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Beltway Basketball Beat: Shifting schedules for Maryland, Georgetown and George Washington

By Dave Preston

I should have expected this. Did I not cover a football season where schedules were scrambled, games postponed after teams traveled and big chunks of seasons were just wiped out?

COVID-19 has benched multiple teams the last few weeks, with Georgetown seeing three games get postponed, Maryland’s long-anticipated tilt with Nebraska was nixed, and George Washington pauses its program due to a positive test in its traveling party.

We’ve seen some really good matchups get shelved this month, from Virginia-Virginia Tech on Jan. 2 to last Saturday’s scheduled VCU-Richmond duel.

The only two Pac-12 teams really worth watching (No. 21 Oregon and No. 24 UCLA) saw their Tuesday night game get benched and the best team in the Big East (No. 3 Villanova) is finally back after a 27-day hiatus (the Wildcats survived a tough test against frisky Seton Hall).

Even my “Starting Five” feature in this space is far from immune, with two games last week getting postponed after one was wiped out the week before.

Wow of the Week

No. 13 Virginia is the ACC’s last remaining unbeaten team, taking advantage of Duke and North Carolina both having down years at the same time. The Blue Devils and Tar Heels are both unranked for the first time since Dec. 28, 1982. This was before UNC would recover from a 3-3 start to win the ACC behind sophomore Michael Jordan and junior Sam Perkins.

The Cavaliers smoked then-No. 12 Clemson 85-60 in the Littlejohn Coliseum last Saturday. Granted, home court may not be what it usually is, but traveling to South Carolina is no picnic from a logistics standpoint. Coach Tony Bennett’s team looks like the one that finished last season on an eight-game winning streak.

One is beginning to write off their loss to No. 1 Gonzaga on Dec. 26 as nobody’s in the Bulldogs’ class and almost even rationalize their defeat to San Francisco as a combination of opening week issues/day after Thanksgiving hangover. UVA plays its next two games at home before visiting No. 16 Virginia Tech to wrap up the month. While the Hokies have enjoyed a decent season, they’re still the challenger on the Commonwealth court.

Player Spotlight

One of the reasons why Virginia Tech is in the top 20 has been the play of 6-foot-2 guard Tyrece Radford. Even in a down year for Duke, netting 18 points with 12 rebounds and 5 assists in a win over the Blue Devils is no small task. The redshirt sophomore led the team in rebounding last winter and is averaging the same (6.2 per game) this winter. Shades of George Mason’s Marquise Moore (who tallied 10.9 boards as a senior in 2016-17 despite being just 6-foot-2).

And on nights when leading scorer Keve Aluma has issues (5 points and 4 turnovers on 1-6 shooting against Wake Forest), Radford produces 20 points in a two-possession win. This weekend, Radford leads the Hokies into the Carrier Dome to play Syracuse.

League Look

The Atlantic 10 had one of the best stories last season with Obi Toppin leading Dayton to a No. 3 ranking and a potential top seed in the NCAA Tournament before the Big Dance was shelved. At this point of the season, No. 25 Saint Louis is the only A-10 school ranked, and the Billikens haven’t played since Dec. 23. They’re 0-0 in conference play but face league-leading St. Bonaventure (6-1, 4-1) Saturday.

Two schools hanging around the early-season NCAA bubble are familiar faces. According to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s “Bracketology”, Richmond is among the first four teams out while VCU is one of the next four out. Meanwhile, one-half game separates the top six schools in the standings (keep in mind the A-10 has 14 teams). Brace yourself for another interesting conference race for seeding, double-byes, and avoiding the dreaded first round (right now George Mason would be playing the first day while George Washington wouldn’t).

Ballot Battles

For the record, I scored a 710 on my math SAT’s. I appreciate the transitive property. So when Texas Tech beats Texas but loses to Baylor and Kansas loses at Oklahoma State, who has also lost to Texas, and West Virginia, who has its games postponed, it’s tough to sort out the Big 12. Especially when there’s always another Oklahoma or TCU shoe that’s dropping.

This week’s whiff had me ranking Louisville No. 13 despite their loss at Miami (the Cardinals beat Virginia Tech so I didn’t feel good putting them below the Hokies). New schools in my Top 25 are Ohio State and Minnesota (back in with that blowout of Michigan). Non-Power Five High Fives still go to Boise State, Belmont and Drake. Tough omissions include Alabama and Winthrop, plus about ten other worthy candidates.

