There are four ACC Tournament quarterfinals matchups on tap Friday at Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC. The action starts at noon Eastern when top-seeded Miami will take on Boston College.
Most betting shops have installed the Hurricanes as 7.5-point favorites. ESPN2 will provide television coverage at noon Eastern.
In the second game of the afternoon session, North Carolina St. will meet Virginia as a one-point favorite.
Let’s take a closer look at the two games for the evening session.
**Maryland vs. Duke**
--As of early this afternoon, most books had Duke (27-4 straight up, 17-14 against the spread) listed as a 11.5-point favorite with a total of 139.5. Gamblers can take the Terrapins to win outright for a +650 return (risk $100 to win $650).
--Duke closed out the regular season this past Saturday night by dominating North Carolina from start to finish en route to a 69-53 win in Chapel Hill. The Blue Devils, who hooked up their backers as two-point road underdogs, were led by Mason Plumlee’s 23 points and 13 rebounds on 10-of-15 shooting from the field. Senior guard Seth Curry added 20 points.
--Maryland (21-11 SU, 12-12-1 ATS) advanced to the ACC Tournament quarterfinals by thumping Wake Forest 75-62 last night as a six-point ‘chalk.’ The 137 combined points slipped ‘over’ the 134.5-point total. Dezmine Wells led five players in double figures with 21 points.
--With an 8-10 ACC record and an RPI of 82, Maryland looks like an NIT-bound team. Even if the Terrapins can get a second victory over Duke, they probably can’t get into the bubble conversation even with another quality win on Saturday in the semifinals.
--Mark Turgeon’s team has no one to blame but itself. Maryland has only three wins over RPI Top 100 squads (#1 Duke, #30 N.C. St. and #91 Stony Brook). The Terrapins have lost five of their last nine games.
--These ACC adversaries split a pair of regular-season meetings with both teams winning at home. Duke trounced the Terrapins by an 84-64 count as a 12-point home favorite on Jan. 26. The 148 combined points went ‘over’ the 139-point total. Rasheed Sulaimon scored a game-high 25 points thanks to splashing 6-of-8 shots from 3-point land. Dezmine Wells and Charles Mitchell had 13 points apiece in the losing effort. Curry led Duke with 25 points in defeat.
--In the rematch in College Park, Maryland responded and won an 83-81 decision as a four-point home underdog. Alex Len was the catalyst for the Terps, producing 25 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots.
--Duke has been a double-digit favorite 18 times, compiling a 10-8 ATS record in those instances.
--Maryland has been a double-digit underdog twice, losing at Duke as previously mentioned and losing 72-69 to Kentucky as a 10.5-point ‘dog on a neutral court (MSG in NYC).
--The ‘over’ is 16-14 overall for Duke.
--The ‘under’ is 12-11 overall for Maryland, cashing in three of its last four games.
--Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.
**Florida State vs. North Carolina**
--As of early this afternoon, North Carolina (22-9 SU, 19-10 ATS) was an eight-point 'chalk' with a total of 141. The Seminoles are +330 on the money line (risk $100 to win $330).
--Florida St. (18-14 SU, 13-16-1 ATS) advanced by virtue of last night’s 73-69 win over Clemson as a two-point favorite. Okaro White made 8-of-11 shots from the field and all seven of his free throws en route to a team-high 24-point effort. Michael Snaer added 10 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Seminoles.
--UNC saw its six-game winning streak snapped in Saturday’s embarrassing blowout loss to its arch rivals. The Tar Heels couldn’t buy a bucket from beyond the arc, missing 14 of its 15 shots from deep. James Michael McAdoo scored a team-high 15 points, while P.J. Hairston added 14 points.
--North Carolina swept a pair of regular-season meetings with FSU both SU and ATS. When these schools met at the Dean Dome on March 3, UNC rolled to a 79-58 win as a 12-point home favorite. McAdoo scored 21 points and Reggie Bullock posted a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Snear had a team-high 17 points for the ‘Noles, who trailed by 19 at intermission.
--On Jan. 12 in Tallahassee, Roy Williams’s team won a 77-72 decision as a three-point road underdog. Hairston drained four treys and finished with a game-high 23 points. White had a team-high 15 points for FSU.
--FSU has been an underdog 15 times this year, posting an 8-6-1 spread record.
--The ‘under’ has cashed in six straight UNC games to improve to 17-11 overall.
--UNC is ranked 17th in the nation in scoring, averaging 77.0 points per game. McAdoo averages a team-high 14.6 PPG.
--ESPN2 will have the telecast 30 minutes after the conclusion of Duke-Maryland.
**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**
--As of early this morning, Indiana was a 9.5-point favorite for its Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals showdown against Illinois. In the second game at the United Center in Chicago, Michigan has been tabbed as a three-point ‘chalk’ vs. Wisconsin.
--Georgia saw its season come to an end in Thursday’s 68-63 loss to LSU at the SEC Tournament in Nashville. The Bulldogs failed to cover the number as one-point favorites but still finished the season on a 12-2 ATS run. Now UGA fans have to keep their fingers crossed that sophomore guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will return to school rather than leaving early for the NBA. ‘KCP’ had 32 points and 13 rebounds in the loss to the Tigers. He is listed as the 30th pick in the mock draft
--Thursday’s biggest shocker came at the Pac-12 Tournament at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, where Utah beat California 79-69 in overtime as an eight-point underdog. The Utes hooked up money-line backers with a gorgeous +300 payout (risk $100 to win $300).
--The ‘over’ had hit in 13 consecutive Iowa St. games until its 73-66 win over Oklahoma on Thursday saw the 139 combined points stay ‘under’ the 152.5-point total. Nevertheless, the Cyclones have still seen the ‘over’ hit at an NCAA-best 19-4 rate. They are 6.5-point underdogs in Friday’s semifinals matchup against Kansas, which won both regular-season meetings in overtime.
--As of early this morning, Georgetown was listed as a 1.5 or two-point favorite for tonight’s Big East Tournament battle against Syracuse in the semifinals at Madison Square Garden. The Hoyas advanced by collecting a 62-43 win over Cincinnati.
--The ‘under’ improved to 22-4 overall for the Bearcats when the 105 combined points stayed below the 113-point tally.
