The Confidential

The ACC Sports Blog

Archive for the tag “Virginia”

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

Weekend Preview: January 21-22

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

Saturday

In an unusual 11:00 a.m. start, Maryland will ride its relative hot streak into Temple for an out-of-conference game.  Both teams are 12-5.  As Maryland seeks to overcome its 3-3 start by getting itself onto the bubble, a road victory over a decent Temple team would do the trick.

At noon, Wake Forest will look to rebound from its loss to Duke when it travels to Boston College.  Wake Forest is 10-8 and Boston College is 7-11.  However, Wake has lost 4 of its last 5 games.  Boston College is a surprising 2-2 in ACC play after a 5-9 start to the season.

In the battle for 10th place in the conference standings, Georgia Tech heads to Clemson for a 2:30 pm matchup.  Clemson is looking to stay above .500 with a win, while Georgie Tech is looking to get within striking distance of .500.

In the premier matchup of the day, Florida State will try to work its Saturday magic for a second week in a row–this week at #4 Duke.  Last week, Florida State demolished North Carolina at home.  As impressive as last week was, if Florida State can upset Duke, this week will be even more impressive.  Tipoff is at 4:00 pm.

#1 Syracuse will take its 20-0 record into Notre Dame on Saturday at 6:00 pm.  Notre Dame always plays Syracuse tough at home, as they usually have the outside shooters to give the 2-3 zone fits.

At 9:00 pm, Pittsburgh tries to stop the bleeding when it hosts #23 Louisville.  After starting 11-1, the Panthers have lost seven in a row.  Louisville has its own bleeding problems.  After starting 12-0, Louisville has lost 5 of 7 games.  One of these teams will get back on track in a big way tomorrow.

 

Sunday

North Carolina State looks to make it three wins in a row as they take on Miami.  The host Hurricanes are a disappointing 10-6 so far, but they have the talent to beat the Wolfpack.  Both teams need momentum, as North Carolina State would like to crack the top 25 and Miami would like to make a run for the Big Dance.  Game time is noon.

At 6:00 pm, Virginia Tech heads to #15 Virginia in a matchup of bitter rivals.  Before the season, one would have thought that the Hokies would have been the ranked team, if any.  At this point, they are just looking for the first conference win.  The Cavs are 2-1 in conference so far.

 

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball 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 , , , , , , , , , ,
18 Jan 2012

The Confidential’s Basketball Top 30 for January 17, 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 17, 2012:

