Crunch time has arrived in the ACC men's basketball world. As the calendar moves closer to March, the mad scramble for NCAA Tournament bids should only intensify. The ACC will likely receive between four and six slots in the Tournament field. Currently, though, eight teams still have a legitimate shot at attaining one of those cherished berths.
Virginia (12-9, 6-5 ACC) is one of those squads whose hopes have not been extinguished. Coach Dave Leitao understands the small margin between success and failure in the ACC as well as the critical importance of the upcoming sprint to the finish.
"It's a matter of putting the final details on coming together as best you can -- both in chemistry and [in execution] -- and [doing] the necessary things on the court," Leitao said. In this league it usually "comes down to a couple of possessions one way or another. That, ultimately, is how good teams are defined -- how you play the last part of the season out and how you make those final plays in the late stages of games."
With an unblemished conference record, Duke is a lock to go to the Tournament, likely with one of the four No. 1 seeds. N.C. State and Boston College are also both reasonably assured of getting spots. ACC teams that are on the bubble include Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, Miami and Florida State. Of these hopefuls, North Carolina is currently the best bet to receive an invitation to college basketball's version of the prom. Teams that do not get into the NCAA Tournament but finish with records of .500 or better are eligible to be selected for college basketball's homecoming equivalent, the NIT Tournament that culminates at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
"This year, in the conference, I think there have been more close games than I have ever seen before," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said during Monday's ACC teleconference. "You can look at everyone's record and say that they could have three or four more wins, or in our case, three more losses by one possession."
The winner of Saturday's match in Tallahassee between Virginia and Florida State (14-6, 5-5 ACC) will solidify its own credentials while delivering a wounding blow to the loser's résumé. The contest is especially important for the Cavaliers, as they likely still need at least one more solid road win to impress the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee that will determine the field.
At 7 p.m. tonight, however, the Cavaliers face a different sort of test when they tip off against unaffiliated Longwood (7-18) in what is Virginia's final non-conference game of the regular season. The Cavaliers began practice at 6 a.m. Tuesday morning, showing that they are preparing for the Lancers just as seriously as they would for a conference opponent.
"It doesn't matter who you play," freshman forward Laurynas Mikalauskas said. "You still have to go through the same preparations. I'm ready."
Read More
With last-second three-pointer, SMU silences men’s basketball
By Michael Liebermann and Thomas Baxter | 9 hours agoThe late shot crushed a bouncing arena.
With dominance and high hopes, women’s tennis opens the spring season
By Gracie Genereux | 10 hours agoA commanding opening victory set the stage for the season to come.
No. 6 women’s squash falls to No. 5 Stanford in first match of the new year
By Peter Kratz | YesterdayThe Cavaliers fall to 0-1 in conference play after their first clash with the Cardinal.
