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The 21st/22nd (ESPN/AP)-ranked Baylor Bears have arrived at a crossroads in their 2009-10 campaign. After battling through the Big 12 for 16 games and securing the highest conference tournament seeding in BU history, this team and its fans have a rare chance to reflect on success before gearing up for Kansas City.

As a longtime Baylor fan—and masochist, I suppose (it comes with the territory)—I have tried to rationalize the underachieving performances of many of our major sports teams with friends, family, and anyone willing to pretend that our existence in the Big 12 is important for something other than women’s whiffle ball. 

For once, I don’t have to explain anything.

It’s about time.

Granted, the media continue to bring up the Dennehy scandal and the university’s progress from a horrible situation that left the athletic program in shambles etc., etc., ad nauseum.  And ESPN watchers everywhere know that the program has come a long way. 

As a result, Baylor has taken its fair share of back pats and backhanded compliments. Hopefully, that will all go away soon.  

But this season isn’t about baby-step progress.  It’s about winning.  It’s about being elite. 

Associating the word “elite” with Baylor athletics will no doubt draw some smirks from outsiders.  But chances are, Baylor beat your team this year.  And this is a rare shot at gaining serious momentum at a school that has beaten down for too long.

Going to the NCAA tournament in 2008 was great and all—it showed that Baylor athletics actually has a pulse—but to everyone who isn’t a Baylor fan, the recent “success” is two or three standard deviations away from where Baylor should be as a program—and it's unlikely to continue at this level.  

That’s why there’s talk about Coach Drew leaving for bigger and better things.  That’s why there’s talk about unethical recruiting.  That’s why our players play second fiddle to Kansas, Kansas State, Texas, and Texas A&M’s athletes in this year’s Big 12 awards.   That’s why the Bears are tied for second in the Big 12 with an RPI of 8 and yet continue to be ranked in the 20s nationally in both polls.

And that’s why Baylor will need to make a statement in the NCAA tournament this year.  At some point as a program, you have to do something to force the world to sit up and pay attention—and beating a crappy Texas team twice isn’t good enough.

The Bears need to lock down a No. 4 seed or better—and then go knock the teeth out of a few NCAA tournament teams.  Is the idea of winning a tournament game really that crazy?  Or two games?  Or three games?  This team has won seven of its last eight games in the hardest conference in the nation. 

And they’ve methodically picked enough monkeys off of their backs to sell out a banana convention—including the sweeps of three Big 12 South teams.  Who cares if Oklahoma, Tech, and Texas are down?  This team is doing what last year’s couldn’t until the postseason—beating the teams they’re supposed to beat and then pulling off a couple of surprises. 

And they’ve got the Big Mo.

Optimism is the downfall of any Baylor fan—but in this moment of reflection, you can’t help but smile at what could be during the next few weeks.  It’s a good time to be a Baylor Bear.

Now let’s all say a prayer of thanks for Drew’s discovery of zone defense.  Amen.

________

This article originally appeared on: Bear Crawl.

Follow Bear Crawl on Twitter: @BearCrawlBaylor

Now that the NHL is in the final quarter of the season and the trade deadline has passed, teams are who they are—and the forecast of the future is clearer. Thus, it seems logical to gaze into the crystal ball and project the final standings.

For this article, I will examine not only each playoff team's position, but also predict the number of points each finishes with and give a brief explanation why. In the next article, I will project the playoffs.

