ACC Tournament: Who to follow on twitter for the ACCT and predictions courtesy of the ACC Fan’s Panel.

Here’s the second of @HokieGuru’s ACC Fan Panel discussions. With the ACC Tournament starting Thursday, we need to know who to follow on twitter during the tournament and get some predictions in. You came to the right spot. Thanks to @HokieGuru for putting the panel discussions together, and thanks to the ACC fans on twitter that took the time to answer all the questions.

By the way I’ll be in Atlanta for most of the tournament, so I’ll be tweeting at @TalkinACCSports and it looks like I’ll get to help the ACC with some social networking stuff this weekend providing some link conent and likely some live press row tweeting during the Virginia vs NC State/BC winner game Friday. I’ll provide more details as I get them.

You can get your official ACC tournament coverage at theACC.com.

Ok, now to opinions that really count the ACC Fans!

Author: @HokieGuru

Greetings from all of us at All Sports Discussion.  In Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) country, men’s basketball season is one of our favorite times of the year.  Even more special is the ACC men’s basketball tournament  Our panelists will be discussing three topics.  First, our panelists will provide recommendations for two Twitter accounts from the blogging/Twitterati world (and a short bio of that twitter account) that they plan to follow during the ACC tournament.  They will also provide one mainstream media account.  Second, the panelists will give their prediction on a lower-seeded team that could do a lot of damage in the ACC tournament (some call this a dark horse).  Third, the panelists predict the ACC tournament winner.    Let’s get this panel started!!

Tell us a little bit about yourselves.

@younglefhander Adam Brand, writer for The Victory Formation. Atlanta native, bleeds white and gold.

@DukeBlogMKline Writer/operator of Duke Sports Blog. Fan of all things Duke, including football, yes I said football.

@WillsWorldMN Will Ojanen, writer for SCACCHoops. Based in Eagan, Minnesota.

@Category6UM Writers/Operators of Category6UM. Based in Miami, Florida. Attended “The U” for undergrad. Let’s go ‘Canes…

@KilroyFSU Attended Florida State for undergrad, though he transferred to the University of Akron as a sophomore before returning for law school.  He currently works as an attorney in Tallahassee.

@ztevans Zach Evans is a lifelong UNC and ACC fan from Princeton, NC.  He is also the Multimedia Editor of The Daily Tar Heel, which has very little to do with sports but is worth mentioning.

@MartinRickman Wilmington, NC native by way of Cleveland, OH. Owner/site manager of BloggerSoDear.com, SB Nation’s Wake Forest site.

@CUBOSCO James Bostic lifelong Tiger fan 2005 Clemson grad currently residing in VA.
Currently a grad student at Johns Hopkins, and writes a Clemson blog cutritiger.blogspot.com

@BCHysteria A.J Black. Boston College born and bred. Writer and editor over at a little blog called BC Interruption.  Really doesn’t have much patience for Frank Spaziani.

@hokie8807 Proud Hokie alumnus, Blacksburg resident, and creator of Inside The Cassell.  Fan of basketball, bourbon, and Philly cheesesteaks.

@NCStateFootball Jack Bauer is my hero.

@TerrapinNation self-proclaimed expert on Terps hoops. Creator of Terps Insider.

What are some Twitter accounts from the Twitterati/Blogging and Mainstream Media worlds that you plan to follow during the ACC tournament?

@younglefhander (Georgia Tech)

1. @sportsbroad – Highly opinionated Georgia Tech fan subject to ranting on anyone at any time.  Epitomizes the dichotomy that is being a Georgia Tech fan.
2. @WesDurham – Voice of the Yellow Jackets, and son of legendary UNC announcer Woody Durham.  Knows the conference inside and out, and you won’t find a better ACC historian.
3. @bomani_jones – Might be cheating here, since he and Wes are both technically mainstream media guys, but Bo lives in Raleigh, and brings a unique perspective to the conference dynamic.

