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View Full Version : This Week in the ACC - 12/16-12/22



pfrduke
12-16-2013, 10:04 AM
The ACC was a herd of Bison away from a perfect non-conference week. Yes, there were only 10 non-conference games, and yes, many of the opponents were, shall we say, not generally good at basketball, but for the first time in a while, the conference got some consistent good results in games that were toss-ups (or close to). In conference action, Maryland pulled away from Boston College late to tie Virginia Tech atop the conference standings. BC's defense was unsurprisingly generous, allowing a middling Maryland offense to put up over 1.3 points per possession, their best of the season.

This week has more action - and more competitive action - than the last, with 8 games against BCS opponents plus matchups with Charlotte, UMass, and VCU. Notre Dame and Florida State will (likely) get a chance to knock off unbeatens, while Syracuse and Pitt will put their undefeated status on the line (Pitt in more jeopardy than Syracuse). And, most importantly, the Devils are back in action, playing the only two games they have between December 3 and December 28.

Monday is the only night without a real marquee matchup, as neither game should be competitive (knock on wood).

[19]Duke hosts [251]Gardner-Webb
[85]Georgia Tech hosts [334]Kennesaw State

Tuesday is the Jimmy V Classic in New York - it only seems like it's been Jimmy V week for about a month on ESPN, but any excuse to watch the ESPY speech is fine by me. Pitt gets undercard status for its matchup with Cincinnati (Memphis and Florida take top billing). Both other ACC squads in action get competitive opponents with FSU hosting a Charlotte squad that knocked of Michigan and Wake taking on the Bonnies. Collectively, the ACC's Tuesday opponents are 21-7; here's to making it 21-10 by the end of the night.

[9]Pittsburgh vs. [58]Cincinnati in Madison Square Garden
[41]Florida State hosts [99]Charlotte
[80]Wake Forest hosts [98]St. Bonaventure

Wednesday has Tobacco Road taking on big orange - Texas travels to UNC to continue our exploration of how Rick Barnes continues to be a gainfully employed coach. While his teams have struggled the last few years, they've succeeded against the Tar Heels, going 3-1 in their annual matchups since 2010. Of course, the only loss was in the Dean Dome, which is where Wednesday's game will be. NC State heads to Knoxville to take on Tennessee. The Vols slammed Wake Forest earlier this year, and NC State has yet to impress in any of its games. A win on the road would be a big feather in the Pack's caps.

[10]North Carolina hosts [65]Texas
[82]NC State at [33]Tennessee

Thursday gives us Duke and UCLA at the Garden. Expect high scores, as both teams thus far have shown much more of a proclivity for playing with the ball in their hands than in their opponents'. Clemson hits the road to Auburn, which is engaged in its seemingly annual quest to be the worst BCS college basketball team (maybe they should see if Gus Malzahn translates to the hard court).

[121]Miami at [307]Savannah State
[19]Duke vs. [27]UCLA in Madison Square Garden
[34]Clemson at [225]Auburn

Friday should be a Syracuse cake walk.

[7]Syracuse hosts [244]High Point

Saturday has ten ACC games with several chances to get big wins. The biggest plum ripe for picking is the last game of the night when Notre Dame faces off against Ohio State in something called the Gotham Classic (the ACC's third Garden game of the week). As with Notre Dame's matchup with Indiana last week, this pits strength on strength when the Irish have the ball - unlike Notre Dame's matchup with Indiana, Ohio State has the nation's best defense. The Buckeyes force turnovers (10th nationally), force opponents to miss the shots they do take (3rd nationally in EFG% defense), and do it all without fouling (9th nationally). Earlier in the day, UMass looks to take down its 3rd ACC opponent and continue its undefeated season (assuming it beats Ohio mid-week) when it plays FSU in something called the Metro PCS Orange Bowl Classic (which is being played neither when nor where the Orange Bowl is taking place). The little/big duo of Chaz Williams (5'9" PG) and Cady Lalanne (6'10" C) have both been high volume and high efficiency, but FSU's size could cause them both trouble. Continuing action in made up events, the Hokies play VCU in something called the Governor's Holiday Hoops Classic. Some of the shine has come off the Rams' rose with losses to FSU, Georgetown, and (more troubling) Northern Iowa, but they still present a tough challenge for Virginia Tech.

[82]NC State hosts [160]East Carolina
[54]Maryland hosts [149]Boston University
[41]Florida State vs. [24]Massachusetts in Sunrise
[80]Wake Forest hosts [330]UNC Greensboro
[25]Virginia hosts [110]Northern Iowa
[9]Pittsburgh hosts [136]Cal Poly
[85]Georgia Tech at [97]Vanderbilt
[10]North Carolina hosts [174]Davidson
[104]Virginia Tech vs. [40]VCU in Richmond (not at VCU's home arena)
[52]Notre Dame vs. [2]Ohio State in Madison Square Garden

Sunday sends BC to Auburn, hopefully to make the Tigers 0-2 against ACC competition. There is, unfortunately, a very real possibility that the Eagles could be 4-10 by the time they play their next conference game - after Auburn, their only non-conference games left are against VCU and Harvard, both of which will be double digit favorites.

[119]Boston College at [225]Auburn
[121]Miami hosts [111]La Salle

ACC Non-Conference Record: 106-39
ACC Record vs. BCS: 26-24
America East: 2-0
American Athletic: 4-4
Atlantic Sun: 6-1
Atlantic Ten: 5-6
Big 12: 3-2
Big East: 2-3
Big South: 10-0
Big Ten: 8-8
Big West: 2-0
Colonial: 3-0
CUSA: 5-1
Horizon: 3-1
Ivy: 2-0
MAAC: 1-0
MAC: 1-1
MEAC: 8-1
Missouri Valley: 2-1
Mountain West: 1-0
Northeast: 3-1
Ohio Valley: 3-1
Pac-12: 5-3
Patriot: 6-0
SEC: 4-4
Southern: 11-0
Southland: 1-0
Summit: 0-1
SWAC: 2-0
West Coast: 2-0
Non D-I: 1-0