ACC

  The ACC is one of the toughest conferences in the country.  I think the two powerhouse teams in the ACC are Duke and Miami.  Most people are raving about Ryan Kelly's performance last night against the hurricanes, by dumping 36 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 block after missing almost 2 months with an injury.  However, I want to see more performances by Kelly like this for him to be a candidate for the ACC Player of the Year.  In my opinion, the ACC Player of the Year Award should go to there people; Shane Larkin, Kenny Kadji, and Mason Plumlee.  Shane Larkin puts up a significant amount of points every game and gets his team energized.  For example, when Miami upset Duke in January, Larkin slapped the floor in excitement and the rest of the team started to do so too.  Last night he scored 25 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.  Kenny Kadji is a player who can do everything.  He can pass, shoot, and dribble.  i think the fact that shocks people the most is the fact that he is 6 feet 11 inches and can still bury deep threes.  He also runs the floor and dunks the ball, which also gets the team pumped up.  This May he is going to turn 25.  I think one of the reasons the hurricanes are doing so good is that they are a very experienced team, with 6 seniors and 3 juniors on their roster.  Mason Plumlee is a very good player, with only one downside.  He is only a 67% free-throw shooter.  Many spectators have pointed out that he gets the ball about 16 feet from the basket, then plows his way through to the basket to score.  He only has to take one dribble.  Also, the fact that he is more on the humble side proves that he won't make many mistakes while celebrating.  The only mistake mason Plumlee made yesterday was when he out-threw Seth Curry with :50 seconds left, turning it over.  Other than that, i think he is an amazing player.  All of these players are capable of scoring in big ways, and to lead their teams to victories when needed.  I am disappointed because I am not hearing much about C.J. Leslie from NC State.  Last year he was scarring the opposing team, just by being there.  Now, everyone is talking about Shane Larkin.  Leslie needs to step it up so he can be the player he used to be.

By Ameen I.

Hurricanes Top Wolfpack

Today the number 14 Miami Hurricanes (FL) visited the number 19 NC State Wolfpack. This game was a thriller, as expected. NC State hasn't been too good since beating Duke, when Duke was ranked number one. The first half was all NC State, outscoring the Hurricanes 40-34. This was the halftime score. The Hurricanes ripped through, in the second half, outscoring NC State 45-38. What a game this was. The Hurricanes had a late surge, thanks to Reggie Johnson. He had the go-ahead basket with :04 remaining to win. This was one of the best games to watch, because this was an ACC battle. The Hurricanes are still unbeaten in the ACC. Both teams have beaten Duke when Duke was at number one. Both teams beat Duke at home. The ACC is one of the toughest conferences in college basketball. Durand Scott led NC State with 18 points. Reggie Johnson led the Wolfpack with 8 rebounds and added 15 points. Shane Larkin had 5 assists, leading the team and had 13 points. Julian Gamble added 16 points. This Miami team could make it into the top ten, after having Syracuse and Kansas losing. C.J. Leslie led NC State with 18 points and led the team with 12 rebounds. A double-double for him. He is a player who has done a great job in his college career so far. Tyler Lewis led NC State with 5 assists and also had 16 points. Richard Howell had 15 points and 8 rebounds. Finally, Rodney Purvis had 13 points. Many players were in double figures, but Miami hung in there.

By Ameen I.