ESPN Men's Basketball

There was some very big news on the recruiting front Monday: Andrew Wiggins, the top prep player in a loaded 2014 class and by many accounts the best since Kevin Durant, announced the cancellation of his remaining home visits with North Carolina, Kansas, and Florida State, according to CBS' Jeff Goodman.

Kentucky coach John Calipari did in fact enjoy a home visit with Wiggins, a bonus the rest of the coaches competing for his services will not have. Calipari has already put together one of the best (if not the best) recruiting classes in the modern history of the sport. The most predictable outcome, that Wiggins would choose to play for a national title for the coach that has landed more top prospects than any other in the past five seasons, now appears to be a mere step or two away from completion.

I mean, let's be serious: It's over, right?

Maybe not! From Jeff Borzello:

“It means nothing,” Rob Fulford told CBSSports.com Monday morning. “He's just tired. He doesn't want to deal with it.” Wiggins played for the World Team at the Nike Hoop Summit this past weekend, and is still stuck in Portland after his flight home was canceled. “He's just drained. He is shutting it down.”

Of course, a high school coach saying a development in his player's recruiting decision had no meaning even though it really did would be less surprising than Wiggins ending up playing for Kentucky. (I'm trying to think of the last time a top prospect was well and truly pursued by a Worldwide Wes-backed Calipari and ended up playing somewhere else. The list isn't long.)

That's how these things work. Everything is accorded an undue amount of suspense. Every tiny development is scrutinized on the Internet. Every wave of scrutiny is immediately dismissed, and then the cycle begins anew. Throw in every fan base taking to comment sections and message boards to tell you why a kid will definitely no doubt about it choose my school and here's why, and the better the player, bigger the mess.

Personally, I can't help but think Wiggins' in-home recruiting thing is an important piece of information, because college basketball recruiting is a marketplace of respect, and that works both ways: You better believe Roy Williams, Bill Self and Leonard Hamilton would like their crack at the classic living room pitch. (I bet all three have some unreal living-room stuff in their repertoire. I would pay for tapes.) But I also don't know. Maybe Wiggins made up his mind in the opposite direction! Maybe he's introverted and would prefer to discuss these things via an IRC chat room. Or maybe he really is just exhausted.

Kentucky fans are seeming somewhat triumphal today, and understandably so. But -- as is always the case with recruiting -- it's probably best to save any such emotion until things are really, officially done. No one, save Andrew Wiggins, really knows.

Despite winning four consecutive games, North Carolina will be looking to rebound Sunday against Florida State.

As in, box out. Battle. Grab the ball with two hands.

Or else.

Tar Heels coach Roy Williams was downright peeved after Thursday’s victory at Clemson, saying his players were “acting like a bunch of pansies” when they were out-rebounded 14 in the second half. UNC might have gone to a smaller, four-guard starting line-up, which has resulted in more forced turnovers, better firepower and an even faster pace, but that doesn’t mean getting beaten on the boards is OK.

“No, I’m not going to accept it because tonight it was lack of effort,’’ Williams said after the win over the Tigers. “If we try to box a guy out and they beat us to the ball and that kind of stuff, then I can accept it. But we were very inadequate on the backboards, to say the least.”

In FSU (15-13, 7-8 ACC), the Tar Heels (20-8, 10-5) face the worst rebounding team in the ACC; the Seminoles are averaging only 31.3 per game. And although 6-foot-8 Terrance Shannon, out since January with a neck injury, has been cleared to play, coach Leonard Hamilton said he’d be shocked if the junior was ready for Sunday’s game. Shannon was the team’s best rebounder prior to his injury.

A few other things to watch during the 2 p.m. ET tipoff at the Smith Center:

DEXTER STRICKLAND

The UNC senior tied his season high with 16 points at Clemson, shooting 7-for-9 while also getting 3 rebounds and 4 assists. He’s now scored in double figures in three of his past five games; players have said that inserting 6-5 P.J. Hairston for 6-9 Desmond Hubert has added more lanes to the basket, and Strickland has taken advantage.

The shooting guard also has regained his speed throughout the season, after ACL surgery a year ago sidelined him for the second half of 2011-12.

MICHAEL SNAER

There are so many reasons to keep an eye on this guy.

The Seminoles senior guard was just 3-for-9 with nine points when UNC won at FSU 77-72 earlier this season. But he has been scoring more of late, getting 20 or more points in three of the Noles’ last four games.

And then there’s the last-second-shot factor: Snaer has made three game-winners this season, and five over the past two ACC seasons. UNC doesn’t want this to be a close one down the stretch.

THE ACC STANDINGS

The Tar Heels enter this game tied for third place with Virginia in the ACC standings; the top four teams get a first-day bye in the ACC tournament. The Cavaliers, fresh off an upset of Duke, play at Boston College on Sunday. NC State, in fifth place and a game behind in the standings, plays at Georgia Tech on Sunday.

1. Florida State's Michael Snaer has hit four game-winning 3-pointers at the buzzer for the Seminoles in two seasons, including two this season (against Clemson and Maryland). What makes Snaer such a clutch shooter? "I've never seen a player who works as hard in practice as he does in the game,'' said Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton. "He's always in that mental frame of mind and that's why he has so much confidence in himself. He's relaxed in those situations. The ball is supposed to go in.'' The Seminoles have been incredibly erratic this season and Hamilton is attributing a lot of that to youth with seven new players. He said Snaer has had to do too much distributing with Ian Miller out (only plays, doesn't practice). But Hamilton said Snaer is back to his more traditional role. Hamilton isn't ruling out a run by Florida State to the NCAAs, especially with four home games remaining against teams that could make the committee notice, beginning with Duke on Saturday (Miami, NC State and Virginia are also coming to Tallahassee). I said on our ESPN2 halftime Thursday night that Snaer is my top last-possession shooter. My other top four were Butler's Rotnei Clarke, Duke's Seth Curry, Indiana's Jordan Hulls and Michigan's Trey Burke. The twitterverse threw back at me Kansas' Ben McLemore and Saint Mary's Matthew Dellavedova.

