ACC Tournament info

By Brian Landman, Times Staff Writer
Published March 13, 2008

---

When/where: Today-Sunday; Charlotte Bobcats Arena, Charlotte N.C.

Today's schedule: No.8 seed Wake Forest vs. No.9 Florida State, noon; No.5 Miami vs. No.12 North Carolina State, 2:30; No.7 Georgia Tech vs. No.10 Virginia, 7; No.6 Maryland vs. No.11 Boston College, 9:30

TV: The only game today being shown in the Tampa Bay area is the 7 p.m. game (ESPN2). Neither FSU's nor Miami's first-round game is on in the area. ACCselect.com offers the game online for a fee. Friday's quarterfinals are on ESPN2. The semifinals on Saturday are on Ch. 44 at 1:30 and 4. The final on Sunday is on Ch. 44 at 1.

Favorite: North Carolina. The No.1-ranked Tar Heels are tough to pick against. They've won eight straight, including at Duke in the regular-season finale. They have perhaps the top player in the country in junior forward Tyler Hansbrough. And star sophomore point guard Ty Lawson looks to be rounding back into form after missing six games with a sprained left ankle.

Dark horse: Maryland is precariously poised on the NCAA bubble and needs a strong showing or else it's likely heading for the NIT. Can the Terrapins win four games in four days? North Carolina State came close last year, reaching the finale. The Terps have the talent for a run and remain the only team to beat UNC with Lawson in the starting lineup.