Going into the last week of the season, the Atlantic Coast Conference has three teams vying for the regular season title. Wake Forest, Duke and defending national champion Maryland all are within one game of each other atop the ACC.
Wake Forest is the surprise team of the ACC this season. Led by senior forward Josh Howard, the Demon Deacons (11-3 ACC, 21-4 overall) are No. 9 in the AP poll and No. 10 in the Coaches Poll. Howard leads the Demon Deacons in both scoring (20 points per game) and rebounding (eight rebounds per game).
Sophomore guard Taron Downey and freshman guard Justin Gray are the perimeter men that penetrate and create options for the Wake offense. The mixture of size and speed may help lead the Deacons to an uncontested ACC Championship this season.
Duke is a young team that is in the midst of rebuilding this season. However, if you look at the play of the Blue Devils (10-4 ACC, 20-5 overall), you could not tell. Duke lost guard Jay Williams and forward Carlos Boozer to the draft last season, yet Duke is only one game behind Wake Forest in conference standings and is currently No. 9 in the Coaches Poll, and No. 10 in the AP.
Freshman guard J.J. Reddick is being considered for ACC Freshman of the Year, scoring 15 ppg and making 41 percent of his three point attempts. Senior guard Dahntay Jones leads the team with 17 ppg, and has provided a sense of leadership for the Blue Devils. It does not hurt to have Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski who is always capable of leading his team to the Final Four again.
The defending NCAA Champion Maryland Terrapins (11-4 ACC, 19-7 overall) lost stars Lonnie Baxter and guard Juan Dixon, which has hampered the Terrapins chances of repeating, yet they are not a weak team.
Senior guard Steve Blake averages 12 ppg and a whopping seven assists per game, currently making him fourth in the ACC and tenth in the NCAA in career assists with 933 as of March 3. Senior guard Drew Nicholas is the quiet man on the team leading the Terrapins with 17 ppg, while senior forward Ryan Randle gets 13 ppg and seven rpg. With their post-season experience and senior leadership, Maryland is always a team to worry about out of the ACC.
These three are not the only teams that have an opportunity to be in the Big Dance. North Carolina State (8-6 ACC, 15-10 overall) has a fighting chance to be the fourth team from the ACC in the March Madness, but the likelihood is slim. The Wolfpack has to beat Wake Forest on Saturday in order to catch the eye of the Selection Committee.
As close as the race is on top of the ACC, the conference should see a strong showing during the Big Dance. And because many teams within the ACC are so young, it could mean the ACC will be a dominant conference for years to come.