2. Oregon got popped at Stanford on Wednesday night in a game minus Dominic Artis (foot). It was the first conference loss of the season for the Ducks. The staff is confident Artis will be back next week at the earliest. But there were clearly issues without Artis, and as one assistant coach said Thursday, Artis had taken pressure off every other guard when he was on the floor. The Ducks will need Johnathan Loyd and Willie Moore. But the Ducks need to be led by their seniors in E.J. Singler, Tony Woods, Carlos Emory and Arsalan Kazemi if they are to hold off Arizona for the Pac-12 title.

3. Missouri coach Frank Haith said the Tigers must play with a sense of urgency after losing at LSU on Wednesday night. Haith said the Tigers have played only two games with the full compliment of players. But he was "very pleased" with the play of his top inside player -- Laurence Bowers -- who returned to the lineup after missing the previous five games (3-2) with an MCL sprain, scoring 10 points and grabbing six boards in 32 minutes.

1. Former Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese said that the departure of Notre Dame basketball to the ACC is “more of a perception hit than anything. It has no effect on Big East football." Tranghese said he wasn’t surprised, saying that he told the rest of the league for quite a while that if the Irish could find a conference home, they would leave. The only schools that might be bothered by Notre Dame’s departure are the Big East's non-football schools, “who enjoyed that rivalry."

2. The Big East might not be clamoring for a Notre Dame replacement to go to 18 teams. Associate league commissioner Tom Odjakjian, who handles the scheduling, said that 17 is definitely an easier number to schedule. Scheduling 17 teams means that the Big East would have more flexibility if the league were to go to 18 games in 2013-14, with each team playing every other at least once, and two teams twice. If the Big East went to 18 games with 18 teams, there would only be one team that each team played twice. That’s why Big East was discussing 20 league games, to create more inventory for the league during its television negotiations. Odjakjian has no say on expansion -- he’s looking at this strictly from scheduling.

3. I’m not sure I’ve talked to a coach this summer who is as optimistic as Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton. Hamilton said he loves that the Seminoles aren’t being billed as a lock for a deep NCAA tournament run. But he said this team is more balanced, deeper and has the potential to be even more productive on the offensive end than FSU's previous few teams. He said he loves that the Seminoles continue to be overlooked by the teams in the Triangle.

1. Kentucky coach John Calipari will be in Newark Thursday to see what he hopes is another record night. He has been touting a stat that is hard to beat: Every Wildcats starter for the past three seasons has been or will be an NBA draft pick. The only player that could be a question mark heading into Thursday is Darius Miller; but I expect him to go in the second round. The Wildcats will likely see five starters drafted in the first round: Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb and Marquis Teague. Teague will go likely fifth among the playmaking group that includes Dion Waiters, Damian Lillard, Austin Rivers and Kendall Marshall.

2. Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said the Seminoles will surprise some people next season “like we always do.’’ FSU has had a few workouts and will have even more once the next summer session starts. Hamilton reports junior forward Terrance Shannon, who didn’t play after losing to UConn on Nov. 26 due to a shoulder injury, is coming along quite well. And Hamilton said the leadership out of big shot Michael Snaer and Ian Miller is already taking shape in offseason workouts. The Seminoles were a first-place ACC team in the middle of the conference season and ended up finishing 12-4, 25-10 overall before losing to Cincinnati in the third round of the NCAA tournament.

3. Replacing Mike Dunlap on the St. John’s staff may be as important as all the players Steve Lavin signed this year. Dunlap was hired because of his player development skills and the Red Storm will once again have a young roster. Lavin needs to find a strong candidate who can handle a similar role during a critical season for St. John’s. Lavin doesn’t need a recruiter in that position, he needs a coach who will be in the trenches and in the gym.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Now that’s more like it.

This city is known for its music, specifically the country variety.

But it was compelling basketball that had Bridgestone Arena rocking in the two afternoon games Friday, and after a pretty flat day Thursday in the NCAA tournament, we needed a little drama.

The start to the Cincinnati-Texas game didn’t look like much. The Longhorns had more air balls than points midway through the first half.

But after managing just four field goals in the first half, Texas dug itself out of a 19-point hole early in the second half and actually had a pair of chances to take the lead in the final minutes before falling 65-59 to Cincinnati.

“You know nothing’s going to be just handed to you in this tournament,” Cincinnati senior guard Dion Dixon said. “We’ve got a veteran team. We’ve been here before. We know that it takes 40 minutes.”

Friday's second game in Nashville was the essence of what makes this tournament the spectacle it is.

St. Bonaventure, a small Franciscan Catholic school located about an hour from Buffalo, N.Y., took No. 3 seed Florida State to the wire before losing 66-63.

The Bonnies led the whole way, and their passionate fans were as much the story as the team itself. The school has only about 2,400 students, and it sounded like just about all of them were in the arena for most of the game.

“A week ago, we were planning on playing in the CBI [College Basketball Invitational], and here we are in the Big Dance with a chance to tie the game up,” St. Bonaventure coach Mark Schmidt said. “You couldn’t ask for more.”

Even after Florida State showed tremendous resolve and finally took its first lead with about five minutes to play, the Bonnies had their chances to pull off the shocker.

“That’s the ACC [tournament] champs. We’re the little Bonnies, and we’re going toe to toe with them,” Schmidt said. “That’s a credit to my guys.”

But therein lies the beauty of this tournament, and why people skip work and skip school every year for what’s now the second round of this hoops extravaganza.

“That’s why they call it March Madness,” Schmidt said. “Can the underdog compete with the big dog and have enough to knock them off?”

