Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) men’s basketball has heated up as the tournament approaches in March. The top five ACC teams consist of Virginia, Notre Dame, Duke, Louisville and North Carolina. All five of these teams are ranked in the AP Top 25 poll. North Carolina State, one of the three triangle teams, sits in the lower half of the ACC standings.
The Virginia Cavaliers had played undefeated until one loss in the season to Duke. Tony Benett, head coach, has a team with one of the highest-ranked defenses in the nation, ranking second in defensive efficiency.Virginia is a favorite to win the ACC tournament, as well as the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament right behind Kentucky.
“Virginia is playing for real and I think they are going to win the ACC tournament and also the NCAA tournament. This has been one of Virginia’s best seasons in men’s basketball,” said Logan Bunch, sophomore and ACC basketball fan.
North Carolina has been hindered by injuries. With key players such as Joel Berry II, Theo Pinson and Desmond Hubert out, North Carolina has struggled to find depth in their team. North Carolina has succeeded in the paint with a lineup loaded with big men, but have struggled from the perimeter as they only have two primary shooters in Marcus Paige and Nate Britt.
Duke was on itsway into the conference tournament undefeated until the team suffered a two-game streak of upsets to N.C. State and Miami. Freshmen Jahil Okafor and Tyus Jones have lived up to their expectations. Okafor is leading Duke in scoring and rebounding, and is also a top candidate for the Wooden Award, which is given to the most outstanding college basketball player each season.
“Duke is the number one team to beat. They have the inside game and the outside game. Jahil Okafor is a dominant big man and I think he will be the first pick in the NBA draft. This guy is a beast,” said Patrick Gurganus, sophomore.
N.C. State has been struggling to finish games out with wins. Four of the Wolfpack’s ACC losses have been within five points. N.C. State’s leading scorers are Trevor Lacey and Ralston Turner. Recently, Lacey had a buzzer-beating three pointer in an overtime win against Georgia Tech. Recent wins over Louisville and North Carolina have helped North Carolina State make a case for the NCAA tournament.
“We need to get going here, we have stubbed our toe a few times, we know it. The time is now. It’s time to step it up and get going,” said Mark Gottfried, head coach of N.C. State, in an interview with the News and Observer.
The Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team will not participate in any postseason tournaments due to a self-imposed ban from past violations in 2007. This opens up a spot for one of the low tier ranked ACC teams to get a higher seed in the ACC tournament.
Virginia, Duke, Notre Dame, Louisville and North Carolina are projected to lock in seeds in the NCAA tournament. The two ACC teams in the bubble are North Carolina State and Miami. They will need some big wins to make a case to play in the NCAA tournament.
