Hoops Frenzy Hits “Queen City”; Charlotte Goes Mad

“March Madness” has officially arrived on Tobacco Road (I actually heard a story about some Eurotrash driving around the Triangle actually asking for directions to Tobacco Road, but that’s a tale for another day), meaning that the dozen ACC squads will be taking the Queen City by storm for the conference tourney, starting Thursday. Let’s take a quick look at each team’s chances to take home the league crown in 2008.

For reference, here's the bracket and the official tourney headquarters. And just for fun, here’s a look back at last year’s breakdown …


1. UNC
Let it be stated here first: if the Tar Heels are officiated the way they were at Cameron Indoor Stadium this past weekend, UNC is ripe for an upset. In fact, if Roy Williams sees Teddy Valentine wetting his whistle prior to the Heels taking the floor, he should have footballer Greg Little flatten the official. Otherwise, why did you tell the kid he could walk on to the basketball team anyway? Of course, most expect that we’ll once more see Tyler Hansbrough travel, flop and run into other players hard enough to be called for one foul and go to the free-throw line roughly 42 times to make up for last weekend’s zero trips to the charity stripe. Danny Green is the X factor for the Heels, although his gay little “Peanuts” dance before the game has to go. You can bet that if a player on Miami or Florida State did the same thing, the “thug” and “out of control” labels would be flying, but since it’s one of the ACC poster-children, it’s seen as cute and good for team chemistry. Go figger. Tywon Lawson isn’t 100 percent and you never quite know which Wayne Ellington will show up, but the Heels are still the team to beat.

2. Duke
The Blue Devils played poorly enough down the stretch to force Coach K to start sweating hair polish (Polish?). They’re six-minute-long scoring drought at home vs. the Heels certainly won’t give them added confidence headed into tourney play. This is still a team that lives and dies by the three-pointer, and late in the year, teams had more success forcing the Dookies to finish around the rim. Jon Scheyer is a much-improved all-around player, Greg Paulus is a dangerous shooter as long as he doesn’t have to defend anyone, Kyle Singler hasn’t quite hit the freshman wall yet, DeMarcus Nelson will be looking to make up for a no-show on Senior Night, and any points from “Lurch” Zoubek are a bonus. Can the Devils sustain tremendous perimeter shooting for three straight days in Charlotte? If they can, they could easily take home the title. If they have an off night, however, they will be an early out … and Coach K will be rambling about an injury report on his phantom back injury.


3. Clemson
Lou Gossett Jr.’s (is his pumpkin-orange jacket as scary as Tennessee’s Bruce “Pearls of Sweat”?) club was shaky in the second half of the conference slate, but you have to give him credit for keeping his team together after two brutal overtime losses to UNC. Your normal Tigers squad would have gone in the tank after the second setback, but Clemson did enough to claim sole ownership of the third-best-ACC-team tag. K.C. Rivers and Cliff Hammonds are playmakers with strong in-between games, James Mays has so much experience that he claims Tree Rollins as a former roommate, and that Oglesby kid is a threat from 35 feet in. If the Tigers could make a by-god free throw, you could put them in the mix. But they can’t, so it’s going to be another early exit in postseason play for Clemson … but at least an NCAA tourney berth will take some of the attention away from even more NCAA violations by “Tearful” Tommy Bowden on the football side of things.

4. Virginia Tech
Despite a highly suspect in- and out-of-conference schedule, the Hokies are perhaps the biggest surprise of the year. Yet a bitter and somewhat controversial loss at Clemson to close the regular season means the Hokies most likely have to win a couple in the ACC Tournament to punch their dance card. Seth Greenberg always seems to find a way to keep his team relevant, and he deserves strong mention for ACC Coach of the Year honors. Rookie Jeff Allen is quietly becoming one of the league’s finest big men, while Deron Washington makes highlight-reel plays, if doing little else. Underrated and ageless A.D. Vassallo, who I swear I once saw playing for the barnstorming Havana Toros about 15 years ago, can heat up with the best of them, making the Hokies a very tough out. As a bubble team, Virginia Tech will have plenty to play for, but a team that gets by on smoke and mirrors usually gets exposed come tourney time.

5. Miami
Jack McClinton is Tyrese Rice South for the ‘Canes … he makes Miami just dangerous enough to put a big scare into a lot of teams. Jeremy Hyatt’s half-brother, Jimmy Graham, is the garbage man, and Miami has a lot of depth in Anthony King, Dwayne Collins & Co. The devastating OT loss to Florida State in the regular-season finale put a severe dent in the Hurricanes’ posteason resume, so coach Frank Haith, who has had a terrific year, knows that his squad has to be impressive in the ACC Tournament. The ‘Canes have a lot of pieces of the puzzle, making them a darkhorse candidate to stun onlookers in Charlotte. Is Miami a basketball school now? I guess we’ll find out.


