Both Duke and Boston College got opening round wins, but neither easily. It took double overtime before Boston College could put away Pacific 88-76. For Duke, it took 29 points from both JJ Redick and Shelden Williams (who added 18 rebounds) to beat Southern 70-54. The Blue Devils will certainly need more scoring from their supporting cast on Saturday against George Washington (who also won in OT over UNCW). Boston College moves on to play 12 seed Montana on Saturday.
Tonight, NC State and UNC start their NCAA tournaments. The Wolfpack take on California (7:20) while the Tarheels take on Murray St (~9:50).
The Heels should be able to take care of Murray St provided they bring an ACC level of intensity to the game, something they have done all season. Their focus will obviously be on getting the ball to Tyler Hansbrough early and often. Watch for how Hansbrough handles his first NCAA tournament.
For NC State, it is a chance at a new start to a season that started full of expectations but fizzled late. The Wolfpack take on a Cal team that is 20-10 on the season, including going 12-6 in the PAC 10. NC State will need to find a way to stop Cal's leading scorer Leon Powe who averaged 20+ pts and 10 rebounds per game. Powe is 6'8, 240 lbs, and most likely will be guarded by Ilian Evtimov and Cedric Simmons.
The Pack have had success of late in the NCAA tournament, thanks in my opinion to their style of offense. California hasn't played anyone that runs the "Princeton Style Offense", so the Pack should have an advantage on their offensive end.
