ball shooting and point production, Duke will not win a fifth title.

The thread marking the extraordinary nature of Jon Diebler's recent shooting streak got me thinking. Duke has been involved in 11 of the last 13 ACC championship games, winning 9 of them. If the Blue Devils should reach the ACC final next weekend, and should they be so privileged to win it yet another time, Duke will have played in 12 of the last 14 championships games and have taken home the trophy after 10 of them. A stunning achievement considering both the nomadic nature of stars and the parity that pervade today's college basketball landscape.

In the words of coach Petey Bell, I want this so fucking bad I can taste it.

The thread marking the extraordinary nature of Jon Diebler's recent shooting streak got me thinking. Duke has been involved in 11 of the last 13 ACC championship games, winning 9 of them. If the Blue Devils should reach the ACC final next weekend, and should they be so privileged to win it yet another time, Duke will have played in 12 of the last 14 championship games and have taken home the trophy after 10 of them. A stunning achievement considering both the nomadic nature of stars and the parity that pervade today's college basketball landscape.

In the words of coach Petey Bell, I want this so fucking bad I can taste it.

I have trouble seeing this turning out any other way but a Duke-Carolina rubber match

Duke over North Carolina in the final

reclegend22;701640 wrote:As for Andre Dawkins' playing time or lack thereof recently, there could certainly be other factors at play outside of pure basketball. His sister did get into a car crash and die en route to one of his games last season. That's what I would call a difficult situation. And, on top of that, Dawkins was only 17 years old when it happened (as many know, he completed his class requirements and left high school a year early to play for Duke). I think he has really struggled, at times, to come to grips with this and figure out how to deal with the kind of emotions that such a tragedy evokes. That's just my guess. There are times on the floor when he just looks lost or disinterested.

Basketball-wise, he has proven that he possess the tools to be a star at Duke -- tremendous athleticism, superior outside shooting and a very competitive spirit. But there are flaws. He plays man-to-man defense with the same interest and intensity that a turtle would have for playing man-to-man defense. And, despite owning one of the most lethal long-range Js in the ACC, anymore he rarely moves offensively without the ball. There are times when I think a stationary bike would provide more movement for Duke on the floor. (And, if it were being pedaled, it probably would.)

I love Andre, and still think he will leave Duke one of the greatest Blue Devils shooters of all-time. That is, if he really wants it and puts in the necessary work that previous Blue Devils shooting greats such as J.J. Redick and Trajan Langdon have. Andre has it. Without his pair of 25-foot three-pointers against Baylor in last season's South Regional final late in the first half, which helped close a furious Bear run that threatened to run Duke right out of the tournament, Duke doesn't raise championship banner No. 4. Early last season, in a game Duke was trailing against Wisconsin at the hostile Kohl Center in Madison by double-digits late in the second half, Andre drilled four consecutive threes in a span of three minutes to bring the Blue Devils back within a single point. Wisconsin won the game, but that effort proved the kind of ice Dawkins has running through his veins. He is a competitor and has delivered some bright moments this season, as well. Lately, however, he has been struggling to fit in. I hope he discovers the best way to do this, because, without his deep ball shooting and point production, Duke will not win a fifth title.

when is kyle irving going to be back?

DeyDurkie5 wrote:when is kyle irving going to be back?

The thread marking the extraordinary nature of Jon Diebler's recent shooting streak got me thinking. Duke has been involved in 11 of the last 13 ACC championship games, winning 9 of them. If the Blue Devils should reach the ACC final next weekend, and should they be so privileged to win it yet another time, Duke will have played in 12 of the last 14 championship games and have taken home the trophy after 10 of them. A stunning achievement considering both the nomadic nature of stars and the parity that pervade today's college basketball landscape.

In the words of coach Petey Bell, I want this so fucking bad I can taste it.

reclegend22;701678 wrote:The thread marking the extraordinary nature of Jon Diebler's recent shooting streak got me thinking. Duke has been involved in 11 of the last 13 ACC championship games, winning 9 of them. If the Blue Devils should reach the ACC final next weekend, and should they be so privileged to win it yet another time, Duke will have played in 12 of the last 14 championship games and have taken home the trophy after 10 of them. A stunning achievement considering both the nomadic nature of stars and the parity that pervade today's college basketball landscape.

In the words of coach Petey Bell, I want this so fucking bad I can taste it.

So did you watch that little piece of NCAA history today or what? Sucks that CBS didn't let us see a truly remarkable contest in it's entirety but you'll have that.

Lol...I kid

Props to coach Brownell for getting us in position to have a bye in the ACC tourney. I think we take BC down and lose close to UNC and earn a 10-11 seed in the dance. Not so bad when you consider the coaches picked Clemson to finish 11th, and Bilas predicted dead last. Plus we had 2 transfers out and only brought in one recruit. We only have 9 scholarship guys and have one of the best defenses in the nation and actually LED the ACC in FT% during league games after finishing last most years. The dude can coach!!

Obviously, I will be your biggest fan this weekend, Ohiotiger. That is, until Sunday. If all works out

Prowl and Growl!

Making the final would make me ecstatic haha.

I have a hard time believing anyone but Duke or UNC wins this.

