You know, I just knew in the back of my mind when I wrote this:
- Clemson Few teams are better than the Tigers in pushing their opponents out of their comfort zone, with disruptive steals and a perimeter-oriented game that keeps their opponents from shooting the three. The Tigers also have a good road record and the most impressive win over Duke this season. If they can fix the lapse in focus that had them finish 1-3 they could go far.
- Miami The Hurricanes gave the Tar Heels a scare earlier in the season, slowing the pace of the game down and relying on Jack McClinton to score at will. It took a heroic effort by Ty Lawson to win that game, and if Lawson's not in the lineup, they could slip through to the weekend. Although Miami has had that much luck on the road in conference, they pull down rebounds pretty well and have the most overtime experience of anyone in the league with three games. Of course, they lost all three...
...that I was dooming these teams to first round losses. And sure enough, two games into the ACC Tournament Miami has been eliminated by Virginia Tech in a slow game punctuated by long stretches without scores, and Clemson was sent home by hapless Georgia Tech. I guess they didn't fix that focus thing after all, but it was nice to see Lewis Clinch have a shining ACC moment as a senior.
If I was Wake Forest, I'd be rather worried right about now.