ACC Mens Hoops Teams Go 5 for 5 on Wednesday Night!
A week ago, the Confidential was lamenting a poor performance in the ACC-Big 10 Challenge. A week later, things are looking a little better. The ACC celebrated a perfect Wednesday, going 5 for 5. You cannot do any better than that!
The #7 Duke Blue Devils improved to 8-1 with an 87-54 romp over Colorado State. To be fair, Colorado State was probably distracted by wondering whether it was going to be selected to join the Big East. After all, the Big East spent the day gobbling up teams nowhere near the East, but at least they are working on the “Big” side of the equation. Returning to basketball, Duke was just way too much for Colorado State, shooting 56.4% from the field and holding Colorado State to 40.7%. The Blue Devils had four players score in the teens, led by Freshman Austin Rivers with 17. Duke will host the battled-tested Washington Huskies on Saturday.
In a rivalry game featuring two 4-4 teams , Georgia Tech was able to get a road win against Georgia, 68-56, avoid falling under .500 on the season. This was a big win for Georgia Tech and new coach Brian Gregory (he of the growing Tom Izzo coaching tree) as the Yellow Jackets broke some historical futility in the process, as CBS noted that this was Georgia Tech’s first win at Georgia since November 26, 1976. One can only wonder if then-President-elect Jimmy Carter was in town for the rivalry battle that year. Kind of puts it in perspective. All of Georgia Tech’s scoring came from 6 players, with reserve Jason Morris leading the team with 15 points. The Yellow Jackets travel to Savannah State on Saturday.
Virginia Tech was able to defeat host Rhode Island, 78-67. Credit the bench for this victory, as the reserves accounted for 44 of the Hokies 78 points. They were led by Erick Green’s 24 points. With the win, Virginia Tech is now 6-3. They will host the Norfolk State Spartans on Sunday.
Although it was a little closer than desired, Maryland will take any wins it can get at this point, including their 77-74 win over Mount St. Mary’s. The Terrapins benefited greatly from the charity stripe, converting 25 of 35 free throw attempts. In contrast, Mount St. Mary’s only attempted 17 free throws. Guard Terrell Stoglin led Maryland with 23 points. Maryland gets a week off before hosting Florida International on Wednesday. After a terrible start, Maryland is now sitting at 5-3. It could be worse.
Capping off the ACC’s perfect night was an 87-83 victory for Wake Forest over High Point. The Demon Deacons had to overcome a 35-point effort by High Point Guard Nick Barbour, who was not shy in launching 18 shots. Along the way he converted 7 three-pointers. But Wake Forest’s offense also came to play, with three starters–C.J. Harris (20), Tony Chennault (20), and Travis McKie (18)–combining for 58 points. Wake Forest improves to 6-3 and will travel to Seton Hall on Saturday. This will be a very tough game, as the Pirates are off to a somehow surprising 7-1 start.
The Confidential 