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05 Feb 2012

ACC Basketball Recap: February 4, 2012

A few teams got ready for their big rivalry games this week by winning tough games on the road.  Here is the recap for the ACC basketball action on February 4, 2012.

#5 North Carolina traveled to Maryland in a Saturday tune-up for its midweek rivalry game against Duke and came away with a hard-fought victory.  Maryland led at the half and stayed within striking distance throughout the second-half.  However, North Carolina was just too much in the end, winning 83-74.  With the loss, Maryland falls to 13-9.  Terrell Stoglin led the Terps with 20 points, while Alex Len had 9 rebounds.  North Carolina got big games out of its big three, with Tyler Zeller scoring 22 points and grabbing 7 rebounds, while Harrison Barnes added 18 points and 8 rebounds and John Henson added 17 points and 12 rebounds.  North Carolina improved to 20-3 on the season.

#2 Syracuse had an easier time in the tuneup before its midweek rivalry game against Georgetown, handling St. Johns 95-70.  The big news for the Orange was the return of Sophomore center Fab Melo, who led the Orange with 14 points.  Syracuse actually had five players with either 13 or 14 points, including Melo, CJ Fair (14), Dion Waiters (14), Kris Joseph (13), and Michael Carter-Williams (13).  Carter-Williams, a freshman, got Syracuse rolling with two first-half three pointers on consecutive possessions.  With the win Syracuse improves to 23-1, while Jim Boeheim tied Dean Smith for 3rd in career coaching wins with 879.

#21 Florida State kept the momentum going, defeating #16 Virginia 58-55.  The win was the Seminoles’ 7th straight–a first for the team since joining the ACC.  With the exception of a portion of the second half, the game was close throughout.  And Virginia had opportunities to tie in the final minute.  With the loss, Virginia drops to a still-impressive 18-4.  But with the win, Florida State maintains its tie for first place in the ACC with a 7-1 record.  The Seminoles are 16-6 overall.  The Cavs were led by Mike Scott’s 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Joe Harris also scored 16 points.  In victory, Florida State was led by reserve Okaro White’s 13 points.  Xavier Gibson was the only other Seminole in double-digits with 10 points.

North Carolina State improved to 17-7 with an 87-76 win over Wake Forest. With the loss, Wake Forest dropped to 2-7 in conference play.  CJ Harris led Wake Forest with 21 points.  All five NC State starters finished in double-figures in points: Scott Wood (23), CJ Leslie (18), CJ Williams (18), Lorenzo Brown (15), and Ty Walker (12).  Howell added 11 rebounds, while Brown added 8 assists.  And, yes, that’s three players named CJ in one game.

In other action:

  • Virginia Tech got back on the winning track with a 67-65 home win over Clemson.  Andre Young and K.J. McDaniels led the Tigers, who dropped to 11-11 on the season, with 14 points each.  The Hokies were led by Jarell Eddie’s 15 points.  Virginia Tech is now 13-10 overall, including 2-6 in ACC play.
  • Georgia Tech defeated Boston College 51-47 to force a three-way tie for last place in the ACC at 2-7 (both schools and Wake Forest).  The Eagles were led by Matt Humphrey’s 15 points.  Glen Rice, Jr., led Georgia Tech with 11 points.

 

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Game Review and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
04 Feb 2012

Weekend Preview: February 4-5

As is often the case this time of year, there are a number of ACC games this weekend in college basketball.

Saturday

At noon, Syracuse travels to New York City–its home away from home–to play St. Johns.

There are three 1:00 games.  Boston College travels to Georgia Tech in a game featuring teams that are a combined 15-29 on the year.  North Carolina State hosts Wake Forest as it tries to improve to 17-7 on the season.  And the big game of the day is #16 Virginia at #21 Florida State.  While Virginia’s season has been a bit of a surprise, Florida State disappointed early but really has things working right now.  Virginia’s tough defense will look to stop the Seminoles.

At 4pm, #5 North Carolina travels to Maryland for its final tune-up before hosting Duke.  The Tar Heels have to be careful to not look past Maryland though.  Clemson travels to struggling Virginia Tech as well.