  1. Syracuse (20-0).  The Orange set a school record by starting the season 20-0.  The Big East schedule gets much tougher though.  Next up: @ Notre Dame.
  2. Kentucky (18-1).  Kentucky struggled to beat Tennessee, but they got the win.  Waiting for that matchup with Florida.  Next up: Alabama.
  3. Baylor (17-1).  Sure, they lost at Kansas on Monday night.  But most teams lose at Kansas.  Next up: Missouri.
  4. Missouri (17-1).  Not many one loss teams right now, but Missouri is one of them.  A win over Baylor moves Missouri into the #3 slot.  Next up: @ Baylor.
  5. Duke (15-2).  Held serve against upstart Virginia.  Closer than expected at Clemson though.  Next up: Wake Forest.
  6. Ohio State (16-3).  Disappointing loss at Illinois, but followed it up with a convincing win over Indiana.  Next up: @ Nebraska.
  7. Kansas (15-3).  Convincing win over Baylor.  Starting to make a move in the Big 12 standings.  Next up: @ Texas.
  8. North Carolina (15-3).  Still amazed by that 33-point loss.  A lot of talent, but results are needed.  Next up: @ Virginia Tech.
  9. Indiana (15-3).  The losses at Michigan State and Ohio State are understandable.  Minnesota at home was a disappointing loss.  Next up: @ Nebraska
  10. San Diego State (15-2).  Only two losses were Creighton and Baylor.  A rare opportunity to disregard head-to-head play.  Next up: @ New Mexico.
  11. Creighton (16-2).  Although Creighton beat San Diego State, the overall resume is slightly behind them.  Oddly enough.  Next up: @ Missouri State.
  12. Michigan State (15-4).  Losses to Northwestern and Michigan drop the Spartans.  At least they were on the road against good teams.  Next up: Purdue.
  13. Virginia (14-2).  No shame in losing to Duke on the road.  Can’t be looking ahead to the Hokies.  Next up: @ Georgia Tech.
  14. UNLV (16-3).  Tough loss to San Diego State.  Still some good wins on the resume though.  Next up: TCU.
  15. Georgetown (15-3).  Hoyas rebounded nicely against St. Johns.  Figuratively.  Maybe literally too.  Next up: Rutgers.
  16. Kansas State (12-4).  Losing to Baylor was somewhat expected.  Losing to Oklahoma hurt though.  Next up: Texas.
  17. Murray State (18-0).  Wearing the target.  Need to keep winning to have a chance at a 4 or 5 seed.  Next up: @ Morehead State.
  18. Mississippi State (15-3).  Picked up wins over Tennessee and Alabama.  Time to hit the road now.  Next up: @ Mississippi.
  19. Illinois (15-3).  Decent losses for Illinois on the resume.  And now the win over Ohio State.  Next up: @ Penn State.
  20. Michigan (15-4).  Nice wins over Northwestern and Michigan State.  Losing by nearly 20 to Iowa?  Next up: @ Arkansas.
  21. Marquette (15-4).  Marquette has battled all year.  It is paying off as the schedule softens a bit.  Next up: @ Providence.
  22. UConn (14-3).  Huskies are starting to play better.  Look out nation.  Next up: Cincinnati.
  23. West Virginia (13-5).  Tough loss to UConn.  Nice job in handling upstart Rutgers in the follow-up.  Next up: Marshall.
  24. Wisconsin (14-5).  Won at Purdue, something Illinois could not do.  Beat Nebraska too.  Next up: Northwestern.
  25. Alabama (13-4).  Came down to Earth a bit by losing to Mississippi State.  But the win over LSU was nice.  Next up: Vanderbilt.
  26. Seton Hall (15-3).  Loss to USF hurts the resume.  That’s a winnable road game for a team in the top 25.  Next up: @ Villanova.
  27. Wichita State (15-3).  Best win remains UNLV.  Losses are all respectable though.  Next up: @ Northern Iowa.
  28. Stanford (15-3).  Atop the weak Pac-12 right now.  Going to be hard to impress this year.  Next up: @ Washington State.
  29. St. Mary’s (17-2).  Win over Gonzaga is nice.  That loss to Denver is still puzzling.  Next up:  @ St. Mary’s.
  30. Florida (14-4).  Losses to Tennessee and Rutgers still hurt.  But getting some momentum back.  Next up: Pepperdine.

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 , , , , ,
16 Jan 2012
3 Comments

ACC Basketball Rankings: January 16, 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 (19-0)  The Orange just keep on rolling.  Things get a bit tougher schedule-wise with Pittsburgh on Monday and then a trip to Notre Dame.

2. Duke (15-2)  Neither win was dominating this week, but the Blue Devils won.  That is something that North Carolina cannot say.

3. North Carolina (15-3)  It’s one thing to lose, but to get blown out by Florida State was unfathomable.  Too much talent to be this erratic.

4. Virginia (14-2)  Hard to penalize the Cavs for losing on the road to Duke.  Had they won, they might be #2.

5. North Carolina State (13-5)  Close call between Maryland and NC State after the Georgia Tech loss.  But the Wolfpack and Terps played head-to-head and NC State won.  Slight edge for now.

6. Maryland (12-4) Recovered nicely from the loss to NC State.  But not enough to leapfrog them, obviously

7. Florida State (11-6)  Beating Virginia Tech on the road was impressive.  Destroying North Carolina was even more impressive.  That is worthy of a 5 spot jump.

