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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 , , , , , , , ,
17 Feb 2012

ACC Basketball Recap: February 16, 2012

February 16, 2012, was a great day of college basketball in the ACC.

First, #5 Duke rallied from a 20-point deficit to defeat North Carolina State, 78-73.  In fact, the Wolfpack led at the half by 16 points.  But Duke really outplayed North Carolina State down the stretch to prevent a big upset.  Seth Curry was the scoring leader for Duke with 26 points, while Austin Rivers added 16.  Lorenzo Brown led the Wolfpack, who dropped to 18-8 with the loss, with 19 points.  Duke improved to 22-4 with the win.

Second, #20 Florida State won in the final seconds again, defeating Virginia Tech, 48-47.  Once again, it was Michael Snaer providing the heroics with a 3-pointer with 2.6 seconds left.  Against Duke, Snaer did it as time expired.  Snaer and Ian Miller were the scoring leaders for Florida State with 9 and 11 points, respectively.  Erick Green led Virginia Tech, who dropped to 14-12 with the loss, with 18 points.  Florida State is now 18-7 on the season.

Third, on a less exciting note, Maryland defeated Boston College 81-65.  This one was never really in doubt as Maryland led by 14 at the half.  Ryan Anderson led the 8-18 Eagles with 22 points and 10 rebounds.  Terrell Stoglin led Maryland with 24 points.  With the win, Maryland improves to 15-10 overall and keeps its Big Dance dreams alive.

Finally, Pittsburgh’s woes continued as they suffered a 66-48 home loss to rival West Virginia.  This game was actually close at the half (26-25), but West Virginia pulled away in the second-half.  Pittsburgh drops to 15-12 overall and 4-10 in conference play.

 

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

The Confidential’s Basketball Top 30 for February 15, 2012

With over 300 teams in college basketball, the top 25 is just not enough anymore.  Here is the Confidential’s Top 30 for February 15, 2012:

  1. Syracuse (26-1).  Syracuse has gotten through a stretch of Georgetown, UConn, and Louisville.  A road trip to Rutgers is next.  Next up: @ Rutgers.
  2. Kentucky (25-1).  Kentucky is entrenched at Number 1 in the major polls.  Wins over Florida and Vandy last week did nothing to harm that perception.  Next up: Mississippi.
  3. Missouri (23-2).  A big win over Baylor keeps Missouri at the top of the Big XII.  They can take the foot off the gas a bit this week.  Next up: Oklahoma State.
  4. Michigan State (20-5).  Michigan State defeated Ohio State by a nice margin.  Tough game against Wisconsin next.  Next up: Wisconsin.
  5. Duke (21-4).  All of the sudden, Duke is back in the national picture.  All it took was a buzzer beater over North Carolina.  Next up: North Carolina State.
  6. Kansas (21-5).  A convincing win against Baylor on the road.  And then they followed that up with two more wins.  Next up: Texas Tech.
  7. Ohio State (22-4).  The Michigan State loss was tough.  But the Breslin Center is always a tough venue.  Next up: @ Michigan.
  8. North Carolina (21-4).  The Duke game was everything fans could have wanted, except the result.  The team took out their pain on Virginia.  Next up: @ Miami.
  9. Baylor (21-4).  Losing to Kansas and Missouri (again) makes this a very tough week.  But Baylor has yet to be upset.  Next up: Kansas State.
  10. Georgetown (19-5).  The Hoyas played an outstanding game against Syracuse, only to fall short in overtime.  This team is starting to come together.  Next up: @ Providence.
  11. Wisconsin (19-6).  The Badgers slide up several notches due to losses by other teams.  The win at Minnesota was nice.  Next up: @ Michigan State.
  12. Marquette (21-5).  Marquette rebounded from its loss to Notre Dame by defeating both DePaul and Cincinnati.  And that Notre Dame loss is looking better as the Irish are on fire.  Next up: @ Connecticut.
  13. Michigan (19-7).  Picked up two wins–at Nebraska and home to Illinois.  Rivarly game is next.  Next up: @ Ohio State.
  14. Indiana (19-6).  A nice win over fading Illinois last week.  The Hoosiers continue to stay relevant.  Next up: Northwestern.
  15. Louisville (20-6).  Don’t let that loss to Syracuse fool you–this team is going to give someone fits in the Big Dance.  Very good defensive team.  Next up: @ DePaul.
  16. UNLV (22-5).  UNLV got the needed win against San Diego State.  But then gave it up in a road loss to TCU.  Next up: @ New Mexico.
  17. San Diego State (20-4).  The loss to UNLV stings.  But at least it was a road game.  Next up: New Mexico.
  18. Florida (19-6).  Tough week for Florida, losing to both Kentucky and Tennessee.  The latter was the big surprise.  Next up: @ Alabama.
  19. Notre Dame (17-8).  The Irish keep winning.  First they knocked off West Virginia, then they returned home to defeat DePaul.  Next up: Rutgers.
  20. Florida State (17-7).  That loss @ Boston College was a head scratcher.  The Seminoles are losing to the bad teams.  Next up: Virginia Tech.
  21. Virginia (19-6).  Having to play North Carolina after an emotional loss was tough.  Losing at Clemson was a bad sign.  Next up: Maryland.
  22. Murray State (24-1).  The loss to Tennessee State was bound to happen.  Is Murray State an at-large team if they lose in their tournament?  Next up: @ Southeast Missouri State.
  23. Gonzaga (20-4).  Gonzaga got back into the hunt with a win over St. Mary’s.  A two-game road trip looms.  Next up: @ Santa Clara.
  24. St. Mary’s (22-2).  The loss to Gonzaga drops them a bit, but there is plenty of time to keep working on the resume.  Next up: Loyola Marymount.
  25. Wichita State (22-4).  The big win over Creighton by 21 points was impressive.  Next up: Missouri State.
  26. New Mexico (20-4).  This is the big week for New Mexico.  They have games against San Diego State and UNLV.  Next up: @ San Diego State.
  27. Temple (19-5).  The Owls have a bunch of good wins.  And now they are stringing together conference wins.  Next up: @ St. Bonaventure.
  28. North Carolina State (18-7).  The Wolfpack have a good record.  This week is a brutal 3 day stretch involving a game at Duke and hosting Florida State.  Next up: @ Duke.
  29. Virginia Commonwealth (22-6).  Before the narrow defeat at George Mason, the Rams had won 11 straight.  They deserve some slack here.  Next up: Northern Iowa.
  30. Creighton (22-5).  Creighton is reeling now, having lost three in a row.  On the brink of leaving the rankings.  Next up: @ Southern Illinois.

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 , , , , , ,
14 Feb 2012
3 Comments

Syracuse & Pitt to Join ACC in 2013?

Ever since the ACC announced that it was expanding to take Syracuse and Pittsburgh, the conventional wisdom was that the plan would not be completed for at least one year.  Indeed, both schools were obligated to stay for 27 months after providing notice of their intent to depart.  While West Virginia has made news by suing to get out of its obligation (which was recently settled), Syracuse and Pitt remain within the Big East.  However, it looks like there is a real possibility of the expansion being completed for the 2013 season.

Although Big East commissioner John Marinatto has previously said that the 27-month obligation would be adhered to, he changed his tune a bit recently: “”But given the strength and speed of our expansion efforts, I think our board might be open to a discussion about 2013.”  Indeed, the article noted that the conference will have 13 football playing members in the 2013 season.  So it is not like the Big East will need the two schools.

With the recent news regarding the ACC’s television deal, there is some financial benefit to getting the expansion completed in 2013, rather than 2014.  If reports are true, the television deal will add at least $1 million per school and perhaps more.  It will not kick in until the expansion is done.  But there is no real urgency.

So everyone will just have to remain patient for at least one more year.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Conference Realignment and tagged , , ,
14 Feb 2012

Lacrosse is Back: Weekly Report 1, February 13, 2012

It’s hard to believe, but ACC lacrosse is already back.  There were three games played over the weekend.

Recap of Last Week:

Saturday, February 11, 2012

North Carolina got the season off to a winning start by defeating Penn State, 14-10.  Junior Davey Emala led the Tar Heels with five points, including four goals.

