02/11/06 Duke @ Maryland – College Park, Md. CBS (XM 191) 1:00 PM
If you watched Maryland beat Virginia the other night, you saw two completely different Maryland teams – the one that played the first 32 minutes and the one that played the final 8. How they do in this game will depend entirely on which team shows up. Sure, they got hot late in the game against the Cavs, but it was their overall effort, particularly on the defensive boards that really made the difference. Sometimes when you take care of all the little things like fighting through screens and boxing out, the more obvious stuff like hitting jumpers just happens.
Do you think Gary is excited about all of the negative attention being paid to Duke in regards to officiating? Couldn’t come at a better time for his team.

I guess it goes without saying, but this one could be an upset. Or, if the first-half-against-Virginia Terp team shows up, a blowout.
02/11/06 UNC Charlotte @ Wake Forest – Winston-Salem, N.C. ABC (XM 192) 3:30 PM
Seriously, it’s getting hard to watch Wake play this year. It’s like watching an alcoholic slowly drink himself to death. I don’t think anyone in Deacon-land would complain if they just canceled the rest of this season.
02/11/06 Virginia Tech @ Virginia – Charlottesville, Va. RJ* (XM 192) 8:00 PM
A rivalry game! Well, almost. Maybe in another five or ten years this will really feel like a big game to Virginia fans. I can’t say for sure, but I’m guessing it’s already big for the Hokies. For Virginia though, Carolina has always been the most hated basketball rival, with Duke and Maryland as close alternates.
The winner of this one keeps their NIT hopes alive.
02/11/06 Clemson @ Boston College – Boston, MA RJ* (XM 193) 8:00 PM
Remember a few weeks ago when Clemson was 11-0? I think I wrote about how they always start that way and it’s always a mirage. Well guess what?
On the flip side, BC’s 0-3 ACC start is a distant memory and if you look at their remaining ACC schedule, it’s easy to see them losing no more than one more conference game. They certainly won’t lose this one.
02/12/06 NC State @ Georgia Tech – Atlanta, Ga. RJ (XM 191) 1:00 PM
Eight losses in a row for Georgia Tech. And counting. Their next four games? State at home, at UNC, at Maryland and home against Duke.
Anyone want to bet that the streak hits 12 games?
02/12/06 UMass @ Florida State – Tallahassee, Fla. FSN (XM 192) 5:30 PM
FSU still has realistic NCAA dreams. They can’t afford to lose games like this. Lose to UMass at home and you don’t deserve an NCAA bid, period.
02/12/06 North Carolina @ Miami – Coral Gables, Fla. FSN (XM 191) 8:00 PM
Hmm, this is an interesting one. Miami sort of exposed UNC a few weeks ago up in Chapel Hill, but since then the Heels have adjusted and improved. Meanwhile, Miami has also done pretty well, with the exception of the beating they took in Charlottesville. They haven’t convinced me they are for real yet though. I like the talent, but I don’t like the schemes (and I’m being generous with that word). I wonder if the Hurricanes wouldn’t actually be better without Guillermo Diaz? He’s the kind of talented player who has a game that ruins his teammates’ games.
I say the Heels take the lessons they learned from Duke the other night and apply them in a road win over the Canes. If that does happen, look for Miami to drop three in a row (the two after UNC are Duke and BC on the road). This is not a team that I think will react well to a three-game skid.