Well, this ACC basketball season is going be different than in years past. I think anyway. The perceived favorites (Duke and UNC) of the conference have 5 combined losses already. The team we all expected to finish in dead last (UVA) is in first place at 3-0. Sure there is a long way to go, but things are looking like it is going to be a dog fight all season long.
What does this mean for the big picture? Well for one, the so called experts, were already proclaiming the conference was down. Who could blame them? For the first time ever, the Big Ten (11) won the ACC – Big Ten (11) challenge. Not only that, there were some other non conference losses that hurt. It just means every game is that much more important.
While all this is going to be great for us fans of the ACC, it is going to make it that much harder to get into the NCAA Tournament. Every night is essentially going to be a tournament game, and you really better not count a win before the final buzzer. Every game should have a big game feel, because it really is going to be a big game. The ACC used to be so strong 9 conference wins was a lock, and there were times that an 8-8 record was a golden ticket. That is not going to be the case this year as many teams look like they could be bunched up in that 9-7 and 7-9 league record area, and most teams did not do themselves any favors over the non-conference season again.
Hold on to your seats. I have watched quite a few games, and there is no doubt any given night a team can look like a title contender, and the next game look like they have no right to be on the floor with their opponent. Come the last two weeks of the season, you are going to be tuning into every game rooting for one team or another to help out our Terps.
Now that I have talked about the conference as whole, more importantly what does it mean for the Terps? They are sitting at 12-5 and 2-1 in the conference. The best win on paper to this point is the home victory over FSU. Since that win, the Terps have played very well, with the OT loss to Wake Forest, and a very convincing road win over Boston College, who at the time didn’t look like they belonged in the ACC. Follow that up with a total route of Longwood, and things are looking good at the moment. I was worried about the Longwood game. It could be one of those games where everyone knows the Terps should win, and they just go through the motions, but that was not the case as they throttled the over matched Lancers from the beginning.
Looking ahead, NCST now is a very big game. Sure a few weeks ago, I “penciled” this in as a win. NC State has won on the road at FSU and last night knocked off Duke in a very well played game. There is no doubt the Pack is playing their best ball of the year, and in all fairness, so are the Terps. This is no time for the Terps to lay the proverbial egg. This is a home game and they need to keep winning the home games since they have stolen one on the road.
Enjoy this season, it is going to be exciting, and most likely aggravating. It is going to keep you on the edge of your seat, and you are going to want to watch every conference game for every team, because you never know what you might see. Go Terps, and be sure to follow us at Turtledroppings all season long.
I’m by far a bigger football fan but this basketball season is going to feature a lot of what I love about football – that every game counts. Like you said, I’m starting to keep an eye on other ACC matchups; I never used to do that for bball.
[...] break my heart” guard, is the fact that this conference is wide open (for more on that visit ACC Up for Grabs). Show me the game on the schedule where we can’t win. I’m not saying we run the [...]