 

Sunday

At 2pm, Pittsburgh hosts its in-state rival Villanova.  Both teams are struggling through subpar, disappointing seasons.  Someone is coming away slightly happier.

At 3pm, Miami travels to #7 Duke and tries to get the game over well before the Super Bowl.  Miami has been OK this year, but has not shown signs of being ready to defeat a top 20 team on the road.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball and tagged , , , , , ,
03 Feb 2012

#7 Duke Defeats Virginia Tech

At 12-9 when it hosted #7 Duke last night, the Virginia Tech Hokies had a chance to get a crucial victory.  Instead, the Blue Devils rolled to a 75-60 victory, dropping Virginia Tech to 12-10.

Although the game was tied at 21, Duke led handily for most of the game.  In fact, Duke led at the half 38-28, and that score required a three-pointer by Erick Green at the buzzer to make it that close.  Duke went on a 24-12 run to open the second-half and make the game a no-doubter.

Erick Green led Virginia Tech with 17 points and 7 rebounds.  Victory Davila added 16 points and 7 rebounds.  With the loss, Virginia Tech is now 1-6 in conference play.  Only Georgia Tech at 1-7 has a worse record in conference play.  Virginia Tech hosts Clemson on Saturday.

Duke was led by Austin Rivers with 18 points. But three other players scored in double-figures: Ryan Kelly (15), Seth Curry (11), and Mason Plumlee (10).  Plumlee added 6 rebounds.  Duke hosts Miami on Sunday,

With the win, Duke moves to 6-1 in conference play and 19-3 overall.  This puts Duke in a three-way tie with North Carolina and Florida State at 6-1.  North Carolina is 19-3 overall, while Florida State is 15-6.  However, the Seminoles have beaten both Duke and North Carolina on the season.  Duke will travel to North Carolina on Wednesday evening for the first game of the season between the two rivals.

Posted by acaffrey in Basketball, Game Review, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , ,
02 Feb 2012

This Day in ACC History: 27 Years Ago (Maryland & Georgia Tech)

In celebration of Grounghog’s Day, the Confidential is going to roll out another edition This Day in ACC History.  Today, the time machine goes back to a game between the Maryland Terrapins and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on February 2, 1985, 27 years ago.

On February 2, 1985, Georgia Tech traveled to Maryland for a regular season game.  1984-1985 was a good year for both teams.  Georgia Tech would go 9-5 in conference play, and ultimately lose in the Elite Eight to Georgetown.  Maryland would go 8-6 in conference play, and lose in the Sweet 16 to Villanova.  As you may recall, Villanova would shock the world with its defeat of Georgetown in the National Championship Game.

In the game in question, Georgia Tech got the huge road win over Maryland, 72-60.  Maryland’s two leading scorers all season were Senior Adrian Branch and Junior Len Bias.  Branch averaged 18.1 PPG, while Bias averaged 18.9.  There were two of the top three scorers in the ACC that year.  And it was no different in the losing cause against Georgia Tech, with Branch scoring 20 points and Bias adding 14.  Anther key player for Lefty Driesell’s team that night was Sophomore Keith Gatlin, who scored 10 points and added 4 assists

Georgia Tech, coached by Bobby Cremins, was led by two familiar names–Juniors Mark Price and John Salley.  Against Maryland, the Senior Yvon Joseph did most of the damage, scoring 20 points.  Salley added 14 points.  Price had an impressive all-around game with 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.  But Sophomore Bruce Dalrymple nearly matched Price with his 14 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.

Do you remember this game?  Please feel free to share any details in the Comments section below.

Several of these players would go on to have professional success:

And, of course, Len Bias died tragically only two days after being drafted #2 overall by the Boston Celtics in the 1986 draft.

The famous John Salley, courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:John_Salley_LF.JPG

This Day in History is a feature that relies heavily on information obtained from Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Games, Michael O’ Hara, McFarland & Company, Inc. (2008).  Special thanks to that fine publication.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, This Day in ACC and tagged , , ,
01 Feb 2012

North Carolina and Virginia Keep Winning

North Carolina and Virginia each did their part in maintaining their placement in the polls last night, as both were able to win.  The #16 Cavaliers defended their home court in a 65-61 victory of Clemson.  The #5 Tar Heels handled Wake Forest on the road, 68-53.

