ACC Morning Linkfest 1/14 with Game Sim Predictions - SCACCHoops.com

ACC Morning Linkfest 1/14 with Game Sim Predictions

Posted: 1/14/2014 6:45:51 AM

Yesterday on twitter, Jim Young of ACCSports.com lamented about the difficulty of ranking the ACC teams in his weekly Power Rankings. He suspected that things might be a little easier after Monday night's games. I'm wondering if things got easier for Jim.

Duke beat Virginia 69-65, but it wasn't a convincing performance. The Blue Devils played well for just over 30 minutes before UVA became the more aggressive, physical team. Duke managed to escape, thanks to the play of Rasheed Sulaimon and Amile Jefferson.

Mike Krzyzewski switched it up early, going with hockey style line changes every 4-5 minutes. The substitutions seemed to keep the defensive intensity up for Duke. The bench even outperformed the Duke starters throughout the first half, thanks to Sulaimon, who finished with 21 points. It was Sulaimon's 3 pointer, which hit back rim and bounced straight up in the air before dropping in, that gave Duke the lead in the final 15 seconds. Jefferson finished the game with 10 points, 15 rebounds, and 2 clutch free throws to clinch the victory.

Virginia has to look at the loss as a missed opportunity. The Cavaliers were up 1 in the final minute in Cameron after trailing by double-figures a good part of the game. Failed execution and a bad bounce cost Virginia a valuable road win.

Syracuse struggled as well on Monday, but will leave Chestnut Hill with a 69-59 victory. The Eagles stayed in the game with a barrage of 3 point shots, but Syracuse did enough to slow them down in the second half. Trevor Cooney led the way for the Orange with 21 points in the victory. Jerami Grant was also crucial down the stretch, with a couple big dunks and several physical plays despite playing with 4 fouls late. Grant finished the game with 16 points and 8 rebounds.

Tonight, Pitt travels to Georgia Tech in what should be a good road test for the Panthers. Georgia Tech is coming off of a home win over Notre Dame on Saturday and should give 3-0 Pitt a good test.

Check out the links, highlights, previews, and more below.

NCAAGameSim.com Predictions

Pittsburgh at Georgia Tech - Pittsburgh wins 70-61 Sim the game here

View more predictions at NCAAGameSim.com

Highlights

Team	Conf	Pct	Overall	Pct
Syracuse	4-0	1.000	17-0	1.000
Pittsburgh	3-0	1.000	15-1	0.938
Virginia	3-1	0.750	12-5	0.706
Clemson	2-1	0.667	11-4	0.733
FSU	2-1	0.667	11-4	0.733
Duke	2-2	0.500	13-4	0.765
Maryland	2-2	0.500	10-7	0.588
NC State	1-2	0.333	11-5	0.688
Wake Forest	1-2	0.333	11-5	0.688
Notre Dame	1-2	0.333	10-6	0.625
Georgia Tech	1-2	0.333	10-6	0.625
Miami	1-2	0.333	9-6	0.600
Virginia Tech	1-2	0.333	8-7	0.533
Boston College	1-3	0.250	6-11	0.353
UNC	0-3	0.000	10-6	0.625

Injury Report
Patrick Rooks (CL)
injured hip, out for season
Robert Carter (GT)
torn meniscus, out indefinitely
Travis Jorgenson (GT)
Torn ACL, out for season
Deandre Burnett (MI)
injured wrist, out for season
PJ Hairston (NC)
Ineligible
Jerian Grant (ND)
academically ineligible
Durand Johnson (PI)
Torn ACL, out for season
Marquis Rankin (VT)
out for personal reasons