UNC and Duke are still elite programs, but what in the world happened to the rest of the ACC? This conference used to run 9, 10, sometimes 11 teams deep, and this conference tournament was can’t miss television. Now, does anyone really want to sit through a Maryland-Wake Forest game or Clemson-Va Tech? Really? No, you don’t.
19 of the 20 have either UNC or Duke winning this tournament…go figure.
Championship Picks
10 for #1 North Carolina
9 for #2 Duke (Dave, J, KA, Lil Lohse, Lynch, Mac, RSmith, Teddy, Waters)
1 for #3 Florida St. (Primm)
Biggest Upsets
R1 – #12 Boston College (Lil Lohse, RSmith, Waters)
QF – #12 Boston College (Waters)
SF – #6 Miami (FL) (RDoc)
Previous CTC Champions
2011 – Alexi
2010 – Stri
2009 – Doogan
2008 – Bry
#8 Maryland vs. #9 Wake Forest
It’s amazing that Wake Forest was able to finish ahead of three other ACC teams. I’m not sure if that is a testament to the Deacons or an indictment of this conference’s lack of depth. Mark Turgeon’s first year in College Park was up and down, but he’ll turn this thing around, don’t worry, Terp fans.
Primm is the only one that took Wake in this mild upset. KA is the only one that doesn’t have UNC beating the winner of this, as she has Maryland in the semis.
#5 N.C. State vs. #12 Boston College
Maybe this Wolfpack team, despite having a ton of talent, just doesn’t have “it.” And, it probably all stems from their best player. Let’s finally admit that C.J. Leslie is a dog. A phenomenally talented player that just doesn’t know what it takes to win. Good luck in the the D-League, C.J. BC is just completely devoid of talent, but they are well-coached.
Lil Lohse, RDoc, and Waters all have BC in this huge upset pick. Waters even has the Eagles in the semis. 5 people have N.C. State beating UVa next round (Doogan, Gross, J, Lynch, RSmith).
#7 Clemson vs. #10 Virginia Tech
What is a Selection Sunday without a livid Seth Greenberg? Personally, I’m gonna miss the Va Tech bubble popping. The Clemson Tigers need to rebuild a bit, and all Tiger fans hope that they can do that. I don’t think people understand just how good the Oliver Purnell Era was, as opposed to the typical Clemson eras. We’ll see if they revert back to the ACC doormat that they were for pretty much my entire childhood.
The field is exactly split on this game, as 10 of the 20 took Va Tech in the upset (Bry, Dave, Doogan, J, Lohse, Lynch, Mac, RDoc, Stri, Teddy). No one has either of these teams beating Duke next round.
#6 Miami (FL) vs. #11 Georgia Tech
Another coach that was probably unappreciated was Paul Hewitt. Then again, it was probably time for him to go at GTech, as he wasn’t able to win even with a whole load of lottery picks. Miami is a different team with Reggie Johnson, and they have him now, so this team might be heading to the Dance. But, they, at the very least, have to avoid a bad loss here to GTech.
Bry, J, and Lil Lohse were the only three people to take Ga Tech in this upset pick. Alexi, Dave, Doogan, Lohse, Lynch, Mac, RDoc, RSmith, and Stri all have Miami reaching the semis. RDoc has them in the finals.
