The ACC Hierarchy

Jonah Keri writes the college basketball closer (more or less) daily. E-mail your questions, comments or Clarence Ceasar-related memories to [email protected].

No. 3 with a bullet? So who's the third-best team in the ACC? Clemson's ruined a perfect start with a last-second loss to North Carolina and a stinker against Charlotte. Maryland, N.C. State and Georgia Tech are in rebuilding mode. After getting whacked 76-66 in Chestnut Hill last night, you have to wonder about Miami too. To find the next best bet after Carolina and Duke, you might have to go with the team that smacked Miami around last night, the Boston College Eagles. BC ran its ACC record to 3-0, thanks to a 20-point performance by freshman guard Rakim Sanders. The losses of Jared Dudley and Craig Smith figured to set BC back this season. But if Sanders can give the Eagles a viable second option to go with Tyrese Rice, they could make things interesting. Sort of. In a no one outside Tobacco Road gets out of the first road of the tournament kind of way.

Whipping Boys. After being held to their lowest point total in more than 50 years against Iowa, Michigan State was ready to run through walls against their next opponent. Ohio State caught the brunt of that fury, as the Spartans ran out to a 32-11 first-half lead, then held on to win 66-60. Jamar Butler led all scorers with 21 points, helping the Buckeyes close to within three early in the second half before Michigan State pulled away for good. No big surprise there. The Spartans are nearly unbeatable in the P'Zone.

Shootout in Waco. What, too soon? Well screw it, Baylor's 79-71 win over Oklahoma State marked the latest impressive effort for a much improved Bears team. Baylor's now 14-2 for the season and 2-0 in Big 12 play, with a chance to crack the AP's Top 25 for the first time in forever. In fact, the number one threat to status quo in the Big 12? Bears!

Predictions. I picked Georgetown over Pitt by 10 and Kansas over Oklahoma by 13. Kansas did beat Oklahoma soundly, though the Jayhawks actually blitzed the Sooners by 30. The big surprise came from the Panthers, who knocked off the Hoyas 69-60. Pitt's new starting backcourt of Ronald Ramon and Keith Benjamin combined to score 36 points, while DeJuan Blair scored 15 points and added nine boards. Full credit to Pitt, which has fared well since Mike Cook and Levance Fields went down to injuries. But the bigger story might be Georgetown's uneven play. The Hoyas needed a last-second Roy Hibbert three-pointer(!) to beat a mediocre UConn team on home Saturday, then followed with a weak effort against Pitt. DaJuan Summers is fighting a sophomore slump lately, going 9-for-33 over his past four games, including an 0-for-7, zero-point effort against the Panthers. If the Hoyas can't find a reliable second banana up front to replace Jeff Green, they're going to struggle against the Big East's elite, and they'll be a prime candidate for an early exit in the NCAA tournament.

Florida 70, No. 18 Mississippi 66. Finally, an upset pick, albeit a minor one. Ole Miss has just one loss on the season, a two-point loss to Tennessee, and has been ranked for a good chunk of the season. But Florida's coming around faster than expected after losing their top six players from last season. Gators freshman Nick Calathes figures to be the best player on the court, and 6'10", 250-pound sophomore Marreese Speights should cause major match-up problems.

UMass 74, No. 14 Dayton 72. What the heck, let's pick two. Brian Roberts has been a monster this season, averaging more than 20 points a game and emerging as a favorite for A-10 Player of the Year honors. But he's also been something of a one-man team, with freshman forward Chris Wright averaging 10.4 points a contest and no one else in double figures. UMass trots out two big scorers in Gary Forbes and Ricky Harris, owns road wins against Boston College and Syracuse, and needs a W after losing their conference opener to St. Joseph's. Dayton's 13-game winning streak could be in jeopardy.

Record: 5-4 Results within five points: 1-8