Miami and NC State: A huge ACC basketball game without UNC or Duke.

Saturday Miami and NC State will play in a really big regular season ACC basketball game. Miami leads the ACC with a 7-0 record and is ranked #14. The Hurricanes are also the RPI’s #2 rated behind fellow ACC team Duke. NC State is ranked #19, and sits 4th in the ACC with a 5-3 record. The Wolfpack started the season ranked in the top 10, and while they’ve been a little inconsistent especially on the road, they still as much potential as any team in the ACC. A win for Miami would give the Hurricanes an absolute stranglehold on the ACC race, and may even give the Canes a shot at a NCAA #1 seed. The Wolfpack with a win could pull within 2 games on the Hurricanes and would keep NC State in position for a top 4 NCAA seed, as well as first round BYE in the ACC tournament. It is too bad that it looks like NC State’s Lorenzo Brown won’t be available for the game. As you can see there’s alot on the line in this one. There have been plenty of big ACC games in recent years, but normally at least one of the teams is Duke or North Carolina. Duke is still in the top 5, and North Carolina, while a bit down this season is sure to be a an elite team in the future. This is a good thing for the ACC to have additional high quality in matchups without Duke and UNC always being in the mix. The Blue Devils and Heels will be there in most seasons it’s the other ACC teams that need to step up and Miami and NC State are doing that this season. Down the road with Syracuse, Louisville, Pittsburgh, and Notre Dame joining the ACC, you can expect more of these type matchups. Here’s a preview of the game from the @theACCdn. Become a fan of the ACC on Facebook and follow the ACC on Twitter