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25 Feb 2012

Weekend Preview: February 25-26

Although the basketball season is, unfortunately, winding down… there are a number of ACC games this weekend (February 25 & 26, 2012).

Saturday

The day begins at noon with Virginia Tech traveling to #5 Duke.  The Hokies’ Big Dance bubble has all but burst, but getting a win here could lead to big things in the ACC tournament.

At 1pm, Wake Forest hosts Boston College.  Both teams are 3-10 in conference play and playing for pride.  And for next year.

At 1:30 pm, North Carolina State travels to Clemson.  Clemson has surprised some teams this year.  And, at 18-10, the Wolfpack do not have a huge margin for error.

At 2:30 pm, Georgia Tech hosts Maryland.  At 16-11, all games may be must wins for Maryland.  Losing this one would be terrible to the post-season chances though.

The big game of the day, however, is the 4pm matchup between #7 North Carolina and #25 Virginia.  The host Cavaliers are 21-6 but certainly could use an upset win like this to improve its seeding prospects.  At 24-4, the Tar Heels look to keep momentum going.

In another big game, #2 Syracuse travels to Connecticut for a 9 pm game.  At 28-1, Syracuse is looking to set a record for most regular season wins.  Although UConn is struggling, they also play Syracuse tough at home.

Sunday

At 2p.m., disappointing Pittsburgh takes its 15-13 record into #17 Louisville.  The Panthers are playing for pride right now.

The Sunday game of the week is a rivalry matchup between #15 Florida State and host Miami.  At 19-8, the Seminoles would like to get that 20th victory on the season.  At 16-10, Miami really needs this win.  This game should be quite a battle.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Weekend Preview and tagged , , , , , , , ,
20 Feb 2012

ACC Reprimands Official Karl Hess

One of the minor news stories making the rounds was ACC referee Karl Hess’s ejection of Chris Corchiani and Tom Gugliotta from their  seats behind the scorer’s table during North Carolina State’s loss to Florida State on Saturday.  Apparently,  Corchiani and Gugliotta were never given an explanation as to why they had been given the boot.  Today, the ACC reprimanded Hess.

The ACC specifically stated as follows:

In a statement Monday night, the league said it had conducted a “thorough review” of the events leading up to Hess’ ejections of former Wolfpack stars Chris Corchiani and Tom Gugliotta from seats behind the scorer’s table during the second half of Saturday’s loss to Florida State.

The ACC said after the game that officials have the authority to ask the home team’s management to remove fans when, in the official’s judgment, their behavior is extreme or excessive. After Hess gestured to have Gugliotta and Corchiani removed, they were approached by an officer from the Raleigh Police Department.

“Karl Hess is one of the best on-court officials in college basketball, but the ACC has established a game management protocol, which allows the opportunity to potentially diffuse any situations before they reach the level of ejection,” ACC commissioner John Swofford said in the statement. “His reprimand is a result of a failure to follow that protocol.

“We have to depend on our officials and their judgments; and the explanation from Karl Hess regarding this matter has been shared with the ACC and N.C. State University.”

Thus, in this battle between uber-fans of the Wolfpack and the ACC powers-that-be, the Wolfpack won.

ACC fans, of course, recall that Gugliotta and Corchiani are top players in North Carolina State history.  Both spent time in the NBA, with Gugliotta having a 13-year career.  It is great that the players remain passionate about their alma mater.  Hopefully, they can avoid being tossed in the future. More importantly, how about the rabbit-eared referees concentrate on doing their typical mediocre job instead of worrying about the fans?

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Conference News and tagged , , ,
20 Feb 2012

ACC Basketball Rankings: February 20, 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 February 20, 2012:

1.  Syracuse (27-1)  With road wins at Louisville and Rutgers (a difficult place to win), Syracuse continues their all-time best season start.  Upstart South Florida visits on Wednesday.

2. Duke (23-4) A very good win for the Blue Devils over North Carolina State.  Boston College, however, did not put up much of a fight at all.

3. North Carolina (23-4)  Challenging week ahead for the Tar Heels, with road trips to North Carolina State and Virginia.