1. Washington Capitals (120): This team has arguably the most impressive offence in the league, and it is getting better in net. Moreover, the Capitals play in by far the weakest division in the NHL, and they already have a game-and-a-half lead over the team with the next best record—San Jose.
2. San Jose Sharks (117): For more on them, visit me at Shark-Infested Blogger.
3. Chicago Blackhawks (116): While they own the tiebreaker over San Jose, they have at least as tough a schedule the rest of the way— and a two-point deficit.
4. Vancouver Canucks (106): With the energy and glut of home games left following the Olympics, they should dominate a subpar division and finish with the fourth-best record in the league.
5. Pittsburgh Penguins (104): The defending champions have a game-and-a-half lead in their division and added Jordan Leopold at the trade deadline without giving up a player on the current roster.
6. Buffalo Sabres (100): Olympic MVP Ryan Miller will not be in front of his home fans much in the final stretch, but his team should be able to hold onto the two-game lead it holds—and maybe even let him rest for a game or two.
7. Los Angeles Kings (102): This young team has all three phases— scoring forwards, a stout and mobile blue line, and a goalie it can ride.
8. New Jersey Devils (101): Martin Brodeur will be resolved to redeem his shaky Olympic performance, and the rest that his failures got him should help.
9. Phoenix Coyotes (101): Dave Tippett deserves a lot of credit for keeping this young team focused at the beginning of the season through all the bankruptcy talk—despite a lack of familiarity with one another. The Coyotes are nowhere near this good, but they skate well, never take a shift off, and stick to the system.
10. Colorado Avalanche (98): Another overachieving team that skates well, Colorado will make you work and has one of the best home records (Should we credit the thin air, the fact that it's in their opponents' heads, or something else entirely?), where it plays nine of their last 17.
11. Detroit Red Wings (97): Watch out now that the repeat Western Conference champions are healthy!
12. Ottawa Senators (95): If it weren't for having 11 of its final 16 games on the road, this team could win the Northeast Division. Behind—or in front of—the surprising play of former Wisconsin Badger champion goalie Brian Elliot, this deep team is firing on all cylinders, despite having battled through injuries.
13. Philadelphia Flyers (94): A seasoned team with a lot of scoring and a physical blue line, the only thing missing in Philadelphia is the one thing it has lacked for as long as I can remember—goaltending.
14. Nashville Predators (93): Barry Trotz may be the best coach in the league, keeping a perennial bottom-salaried team in the playoffs. But in the end, it lacks the talent to hold off a now-healthy Detroit team—but it will be enough to hold off a dysfunctional Calgary squad and an Anaheim one with too much ground to make up.
15. Boston Bruins (91): A team with a couple of good lines, a couple of great defencemen, and a couple of great goalies is always dangerous. The bad news is that 10 of its last 18 games are on the road; the good news is, the Bruins road record is better than their home record.
16. Montreal Canadiens (90): With Mike Cammalleri due to return any day, this team will sneak in ahead of the defence-challenged Lightning and depth-challenged Thrashers despite its weak division—as well as the inconsistent New York Rangers.

A 16-seed will beat a number one seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament. Just telling you right now, it’s going to happen—this year.

It's a 16-seed odyssey. Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, or Syracuse will lose in the first round of this NCAA Tournament.

The shot heard around the world. A tiny nobody full of working class heroes will beat one of the vaunted this March, sending the world into insanity.

Nothing makes sense. It’s impossible. Never gonna happen, so they say.

We’ve seen stranger things happen in the past few years in sports.

We have seen the fall of the Tiger Empire, the rise of the King Empire, and upsets in between. All empires must crumble at some point.

Appalachian State beat Michigan in football. Le Moyne beat Syracuse in hoops. The USA hockey team, led by one-time Chris Drury in his days of Little League Baseball, almost shocked Canada at its own game.

The New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl. I repeat the Saints are your Super Bowl champions.

The men’s national team has a chance to dethrone England at the World Cup this June at its own game.

What if?

Imagine how soccer will matter overnight if Landon Donovan and his team full of Americans can go win a World Cup match over England in soccer, a sport we ignored for over 100 years because of its heritage.

If miracles didn’t happen, we wouldn’t have 1980 Team USA hockey, Hoosiers or the Milan Miracle, or Rudy.

Joe Namath wouldn’t have won a Super Bowl over an NFL team. Texas Western wouldn’t beat Kentucky at the NCAA Tournament in the 1960’s or Jackie Robinson would have never played an out in Major League Baseball if miracles didn’t exist.

While we are at it, we probably wouldn’t have a black president either.

Guess what?

Impossible happens all the time in our culture.

In England for one competition per year, the little guy has a chance to knock off the big Premiership dog in something called the FA Cup.

