ACC Notes and News

Virginia Tech attempted to make a case against Duke as the out front leader of the ACC.  However, the firm of Singler, Scheyer, and Smith representing Coach K countersued and won.  Duke now stands 2 ½ games ahead of Tech.  This week the Blue Devils will coast along with a non-conference matchup against Tulsa at home.   They resume conference play on Sunday (2/28). 

Meanwhile, the rest of the ACC is scrambling to catch up.  The week’s action culminates in the battle of the runner ups on Saturday: Maryland at Virginia Tech.

But there are challenges that await these two teams before they meet in Blacksburg.  First, the Hokies travel to Chestnut Hill in a game against Boston College.  The Eagles ended a four game winning streak last week by defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels.  They have the home court advantage coming up.  The Eagles used that advantage to upset Duke last season and they lost by just 3 points against Duke at the Chestnut Hill game this season.  BC lost to Tech by a single point in January, so don’t be surprised if the Eagles upset Virginia Tech on Wednesday (2/24).

On the same evening, Maryland hosts Clemson.  The Tigers beat the Terps in South Carolina during their previous matchup.  Now the Terps have the home court advantage.   They are also fighting to hold on to their favorable position in the standings.  They are 1 ½ games behind Duke and one game ahead of Virginia Tech.

Now, let’s imagine the start of March and the ACC standings.  For all scenarios, let us assume the top three in the ACC win this week’s matchups, then Duke remains 11-2, Maryland will improve to 10-3 and Virginia Tech will be at 9-4. 

Scenario 1:  A win by the Hokies in the Saturday game would tie the Terps and Hokies in the standings at 10-4.  The Hokies might want Maryland to lose to Duke on March 3 which brings the Terps down to 10-5.  Virginia emerges as second in the standings in this scenario. 

Scenario 2: A win by Maryland in the Saturday game makes the March 3 matchup with Duke important to the conference.  Terps would go into the game 11-3 and Duke would be 11-2 in conference.   If Maryland wins against Duke, they move up to 12-3 above Duke now at 11-3.  Given the likely outcome of both teams winning their final pre-conference match, Maryland finishes the season ahead of Duke in the standings. 

All these scenarios can cause swelling of the brain, but there’s one clear truth: everyone has to work hard to win their remaining games.  Duke is coasting this week, but the hill goes up quickly from here on out.