8.Virginia Tech (11-6)  Losses to Florida State and Boston College make this a tough week.  If anyone else below had shown signs of life, the Hokies would be lower.  May be playing their way right off the bubble–and in the wrong direction.

9. Wake Forest (10-7) Absolutely destroyed by North Carolina State.  Just not a very consistent team.

10. Miami (9-6)  No conference wins yet.  The opportunity comes this week when they host Clemson.

11. Pittsburgh (11-7)  0-5 in Big East play against a weak schedule so far.  Things get tougher with a trip to Syracuse, although Pitt always gives the Orange fits.

12. Clemson (9-8)  Looked very good against Florida State, but then lost to Boston College.  Loss to Duke was close though.

13. Georgia Tech (8-9)  Nice upset win over NC State, but loss to Maryland made it a split for the week.  There is the potential to slide upwards here.

14. Boston College (7-10)  With wins over Clemson and Virginia Tech, Boston College is now 2-1 in conference.  The way the bottom several teams are playing, the Eagles could end up with a .500 record in conference, which would be a nice recovery.

Agree?  Disagree?  Let us know!

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

Duke Survives The Virginia Test

The big game in ACC hoops this week was last night’s matchup between #8 Duke and #16 Virginia.  Although Duke was at home, Virginia came into the game winners of 12 consecutive games.  The game delivered everything that was expected, with Duke only narrowly defeating Virginia, 61-58.

One of the key aspects of this game was going to be whether Duke could establish a fast-paced tempo or whether Virginia’s defense-first philosophy would win out.  Ultimately, while Virginia was able to establish the tempo, Duke still won the the low-scoring affair.

Virginia actually started hot, taking a quick 5-0 lead.  But Duke recovered quickly to take an 8-7 lead around the first TV timeout.  The two teams battled back and forth in the first half, with the lead changing hands several times.  Virginia held the lead at halftime 32-28.  But 38-38 would be the last point at which Duke would not have the lead.  Over the next several minutes, Duke went on a 17-6 run.  Virginia chipped away at that lead to make it 61-58 in the final seconds, even missing a few attempts to tie the game and send it to overtime.

Duke was led by a balanced attack with five players scoring between 9 and 12 points, led by Mason Plumlee’s 12 points.  Virginia’s offensive output was dominated by Mike Scott’s 23 points.  Scott also added 9 rebounds.  Unfortunately, Virginia was hampered by an off night by Sammy Zeglinski, who was 0 for 8 from the field, with five of those attempts being three-pointers.

Both teams are now 14-2.  Virginia will get a full week off before traveling to Georgia Tech.  Duke travels to Clemson on Sunday.

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

The Confidential’s Basketball Top 30 for January 10, 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 10, 2012:

  1. Syracuse (17-0).  And then there were three.  While nearly everyone has suffered one loss or more, Syracuse remains unbeaten.  Next up: @ Villanova.
  2. Kentucky (15-1).  Kentucky picked up two more wins, but was not tested.  Next up: @ Auburn.
  3. North Carolina (14-2).  The Tar Heels had a bye.  That is, they hosted Boston College.  Next up: Miami.
  4. Baylor (15-0).  15 straight is 15 straight.  Missouri fell to Kansas State on Saturday, will Baylor do better?  Next up: @ Kansas State.
  5. Michigan State (14-2).  The Spartans picked up a huge win at Wisconsin, which is usually a tough venue.  Next up: Iowa.
  6. Indiana (15-1).  The Big 10 is having a great year and Indiana deserves credit for that.  They get the edge of the Buckeyes based on head-to-head.  Next up: Minnesota.
  7. Ohio State (15-2).  Ohio State can get its revenge against Indiana later this week when the Hoosiers visit.  Next up: @ Illinois.
  8. Duke (13-2).  Loss to Temple should have dropped the Blue Devils farther, but everyone else seemed to lose too.  Next up: Virginia.
  9. Missouri (14-1).  Completely handled by Kansas State for loss number one.  They get a pass for now.  Next up: @ Iowa State.
  10. Kansas (12-3).  Kansas easily defeated the team that easily defeated Missouri.  Still avoiding the top teams in conference.  Next up: @ Texas Tech.
  11. UNLV (16-2).  The losses to Wichita State and Wisconsin are not looking as good now.  Big game coming up.  Next up: @ San Diego State.
  12. Virginia (14-1).  Look, there are a lot of good two-loss teams.  But Virginia has only lost once and they’ll be tested right away.  Next up: @ Duke.
  13. Kansas State (12-2).  Hard to move a team up 10 spots when they are blown out.  The big win over Missouri does it though.  Next up: @ Baylor.
  14. Georgetown (13-3).  Home loss to Cincinnati was sloppy and well deserved.  Will stay ahead of Louisville only because Georgetown beat them.  Next up: @ St. John’s.
  15. Louisville (13-3).  The loss to Notre Dame was shocking.  Expect the Friars to give Louisville a run.  Next up: @ Providence.
  16. Seton Hall (14-2).  Only losses were to Syracuse and Northwestern.  Wins over UConn and West Virginia.  Next up: DePaul
  17. Murray State (16-0).  Still rolling.  The latest victim was Austin Peay.  Next up: Jacksonville State.
  18. Michigan (13-3).  Narrow loss at Indiana offset by nice win against Wisconsin.  Next up: Northwestern.
  19. Creighton (13-2).  Wins over Drake and Bradley last week.  Three games this week.  Next up: Northern Iowa.
  20. San Diego State (13-2).  Finally done playing the community colleges.  Will they be looking ahead to UNLV?  Next up: Chicago State.
  21. Gonzaga (13-2).  Nice wins over Pepperdine and Santa Clara.  Tough week this week though.  Next up: @ St. Mary’s.
  22. Mississippi State (13-3).  Conference play woes as the trip to Arkansas resulted in a tough defeat.  Next up: Tennessee.
  23. Alabama (12-3).  Look out for the Crimson Tide!  They rolled through Georgia last week with wins over the Bulldogs and Ga Tech.  Next up: LSU.
  24. Marquette (12-4).  Marquette looked great in losing to Georgetown and even better in the second half against Syracuse.  Still, two losses.  Next up: St. John’s.
  25. Wisconsin (12-5).  Wisconsin lost to Michigan State and Michigan last week.  Not yet though.  Next up: @ Purdue.
  26. UConn (13-3).  Losses to Seton Hall and Rutgers were unexpected, to say the least.  Righted the ship against West Virginia.  Next up: @ Notre Dame.
  27. Florida (12-4).  Loss at Tennessee is disappointing.  Still it was a road game and the Gators have not lost at home yet.  Next up: Georgia.
  28. Dayton (12-4).  What to make of Dayton?  Losses to Miami of Ohio and Buffalo?  Wins over Alabama, Wake Forest, Minnesota, St. Louis and Temple?  Losses to Murray State and Seton Hall?  Next up: @ St. Bonaventure.
  29. Illinois (13-3).  Only losses are Purdue (away), UNLV, and Missouri.  We’ll learn more this week.  Next up: Ohio State.
  30. West Virginia (12-5).  After the upset loss to Kent State, the Mountaineers have only lost to teams ranked higher in this poll.  Next up: @ Rutgers.

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 , , , , ,
09 Jan 2012

ACC Basketball Rankings: January 9, 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 9, 2012:

1.  Syracuse (17-0)  Wins over Providence on the road and #20 Marquette at home have Syracuse at 17-0.  They travel to Villanova this week, before hosting Providence.

2. North Carolina (15-2)  The Tar Heels are starting to find their groove again.  This weeks foes, Miami and Florida State, have not gotten off to the starts that they wanted/needed.