And wouldn’t you know it, somebody falls every single season that had no business being place on the same pitch as the little guy.

Want proof?

In the third round of the FA Cup this season, Championship side Leeds United hosted and defeated three-time defending Premiership winners Manchester United, 1-0, over a club in an entire division ahead of them. It would be like Richmond beating Alabama in NCAA football.

Happens all the time. In the 2002 World Cup, the Americans scored three early goals against the ‘Golden Generation’ of Portugal, a group handpicked to bring Portugal glory in the 2002 World Cup, and held on to win 3-2 over one of the favorites in the entire tournament.

It was the equivalent of Team USA in 1980. These yanks aren’t supposed to know how to play soccer?

Its football, they say to us.

Eight seeds have defeated one seeds in the NBA Playoffs, so why couldn’t a 16-seed get hot against a 2-3 zone or a young Kentucky team to send them reeling for 40 minutes?

It just hasn’t happened… yet.

It will. And it will be in 2010.

Madness will ensue. It’s gonna be fun.

Former New York Jets running back, Thomas Jones , has found a new home and he hasn't officially been on the open market for even an entire week.

Jones was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs on Tuesday, after he was released by the Jets last Friday, after posting back-to-back 1,300+ yard seasons.

Jones also rushed for at least 12 touchdowns in each of the past two seasons, and helped the Jets gain momentum at the end of the year and make a push all the way to the AFC Championship game.

However, in the process, he began to wear down some and played second-fiddle to rookie running back Shonn Greene.

This is his fourth team since being drafted as the seventh overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 2000, and at 32, is almost guaranteed to be playing a minimal role in Kansas City, where he is expected to back-up Jamaal Charles.

Jones still has some tread on his tires, even as a back over 30 years of age, but in order to prolong his career and keep him effective, the Chiefs will likely limit him to 10-15 carries, while giving their running game another solid option to lean on.

Jammal Charles will keep his starting job and approach 15-20 carries per game, while Jones will almost certainly take over near the goal-line and in short yardage, and can also be useful on passing downs when Charles is unavailable.

Fantasy Perspective: This move doesn't hurt Charles's stock nearly as much as some will suggest. In fact, it might help it. The touchdowns may go down, but Charles progressed into a feature back last year, so the yards and overall touches will undoubtedly be there.

For Jones, his days as a full-time starter are done (as the Jets probably guessed), but if Charles goes down, he could still fill-in as a very capable feature back. He could still be a solid back in fantasy football if he gets close to 10 carries per game, and he should remain effective in the red-zone.

For more Fantasy advice and NFL Free Agency coverage, head over to NFL Soup.

With just more than a month and a half to go until the 2010 NFL Draft, the Steelers are addressing team needs through free agency. 

After re-signing Ryan Clark, Pittsburgh is expected to return all 22 starters.  The Steelers added depth at several positions by signing Will Allen, S; Jonathan Scott, OT; Antwaan Randle El, WR; and Arnez Battle, WR. 

With no immediate need to fill a starting position, Kevin Colbert and the rest of the Steelers front office and coaching staff can focus on drafting the best available athletes.  The Steelers now have the freedom to address any area on the team without feeling the need to find a starter at a certain position—and as a result, the possibilities are nearly endless for their first round.  Here is my first seven-round mock draft:

1.18—Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee

With Casey Hampton signed to a new three-year deal, the Steelers can be sure that they have a big nose tackle to clog up the middle of their defense.  However, Hampton is on the wrong side of 30—and while he may be able to play effectively for three more seasons, a player such as Williams will ensure that the Steelers can have a dominating defense for years to come.

Williams has been moving up draft boards and is ranked by many as the third-rated defensive tackle behind Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy.  He is the perfect size for a 3-4 nose tackle and would provide the Steelers with another young defensive lineman to allow them to continue to build toward the future while still keeping an eye on the present.  It is essential that a 3-4 defense has a dominant force in the middle—and Williams would be just that.

This was a very tough selection, with the expectations that players such Earl Thomas, S; Jared Odrick, DE; and Maurkice Pouncey, C, could all be available.  This will certainly be a selection that will require a lot of thought.  The good news: Pittsburgh will have plenty of options at taking an excellent prospect.

