A Look Ahead

(This article appears on www.hokiehaven.com.)

The view down from the top of the ACC ladder is a vantage point Hokie fans have only felt on the gridiron, until now. Coach Seth Greenberg has led the 2007 Virginia Tech squad to the top spot in the ACC standings at the beginning of February, a dramatic turnaround for a team that joined the ACC just a few years ago. As the air gets rarer, each contest looms larger and larger. Check out what's on tap this week.

NC State (11-8, 1-5 ACC)
Good Wins: Michigan, 74-67
Bad Losses: at Cincinnati, 80-71

The Wolfpack started 2006 with promise, jumping to a 5-0 berth against inferior competition, capping the streak with a win over Michigan. Since the start, NC State is 6-8, and has four ACC losses by at least 11, with only a conquest of last place Wake Forest in the win column. First year coach Sidney Lowe is getting 15-plus points an outing from three players; they're all 6-foot-8 or taller, and they all return in 2008. Freshman Brandon Costner leads the Pack in both points (16.7 ppg) and rebounds (7.8 rpg), and has logged three double-doubles in the last seven outings. In fact, he hasn't been held below 11 points this season and stopping Costner doesn't really seem to be an option. Sophomore Ben McCauley and junior Gavin Grant also score and rebound for NC State, and Grant puts up a very high number of assists (4.5 apg) for a man of his size (6-foot-8). The bad news for NC State is that Grant also turns the ball over an astounding 4.8 times per game, and if he tries to get too clever with the ball against Tech's quick guards, that number could double.

NC State can certainly score, lighting the neon to the tune of about 78 points per game. They also aren't fond of defense, and they've given up at least 71 to every ACC team they've played this season. The Wolfpack is a very young team with a bright future, but this year, they're still pretty bad; even in their one ACC win, they didn't play exceptionally well, but managed to shoot 61% from the field en route to beating Wake Forest. The key for Dowdell and company is to hassle the Pack's guard crew into making mistakes and fouling. Engin Atsur, the NC State floor general, has been absent or ineffective since November, and whoever fills his shoes will simply not be very good. If Tech waits long enough on each possession, the good shots will be there.

Boston College (14-6, 6-2 ACC)
Good Wins: Michigan State, 65-58, Maryland, 73-62
Bad Losses: Vermont, 77-63, at Providence, 73-64, Duquesne, 98-93

Ssshhh. Don't tell the national media, but Virginia Tech at Boston College might be the biggest ACC contest so far this season. UNC/Duke will get the hype, but this one will be played by two experienced, smart teams with the seasoning to make deep NCAA runs. Jared Dudley is an absolute beast at power forward, scoring 17 or more seven of eight times in the ACC, and snaring eight rebounds or more six of eight times. Not surprisingly, when Boston College has lost, Dudley has given his two lowest scoring outings of the conference season. Boston College is one team that Tech can't approach with the perspective that they'll let the other team's starter get his points. Dudley must have his touches and shots limited, and he has to be held under 18 points. When he goes off, the Eagles follow, and they win. BC doesn't have any high-quality distributors when sophomore Tyrese Rice (16ppg, 5.9 apg) isn't on the floor. Rice doesn't like to foul; he's committed only 1.7 per game this year. It will be incumbent on Dowdell, or whoever's assignment Rice draws, to initiate some contact on the offensive end, and try to put the sophomore in a position where he's playing "careful."

Freshman Shamari Spears is a big body at 6-foot-6, 244-pounds., and has continued to develop with increased minutes, grabbing over six boards a game since entering the lineup in place of departed center Sean Williams who was a shot-blocking monster in the middle. Williams absence has to be considered the chief reason for Boston College's recent struggles, going 1-2 in their last 3 ACC contests, and looking bad doing it. Even without Williams, a win at Chestnut Hill would have to be considered a major steal in the ACC standings, and would position the Hokies for an 8-1 ACC record heading into Chapel Hill next weekend.