When the ACC Tournament begins Thursday in Greensboro Coliseum, don't be shocked if 12th-seeded Miami eliminates No. 5 Wake Forest.
The 12-seed has won three of four first-round games since the league expanded to its current size in the 2006-07 season.
Georgia Tech did it just a year ago in Atlanta, knocking out No. 5 Clemson, 86-81.
The first resounding upset in ACC Tournament history was No. 6 Clemson’s first-round win over No. 3 N.C. State on the Wolfpack’s Reynolds Coliseum home court in 1962. That Clemson team, which finished 12-15 overall, did in Duke in the semifinals but eventually lost to Wake in the championship game.
Following are the five most memorable first-round stunners.
1. Maryland 71, N.C. State 49
March 10, 1989, Atlanta
The 8th-seed Terps (1-13 ACC,9-20 overall) won with such ease over the top-seeded Wolfpack (10-4, 22-9) that both sides were left virtually speechless. In fact, Terps coach Bob Wade was feared to have suffered a heart attack in the minutes following the game. John Johnson and Tony Massenburg combined for 42 points while Wolfpack star guards Rodney Monroe and Chris Corchiani were held to 20 combined. Wade was on the bench a day later when reality set in and North Carolina destroyed his team, 88-58, in the semifinals.
2. State 66, Duke 60
March 7, 1997, Greensboro
Seeded No. 8, the Pack (4-12, 17-15) had to beat Georgia Tech in a play-in game to earn a shot at the top-seeded Blue Devils (12-4, 22-9). Herb Sendek’s first State team was down by six points at halftime but took over in the second half behind freshman playmaker Justin Gainey and wing sharpshooter C.C. Harrison (28 points).
The Pack then stunned Maryland in the second half before falling to No. 3 seed Carolina in the championship game.
3. Wake Forest 69, Clemson 62
March 6, 1987, Landover, Md.
The 7th-seeded Deacons (2-12, 14-15) knocked out what may have been the best Clemson team (10-4, 25-6) of all time. Bob Staak’s second Wake team got 21 points each from 5-foot-3 playmaker Tyrone Bogues and wingman Rod Watson and put on a spectacular second-half performance after Clemson led 34-22 at intermission. The Deacons almost duplicated the win a day later but finally fell to N.C. State in double overtime when Pack forward Mike Giomi sparked a late surge.
4. Wake 54, UNC 52 (OT)
March 8, 1973, Greensboro
In the seven-team era, the Deacons (3-9, 12-15) had finished last in regular season while Carolina (8-4, 25-8) had a lineup that included Bobby Jones, George Karl and Mitch Kupchak. Carl Tacy’s first Wake team was a 20-point underdog but controlled the tempo from the start and got 18 points from guard Eddie Payne. Against powerful Maryland the following day, Wake led by four at the half but eventually fell, 73-65
5. Miami 67, Maryland 62
March 8, 2007, Tampa, Fla.
The No. 12 seeded Hurricanes (4-12, 12-20) got 17 points from guard Jack McClinton and used a match-up zone defense to frustrate the No. 5 Terps (10-6, 25-9), who trailed by 13 at halftime and couldn’t fight all the way back. McClinton got 16 points in the second round against Boston College, but Eagles held on for a 74-71 win after going to halftime down by 10.
-- Caulton Tudor
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1 comments:
this blog provides useful info on the ACC tournament..also, i can see how technology helps out in this kind of organization...im currently working for a company that develops systems that automate event scheduling..
i really find it interesting to trace back your ancestors..i was really thinking of putting up a website for our ancestry while my grandma is alive so she could give the names of our ancestors..i can still remember my grandma taking care of me like giving me feeding bottles, changing my diapers and underwear and all that.
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