3. Duke (13-2)  The loss to Temple was disappointing, but not terrible.  The win over Georgia Tech is not that informative.  The next game, Virginia, is for #3.

4. Virginia (14-1)  Virginia has now won 12 straight games.  If the Cavs can beat Duke, that will get everyone’s attention.

5. North Carolina State (12-4)  The win over much-improved Maryland was nice.  Gives the Wolfpack the edge over Virginia Tech, who lost to Wake Forest.

6. Virginia Tech (11-4)  Road loss to Wake Forest was a disappointment, but not the end of the world.  Virginia Tech still has a decent resume overall.

7. Maryland (10-4) Road loss to NC State was a disappointment.  The Terps host Wake Forest and can solidify the #7 spot with a win.

8. Wake Forest (10-4) Up a few notches after beating Virginia Tech.  Beating Maryland on the road would be even more impressive.

9. Miami (9-5)  Miami lost its conference opener in a tough road loss to Virginia.  And now they travel to North Carolina on Tuesday.  Tough start to the conference schedule.

10. Pittsburgh (11-5)  Not only have the wheels fallen off, they are rolling around somewhere nowhere near Pitt.  That’s what happens when you lose to DePaul.

11. Clemson (9-6)  Looked very good against Florida State.  Clemson gets Boston College this week for a chance to get that 10th win.

12. Florida State (9-6)  Beating Auburn was nice.  Losing to Clemson was tough.  Losing by 20 was inexcusable.  The Seminoles travel to Virginia Tech before hosting North Carolina this week.  Uh-oh.

13. Georgia Tech (7-8) After getting decimated by Alabama, the Yellow Jackets held their own against Duke.  At least for a while.

14. Boston College (5-10)  It is unfortunate when the worst team in the league has to open its conference schedule at North Carolina.

Agree?  Disagree?  Let us know!

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

ACC Basketball Recap: January 7, 2012

The ACC opened conference play yesterday and there were a lot of good games.  And all the ranked teams held off their opponents.

In the closest game of the day, #21 Virginia improved its winning streak to 12 by defeating visiting Miami, 52-51.  The Cavaliers led by 11 at the half, but the Hurricanes made it a see-saw affair for most of the second half in this very low-scoring tilt.  Although maybe some criticism for the offenses is justified, the defenses can take credit for each team shooting under 40% for the entire game.   Miami big man Kenny Kadji led the team with 14 points and 10 rebounds.  Virginia forward Mike Scott led all scorers with 23 points, while also adding 8 rebounds of his own.  With the loss, Miami falls to 9-5 on the season.  Virginia moves to a very impressive 14-1.  All ACC eyes now turn to their upcoming visit to Duke on January 12.

Speaking of Duke, the #5 Blue Devils were the only ACC team to win on the road as Duke defeated struggling Georgia Tech, 81-74.  Georgia Tech was never able to grab a lead and ultimately suffered its fourth straight loss to fall to 7-8 on the season.  But it was not for the lack of effort by Glen Rice, Jr, who led all scorers with 28 points.  Instead, credit goes to Duke for rebounding from its loss to Temple with a good performance on the road.  Ryan Kelly led Duke with 21 points, while Seth Curry added 15 in a balanced Duke attack.  With the win, Duke improves to 13-2 on the season.

In a somewhat surprising result, Wake Forest was able to defeat Virginia Tech at home, 58-55.  After going 1-15 in conference play last year, Wake Forest has already matched its conference win total from last year.  As the score indicates, neither team shot very well, with both teams failing to surpass the 40% barrier.  And CBS provides the following play-by-play recap of the exciting finish:

The Hokies took their first lead of the game at 53-52 when Jarell Eddie knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:18 left. But [C.J.] Harris answered seconds later, faking a pass to the left corner to buy some space and then burying the 3 for the 55-53 lead with a minute left.