2.52—Matt Tennant, C, Boston College

Ideally, the Steelers will be able to find a defensive back or inside linebacker in the second round, but there is a chance there will not be a player of value available.  Tennant is one of the top centers in this year’s draft, starting the last 41 games at that position.  He has good size for a center, standing at 6’4”—which is necessary to handle the big defensive tackles found in the AFC North.  This is particularly important to match up with the Ravens defensive line.  Boston College has also produced quality NFL linemen over the years.

Pittsburgh would also be putting a focus on a position that has had excellence for about 40 years—with Ray Mansfield, Mike Webster, Dermontti Dawson, and Jeff Hartings.  Recently, the Steelers have struggled to fill the position with Sean Mahan and Justin Hartwig.  With a year of development, Tennant can step in and provide a major upgrade at the position.

3.82—Donovan Warren, CB, Michigan

After watching the defense last season, it is evident that the Steelers need to upgrade at cornerback.  Ike Taylor is the only starting-caliber cornerback on the roster.  William Gay struggled in that role this past season—and Keenan Lewis and Joe Burnett are still unknowns. 

Considering Warren ran a slow 40-yard dash at the combine, he should be available in the third round.  Despite this performance, Warren started three years for the Michigan Wolverines and was named to the 2009 All-Big Ten First Team.  He has good size for a cornerback, and he plays a physical game. 

Another year of seasoning would have been beneficial, but he will get quality coaching from the Steelers staff.  He should eventually become a starter. 

4.113—Pat Angerer, ILB, Iowa

While Angerer does not have the pure physical tools as Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons has, he was a very productive player at Iowa.  A tackling machine, Angerer ranked fourth in the nation in tackles per game.  He could be a “glue player,” performing much of the dirty work and allowing other players, such as Timmons, to use their playmaking abilities.  It would be expected that James Farrior would start for one more season as Angerer develops and learns the Steelers defense.

5.147 – Charles Scott, RB, LSU

At 5’11” and 238 pounds, Scott could be the short-yardage back that the Steelers have been missing.  Last season, Pittsburgh struggled in short-yardage situations—particularly in the red zone.  In addition, a player such as Scott could mean that the Steelers no longer go to an empty backfield on 3rd-and-short.  After only having a productive junior season, when he rushed for 1,174 yards and 18 touchdowns, Scott would be an excellent value late—as he could potentially carry the load.  He would also provide much-needed depth with the impending departure of Willie Parker.

6.178—Nate Byham, TE, Pittsburgh

Tight end is not near the top of the Steelers needs, but at this point of the draft, Byham would be a good fit.  With the emergence of Dorin Dickerson as a receiving threat, Byham finished with only 10 receptions for 108 yards this season.  Despite the lack of receptions, Byham is an adequate receiver who could develop into a solid No. 2.  More importantly, Byham is a solid blocker who helped lead the way for freshman sensation Dion Lewis.  Considering the Steelers plan to put an emphasis on the ground game, the addition of a blocking tight end to compete with their current group, particularly Matt Spaeth, would be beneficial.

7.209—Sean Canfield, QB, Oregon State

There is a possibility that the Steelers will not re-sign Charlie Batch given the development of Dennis Dixon last season.  Batch has been unable to stay healthy—and Pittsburgh may decide to go with a young third-string quarterback.  Canfield would be an ideal late-round prospect.  Coming off a solid senior year, when he completed 67.9 percent of his passes for more than 3,200 yards and 21 touchdowns, Canfield is the ideal physical specimen at 6’4” and 220 pounds.  While Canfield has a lack of experience, he sits back and develops behind Roethlisberger and Dixon.

Overall, this draft adds four offensive and three defensive players.  Offensively, Tennant would have the opportunity to challenge for the starting job at center or guard, while Scott could see time as a short-yardage back.  Byham and Canfield would be third-string developmental players.  Defenisvely, Williams could step in from day one, and at the very least, rotate in and out of the lineup to keep Hampton fresh.  Warren and Angerer need time to develop, but both could see time on special teams and in situational situations throughout the season. 

