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   Welcome to TSLMail #267 - Friday, February 23, 2007    
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   Tech Sports News


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Projecting All-ACC First and Second Teams

by Chris Coleman, TechSideline.com

The ACC regular season is almost over, and it's time to start thinking about our All-ACC selections. Each team has two or three games left before the ACC tournament begins, but all the players have built up their resumes to a point where we can project postseason honors.

At this point in the season, if I made out an All-ACC ballot, here's how my first team would look:

First Team All-ACC (at this point)
Pos Player School Ht Wt Year Pts Rebs

G

Zabian Dowdell

Virginia Tech

6-3

200

Sr.

18 3.4

G

J.R. Reynolds

UVA

6-2.5

188

Sr.

18.2 4.2

F

Jared Dudley

Boston College

6-7

225

Sr.

19.5 8.5

F

Al Thornton

Florida State

6-8

220

Sr.

19.3 7.3

F

Tyler Hansbrough

UNC

6-9

245

So.

18.6 7.7


The most productive guards in the conference are Zabian Dowdell, Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds. All three are worthy of being first team All-ACC, but which one do you leave off? Of, do you go with a three-guard lineup and leave off Jared Dudley, Al Thornton or Tyler Hansbrough?

In the end, I couldn't leave off Dudley, Thornton or Hansbrough. And when I had to select two of the three guards, I chose the two who have stepped up their game in conference play.

Zabian Dowdell's scoring jumps to 19.6 in conference play, his rebounding jumps to 3.9. His shooting moves up from 48.2% overall to 49.4% in ACC games. He has 90 assists to just 44 turnovers, and in conference play that number is 41 assists to 19 turnovers. The cream generally rises to the top in conference play, and that's been the case with Dowdell.

Like Dowdell, J.R. Reynolds' numbers have gone up. He averages 20.8 points in ACC play, his shooting percentage (44.0% to 44.3%) and three-point percentage (36.7% to 38.7%) have risen, and he is grabbing more rebounds (4.2 to 4.8).

Many of Singletary's numbers have dropped since conference play began. He averages 18.4 points overall, but just 16.7 in ACC play. His field goal percentage has risen from 40.4% to 42.3%, but his three-point shooting has dropped form 40.1% to 38.4%. His free throw percentage has also seen a sharp decline, from 88.6% overall to 80.7% in conference play. Plus, his 56 assists to 49 turnovers in conference play is below average for an ACC point guard.

Singletary is a very good player who has won a lot of games for UVA, but I feel like Dowdell and Reynolds are more deserving of the first team nod at this point in the season.

Jared Dudley is the likely ACC Player of the Year. His 19.5 points and 8.5 rebounds lead the conference in both categories. Tyler Hansbrough is also an option because of his preseason hype and the team he plays for, but his season has not been as impressive as many projected, though it's still been very good.

Al Thornton is perhaps the best NBA prospect of any of the first-team players. All of the first team players, plus Sean Singletary, could get votes for ACC Player of the Year, and you could make an argument for all of them, with the exception of probably Singletary.

If Singletary isn't on the first team, he's obviously on the second team. Let's see who joins him.

Second Team All-ACC (at this point)
Pos Player School Ht Wt Year Pts Rebs

G

Sean Singletary

UVA

6-0

185

Jr.

18.4 4.3

G

Tyrese Rice

Boston College

6-1

190

So.

17.1 3.2

F

Brandon Costner

NC State

6-8

230

r-Fr.

16.2 7.8

F

Josh McRoberts

Duke

6-10

240

So.

13.1 7.9

C

Kyle Visser

Wake Forest

6-11

255

Sr.

17.3 7.3


With the exception of Wake Forest center Kyle Visser, all of these players are eligible to return for the 2007-08. This could very well be a preview of next year's first team All-ACC, with Tyler Hansbrough as the lone returnee from the first team.

Tyrese Rice has improved as much as any player in the ACC from last year to this year, with the exception of Kyle Visser. Although he is also a point guard like Singletary, Rice still belongs on this list.

Brandon Costner isn't a small forward, but he deserves to be on this list. He is the top scoring and rebounding freshman in the ACC. The former McDonald's All-American looks like he'll have a very good career at NC State.

Overall, I'd take that two-deep and match them up against any All-Conference team from any conference in American, and I'd feel good about it.



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   TechSideline.com Updates From the Past Week

2007 Recruiting Grades: The Offense

February 23, 2007
There is a lot of excitement in the fan base about Virginia Tech's 2007 recruiting class, especially on the offensive side of the ball. The 2006 Tech offense struggled at times, holding the team back from possibly a very special season, so naturally Tech fans are excited about the possibilities and potential of this talented, well-rounded offensive recruiting class.
more

Manuel Talks Recruiting
February 23, 2007
Duke's Ted Roof, Maryland's Ralph Friedgen, Virginia's Al Groh and Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer all stopped by Bayside High School (Virginia Beach, VA) last month to show their interest in 6-4, 210-pound quarterback E.J. Manuel. Manuel is up to seven scholarship offers and could get more in the coming weeks/months.
more

Harrelson Boasts Six Offers
February 22, 2007
Todd Harrelson had a tremendous 2006 season, finishing with 24 pass break-ups and seven interceptions at cornerback and 32 receptions for 710 yards at wide receiver. The 6-2, 190-pound Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, VA) junior's ability on both sides of the ball has earned him six scholarship offers to date - Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina, N.C. State, Virginia and Virginia Tech.
more