6. Maryland
The ACC’s Jeckyll and Hyde team, the Terrapins started slowly, then looked like the ACC’s third-best team in the middle of the season, then inexplicably fell apart down the stretch. General Grievis Vasquez is the guy that Terp foes love to hate, and he’s a statsheet filler. James Gist turns 40 during the ACC Tournament and Bambale Osby is auditioning to play Artis Gilmore in Will Ferrell’s next movie about the ABA, but this is a group that has only worsened coach Gary Williams’s drinking problem. He’s a master motivator who usually has a good feel for his team this late in the year, but something is missing on this version of the Terps. Only a deep run in the tourney will earn Maryland a “Big Dance” bid, and if they can put it all together and rediscover some of the earlier magic that helped them knock off UNC in the Nose Dome, the Terrapins could make some noise.

7. Georgia Tech
Coach Paul Hewitt has some pieces, but recruiting one-and-done types finally caught up with him this year. Anthony Morrow and Jeremis Smith give the Jackets a nice inside-out combo, and “Mo” Miller and Matt Causey are capable of getting very hot at the point. D’Andre Bell and Gani Lawal are terrific defenders, giving Tech the type of team that can pull an upset, but can’t sustain consistent good play. The Yellow Jackets look to be a year away from serious contention in a tournament of this magnitude, but my guess is they’ll just blame it all on Reggie Ball anyway. For the record … Chan Gailey agrees: It is Reggie Ball's fault.

8. Wake Forest
Has any team gotten more favorable publicity out of a single win than the Deacs got out of beating Duke? Of course, they’re a good story this year with the Skip Prosser backdrop and the victory over the Blue Devils was huge, but they lost four in a row after that and had more than a little trouble beating woeful NC State at home. The Demon Deacons did the fast fade from NCAA Tournament possibility to the eight seed in the ACC tourney. Mighty Mites Ish Smith and Jeff Teague comprise arguably the nation’s fastest backcourt, so they can give certain teams huge difficulties. Rookie phenom James Johnson is a tough matchup on the interior, and Chas McFarland and David Weaver give Wake impressive size. They’ll be a feel-good story in nearby Charlotte, but a lack of depth will make it difficult for the Demon Deacons in this tourney.


9. Florida State
You have to give it to him: few coaches do less with more than Leonard Hamilton. Jason Rich and Toney Douglas give the Seminoles a fighting chance in a four-day tournament, but FSU still plays a lot like a bunch of athletes playing their second-favorite sport. Uche Echefu has been playing well, but Julian Vaughn needs to live up to his billing and Ryan Reid needs to control his temper to help out the ‘Noles, especially after they lost solid guard Isaiah Swann for the season. Sam Cassell ain’t walking through that door with more whine-and-cheese-crowd comments, but Florida State is missing the fire that players like Cassell and Tim Pickett once brought to tourney time. FSU is capable of putting together strong stretches of play, but aren’t strong enough mentally to handle the rigors of making a concerted and sustained ACC Tournament run.

10. Virginia
Against all odds, the Wahoos were one of the league’s hottest teams down the stretch. Phenomenal Sean Singletary always gives them a chance to win, but you couldn’t pick any of the Cavs’ other players out of a lineup. Overcoming a near player revolt earlier in the year, coach Dave Leitao has done a nice job of gaining control over his roster. I never thought I would miss Jason “Porn ‘Stache Cain” this much, but having a “Drago” lookalike (Laurynas Mikalauskus) on the floor certainly helps pick up the slack … “I must break you!” You know Singletary will be spectacular, but the Cavaliers will need Mamadi Diane and Adrian Joseph to play out of their minds for four straight days — and that ain’t happening.


11. Boston College
The Eagles feature Tyrese Rice and four guys from a local Catholic church league. I can’t imagine how Rice felt when he dropped an easy-looking 46 on the top-ranked Tar Heels, but still saw his team give up like 50 straight points to get blown out at home. “Hey, fellas … lil’ help?” Tyrelle Blair is as good a shot blocker as you’ll find and John Oates and Shamari Spears can shine at times, but coach Al Skinner was hit hard by attrition following last season and doesn’t have a squad that can compete on an every-day basis in a tourney setting. It’s a good thing for him that B.C. doesn’t matter in the Northeast, where everyone is busy crying for Belicheat and the Patsies and trying to get the rack wrinkle out of their BoSox jerseys. Also, Skinner should have a pretty clear offseason calendar, giving him plenty of time for his next trip to the dentist.

12. NC State
Figuratively (and perhaps literally), State dribbled this season off its foot, and Si-Lo’s red jacket won’t be enough to cover the stench of a lost season for the Pack. Just getting Courtney Fells and Brandon Costner to look like they care would be an upset victory for Lowe, but State’s highly suspect backcourt is a recipe for disaster in the ACC Tournament. Despite having the ability to play at a very high level for stretches, the Wolfpack is still a team without an identity, and this late in the season, that is a sad commentary. More troublesome is the fact that, when the going gets tough, the Pack collectively assumes the fetal position, rocking in the corner. Last year’s epic run to the ACC Tournament finals feels like 20 years ago, and the odds of a repeat performance are as long as Pac Man Jones’s police record. State has to win at least one game to even be eligible for the NIT … but most Wolfpack fans would just like a mercy killing to this year.