In regards to Dawkins,
I think the reason he isn't playing more is the fact he doesn't handle the ball well, and is weak against pressure.
When Duke has him on the floor he is one of two guards (with either smith or curry, rarely all three play at once)
Duke cannot afford to have a guard who doesn't handle the ball well when Plumlee, Singler, and Kelly are on the floor. They need ball control to facilitate the offense.

The ball-handling is no doubt a weakness of Dawkins', and I'm not sure why I left that out of my Ulysses post above.. But I definitely think that Andre is also struggling emotionally in some capacity. He was playing good basketball early in the year. He was more energetic, impassioned and displayed more fluent mobility. Personally, I think he's probably still trying to figure out how to balance the major highs and lows that go with experiencing such a personal tragedy. Couple that in with the fact that he's permanently, at least for this year, lost his starting job to Seth Curry, and you have a perfect storm for a rollercoaster of emotions to overcome for a young man who came to play for Duke barely removed from his 17th birthday.

And, until Andre demonstrates some consistency on the defensive end of the floor, he will continue to experience limited minutes. He looked better in that regard against Carolina, in the period he was matched up with Barnes (although I don't recall the exact numbers Barnes' put up during this stretch), but Andre still is light years behind the defensive effort and pressure that Seth Curry brings to the court. Curry is a severely underrated defender, especially in disrupting passing lanes. He's quick as hell.

The ball-handling is no doubt a weakness of Dawkins', and I'm not sure why I left that out of my Ulysses post above.. But I definitely think that Andre is also struggling emotionally in some capacity. He was playing good basketball early in the year. He was more energetic, impassioned and displayed more fluent mobility. Personally, I think he's probably still trying to figure out how to balance the major highs and lows that go with experiencing such a personal tragedy. Couple that in with the fact that he's permanently, at least for this year, lost his starting job to Seth Curry, and you have a perfect storm for a rollercoaster of emotions to overcome for a young man who came to play for Duke barely removed from his 17th birthday.

And, until Andre demonstrates some consistency on the defensive end of the floor, he will continue to experience limited minutes. He looked better in that regard against Carolina, in the period he was matched up with Barnes (although I don't recall the exact numbers Barnes' put up during this stretch), but Andre still is light years behind the defensive effort and pressure that Seth Curry brings to the court. Curry is a severely underrated defender, especially in disrupting passing lanes. He's quick as hell.

I think I read there's a chance that Chris Singleton will return for the ACC Tournament. Maybe it's just wishful thinking on the part of FSU fans, but it would be a huge help for the Noles. I think that FSU or VaTech could be a tough semifinal for Duke. Both of those teams have shown that they can play with the Blue Devils. However, both of those games were on the road (for Duke) and in hostile environments, not in Greensboro.

Miami and Virginia could be a threat for Carolina. The Heels had to pull out close games late in the second half against both teams. BC and Clemson have both proven that they can play with the Heels also. There's definitely no guarantee that Carolina and Duke will be left standing on Sunday, and it very rarely happens that way. I would love for it to happen though. I'm sure the Blue Devils would be highly motivated to avenge the beating they took in Chapel Hill, but Carolina is supremely confident right now.

All-ACC First Team
Nolan Smith, Duke (225)+
Jordan Williams, Maryland (210)
Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech (202)
Kyle Singler, Duke (199)
Reggie Jackson, Boston College (190)

All-ACC Second Team
Tyler Zeller, North Carolina (161)
John Henson, North Carolina (148)
Harrison Barnes, North Carolina (145)
Iman Shumpert, Georgia Tech (132)
Jeff Allen, Virginia Tech (131)

All-ACC Third Team
Chris Singleton, Florida State (126)
Demontez Stitt, Clemson (81)
Joe Trapani, Boston College (63)
Malcolm Grant, Miami (62)
Kendall Marshall, North Carolina (45)

ACC All-Freshman Team
Harrison Barnes, North Carolina (75)+
Travis McKie, Wake Forest (74)
Kendall Marshall, North Carolina (71)
Terrell Stoglin, Maryland (62)
C.J. Leslie, N.C. State (46)

ACC All-Defensive Team
John Henson, North Carolina (75)+
Chris Singleton, Florida State (64)
Iman Shumpert, Georgia Tech (60)
Nolan Smith, Duke (26)
Jerai Grant, Clemson (20)

+ Denotes unanimous selection

Duke is a different animal in the ACC Tournament. This is Coach K's event. He's coached in 11 of the past 13 ACC title bouts. I wouldn't bet against Duke making the final. Once there, if it is Carolina awaiting, things could get very interesting.

I happen to believe that North Carolina has the potential to be playing the best basketball in the country by the time the NCAAs start. They turned on the switch in the first half in Cameron. The light temporarily went dark following a valiant, crushing second-half blow from Duke in that contest. After this past Sunday, I'm not so sure the Heels have not flipped that switch on for good.

Marshall in the best point general in the country. Period. And that concerns me when factoring in how well Carolina runs the break.

By point general, I mean best pure, passing point guard. Nolan Smith, while playing point guard for Duke, and imo the best player in the country, is not a pure point. Just to clarify.