[Erick] Green answered with a jumper with 45.1 seconds left, but Harris came through again by rounding a screen from Carson Desrosiers and burying another 3 to make it 58-55. This time that lead held up, though not until after Robert Brown missed a hurried long 3 on the Hokies’ final possession. Travis McKie grabbed the rebound and was fouled with 0.2 seconds left, essentially sealing the victory.

Harris and McKie led Wake Forest with 13 and 12 points, respectfully. Green’s 19 points led Virginia Tech.  With the win, Wake Forest improves its overall record to 10-5.  With the loss, Virginia Tech falls to 11-4.

And, in a matchup between two ranked teams, #1 Syracuse held off #20 Marquette, 73-66.  Syracuse led by as many as 23 in the first half, only to see its 18-point halftime lead evaporate within minutes in the second half.  Marquette even got as close as 2 points down the stretch before Syracuse closed them out to improve to 17-0 on the season.  Darius Johnson-Odom led Marquette with 21 points, while Brandon Triche led Syracuse’s typically balanced scoring attack with 16 points.  Syracuse will keep its well-deserved #1 ranking for yet another week.

In other games, the visitors were not able to keep the games close at all. #3 North Carolina had no trouble in defeating cellar-dweller Boston College, 83-60.  With the win, North Carolina moves to 14-2.  Clemson upended visiting Florida State, 79-59.  Both teams are now 9-6.

In today’s action, Maryland (10-3) will travel to North Carolina State (10-4).

 

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

The ACC Bowl Disaster

Yesterday, the Confidential noted that the ACC needed Miami and Florida State to return to King status soon.  As the bowl season comes to a conclusion, it is clear that something is just not right with the conference from a football standpoint.

The bowl season began with the optimism of the ACC landing two teams in BCS bowls–Clemson and Virginia Tech.  Virginia Tech was a surprise entrant into the Sugar Bowl and acquitted itself reasonably well in shutting down Michigan and only losing in overtime.  In many respects, Virginia Tech outplayed the Wolverines and deserved to win.  But they did not.  Another BCS loss for the ACC.

The hope on Wednesday night was that Clemson could do its part to carry the ACC by “taking care of” West Virginia in the Orange Bowl.  This is the same West Virginia team that beat 2-10 Maryland by 6 points.  The same West Virginia team that lost to Syracuse 49-23.  Clemson would have no trouble, right?

Wrong.

Instead, Clemson had one of the most embarrassing big stage performances in the history of the big stage, losing 70-33.  70 points.  35 in the second quarter.  A 99-yard fumble return.  589 yards of offense allowed.  The most points EVER scored by a team in a bowl game.  Conversely, Clemson allowed more points than any other team in bowl history has ever allowed.  And this was not to Oregon, Stanford, or Wisconsin.  This was not LSU or Alabama.  This was the West Virginia described above.  Utterly embarrassing.

According to CBS, the ACC has dropped to 1-5 in the last 6 Orange Bowl games:

ACC Champions in Orange Bowl
Year ACC Champ Result
2012 Clemson L, West Virginia 70-33
2011 Va. Tech L, Stanford 40-12
2010 Va. Tech W, Cincinnati 20-7
2009 Va. Tech L, Kansas 24-21
2008 Wake Forest L, Louisville 24-13
2007 Florida St. L, Penn State 26-23

4 different teams, the same dismal results.  In fact, according to ESPN, the ACC is now 2-13 in BCS bowl games.

In addition to the BCS games, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, and North Carolina also lost their bowl games.  Fortunately, North Carolina State and Florida State won its bowl games.  That leaves the ACC at 2-6, with Pittsburgh yet to face SMU.

Wait, Florida State won its bowl game?  If you believe that the ACC needs Florida State to be leading the charge for the ACC, that is about the only good news to come out of this bowl season.  Two straight 9-win seasons.  If Florida State can take it up another level, maybe the ACC can deliver on its promise to be home to great football.  That’s the closest to good news that ACC football will have until kickoff next year.

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

Post Navigation

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →