Each week The Chronicle will take a look at the ACC Women's Basketball standings and update you on who is in position to win the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season crown. Here are the ACC standings as of today:
1. Duke (24-1, 14-0) 2. Maryland (22-4, 13-2) 3. North Carolina (23-4, 11-3) 4. Florida State (20-5, 10-4) 5. Miami (18-8, 9-6) 6. Virginia (15-11, 7-8) 7. North Carolina State (13-14, 5-10) 8. Georgia Tech (12-14, 5-10) 9. Wake Forest (11-16, 4-11) 10. Boston College (10-16, 4-11) 11. Clemson (8-18, 4-11) 12. Virginia Tech (8-17, 2-12)
Can Duke survive the loss of Chelsea Gray?
After making it through the majority of the conference schedule unscathed, the Blue Devils now appear more vulnerable with the news that junior guard Chelsea Gray will miss the remainder of the season with a dislocated right kneecap. Gray was averaging 13.1 points, 5.6 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 3.7 steals per game for the Blue Devils. She suffered the injury Feb. 17 against Wake Forest. The loss of Gray comes at an especially inconvenient time for Duke, which faces a backloaded schedule to round out conference play. Three of the team's four remaining games are against ranked opponents.
The Blue Devils host No. 19 Florida State Friday night before a showdown at No. 8 Maryland Sunday. Also lurking on the horizon is Miami, currently fifth in the conference, followed by senior day against No. 16 North Carolina. If Duke hopes to bring home the ACC title and travel deep into the NCAA tournament, it will need to make a quick transition to life without its star point guard. Look for increased scoring production from guards Chloe Wells and Tricia Liston in the absence of Gray, as well as more touches for center Elizabeth Williams down low.
The end of a (true) rivalry
Much attention has been given to the imminent departure of Maryland for the Big 10 in the 2014-15 season because of the end of the perceived rivarly between the Duke and Maryland men's basketball teams. But while the Duke men lead that all-time series 113-62, the competition between the women's basketball programs at the two schools has been much more balanced. Since the 2007-08 campaign, the Blue Devils and Terps have met 11 times in the regular season, with Duke holding a slim 6-5 edge. In each of the past two seasons, each team has protected home court, a trend Maryland hopes to continue this Sunday when it welcomes Duke to the Comcast Center. The Terps are led by the dynamic post tandem of Tianna Hawkins (18.8 ppg) and Alyssa Thomas (17.4 ppg).
Maryland will benefit from the absence of Gray, who lit up the Terrapin defense for a career-best 28 points in Duke's 71-56 victory in Durham last Monday night. Coach Brenda Frese and her Terrapins are no strangers to knee injuries themselves—three players have torn their ACLs this season. Injuries aside, Sunday's tilt in College Park has huge implications for the ACC regular season crown, as well as for seeding in the ACC and NCAA tournaments.
How many teams will the ACC send dancing?
The four ranked teams in the ACC (Duke, Maryland, North Carolina and Florida State) are all shoo-ins to be invited to the 2013 NCAA tournament. Miami (18-8,9-6) sits on the bubble, and seems to be the only ACC team in contention for a fifth tournament bid. The case for the Hurricanes includes no bad losses (six of their eight defeats are to ranked teams), and a relatively easy end of the schedule (three of four remaining games against the bottom half of the conference). However, the Hurricanes have no resume-solidifying wins, and with the exception of a two-point defeat at then-No. 11 North Carolina, haven't played a ranked team to closer than 12 points. Losses against middle-of-the-road Virginia and Rutgers teams, while not devastating, could prove costly for Miami if coupled with an early ACC Tournament exit. If Miami gets into the Big Dance, it would almost certainly be as a double-digit seed. Barring a shocking ACC Tournament with a darkhorse team snatching the conference's automatic qualifying bid, the ACC should see five teams still playing come mid-March.
Upset Special: Wake Forest over Virginia
Wake Forest has generally played very well against quality opponents this season, despite an 11-16 record. The Demon Deacons defeated then-No. 18 Florida State in Tallahassee in January, and used a quick start to push No. 5 Duke to the brink last Sunday. Guards Chelsea Douglas and Lakevia Boykin combined to shoot 8-for-14 on 3-pointers against Duke, and each player averages more than 14 points per contest. Virginia comes into the game on a slide, losers of five of its past six, and has seen its NCAA tournament hopes slip away. Look for the Demon Deacons to come away victorious on Monday night in Charlottesville.
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