The First Round is complete and we have 3 teams moving on in the ACC Tournament! Round 2 is set to begin and we should have another good day of ACC basketball.
#9 Syracuse (15-16, 9-11) vs. #8 Florida State (17-13, 10-10) 12pm ESPN
The first matchup of Day 2 has two teams that both got a First Round bye. Both Syracuse and Florida State will need to do some work if they want a shot at making the NCAA tournament and that all starts in this game. The split the season series, but Florida State won the most recent matchup on January 15th, 76-71. The Seminoles have been dealing with injuries all year, but they come into the tournament on a 3 game win streak, which includes a 74-70 win over #2 seed Notre Dame. Syracuse however, comes in losing their last 4 games and their last win was back on February 21st over Georgia Tech (74-73 OT). So based on that, momentum would point toward Florida State. However, Syracuse just has a knack for making late postseason runs. Also they feel due for a “Buddy Boeheim game” (19.3 PPG) where he just catches fire from distance. This game should be close one coming down to the last few minutes.
Spread: Florida State -1.5, Nick’s Pick: Syracuse
#13 Boston College (12-19, 6-14) vs. #5 Wake Forest (23-8, 13-7) 2:30pm ESPN
Boston College comes in after a convincing win over Pittsburgh on Tuesday, 66-46. They controlled the game from the middle of the 1st Half on and had they had the more energy. However, they come in facing a tough Wake Forest team that finished 5th in the conference (and colinceidently picked to finish 13th). Coach Steve Forbes won the ACC Coach of the Year in just his 1st year, and Alondes Williams won ACC Player of the Year. The question is, can Boston College keep up on the offensive end against Wake Forest (66.4 PPG vs. 79.5 PPG)? The Eagles got a good win yesterday, but I just don’t think they have enough to beat Wake Forest coming off a game the day before. The Demon Deacons will be wanting to prove this wasn’t just a nice regular season, but they are for real. Look for Wake Forest to start building momentum into the start of the postseason.
Spread: Wake Forest -9.5, Nick’s Pick: Wake Forest
#10 Clemson (17-15, 8-12) vs. #7 Virginia Tech (19-12, 11-9) 7pm ESPN2
If it feels like we just saw this matchup between Clemson and Virginia Tech, it is because we just did. The Tigers got a big win on Senior Day against the Hokies, 63-59 and gave them a tough loss as Tech is looking to make a last push into the tournament. The stakes are big: Clemson is looking to extend their season and Virginia Tech is trying to keep their bubble hopes alive to be dancing. In that matchup Saturday, Alleyne for Virgina Tech made 5 three point shots and lead the team in scoring with 17 points. Saturday was also the first game back star forward PJ Hall for Clemson, who got 12 points off the bench. With Hall getting his legs more underneath him, it will be harder for Tech to contain him. The stat to watch for is 3-point shooting as Tech went 9/30 (30%) and Clemson went 8-20 (40%). Whoever shoots it better from deep will most likely win this game. This will be a battle.
Spread: Virginia Tech -5, Nick’s Pick: Clemson
#11 Louisville (13-18, 6-14) vs. #6 Virginia (19-12, 12-8) 9:30pm ESPN2
Louisville came out on Tuesday and took down defending champ Georgia Tech 84-74. Day 1 would be very telling of the energy these Cardinals would play with after losing their coach midway through a tough season. Credit to them to coming out a fighting to play another day. However, the test does not get any easier as they have to now face #6 Virginia who they just lost to at home 71-61 on March 5th. Look for Jayden Gardner to establish himself in the post and be a force on the inside (leads the team in points and rebounds). Reece Beekman is a tough defender for the Cavilers and they as a team only give up 60.4 PPG. This just matchup just feels too much for Louisville and I have Virginia moving on to face #3 North Carolina.
Spread: Virginia -5.5, Nick’s Pick: Virginia