Brian Otskey is the Big East correspondent for RTC and a regular contributor. You can find him @botskey on Twitter. See bottom of the post for the Official RTC Star System.

We are going to mix it up a bit for the final three days of the season. There are so many good games on the schedule that it wouldn’t do them justice to leave them unmentioned, not to mention the games with an impact for bubble teams. Here are some quick hitters on all the games you need to be following.

Top games:

West Virginia @ South Florida – 12:00 PM EST Saturday on ESPN FullCourt/ESPN3.com (****)

The Bulls notched a huge win over Louisville earlier this week, but many feel they still have to win this game to ensure their spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Mountaineers are hanging on by a thread but could really enhance their chances with a nice road victory in Tampa. This game has Big East Tournament implications as well, but both teams need it more for their NCAA chances. As a member of the Big East, South Florida has beaten 14 of the 15 other teams in the league. West Virginia is the only team they have yet to knock off. This would be one heck of a time to grab that win in West Virginia’s last regular season game as a member of the Big East. Pretty much everything is on the line in this game.

Can West Virginia Win A Big One On The Road?

#11 Georgetown @ #8 Marquette – 2:00 PM EST Saturday on ESPN FullCourt/ESPN3.com (****)

Both teams are obviously in the NCAA Tournament so this game is about seeding more than anything. A win over the Golden Eagles would be Georgetown’s ninth against the RPI top 50 and fifth against the top 25. Marquette has just one RPI top 25 win (Wisconsin) so adding another could really help Marquette’s seeding when the NCAA committee debates next Sunday in Indianapolis. The winner of this game will grab the #2 seed in next week’s Big East Tournament. The contrast of styles in this game will be fascinating as Marquette looks to run at home against a disciplined Georgetown defensive unit.

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March is here and the Madness isn’t far off. Last night, NC State won a close one against Miami, helping themselves in the hunt for a bid while taking a little air out of the Hurricanes’ bubble. Meanwhile, in less meaningful news, Boston College managed to win its fourth conference game defeating an increasingly confused-looking Georgia Tech team and pulling themselves into eleventh place. In Chapel Hill, Tyler Zeller closed out his Dean Smith Center career by putting up 30 points and playing some of the best basketball of his career in an ugly “platinum” uniform while Kendall Marshall handily broke the North Carolina single season assist record against a Maryland team that just couldn’t stop a relentless (though often inaccurate) Tar Heel attack.

Battle of the Second Tier

• #19 Florida State at Virginia at 7:00 PM on ESPN2

The Seminoles are two and half games up on the Cavliers in the conference standings with only two games to go so this isn’t really a battle for third place in the conference, but it sure feels that way. The two defensive powerhouses of the ACC met once before this season in Tallahassee where the home team managed a tough one-possession win. The fact is that these tough, close losses to good teams are starting to catch up to Virginia. Outside of a win against Michigan, what else can the Cavaliers point to? Beating Miami and Drexel? Virginia is a very good team, but they don’t really have an impressive résumé. Beating ranked Florida State would help to strengthen the Wahoos position heading into the ACC tournament. Meanwhile, the Seminoles have faltered down the stretch losing their past two games, which is equal to the number of losses they had in 2012 before the skid. Barring a total collapse,  Florida State probably is already a near-lock to go dancing. It would be nice for Florida State to win this game, but the Seminoles don’t need it like the Cavaliers do. At home, I like Mike Scott to close out his time in Charlottesville with a bang.

Crouching Tigers As Hidden Dragon?

• Virginia Tech at Clemson at 9:00 PM on ACC Network Affiliates and ESPN3.com

Very quietly, the Clemson has reached the .500 mark in conference play. With wins against Florida State, Virginia, and Saturday’s win over NC State, the Tigers have put themselves in a very interesting position. If Clemson wins tonight against the Hokies (no guarantee since they lost their first match-up) and manages to win again against Florida State to finish out the season, Brad Brownell‘s team will be positioned to play two very winnable games in the ACC Tournament and have a shot at snagging another marquee win or two. Looking at the Clemson’s list of bad losses, the Tigers look very sketchy. Still, though it’s a long shot, I think the Tigers do have a shot at making the NCAA Tournament. Or at least getting tantalizingly close just in time to get shot down on Selection Sunday. In any case, this long shot is going to make tonight’s game a little awkward. Seth Greenberg knows.

Be warned: there will be a lot of ACC Player of the Year talk.