Duke also got the season off on a winning note by defeating Rutgers, 16-8.  Senior Robert Rotanz led the Blue Devils with four goals

Sunday, February 12, 2012

North Carolina defeated Mercer 20-7.  Freshmen Joey Sankey and Chad Tutton each scored three goals in the win over, Mercer, while Sankey led the team with 6 points.

Also, Syracuse and Maryland played a scrimmage on Sunday, which Syracuse won: 11-9.

Upcoming Games:

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Detroit @ North Carolina, 12:00 pm

Duke @ Notre Dame, 1:00 pm

Hartford @ Maryland, 1:00 pm

Virginia @ Drexel, 2:00 pm

 

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Albany @ Syracuse, 2:00 pm

 

Records:

North Carolina  2-0

Duke  1-0

Syracuse, Virginia, Maryland  0-0

 

The Confidential’s ACC Lacrosse Standings:

1.  North Carolina (2-0).  The season is young, but having the most wins has to count for something.  The Tar Heels get the nod.

2.  Duke (1-0).  Similarly, one win is better than zero wins.  Even if it is against Rutgers.

3.  Syracuse (0-0).  Well, they did beat Maryland in that scrimmage.

4.  Virginia (0-0).  Nothing to go on here to move them ahead of Syracuse or behind Maryland.

5.  Maryland (0-0).  Well, they did lose to Syracuse in that scrimmage.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Lacrosse 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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
11 Feb 2012
1 Comment

Syracuse and North Carolina Win on Saturday Afternoon

A lot of big games in the ACC on February 11, 2012.  So far, with the afternoon games over, the favorites are doing what they need to do.

In the big ACC game of the day, #5 North Carolina rebounded from its loss to Duke by handily defeating #19 Virginia, 70-52.  Virginia led by a score of 41-40 with fifteen minutes to go, but the Tar Heels overwhelmed the Cavaliers down the stretch.  The size of the Tar Heels was a big problem for Virginia, as North Carolina finished the game with a 48-31 rebounding edge.  Mike Scott did his best, as usual, for Virginia with 18 points.  The big trio for North Carolina starred, with Tyler Zeller leading the way with 25 points and 9 rebounds.  Both Josh Henson and Harrison Barnes had double-doubles.  Barnes had 14 points and 11 rebounds, while  Henson had 10 points and 10 rebounds.  With the loss, Virginia drops to a still-decent 19-5.  North Carolina improved to 21-4.

#15 Florida State got back to its winning ways with a 64-59 win over rival Miami.  This game was close throughout, although Florida State maintained a lead for most of the second-half.  Kenny Kadji led the Hurricanes with 14 points, while Durand Scott added 12.  With the loss, Miami drops to 15-8.  Florida State was led by Bernard James, who scored 18 points and 6 rebounds.  With the win, Florida State improves to 17-7.

In Syracuse, 33,430 fans packed the Carrier Dome to watch #1 Syracuse improve to 25-1 by defeating Connecticut, 85-67.  The score is a big misleading as this game was 63-61 with approximately 6 minutes to go.  But Scoop Jardine hit a big three-pointer for Syracuse, and the Orange finished the game on a 22-6 run.  Jardine led the Orange with 21 points on 8 of 9 shooting.  CJ Fair and Dion Waiters were strong off the bench, as Fair scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, while Waiters scored 18 points.  Kris Joseph also scored 15 points for Syracuse.   UConn was led by Jeremy Lamb’s 18 points, but it was Ryan Boatwright and Andre Drummond that did most of the damage when the game was close.  Boatwright finished with 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.  Despite missing time with an injury, Drummond finished with 13 points and 7 rebounds.  With the loss, UConn drops to 15-9 and may be playing its way onto the bubble.  Syracuse is now 12-1 in Big East conference play.

And there is plenty of late afternoon and evening action yet to come…

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

Rivalry Week Recap

Yesterday, the Confidential noted that February 8, 2012, featured two of the best rivalries in college basketball–Duke/North Carolina & Syracuse/Georgetown.  The games certainly ended up living up to the hype.