In this case, the Bonnies didn’t have enough, but that had more to do with Florida State than it did with anything St. Bonaventure didn’t do.

More precisely, it had everything to do with the Seminoles’ 27-year-old senior forward, Bernard James, whose story already has been an inspiration to hoops fans and non-hoops fans all over the country. James served six years in the Air Force, with three deployments to the Middle East.

On Friday, he was an inspiration to his teammates, and at times, put them on his back and carried them.

“The finality of it all hits you," James said. "Nobody wants to go home.”

There were stretches in the game during which James was screaming at his teammates and telling them to simply get him the ball. He finished 8-of-11 from the field with 19 points and nine rebounds.

“As a point guard, when a 6-foot-10 Army veteran, or an Air Force veteran, is screaming at you, you listen,” Florida State guard Luke Loucks said. “So, you know, a few plays we weren’t even running any plays. I was kind of waiting people out, giving him the ball, and obviously you look at the stat sheet and he was producing all night long.”

It also says something about Florida State's resolve that the Seminoles could win with their leading scorer, guard Michael Snaer, going 0-for-7 and failing to score a point.

"We've been kind of a resilient team all year," Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said. "We've been in a lot of these close games, and this was another typical ACC blowout by three points."

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Breaking down the Friday afternoon games in the Music City:

No. 6 seed Cincinnati (24-10) vs. No. 11 Texas (20-13), 12:15 p.m. ET

What to watch: Seeing the way Cincinnati scrapped its way into the Big East Conference championship game, it’s hard not to peg the Bearcats as one of those teams in the field playing its best basketball right now. They’ve won seven of their past nine games and lead the country with seven victories over ranked teams. Texas, on the other hand, enters the tourney trying to find some consistency after losing four of its past seven games. There’s no better time to find that mojo than right now. There were a lot of people who wondered if the Longhorns would even make the tournament. Here’s their chance to prove that they belong.

Who to watch: Texas guard J'Covan Brown can score points in bunches, and when he gets it going, he’s a headache to defend. The 6-foot-1 junior has averaged 24.8 points over his past four games and has scored at least 21 in each of those four. He leads the Big 12 in scoring at 20.1 points per game, but hasn’t shot it particularly well from 3-point range coming into this game. In his past five outings, he’s just 6-of-30 from behind the arc. Brown takes 28 percent of his team’s shots.

Why to watch: The Bearcats have been one of the turnaround stories this season in college basketball, but it goes much deeper than just hoops. The ugly scenes from their fight with Xavier on Dec. 10 remain etched in a lot of people’s minds, but Cincinnati recovered from multiple player suspensions -- and showing a new resolve along the way -- and played its way into the Big East tournament final. One of the catalysts has been senior forward Yancy Gates, who was suspended six games for his role in the brawl. When he returned, the Bearcats tweaked their offense to better utilize Gates’ offensive rebounding prowess, and they took off as a team -- winning seven of their nine games against ranked foes.

What they’re saying: “We had a chance to win the Big East tournament, which nobody expected us to do, and hopefully, we’ll do the unexpected and win games here, which nobody probably expects us to do. We’ll just do what we’ve been doing and keep playing against the odds and trying to prove people wrong.” -- Cincinnati forward Yancy Gates

“I’ve told my team all year if we would work as hard on the offensive end as we do on the defensive end, we’d be a much better team. And at times where I don’t think we’ve improved or shown the improvement is with our offense.” -- Texas coach Rick Barnes

Around the rim: This is the sixth time that Texas has been a double-digit seed in the NCAA tournament. Each of the previous five times, the Longhorns won at least one game in the tournament. … The Cincinnati-Texas game will tip off at 11:15 a.m. local time in Nashville, and the Cincinnati players haven’t been crazy about playing early games this season. Nobody was complaining Thursday, though. “It’s the NCAA tournament. If you can’t get up at whatever time the game is, you shouldn’t be here,” Cincinnati guard Cashmere Wright said. … Before Cincinnati boarded the bus for Nashville, coach Mick Cronin took the players into the UC Arena and had them look up at the Bearcats’ national championship banners. “I just think you’ve got to believe that you can win it, and I think my guys need to realize that it’s possible and that it’s happened at the University of Cincinnati. We’ve got to believe that it’s going to happen again,” Cronin said.

No. 3 seed Florida State (24-9) vs. No. 14 St. Bonaventure (20-11), 2:45 p.m. ET

What to watch: Is Florida State as good as it looked last weekend in gunning down Duke and North Carolina in back-to-back days to win the ACC tournament title? Granted, Duke and North Carolina didn’t have a lot to gain in Atlanta, but it’s not the first time the Seminoles have turned Tobacco Road upside down this season. Leonard Hamilton’s club beat North Carolina 90-57 at home Jan. 14, then won at Duke 76-73 a week later. It’s the first time in 16 seasons that somebody has recorded two victories over both Duke and North Carolina in the same season. That’s some pretty heady stuff. The trick now for Florida State is playing that way in the March tournament that counts.

Who to watch: Florida State senior forward Bernard James served six years in the Air Force, including deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan and Qatar. Now 27, the 6-10 James has been as valuable to his basketball team as he was to his country. An All-ACC Defensive Team selection, James ranks third in the ACC with 76 blocked shots, while averaging 10.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. He will be honored at the Final Four along with Tennessee women’s coach Pat Summitt and presented with the Most Courageous Award by the United States Basketball Writers Association.

Why to watch: St. Bonaventure is back in the NCAA tournament for the first time since a scandal rocked the university during the 2002-03 season. The Bonnies played an ineligible player that season after a junior-college transfer was admitted to the university with a welding degree and no associate’s degree. The fallout included the firing of coach Jan van Breda Kolff and the resignation of the athletic director and school president. A few months later, Bill Swan, the president of the university’s board of trustees, committed suicide and left a note apologizing for the pain he caused St. Bonaventure as well as his family and friends. The next four seasons saw the Bonnies win a combined 24 games, but coach Mark Schmidt was hired in 2007 and has steadily led the program back to respectability. St. Bonaventure won its first Atlantic 10 tournament championship last Sunday.