4. Florida State (19-7)  Florida State got back to its winning ways against North Carolina State.  Duke visits on Thursday.

5. Virginia (20-7)  Virginia embarrassed Maryland on Saturday.  The Terps are used to embarrassment, having fired Ralph Friedgen and replaced him Randy Edsall.

6. North Carolina State (18-9).  Very tough week with losses to Duke and Florida State.  And next up is North Carolina.

7.  Miami (16-9)  Miami did the expected–losing to North Carolina and defeating Wake Forest.

8. Maryland (15-11)  Really outplayed by Virginia on Saturday.  Looking squarely at the NIT, barring a stretch run.

9.  Virginia Tech (15-12)  Two wins on the week for Virginia Tech, sandwiched around a loss by 1 point at Florida State.  A good week overall.

10.  Clemson (13-13)  A great win over Virginia moves Clemson up to 10.

11. Pittsburgh (15-12)  Pitt is back to losing often.

12. Boston College (8-19)  Boston College can keep its edge over Wake Forest by beating the Demon Deacons on Saturday.

13. Wake Forest (12-15) Wake Forest got another conference win–but it was against cellar-dweller Georgia Tech.

14. Georgia Tech (9-17).  Georgia Tech continues to lose.  The less said the better.

Agree?  Disagree?  Let us know!

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

Weekend Preview: February 18-19

As is always the case this time of year, there are a number of ACC games this weekend (February 18 & 19, 2012) in college basketball.

Saturday

At 1 p.m., Wake Forest travels to Miami.  Wake Forest’s season is slipping away, but Miami is just starting to get grounded.  The Hurricanes are 15-9.

In addition, Maryland travels to #22 Virginia.  At 15-10, Maryland does not have room to lose many more games.  Virginia is looking for its 20th victory.

But the big game at 1 p.m. is #20 Florida State at North Carolina State.  Both teams are looking for their 19th win.  And the Wolfpack will want to atone for the disappointing loss to Duke.

At 3 p.m., the disappointment bowl, with Georgia Tech traveling to Virginia Tech.  Both of these teams expected to be several wins better than they are.

At 4 p.m., #8 North Carolina hosts Clemson.  The Tar Heels are 22-4 on the season, but Clemson has surprised some teams this year.

Sunday

At 1p.m., #2 Syracuse travels to the always-challenging RAC to play Rutgers.  The Orange needs to continue taking care of business.

The other future ACC member, Pittsburgh, hosts South Florida at 7 p.m.  Pitt’s disappointing season continues.

The Sunday game of the week is #5 Duke at Boston College.  Like North Carolina, Duke is 22-4 on the season.

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Weekend Preview and tagged , , , , , , , ,
13 Feb 2012

ACC Basketball Rankings: February 13, 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 February 13, 2012:

1.  Syracuse (25-1)  It took overtime for Syracuse to beat Georgetown, but the Orange pulled away from UConn.  Up next is their nemesis: Louisville.

2. Duke (21-4)  A buzzer beater is still a win.  Duke was able to beat North Carolina on the road and then handle Maryland at home.Looked dominant in wins over Wake Forest and Maryland.  Next up?  Duke and Virginia.

3. North Carolina (21-4)  The loss to Duke was a disappointment.  The Tar Heels rebounded nicely in a win against Virginia.

4. Florida State (17-7)  Florida State is handling the good teams.  Unfortunately, it has been Clemson and Boston College that tripped them up.

5. Virginia (19-5)  The loss to the Tar Heels was not unexpected.  A road trip to Clemson awaits.

6. North Carolina State (18-7)  North Carolina State is making a nice run at the Big Dance.  The problem is that its games this week are against Duke (away) and Florida State (home).

7.  Miami (15-8)  Miami followed up the Duke win with a win over Virginia Tech.  But Florida State was too much for the Hurricanes.

8. Maryland (14-10)  Maryland is running short on opportunities to get the wins.  This week is Boston College (home) and Virginia (away).  The .500 weeks are not getting it done.