@DukeBlogMKline (Duke)

1. @thedevilwolf – this guy is flat out hilarious. No team or player is too good to get ripped on by him even Duke. A knowledgeable sports guy who adds some levity to the intensity of the games.
2. @dukehoopblog – Adam Rowe operator of DukeHoopBlog. Knowledgeable with an insiders perspective.
3. @ACCSports – Jim Young, Editor of the ACC Sports Journal. Very knowledgeable with a great sense of humor and insight on all things ACC.

@WillsWorldMN (Virginia)

1. @scacchoops – I think the reason for this one is obvious.
2. @ACCSports – A good mix of knowledge and humor.
3. @Cavs_Corner UVA’s Rivals site. Brings a good amount of info on the Hoos.

@Category6UM (Miami)

1. @UMStormSurge – die hard student section for The U
2. @Strauzer – UM fan and co-winner of NCAA Fan Contest
3. @Sgorten – UM Hoops coverage for the Sun Sentinel

@KilroyFSU (Florida State)

1. @RunTheFloor Runs the blog by the same name and also blogs FSU hoops at @TomahawkNation, Michael Rogner offers in-depth college basketball analysis.
2. @os_coleyharvey The FSU beat writer for the Orlando Sentinel, which happens to be the best sports page in the nation.
3. @IraSchoffel Tallahassee Democrat opinion writer. Also follow @Corey_Clark and @Natalie_PM from the Democrat.

@ztevans (North Carolina)

1. @tarheelblog — Fellow Johnston County native/Tar Heel.  Gotta show love for them when I can, because I doubt any of us will catch Gregory Shane Helms as “most-followed Johnstonian” anytime soon.
2. @LakeRosenberg — I wanted to put lots of people here, including @FreeportKid, @Joey_Powell, and, of course, @DTHSports, because I am a company man, but, I gave Lake Rosenberg the nod because, as I’ve tweeted before, it is a travesty he has fewer followers than me.  And yes, I may have crafted this in a way to cheat and include more than three follow suggestions. I’ll get away with it thanks to the Carolina Refs.
3. @jjones9 — J.J. is probably one of the most versatile tweeters out there. He can disperse information, crack a joke, and offer analysis.  

@MartinRickman (Wake Forest)

1. @BloggerSoDear — Jake Sloan, one of the original editors for BSD, and a must-follow for Wake fans.
2. @JoshHarris25 — Running back for the Demon Deacons, J-Roc is always entertaining.
3. @joeovies — Since @ACCSports was already taken, Joe is a nice substitute. He’s usually got some bite to his tweets (although now is #NoSarcasm4Lent), he isn’t afraid to tell it like it is, and he engages fans on Twitter. A great ACC follow.

@CUBOSCO (Clemson

1. @ShakinSouthland – DrB one of the most comprehensive and knowledgeable people out there on Clemson. Calls stuff like he sees it.
2. @WilliamMiley – He is a fun follow, wears the orange colored glasses but it is what makes him endearing.
3. @aimclemson – Greg Wallace, from the Anderson Independent Mail, covers the Clemson Tigers

@BCHysteria (Boston College)

1. @BCInterruption (Sorry I am a little impartial here)
2. @conradkaczmarek – covers Boston College basketball for BC Interruption.
3. @ACCsports – (@HokieGuru editor’s note:  Jim Young, Editor of ACC Sports, is a popular mainstream media follow in this blog post)

@hokie8807 (Virginia Tech)

1. @Cvillehoops13 – Very knowledgeable source for analysis on both Virginia Tech and UVA basketball.
2. @TheKeyPlay – More of a football aficionado but his bourbon fueled commentary is a must for anyone watching Virginia Tech basketball this season.
3. @HokiesJournal – In-depth coverage from the Washington Post’s Virginia Tech beat writer.