What they’re saying: “Andrew (Nicholson) is the player of the year, so he does what players of the year do, and that’s put the team on their back and kind of sail the ship.” -- St. Bonaventure guard Matthew Wright

“We’re definitely expecting a punch right out of the gate. We’re going to throw one ourselves.” -- Florida State forward Bernard James

Around the rim: Florida State is ranked sixth nationally in field goal percentage defense (.381) and seventh in blocked shots (5.9 per game). … In the Seminoles’ past four games, they’re shooting 50 percent (34-of-68) from 3-point range and keeping their opponents to 29.2 percent (26-of-89) from behind the line. … The Bonnies received quite a send-off before leaving their campus in western New York. Schmidt said it seemed like 15,000 of the 20,000 people who live in the Allegheny community lined the roads. “They let the kids out of schools, and we had our bus go through all the little towns, by all the elementary schools, all the businesses, and it was special,” Schmidt said. … Nicholson, a senior forward and the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, has been on a tear. He averaged 25.3 points and 11.5 rebounds in his final eight conference games.

ATLANTA — Florida State forward Bernard James has a simple message for those who dare to doubt his basketball team.

“You should be a believer now,” he yelled as the last specs of championship confetti floated down around him from the Philips Arena ceiling.

Guard Ian Miller wasn’t so reserved with his response.

“I guess they believe now,” he said.

“If they don’t, tough luck because we’re getting a ring for this one.”

It’s hard not to believe in this FSU team after the Seminoles knocked off top-seeded North Carolina 85-82 in the ACC tournament final. The Seminoles captured their first ACC tournament championship and became the first team since Georgia Tech in 1995-96 to beat both Duke and North Carolina twice in the same season.

The same team that lost 6 of 10 games from the end of November to the beginning of January, suffering losses by 20 and 18 points along the way, went 4-1 against Duke and North Carolina, proving that FSU’s successes were no accident.

“This is not a fluke,” Miller said. “You can’t win a championship on a fluke. Today, by winning this championship, our coaches told us it ain’t a fluke no more. People know we’re real now.”

Added James: “We silenced a lot of the doubters who say we don’t belong in the same breath as Duke and Carolina.”

Sunday, FSU stood alone, again, but only because it was above Tobacco Road’s giants.

Now, the Seminoles, turn their attention to the NCAA tournament and are looking to take their high-flying act to the top of the college basketball mountain.

“We have five or six more wins until the national championship,” Miller said. “We’re trying to get there now.”

The notion of FSU making such a run in the craziest of months is no longer laughable. This team is legit. It went from trouble to tremendous in a few months and now has tons of momentum to thrive off of.

Plus, it’s going to be hard for teams to keep up with the Noles. FSU’s up-tempo offense frustrated its victims throughout the ACC tournament. UNC, which desperately wanted to slow things down, was left zonked after its uncomfortable foot race.

With such a deep bench, FSU was able to keep its motor going and the legs churning.

“We were all coming off a third day of playing so we wanted to impose our will and try to let them know that they couldn’t outrun us,” forward Xavier Gibson said.

That sort of thing will come in handy during the Dance.

This team can shoot, too, with guards like Michael Snaer (ACC tournament MVP), Luke Loucks and Deividas Dulkys lighting it up from the floor. The Noles shot just under 60 percent against the Heels and shot no worse than 42 percent during its current five-game winning streak.

FSU is also hot from beyond on the arc after hitting 25 of 49 3s in the ACC tournament.

With as fast, physical and athletic as the Noles are, this will be a formidable group for any team to face in the coming weeks. Physically, this team is ready, but players want to make sure that once the celebration of Sunday’s win has subsided that this team is in the right frame of mind for another championship run.

“We can’t get satisfied with this,” James said.

For as sweet as Sunday’s win was, this team is still hungry.

“The ACC was just to let people know that we’re not a game, there’s no jokes no more,” Miller said. “We wanted to make a statement and today we did that.”

ATLANTA – Florida State hasn’t looked at any of the film from its 33-point victory over North Carolina on Jan. 14.

“When you get big blowout wins like that, it’s probably not the best idea to go back and watch; you might get a sense of comfort, or forget that we have to play hard – or what got us that 33-point lead,’’ forward Bernard James said. “So we just put that one behind us, and chalked it up to Carolina not being ready.”

He knows the Tar Heels will be this time.

The Seminoles downright embarrassed the UNC two months ago, beating the Tar Heels on the boards, holding them to 37 percent shooting. The 90-57 rout marked the most lopsided loss of the Roy Williams era, and it was so irritating/befuddling/maddening that Williams and most of the team left the court early – leaving three walk-ons and two reserves to finish the game.

Since then, the Tar Heels have lost only once, to Duke on a buzzer-beater.

Since then, the Seminoles have lost three times, but won three games with last-second heroics.

"We can't necessarily worry about the games that we've played prior to this game coming up,’’ FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. “Each game takes on a different personality and I'm sure the team that we played in Tallahassee will not be the team we play on Sunday."

UNC will be competing for its first ACC title since 2008; FSU will be vying for its first ACC title, period.

A few things to watch in the 1 p.m. EST showdown at Philips Arena:

WILL UNC’S JOHN HENSON PLAY?

The ACC Defensive Player of the Year sat out Saturday’s semifinal victory over NC State after spraining his left wrist during Friday’s quarterfinal win over Maryland.

His status will once again be a game-time decision – and his potential absence will hurt.

James, a former Air Force sergeant and all a member of the ACC’s All-Defense team, is a load for anyone to handle, and if Henson can’t go, James would probably match up with UNC’s James Michael McAdoo. The Tar Heels freshman has been more confident and aggressive lately, but got he into foul trouble during Saturday’s game against the Wolfpack.