That would be Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick talking about the potential of Notre Dame joining a conference. There are a handful of quotes from Mr. Swarbrick in the article that mostly sound like your standard political non-answers, but that one quote has Notre Dame fans across the country melting down the message boards.

The question is why?

Is there really a chance that Notre Dame could find itself in a position where remaining independent was no longer the best option?

Here is what I think.

Notre Dame Football is an established brand in the same way that the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys are an established brand. Wherever Notre Dame might be playing on a given Saturday the stadium fills up and TV sets get turned on.

Half of the opponents on the Notre Dame schedule consider their annual contest with the Irish a “Rivalry Game.”

When they play one and done “buy games” at Notre Dame Stadium the other team makes comments about how special it is to play in “The House That Rock Built.” For most of those teams it is their biggest game of the season and they treat it as such.

When the Irish have recently struggled in bowl games many lamented that they were playing in games they really didn’t deserve to be in. But for all the reasons already mentioned the first bowl with a shot at Notre Dame happily extended a bid.

That is the reason that there is no middle ground when it comes to how people feel about the Fighting Irish.

There are Notre Dame fans and there are people that hate Notre Dame with every semblance of their being. There really isn’t a middle ground. It is what it is and that love hate relationship makes the Irish a media darling in both good times and bad.

Regardless of whether you love them or hate them all of those things make Notre Dame an extremely attractive option for any conference. So does the Big Ten want Notre Dame?

Of course they do. Would any other conference jump through hoops to take Notre Dame should the Irish come calling? Probably so, but all of those reasons also mean that Notre Dame still doesn’t really need to join a conference.

People talk about the NBC contract being worth less money than the Irish might make from the Big Ten Network. Does it really even matter?

When was the last time a Notre Dame road game wasn’t on a major network?

Worst case the four true road games are regionally televised on ABC, but most are nationally televised on ABC or one of the ESPN channels. That has been true even in the lean years.

If Notre Dame ever decides that they want a new TV deal with another network they will most likely be able to sit back and watch the bids roll in. So I don’t buy Notre Dame jumping to a conference for a little more TV money.

Then why does the fan base get so riled up whenever this topic comes up?

Shouldn’t we all just instantly dismiss it? At a glance you would think so but we don’t. The football program has been so mismanaged for so long that we all have a mild case of battered wives syndrome.

We no longer trust that the powers that be are going to do the right thing.

The last four coaching hires (including O’Leary) haven’t panned out, the 7-4-1 scheduling model brings a fistful of less than thrilling “buy games” to the schedule, and the perceived “Disneyfication” of the on campus game day experience have a substantial portion of the fan base more than a little nervous about the future.

Those feelings are further exacerbated by the stunning 16 win total amassed in the last three seasons.

There is definitely going to be significant conference realignment in the near future and the ripple effect will undoubtedly be interesting. But getting too riled up about Notre Dame joining a conference at the moment is probably a bit premature.

The truth is we don’t really know what Jack Swarbrick is thinking. If nothing else he has proven to keep things close to the vest until he decides that he’s ready to let his decisions be known. Swarbrick did wrap it up with this quote.

“We’re trying like hell to maintain our football independence,” Swarbrick said. “I think it’s good for college football and it’s good for Notre Dame.”

To me that pretty much sums it up and that isn’t the first time that Jack Swarbrick has said that.

It will take significant external factors to put Notre Dame in a position where joining a conference is the best option. In the mean time the one person that can take some heat off of Swarbrick and the university is Brian Kelly.

If the Irish can get back to winning a lot of football games I think joining a conference in the immediate future becomes even less likely.

No pressure.

__________

This post originally appeared at: One Foot Down

Follow One Foot Down on Twitter: @OneFootDown

On Tuesday, the New York Yankees officially announced yet another bowl game in the form of the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, which will be played at Yankee Stadium on Dec. 30, 2010.

The first annual New Era Pinstripe Bowl will be held between the sixth place team in the Big 12 Conference and the third place team from the Big East. The bowl will be televised on ESPN with a contract that lasts through the 2015 season.