9. Pittsburgh (15-11)  The win over Villanova has faded.  The Panthers followed that up with road losses to USF and Seton Hall.

10.  Clemson (12-12)  Clemson split the week again, losing to Maryland and crushing Wake Forest.

11.  Virginia Tech (14-11)  The conference games have destroyed this team.  They finally had some luck against Boston College with a last second-win.

12. Boston College (8-17)  The win over Florida State has to be worth sliding up a few slots.  And they almost nipped Virginia Tech on the road.

13. Wake Forest (11-14) Not only is Wake Forest losing, they are getting blown out.  That is not going to get it done.

14. Georgia Tech (9-15)  Georgia Tech continues to struggle.  This season will end in disappointment, unfortunately.

Agree?  Disagree?  Let us know!

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
06 Feb 2012
1 Comment

ACC Basketball Rankings: February 6, 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 (23-1)  With Fab Melo back, the Orange returned to their dominant ways.  However, all seven remaining games for the Orange are against teams in the top half of the Big East standings.  This will not end easy for Syracuse.

2. North Carolina (20-3)  Looked dominant in wins over Wake Forest and Maryland.  Next up?  Duke and Virginia.

3. Florida State (16-6)  That’s seven straight conference wins for the Seminoles.  In the process, they have defeated nationally ranked Virginia and North Carolina at home, while defeating Maryland and Duke on the road.

4. Duke (19-4)  The home loss to Florida State at the buzzer was a shocker.  Losing to Miami?  This isn’t football.

5. Virginia (18-4)  No shame in losing to Florida State on the road.  Virginia fared much better than the Tar Heels.

6. North Carolina State (17-7)  A good week for the Wolfpack, who beat both BC and Wake Forest to get back to their winning ways.  All five starters were in double-digits against Wake too.

7.  Miami (14-7)  The win over Duke, at Duke, was the marquee win that Miami needed.  Now they need to keep up the 6-3 conference pace down the stretch.

8. Maryland (13-9)  While the loss to North Carolina stings, it was the road loss to Miami that will be regretted.  That was a winnable game, as evidenced by the overtime.

9. Pittsburgh (15-9)  Don’t look know, but the Panthers have won four straight.  If they keep this up, the Big Dance is not out of the question.

10. Virginia Tech (13-10)  The Hokies took care of business against Clemson.  That 2-6 conference record still hurts.

11. Clemson (11-11)  Swept by both Virginia schools.  A tough road for the Tigers this past week.

12. Wake Forest (11-12)  Wake Forest was overmatched by North Carolina and North Carolina State.  Not a surprise.

13. Georgia Tech (9-14)  Georgia Tech is part of the 3-way tie in the ACC cellar at 2-7 in conference play.  The win over BC gets them to 13th.

14. Boston College (7-16)  The Eagles could have gotten out of the cellar with a win against Georgia Tech.  Alas, it was not meant to be.

Agree?  Disagree?  Let us know!

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

ACC Basketball Rankings: January 23, 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 16, 2012:

1.  Syracuse (20-1)  The Orange finally lost–to Notre Dame on the road.  The absence of Fab Melo was crucial, but the team did not play like a top 25 team, much less a #1 team.  Still, it’s just one game and nobody below them has played better on the season.

2. Duke (16-3)  The loss at the buzzer to Florida State was very disappointing.  Duke is accustomed to defending its home court.  No real shame in the loss overall.

3. North Carolina (16-3)  North Carolina rebounded against Virginia Tech.  Big test this week against North Carolina State.

4. Virginia (15-3)  Dominating win at Georgia Tech early in the week.  Stunning loss to Virginia Tech.

5. North Carolina State (15-5)  North Carolina State is still on a roll.  It will be interesting to see how they do at North Carolina this week.

6. Florida State (13-6)  Beating Duke, Maryland, and North Carolina is a definite plus for the Seminoles.  Still, with 6 overall losses, Florida State is not ready for the top 5 yet.

7.  Virginia Tech (12-7)  Week began by having to deal with an angry North Carolina squad.  Ended with a very nice win over Virginia.

