ACC Games - Week of Jan 15th thru 21st

[Bob Green]

Use this thread to discuss the various non-Duke ACC games for this week. (Jan 15 thru Jan 21)

Sunday 1/15

Georgia Tech @ Maryland

Tuesday 1/17

Maryland @ Florida State

Wednesday 1/18

Clemson @ Miami

Thursday 1/19

North Carolina @ Virginia Tech
Virginia @ Georgia Tech
Boston College @ N.C. State

Saturday 1/21

Maryland @ Temple
Wake Forest @ Boston College
Georgia Tech @ Clemson

[sagegrouse]

Can State (BC), FSU (MD) and UVA (@GT) take care of business and remain in the upper tier of the ACC?
Can Miami (Clem) and VT (UNC) prove they are not as bad as their ACC records?

Are supposedly woeful BC (@State, WF), MD (GT, @FSU, @ Temple), and GT better than we thought?

What's with UNC (@VT)? I'd look for a huge rebound by the Heels, except that Seth's team be both desperate (0-3) and hopeful after the FSU debacle.

And, uh, can Duke survive against Clemson?

Can Wake show @BC that it is clearly better than last year (and yesterday)?

Clemson -- like FSU -- is "a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." Or, as B. Cassidy asked, "Who are those guys?"

sagegrouse

[Bob Green]

Florida State avoided a letdown and took care of business dispatching Maryland 84-70 to improve to 3-1 in conference. Florida State will arrive in Cameron on Saturday looking to make another statement. We need to take care of business against Wake Forest on Thursday and step one is to avoid looking ahead to Saturday and the Florida State game.

[Olympic Fan]

Ihate the lineup this week ... not the matchups, but just one game Tuesday ... one game Wednesday and FOUR games (including the Duke game) Thursday,

Selfishly, it means that I'll only be abkle to watch three of six games this week. I can DVR one other Thursday night game. It's between UNC at Va Tech (but I suspect the Tar Heels bounce back in a big way and take their frustraion out on the Hokies) and Virginia at Georgia Tech -- if the Cavs hope to be the ACC's third team this season, this is a game they need to win.

Sarurday's good -- four games all spaced out ... And a big split between Sunday's games.

BTW, if Virginia Tech is not dead yet (at 0-3 in the ACC), this week is likely to drive the stake through Seth's heart -- UNC Thursday, then at Virginia Sunday. After a non-conference game against BYU, they go to Maryland. Then have Duke in to Blacksberg. An 0-7 ACC start is not farfetched.

At least that will save the Hokies from any bubble talk this year.

[Bob Green]

Clemson and Miami have an entertaining game going on in Coral Gables with the 'Canes holding a 42-39 halftime lead. Miami threatened to blow the game open early with a 13-0 run, but Clemson fought back behind the shooting of Tanner Smith who has scored 18 points making 4-5 3-pointers.

[devildeac]

Clemson and Miami have an entertaining game going on in Coral Gables with the 'Canes holding a 42-39 halftime lead. Miami threatened to blow the game open early with a 13-0 run, but Clemson fought back behind the shooting of Tanner Smith who has scored 18 points making 4-5 3-pointers.

Any reports from the game about Tanner Smith's nose after the devastating non-blow he took from Miles' elbow in his last game?:rolleyes:

[gw67]

Based on what I've seen to date, Florida State is deeper and a better all around team than Virginia (Of course, I earlier thought that VT would be solid this year.) Neither is great on offense but the Noles are much deeper and are stronger on the boards and on defense. They play each other twice so that may decide the 3rd best team. The game against Duke this weekend at Cameron may be a reality check for Florida State.

gw67

[Bob Green]

Here are the Vegas lines and over/unders for tonight's three non-Duke ACC games:

North Carolina @ Virginia Tech: Carolina favored by 7 points with the over/under set at 143.5
Virginia @ Georgia Tech: Virginia favored by 3.5 points with the over/under set at 113
Boston College @ N.C. State: State favored by 17 points with the over/under set at 139

I'm anticipatng an interesting evening of ACC Basketball. Hopefully my power remains on as I lost it last night for several hours and again this morning for about five hours. The snow has turned to ice and tree limbs are cracking and falling into the power lines all over the Pacific Northwest.

[gumbomoop]

If you don't hold the weaufgods in esteem....

Go VaTech!

I don't hold them in esteem, but will use this thread to comment on the teams. [Joke there, maybe.]

