ACC Championship 2010

Close but not quite. Two North Carolina teams almost made it to face off in the 2010 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship game in Greensboro, NC. However, it was not to be. On Sunday, March 14, the Blue Devils and the Yellow Jackets, instead of the Wolfpack, will go head-to-head on the basketball court. If you don't have tickets to the game, not to worry. Simply tune in to WFMY-TV at 1:00pm to find out who takes home the tournament trophy and who goes home empty-handed.

On Saturday, the Duke Blue Devils pushed past Miami to a 77-74 win. This was the first time in history the 12th seeded Miami Hurricanes had made it to the ACC Semi-finals. Kyle Singler was the high scorer for Duke with 27 points. After the game, Coach Mike Krzyzewski (a.k.a. Coach K) was asked about his emotional outbursts. He stated, "You know, I coach like it's my first game at every game. I don't know who's reacting; I know I am."

Also on Saturday Georgia Tech rallied to a 57-54 win over the 11^th seeded NC State Wolfpack, having been ahead 29-19 at the half. Derrick Favors was the high scorer for the Yellow Jackets with 17 points. It was a hard last minute and a half to watch for NC State fans as some of us were glued to the screens at Sagebrush, a Graham, NC restaurant 25 miles down the road from the Greensboro Coliseum where the players were vying for position. As the last 19 seconds raced off the clock, a collective sigh of disappointment, with a few less-than-enthusiastic comments, could be heard as patrons turned their attention away from the screens.

The Atlantic Coast Conference was founded on May 8, 1953. The conference by-laws were drawn up at the Sedgefield Inn near Greensboro, NC by seven charter members: Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, NC State, South Carolina and Wake Forest. South Carolina later withdrew, but other schools joined in bringing the total to 12 in 2005, which includes Boston College, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami, Virginia and Virginia Tech. The ACC's mission statement notes that it 'seeks to maximize the education and athletic opportunities of its student-athletes, while enriching their quality of life.'

The 2010 ACC Championship is sure to be an exciting game as the #4 seeded Duke Blue Devils face the #7 seeded Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the Greensboro Coliseum. Will Duke bring home the trophy again? This North Carolina girl hopes so.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Coast_Conference

http://www.theacc.com/