In the premier ACC match up of the day, Duke’s Austin Rivers hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to give Duke an 85-84 win at North Carolina.  North Carolina led by as many as 13 points in the second-half.  They also led by 10 points with less than 3 minutes remaining. But Duke was able to gradually chip away at the margin down the stretch. For North Carolina, this will certainly be a painful loss.  There was the blown lead.  The errant tip-in.  The missed free throws.   And ANY loss to Duke already hurts.

Rivers was not just the hero at the end, but scored 29 points to lead all scorers.  Harrison Barnes and Tyler Zeller scored 25 and 23, respectively, for North Carolina.  Josh Henson had an impressive 17 rebounds, while Zeller added 11.  Mason Plumlee led Duke with 14 rebounds.  Both teams are now 7-2 in conference play and 20-4 overall.

Up in Syracuse, it took an overtime period, but the Orange defeated the Georgetown Hoyas, 64-61.  In the process, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim won his 880th career game, moving him out of a tie with North Carolina’s legendary coach Dean Smith for third place all-time.

Much like Rivers, Syracuse’s Kris Joseph was the hero–scoring 29 points and hitting a three-pointer with 29 seconds left that provided the final margin of victory.  This game was incredibly close throughout as neither team led by more than 6 points, while there more than a dozen lead changes and ties.  Both teams also played stifling defense–neither team shot more than 35% from the field.

Georgetown was led by Otto Porter’s 14 points and 13 rebounds.  In addition to Joseph, Fab Melo scored 11 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and blocked 6 shots.  With the win, Syracuse moves to 24-1 overall, including an 11-1 record in conference games.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Game Review and tagged , , , , , , ,
08 Feb 2012
3 Comments

Rivalry Day Preview: February 8, 2012

February 8, 2012, is a big day for ACC hoops.

First, all five teams that are currently ranked play games tonight:

  • #2 Syracuse hosts #12 Georgetown
  • #5 North Carolina hosts #10 Duke
  • #15 Florida State travels to unranked Boston College
  • #19 Virginia hosts unranked Wake Forest

Second, this is rivalry week for ESPN purposes, as the Syracuse-Georgetown and North Carolina-Duke games will be on ESPN at 7pm and 9pm, respectively.  Actually, the full name of the evening is this mouthful: Wednesday Night Hoops presented by Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups as Part of Rivalry Week.

Third, these are not just rivalry games, but perhaps two of the best rivalries in all of college basketball.  USA Today has both of these has top 25 rivalries, although that list is far too slanted towards college football to be meaningful.  SB Nation’s list focuses on college basketball and gives a better appraisal.  Still, for long-time ACC fans, it is probably easy to look down on the Syracuse-Georgetown rivalry, as it just started in earnest with the formation of the Big East in 1979-1980.  In contrast, the Carolina schools have been hated rivals for much longer than that.  Plus, Syracuse is not quite in the ACC fold yet, and Georgetown is certainly not part of the ACC.  In contrast, Duke-North Carolina is a matchup of two ACC schools.

Fourth, Syracuse is expected to draw more than 30,000 fans to the game tonight.  North Carolina is certain to draw its capacity of 21,000+.  These are simply huge games.

Fifth, and finally, these two games feature 4 of the top 12 teams in college basketball.  And Georgetown is playing like a top 10 team of late.  All four teams still need statement games to show the tournament committee that they are deserving of the #1 overall seed, a #1 seed, or merely a top 3 seed.  And then there is conference tournament seeding.  So there is much more to play for than merely pride.

If you love college basketball and the ACC, tonight will be a great night.

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

The Confidential’s Basketball Top 30 for February 7, 2012

With over 300 teams in college basketball, the top 25 is just not enough anymore.  Here is the Confidential’s Top 30 for February 7, 2012 (before tonight’s games):

