Replay Friday's ACC chat with Ken Tysiac

Welcome back, everyone. College basketball writer Ken Tysiac is with us to talk about the final weekend of the ACC regular season.

Be sure to get in your Duke-UNC comments early before we inevitably get inundated with questions about Sunday's Miami at Georgia Tech battle.

Greg, thanks for the question. I think it's Jimmer all the way for player of the year. Smith has had a fantastic season, but he doesn't have the statistical oddity (first player ever to lead the ACC in points and assists) going for him anymore. Kendall Marshall has passed him in assists.

I hope I'm not wrong a second time. I picked UNC last time and looked pretty good when the Tar Heels were ahead 43-29 at the half. I'm going to pick UNC again. Duke relies heavily on 3-point shooting and doesn't hit them as well away from home. No, that doesn't make me a Carolina homer. That's what I think is going to happen. I couldn't care less who wins, as long as the game ends quickly so I can make deadline.

I don't think the short benches will have much of an impact on the game. Both teams have a three-man, big man rotation, and that's enough, especially when Singler and Barnes can play power forward in a pinch. The only place where depth comes into play is in the backcourt, where Dexter Strickland starts at the 2 and is a backup point guard. Strickland has to play a lot of minutes, and that factor favors Duke.

Kevin, I do think Harrison Barnes will turn pro after this year. I think Kyrie Irving also will turn pro, and I think there's a chance John Henson might turn pro. This is not based on any inside knowledge, and our UNC beat writer, Robbi Pickeral, thinks Henson and Barnes are coming back to UNC. But in my experience, most times if guys have the chance to make big money, they turn pro. And with good reason.

I'll be honest. I get paid to cover ACC basketball, but I can't watch a Wake Forest-Georgia Tech game right now. Then again, that barely qualifies as ACC basketball. As for Bzdelik, I'll bet he sees Colorado having a decent season and has pangs of regret.

Neal, I don't think Bullock's absence has much of an effect. Now long term, in the ACC tournament, he will be missed because UNC's backcourt might wear out if they have to play three games in three days. But I don't think UNC will miss him much against Duke. He wasn't shooting well from 3 anyway, and that's kind of what he does.

Greg, I think Kyrie Irving is done for the season. I haven't heard any loose talk, but he's still wearing a protective boot on his foot and isn't moving very well.

I think Barnes, Henson and Irving all will leave this year for the NBA.

I thought Strickland's comments were pretty mild. He couched his answer in lots of qualifiers. It probably wasn't the smartest thing he ever said, but I don't think it will affect whether Seth Curry's jump shots go through the rim. Duke doesn't need comments from Strickland or anybody else to get fired up over this game with so much at stake,

I think Florida State and Boston College are in. Virginia Tech needs a win at Clemson and/or some impressive work in the ACC tournament to get in. Clemson and Maryland are extreme long shots. You have to beat good teams to get into the NCAA tournament, and Clemson and Maryland haven't done that.

This just in (and by "this just in," I mean, an hour ago) from the Twittersphere, from Kyrie Irving: "... I'm now retiring my walking boot officially...back to regular sneakers lol...feels good!!! #thatisall"

Jake: I'll give you a range of seeds for both teams. Duke can still be a No. 1 seed, especially after BYU lost, but is more likely a No. 2. North Carolina's potential tops out at No. 2 if it wins out, and bottoms out at No. 4. My projection: No. 2 for Duke, No. 3 for UNC.

Greg, under Sidney Lowe N.C. State has gone out in the first game in two ACC tournaments and pulled off some upsets in the other two. I anticipate a quiet exit from the tournament. This team never has developed any cohesiveness.

Miami's AD has said Frank Haith is coming back. I tend to believe it. Haith has lost a lot of agonizingly close games this season, although his team has not performed up to expectations with its solid backcourt and a good big guy.

If you're talking about the NCAA tournament, I think Duke has a better shot at a long run even though I think UNC will win Saturday. Duke's experience with Singler and Smith should play extremely well in the NCAA tournament. UNC's inexperience, not so much. I say UNC gets to the Sweet 16, but no further.

I don't think voters in other regions of the country have much of an idea how well Smith defends. Is Jimmer Fredette a good defender? Does anybody care? Who was a better defender, J.J. Redick or Adam Morrison? Did anybody notice? I don't think so. It's all about the points, baby.

Lorenzo doesn't like the fact that I just used the word baby. Sorry, baby, Zo, I love you anyway. Harrison Barnes is a solid college player right now, but he's not spectacular. His shooting percentage (aside from the 6-for-10 vs. FSU) still hasn't been great. But right now I'm not sure there are many players in the NCAA who you'd rather have with the ball in their hands with a big game on the line.

Franklin Street bartenders coming on strong, by the way. Nick, I'm not going to entertain that one because I don't think it's happening. I mean, what if all of Ohio State's guys come back and Kyrie Irving comes back for Duke? Would UNC be better than those teams? I really don't know. I don't think Barnes is coming back.

KevinG, I'm trying to figure that out. From what I saw early in the season, I thought it helped his stock. He was only looking at a low first-round pick to begin with. Despite his slump, I think he'll still be a low first-round pick at the very least. I don't think coming back had much of an effect, but it's a good question.

Greg, I think Sidney Lowe will be on the Wolfpack sideline at the ACC tournament next week, too. But if you're talking about at the RBC Center, I think the only time you'll be seeing Sidney there in future seasons is when he returns for reunions.