The ugly game of the night across the nation was Illinois’ victory over Michigan State by a score of 42-41.  That is a score reminiscent of the 1940’s.  As usual, however, the abysmal shooting in that game will be rationalized as a product of “good defense.”

Well, their must have been some good defense in the North Carolina-Wake Forest game too, as the two teams shot 31.0% and 29.6% from the field.  Nevertheless, both teams were able to avoid scores in the low 40’s, in part because both teams were competent at the free throw line.  The rebounding numbers were pretty impressive too–with North Carolina edging Wake 50-36.  That’s a lot of boards.  In fact, Tyler Zeller had 18 of them, while Josh Henson added 12.  Terrell McKie led the Demon Deacons with 13 rebounds.  From a scoring standpoint, the Tar Heels only had 6 players score, but 4 of them were in double-figures, led by Zeller’s 18.  CJ Harris led Wake Forest with 19 points.  With the loss, Wake Forest drops to 11-11.  North Carolina improves to 19-3.

Up in Charlottesville, the Cavaliers narrowly defeated Clemson in a typically slow tempo game.  In comparison to the rebound-fest described above, Virginia and Clemson combined for only 48 rebounds–with Virginia having an impressive 31-17 edge in that regard.  But the game was a nail biter for Virginia as Clemson maintained a lead into the early part of the second-half before Virginia pulled away.  The Tigers made it close down the stretch, forcing Virginia to win it at the free throw line.  Devin Booker led the Tigers, who dropped to 11-10, with 14 points.  As usual, Mike Scott led Virginia with 18 points and 10 rebounds.  Virginia improves to 18-3 and maintains its 4th place position in the conference standings.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Game Review and tagged , , , , , , , , ,
31 Jan 2012

The Confidential’s Basketball Top 30 for January 31, 2012

With over 300 teams in college basketball, the top 25 is just not enough anymore.  Here is the Confidential’s Top 30 for January 31, 2012:

  1. Syracuse (22-1).  The Orange have won two straight without Fab Melo.  Meanwhile, Kentucky lost with a healthy lineup.  Next up: St. Johns.
  2. Kentucky (21-1).  Kentucky beat Georgia and LSU last week.  Much more impressive in football than hoops though.  Next up: Tennessee
  3. Ohio State (19-3).  A nice win over Michigan.  Time to hit the road.  Next up: @ Wisconsin.
  4. Missouri (18-2).  Tough loss to Oklahoma State, but still a good enough resume to be ahead of the 3-loss teams and the mid-majors.  Next up: @ Texas.
  5. Baylor (19-2).  Plowing through some lesser opponents right now.  Winning though.  Next up: @ Texas A&M.
  6. Duke (18-3).  Got back in the groove against Maryland and St. Johns.  One of these days Duke and North Carolina will play each other.  Next up: @ Virginia Tech.
  7. North Carolina (18-3).  Starting to get back into a groove.  Need to improve on the road though.  Next up: @ Wake Forest.
  8. Michigan State (17-4).  Light week with only a win over Minnesota.  Next up: @ Illinois.
  9. Kansas (17-4).  Iowa State shocked Kansas.  But at least it was on the road.  Next up: Oklahoma.
  10. Creighton (20-2).  Two more wins for Creighton.  Next up: @ Illinois State.
  11. UNLV (20-3).  A few narrow wins on the road against Boise State and Air Force.  Time to go home.  Next up: Colorado State.
  12. Marquette (18-4).  This team just refuses to lose.  Down by many, they rallied to beat Villanova on the road.  Next up: Seton Hall.
  13. Virginia (17-3).  The Cavaliers may not be a top 13 team, but the teams below them do not deserve to be ahead right now.  Nice win at NC State.  Next up: Clemson.
  14. San Diego State (18-3).  A lot of teams lose road conference games.  Losing by 17 at Colorado State is concerning though.  Next up: Boise State.
  15. Murray State (21-0).  The last unbeaten.  Just keeps on rolling.  Next up: SE Missouri State.
  16. Georgetown (16-4).  Losing on the road at Pittsburgh used to be expected.  This year it’s a surprise.  Next up: Connecticut.
  17. Wisconsin (17-5).  The Badgers score less than their football team, but they are on a roll right now.  Nice win over Indiana.  Next up: @ Penn State.
  18. Indiana (17-5).  The Hoosiers look a little mortal lately.  Wisconsin is a tough place to play though.  Next up: @ Michigan.
  19. Florida (17-4).  Nice sweep of the Mississippi schools.  Vanderbilt game should be a good one.  Next up: South Carolina.
  20. Michigan (16-6).  Split its road games against Purdue and Ohio State.  The latter was the loss, obviously.  Next up: Indiana.
  21. Mississippi State (17-5).  No shame in losing to Florida.  But it would have been good to get a home win like that on the resume.  Next up: Auburn.
  22. Florida State (14-6).  Cannot deny the Seminoles any more.  Road wins are really starting to accumulate.  Next up: Georgia Tech.
  23. St. Mary’s (21-2).  Two more wins.  Both were on the road and convincing.  Next up: San Diego.
  24. Kansas State (15-5).  Hard to explain that loss at home to mediocre Oklahoma.  Next up: @ Iowa State.
  25. North Carolina State (15-7).  Tough week when you have to travel to North Carolina and then play Virginia.  Next up: @ Boston College.
  26. George Mason (20-5).  Three wins last week was nice.  Keeping slightly ahead of Virginia Commonwealth.  Next up: Delaware.
  27. Southern Mississippi (18-3) Underrated team.  Loss to Denver early on was a head-scratcher, but only losses since then were to Murray State and at Memphis.  Next up: Memphis.
  28. New Mexico (18-4).  Only losses since Thanksgiving were to UNLV and San Diego State.  Not a ton of great wins though.  Next up: @ Air Force.
  29. Vanderbilt (16-5).  Tough week this week with trips to Arkansas and Florida.  If they sweep, they are back in the discussion.  Next up: @ Arkansas.
  30. California (17-5).  Losses so far: Missouri, @San Diego State, @UNLV, @ Oregon State, and @ Washington State.  For once, a PAC-12 team gets the benefit the doubt.  Next up: Arizona.

Tell us what you think.  Is anyone unfairly missing?  Anyone too high or too low?

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Rankings and tagged , , , , ,
30 Jan 2012

Everyone in the ACC is Moving Up in the Polls!

The ESPN/USA Today top 25 has been released and the ACC schools all moved up.

#2 Syracuse improved from #4, leapfrogging Ohio State and taking the place of Missouri.  The Orange defeated Cincinnati and West Virginia last week.

#5 Duke improved from #6.  The Blue Devils defeated both Maryland and St. Johns last week.

#6 North Carolina improved from #8.  The Tar Heels defeated North Carolina State and Georgia Tech.

#18 Virginia improved from #21.  The Cavaliers defeated Boston College and Notre Dame last week.

And Florida State launched itself into the polls at #24, after defeating Wake Forest on the road last week.  Of course, Florida State has made the most news by defeating North Carolina by 33 and upsetting Duke on the road.  Although the Confidential has North Carolina State ranked higher, Florida State does have the better wins.

So, nothing but upward mobility for the ACC teams.  Hopefully, it will continue next week…

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , ,
30 Jan 2012
1 Comment

ACC Basketball Rankings: January 30, 2012

This is particularly complex with Pitt and Syracuse not yet in the ACC, but it can still be done.  Here is how we view the ACC basketball schools as of January 30, 2012:

1.  Syracuse (22-1)  While weaker minds will blame the Syracuse win on the referees, West Virginia had every opportunity to win the game–including the ball in the half court with 6+ seconds to go.  That they chose to shoot an off-balance three pointer instead of trying to use their advantage down low is not the referees’ fault.  Just sayin’.

2. Duke (18-3)  Duke keeps the #2 spot.  After losing to the Seminoles, Duke went on the road and beat a very good Maryland team.  And then a tough out-of-conference foe in St. Johns gave them a tough test at home.  Narrowly above North Carolina.  Will these two teams EVER play?

