59th Annual ACC Tournament
Philips Arena - Atlanta, GA
March 8-11, 2012


First Round: Thursday, March 8

Game 1: #8 Maryland (16-14, 6-10) vs. # 9 Wake Forest (13-17, 4-12) - Noon - ESPNU/ACC Network

Maryland 82, Wake Forest 60

Game 2: #5 NC State (20-11, 9-7) vs. #12 Boston College (9-21, 4-12) - 2:00pm - ESPNU/ACC Network

NC State 78, Boston College 57

Game 3: #7 Clemson (16-14, 8-8) vs. #10 Virginia Tech (15-16, 4-12) - 7:00pm - ESPNU/ACC Network

Virginia Tech 68, Clemson 63

Game 4: #6 Miami (18-11, 9-7) vs. #11 Georgia Tech (11-19, 4-12) - 9:00pm - ESPNU/ACC Network

Miami 54, Georgia Tech 36


Quarterfinals: Friday, March 9

Game 5: #1 North Carolina (27-4, 14-2) vs. Maryland (17-14, 6-10) - Noon - ESPN2/ACC Network/ESPN3

North Carolina 85, Maryland 69

Game 6: #4 Virginia (22-8, 9-7) vs. NC State (21-11, 9-7) - 2:00pm - ESPN2/ACC Network/ESPN3

NC State 67, Virginia 64

Game 7: #2 Duke (26-5, 13-3) vs. Virginia Tech (16-16, 4-12) - 7:00pm - ESPN2/ACC Network/ESPN3

Duke 60, Virginia Tech 56

Game 8: #3 Florida State (21-9, 12-4) vs. Miami (19-11, 9-7) - 9:00pm - ESPN2/ACC Network/ESPN3

Florida State 82, Miami 71


Semifinals: Saturday, March 10

Game 9: North Carolina (28-4, 14-2) vs. NC State (22-11, 9-7) - 1:00pm - ESPN/ACC Network/ESPN3

North Carolina 69, NC State 67

Game 10: Duke (27-5, 13-3) vs. Florida State (22-9, 12-4) - 3:00pm - ESPN/ACC Network/ESPN3

Florida State 62, Duke 59


Championship Game: Sunday, March 11

Game 11: North Carolina (29-4, 14-2) vs. Florida State (23-9, 12-4) - 1:00pm - ESPN/ACC Network/ESPN3

Florida State 85, North Carolina 82

ACC Champion - Florida State Seminoles (24-9, 12-4)

Absolutely cannot wait.

Thanks for posting it all over here, iron. I REALLY want a third matchup with you guys, but a possible Florida State meeting in the semis (if Duke gets there) will present a formidable obstacle for the Blue Devils. Carolina really helped their cause by beating Duke last night and avoiding Leonard Hamilton's Bad Boy impersonators. Games with FSU are just draining.

FSU will win it.

IF Carolina makes it to Sunday, I'm hoping that the winner of that Duke/FSU game is completely drained.

Should be interesting to see if Carolina can handle three games in three days. The lack of depth due to the injuries to Strickland and McDonald could really show. If the Heels do play three games, Kendall Marshall will certainly need a few days off before the NCAA Tournament starts.

ccrunner609;1105233 wrote:2 things..........Thank god this thing isnt at Cameron. Duke has a chance anywhere but there. Also they will likely be playing a higher seeded team then UNC with #10 VT likely getting a win and UNC having to play the #8

Va Tech won't beat Clemson on a neutral floor IMO.

Why don't they save everyone the trouble and re-play the UNC/Duke game later this week?

Little Danny;1105270 wrote:Why don't they save everyone the trouble and re-play the UNC/Duke game later this week?

It's only happened 11 times in the history of the League. 57 years.

Clemson is playing great basketball right now. I think they get by VaTech and put the fear of God into Duke. That game will be a tight one.

Miami FSU in 2nd round could be a great game as well given how the two have played during the regular season against each other.

The All-ACC teams, as announced Monday by ACC following a vote of 62 members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association (ACSMA). First-team votes were worth three points, with second-team votes worth two points and third-team votes worth one point:

FIRST TEAM
Tyler Zeller, North Carolina (186)
Mike Scott, Virginia (184)
John Henson, North Carolina (170)
Austin Rivers, Duke (164)
Harrison Barnes, North Carolina (153)

SECOND TEAM
Kendall Marshall, North Carolina (151)
Terrell Stoglin, Maryland (131)
Michael Snaer, Florida State (127)
C.J. Leslie, NC State (99)
Erick Green, Virginia Tech (70)

THIRD TEAM
Seth Curry, Duke (65)
C.J. Harris, Wake Forest (57)
Lorenzo Brown, NC State (52)
Kenny Kadji, Miami (45)
Mason Plumlee, Duke (43)

HONORABLE MENTION
Bernard James, Florida State (42); Andre Young, Clemson (35); Travis
McKie, Wake Forest (26); Durand Scott, Miami (26).