Around the ACC: February 22nd, 2007
February 22, 2007
With nine teams in the top 48 of the RPI ratings, pundits around the country are wondering if the ACC will get seven, eight, or even nine teams into the NCAA tournament. TSL has their own ideas on that topic, and we give our thoughts on what teams from the conference will and won't be dancing at season's end in this week's "Around the ACC." This week's ACC quiz: UNC has the most overall wins in the conference with 24, but which team has the second-most wins overall? The answer will surprise you.
more

Will Top SG Clark Visit VT?
February 22, 2007
At 29-0 and ranked the #4 team in the nation by USA Today, Montverde Academy (FL) features one of the top remaining unsigned players in the country in 6-4, 185-pound two-guard Gary Clark. Virginia Tech is just one of many schools showing heavy interest in Clark, who may visit Blacksburg next month.
more

Hokies Whack BC, Eye Top-Four ACC Finish
February 21, 2007
After six straight losses to BC, the Hokies finally got a hold of the Eagles Wednesday night and shook them like a pit bull shakes a rag doll. The win was nice, in more ways than one, and the Hokies are now a lock to finish in the top four of the ACC. As the season winds down, it's apparent that Virginia Tech has handled the ebb and flow of the ACC schedule a lot better than they did the last time they finished in the top four, in 2004-05.
more

Hokies Ground Eagles in Blacksburg
February 21, 2007
Virginia Tech turned a narrow halftime lead into a rout, dominating the first 12 minutes of the second half en route to a 79-62 blowout win over Boston College on Wednesday night. The Hokies got revenge for a loss to BC earlier this month, and improve to 19-8 overall and 9-4 in the ACC. Boston College drops to 18-9, with a 9-5 record in conference play. With three straight losses, the Eagles are all but out of the race for the top seed in the ACC tournament.
more

Basketball Recruiting Update: 2007 Signees Moving Up in Rankings
February 21, 2007
Virginia Tech's already stellar 2007 basketball recruiting rankings got a boost on Monday, when Rivals.com updated their National Top 150 list. All five Virginia Tech signees are on the list (including Dorenzo Hudson pictured at right, who cracked the top 100), and each one of them moved up. Not only that, but the Hokies are in on a couple of other Top 150 prospects with their final available scholarship.
more

Tate Headlines DeMatha's Talented Class
February 21, 2007
DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, MD) head coach Bill McGregor has a group of rising seniors certainly capable of continuing the success his team enjoyed this past season. From a team that went 12-0, finished #1 in the DC area and 10th in the country, and captured the WCAC Championship, McGregor returns eight offensive starters and seven defensive starters.
more

Basketball Game Preview: Virginia Tech vs. Boston College
February 20, 2007
One of the biggest ACC games of the season will take place in Blacksburg, VA on Wednesday night. Virginia Tech meets Boston College in a game that will help shake out the top of the ACC standings. BC whipped an emotionally flat Tech team 80-59 in Boston earlier in the season. The Hokies are capable of playing better, and they'll look to do so at home.
more

Hokie Hotline Notes for 2/19/07
February 20, 2007
Presented by Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech: Hard-working Seth Greenberg was late for Monday's show, as he took a few extra minutes to whip the Hokies into shape for Wednesday night's huge matchup against Boston College. On the show, Greenberg addressed the loss to NC State on Sunday and previewed the big game against BC, coming up tomorrow night.
more

Important Message for the TechSideline.com Community
February 20, 2007
We're getting ready to enter an exciting time here at TechSideline.com, and we wanted to let you know about it and ask for your help in accomplishing an important goal here at TSL. We're about to change the way we do business, and how successful we are with this change is dependent upon you. In the past, you have helped us get and retain new sponsors and advertisers, and that's where we're asking for your help once more.
more

Glennon's Recruitment Picking Up
February 20, 2007
Westfield (Chantilly, VA) quarterback Mike Glennon has seen his recruitment heat up over the past few weeks. Heading into February, the 6-6, 195-pound signal caller, brother of current Virginia Tech sophomore Sean Glennon, had received only one scholarship offer. Now, he has four.
more

Smithfield's Roberts a Top Talent
February 19, 2007
Dyrell Roberts showed off his talents in his sophomore season at Smithfield High School (VA), rushing for 1,300 yards on the year. The 6-2, 190-pound prospect, now a junior, kept up his success the following summer at the University of Virginia's camp, where he impressed and has ended up earning a scholarship offer as result.
more

Wolfpack Ambush Hokies 81-56
February 18, 2007
Virginia Tech has had a lot of success against teams from the state of North Carolina this year, with one major exception. Hot-shooting NC State downed Virginia Tech 81-56 in Raleigh on Sunday afternoon, completing the season sweep of the Hokies. Tech drops to 18-8 overall and 8-4 in the ACC, while the Wolfpack improves to 14-11 overall and 4-8 in conference play.
more

Basketball Game Preview: #25 Virginia Tech at NC State
February 16, 2007
On Sunday afternoon, Virginia Tech will head back to the Tar Heel state to play a game that could potentially put them back in first place in the ACC. However, it's going to be a tough task. NC State beat Virginia Tech back on January 31, handing the Hokies their only loss in Cassell Coliseum this season. If Tech wants to beat the Wolfpack this time, they need to bring more intensity than they did back in January.
 
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