Player of the Week:
DJ Burns Jr. (NC State)
Burns has become one of the most beloved players in the country after his play this past week in the ACC Tournament. The 6-foot-9, 275 pound big man was the spark that ignited the run that NC State went on to win the conference tournament. The senior was named MVP for his stellar play en route to the championship. He put together a terrific showing including 19 points and 5 rebounds against Virginia in the semifinal along with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists in the championship against North Carolina to secure the title.
Who’s Hot:
NC State
NC State entered the ACC Tournament as one of four teams that didn’t receive any form of a bye. The Wolfpack came into the postseason play seeded at No. 11, and had their work cut out for them to make any form of noise. After winning five games in five days, the squad found itself ACC Tournament champions after an inspiring run. The squad knocked off two tough teams in Virginia and a ranked Duke unit on its path to the championship. The group dethroned one of the top teams in the country in No. 4 North Carolina 84-76 on its way to cutting down the nets.
DJ Horne (NC State)
Horne has been nothing but flat out exceptional for NC State this season. He has averaged 16.9 points per game on 44.2% shooting from the field and has been a key contributor for the Wolfpack all year long. The strides the guard has made since transferring from Arizona State has been impeccable and NC State couldn’t have won the ACC Tournament and made March Madness without him. In the championship game against North Carolina, he put on a clinic going for 29 points and 4 rebounds on the way to victory.
Who’s Not
Clemson Tigers
The Tigers were one of the biggest surprises of the regular season putting together a solid campaign. Clemson should be a NCAA Tournament team, but its play in the ACC Tournament left much to be desired and need to find its footing before March Madness if it were to make it. After a 21-11 regular season, the group got a first round bye in the conference tournament. The Tigers didn’t last for very long as they got bounced by an inferior Boston College team by a score of 76-55.
Jared McCain (Duke)
McCain has not only been one of the hottest freshmen in the country as of late, but the guard has been one of the best players in the nation. The 5-star has been nothing short of a game changer for Duke, and has enhanced his team’s play over the late stretches of the season. However, in the Blue Devil’s solo ACC Tournament game, he went cold going for just 8 points below his season average of 12 and nowhere near his recent outings of around the 20 or more point mark.
Top teams that can win March Madness (In order)
1. North Carolina Tar Heels
The Tar Heels are a No. 1 seed and for good reason. The No. 4 team in the country is led by veteran leaders and RJ Davis and Armando Bacot UNC is in a prime position to win it all.
2. Duke Blue Devils
Much like UNC, Duke has been a top team in the country all year and enters the NCAA Tournament with a ton of talent with guys like Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain as well as Jeremy Roach who has been in the “Big Dance” plenty of times.
3.NC State Wolfpack
The Wolfpack is riding all the momentum following its ACC Tournament victory, and with DJ Burns Jr and DJ Horne, NC State is feeling itself right now.
4. Clemson Tigers
PJ Hall is an elite X factor for anytime and can get the job done for the Tigers.