3. North Carolina (18-3)  Look out for the Tar Heels.  After the embarrassing blowout loss, North Carolina is on a roll.  North Carolina State did not provide much of a test though.  Upcoming two game road trip to Maryland and Wake Forest.

4. Virginia (17-3)  Rebounded nicely from the Virginia Tech stunner to defeat Boston College at home.  Even more impressive was the win at North Carolina State.

5. Florida State (14-6)  Another road win–this time over Wake Forest by a comfortable margin of 23.  If the Seminoles can get by Georgia Tech on Wednesday, the focus will shift to the visiting Cavaliers on Saturday.

6. North Carolina State (15-7)  Tough week for the Wolfpack, as they had to travel to Chapel Hill and then host Virginia.  Despite the two losses, still 4-3 in conference play.

7.  Maryland (13-7)  Maryland kept its record at .500 in conference by edging Virginia Tech on Saturday.  Nice bounce-back after losing to Duke.  Up next?  A trip to Miami.

8.  Miami (12-7)  The Hurricanes are up to 3-3 in conference play with wins over Georgia Tech and Boston College.  Both were significant margin victories on the road.  Return on home Wednesday to host Maryland.

9. Clemson (11-9)  3-3 in conference after beating Wake Forest on Saturday.  Next up is a trip to Virginia to play both schools in road games.  Doesn’t get any easier.

10. Pittsburgh (13-9)  The Panthers are starting to warm-up a bit.  On Saturday, they got their second win in a row with a victory over #9 Georgetown.

11. Wake Forest (11-10)  Tough call between Wake Forest and Virginia Tech.  The Demon Deacons have the extra conference win to provide the edge.

12. Virginia Tech (12-9)  The Hokies looked good in 2011, but 2012 has been very unkind.  They are now a dismal 1-5 in conference play.  Next up?  Duke.  Gulp.

13. Georgia Tech (8-13)  Georgia Tech cannot buy a win right now.  After traveling to red-hot Florida State midweek, Boston College comes to town.  That’s a must win for the coaching staff.

14. Boston College (7-14)  Doesn’t get any easier for the Eagles.  They host North Carolina State on Wednesday–a Wolfpack team that has lost to North Carolina and Virginia in its recent games, and really really needs a win.

Agree?  Disagree?  Let us know!

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
29 Jan 2012

ACC Basketball Recap: January 28, 2012

Here is the recap for the ACC basketball action on January 28, 2012.  It was a big day for impressive individual performances, as a few players got into the high teens in rebounds.

The big win of the day goes to… Pittsburgh, who defeated #9 Georgetown by a score of 72-60.  Bear in mind that the Panthers had lost eight straight before winning their last game.  To get that second conference win, and to do it over a very good Georgetown team, is going to rejuvenate this team.  Nasir Robinson went 9 for 9 from the field en route to a 23 point-game to lead Pitt.  Robinson added 8 rebounds too.   Lamar Patterson was another star for Pitt, with 18 points, seven assists and four rebounds.  At this juncture, every win is a big one for Pittsburgh.  But Saturday’s win was huge.  For Georgetown, this would ordinarily be chalked up as a “good” road loss.  With the Panthers’ struggles this year, that may not be the case.  Still, Georgetown is 16-4 and looking at a top seed in the Big Dance.  Otto Porter led the Hoyas with 14 points.

As a close second, how about #19 Virginia landing a road win over the streaking North Carolina State Wolfpack?  The Cavaliers won 61-60,  as Lorenzo Brown missed a desperation 3-pointer at the end of the game that would have won it for NC State.  Not surprisingly, Mike Scott led Virginia with 18 points and 5 rebounds.  However, despite winning, the Cavaliers were outrebounded 40-20.  In  fact, North Carolina State’s Richard Howell almost single-handedly outrebounded Virginia by grabbing 18 boards.  With the loss, the Wolfpack dropped to 15-7 on the season.  Virginia improved to 17-3.

