It is ACC Tournament time and newspapers throughout the region are reporting on their team's prospects to bring home the crown. North Carolina, Duke, and Clemson are locks to receive an invitation to the NCAA tournament, while three other teams: Maryland, Miami, and Virginia Tech need to pad their resume with an impressive performance this weekend. The remaining six teams must win it all to earn an invitation.

The Bubble Teams:

The Baltimore Sun has an article up comparing Greivis Vasquez with John Gilchrist who led the Terps to ACC tourney crown in 2004. There are two things consistent about the Terps in that they are inconsistent but dangerous. It wouldn't suprise me if they won it all or if they lost in the first round. If Maryland is going dancing, they need to win the tournament and secure the automatic bid.

This Miami Herald article discusses star guard Jack McClinton and his fierce work ethic. McClinton has a strong all aound game and is the leader of the Canes. Miami needs to be very impressive this weekend to earn an invitation. They should take care of N.C. State in the opening round, but then the going gets tougher against fellow bubble team Virginia Tech.  I expect Miami to receive a bid.

Virginia Tech finished in fourth place in the ACC with a 9-7 record. However, they have zero marquee wins and are solidly on the bubble. In my opinion, they are at the bottom of the bubble and anything short of advancing to the ACC Championship game will leave them in the NIT. A win over Carolina in the semi-finals would erase the "zero quality wins" stigma. Virginia Tech better hope the Tar Heels don't fall flat on their face in the quarter-finals because a win over Wake Forest or Florida State doesn't carry enough weight.

The Favorites:

The biggest concern of the fan's of Number 1 seed North Carolina is the health of point guard Ty Lawson. Lawson will be back in the starting line-up on Friday but Coach Williams will be keeping a close watch on his star. In their win over Duke, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green had very strong performances. The Durham Herald-Sun says these two hold the keys to Carolina's success.

Duke has had great success in the ACC Tournament under Coach Mike Krzyzewski, but last year's opening day loss to N.C. State has the team motivated to win the championship this year. Frank Dascenzo credits team captain DeMarcus Nelson with Duke's success this season. Nelson is the only player in the ACC averaging over 15 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals per game. Dascenzo says Nelson has led the Blue Devils with dignity and a gentleman's touch of class.

The Clemson Tigers won close games this year. They were 6-4 in games decided in the final minutes compared with 4-6 last year. That difference means the Tigers are a lock for the NCAA Tournament instead of in need of a couple of victories to secure an invitation. The Tigers are in the top echelon of the ACC along with North Carolina and Duke, and that position gives them confidence. With a first round bye, Clemson will face the winner of the Maryland - Boston College game on Friday.

Teams Hoping for a Miracle:

Georgia Tech has a lot of talent on their basketball team. Too much talent to be 14-16 on the year so the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says you can't rule them out in this weekend's tournament. The Yellow Jackets won three of their last four games and enter the tournament on an upswing. They start off against Virginia, which is the team who beat them down the stretch.

Virginia sufferred a seven game losing streak in the middle of the season, but have won four of their last six games. Defense has been Virginia's Achilles Heel all season and their opening game opponent, Georgia Tech, is one of the ACC's highest scoring teams. The good news for Virginia is that Georgia Tech is the ACC's worst team in terms of scoring defense. Sean Singletary is optimistic and focused on keeping his college career alive.

Florida State is playing its best basketball of the year. They won four of their final five ACC games with the only loss coming at North Carolina. Do they have an outside shot at an at-large berth? Will two wins in the ACC tournament impress the selection committee? I believe they need to win it all to avoid the NIT.

Wake Forest is a young team and according to the Winston-Salem Journal they are going to need their veteran players to show leadership in order to succeed in the ACC Tournament. Those veterans are sophomores Ish Smith, L.D. Williams, and Chas McFarland.

N.C. State has been the most disappointing team in the ACC this year. Twelve months ago they set the ACC Tournament on fire before falling to Carolina in the championship game. They were picked to finish third in the ACC in preseason polls but finished in last place. They need to rekindle some magic this weekend or it is going to be a long off-season.