Starting Five (local games of note that I’m hoping won’t be postponed after posting previews)

Saturday: Loyola (0-2 Patriot League South) at American (0-2), 12 p.m. (ESPN+). These two schools finally got their seasons underway last weekend and even though both the Greyhounds and Eagles came up empty, they have a lot to build upon. Loyola dropped a pair of two-point games to Lafayette while AU took Navy to overtime in their opener. They’ll flip-flop sites on Sunday, but this is the first home game for Coach Mike Brennan’s team in almost 11 months. They went 10-3 in the regular season last winter at Bender Arena before dropping a Patriot League quarterfinal showdown with Bucknell in D.C.

Maryland (8-7, 2-6 Big Ten) at No. 17 Minnesota (11-4, 4-4), 2 p.m. (Big Ten Network). The Terps fell behind No. 7 Michigan early in their 87-63 loss and had trouble matching their size. The Golden Gophers beat the Wolverines by 18 at home last weekend and have a 7-foot center named Liam Robbins who averages 14 points and 7 rebounds. Cause for confidence: Minnesota ranks last in the Big Ten in overall shooting and from 3-point range while also owning the league’s worst rebounding margin. Marcus Carr (21 points and 6 assists per game while shooting 34% from 3-point range) will attract the Terps’ attention on the perimeter just a few days after they were burned from the outside by Michigan (Wolverines hit 12 of their 24 3-point attempts).

Howard (1-4, 0-0 MEAC North) at Morgan State (6-4, 2-2), 2 p.m. (ESPN+). The Bison make their league debut after not playing since Dec. 18, with six of their last eight games being postponed or canceled. There was optimism surrounding five-star prospect Makur Maker when the center committed, but a groin injury limited the big man to 48 minutes over two games played. Smacks of when they had the nation’s leading scorer in James Daniel III only to see the senior suffer injuries and then transfer to Tennessee. The Bears have split both of their league weekends this winter and are led by 6-foot-9 forward Troy Baxter who averaged 14 points with 7 rebounds against the Bison last season.

Navy (9-1, 6-0 Patriot League South) vs. Army (8-3, 4-2 PL League North), 2:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network). The Midshipmen are the last remaining unbeaten in conference while the Black Knights are coming off of consecutive double-digit wins at Boston University. Cam Davis (19 points per game) is coming off of his worst offensive performance of the season (2 points on 1-8 shooting against American). He scored 26 and 28 points against Army last season but the Mids lost both games, including an overtime affair at West Point. That was the first regular season sweep in the series since 2014-15. A sweep for either side in 2021 might be a tall task as they’ll play four times this winter.

VCU (10-3, 3-1 Atlantic 10) vs. Dayton (8-3, 4-2), 4:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network). Both teams are adjusting to recent schedule shifts, as the Rams saw the first leg of the Capital City Classic benched and the Flyers’ Wednesday night game with George Washington was wiped out. There’s a contrast in point guards, with senior Jalen Crutcher (20 points and 5 assists per game) running the show for a Dayton offense that ranks 13th in the A-10 in turnover margin. Meanwhile, freshman Adrian Baldwin (5 assists and 2 steals per game) is the offensive sparkplug for VCU. Last year, Obi Toppin may have been the best player on the floor in a Flyers’ sweep, but this year, it appears as though Na’Shon “Bones” Hyland (18 points and 2 steals per game) will take that honor. Will that help the Rams prevail?

2022 ACC Tournament Bracket: How to watch, dates, preview, location

By Matt Weyrich
ACC Tournament Bracket and preview originally appeared on NBC Sports WashingtonThe ACC has been one of the most dominant conferences in the history of NCAA men's basketball. With three of the last six March Madness champions calling the conference home, the 2022 ACC Tournament will feature some of the NCAA’s premier men’s basketball programs going head-to-head before the big event the following week.However, this is a bit of an unusual year for the ACC — there are only four teams you could actually claim to be tournament 'locks' at this point in the season. There are three more on or around the bubble and everyone else is in an auto-bid or bust mentality. Duke is projected to earn the best seed for the NCAA Tournament. In head coach Mike Krzyzewski's final season, the Blue Devils could be anywhere from a No. 2 seed to a No. 4 seed. Where they fall in the ACC Tournament will likely dictate where Duke is slotted. Early season losses put them in a hole, but the unpredictability of the rest of the conference evened the score to help them claim the No. 1 seed.That could create a more competitive field than in years past. North Carolina, Miami, Florida State and Virginia all have shown they can best the Blue Devils. Three of those losses even came on their own floor. And on top of that, Wake Forest, the Cavaliers, the Seminoles, Syracuse and more are playing for their seasons.How will the 2022 ACC Tournament shake out? Here’s everything you need to know.ACC TOURNAMENT 2021 INFORMATION:  When is the 2022 ACC Tournament?The ACC Tournament will be held from March 8-12. The ACC Championship Game is on Saturday, March 12 at 8:30 p.m. ET.Where is the 2022 ACC Tournament? The ACC Tournament will be held at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn, NY. This is just the second time the event has been held in Brooklyn.How to watch the 2022 ACC Tournament The First Round of the ACC Tournament will be broadcast on ACC Network. The Second Round will be broadcast across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. The Quarterfinals and Semifinals will be on ESPN and ESPN2. The ACC Championship will be broadcast on ESPN.All ESPN programming is available for streaming at Watch ESPN with a valid cable subscription.Who is the defending 2021 ACC Champion? Georgia Tech shocked the ACC - thanks to an assist with Virginia missing their semifinal contest due to a positive coronavirus test - to win the 2021 ACC Championship over Florida State. Head coach Josh Pastner became a household sensation with his face shield.2022 ACC TOURNAMENT BRACKET:ACC Tournament First Round (3/8, Times ET) - No. 13 Boston College d. No. 12 Pittsburgh 66-46- No. 10 Clemson d. No. 15 NC State 70-64- No. 11 Louisville d. No. 14 Georgia Tech 84-74ACC Tournament Second Round (3/9, Times ET)- No. 9 Syracuse d. No. 8 Florida State 96-57- No. 13 Boston College d. No. 5 Wake Forest 82-77 (OT)- No. 7 Virginia Tech d. No. 10 Clemson 76-75 (OT)- No. 6 Virginia d. No. 11 Louisville 51-50ACC Tournament Quarterfinals (3/10, Times ET)- No. 1 Duke d. No. 9 Syracuse 88-79- No. 4 Miami d. No. 13 Boston College 71-69 (OT)- No. 7 Virginia Tech d. No. 2 Notre Dame 87-80- No. 3 North Carolina d. No. 6 Virginia 63-43ACC Tournament Semifinals (3/11, Times ET) - No. 1 Duke d. No. 4 Miami 80-76- No. 7 Virginia Tech d. No. 3 North Carolina 72-59ACC Tournament Championship (3/12, Time ET) - No. 7 Virginia Tech d. No. 1 Duke 82-672022 ACC TOURNAMENT PREVIEW: Far and away, Duke is the best team in the ACC this season. The Blue Devils are coached by the best coach in the league, have a top-three NBA Draft pick on their roster and may have a multitude of playmakers - which is rare in the rest of the conference.Yet, the consistency is not there for the team with the No. 1 seed. Quiet nights by ACC Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero paired with off-shooting performances by Wendell Moore Jr. are huge reasons for their four conference losses.Then again, no one in the ACC has shown any level of consistency either. Notre Dame has silently put together a solid year behind Blake Wesley and Dane Goodwin. A favorable schedule - where they never played any of the top eight teams more than once - led them here and the Fighting Irish took advantage. The lack of playmaking guards that run an offense, though, and a deep bench are concerning. It's not conducive to winning three games in three days.North Carolina - after their stunning upset in Cameron Indoor over the weekend - and Miami both showed they have what it takes to topple Duke and have a favorable bracket to see the Blue Devils later in the tournament.Injuries are no longer a hindrance for the Hurricanes, following the lead of Kameron McGusty's 17.5 ppg and 36.8% shooting mark from deep.Let's not forget ACC Player of the Year and the conference's second-leading scorer Alondes Williams at Wake Forest. His Demon Deacons are the deepest team in the conference. Can they finally put it all together for one weekend? If so, they may be the darkhorse team to try and make the semifinals.Everyone else, though, is in desperate mode besides those five teams. Virginia Tech and Virginia need a significant win or two to be considered for an at-large bid. The teams behind them just have eyes only on a championship to extend their seasons.Pick: No. 1 Duke Blue Devils
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