Conference Tournament Preview: The ACC

Where: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC

When: March 11th-14th

Final: 1:00 pm ESPN/Raycom




Favorite: Duke Blue Devils

Look, I love Maryland's team this season, but Duke is the best team in the conference. There are not many teams in the country, let alone the ACC, than can match the 1-2-3 punch the Devils have in Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer, and Nolan Smith. Scheyer and Singler are seniors and are/have been all-americans. Nolan Smith will likely be on a number of all-american lists next season. Hate them or love them, you cannot deny those three can hoop.

Nolan Smith could end up being an all-american next season.
(photo credit: XOS Sports)

Beyond that, Duke finally has some good big men. Brian Zoubek has come out of no where to be a force in the paint and on the offensive back boards. The Plumlees are as long and athletic as any Duke team in recent memory. Combine that with the watered down ACC and the tournament being played in North Carolina with UNC struggling, and Duke looks primed to make a run through the ACC.


And if they lose?: Maryland Terrapins

As I mentioned above, I love this Maryland team. Obviously, there's Greivis Vasquez, who has been phenomenal this season. But the Terps are much more than just a flamboyant Venezuelan. Eric Hayes has turned into quite the college player, the steadying force paired with Vasquez in the back court. Hayes is one of the smarter players in the ACC, and has become a knock down shooter. Sean Mosley and Landon Milbourne are undersized, but they are scrappy players that defend and play much bigger than their listed height. Cliff Tucker and Adrian Bowie are capable reserves that have saved the Terps on a couple occasions.

The key for Maryland is going to be the play of Jordan Williams and Dino Gregory, but I will get into that in a bit.


Don't count out/Sleepers: Well, everyone?

Part of the reason the ACC has been as fun to follow as it has this year is that the league is so wide open. Duke is the best, and Maryland isn't far behind, but after that there are five teams that are good enough to make a run to the ACC championship, but may also be in danger of playing their way out of the NCAA Tournament with a poor showing in Greensboro.


Clemson and Florida State are probably the two best in this group. Clemson had a hiccup midway through the conference season when Demontez Stitt injured his ankle, but with the PG healthy, the Tigers are back to full speed. At full speed, they are a tough team to matchup against. Clemson is so athletic and takes advantage of that in their press. When Booker is playing well and their threes are going down, this team can play with anyone.

What Florida State lacks in guard play, they make up for with sheer length, especially along their front line. The Seminoles are going to struggle to score at times as they don't really have any, well, scorers. But this is the best defensive team in the country according to Kenpom, using their length to make it difficult to get a clean look at the rim.


Wake Forest and Georgia Tech are the disappointing teams. Tech has collapsed, as Paul Hewitt teams usually do. There are few front lines better than what Georgia Tech has to offer, and Iman Shumpert is a talent at the point, but something is missing with this team. Be it leadership, be it decision making, and at times I'd even argue that its simply effort, but Georgia Tech just has not been the team many expected them to be. That said, if they can put it all together, who knows what could happen. Tech is in the worst spot in terms of an at-large bid and may want to win two games to feel safe.

Wake Forest is in a bit of the same boat. I can't figure this team out. Ishmael Smith is a player at the point. Al-Farouq Aminu is a lottery pick. They have shooters on the wing and size in the paint. They defend. But they lost four in a row before closing the ACC season with a win over Clemson. It will be interesting to see which Wake team shows up here. The Demon Deacons are probably safe, tournament wise, but may want to avoid a first round loss.

There may not be a better 1-on-1 player in the ACC than Delaney.
(photo credit: BIAH)

Virginia Tech is the x-factor. I don't think anyone has a feel for just how good this team is. Malcolm Delaney is a stud, Jeff Allen and Dorenzo Hudson are capable complimentary players, and they put together some nice wins the last month of the season. The problem is that the Hokies did a bunch of nothing before that, and lost to BC just three weeks ago. Tech should also avoid losing their first game if they want to feel safe next Sunday.

Names you need to know

• Jordan Williams and Dino Gregory, Maryland: That right there is all Maryland has in terms of big bodies. There are quite a few teams in this conference with big front lines. Both have played well in recent weeks, and it is not a coincidence that Maryland finished the season on a seven game winning streak. When these two play well, Maryland is at their best.


• Trevor Booker, Clemson: He's arguably the best all around big man in the conference this season. He can play on the perimeter or in the post, he's a 747 when he takes off at the rim, and he plays the point on their press. He is as valuable to his team's success as anyone in the league.
  


• Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest: Aminu is as talented as anyone in the conference, but he has a bad habit of disappearing during games. In Wake's 51-47 loss to Florida State, Aminu went scoreless in 28 minutes with just two shot attempts. That can't happen. When he is aggressive, Wake is a different team.