Now we can start.
Thursday at the ACC Tournament was nice in a chicken salad kind of way. Not too heavy. Nothing to get all excited about. Nothing memorable.
Today is about steak and potatoes. And throw in a wedge of lettuce covered with really chunky blue cheese dressing.
The tournament’s first day didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know. N.C. State’s 16-14 record fits like a leotard and Clemson has mastered the art of turning ACC tournament weekend into a one-day trip.
Today, the Tar Heels arrive. And Duke. And Wake Forest.
And the buzz.
It won’t be screaming loud in the Georgia Dome. Unless Duke or the Tar Heels are about to lose, tournament crowds are more reserved than on-campus crowds. But there’s a feeling to the tournament that separates it.
One nice thing about this tournament – there’s plenty of room to spread out. The league wanted to sell 36,000 tickets and came up about 9,000 short, the economy being what it is.
That means in the same basketball season, Clemson beat Duke by 27 points and tournament tickets went on public sale. Don’t you wish you bet that exacta?
There’s intrigue today.
How will North Carolina play without Ty Lawson, who I’m guessing won’t get out of street shoes this weekend.
Is Florida State better than most of us realize?
Can Wake Forest live up to the undercurrent of sentiment that this tournament is set up for the Deacons to win?
Then there’s Duke. The Blue Devils are almost under the radar, if such a thing is possible.
It’s Friday, the 13th. Our lucky day.
Ron Green Jr. has been covering ACC sports for decades. He attended Mike Krzyzewski's introductory press conference at Duke; remembers when South Carolina was the southern-most school in league; and he thought he'd seen it all, then saw Wake Forest in the Orange Bowl. 