Naturally I hope to be in a relaxed mood by 9 this eve. Hard to think the Hokies will pull off the upset. Appears that Erick Green will play, so that's a big plus, as they missed him badly at BC.

A FT contest would seem to be advantageous to VT, with much better FT-shooters than Heels, including VT's top 3 scorers. Wish Finney-Smith were a bit better at FTs, as he might get an O-rebound or 3. Hope Finney-Smith is VT's version of Kidd-Gilchrist.

Hokies need to hack-a-Henson in second half. Possibly, possibly, Marshall, too.

I am astounded by this stat: Dexter Strickland has attempted - attempted - one 3-pointer this season. On the season, that's 3 fewer than David Dupont has attempted. Did you know this? If so, how come you didn't tell me?

[roywhite]

I don't hold them in esteem, but will use this thread to comment on the teams. [Joke there, maybe.]

Naturally I hope to be in a relaxed mood by 9 this eve. Hard to think the Hokies will pull off the upset. Appears that Erick Green will play, so that's a big plus, as they missed him badly at BC.

A FT contest would seem to be advantageous to VT, with much better FT-shooters than Heels, including VT's top 3 scorers. Wish Finney-Smith were a bit better at FTs, as he might get an O-rebound or 3. Hope Finney-Smith is VT's version of Kidd-Gilchrist.

Hokies need to hack-a-Henson in second half. Possibly, possibly, Marshall, too.

I am astounded by this stat: Dexter Strickland has attempted - attempted - one 3-pointer this season. On the season, that's 3 fewer than David Dupont has attempted. Did you know this? If so, how come you didn't tell me?

Interesting, did not know that Strickland stat....would have let you know if I did. :)

Looked up his stats (welcome back, Wiki, after a day hiatus) and found that he shot 23.5% from 3-pt as a freshman and 25% from 3-pt as a sophomore. So maybe Ole Roy has decided this is not a shot Strickland should be taking?
I'm wondering if Strickland had 2 high school teammates better than any of his current Tar Heel guys?
Kyrie Irving and Michael Gilchrist (now known as Kidd-Gilchrist)....not bad.

[Ichabod Drain]

I don't hold them in esteem, but will use this thread to comment on the teams. [Joke there, maybe.]

Naturally I hope to be in a relaxed mood by 9 this eve. Hard to think the Hokies will pull off the upset. Appears that Erick Green will play, so that's a big plus, as they missed him badly at BC.

A FT contest would seem to be advantageous to VT, with much better FT-shooters than Heels, including VT's top 3 scorers. Wish Finney-Smith were a bit better at FTs, as he might get an O-rebound or 3. Hope Finney-Smith is VT's version of Kidd-Gilchrist.

Hokies need to hack-a-Henson in second half. Possibly, possibly, Marshall, too.

I am astounded by this stat: Dexter Strickland has attempted - attempted - one 3-pointer this season. On the season, that's 3 fewer than David Dupont has attempted. Did you know this? If so, how come you didn't tell me?


Interesting, did not know that Strickland stat....would have let you know if I did. :)

Looked up his stats (welcome back, Wiki, after a day hiatus) and found that he shot 23.5% from 3-pt as a freshman and 25% from 3-pt as a sophomore. So maybe Ole Roy has decided this is not a shot Strickland should be taking?
I'm wondering if Strickland had 2 high school teammates better than any of his current Tar Heel guys?
Kyrie Irving and Michael Gilchrist (now known as Kidd-Gilchrist)....not bad.

I think Hairston tries to make up for Dexter's lack of attempts whenever he's in.

[Duvall]

A FT contest would seem to be advantageous to VT, with much better FT-shooters than Heels, including VT's top 3 scorers.

That seems pretty unlikely. North Carolina is better at avoiding fouls than any other team in the country.

[Bluedevil114]

The great thing about this game is when Roy pulls his team off the floor early (this time everyone) then we will get a full episode of Sportscenter at 11PM.

[-bdbd]

I don't hold them in esteem, but will use this thread to comment on the teams. [Joke there, maybe.]

Naturally I hope to be in a relaxed mood by 9 this eve. Hard to think the Hokies will pull off the upset. Appears that Erick Green will play, so that's a big plus, as they missed him badly at BC.

A FT contest would seem to be advantageous to VT, with much better FT-shooters than Heels, including VT's top 3 scorers. Wish Finney-Smith were a bit better at FTs, as he might get an O-rebound or 3. Hope Finney-Smith is VT's version of Kidd-Gilchrist.

Hokies need to hack-a-Henson in second half. Possibly, possibly, Marshall, too.

