Weekend ACC Basketball Recap: December 19, 2011
While the big news of the weekend was Syracuse defending its #1 ranking on the road against North Carolina State, there were plenty of other noteworthy results.
On Saturday, Miami survived a double-overtime thriller against Florida Atlantic, 93-90. The big news for Miami was the return of Center Reggie Johnson, who made his season debut after undergoing right knee surgery in June, and filled up the box score: 15 points, nine rebounds, five blocks and five assists. Three other players chipped in 15 points or more for the Hurricanes, led by Kenny Kadji’s 21 points. With the win, Miami nudges up to 6-4.
Surprisingly, the next closest game of the day on Saturday was #5 North Carolina’s 97-82 victory over Appalachian State. To be fair, the Tar Heels jumped out to a 16-point lead at halftime and coasted to the win. Tyler Zeller scored 31 points and added 10 rebounds. North Carolina is now 9-2.
In other Saturday games, Clemson improved to 5-4 by defeating Winthrop 60-40. Virginia Tech defeated Campbell 85-60 to get to 8-3 overall. It should also be noted that future ACC member, #15 Pittsburgh, defeated South Carolina State 69-55. The Panthers are now 10-1.
On Sunday, the ACC went 4 for 4. The big game was Virginia’s 67-54 road victory over Oregon. The Ducks went into the game with a 6-2 record, with losses to only BYU and Vanderbilt. But the Cavaliers continued their good early season performance by holding Oregon to 42.6% shooting. Virginia also dominated the boards, capturing a 39-24 edge. Mike Scott led Virginia with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Virginia is now 9-1 on the season and poised to move into the top 25.
Florida State improved to 8-3 with a 77-61 victory over Loyola Marymount. Once again, the ACC team dominated the boards as the Seminoles crashed the boards for a ridiculous 49 to 32 edge. The teams helped those numbers by shooting below average, 49 for 123 between the two teams. Bernard James led the Seminoles with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
In other Sunday action, Wake Forest defeated Gardner-Webb 67-59 to get to 7-4. And how about those Boston College Eagles, who got their fourth win on the season with a 20-point romp over Bryant, 75-55. That’s two wins in a row.
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