5 Duke (20-5) @ Boston College (19-8)Coach K and his Blue Devils drop another ACC match, this time to BC. Boston College got its first ACC win against Duke with a score of 80-74. This was their first victory over Duke in over 24 years. The Blue Devils have shown some weakness this year with spotty shooting from behind the arc, which was once known as one of Duke’s biggest strengths. They shot 3-16 from 3-point land. Kyle Singler hit all three of them as he continued his powerful play along with Gerald Henderson. The problem is that these are the only two players who show up night in and night out. Coach K might get an early start to concentrating on USA Basketball or working on his golf swing, because I expect an early exit from Duke in this year NCAA tournament.
3 North Carolina (23-2) @ Miami (FL) (15-9)
Miami played well against another top team, but it wasn't enough to topple Ty Lawson and the Tar Heels. Lawson had 17 of his 21 points in the second half as UNC held off the Hurricanes in a 69-65 victory. Jack McClinton led all scorers with his third straight 30+ point effort as he dropped in 35 for the Hurricanes. He was also 7-12 from downtown, scoring more than half of his team’s points. Miami has showed it can play with the nation’s best teams this season, but as of right now it looks like they are on the outside looking in for an NCAA tournament birth. UNC scored over 20 points below their season average, but good teams find a way to win games even when they’re not at their best.
11 Clemson (20-4) @ Virginia (8-13)
It took overtime for Virginia, but they managed to pull off the huge upset over 11th seeded Clemson. Clemson came out flat in the first half trailing by eight points at the break. This was a sloppy contest as each team had over 20 turnovers and 19 or more fouls. Every time Clemson loses a game like this, the players must be haunted by flashbacks of their epic collapse just a few seasons ago. This might have ruined all chances of a regular season conference championship for the Tigers as North Carolina now has a two-game lead in the loss column. Still, I really like the way this Tigers team plays. Their press is too much to handle for some teams, so it should be interesting to see how their energetic style plays out come tourney time.
6 UCLA (19-6) @ Arizona (18-8)
Arizona strengthens its tournament resume with a big home win over number 6, UCLA. This 84-72 win broke an eight-game losing streak against the Bruins for the Wildcats. The PAC-10 has been extremely competitive this season as they are beating up on each other just like the teams of the Big East. I don’t really believe there is too much of an east coast bias in sports, but I myself feel like I am not aware of all the good teams in the PAC-10. These teams are all going to be tourney tested with the competition that they are dealing with in their own conference. Conceivably, five to six different teams could end up winning this conference (depending on the outcome of the USC v. ‘Zona State game which is going on while I write this in-depth article; currently 51-40 Sun Devils). I don’t think that the PAC-10 has the depth of the Big East and I feel the top teams aren’t as good, but this conference should not be overlooked.
On a Side Note: We are a just under a month away from Selection Sunday. The NCAA Tournament is nearly here. The most exhilarating atmosphere in all of sports is coming and I couldn’t be more excited. I don’t think there is anything else that rivals the field of 65 in all of sports. Not only is the tournament extremely exciting, but so is the buildup. Conference tournaments and all the big games that we still have to play leading up to this glorious annual occasion will provide some of the most memorable moments in the sports year. As it approaches, SportsJudge will provide even more coverage of the college basketball season leading up to Tournament. Stay tuned.
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