I am astounded by this stat: Dexter Strickland has attempted - attempted - one 3-pointer this season. On the season, that's 3 fewer than David Dupont has attempted. Did you know this? If so, how come you didn't tell me?

Not in this ACC! Kerlina gets ALL the calls!!!


The great thing about this game is when Roy pulls his team off the floor early (this time everyone) then we will get a full episode of Sportscenter at 11PM.

Not if Stuart Scott is the SC host!!!

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

I find myself rooting openly for VaTech after our tidy win tonight...

GEAUX HEAUKIEZ!!

[ChrisP]

What an inept way to end the 1st half for VT. Awful ball-handling and then they allowed Henson to catch and dunk with only 0.9 on the clock.

And, BTW, how in the WORLD is Henson's hanging on the rim there NOT a "T"? Oh wait, I know, because of the shade of blue on the uni's. Geez, that was some serious hang time.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Man, Strickland sure looks like he's in pain. I've smashed knees like that and it hurts like a motha - but usually is better in short order.

Injuries are never good - even on Heels

[Gthoma2a]

They are having trouble with Virginia Tech in a game you would expect them to come out ready to play, considering what happened in their last outing. Not only that, but Strickland (their best defender and a good player) just went down with what looks like a bad knee injury. I hope he is alright. I don't want that to happen to anyone, but it really hurts their team IMO. Anybody else thinking they could be on their way to a huge fall from #1 school in the nation to the middle of the ACC?

[Duvall]

They are having trouble with Virginia Tech in a game you would expect them to come out ready to play, considering what happened in their last outing. Not only that, but Strickland (their best defender and a good player) just went down with what looks like a bad knee injury. I hope he is alright. I don't want that to happen to anyone, but it really hurts their team IMO. Anybody else thinking they could be on their way to a huge fall from #1 school in the nation to the middle of the ACC?

No

One, we don't know how badly Strickland is hurt, and two, UNC will still have their three most valuable players, and also Harrison Barnes as well.

[Newton_14]

Ah man, you guys are just testing karma to the max tonight!:mad: Cardinal rule: Never start an in-game thread on UNC when there is time for them to come back and win.:cool:

Everyone do your best hex busters now to overcome the angering of the basketball gods!:)

Edit: Nicely played Duvall

[Gthoma2a]

Alright, I will sacrifice a goat as soon as Archer is over to make up for my mistake.

[Bob Green]

Alright, I will sacrifice a goat as soon as Archer is over to make up for my mistake.

Why didn't you post in the existing "ACC Games" thread instead of starting a new one? There is no need to have three or four Carolina threads seeing as this website is Duke Basketball Report.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Ah man, you guys are just testing karma to the max tonight!

Yeah, after I turned on the game, UNC goes on a 17-0 run. Quickly, I turned it off. I can check scores in the morning. Meantime, I'll be satisfied with my Duke win!

[jjasper0729]

VPI is very undisciplined. That's a LOT of outside shots and no attempt to go to the ball for a rebound and just getting beat getting back

[jjasper0729]

Five minutes to go and VPI still isn't in the bonus. Go figure

[Newton_14]

Alright, I will sacrifice a goat as soon as Archer is over to make up for my mistake.

That should do it! :D

[Slackerb]

The State game wasn't even close, not even for most of the game. While they won by like 15, it easily could have been 20++. CJ Leslie went out with 18 minutes to go and only played spot minutes after that, and the bench got tons of minutes in the second half....and BC only cut the lead from 21 down to 15 or so in that span.

Ignoring the GT game, State has looked very good. The next three games though will tell us a whole lot about them.

[sagegrouse]

Can State (BC), FSU (MD) and UVA (@GT) take care of business and remain in the upper tier of the ACC?
Can Miami (Clem) and VT (UNC) prove they are not as bad as their ACC records?

You bet! UVa is playing like the nationally ranked team they are.



Are supposedly woeful BC (@State, WF), MD (GT, @FSU, @ Temple), and GT better than we thought?

Maryland is clearly the best of this bunch.


What's with UNC (@VT)? I'd look for a huge rebound by the Heels, except that Seth's team be both desperate (0-3) and hopeful after the FSU debacle.

Strong performance by UNC in the 2nd half put away the Hokies. Va Tech and Seth are now in the "really desperate" category.


And, uh, can Duke survive against Clemson?

Survived indeed. Good week for Duke, coming up to a real test against FSU on Saturday.



Can Wake show @BC that it is clearly better than last year (and yesterday)?