@NCStateFootball (North Carolina State)

1. @RNR_NCSU – the podcast alone is worth the follow, add in drunked tweets of frustration and you have twitter gold
2. @statefansnation – homerism usually but always good content on the blog. #blackhelicopers
3. @WillBrinson CBS NFL writer and State fan, usually has a good/Fair opinion

@TerrapinNation (Maryland)

1. @scacchoops – JP’s site is great for sims and player stats
2. @DannyFordIsGod – arguably the funniest follow of all the ACC twitter folks
3. @ACCSports – Jim Young is probably the best follow for overall league news

Give us a lower seeded team that you think could do a lot of damage (not necessarily win it all, but do better than expected) in the ACC tournament.

@younglefhander Outside of the four teams that are virtual locks for the NCAA tournament, I’d have to say Miami.  Their draw is favorable, and they have something to play for.

@DukeBlogMKline Clemson or Miami (if they get Reggie Johnson back)

@WillsWorldMN If we’re going with the bottom half of the ACC, then I think Clemson could be that team.

@Category6UM : Virginia Tech

@KilroyFSU Miami. They’ll open with Georgia Tech and then face a Florida State team they played tough both times this year, winning the most recent matchup. Then they would presumably get the Duke team the ‘Canes beat in Cameron Indoor. Also, they’re fighting for a tournament spot and have a lot to win – or lose – in Atlanta.

@ztevans Whichever team gets to play UNC on Friday.  Insert Roy Williams complaining about the ACC Tournament being an overgrown cocktail party here.

@MartinRickman Clemson or Virginia Tech

@CUBOSCO Clemson or NC State

@BCHysteria Clemson….I guess.

@hokie8807 Clemson

@NCStateFootball Pack or Miami both can play with anyone for 20 minutes, question is can they do it for 40 minutes.  

@TerrapinNation I’m gonna go with NC State. They are squarely on the bubble and a couple of wins this weekend could propel them into the Big Dance

Which team wins the ACC tournament?

@younglefhander North Carolina.  Saturday night’s game in Durham is what I had been expecting to see out of them all season.  Insanely talented team peaking at the right time.

@DukeBlogMKline Duke just because it is a right of passage for them to win get a No. 1 seed then get killed in the Sweet 16.

@WillsWorldMN Since Duke has played better outside of Durham in conference play, they will likely win.

@Category6UM We can’t stand picking either of the same two teams year after year even though it’s highly probable that one of two said teams will win the ACC Tournament yet again. So we’re going with Miami.

@KilroyFSU Am I crazy to think that Miami wins it all? OK, it’ll be Duke or Carolina, but what fun is it picking chalk? The ACC tournament isn’t usually won by a lower-seeded team, but Miami has the tools and the motivation to get it done. Of course, since I am gong out on a limb and picking a team that I shouldn’t, that means they’ll lose the opener to Georgia Tech.

@ztevans Duke. If Jim Boeheim thinks going to Greensboro instead of New York City sucks now, wait until he sees Duke winning the ACC Tournament every single season.

@MartinRickman I feel like Duke is going to do it. UNC has been riding the rails for a few games, and I have a strange feeling they get upset in the semis before making a deep NCAA Tournament run.

@CUBOSCO UNC, that pains me as a ABC Guy (Anbody But Carolina). They seemed slightly more focused after the Duke loss.

@BCHysteria DOoOOOOOk. So much better than anyone else in the ACC, will win it easily.

@hokie8807 Duke.  If they’re firing on all cylinders, I think this is one of the best Duke teams I’ve seen in a while.  Austin Rivers can and will take over a game in the ACC Tournament.

@NCStateFootball I dont think Duke can keep shooting 30+ 3’s a game and win consistently.  TarHeels should dominate but I think FSU is going to be the toughest out.

@TerrapinNation UNC. Lets be honest, there isn’t a more talented roster in America. I fully expect them to bring their ‘A’ game from here on out.

We thank our panelists for their time – and stay tuned for other panels at All Sports Discussion.