1. Sports Illustrated: But before we get to ACC Player of the Year banter, it’s time to talk Kendall Marshall. Marshall is really hard to pin down. He’s the lynchpin in North Carolina’s offense, maximizing the efficiency of Roy Williams’ very talented machine, but he rarely scores himself. Luke Winn took a look at four crucial (but very different) point guards to analyze their turnovers. If you have ever watched a North Carolina game, it won’t surprise you 80% of Marshall’s turnovers come on “bad passes.” More surprising is that Marshall hasn’t traveled all season. Like always, Winn’s articles are worth a read.
2. ESPN: Robbi Pickeral picked her ACC Player of the Year and Coach of the Year yesterday (a larger panel of experts picked without explanations too). Tyler Zeller is in a two-man race with Mike Scott, but Coach of the Year still has plenty of contenders. Pickeral chose Zeller and Leonard Hamilton; the experts overwhelmingly chose Zeller and picked Mike Krzyzewski by a 7-3 margin over Hamilton (Tony Bennett and Jim Larranga also received votes). I’m not sure why Pickeral makes multiple allusions to the fact that North Carolina is really talented and will split votes. It’s true that John Henson and Zeller will probably steal votes from one another, but saying that’s the only reason Scott would win is a huge disservice to the season Scott put together.
3. SCACCHoops.com: In a related note,this article looks at Mike Scott’s case for Player of the Year. Zeller’s numbers appear better at a glance, but the Tar Heels have played 400 more possessions than Scott. This is the problem with comparing points or rebounds a game at face value. Scott’s 17 points and eight rebounds a game carry more weight in an offense that uses fewer possessions than Zeller’s 16 and nine. For effect, Will Ojanen falsely inflates Scott’s stats by adjusting for North Carolina’s tempo and deflates Zeller’s to Virginia’s tempo: Scott would “theoretically” average 21 points and ten rebounds a game; Zeller would average 12 and seven. In reality stats don’t scale like that, but you should also understand that Scott’s 17 points and Zeller’s 16 points are different too. The most understated part of this article is how much better Zeller is on defense.
4. Hampton Roads Daily Press: Norm Wood profiles Scott, looking at the influence of his father. Growing up the son of a 20-year veteran taught Scott discipline, but also how to adapt to new environments. There’s no doubt both qualities were instrumental in making Scott the success he is, having gone through multiple coaches and a season-ending injury on the way to his hallmark season.
5. Poynter and Awful Announcing: You might have heard about the media “controversy” where Shane Ryan (of Tobacco Road Blues and formerly Seth Curry Saves Duke fame) was denied a credential to the Duke – North Carolina game this weekend, even though he requested it through Grantland. Poynter does a phenomenal job following up on the details (how many credentials were issued, Richard Deitsch’s follow-up reporting and Duke’s response). Awful Announcing covers more background on Ryan including tying the current events back to what originally got Ryan noticed (his terrific rant, which in my opinion remains the best of his work even if he apologized for it later).

EXTRA: Suffice to say Virginia‘s student newspaper, The Cavalier Daily, joined the club of Cavalier fans not happy about the officiating in the loss to North Carolina. My favorite part is the philosophical rant on flopping and excellence.

EXTRA EXTRA: Boston College won the game for the #11 seed in the ACC Tournament against Georgia Tech 56-52 thanks to a hot start and the fortitude to just hold on as the Yellow Jackets made their run late in the second half. You can relive the game through the eyes of Eagle fans with all of its ups and downs.

Duke handily blew out Wake Forest last night, though the score reflects Wake Forest’s desperate and ultimately futile rally rather than the early domination inflicted at the hands of the Blue Devils. Despite the high stakes of this time of the year, this game didn’t change anyone’s fortunes. Tonight, however, there is one game with serious bubble implications as well as a few other prizes on the line.

Duke Held On to Win At Wake Forest Last Night (Herald-Sun)

The Battle of the Bubble

• Miami at North Carolina State at 9:00 PM on FSN

Before the Wolfpack’s current four-game losing streak, it looked like NC State had a fairly good chance at getting into the NCAA Tournament. Now, the team stands on the outside looking in with increasingly few chances to get big wins. Miami, on the other hand, looks like they may well be on their way to the Big Dance after handily beating the Seminoles on Sunday. The Wolfpack beat the Hurricanes earlier in the season and if they want to have even an outside chance at Tournament play, they have to win this game. Miami probably has to win this game too, but the mood is definitely a little more tense in Raleigh. With the reinstatement of Reggie Johnson, who sat out against Florida State, the eager Hurricanes will be ready to cope with the athletic talent of NC State. Both teams will have work to do after this game regardless of the outcome, but tonight is a good place to start.