ACC ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM*
John Henson, North Carolina (61)
Bernard James, Florida State (54)
Jontel Evans, Virginia (39)
Michael Snaer, Florida State (31)
Andre Young, Clemson (29)

ACC ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM*
Austin Rivers, Duke (61)
Ryan Anderson, Boston College (61)
Dorian Finney-Smith, Virginia Tech (53)
Shane Larkin, Miami (43)
Nick Faust, Maryland (41)

I imagine player of the year will either be Zeller or Scott. I'd give my vote to Tyler Zeller, but that's mainly because of the tip-in two-point basket he scored for Duke in Chapel Hill. Hell of a play by the dexterous big man.

No, but seriously, Duke got its ass kicked on Saturday and that's a big credit to Zeller. He is a great college player and I always thought he would have made a fantastic Blue Devil. At seven feet he can do it all, with an ability to run the court like a gazelle and shoot from anywhere inside the three-point line. Well deserving.

Kendall Marshall got snubbed but who u gonna eliminate from the 1st team? Tough call

Marshall is gonna break the ACC single-season assist record. I know he only scored about 9 PPG in ACC play, but he also averaged over 9 APG. He basically accounted for about 30 PPG for the Heels.

reclegend22;1106223 wrote:I imagine player of the year will either be Zeller or Scott. I'd give my vote to Tyler Zeller, but that's mainly because of the tip-in two-point basket he scored for Duke in Chapel Hill. Hell of a play by the dexterous big man.

He got a nice assist from Plum2 on that play.

Four players from the same school on the first team would have been unprecedented and certainly would have beckoned the catcalls from fans of ACC schools not located on the 15-501. The three players Carolina did get on the first team, however, certainly deserved it. I believe this marks only the second time this has happened in the history of the conference, the last and only other time coming in 2002 when Duke had three ACC first team selections in Jason Williams, Mike Dunleavy and Carlos Boozer.

Marshall has been great, though. If he doesn't bolt for the pros, he'll absolutely dominate the ACC in assists over the next two years.

UNC deserved 4, cause Marshal got shafted.

I think Marshall easily could have been switched with Barnes or Rivers on the first team. On the other hand, I think both Barnes and Rivers were just as deserving as Marshall -- Barnes is an obvious talent and without Rivers Duke is in serious trouble -- so it's a tough call.

Sometimes that's just the way the votes fall. In 2002, ACC regular-season first place cloth finisher Maryland only landed one player on the first team (Juan Dixon), while Lonnie Baxter and Steve Blake were relegated to second and third team finishes, respectively. That certainly didn't seem fair at the time, either.

I think UNC takes this rather easily....

ACC Player of the Year - Tyler Zeller, UNC
ACC Defensive Player of the Year - John Henson, UNC
ACC Coach of the Year - Leonard Hamilton, FSU

Good selections. Although, I might have given coach of the year to Jim Larranaga as the 'Canes were picked dead last in a few pre-season polls and, yet, they are in the NCAA discussion.

What are your championship game predictions?

Looking more closely at the bracket, I think Duke actually received a pretty favorable draw. A possible semi-final scuffle with Florida State is not ideal -- as that game will turn into a brutal fest of slugs considering Leonard Hamilton's primary game plan is to suck the life out of you -- but ending up on the bottom of the bracket allows the Blue Devils to circumvent North Carolina State. Not only is State quicker, bigger and more athletic than Duke in a similar fashion that UNC is, but, for the Wolf Pack, a win over Duke would be even bigger for them than it would be for the Heels. That school and fan-base absolutely despise both Duke and UNC more than Duke and UNC do each other. So not only to you have an adverse match-up for Duke personnel-wise, but the Pack is still reeling off the loss in Cameron that might have closed the deal on N.C. State's NIT fate. Hungry teams are terrifying teams come tournament time.

N.C. State vs. Duke in the ACC final. Not picking because I believe in black cats this time of year. All I know is only once since 1997 has a team not named Duke or North Carolina won the ACC championship. Maryland in 2004 led by John Gilchrist. So it'll be a mountain to climb for the Wolfies.