3-POINTERS

One of the reasons FSU was so successful against UNC last time was Deividas Dulkys, who shot 8-for-10 from behind the 3-point arc and scored a career-high 32 points.

The Seminoles senior hasn’t approached anything close to that since (with 12 points being his high), but you get the point: UNC (which also lost to Duke at home when the Blue Devils shot 14-for-36 on 3s) can’t afford to let an opposing team get hot.

The Seminole to watch: Michael Snaer. He’s shooting better than 40 percent from 3-point land for the season, and buried two of those aforementioned game-winners this season.

THAT COMPETITIVE FLARE

One of the reasons UNC lost so badly – and looked so listless in doing so – in the last meeting, according to players, was that they bought into their own preseason No. 1 hype and didn’t compete as hard as necessary. That shouldn’t be a problem Sunday.

The last time UNC was looking for revenge was last weekend, when it went into Cameron Indoor Stadium and pasted the Blue Devils, building a 24-point lead by halftime en route to the ACC regular-season title.

FSU, though, has plenty of motivation, too. Lots of folks wrote the Seminoles off when they lost to two Ivy League schools, then opened the ACC season with a 20-point defeat at Clemson. Since then, they’ve beaten UNC and Duke, but winning the league tournament would prove that the conference is more than a two-team league.

“This has been our goal since the beginning of the season, and we want to accomplish it,’’ Dulkys said.

Follow Robbi Pickeral on Twitter at @bylinerp.

ATLANTA -- About 45 minutes after Florida State's thrilling 62-59 win over Duke in the semifinals of the ACC tournament, Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton shared a special moment with one of his most well-respected counterparts.

While standing outside FSU's locker room, Hamilton was greeted by a smiling Mike Krzyzewski, who had just watched Hamilton's Seminoles best his Blue Devils in a tournament he basically owns. Coach K congratulated Hamilton and praised his team.

As Hamilton delivered his thanks, Krzyzewski briefly paused, giving Hamilton one last look that read, "Hell of a team."

That look was nothing new for Hamilton. He's been getting it from opposing coaches for a few years, it's just taken those outside of the ACC some time to acknowledge them.

Interestingly enough, national respect isn’t exactly flowing for the third-winningest ACC program over the past seven years.

A Florida State team that won a school-record 12 conference games during the regular season and is line for a top-4 seed in this year's NCAA tournament shouldn't be overlooked like it is.

"Because we have not been at the top -- been No. 1 or No. 2 -- we haven't gotten a lot of recognition," Hamilton said. "We've been moving our program along for quite some time, it's just that you guys have just started to notice."

As FSU prepares to capture its first ACC tournament title (in only its second championship appearance), it does so in a totally different place than it was months ago. FSU has won 17 of 20 games and is looking to take the season series against tournament top seed North Carolina -- an improbable thought midway through the season.

FSU struggled to find itself and players say there was a disconnect between guards and bigs. Forward Bernard James said selfishness ruled at times, destroying the "team" and leaving individuals.

"We'd go out and try to make spectacular plays one-on-one and that didn't work for us and that's why we got drummed by teams early in the season," James said.

Drummed as in losing by 18 to Florida and 20 to Clemson and losing 6 of 10 games from the end of November to the beginning of January.

The Clemson whooping changed everything, James said. Players and coaches gathered shortly after to speak candidly about how things weren't working. Slackers were called out and even coaches received constructive criticism from players.

Guards were told they were shooting too much and big men were called lazy in the ultimate open forum.

"Everybody knew what the other guy next to him was thinking," James said. "We identified our problems and everybody worked toward fixing them. That's what brought us to the point we are now."

Two games after the catastrophe at Clemson, FSU pounded UNC 90-57. Two games later, the Noles shocked Duke at Cameron Indoor.

Now, Florida State is a win away from breaking new ground … again.

Even if FSU loses Sunday, it's obvious that the Noles aren’t going away in the ACC. Behind the UNC-Duke current, FSU has been tirelessly working to demolish the notion that the ACC is a two-team league.

"At Florida State, we haven't thought that way in a long time," James said. "It's been about four or five years since they thought that the ACC was a two-team conference.

"This year, we've put ourselves in a really good position to show the rest of the world that the ACC is not a two-team conference."

Added forward Xavier Gibson: "We're coming in there and breaking Tobacco Road up a little bit -- mixing it up -- and that's what we came to do."

A win Sunday will likely bring more onto FSU’s bandwagon, but the Seminoles aren't worried about that because they don’t have time to worry about impressing outsiders.

For Hamilton, it’s all about getting the best out of his players and making sure they play and win for themselves.

"We have to consistently keep doing it and maybe we'll crack into that area that you guys call respect," he said.

North Carolina forward Tyler Zeller on Tuesday became the 13th Tar Heel to be named the ACC’s Player of the Year; teammate John Henson won his second straight ACC Defensive Player of the Year award.

Zeller, a unanimous first-team All-ACC selection, beat out Virginia’s Mike Scott (14 votes) and teammates Harrison Barnes (2) and Henson (1); the 7-footer from Washington, Ind., won by a landslide, earning 45 of the 62 votes cast in balloting by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association.

“This is just phenomenal,” UNC coach Roy Williams said in a prepared statement. “It’s an outstanding recognition of an outstanding young man who has been playing big time basketball for us all year. He performed at a high level on extremely consistent basis and did so in every phase of the game.”

Henson received 56 of 62 votes. Virginia guard Jontel Evans and Florida State guard Michael Snaer received three votes apiece. The junior from Tampa, Fla., becomes only the second multiple-season winner of the eight-year-old defensive award; Duke Shelden Williams won it in 2005 and 2006.

