1. Fansided (via Soaring to Glory): This is a good post for the beginning of conference play that checks in with four bloggers from around the ACC regarding a range of topics. It’s always interesting to get different perspectives from around the league. One thing I found especially interesting was that none of the bloggers took a negative tone. Boston College is having what looks like a historically bad season; the same (relatively speaking) goes for Maryland; and North Carolina was coming off a brutal loss to Florida State. But universally the authors were positive (again, relatively speaking). More than anything, I think that’s the hallmark of the ACC this year: Everyone has a chance to exceed expectations (even the Tar Heels, whose expectations are mainly focused on March).
2. BC Interruption: I love the rapid-fire Q & A that is “The Big Finish” over at BC Interruption. I think there’s a good bit to be learned by someone just spouting off short sentences to successive questions (which, tangentially, is why I love Twitter Q & As). Even if there’s less thought behind the answers, something feels more natural or instinctual. As to the first question about the ceiling of Boston College under Steve Donahue, I think it’s impossible to know right now. Donahue needs to show the ability to recruit high-major players consistently before I’m willing to make that call. Right now each win is on house money because of low expectations, but in two or three years it should be easier to pinpoint a legitimate ceiling for the Eagles.
3. Raleigh News & Observer: Wake Forest notched another win this weekend against Boston College. It never trailed and looked dominant from time to time. Probably the most impressive player was Ty Walker, who somehow only got credited with five blocks (seriously, I thought he had at least seven). Walker has been a non-factor most of his career, but looks like a totally new player this season. The most dominant and outstanding player on the floor was Travis McKie. McKie can play. Unfortunately, his terrific game underscored just how much more talented Wake Forest is than Boston College. And while the game never felt in doubt, several Wake Forest bloggers are not pleased with the direction of the program.
4. Orlando Sentinel: Florida State reestablished itself as the third-best team in the conference (and very possibly the second) with its win at Duke this weekend. I’m back on the bandwagon (which, to be fair, I was driving in the preseason) after a short respite thanks to a 10-point half against Princeton and a 20-point beatdown to Clemson. I think Leonard Hamilton said it best, talking to a fan who thanked him for the opportunity to rush the court against North Carolina: “But we won’t have to rush the court anymore. It’s expected. Those days are over.” And if they continue to put up over 70 points a game, I guarantee the Seminoles will be nearly impossible to beat.
5. Washington Post: Speaking of ACC chaos, Virginia Tech managed to halt its conference winless streak with a win at Virginia on Sunday. The bottom line is that Virginia couldn’t score enough to get it done. They shot horrendously, which kept the Hokies in it, and allowed Dorenzo Hudson to knock down a dagger three to close out the Cavaliers. The game said a lot, especially about Virginia Tech, which finally showed the toughness it will need going forward to win games in the conference. The game also raised some questions about Tony Bennett’s squad, which will have to bounce back this week to maintain their upper position in the conference.

mpatton (576 Posts)

This entry was posted on Monday, January 23rd, 2012 at 6:01 am by mpatton and is filed under acc, microsites. Tagged: boston, college, duke, florida state, maryland, north carolina, steve donahue, travis mckie, ty walker, virginia, virginia tech, wake forest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.