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1. The Classical: This is a terrific article on Skip Prosser and his legacy at Wake Forest. Media and fans alike reference the Demon Deacons’ recent history of success a lot. They also talk about Dino Gaudio with mixed opinions. But rarely do they really talk about Skip Prosser. Maybe it was just too soon to have an honest conversation, but his death became the story. Matt Gallagher’s piece looks at the hope Prosser brought with him to Winston-Salem, the pride, the success and eventually the huge hole he so tragically left behind. If you don’t read anything else today, read this.
2. ACC Sports Journal: Speaking of Wake Forest, Ron Wellman is in a tough spot. Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum is outdated and too large. Recently, reports surfaced that Wake Forest might buy the arena from Winston-Salem. It was originally built to compete with the Greensboro Coliseum, but falls in the awkward 14,000-seat range that’s much too big for small “college” bands, but far too small for the big-time acts. If there was more interest, a large capital campaign might allow for a new arena to be built, but it’s going to be hard to raise ~$100 million for basketball right now. Between the lack of success on the court and the economy, now is just not the right time.
3. Atlanta Journal-Constitution: It may not be getting nearly as much publicity as Duke and North Carolina, but the Georgia Tech – Boston College battle tonight is for last place in the ACC. The bad news for the Yellow Jackets is they will be without their best player, as Glen Rice, Jr., will be suspended for the game. That said, they’re coming off their best win of the season against Maryland (without Rice), and beating the Eagles by four at home three weeks ago. Can they win their first road game since stunning NC State early in conference play? Is Brian Gregory’s system starting to take root? Tune into Raycom or ESPN3 at 7:00 PM to find out.
4. Orlando Sentinel: Florida State struggled mightily to defend the perimeter against Duke and Miami. Before they get too down on their effort, I want to point them to a series of articles that Ken Pomeroy has posted recently on defense’s effect (or lack thereof) on three-point percentage. Those should be comforting, but don’t ignore the problem. Miami played small-ball against FSU because of Reggie Johnson’s injury, which proved difficult for the Florida State bigs to guard — especially on the perimeter. Duke also played an extra-three-point-threat-heavy offense because of Plumlee foul trouble. Is playing small the best way to beat the Seminoles?
5. Duke Basketball Report: In honor of the date, Barry Jacobs took a look at all of the leap day games in ACC history. Duke is 3-1 in February 29 match-ups, with two wins coming against North Carolina. Meanwhile NC State has played seven times, losing four games on this date.

EXTRA: Jay Smith wrote an op-ed piece in the Raleigh News & Observer on the importance of the “student” half of student-athlete. The piece is directed specifically at North Carolina after there was backlash against a “statement of athletic principles” from a group of North Carolina professors. In the world of high-major athletics, my guess is that professors at most other ACC schools would agree. I personally think Smith undercuts the value of athletics, but I also understand his frustration.

EXTRA EXTRA: If you missed Duke’s game against Wake Forest last night, you missed the announcers and Blue Devils checking out late in the second half, as the Demon Deacons nearly erased a 23-point lead with a 19-2 run. Despite the remarkable run, the announcers kept talking about Saturday’s game. (h/t @RnR_NCSU)

The 2012 ACC Tournament seating chart was released today. School sections rotate every year, which is why North Carolina finds itself in the end zone and Duke sits at nearly center court. One unfortunate side effect is that Georgia Tech, which plays many of its home games at Philips Arena, is stuck in the opposite end zone. I know the Yellow Jackets aren’t going to make up the majority of fans, but still.

The 2012 ACC Tournament Seating Chart

Another thing you might notice is the sections don’t appear to be the same size. Namely, Miami and Boston College have basically no seats. Combined Miami and Virginia Tech barely match Florida State‘s section, which should be the exact same seat-wise. The Eagles get what looks like about the equivalent of one third of the Duke section. That said, I will be shocked if Boston College or Miami comes anywhere close to filling their respective sections.

The ACC Tournament starts in two weeks. I’m already excited.