“John is a game-changing presence on defense, someone who has a direct impact on the opposition’s ability to score in every game,” Williams said in the statement. “He blocks three shots and probably alters at least that many that result in missed shots. Plus, he cleans up so many misses that help us start our break. He’s been a big factor for us.”

In addition, Duke’s Austin Rivers was named ACC Rookie of the Year, and Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton was named ACC Coach of the Year.

Check back for more shortly ...

Follow Robbi Pickeral on Twitter at @bylinerp.

Editor’s Note: To see our expert picks for each of the nation’s 12 top conferences, click here. To cast your vote in these races, visit SportsNation.

Here is a quick assessment of the player and coach of the year races in the ACC:

Player of the year

Tyler Zeller has been the most consistent Tar Heel in ACC play. Harrison Barnes has come up big when the team needed shots and has the most NBA potential. John Henson is averaging a double-double. And none of them would be as effective without point guard Kendall Marshall's 9.7 assists per game.

So which North Carolina star gets ACC Player of the Year?

Maybe none of them, especially if they divide the vote. Oh, there are other exceedingly worthy candidates, too. Virginia would never have pushed itself into the top third of the league without fifth-year forward Mike Scott (16.9 ppg). And Duke freshman Austin Rivers (15.5 ppg) beat UNC earlier this month with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

But it’s hard to downplay the 7-foot Zeller, who has averaged 17.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in ACC play after a rather erratic nonconference season. Or ignore Barnes, the preseason ACC Player of the Year who leads his team in scoring (17.7) and has been hitting the boards harder of late. Henson (14 points, 10.4 rebounds) will get some consideration and is a pretty big shoo-in to repeat as ACC Defensive Player of the Year. And then there’s Marshall, who is on pace to break the UNC and ACC records for assists in a season.

In the end, my nod goes to Zeller, the senior who out-played foul-plagued Scott in their two matchups, and who bounced back with big games after Rivers buried that game-winning shot over him. Consistency matters, even on a team filled with NBA prospects. (As long as, in this case, those other NBA prospects don’t split the ballots.)

Coach of the year

This award will probably go to a guy whose team overachieved. The question is: Which one?

At Duke, coach Mike Krzyzewski lost the nucleus of his squad from last season, never saw this season's Blue Devils find consistent defensive footing -- yet has still won 26 games, is ranked in the top 5 and has a chance at a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

At Virginia, coach Tony Bennett has done it with defense (plus a heaping help from Scott), pushing his team into the Top 25 with a slow, methodical, frustrating-to-opponents offensive pace.

But my choice is Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton. His Seminoles -- left for dead after losing to two Ivy League schools, then at Clemson by 20 points -- beat the Big Four North Carolina programs (Duke, UNC, Wake Forest and North Carolina State) in the same season for the first time in program history. His team excelled with defense, too, after losing its top two scorers from last season and returning no one who averaged double-digit points. Hamilton's Noles fell out of the ACC regular-season race by losing two games last week, but he's still my pick.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Duke guard Austin Rivers said teammate Andre Dawkins doesn’t have to make most of his shots for the No. 4 Blue Devils to be successful.

Rivers said Dawkins just has to keep shooting, whether the ball is going through the rim or not.

“That’s his game,” Rivers said. “He’s a 3-point shooter. When you’ve got a guy who’s a 3-point shooter, you have to keep him going. I don’t care if he misses four 3-pointers in a row; I want him to make his fifth. I don’t care if he misses five in a row; I want him to make his sixth. People don’t understand that even if he’s not making shots, he still has to take them. He’s a threat and he opens up shots for the rest of us.”

And when Dawkins is making his shots, like he did against Florida State on Thursday night, the Blue Devils are darn near unstoppable on offense.

Dawkins, a junior from Chesapeake, Va., scored 22 points and made six 3-pointers, leading the Blue Devils to a 74-66 victory over the No. 16 Seminoles in front of a sold-out crowd of 12,100 at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Dawkins, who plays off the bench, scored 18 points in the first half, including nine in a row on three consecutive possessions.

“I got the first one to fall and that always feels good,” Dawkins said. “Then I was able to shoot some free throws. I was just feeling it.”

The victory helped Duke remain in a tie with No. 7 North Carolina in the ACC standings with three games to go in the regular season. The Blue Devils play Virginia Tech at home on Saturday and at Wake Forest on Tuesday night, before closing the regular season on March 3 against the Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C.

Duke avenged a 76-73 loss to FSU at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Jan. 21 and improved to 7-0 in ACC road games this season.

“We’ve just got to try to finish strong,” Rivers said. “That’s what we’re going to try to do. We have three difficult games left. We have to stay focused.”

If the Blue Devils continue to shoot the ball like they did against the Seminoles, they’re going to be awfully difficult to beat. Duke made 13 of 28 3-pointers against an FSU defense that came into the game ranked No. 14 nationally in 3-point percentage defense, allowing opponents to make only 29.1 percent of their attempts.

“Whenever they got a good look from the perimeter, they made us pay,” FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. “That’s what great teams do. That’s a team that plays to its strengths. Their strength is getting to the basket and making 3s. That’s a tough combination.”

It’s an even tougher assignment with Rivers on the floor. Rivers, a freshman from Orlando, Fla., is exceptionally adept at driving to the basket. If a defender cuts him off, Rivers just kicks it back out to a shooter on the perimeter.

“We’ve got a guy in Austin who can really put pressure on a defense by getting to the basket,” Dawkins said. “We know we’re going to get some looks and we have to make them. We’re a difficult team to defend. We’ve got a lot of guys who can score the basketball both inside and out.”

Rivers said Dawkins is equally important to Duke’s success.

“He opens the floor for me,” Rivers said. “When Dawkins isn’t making his shots, they’re just in the paint waiting for me.”

