Welcome to the Duke Invitational Tournament Preview! Oh wait, you mean the Blue Devils aren't the #1 seed? Funny how that happens to the defending national champs in a conference that is "down." Now that that is out of my system, we really can still rename this thing the DIT, because the Blue Devils have won nine of the past 12 ACC Tournaments. No doubt an impressive feat, regardless of my personal opinions. Having said that, Duke may be facing a must-win three day stretch in Greensboro if they think they truly deserve a #1 seed in the Big Dance.
Thursday, March 10
G1 - #8 Virginia vs. #9 Miami - noon
G2 - #5 Boston College vs. #12 Wake Forest - 2:00 p.m.
G3 - #7 Maryland vs. #10 North Carolina State - 7:00 p.m.
G4 - #6 Virginia Tech vs. #11 Georgia Tech - 9:30 p.m.
Friday, March 11
G5 - #1 North Carolina vs. UVA/Miami winner - noon
G6 - #4 Clemson vs. BC/Wake winner - 2:00 p.m.
G7 - #2 Duke vs Maryland/N.C. State winner - 7:00 p.m.
G8 - #3 Florida State vs. VT/GT winner - 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 12
G9 - Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6 - 1:00 p.m.
G10 - Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 8 - 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 13
ACC Championship Game - 1:00 p.m.
Sleeper - Boston College Eagles
Every bit of me wants to list the Miami Hurricanes here. No team can match their volume of close losses, and the 'Canes did make some noise last year in Greensboro. But at some point, you have to realize this team just doesn't know how to win, despite the talent that can stack up with most teams across the league. As a result, we find a Boston College team that should walk all over their dismal first round opponent before playing what may be an NCAA play-in game against Clemson in the quarter finals. The Eagles have been all over the place this season, currently riding a three game winning streak that was preceeded by a 3-7 ten game stretch. Led by first team All ACC guard Reggie Jackson (18.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 4.5 apg) I like BC as a sleeper simply because they have to play Thursday night, have a decent shot to avenge an earlier loss to the Tigers Friday, and would then face a North Carolina team who has beaten them twice, but the last defeat was by a mere two points. It's a little bit of a reach, but the best of my limited options.
Bust - Virginia Tech Hokies
Another tough selection, as I honestly wanted to put North Carolina here. If you don't think the #1 seed will win the tournament, shouldn't they be a bust? But after seeing the way the bracket stacks up, that #1 seed certainly seems to put UNC in a favorable position. That leaves us with a Hokies' team that is trying hard to play their way out of an NCAA bid. Fatigue for the injury-riddled bunch from Blacksburg finally appears to be rearing it's ugly head, and VaTech limps in having lost three of their previous five. As easy is it is to predict wins over Georgia Tech and Florida State to solidify a ticket to the Dance, it's just as easy to see a weary, dejected team sleepwalking through a 9:30 start on Thursday when they think they should be receiving a bye. In all honesty, I think I'm just rooting or VT to lose, so I can hear head coach Seth Greenberg cry again come Sunday evening as he begs for a seemingly elusive golden ticket. And now we hear F Jeff Allen may have a gimpy ankle. Uh oh.
Players to Watch
Derwin Kitchen, G, Florida State
His numbers haven't drastically changed since Chris Singleton's broken ankle, but his confidence and leadership certainly have. Watching Kitchen play of late you simply see a different player. He's more aggressive, more assertive, and his senior experience has helped keep the 'Noles in the #3 slot while it's star recovered. He's averaging 13.8 points over his last four, and is coming off a 17 point, 13 rebound outing against N.C. State. Singleton looks like he'll be back this weekend in Greensboro, but I think you see him more as a decoy, with Kitchen trying to will the FSU into a Sunday Championship opportunity.
Terrell Stroglin, G, Maryland
Don't blame this rookie for the Terps 2-5 finish to the regular season, as Stroglin is playing as well as any player in the ACC right now. He's put up 19.7 points and 5.1 assists down the stretch, and has given big man Jordan Williams a much needed second option. Which makes Maryland's final seven games that much more puzzling. One thing to watch for here is foul trouble. As hot as Stoglin has been, he played just 27 and 26 minutes in the Terps' final two games while committing nine fouls.
Corey Raji, F, Boston College
Once every blue moon, I get a few things right. It doesn't happen often, so I like to remind everyone when it does! Thus I give you the case of Corey Raji, whom I mentioned needed to step up if BC hoped to go dancing. Maybe Mr. Raji reads my fine banter, because over his last four games, he's increased his scoring each time out while averaging 17.5 points and 7.3 rebounds. If he can keep this pace up, maybe the Eagles aren't such a bad sleeper pick after all?
Kendall Marshall, G, North Carolina
Really, we could mention a host of players in powdered blue, as everyone's play in Chapel Hill seems to be getting better every time the 'Heels take the floor. But watching Marshall drive this train, it's impossible to deny him some ink. Kid is simply a masterful distributor who is becoming more and more confident as well. Over his last three, Marshall has 26 points (8.7 per game) and 29 assists (9.7 per game). Yes - 9.7 assists per game, in just oevr 35 minutes of action. That works out to being about an assist per TV timeout (every 4 minutes). Simply remarkable. If he continues this pace, the 'Heels might be cutting down more than just the nets in Greensboro.