So this past week was a bit of a downer for the Pack following the rout loss at UNC. It might have been OK if it were even close, but the Pack was trounced in the first half and while the second was better, let’s face it, the Heels really didn’t have to try anymore.
Just as an exercise in getting our collective minds off that game, let’s take a look at the remaining schedule and make some predictions: Read more…
Congratulations to the Syracuse Orange for being the first school since 2010-2011 (conference-mate Duke) to be a unanimous #1. Equally impressive is rebounding from an emotional and hard-fought win over Duke to beat a desperate Notre Dame team last night to improve to 22-0. Trevor Conney led the way with 33 points for the Orange. Every game, someone else steps up for Syracuse.
It was the only action in the ACC last night.
Looking forward, there are possible bumps in the road for Syracuse:
Actually, Syracuse’s schedule is heavily weighted towards road games at the end… four of the final five.
What do you think? Will Syracuse lose again during the regular season? If so, when?
That’s me and StrawHatGuy. I’ll let you figure out who’s who. (via StrawHatGuy)
So, yeah, that’s me, your newest correspondent for the ‘Cuse. When that pic was taken, the lucky shirt and hat were enough to help propel the Orange to victory against the Pittsburgh Panthers.
Let’s hope they can do the same this Saturday against Duke.
I’m sure that some of you are already familiar with me. I write here and there for what is undeniably the best Syracuse blog in all of the Internet. And (shameless self plug) I’ve recently tried to revive my own version of what I think Syracuse sports looks like. So when I was asked to be a contributor for The Confidential, I figured, what the hell. What’s the worst that could happen? Read more…
According to a tweet from ESPN’s Bob Wischusen, tonight’s ESPN2 broadcast of the North Carolina/Georgia Tech men’s basketball game, originally slated for 7pm, has been cancelled due to safety concerns from this week’s inclement weather.
More information can be seen on Bob’s twitter account here- https://twitter.com/espnbob
This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. While it is uncommon for television companies to change plans so close to game time, it’s not unheard of, and it makes sense in this case. Due to a number of different factors, lack of preparation and a surprise storm path among them, the City of Atlanta, the site of tonight’s game, was hit particularly hard. Reports of families spending the night in cars and students being stranded on buses and at school were not uncommon, and the mayor’s handling of the situation has come under fire in national media. Despite the fact that the game is still on, it’s not a stretch to see why ESPN called it a day.
Here are the meaningful games in the Atlantic Coast Conference today (January 28, 2014):
Men’s Basketball:
Virginia (15-5, 6-1) @ Notre Dame (11-9, 2-5). 9:00 pm.
Notes: The Fighting Irish are finding the ACC to be a much more difficult road than the Big East. Virginia has taken off in conference play. Those two concepts are hard to reconcile. The reality is that Virginia was supposed to be this good. Defeating Notre Dame would get them that much closer to national relevance.
Clemson Men’s Basketball starts the week after an ugly loss to UNC last night, improving their record to 57-0. That record of course being the Tarheels have won 57 times against the Tigers while in the Dean Dome, the Tigers never seeing a victory.
UNC is off to a slow start in ACC play but now improves to 12-7 overall and 2-4 in the ACC. Clemson started off hot, being 4-1 in the conference just last week, now drops to 13-6, 4-3 after two consecutive losses to Pitt and Carolina. The Tigers have a tough conference schedule coming up, facing FSU, Syracuse, and Notre Dame on the road.
To note any highlights from last night’s game from a Clemson standpoint, would be a disservice to our readers. The Tigers played flat on defense and hesitant on offense. Seeing it first hand in the Dean Dome was taxing. Stops on defense were rare and the Tigers shot 34% from the field. That’s 18 field goals made out of 53 attempts. It was not a great night for the Tiger offense, to say the least.
Leading scorer, KJ McDaniels, came up with 13 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. He was the game leader across the board for the Tigers. McDaniels has proven to be an offensive leader this season, but he can’t do it on his own. Adonis Filer came up with 12 points of his own, as did Landry Nnoko. Nnoko is improving but between him and Sidy Djitte at center, too many passes slipped through their hands down low in the paint for would be easy points.
To end on a high note, the Tigers finished the night 19-25 at the line, giving them a 76% free throw percentage for the night.
This Clemson team is young, consisting of four freshman, four sophomores, and five juniors to make up the Tiger squad. Playing on the road, especially in Chapel Hill, is tough and the Tigers have their work cut out for them in the coming weeks.
In other Clemson news, a non-basketball related highlight of the evening was having Clemson football coach, Dabo Swinney, in the Dean Dome last night. Sitting a few rows behind the Clemson bench, the dynamite coach just signed a new 8-year contract with Clemson, keeping him a Tiger through the 2021 season. At halftime, Clemson fans throughout the dome stopped by to take pictures with the Orange Bowl Champion, including yours truly. It’s a check off my bucket list and as much as it pains me to say, I guess I have Chapel Hill to thank for that.
Clemson takes on Florida State this Saturday in Tallahassee. Catch the ACC matchup at 3pm on ESPN2.
It is Super Bowl week. With football coming to a conclusion, this means that basketball–particularly college basketball–takes center stage. And that means the Big Dance, brackets, and more. With the countdown to March Madness looming, who is already on the bubble? Check out Confidential Bracketology below:
Here are the meaningful games in the Atlantic Coast Conference today (January 27, 2014):
Men’s Basketball:
#18 Duke (16-4, 5-2) @ #20 Pittsburgh (18-2, 6-1). 7:00 pm.
Notes: The ACC did not do Duke any favors with this schedule. First, a trip to Pittsburgh, one of the most difficult road environments in all of college basketball. Second, Duke has a looming trip to the Carrier Dome to face Syracuse and its 35,000+ fans. And both teams have better records than Duke right now.
Here are the meaningful games in the Atlantic Coast Conference today (January 26, 2014):
Men’s Basketball:
Georgia Tech (11-8, 2-4) @ #NC State (12-7, 2-4). 1:00 pm.
Notes: It is never too early for these teams to realize that they are squarely on the wrong side of the bubble. It is win now or shoot for the NIT.
Clemson (13-5, 4-2) @ North Carolina (11-7, 1-4). 6:00 pm.
Notes: Did anyone expect the 13-5 team that is 4-2 in conference to be Clemson?
Here are the meaningful games in the Atlantic Coast Conference today (January 25, 2014):
Men’s Basketball:
Florida State (12-5, 3-2) @ #23 Duke (14-4, 3-2). 12:00 pm.
#2 Syracuse (18-0, 5-0) @ Miami (10-7, 2-3). 1:00 pm.
Notre Dame (11-7, 2-3) @ Wake Forest (12-6, 2-3). 3:00 pm.
Virginia Tech (8-9, 1-4) @ Virginia (13-5, 4-1). 3:00 pm.
#22 Pittsburgh (16-2, 4-1) @ Maryland (11-7, 3-2). 6:00 pm.
Women’s Basketball:
None.
The Confidential 