I guess with the NEW ACC and Tournament format, today’s full slate of games represents a “first round” and Friday’s sessions will now be referred to as “Quarterfinals” &/or “2nd round”. (I think “Quarterfinals” will be most appropriate to avoid confusion with rounds from historical tournament results).
So…with the Tournament underway…I thought that we could open an entry for you to go on record on what your predictions are for this year’s event. (See NC State ACC Tournament Notebook)
On the Record
You are going to think that I am crazy…but, I truly believe that the time is RIPE for NC State to sneak through and claim our first Atlantic Coast Conference Championship since 1987.
I know. I know. I sound nuts. And….”YES”….I HAVE been watching this team over the last couple of weeks.
But, the slate is now clean and the Wolfpack is as experienced as anyone in the league. Moreover, the Pack is experienced with seniors at three key positions – two in the all important backcourt. Additionally, Cameron Bennerman has proven to be an absolute stud in his previous ACC Tournaments. With Cedric Simmons’ presence in the paint, State has an option for high percentage points in crunch time that we haven’t had in past years.
With ^this said…why NOT NC State?
Duke has been struggling. Carolina, despite their success, is still young and draws a very difficult match-up (for them) in the semi-finals. And Boston College is the new kid on the block who should at least be slightly impacted by playing in their first ACC Tournament.
As crazy as it may sounds, I am as concerned about NC State’s potential match-up with Florida State on Friday as I am any of the other projected opponents the Pack could face through the weekend. The Seminoles are the type of athletic team that give State fits. Additionally, they laid a royal egg in Raleigh a few weeks ago in a horribly officiated game and on a night that State played one of our best games of the year. Shake all of that up and I fear that you have a recipe for an early struggle for the Pack.
So, I am going to allow my red-colored glasses to shade my opinion and go on a limb to predict a Wolfpack win over Boston College on Sunday. To continue my prediction for the rest of the year — State will continue on to lose in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament and Herb Sendek will FINALLY choose to eject himself from a position that he just doesn’t understand, choosing the safety and comfort a new guaranteed contract somewhere that doesn’t ‘expect’ to succeed on the same level as NC State’s history. At that point, the wild card of Lee Fowler’s ‘leadership’ takes over and I hesitate to predict anything on something that I admittedly cannot understand in the slightest bit.
Back to the ACC Tournament – outside of my homer prediction, the following is my projected order of likelihood of who will win this weekend’s event in Greensboro:
(1) Duke
(2) Boston College
(3) NC State
(4) North Carolina
Link to brackets here.