  1. Syracuse (23-1).  The return of Fab Melo injected life into Syracuse.  However, a massively tough schedule awaits.  Next up: Georgetown.
  2. Kentucky (23-1).  The Florida game is finally here.  Winner gets some serious momentum.  Next up: Florida.
  3. Ohio State (20-3).  Big win at Wisconsin.  Can they hold off Michigan State?  Next up: Purdue.
  4. Missouri (22-2).  Got the needed win over Kansas to stay solidly on the top line in bracket predictions.  Then won at Oklahoma.  Next up: @ Kansas.
  5. Baylor (21-2).  Very tough week for the Bears, who seem to be feast or famine on the schedule.  Road trip to Missouri looms after the next game.  Next up: Kansas.
  6. North Carolina (20-3).  North Carolina is really on a roll since the Florida State embarrassment.  The Duke game is finally here.  Next up: Duke.
  7. Michigan State (18-5).  Missing the extra-point to lose at Illinois 42-41, hurts.  But MSU has been better for the past few weeks than Duke.  Will it continue? Next up: Penn State.
  8. Duke (19-4).  The Florida State loss was understandable–even at home.  But a home loss to Miami?  Next up: @ North Carolina.
  9. Florida (19-4).  The Gators have been on a mini-roll lately.  But the Kentucky game will be a true test of where this team is at.  Next up: @ Kentucky.
  10. Kansas (18-5).  All of the sudden, Kansas has five losses.  And it gets Baylor next.  Next up: @ Baylor.
  11. Georgetown (18-4).  Looked real good in beating UConn.  Looked even better beating a much improved South Florida team.  Next up: @ Syracuse.
  12. Murray State (23-0).  This team should not be this high, but the other teams in the second ten keep losing.  Next up: Tennessee State.
  13. Florida State (16-6).  Who has done more lately?  Six losses are high, but this team is on fire.  Next up: @ Boston College.
  14. Creighton (21-3).  Creighton finally dropped a game–at Northern Iowa.  Still a solid resume.  Next up: @ Evansville.
  15. San Diego State (20-3).  Yet another 20-win season for San Diego State.  Next up: @ UNLV.
  16. Virginia (18-4).  Ran into the unstoppable Seminoles.  Almost stopped them too.  Next up: Wake Forest.
  17. Wisconsin (18-6).  The home loss to Ohio State was disappointing, but not the end of the world.  Still on a roll lately.  Next up: @ Minnesota.
  18. Marquette (20-5).  The blowout loss at Notre Dame was a shocker.  But the Irish have been pretty good at home and Marquette was due for a loss.  Next up: @ DePaul.
  19. UNLV (21-4).  Losing at Wyoming is not as damaging as it sounds.  Still, UNLV only has so many chances to impress.  A missed opportunity.  One awaits.  Next up: San Diego State.
  20. Indiana (18-6).  Split a tough road swing at Michigan and Purdue.  The wins are slowing down a bit for this young team.  Next up: Illinois.
  21. Michigan (17-7).  Beat Indiana, before losing to Michigan State in East Lansing.  That latter would have been a huge win.  Next up: @ Nebraska.
  22. Mississippi State (18-5).  Got the win over Auburn.  Two more home games ahead on the schedule.  Next up: Mississippi.
  23. St. Mary’s (22-2).  Was able to focus against San Diego.  The big game is next though.  Next up: @ Gonzaga.
  24. Southern Mississippi (20-3) Debuted in this ranking last week.  Moves up after the win over Memphis.  Next up: @ UAB.
  25. Louisville (18-5).  The Cardinals demolished UConn last night.  Big weekend ahead with a trip to West Virginia before hosting Syracuse.  Next up: @ West Virginia.
  26. Notre Dame (15-8).  The win over Syracuse could be rationalized by the absence of Fab Melo.  But the Irish stopped Marquette’s momentum.  Next up: @ West Virginia.
  27. Iowa State (17-6)  All of the sudden Iowa State is making a move.  Swept the Kansas schools and then won at Oklahoma.  Next up: @ Oklahoma State.
  28. Virginia Commonwealth (20-5).  The Rams have won 9 straight.  The out-of-conference performance was a little weak, so they need this late run.  Next up: Towson.
  29. New Mexico (19-4).  Going to have to upset either San Diego State or UNLV to make some real noise.  Those opportunities will both come next week.  Next up: Wyoming.
  30. Washington (16-7).  The Huskies have won 5 in a row.  Not a lot of horrible losses, really… just too many of them.  Next up: @ Oregon.

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 , , , , , ,

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