The sponsor, New Era Cap Company, Inc., has a contract with the Pinstripe Bowl for four years, effective immediately.

The inaugural New Era Pinstripe Bowl will be the second college football game played at Yankee Stadium, preceded by Notre Dame vs. Army on Nov. 20. It will also be the first bowl game played in the Bronx since the Gotham Bowl in 1952 between Nebraska and Miami.

While not officially confirmed yet, all signs appear to be pointed toward Ladainian Tomlinson signing with the Minnesota Vikings.  The move is logical, signing a savvy vet to replace departed savvy vet Chester Taylor, but still is something of a surprise to some.

Early into the offseason Tomlinson had been pegged as probably being the last of the three axed veterans to find a home. 

Thomas Jones was fresh off a 1,400 yard year and still looked like he could start for a year or two. Bryan Westbrook looked more willing to slip into a role-player category, and would meld a veteran presence with nice third-down abilities.

At first mention Tomlinson was thought to feel he still had the capacity to be a lead back somewhere for another few years.  The idea that he might be unwilling to take a secondary role within a backfield led to speculation that he would be among the offseason’s later signings.

Instead he appears on the verge of inking a deal with Minnesota just as Thomas Jones finds himself swooped up by the Kansas City Chiefs, leaving only Brian Westbrook searching for a willing employer.

The move looks to be a good one for all parties involved. 

San Diego benefits from that fact that the NFC North is about as far from the team as Tomlinson could go while still being NFL employed.  Tomlinson finds himself on a quality team eyeing a run at the super bowl.  Minnesota lands a player similar in many regards to the departed Chester Taylor.

Both have very similar builds, with an inch and seven pound separating them.  They are good receivers who can also pick up a blitz when called upon to do so.  The main difference would be Taylor’s ability to explode out of a hole a bit faster to Tomlinson’s better cutback abilities.

The team also gains a hall of fame mentor to help star Adrian Peterson refine his game.  Across his career Tomlinson has only lost seven fumbles, last season the Peterson lost six.

In a reduced role the wear and tear that Tomlinson has been especially vulnerable to the last two seasons should be much less of a factor.  100 carries instead of 300 should prolong the twilight stage of his career considerably.

They also gain a back who is more accustomed to taking a full game-load should Peterson (and his contact-heavy style) miss any time to injury.  By the end of the 2002 season Tomlinson already had as many career starts (32) as Taylor has across his entire career.

Playing on Astroturf is a something of a worry for a running back who has not missed many games, but spent the bulk of the last few years slowed by smaller maladies.  That is one thing Minnesota will have to watch.

Tomlinson also may be something of an enigma within his role.  Given that the team frequently calls upon its number-two back to step in on third down, Tomlinson lacks the traditional speed of a third-down change of pace back.

His smarts and steadiness will have to be the overriding factor to make up for the waning explosiveness.  He has been one of the more successful outlet and screen-pass receiving backs in history, and could be a nice escape option for a quarterback Minnesota hopes will make good use of the dump-pass in 2010.

He may no longer be a starter, but the changing of the guard that the 2008 season appeared to signal may just be coming full circle if Ladainian Tomlinson joins the Minnesota Vikings. 

If nothing else, it allows the team to boast three future hall of famers in one backfield, all with chances to go down in history as all-time greats at their position.

Thomas Jones has signed with the Kansas City Chiefs and will form a two-headed beast with Jamaal Charles. This is the perfect landing spot for Jones.

He is getting up there in age, but he posted his best year ever last year with 1,402 yards, 14 touchdowns, and a 4.6 average. The 1,402 yards placed him at third in the NFL.

Although he had a career year, he has to hit the wall at some point. It may not be this year, but playing with Charles will lessen the work load on him.

Charles had a good year himself rushing for 1,120 yards and seven touchdowns. Together, Jones and Charles had 2,522 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Not a bad backfield for the Chiefs going into this year. They get the veteran savvy of Jones and the young legs of Charles. Not only will Jones produce on the field, but he will surely help with the development of Charles.