1. Testudo Times: Who’s up for a 2,000-word epic on the development of Nick Faust over the season? Faust started living up to his potential in the last four games. He’s scored effectively, distributed well and continued his lock-down defense. He even stepped up big to replace Pe’Shon Howard at point guard, where he struggled mightily in the first part of the season. This is just another story we hear constantly. The fact is: Outside of the top 10 recruits, no one is a sure bet to succeed right away. The college game is bigger, faster and more physical than anything most players see in high school, and 24/7 recruiting coverage leads to sky-high expectations that almost always disappoint.
2. Orlando Sentinel: The ACC Coach of the Year award is getting pretty interesting. If Florida State wins the regular season title, I don’t see how you give it to anyone other than Leonard Hamilton. If the Seminoles don’t win, I like Steve Donahue. If Duke wins out, there’s no doubt in my mind that the award should go to Mike Krzyzewski. I don’t think Krzyzewski will win it because expectations are always high for Duke regardless of the talent on the roster. Hamilton probably should be the front-runner, though Donahue has a legitimate claim to the award based on his work with the youngest team in the conference.
3. Miami New Times: I think Miami needs to go 3-0 over its last three games to guarantee a spot in the Big Dance. Beating NC State and Boston College is mandatory. Beating Florida State would go a long way in the marquee win category. That said, beating a big fish in the ACC Tournament would work wonders too. Miami should get some leeway for a mediocre start because Reggie Johnson was out of the lineup, but the Hurricanes need to back up their win at Duke with another selling point for the Selection Committee.
4. Carolina March: Deon Thompson just won MVP of the 2012 Slovenian Cup by leading Union Olimpija to victory. This team seems to be a popular destination for Tar Heels waiting for their shot in the NBA, as Danny Green recently left Union Olimpija after being signed by San Antonio. My favorite part of this article though is Thompson’s quote. The quote started in English and was translated to Slovenian before being transferred back to English. Needless to say the sentence structure leaves a lot to be desired.
5. Streaking The Lawn: Here’s your chance to follow a rivalry game on Twitter retrospectively through the eyes of a Cavalier.

1. Raleigh News & Observer: Calvin Leslie had a career night. But once again it felt like NC State’s lack of depth killed it down the stretch of an 86-74 loss to North Carolina. The Wolfpack did it up for the end of a chapter in their rivalry with the Tar Heels, bringing back the old noisemeter from Reynolds Coliseum with an electric crowd reminiscent of the glory days. My favorite tradition was the Technician distributing satirical “Daily Tar Hell” papers in Chapel Hill. But in the end, North Carolina won its twelfth straight in the series, led by Kendall Marshall who finished with 22 points, 13 assists and no turnovers.
2. Washington Post: Suffice it to say John Thompson, III, didn’t like Kevin Anderson‘s boycott of Georgetown sports until the schools start playing each other in basketball again. He’s got way too many golden quotes to bring up here. The gist is that Thompson feels threatened but isn’t about to bend on anything. He also clearly disagrees very strongly with Anderson’s handling of the situation, even implying that Anderson doesn’t know what he’s doing. This will certainly be interesting to watch. My guess is that things get quiet now, but I also wouldn’t hold my breath for a Georgetown – Maryland home-and-home series in the next couple of years.
3. Orlando Sentinel: One difference in the stagnant offense showcased by the Seminoles early in the season and the inconsistent-but-generally-superior offense they’re sporting now is the addition of Ian Miller. He’s probably the team’s most effective scorer because he almost never turns the ball over, which is why he’s putting up double figures from the bench. Leonard Hamilton said, “We’re confident that when Ian goes in the game, we aren’t losing much. In fact, we might be gaining something.” I’d have to agree.
4. Duke Basketball Report: Barry Jacobs took a minute to look at graduate school transfers, a hot topic for the NCAA. Coaches don’t want players to move around at will because of the turmoil, but it’s hard to argue against a player who’s graduated going on to pursue his or her next degree at another institution. Regardless, this year the ACC has eight graduate transfers with two each at Boston College and Florida State.
5. Keeping it Heel: [Author’s Note: Before I get to the premise of this article (which I agree with), I want to point out the errors in why coaches left. Skip Prosser was not Wake Forest’s last coach; it was Dino Gaudio, who was forced out because the athletic department didn’t like the direction of the program. Oliver Purnell left Clemson voluntarily because he got a Godfather contract at DePaul (the ultimate retirement contract). Frank Haith also got a raise both money-wise and relevance-wise by moving to Missouri, which he would’ve certainly taken regardless of NCAA investigations (penalties from which will follow him to Missouri if he’s implicated). I also don’t know why it’s relevant to the rankings that North Carolina beat three Big Ten schools in 2005.] Moving onto the rankings, I agree that Jason Williams’ rankings differ from my own. I’d put the Big Ten on top, the Big 12 second (even though I’m not sold on Missouri or Baylor, but the fact is that both teams have earned their rankings), the Big East third and then it gets tricky. Even right before conference play kicked off, I would’ve put the SEC well before the ACC. But I think the gap is narrowing as the SEC teams beat each other and leave Kentucky alone at the top.

