ACC Morning Linkfest 3/18/2016 with Game Sim Predictions

Thursday was a good start to the NCAA Tournament for the ACC as the league's top 4 seeds in the bracket all advanced.

Duke started off the day and took a punch in the first half from UNCW largely because Duke was unable to match the Seahawks energy.  Marshall Plumlee changed that immediately on the first possession of the 2nd half getting a blocked shot.  Plumlee followed that with an array of dunks in the 2nd half and ultimately ended the game with a career high 23 points.  The Blue Devils ultimately won 93-85 over UNCW.  Duke's energy and defense were better in the 2nd half, but its something to watch.  Duke gets Yale, who upset Baylor, on Saturday.

Miami opened up NCAA Tourney play with a 79-72 win over 14 seed Buffalo.  The Canes held a 7-10 point lead for the last 25 minutes of the game.  Good Angel showed up for Miami, as Rodriguez had a team-high 24 points to go along with 7 rebounds and 4 assists.  Kamari Murphy and Davon Reed both added double-doubles, while Sheldon McClellan chipped in 20 points as well.

Virginia had no problem with Hampton, beating them 81-45.  The game was overshadowed by a scary moment where Tony Bennett "blacked out" briefly due to dehydration.  The moment happened right before halftime and Bennett made an early exit to the locker room.  All appears to well with Bennett's health, but it highlights the stress and long hours that coaches are putting in this time of the year.  On the court Anthony Gill led UVA to a win with 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Virginia suffocated the Hampton offense allowing them to make just 16% of 3's and 38% of 2's.

UNC avoided being the first 1 seed to lose to a 16 seed despite getting a short-lived scare when the Heels led Florida Gulf Coast by just 1 point at half.  I wasn't able to watch the first half, so after checking my eyes when seeing the score I was miffed.  My confusion was only confirmed when UNC blitzed Florida Gulf Coast the final 20 minutes.  Hopefully UNC uses this as a wake-up call and way to refocus.  Otherwise, this kind of let-up will have them headed home in later rounds. North Carolina put 5 players in double-figures led by Brice Johnson's 18 points.

Today, Syracuse, Pitt, and Notre Dame get into action.  It'd be great to see an undefeated opening round for the league, but the tougher games are today.

Check out links, previews, predictions, and more below.

Video of the Day

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NCAAGameSim.com Predictions

• Syracuse at Dayton - Syracuse wins 68-66 Sim the game here
• Pittsburgh at Wisconsin - Pittsburgh wins 71-67 Sim the game here
• Virginia Tech at BYU - Virginia Tech wins 74-72 Sim the game here
• Michigan at Notre Dame - Notre Dame wins 73-70 Sim the game here

View more predictions at NCAAGameSim.com