RTC Live: ACC Semifinals – Duke vs. Miami & Georgia Tech vs. NC State
Posted by rtmsf on March 13th, 2010
What a wild ride the 2010 version of the ACC Tournament has been. 12th seeded Miami has sent home the 4th and 5th seeds. 7th seeded Georgia Tech has sent home fan-favorite North Carolina and 2nd seeded Maryland. 11th seed NC State took out 6th seeded Clemson and 3rd seeded FSU. The only two first-team all-ACC players left heading into semifinal Saturday are those from top seeded Duke, Kyle Singler and John Scheyer. The basketball hasn’t always been pretty, but the ACC is what it is this year, a group of mediocre teams without any great teams. That’s why I’m expecting more of the same today. Duke will certainly have an advantage over a Miami team that has played two consecutive days, but twice before (NC State both times, in 1997 and 2007) a team has won three straight games to make it to the championship game. Can Miami become the third to do it? Georgia Tech will meet NC State in the second game of the day with a spot in the championship game on the line. The Yellow Jackets became only the 4th #7 seed to win a pair of games in ACC Tournament history while NC State became the first 11th seeded team ever to win two games in a row. All this should make for a very interesting semifinal Saturday. Buckle up fans and join us for another exciting day of RTC Live from Greensboro.
Having watched the first game Miami played, I question two things about the referee’s in this tournament. One they let Miami play rough and not calling fouls on them, two they let Miami constantly get away with shuffling their feet or just down right traveling. The inconsistency in refereeing the games is fairly obvious. It still seems that the bet makers control some of the outcomes of a lot of games. It’s easier to pay a referee than a coach or a player. The microscope is never as focused on them it seems. It should be at least as equally focused on the referee’s honesty.