#3 Syracuse also overcame a poor rebounding effort, narrowly defeating visiting West Virginia, 63-61.  The Mountaineers dominated Syracuse–who was again playing without Center Fab Melo–on the glass, 36-20.  But this game was notable for its poor officiating, as the referees failed to call a rather obvious goaltending against Syracuse with less than 10 seconds to go.  However, before feeling too sorry for West Virginia, they retained possession and missed a three-point shot at the buzzer.  Had the basket counted, Syracuse would have had 9 seconds to get off a shot.  Kevin Jones led West Virginia with 20 points and 8 rebounds, but missed the three-pointer as time expired.  Brandon Triche led Syracuse with 18 points.

Visiting St. Johns rallied in the second half, but ultimately lost to #8 Duke in Durham, 83-76.  Duke had a 16-point lead at the half, which grew to 22 points during the second half.  However, the Red Storm were able to narrow the margin to only four points with 21 seconds remaining.  They would never get any closer.  St. Johns looks like it has a budding star in Moe Harkness, who scored 30 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.  The big star for Duke was Mason Plumlee, who scored 15 points and grabbed an impressive 17 rebounds.  With the win, Duke improved to 18-3 on the season and looks poised to rise a few places in the rankings this week.

Maryland got back to its winning ways with a 73-69 victory over Virginia Tech.  Credit the Hokies for making a game of it, as they trailed by 13 at the half and by as many as 16 in the second-half.  But they just dug too big a hole to get out of.  Erick Green led the Hokies with 18 points.  At 12-9, Virginia Tech is running out of time to get back on the right side of the bubble.  Terrell Stoglin was the hero for Maryland, leading the Terps with 28 points.  Maryland is now 13-7 and controls its own post-season destiny.

Finally, Clemson handed Wake Forest its 10th loss of the season, defending its home court in a 71-60 victory.  CJ Harris led Wake Forest with 19 points, while Andre Young led the four Clemson players that scored in double-figures with 19 points of his own.  With the win, Clemson improves to 11-9.

 

 

 

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Game Review and tagged , , , , , , ,
28 Jan 2012

Weekend Preview: January 28-29

As is often the case this time of year, there are a number of ACC games this weekend in college basketball.

Saturday

In a rather late out-of-conference game, #8 Duke hosts St. John’s at noon. This is not the St. John’s team from last year that made the Big Dance.  At 9-11, the only March dancing the Red Storm will be doing is if they get a WII and Dance Dance Revolution.  But let’s hope Coach Lavin’s recovery continues unabated.  He did a great job with that team last year.

In another noon game, Wake Forest travels to Clemson in the “Battle to Avoid 10th Loss” Bowl.   Wake Forest is 11-9, while Clemson is 10-9.

#3 Syracuse takes the Carrier Dome floor at 1pm to play West Virginia.  The Orange will likely have to play against without Center Fab Melo.  So far, they are 1-1 without the super-Sophomore.  West Virginia usually shoots well in the Dome.

At 2:30 pm,  Maryland hosts Virginia Tech.  The 12-8 Hokies are desperate for a win just to get back on the bubble.  Meanwhile, at 12-7, Maryland has to be careful.  After a nice December stretch, January has been less successful with a 2-3 conference record.  Both teams desperately need a win.

Pittsburgh looks to make it two straight wins when it hosts #9 Georgetown at 4pm.  Despite losing 8 straight games, the Panthers are still sitting at 12-9 overall.

At 8:00 pm, North Carolina State hosts #19 Virginia.  At 16-3, the Wahoos are looking to get a quality conference road win.  North Carolina State, however, needs to rebound from its ugly loss to the Tar Heels.  And the Wolfpack need to defend home court.

 

Sunday

At 1pm, Boston College hosts Miami.  At 11-7, the Hurricanes need to start stringing some wins together.  A road win over 7-13 Boston College is a necessity.

The 6pm game on Sunday features Georgia Tech visiting #7 North Carolina.  The Tar Heels are looking to make it two comfortable home wins in a row.  In fact, they have yet to lose at home all year.  And, while the Florida State loss still lingers, North Carolina has won 11 of their last 12 games.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball and tagged , , , , , ,

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