Duke, Carolina renew rivalry

Thursday, March, 5, 2009; 9:07 PM | 0 | | Print

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TOPICS: acc basketball weekend

Georgia Tech (11-17, 2-13)

at Boston College (20-10, 8-7)

Saturday, Noon

The Yellow Jackets were riding a seven-game losing streak. But that was completely forgotten after upsetting NCAA Tournament hopeful Miami on Wednesday evening. After claiming just its second conference win, the Ramblin' Wreck will have to go through Tyrese Rice and Boston College in Chestnut Hill this Saturday. Although the game is during the day, it has been designated as Senior Night at the Conte Forum, which will only make a win for the Atlantic Coast Conference's last place team even more difficult to achieve. Rice, one of those seniors, is averaging 5.3 assists per game, second only to Ty Lawson of North Carolina's Tar Heels. On top of that, he is also scoring more than 17 points a game. This year, he has taken over games and lifted his Eagles to wins over North Carolina, Duke and Florida State. Georgia Tech's Gani Lawal is averaging double digits in both points and rebounds and guard Lewis Clinch is coming off a career-high 30-point effort against the 'Canes.

North Carolina State (16-12, 6-9)

at Miami (17-11, 6-9)

Saturday, Noon

With only two wins on the road in this 2008-09 season, the Wolfpack hopes to better its away record when it rolls into Miami to take on the Hurricanes. Like the home team's name implies, North Carolina State is going to have to hold on tight to keep from getting blown away. Senior point guard Jack McClinton is second in the ACC among point guards when it comes to scoring, averaging 19.7 per game, while NC State's leading scorer -- Brandon Costner -- puts up just under 14 points per contest. To escape with a victory, the Wolfpack is going to have to shut down McClinton and score with every player on the floor. If they can get off to a hot start similar to their early streak against the Hokies in Blacksburg, they have a solid chance of pulling off the upset. In addition, a win over a solid  Boston College club can only benefit to the 'Pack's momentum. Miami, who lost on the road to Georgia Tech on Wednesday, has only dropped two home games to unranked opponents  this season.

Maryland (18-11, 7-8)

at Virginia (9-17, 3-12)

Saturday, 3:30 p.m.

Virginia is coming off four losses in a row. After being trounced at Clemson on Tuesday by a count of 75-57, the Cavs will be looking to rebound from a lackluster performance against a top-20 school. Sylven Landesberg may be the best player that the Cavaliers have seen since Sean Singletary, averaging more than 17 points per game as a freshman. At the friendly confines of John Paul Jones Arena, this group is a totally different team, having taken down the likes of Clemson and Virginia Tech in back-to-back home victories. Maryland, on the other hand, is led by the best all around guard in the ACC.  Greivis Vasquez scores 17 points per game, accompanied by 5.5 rebounds and five assists. The fact that Vasquez averages more rebounds than anyone on the team may be the Terps' weaknesses. Virginia will look to take control of the inside post and save a season that is now based on pride and, in this case, playing the role of spoiler.

No. 7 Duke (25-5, 11-4)

at No. 2 North Carolina (26-3, 12-3)

Sunday, 4 p.m.

These two teams have gotten used to winning on each other's home court. Duke has taken seven of the last 10 meetings at Chapel Hill, but North Carolina appears to be the superior team when the two heated rivals clashed earlier this season inside Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Tar Heels pulled away from Duke in the second half, and the Blue Devils have anxiously been waiting for their chance at revenge. Their forward, Gerald Henderson, is one of the most explosive players in the game, frequently digging into his repertoire of dunks to silence opposing fans. Duke also shoots a consistent 34 percent from behind the arc, while UNC is at 38 percent. Quick Carolina guard Ty Lawson is a stellar athlete who can get it done whether or not he is scoring. Statistics are irrelevant in this intense match-up. The winner of this affair will be the team with the most pride.

No. 19 Clemson (23-6, 9-6)

at No. 10 Wake Forest (23-5, 10-5)

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