Rivers scored 20 points against FSU with four assists and four rebounds. He shot 6-for-16 from the floor, including 4-for-8 on 3-pointers. Rivers played the game in front of his father, Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who is in the state for this weekend’s NBA All-Star Game in Orlando.

Duke guard Seth Curry didn’t have his best night, scoring seven points on 2-for-8 shooting, but Ryan Kelly made two 3-pointers and scored 13 points off the bench.

“They’re one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country,” Hamilton said. “They have two kids who are skilled at getting into the lane. When you allow them to do what they do best, which is knocking down 3s, it’s very difficult to get over the hump.”

When the Seminoles made their last run in the final five minutes of the game, Dawkins wasn’t even the Blue Devil who buried them. After FSU made it 58-55 on Xavier Gibson’s layup with 4:55 to go, Kelly made a contested 3-pointer from the right wing. After FSU forward Bernard James scored three points on a hook shot and free throw to make it 61-58, Curry made his only 3-pointer of the game.

“It’s hard to guard us,” Rivers said. “We have great bigs, too. Right now, our perimeter players are shooting great and we have to keep doing it. A lot of guys are stepping up and making shots.”

In the moments that followed a 79-59 road loss to Clemson on Jan. 7, Florida State’s coaching staff accosted players in the locker room about the multiple gaffes that had led to the lopsided score.

The Seminoles’ stubborn defense had failed them as the Tigers shot 49 percent from the field. They committed 16 turnovers. And their 24 fouls led to Clemson’s 28-for-33 mark from the charity stripe.

But as Leonard Hamilton and his staff pointed out the team’s flaws, Bernard James stirred in his seat, especially when coaches questioned players’ collective effort.

James, who scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds in that game, felt a need to speak. With a declarative tone, he told everyone in the room that he had played hard. And he asked his teammates, who’d just suffered their sixth loss in 10 games, if they’d done the same.

“I just kind of snapped right there. I kind of defended myself,” James told ESPN.com. “I felt like I played hard that game. I placed the blame on certain individuals. It wasn’t to tear anybody down. I just felt like somebody needed to take responsibility for the loss.”

That moment broke the ice for a Florida State squad that turned a postgame discussion into an intervention. James said the Seminoles expressed their frustrations with one another. They talked about the missed assignments that had led to their poor start. They vowed to implement more accountability.

“We pretty much had to let the frustration out to start off on a new foot,” said junior Michael Snaer.

They’ve won 10 of their past 11 games, a mark punctuated by wins over North Carolina and Duke. Tickets for Thursday night’s home game against Duke sold out in 15 minutes.

The Seminoles’ evolution was evident on the final play of their 76-73 road win at Duke on Jan. 21. After Austin Rivers tied the game on a late drive, the Seminoles didn’t panic. They just executed.

James said he “knocked the snot out of” Seth Curry on a screen as Luke Loucks drove up the floor and found Snaer in the corner for the winning 3-pointer.

“Something would have went wrong [if that had happened before the Clemson loss]. Something would have been out of place,” James said. “The reason why that play worked was because everything happened the way it was supposed to.”

Hamilton could see the surge coming. Even after the Clemson loss, the coach said he believed his team was struggling because it hadn’t jelled yet. Xavier Gibson had switched positions. Loucks was still getting comfortable as the starting point guard. Ian Miller was unavailable at the start of the season, but he’s averaged 10.5 points per game since his Dec. 22 return.

But Hamilton agrees that the Clemson loss jolted a team that needed a midseason wake-up call.

“That game just brought us back to reality,” he said. “It kind of refocused us.”

Here’s a list of the other squads that have managed to turn things around this year:

Drexel -- The Dragons lost four of their first six games. But they’ve lost just one game since Dec. 3 and are riding a 14-game winning streak. They’re on top of the CAA with a 15-2 record.

George Mason -- Paul Hewitt endured some early struggles in his first season at George Mason. Nonconference losses to Florida Atlantic and Florida International seemed to spell trouble for the Patriots. But the Patriots found some poise as the season progressed. At 14-3 in the CAA, they’re tied with VCU for second place.

Iowa State -- The Cyclones suffered from the chemistry issues that come with being a team that relies on transfers. Despite possessing talented players such as Royce White and Chris Allen, the Cyclones lost at Drake, to Northern Iowa at home and at Michigan in their nonconference season. Would they find a way to click and extract the full potential from their roster? Yep. The Cyclones are fourth in the Big 12 with a 10-5 record, and they’re probably headed back to the NCAA tournament.

LIU Brooklyn -- The Blackbirds own the Northeast Conference right now (15-1). But they lost six of their first 11 games.

Notre Dame -- It all started with Tim Abromaitis suffering a season-ending injury in November. The Fighting Irish’s 65-58 road loss to Rutgers on Jan. 16 was their eight defeat of the year. But that’s the past. The new Fighting Irish have won nine games in a row.

South Florida -- The Bulls are on the bubble with a 10-5 record in the Big East. In late December, that would have appeared to be a misguided forecast. From Nov. 19 through Dec. 28, the Bulls lost seven of 11 games.

UNC Greensboro -- The Spartans are on top of the Southern Conference’s North division with a 10-7 record. Somehow, this team recovered from a 2-14 start to its 2011-12 campaign. Now that’s a turnaround.

VCU -- Shaka Smart’s Rams look dangerous again. After losing most of the starters from last season’s Final Four team, the Rams lost three of their first six games. But Bradford Burgess (12.9 ppg) has embraced his role as a leader on and off the floor. They’re tied with George Mason for second place in the CAA at 14-3.

Washington -- There’s a lot of bad in the Pac-12. But the Huskies are one of the struggling league’s success stories. They lost to South Dakota State 92-73 at home Dec. 18. It was their fifth loss in seven games. But the Huskies have lost just three games since that disaster. They’re 12-3 in the Pac-12 and making a legitimate push for an at-large berth.