8.  Maryland (12-6) Losing to red hot Florida State on the road and Temple on the road makes this a tough week.  Still viable for the Big Dance though.

9. Wake Forest (11-8) Took care of business at Boston College.  Unfortunately, they get to host streaking Florida State next.

10. Miami (10-7)  Finally got that first conference win.  That it was against Clemson makes it slightly less impressive.  Going to need to string together some wins very soon.

11. Clemson (10-9)  Beating Georgia Tech salvaged a difficult week, which began with losses to Duke and Miami.  Next up?  Miami.

12. Pittsburgh (11-9)  0-7 in Big East play says it all.  As tough as they played against Syracuse, they could not overcome Louisville at home.

13. Georgia Tech (8-11)  Two more losses for the Yellow Jackets, who are seeing their post-season hopes slip away.

14. Boston College (7-12)  After getting some momentum, the Eagles are back to their losing ways.  Not looking good for post-season play.

Agree?  Disagree?  Let us know!

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

ACC Basketball Recap: January 19, 2012

There were several big games on Thursday, January 19, 2012, for the ACC.  Importantly for the ACC’s reputation, the favored team won all four games.

In the most anticipate game, #8 North Carolina rebounded from its debacle at Florida State by traveling to Virginia Tech to beat the reeling Hokies, 82-68.   It wasn’t easy for the Tar Heels, who trailed by four at halftime.  But a 19-0 second-half run turned made all the difference.  Harrison Barnes led North Carolina with 27 points, while Josh Henson contributed 16 points and 16 rebounds.  Erick Green was one of four Hokies in double-figures, leading the team with 17 points.  With the loss, Virginia Tech falls to 11-7 and 0-4 in conference.  With the win, North Carolina improves to 16-3.

In Durham, #4 Duke toppled Wake Forest 91-73 to maintain its perfect conference record.  Andre Dawkins led the Blue Devils with 21 points, but Ryan Kelly and Austin Rivers each added 20 points.  Kelly also added 10 rebounds.  Wake Forest was overmatched by Duke’s depth and size.  But four of its starters scored in double-figures, led by CJ Harris’s 20 points.  With the loss, the Demon Deacons drop to 10-8 and 1-3 in conference.  Duke improves to 16-2 overall, including 4-0 in conference play.

The other ranked ACC team, #15 Virginia, traveled to Georgia Tech and won big, 70-38.  The Cavs suffocating defense held Georgia Tech is under 30% shooting on the night.  They also out rebounded their hosts, 41-22.  As usual, Mike Scott led Virginia with 18 points and 7 rebounds.  Georgia Tech falls to 1-3 in conference and a disappointing 8-10 overall.  Virginia improves to 15-2 overall, including a 2-1 conference record.

Finally, North Carolina State improved to 14-5 on the season by beating visiting Boston College, 76-62.  Although Boston College struggled in non-conference play, the Eagles had some momentum heading into the game with a 2-1 conference record.  But the Wolfpack and its home court advantage were too much.  Scott Wood led North Carolina State’s balanced attack (6 players with 8 or more points) with 16 points.  Richard Howell had 11 points and 16 rebounds–alone providing for North Carolina State’s 44-28 rebounding advantage.  Boston College drops to 2-2 in conference play and 7-11 on the season.  North Carolina State in now 3-1 in conference play.

 

Individual Leaders:

Scoring:

Harrison Barnes, UNC, 27 points

Andre Dawkins, Duke, 21 points

Ryan Kelly, Duke, 20 points & Austin Rivers, Duke, 20 points

 

Rebounds:

Josh Henson, UNC, 16 rebounds & Richard Howell, NCState, 16 rebounds

Ryan Kelly, Duke, 10 rebounds & Travis McKie, Wake, 10 rebounds

 

Assists:

Lorenzo Brown, NC State, 11 assists

Tyler Thornton, Duke, 8 assists & Kendall Marshall, UNC, 8 assists

Erick Green, Va Tech, 5 assists & Jontel Evans, UVA, 5 assists

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

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