First, coach of the year. Keep in mind these are my own opinions, not necessarily who will win. Steven Donahue did the best coaching job this season. For him to lose Rakim Sanders, not get a recruiting class in and have this team in position for the NCAA tournament is a bang-up first job. Apologies to Roy Williams, who is probably the coach the voters will select and did a nice job bouncing back. Player of the year is obvious, Nolan Smith. Rookie of the year is Harrison Barnes, although Terrell Stoglin came on strong late at PG for Maryland.

Karl, I appreciate you letting me make a call for a change. Two ACC teams will be in the Sweet 16, Duke and UNC. Everybody else that makes the tournament will be out in the first round.

Todd, I think you mean Go Strong or Go Home. I'm guessing it comes from Tyler Zeller, and I believe he will make the play for the win.

It's important for Duke's backcourt to outperform UNC's big guys. And my guess is, Kyle Singler and Harrison Barnes will neutralize each other again.

I still think Duke would have lost at least one game if Irving hadn't been hurt. Let's remember, the Blue Devils barely won at home against a mediocre Michigan State team when Irving was at full strength.

John, I agree that UNC will win, but I don't think it's a 10-point margin. I think the Tar Heels and Duke are playing comparable basketball right now, but UNC will be playing at home, and that counts for a lot.

Kevin, I don't share your concern about Ryan Kelly. He does an excellent job defensively, as he's close to the team lead in charges drawn and among the ACC's top 10 in blocked shots. He's almost always in the right place at the right time. He is hit or miss as a scorer, but as long as Duke has Nolan Smith, why would you want anybody else to shoot?

I'm not sure I agree with the first part, Jay. Duke's schedule is almost always in the top 10 in the country. So is UNC's, granted, but I don't think Duke's schedule is a problem most seasons. This season, it has been a bit of a problem because Michigan State, Butler and Kansas State didn't turn out to be as good as expected.

(For the record, no UNC grads on this end of the chat.)

David, I've only worked for Charlotte since 2003, so I can't speak for the first 48 years of your life. But I remember us doing a ton of stories on Wake Forest during the Chris Paul/Justin Gray glory years in basketball, as well as when the Deacons won the ACC football title. But there's no other way to say it, Wake Forest is dreadful now in basketball and not much better in football. And we're not going to do many front-page stories on women's field hockey.

I think Ohio State has the best team in the country. But I don't think there's any one dominating team. Ohio State's best player is a freshman, so I wouldn't be surprised if the Bucs don't even make the Final Four. There's about 12 to 15 teams that could win it this season. Pick one out of a hat. It should be an interesting NCAA tournament.

[Picking up the red phone that connects us directly to John Swofford's office. "Commissioner, Don's on to you!"]

Don: It has nothing to do with a conspiracy. The bottom line is, if you follow recruiting, Duke and UNC get the overwhelming majority of McDonald's All-Americans. They have the best players, so therefore they win the league. I agree that it is a problem for the league overall, but it's not a conspiracy. Kids should go to school where they want to go to school, and right now, if you're a basketball player, would you rather go to Duke or UNC, or Virginia, N.C. State or Clemson? I make the same argument with college football when fans say that in-state, N.C. players should stay home and go to the historically challenged in-state schools instead of the SEC schools. If they are serious about playing football, why on earth would they stay?

Just be happy Ken didn't drop another mean-spirited field hockey comment on us.

Actually the stereotype in the ACC that bothers me the most is the one that says Clemson and N.C. State people are hicktown farmers with hayseeds sticking out of their suspenders. Those are two good schools, and it bothers me when fans of other schools turn their noses up at them.

UConn-Tennessee in women's basketball. No, seriously, I think Duke-UNC for basketball is bigger than Michigan-Ohio State for football. I think more people nationally care about the Duke-UNC basketball game. But I do think the Carolina-Duke rivalry interest is limited to one sport - men's basketball.

Yeah, Krzyzewski is going strong on the recruiting trail again. Having Austin Rivers and 2011 and Alex Murphy and Rasheed Sulaimon for 2012 shows the Duke is going to be very strong for years to come. The big key for Duke in 2012 is Shabazz Muhammad, a scoring guard from out West. If the Blue Devils get him with Murphy and Sulaimon, look out.

I liked the tournament best when it was in Tampa. The weather was gorgeous, and I got to do my four-mile run every morning out by the water. It was awesome. But of course, the attendance wasn't so hot. I think the best place for the tournament, though, is Charlotte in the new downtown arena. The tournament was great there in 2008. There's a lot to do downtown now in Charlotte, and a lot of support for basketball in that city. The Greensboro Coliseum is the coldest indoor building I've ever been in except the Carrier Dome and the office here at the N&O. After spending five days at the Greensboro Coliseum, I lose about five pounds because I spend the whole day shivering.

Jim, I don't think much about Sunday's Miami/GT game. Seriously, though, I think Miami is a much better rebounding team and will win because of that. As for Richard, I was talking about national interest with regard to the Duke-UNC rivalry. I promise you, there aren't many people in Topeka, Des Moines or Cincinnati, to pick random U.S. cities, who even have heard of the victory bell, much less care about the soccer doubleheaders between Duke and UNC.

Thanks, everybody for participating. We plan to do a lot more chats during the basketball postseason. Please do return for more talk, and enjoy this weekend's games.

Ken's out the door to buy [David] an apology muffin basket. Pencil us in, though, for another live chat Monday at noon with N.C. State beat writer J.P. Giglio. See you then.