EXTRA: John Adams, Czar of NCAA officials (or coordinator depending on how official you like titles to be) checked in on the NC State ejection situation. His tone makes it sound like he disagrees with the ejections, but thinks the media and fans are taking them too personally. He’s probably right, though I think fans have a right to be upset too. Karl Hess should have given his statement right after the game. He shouldn’t have let two fans get under his skin. It’s part of the job of an official.

Boston College is not good. It took the Eagles 33 minutes of game time to get four players in the scoring column against Duke. After a quick start (13 points before the 16 minute mark in the first half), they only managed 12 points over the next 20 minutes. For over 14 minutes of game time in the first half Boston College didn’t make a single field goal. They lost by 25 at home. You get the point.

But what I saw against Duke wasn’t a team without a plan. The plan required a lot of threes that weren’t falling. But for the most part the shots were decent shots. The turnovers were sloppy (on both sides), but not because offensive moves were unwise or ill-advised. Usually there just wasn’t enough zip on the moderately telegraphed passes. Against a good team–especially one that overplays the passing lanes like Duke–those get picked off more often than not. What I saw at Conte Forum Sunday evening was a team with seven freshmen on its roster (four of whom start).

Boston College and Steve Donahue Should be Evaluated Beyond Wins and Losses.

After the game Ryan Anderson, who had more than 20 points for the second straight game, commented on how the Eagles struggled to get over the last play and move on to the next one. Especially against Duke, a couple of threes go down and even experienced teams tighten up (see NC State). Combine Duke hitting shots and the Eagles missing open looks, and you get frustration. Steve Donahue called it a combination of “mental fatigue and stamina,” which precipitated the snowballing of Boston College’s struggles.

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1. Raleigh News & Observer and Fayetteville Observer: The story of the weekend was Karl Hess. In a fairly chalky weekend, the notorious official made huge headlines after tossing NC State greats Chris Corchiani and Tom Gugliotta from the Florida State game in Raleigh on Saturday. The two alumni apparently “got under his skin” but Corchiani claimed neither used threats or profanity. Hess declined to talk to reporters after the game. The ACC basically did the same with a statement implying his action was fine but proper protocol wasn’t followed. Needless to say, Debbie Yow isn’t happy at all. This also piles onto the sometimes-valid perception that NC State fans are treated poorly by the ACC (here, losing the home-and-home with North Carolina, etc.). Fans are even calling for Hess to issue an apology and never officiate an NC State game again.
2. Charlotte Observer: About the only thing we know from the ejection fiasco is that Yow is pulling out her big guns. Not only is she aggressively seeking further comment from the ACC, but she’s also already invited the 1988-89 ACC Champion NC State team against North Carolina this week. Gugliotta and Corchiani just happened to both play on that team. The team will be receiving the inaugural “Wolfpack Unlimited” award. For those of you keeping score at home: Karl Hess kicked out two men whose jerseys hang in the RBC Center without giving any explanation whatsoever. Debbie Yow fired back by creating a new award so that she could honor the Wolfpack legends publicly in the next game. Advantage: Yow.
3. Eagle Tribune: I could not agree more with the premise of this article. Boston College “needs to win recruiting battles to win ACC wars.” Steve Donahue has proven that he can coach this year (and over the course of his career), but he needs to show some recruiting skills to hang with the coaches in a high major conference. Period. Otherwise his ceiling will be very low. One thing I think this article misses is the impact on Donahue’s recruiting that Syracuse and Pittsburgh joining the ACC will have. I think the additions will help by increasing the conference’s presence in the recruiting fields of the Northeast. But they’re also competitors.
4. South Florida Sun-Sentinel: The more I learn about Reggie Johnson the more I like him. Apparently, Johnson is a huge wrestling fan. He grew up loving The Rock and practicing moves on his poor teddy bear and wearing a championship belt. Now he’s still into it, much to the chagrin of his roommate Malcolm Grant: “It just blows my mind that he loves wrestling. I can’t believe it […] And he knows that it’s not real. He still goes crazy for it.”
5. Baltimore Sun: It suffices to say that Mark Turgeon wasn’t happy with his team’s 71-44 losing effort against Virginia (for your reference, the game was tied at the half). After the game Turgeon said, “You can go down our whole list, and if you can tell me one guy that played well today, I’ll argue that you’re wrong. […] We were 0-14 [players playing well].”

EXTRA: Duke’s Kenny Dennard got big news this week when he was named an ACC Legend, prompting his wife to praise him because now “it’s not just in your mind.”