2005 ACC Tournament Preview

So the 2005 ACC regular season came to a close, and the seedings for the ACC Tournament have been finalized. All that's left is for the boys of the conference to suit up and bring their A-games to the MCI Center in D.C. this weekend. How do I think it will pan out? Here's my bracket:


My 2005 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament bracket 

First Round Games: March 10, 2005

#8 Maryland vs. #9 Clemson
Prediction: Maryland 65, Clemson 59. I've got Maryland winning this one, only because I don't think Gary Williams will let his team get beat by the same lowly Clemson squad three times in one year. If the Terps do however get beat, which wouldn't be that big of a suprise [Clemson did beat them for a reason, they match up extremely well against UM] and the Terps could kiss the NCAAs goodbye and join the NIT parade.

#7 North Carolina State vs. #10 Florida State
Prediction: NCSU 80, FSU 66. North Carolina State has hit their stride as of late, as opposed to FSU who has lost their last 9. Better make that 10, as the Noles are one-and-done in the conference tournament this year. NCSU needs to make a serious run in the ACC Tournament to get to the big dance.

#6 Miami vs. #11 Virginia
Prediction: Miami 75, Virginia 60. I see UM winning this one in blowout fashion. Pete Gillam's team is crap this year, as their dead-last in the conference finish points out. UVA won't last long against Miami's superior guard play.


QUARTERFINALS: March 11th, 2005

#1 North Carolina vs. #8 Maryland
Prediction: UNC 98, Maryland 85. The score will be closer than you think, but I think UNC's explosive offensive firepower will be too much for UM to handle. An upset would be a suprise, but not completely unexpected - Maryland is a very dangerous team. For evidence of such, look at this year's wins versus Duke and last year's ACC tournament run.

#4 Virginia Tech vs. #5 Georgia Tech
Prediction: Georgia Tech 62, Virginia Tech 60. I really, really want GT to win this. I'm not going to pretend to be unbiased. I think this will be a close game because while I think GT is the much, much better team, my Jackets have a horrible tendency to blow big leads [see the Kansas, Wake, and Duke games this year] and I think a 10 point blowout will turn into a 2 point squeaker. Though GT did that last year in the NCAAs, so as long as they get the W, I don't care about the margin.

#7 North Carolina State vs. #2 Wake Forest
Prediction: NCSU 73, WFU 71. Yes, you read that right. With the suspension of Chris Paul for one game for a low-blow, I think NCSU has a fighting chance to upend Wake and create a big, big upset in the tournament. If NCSU can do this, and they have the talent to do so, then mark NCSU as NCAA bound.

#6 Miami vs. #3 Duke
Prediction: Duke 91, Miami 72. Duke wins in a blowout, nothing more to say.


SEMIFINALS: March 12, 2005

#1 North Carolina vs. #5 Georgia Tech
Prediction: UNC 101, GT 97. As badly as I want GT to win, and as capable as I think they are of winning this game, UNC has just been too consistently good. UNC wins by a little.

#7 North Carolina State vs. #3 Duke
Prediction: Duke 82, NCSU 71. Duke has been consistently good, and I just can't see NCSU beating Duke's interior or exterior game. Reddick is hot right now [as always] and the big men for Duke are playing excellent ball.

CHAMPIONSHIP: March 13, 2005

#1 North Carolina vs. #3 Duke
Prediction: Duke 92, UNC 87. Duke wins, barely. A slim lead is lengthened by last-minute fouling of Reddick, who has the best game of his ACC Tournament career. Though I could be completely wrong and UNC could slaughter Duke. Don't see that happening though. [This game could be a regional final, by the way].

Now let's wait a few days and see how wrong that'll be. Hah! [I love college basketball!]