After a wild and wacky conference regular season, the ACC women's basketball tournament tips off today in Greensboro, N.C.
This season has seen not only surprising success stories from the likes of Clemson and Florida State, but also disappointing performances by Virginia and North Carolina. But in the tournament, the slate is swiped clean and everyone starts off 0-0. This weekend, each team has something to prove.
Top-seeded Duke (25-3, 13-3 ACC) is the clear-cut favorite to win the tournament. The only team to have two players on the All-ACC first team in senior Georgia Schweitzer and freshman Alana Beard, the Blue Devils played on a different level than the rest of the conference this season.
Although tournament history favors Duke in its first game against Wake Forest, it does not necessarily foreshadow the Devils taking home the trophy. The top seed has never lost in the first round and never to a seed lower than five in the entire tournament; however, the No. 1 seed has only won seven of the tournaments in the past 23 years.
|
After being picked to finish fifth in the preseason, a surprising Clemson team (19-8, 10-6) has played well enough to garner the second seed. Led by Chrissy Floyd and Erin Batth, both members of the All-ACC second team, Clemson is ranked No. 21 in the nation and finished 4-2 against the conference's other top three teams.
Third-seeded N.C. State (18-9, 9-7) is the hottest team coming into the tournament. The Wolfpack won seven games in a row before losing in their season finale to Maryland, their first round opponent. But do not be surprised if they lose to Maryland again on Saturday. The third seed has lost in the first round in three of the past four years.
The conference's biggest surprise - Florida State (17-10, 9-7) - finished fourth during the regular season after preseason polls picked them to finish eighth. Led by first team All-ACC Brooke Wyckoff, the Seminoles handed Duke its only home loss of the season. They will face Virginia tomorrow at 2 p.m.
The Cavaliers (18-12, 8-8) were chosen to finish second in the ACC behind Duke, but their season has been plagued by inconsistency. For every emotional win, there was an equally difficult loss. Sophomore forward Schuye LaRue has been the driving force behind the Virginia team all season, and was voted to the ACC's first team. She is the ACC's leading rebounder with 11.9 rebounds per game and averages the second-most points in the ACC with 18.2.
Much of Virginia's success in the tournament depends on their performance outside the arc. Senior Svetlana Volnaya currently has the highest three-point shooting percentage in the ACC at 45.2 percent, and junior Telisha Quarles is first in ACC in threes made per game.
Since 1990, Virginia has been the first-seeded team going into the tournament seven times and the second-seeded team three times. The last time the Cavaliers were not one of the top two seeds was 1998, when North Carolina beat fifth seed Virginia in the first round.
Virginia coach Debbie Ryan, however, seems reluctant to believe that history will repeat itself. As her team closed out the regular season with a win over Florida State, Ryan grabbed the microphone and told the audience she hoped they would make it to the tournament because "we're going to win there."
The Maryland Terrapins (17-10, 8-8) have eight ACC tournament titles under their belts, more than any other ACC team, but their season has not shown star play. If the ACC's third team All-ACC pick Deedee Warley and honorable mentions Marche Stickland and Renneika Razor step up, the Terps may be able to make the suprising climb to the finals.
North Carolina (14-13, 7-9) has the conference's highest-scoring offense, thanks in large part to LaQuanda Barksdale. Barksdale is a first-team All-ACC pick for the second year in a row and is often compared to Virginia's LaRue. She registers 18.9 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. Teammate Coretta Brown leads the ACC in assists. She and Barksdale will have their hands full against Georgia Tech in the tournament's opening game tonight at 6 p.m.
The Yellow Jackets (14-13, 5-11) look to third-team All-ACC honoree Niesha Butler, to save the team from their own worries this season.
Wake Forest (11-16, 3-13), as the last-seeded team, is on an eight-game losing streak that they may find hard to break against Duke tonight.
After a season that Clemson coach Jim Davis called "wacky" and Georgia Tech coach Agnes Berenato called "phenomenal" for the sheer unpredictability of each game, the ACC Tournament promises to be no less entertaining.
Read More
Lacrosse defenseman Cole Kastner announces transfer to Stanford basketball
By Michael Liebermann | 10 hours agoKastner is reviving a hoops career that has lain dormant since he graduated high school.
Virginia gets second Notre Dame rematch in a dynamic ACC Tournament bout Friday
By Michael Liebermann | 22 hours agoThe Cavaliers will get a shot at redemption against a vaunted ACC foe, in a game with serious postseason seeding implications.
Mel Josephson and women’s lacrosse prepare to take center stage
By Xander Tilock | YesterdayJosephson's ability to perform throughout a game's biggest moments is crucial for the Cavaliers.
