Picking the ACC Tournament ... or at least trying.
Maybe it's because I'm a glutton for punishment from readers who will inevitable write in and call me an idiot (sort of like the ones who wrote in after I posted my thoughts on the whole Roy v. K injury debacle). Or maybe it's just because I like a challenge. Maybe I think that maybe, just maybe, I might get it right.
Whatever the root cause, I've decided to have my own one-man challenge: picking all the games of the ACC Tournament. Here goes:
No. 8 Wake Forest vs. No. 9 Florida State - Wake and its young talent is probably the popular pick here, but I'm going to go with the experienced - albeit - erratic Seminoles and their strong backcourt. FSU
No. 5 Miami vs. No. 12 N.C. State - I know the Wolfpack topped Miami earlier this season, but the Hurricanes are playing a lot better now and State is ... well ... not so good. MIAMI
No. 7 Georgia Tech vs. No. 10 Virginia - Believe it or not, this is actually the best matchup of the first day. I like the way both teams are playing right now, but the Cavs have Sean Singletary and the Jackets don't. VIRGINIA
No. 6 Maryland vs. No. 11 Boston College - I'm taking Maryland here just because I'm afraid of what might happen to Gary Williams if the Terrapins' slide continues. MARYLAND.
No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 9 Florida State - Unless Ryan Reid takes out Ty Lawson again this one goes the way of the Tar Heels. UNC.
No. 4 Virginia Tech vs. No. 5 Miami - I know the Hokies need this game more for its NCAA resume more than the Canes, but I still can't shake my feeling that Miami will win. If that makes me a Frank Haith homer (Western Alamance High represent!) then so be it. MIAMI.
No. 2 Duke vs. No. 10 Virginia - Pay no attention to the seedings here. This one will be tight. Do I have the guts to pick the major upset? I do not. DUKE.
No. 3 Clemson vs. No. 6 Maryland - A lot of times in tournaments, the team that had to play the first day has an edge on the team that has the bye into the second round. I think this will be on of those times. Good Greivis makes an appearance and the Terps garner an NCAA berth with the mild upset. MARYLAND.
No. 1 UNC vs. No. 5 Miami - If teams that played and won in the first round have an advantage when the play teams that have a bye into the second round, by the third-round the advantage has swung around to the teams that have only played once, instead of twice already. That's a long way of saying the Tar Heel pull away in the final 10 minutes. UNC.
No. 2 Duke vs. No. 6 Maryland - Ahh, the game that Greivis Vasquez has long awaited! (It's a long story, but apparently he feels slighted by DeMarcus Nelson. You're not going to believe this, but I think Nelson's quotes were actually taken out of context). I see him playing above his head in the first half and then switching over to Bad Greivis in the second half. Duke takes advantage of a slew of turnovers and comes from behind for the win. DUKE.
No. 1 UNC vs. No. 2 Duke - I know, I know, criticize me for my lack of creativity. But sometimes it takes courage to defy convention and go with the chalk. (Yes, I realize that makes no sense). I'll take that approach all the way through. Tyler Hansbrough has a game more like the one he played against Duke in Chapel Hill and the Tar Heels claim the ACC title for the second year in a row. UNC.
So there you have it. And it's out in the cyberspace for eternity now. I expect to get emails mocking my picks up until the year 2045. After that, I'm closing out my account.