Last night, Miami defeated Clemson 76-73 to pick up the Hurricanes first conference win of the season. Rarely do you see a team win 3 of the 4 factors and lose, but that happened to Clemson last night. Clemson had a better turnover %, rebounding % (offensive and defensive), and FT Rate, but still lost. For Miami, it was simply making shots, their eFG% of 61 carried them, and when the Canes got to the line, they made 93% of their free throw attempts.
A busy night tonight in the ACC as we have four games on the schedule. Make sure to check out the previews below, but let's take a quick look at each matchup:
Wake Forest at Duke 7 PM
The Blue Devils are likely favored by double-digits in this one and I have a hard time seeing it go the other way. Where the team in light blue might have an energy/focus problem at times, Coach K always has his guys playing tough. The two things to watch that could make it interesting is if Wake Forest's guards, CJ Harris and Tony Chennault , can have their way with Duke's perimeter defense and if Duke isn't making their jumpshots, Wake might have a chance.
Virginia @ Georgia Tech 8 PM
Virginia is coming off road loss at Duke, but you just had the weekend off, what kind of focus will Virginia have in this one? Georgia Tech has shown they have the talent to beat good teams. One concern I would have if I'm Tony Bennett is Georgia Tech's guards are bigger and more athletic than the Virginia guards. I'm betting you'll see a lot of Malcolm Brogdon in this one to help matchup with Georgia Tech's size on the wing. Georgia Tech doesn't have anything for Mike Scott inside though, so if Virginia can run the offense through Scott, the Cavaliers have the upper hand.
Boston College @ NC State 8 PM
NC State just walked through Wake Forest this past weekend and are hosting the suprising 2-1 Boston College Eagles. This is another "focus" game for NC State. In other words, if NC State comes out focused and puts their foot on BC's throat from the start, NC State should win by 15-20 points. If BC is able to hang around for the first half, then the Eagles can win. NC State is more athletic and should try to push tempo in this game, while Boston College will likely spread the floor, use clock and find open shooters.
UNC @ Virginia Tech 9 PM
On the David Glenn Show yesterday in the Triangle, Seth Greenberg was asked what security measures the Hokies have in place in the case that his fans might rush the floor tonight in Blacksburg. Greenberg's response, "I'll personally escort them to the locker room." Have to love Greenberg, but as Virginia Tech's Jarell Eddie has said, the Hokies feel like they are better than their record indicates, and they feel they can beat anyone. I expect the Heels to come out with a ton of defensive energy early, but UNC has to be smart. After all, teams historically get more fouls called on them in road games. UNC doesn't want to put Virginia Tech in the bonus early as the Hokies are the 2nd best free throw shooting team in the league at 75.3%. For UNC, its defense first, and stay within yourselves on offense. UNC is a good shooting team, but is making just 20% of their three point attempts in conference play thus far. Look for the law of averages to even out tonight for the Heels.
JR Reid Touches on UNC, Virginia, and Boston College
| Team | Conf | Pct | Overall | Pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 3-0 | 1.000 | 15-2 | 0.882 |
| FSU | 3-1 | 0.750 | 12-6 | 0.667 |
| UNC | 2-1 | 0.667 | 15-3 | 0.833 |
| NC State | 2-1 | 0.667 | 13-5 | 0.722 |
| Boston College | 2-1 | 0.667 | 7-10 | 0.412 |
| Maryland | 2-2 | 0.500 | 12-5 | 0.706 |
| Virginia | 1-1 | 0.500 | 14-2 | 0.875 |
| Miami | 1-2 | 0.333 | 10-6 | 0.625 |
| Wake Forest | 1-2 | 0.333 | 10-7 | 0.588 |
| Georgia Tech | 1-2 | 0.333 | 8-9 | 0.471 |
| Clemson | 1-3 | 0.250 | 9-9 | 0.500 |
| Virginia Tech | 0-3 | 0.000 | 11-6 | 0.647 |
Links
- Struggling Wake Forest to take on Duke
- Dawkins, Duke hope for more of the same
- Duke Spends Most Money on Basketball in D1
- Kickin’ it in Krzyzewskiville
- Duke Tweaking, Improving Defensive Effort
- Tar Heels look to rebound from Florida State fiasco at Virginia Tech
- Tar Heels serious about improving
- Former A.L. Brown star enrolling a semester early at UVa
- Miami holds off Clemson charge
- Overhauled Eagles could test Wolfpack’s perimeter defense
- UNC has 33 reasons to remember Florida State loss
- N.C. State faces test of success
- UNC will try to reduce doubts against Virginia Tech
- ACC student sections vying for their own national title
- Maryland basketball relying heavily on Terrell Stoglin for scoring
- ACC Basketball: Surprises Galore
- UVa freshman Brogdon has a Commander in Chief presence
- Hokies slowed by youth
- Outside shooters hit cold snap
- Terps could use greater contributions from Alex Len
- James Padgett is Mark Turgeon’s biggest reclamation project
- Gary Williams joins ESPN 980 as college hoops insider
- Miami 76, Clemson 73
- Miami Hurricanes defeat Clemson, earn first ACC win of season
- Miami holds off Clemson for 76-73 win
- Young Hokies looking for a spark plug
Yesterday's Games
| Matchup | |
|---|---|
| Clemson 73 @ Miami 76 | Box |
Today's Games
| Time | Matchup | TV | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00:00 PM | Wake Forest @ Duke | ESPN/ESPN2 | Preview |
| 8:00:00 PM | Virginia @ Georgia Tech | ACCN/ESPN3 | Preview |
| 8:00:00 PM | Boston College @ NC State | ACCN/ESPN3 | Preview |
| 9:00:00 PM | UNC @ Virginia Tech | ESPN/ESPN2 | Preview |
