There was only a single ACC game last night, but it was a doozy. After a last-second C.J. Leslie shot, the Wolfpack narrowly escaped with a win against St. Bonaventure on the road. Of course, North Carolina State shouldn’t have needed the last minute heroics, but a win is a win in Rochester or Raleigh. Tonight, there is a nice slate of games, including the latest installment in a fun inter-conference series.
The Marquee Match-Up
- Texas at North Carolina at 7:00 PM on ESPN2
The Longhorns and the Tar Heels have played a December game for the past few years, and despite Texas’s recent winning streak, the games are usually fairly close. With a highly-touted North Carolina team playing in Chapel Hill, Roy Williams‘ squad comes to this game as the clear favorite. Texas is young and small, but the ability to field a lighting-quick line-up that features J’Covan Brown and freshman sensation Myck Kabongo could challenge North Carolina. Kendall Marshall is the straw that stirs the powder-blue drink and unfortunately, he lacks the lateral quickness to defend fast guards. Since both players demand coverage, this isn’t an issue that can be solved by merely throwing Dexter Strickland at the problem. Still, if the Tar Heels stand poised to struggle defensively against the speed of Texas, the Longhorns will have their own defensive problems with a long and tall North Carolina team.
A History Lesson
- Virginia at Seattle at 10:10 PM
Seattle used to be a basketball powerhouse. Elgin Baylor led the Redhawks to an NCAA championship game in 1958, where the team lost to Kentucky. Since then, Seattle vanished off the college basketball map, playing in the NAIA for over twenty years before rejoining the NCAA in 2001. This year is only the third season that Seattle has played in Division I since the seventies. I bring this up as a way of explaining that Seattle University is still in the process of rebuilding its program since what were effectively fallow years. Playing in historic KeyArena, the newly nationally-ranked Cavaliers have a very good chance at extending their win streak against the over-matched Redhawks.
A Rare Sight
- Sacred Heart at Boston College at 7:00 PM
Anytime there is a chance for Boston College to win a game, I feel obligated to point it out. Though the Eagles come into this game riding a two-game win streak, the team has yet to demonstrate that it’s actually any good. Sacred Heart isn’t very good either, however, and playing in Chestnut Hill, the Eagles should be able to win this game, as long as Matt Humphrey doesn’t shoot them out of it.
For Fans Only
- North Carolina-Wilmington at Wake Forest at 7:00 PM on ESPN3.com
This isn’t a gimme for the Demon Deacons, but if Jeff Bzdelik‘s team wants to show that it has truly moved on, they need to trounce Buzz Peterson‘s offensively-challenged slow-pokes.