ACC Champions: Last 14 Years

1998 - North Carolina
1999 - Duke
2000 - Duke
2001 - Duke
2002 - Duke
2003 - Duke
2004 - Maryland
2005 - Duke
2006 - Duke
2007 - North Carolina
2008 - North Carolina
2009 - Duke
2010 - Duke
2011 - Duke
2012 - ?

That's what the rest of the field is staring down. Pretty humbling for them, I assume.

Rec,

The Sporting News is reporting that Ryan Kelly will miss the tournament due to a foot sprain... how do you see this affecting the Blue Devils? They really do not have much of a traditional small forward, so do you see them going extra small? Do they have a choice now?

Speaking of going small, what is going on with Cook, Dawkins, and Thornton? None were much of a presence Saturday evening - are any injured or in Coach K's doghouse?

Looking forward to your insight.

Bond... James Bond;1107409 wrote:Rec,

The Sporting News is reporting that Ryan Kelly will miss the tournament due to a foot sprain... how do you see this affecting the Blue Devils? They really do not have much of a traditional small forward, so do you see them going extra small? Do they have a choice now?

Speaking of going small, what is going on with Cook, Dawkins, and Thornton? None were much of a presence Saturday evening - are any injured or in Coach K's doghouse?

Looking forward to your insight.

Devastating blow for Duke just several days before the team leaves for the ATL. I’ve been over at Duke Basketball Report tearing up for an hour basically. Kelly's the one lengthy swingman Duke possesses in that Singler or Dunleavy mold (nowhere near their talent, however) that can spread the floor on offense and pull the opposing 4 or, in some cases, 5 away from the basket. He’s quite frankly a pitiful defender. He couldn't guard a tree. Without him, though, Duke loses size it already lacks, a vital perimeter threat (Kelly is Duke’s second-best 3-point shooter percentage-wise at 41%) and by default becomes a weaker penetrating team. With the smaller, less skilled Josh Hairston and Michael Gbinije certain to experience an increase in action, I fear it could really have a negative impact on Duke’s spacing. If Kelly is great at anything, that’s it. At 6-11, he’s invaluable at lengthening the floor and creating open opportunities for guys like Rivers and Curry to get inside and then either score or kick back out for threes.

If there’s a silverlining I hope that it is Andre Dawkins. Word is that Dawkins is a bit of a head case and that it’s been hard for the Duke staff to get him consistently motivated, thus the limited minutes at times. He’s streaky, but, when he gets it going, there isn’t a more explosive scorer in the country. Eight first-half threes against Wake. Six triples in the first half against Florida State. And dropped 26 on Michigan State at MSG. The problem with Dawkins is when he doesn’t get it going. Andre’s already a below par defender and, when that fact is compounded with a night where the first two shots don’t fall for him, he is virtually of no value and shuts off like a computer. This, I think, is largely because, as the Duke staff has come expect this mental breakdown from Andre on poor shooting nights from the field, he is often quickly relegated to the bench, never to play again. That’s got to kill a kid’s confidence. If Coach K decides to go super small and play Nellie Ball, upping the tempo and shooting even more threes in an attempt to wear down bigger, more physically imposing teams, perhaps this will be the shot in the arm Andre needs to get going for longer periods.

Here’s a telling stat. In Duke’s losses this season Dawkins has gone for 0, 0, 14, 3, 0, 3 and 0. He was the game-changer at Florida State and almost single-handedly put the Seminoles away in the first 20 minutes. He turned the Leon County Civic Center silent in a matter of three shots. Duke needs this kid to put up big numbers to win in March and, the more I type, the more I think Kelly sitting out for a few games might be huge for building the confidence of Andre Dawkins by giving him more of a central role.

I don’t know, though, I still can’t get over the size we just lost on the perimeter. That’s big, especially against a team like N.C. State or Carolina. And that’s just the ACC Tournament. I’m sure Coach K will concoct something to overcome this setback, just as he did when Duke lost Carlos Boozer prior to March in 2001, but it definitely sucks.

If Duke ends up implementing a version of Nellie Ball and plays Florida in the NCAAs, that game is going to look like it is being played on those basketball hoops at Chuck E. Cheese. I could easily envision a final score of 90 to 85 with a combined 80 threes taken.

Edit: By I've been "tearing up" for over an hour at the Duke Basketball Report, I mean crying.