ACC Tournament 2012 Schedule: Players Who Will Come Up Huge in Tonight's Games

The ACC Tournament (click for schedule and bracket) should have two entertaining games tonight, as a struggling Duke takes on an underrated Virginia Tech team, and Miami fights for an NCAA Tournament spot against Florida State.

Here's a look at a player from each team who will have to step up to get their respective teams a win. 

Virginia Tech: Dorian Finney-Smith

With the Blue Devils being so good at defending the perimeter, the big freshman, Dorian Finney-Smith, will have to step up. 

Finney-Smith struggled with his shot in Virginia Tech's overtime loss against Duke (2-11 FG, 1-8 FT, yuck), but he has the ability to fill up the box score in a variety of ways. Against the Blue Devils, he grabbed 12 rebounds (eight offensive) and had three assists, one block and two steals.

In addition to being able to dominate on the glass, Finney-Smith has the unique ability to stretch the defense as a big man. With Ryan Kelly out for Duke, Finney-Smith should be able to exploit one of the Plumlee brothers. 

Duke: Austin Rivers

The Blue Devils can be incredibly inconsistent on offense, but Austin Rivers has established himself as their main threat. He has scored in double-figures in 14 straight games.

Rivers is incredibly quick and can get to the hoop with relative ease, and he combines that with terrific range on his jump shot. With Duke's inconsistencies on offense, Rivers needs to realize he's the best player on the court and absolutely take over. Because he has that kind of talent.

Miami: Durand Scott

I'm inclined to go with Reggie Johnson here because of his ability to bang inside and hit the three, but he struggled in Miami's first game against Florida State and missed the second one. He and Bernard James might just cancel each other out.

Instead, we'll go with dynamic guard Durand Scott, who should be able to penetrate FSU's zone and either finish or kick to Malcolm Grant, who makes a living from deep.

In the last game against the Seminoles, Scott had 17 points and seven rebounds. Expect a repeat performance.

Florida State: Michael Snaer

Bernard James is a key player for Florida State, but I don't like his matchup with Reggie Johnson, who should be able to push James around on the inside.

That leaves Michael Snaer, who was tremendous in the last game against Miami. He had 20 points, eight rebounds, four assists and a steal as he was seemingly the only player who wanted to win. 

Snaer has the ability to score from inside or out, but he's also a tremendous defender. He should have a big game on both sides of the court.