ACC Basketball Update & Power rankings

The ACC continued to flex its muscle as one of the best conferences in the country. The pundits believed it to be the second best behind the Big East.

But that was because few didn’t know where the strength was going to come behind Duke, North Carolina and Miami (Fla.). Well, it turned out to be a deeper conference than expected with Florida State’s emergence, Clemson’s continued rise and Wake Forest’s unexpected rise to No. 1 in January.

But in the end, North Carolina and Duke led the way. The Tar Heels won their 17 th ACC championship, the most in conference history. Duke rebounded from some struggles in February.

The following reviews the season and looks forward to the tournament that begins Thursday in Atlanta.

Player of the Year: Toney Douglas, Florida State, G, Sr. It’s really close between Douglas and North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson. But Douglas gets the nod because it’s doubtful the Seminoles would be poised to go to their first NCAA appearance under coach Leonard Hamilton if he doesn’t have a great year. Douglas led the ACC in scoring and reached a level of play that he had not seen before. And he brought it against Duke and UNC. He averaged 22.5 points in two meetings with the Blue Devils and scored 32 against the Tar Heels.

Coach of the Year: Roy Williams, North Carolina. Sounds silly, right? But look inside. The Tar Heels lost only three games but Williams had to manage his roster when Tyler Hansbrough was hurt early in the season and the team’s best defensive player Marcus Ginyard was eventually lost for the season with a stress fracture in his left foot. And sometimes, managing a talented roster is not as easy as it looks.

Game of the Year: Wake Forest 70, Duke 68. Jan. 28, Winston-Salem, N.C. The matchup between the No. 1 Blue Devils and No. 4 Demon Deacons turned into a beauty. Wake Forest led for most of the way. However, the Blue Devils rallied inside the final minute. Gerald Henderson’s jumper tied the game at 68 with 11 seconds to play. But James Johnson’s layup with 0.8 seconds remaining gave Wake Forest the win.

ACC Tournament Preview

Most Intriguing quarterfinal matchup: No. 6 Boston College vs. No. 2 Duke. This is presuming the Golden Eagles will dispatch of No. 11 Virginia in Thursday’s first round. BC won the only meeting back in February, and the Golden Eagles are just dangerous enough to pull off the upset again. Coach Al Skinner’s team, though, is also maddening. It can beat North Carolina and Duke. It can also lose to Harvard. Senior guard Tyrese Rice will need a big game to help. But Duke is seeing the emergence of Gerald Henderson.

Team with the most to gain: Maryland. The Terrapins tripped at Virginia and blew a chance to finish 8-8 in the league. Now at 7-9, the No. 7 seed can beat North Carolina State. Should they do that, the Terps would get a re-match with No. 2 Wake Forest, a team they played until the final minute in College Park before falling, 65-63, in the final week. A pair of tournament wins gets them into the NCAA tournament.

Team with the most to lose: It’s a tie between Maryland and No. 9 Miami (Fla.). Each need to win their first-round games just to keep faint NCAA hopes alive. The Hurricanes play No. 8 Virginia Tech. The winner keeps its hopes alive and meets North Carolina. The loser is out of the conversation.

Difference maker in the tournament: Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina. The conference’s only four-time unanimous all-conference selection should continue to work harder than anyone on the floor. He returned to school because of this time of year. Averaging 21 points and eight rebounds will do that.

Who wins the tournament: North Carolina. The No.1 team in the country is healthy and wants to make a run at the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. The Tar Heels are playing their best basketball. The timing couldn’t be better.

Power Rankings

1. North Carolina
2. Duke
3. Wake Forest
4. Florida State
5. Clemson
6. Boston College
7. Virginia Tech
8. Maryland
9. Miami (Fla.)
10. North Carolina State
11. Virginia
12. Georgia Tech