The different running styles are complimentary of each other, as Jones has a hard inside running style and Charles can bounce one outside and take it to the house.

Jones is obviously okay with sharing time, and the carries should be split even or lean towards Charles. Jones only had 10 catches out of the backfield last year, whereas Charles had 40. This is another way these two perfectly compliment each other.

This immediately upgrades their offense and takes pressure off of Matt Cassel. I look for Jones and Charles to approach the 1,000-yard mark and wouldn’t be surprised if they both passed it.

Some people were not happy with the Chiefs' free agency moves, but this is a big move. They upgraded their offense and added a much needed veteran presence on the offensive side.

The ACC Tournament is always wide-open, but this year things could get even crazier than normal.

If ever there was a season for an underdog to make some noise, this is it. Contrary to the portrayals of the national media, the ACC is still a very strong conference.

No, there haven't been many consistently ranked teams outside of Duke, but there is tremendous balance from top to bottom.

All but two teams (Virginia and Boston College) have winning overall records, and even a team near the bottom of the standings like N.C. State has a win against regular season co-champion Duke on their resume.

This year’s tournament is wide open, so it stands to reason that almost every team has at least a decent shot of making some noise and potentially winning the ACC Tournament crown.

The Hokies are no different. We’ve heard plenty about Tech’s weak non-conference schedule, but all that matters this week is the success against ACC opponents.

Virginia Tech finished tied for third place with Florida State after posting a 10-6 ACC record.

Duke is the media’s prohibitive favorite to win the tournament. The Blue Devils were ranked highly all season long, though to be fair, rankings in college basketball mean little to nothing.

In Tech’s only meeting with Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium, neither team played its best but it was a competitive game until the closing minutes when Duke pulled away.

Maryland is also the regular season co-champion, and the Hokies played a marvelous game against the Terrapins in Blacksburg two weeks ago.

ACC player of the year Greivis Vasquez (19.6 PPG, 6.3 AST, 4.6 RPG) exploded for a career-high 41 points—33 coming in the second half—and the Terps prevailed 104-100 in double overtime.

The other top team Tech lost to was Florida State in a 63-58 loss in Tallahassee. The Hokies trailed by 13 with 2:29 remaining and mounted a furious comeback, closing to within four points before ultimately falling short.

Tech has yet to defeat one of the top teams in the ACC this year, but they only played the top three once, with two games on the road.

The Hokies proved they can play with the cream of the ACC crop, and so with a first round bye they sit poised to make a run in the conference tournament.

The first game will find Tech matched up against either Wake Forest or Miami, two teams Tech defeated during the regular season.

Let’s do the unthinkable and, for the sake of this column, assume the Hokies win that game.

That would set up a rematch with the Duke Blue Devils in the tournament semi-finals.

This is a matchup the Hokies desperately want. As stated above, the first game was a hard-fought one but neither team brought its A game on that night.

The one knock on Duke is that they’ve struggled away from Cameron Indoor Stadium, with all their losses coming on the road this season. Tech knows it stands a much better chance against the Blue Devils on a neutral court.   

A win in that game may seem like a stretch, but remember the Hokies were a Tyler Hansbrough jumper away from beating the eventual national champions and advancing to the ACC championship game last season.

Once again, for the sake of the column, we’ll assume a victory here to look at my theoretical championship game featuring Virginia Tech and Maryland.

Clearly, Maryland is capable of beating any of the best teams in the conference and that’s largely due to their balanced scoring. Aside from Vasquez, Maryland has three other players averaging double-figure scoring in Landon Milbourne, Eric Hayes, and Sean Mosley.

Forward Jordan Williams leads the team in rebounding (8.3 RPG) and guys like Dino Gregory and Adrian Bowie can provide a nice lift off the bench for the Terrapins.

For my money, based on depth and recent performance, I think the Terrapins are the favorites right now to win the ACC Tournament.

It’s for that reason that I can’t pick Tech to win the ACC tournament. It could certainly happen though, as N.C. State’s magical 1983 run to the ACC title and eventually the national championship show.

In the meantime, settle in for what should be a great tournament.