Clemson -- like FSU -- is "a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." Or, as B. Cassidy asked, "Who are those guys?"


Wake has better personnel than BC, but this will be a test of whether the Deacs have made progress over last year.

sagegrouse

[Jderf]

Why didn't you post in the existing "ACC Games" thread instead of starting a new one? There is no need to have three or four Carolina threads seeing as this website is Duke Basketball Report.

Right. It is very important that we cloak our discussions of UNC under ambiguous thread titles like "ACC Games," "Who is the 2nd best ACC team?," and "2012 Recruiting." Otherwise UNC fans might notice that all of our threads are actually about them and they will start to make fun of us.

I don't like being made fun of. Not at all.

[Olympic Fan]

Thursday night was a disaster for the ACC on the injury front. At least four of the league's best teams suffered very worrisome injuries. Still too early to tell how serious they are, but:

-- UNC's Dexter Strickland went down with a knee ... an ACL?
-- NC State's CJ Williams went out with a shoulder injury.
-- Virginia's Assane Sene suffered an ankle injury and left the arena on crutches
-- Duke's Quinn Cook tweaked his bad knee: "I hope it's not serious," according to K.

Hopefully, all four of these injuries will turn out to be minor, but the potential is there for a major blow to any (and all) of these teams.

Change of subjects: While I basically agree with the DBR's assessment of the split in the league -- the "bright line down the middle", I think it's too early to condemn Miami to the "need a miracle run in the ACC Tourney" group of BC, Wake, Georgia Tech, Clemson and Virginia Tech. Obviously, the 'Canes have a lot of work to do, but I would suggest two points in their favor: (1) their 1-2 conference start is purely a function of their ACC schedule. Starting with games on the road at UNC and at Virginia (which they took tio the wire in C'ville) would give a lot of ACC teams an 0-2 start; and (2) their early season injuries/absences will be factored into the equation when they are evaluated by the NCAA Selection Committee.

Actually, Miami doesn't have anything like a bad loss -- at West Virginia, at Purdue, at Ole Miss and Memphis at home. Even so, their 7-4 pre ACC start will not hurt them much. If they can do well in the ACC (10-11 wins) they will be in the mix. They need to get on a run, but with State at home Saturday, followed by winnable road games at Georgia Tech and Boston College and a home game with Maryland, they could easily be on a 5-game ACC winning streak when they come to Duke on Feb. 5. Unfortunately for the 'Canes, they don't get a shot at Duke in Miami, but they do get the Heels at home on Feb. 15. It's probably a game they need to win (either that or at Duke)n to get in the mix, but it's not farfetched.

Personally, I break it down this way: Duke and UNC are locks; Virginia is a near lock; FSU and NC State are in good shape; Maryland and Miami are longshots; Clemson, Ga Tech, Va Tech, Wake and BC are dead meat.

[sagegrouse]

The game at engineering school Clemson has been halted by a campus-side power outage. Hah!

sage

[1 24 90]

The game at engineering school Clemson has been halted by a campus-side power outage. Hah!

sage

Is that why the score is 13-10 with 6 minutes to go in the first half? They couldn't see the basket?

[1 24 90]

In NC State's win at Miami today, Scott Wood broke JJ's ACC consecutive free throws made record. JJ tweeted congrats to Scott.

[sagegrouse]

Can State (BC), FSU (MD) and UVA (@GT) take care of business and remain in the upper tier of the ACC?
Can Miami (Clem) and VT (UNC) prove they are not as bad as their ACC records?

State, FSU and UVa are getting it done -- with perfect records this week. Va. Tech needs an upset today at UVa. Miami was 1-1 at home, losing today to State.

Are supposedly woeful BC (@State, WF), MD (GT, @FSU, @ Temple), and GT better than we thought?

No flowers for BC or GT. Maryland won at hame against the latter but lost to Temple at the Palestra.


What's with UNC (@VT)? I'd look for a huge rebound by the Heels, except that Seth's team be both desperate (0-3) and hopeful after the FSU debacle.

Was a huge rebound, once they wore the Hokies down.


And, uh, can Duke survive against Clemson? A road win is a road win, but I forgot to mention FSU.



Can Wake show @BC that it is clearly better than last year (and yesterday)?

Yep. Wake won easily. Lower-tier team for sure, but better than last year.


Clemson -- like FSU -- is "a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." Or, as B. Cassidy asked, "Who are those guys?"



Clemson is a capable team whose only good win is over FSU. Could end up in the middle of the conference.

sagegrouse