Editor’s note: Jay Bilas breaks down Saint Mary’s-Murray State in today’s Weekend Watch. Myron Medcalf offers a dozen more games to keep an eye on this weekend.

Friday

Northern Iowa at VCU (7 ET, ESPN2): VCU reached last season's Final Four. Northern Iowa reached the Sweet 16 two seasons ago. But both squads enter this BracketBusters game in need of some late-season momentum and probably a conference tournament title to guarantee a berth. With both squads coming off losses -- the Rams lost to George Mason on a buzzer-beater Tuesday; the Panthers have lost two of three -- this could be the game that starts that late-season push. UNI is out of the at-large running, but VCU still clings to hope -- and this is a must-win.

Saturday

Marquette at Connecticut (12 ET, ESPN): If there's any hope left for UConn, it has to kick in nowish. Despite the Huskies' tumultuous season, it's hard to ignore last year's finish. Few had expected much from the program before it reeled off a run that ultimately led to a national title. The Golden Eagles are playing for seeding in the NCAA and Big East tourneys. And they're still in the Big East title conversation. They have an easy stretch that includes just one nationally-ranked squad (Georgetown) in their final five regular-season games. But late stumbles, especially with three more road games, could alter their postseason position.

Wichita State at Davidson (12 ET, ESPN2): Both teams have something to prove in this BracketBusters matchup. Davidson has a chance to show that its December victory over Kansas wasn't a fluke. The Shockers are clearly one of the top 20 teams in America in my opinion. But their omission from this week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll suggests that some still doubt the Missouri Valley leader. The Shockers are in the NCAA tournament. On the road at Davidson, however, they can prove that they're capable of a run.

Florida State at NC State (1 ET, ESPN3): The Wolfpack (No. 49 RPI) could use a signature victory to enhance their résumé, especially after blowing a 20-point lead against Duke on Thursday night. NC State faces Florida State and North Carolina, both at home, in their next two outings, crucial games for its NCAA at-large hopes. The Seminoles are still in contention for the ACC title. But their loss at Boston College last week and a shaky win against Virginia Tech on Thursday didn't exactly make Leonard Hamilton's squad look the part. There's a three-way logjam at the top of the league and the Seminoles have struggled on the road. They have to keep winning to stay in the mix, which is why Saturday's game is so significant.

UNLV at New Mexico (1 ET, CBS): Most figured that UNLV would enter mid-February as the top team in the Mountain West. Guess again. New Mexico's win over San Diego State elevated Steve Alford's squad to the top of the conference. But Saturday wins by UNLV and San Diego State (at Air Force) would create a three-way tie between SDSU, UNLV and New Mexico entering the final four games of the year. The Pit will be an absolute madhouse for this one. Should be a lot of fun.

Arizona at Washington (3 ET, FSN): Who knows what to expect in the final weeks of the Pac-12 season, but Arizona and Washington are fighting for the Pac-12 title (the Wildcats are 10-4 and the Huskies are 11-3). And they're also trying to boost their thin at-large résumés. Joe Lunardi has both teams in his latest bracket, but not exactly by a wide margin (UW is the last team in). A strong finish by either could solidify an at-large slot. And in the weak Pac-12, a string of losses could lead to an NIT invitation.

Seton Hall at Cincinnati (4 ET, ESPN3): Losing skids interrupted the at-large hopes of both. The Bearcats have lost four of their past seven. Prior to their current three-game winning streak, the Pirates had lost six in a row. Lunardi projected both programs as double-digit-seeds in the Big Dance, so they can't feel secure entering their final stretch of the regular season. They're out of the Big East title conversation, but a Saturday victory could go a long way toward impressing the selection committee.

Florida at Arkansas (6 ET, ESPN): The Razorbacks aren't in the field right now. But Arkansas can sneak in with three remaining games against top-50 schools and the SEC tourney ahead. They've struggled on the road, but have found success at home. The Razorbacks could change their postseason prospects with a Saturday win. After losing to Tennessee last week, the Gators beat Alabama in their next game. Any momentum would be beneficial as their March 4 matchup against No. 1 Kentucky approaches.

Yale at Harvard (7 ET): Tommy Amaker's squad leads the Ivy League with a 7-1 record entering Friday's matchup against Brown. Saturday's matchup against 6-2 Yale (the Bulldogs play Dartmouth Friday), however, could change that. The Crimson were expected to run away with the Ivy League. And their 30-point win over Yale last month suggests that they'll stay on top of the conference. Harvard, however, has found itself in an unexpected fight for the Ivy League's title and automatic bid.

Ohio State at Michigan (9 ET, ESPN): Big Ten title implications here. If the Buckeyes win this game, then they'll stay on top of the Big Ten with an 11-3 record, one that Michigan State could match with a win at Purdue on Sunday. A loss, however, would allow Michigan to tie the Buckeyes and give the Spartans a chance to grab sole possession of first place. With only a handful of games remaining, the Big Ten is still tight at the top. Big game for the Big Ten.

Long Beach State at Creighton (10 ET, ESPN2): Long Beach State (No. 44 RPI) hopes to avoid the drama from the past two years. The 49ers missed the NCAA tournament following consecutive losses in the Big West tourney title game. A road victory over Creighton could help the 49ers grab an at-large bid, but a loss could put them in the same scenario they've found themselves in the past two years. Creighton looks like a lock for the Big Dance, despite a recent three-game losing skid. A loss here, however, could jeopardize that position and lead to more questions about Greg McDermott's squad.

Sunday

Michigan State at Purdue (1 ET, CBS): If Ohio State loses to Michigan on Saturday, the Spartans can seize first place -- alone -- with a road win over the Boilermakers. But Purdue nearly knocked off the Buckeyes in Columbus. They have won two in a row and they know that a victory over a Spartans squad that might earn a No. 1 seed would be a huge boost for their at-large résumé. Expect a battle in West Lafayette.