This Week in the ACC: 1/11-1/17

[pfrduke]

The road proved unkind for some teams - Virginia was swept by the Techs, Louisville fell to Clemson - and undaunting for others - UNC got two wins away from the Dean Dome (scoring 190 points in 157 possessions in the process) and Duke looked impressive at Wake. Four teams remain unbeaten at the top and four remain winless at the bottom (two of those teams are guaranteed to win this week). This week sends Miami through its first real road gauntlet and also has Pitt facing a challenging trip to Louisville. Only Carolina spends the week entirely at home, and it wouldn't be shocking to see them all alone atop the conference as the lone remaining undefeated team this time next week (I, of course, hope that Duke is joining them).

Monday is dark, as the slate is largely cleared while the college sports world focuses on Alabama-Clemson. Go Tigers!

Tuesday

[6]Virginia hosts [8]Miami (7:00, ESPNU) - this is the point where I make two observations: (1) currently the ACC occupies half of the Pomeroy top 10, with spots 5-9 going to, in order, Duke, UVA, UNC, Miami, and Louisville; and (2) this has to be the early favorite for the collectively highest ranked matchup to occur on ESPNU. The networks and conferences need to work out some kind of flex game setup like they have for college football, because this game should get the better national spot over, say, Kentucky-Mississippi State*

*I know even in my flex scenario that's probably a pipe dream because of the ratings UK basketball generates, but still.

Wednesday

[81]Clemson hosts [5]Duke (7:00, ESPN2)
[75]Syracuse hosts [218]Boston College (7:00, ESPN3)
[124]Virginia Tech hosts [100]Wake Forest (9:00, ESPN3)
[29]Notre Dame hosts [55]Georgia Tech (9:00, ESPN3)
[77]NC State hosts [51]Florida State (9:00, ESPN3)

Thursday

[9]Louisville hosts [27]Pittsburgh (9:00, ESPN)

Friday is dark

Saturday

[7]North Carolina hosts [77]NC State (12:00, ESPN)
[55]Georgia Tech hosts [124]Virginia Tech (12:00, ESPN3)
[100]Wake Forest hosts [75]Syracuse (12:00, ESPN3)
[5]Duke hosts [29]Notre Dame (2:00, ESPN2)
[27]Pittsburgh hosts [218]Boston College (2:00, ESPN3)
[81]Clemson hosts [8]Miami (2:00, ESPN3)

Sunday

[51]Florida State hosts [6]Virginia (6:30, ESPNU)

[Olympic Fan]

The road proved unkind for some teams - Virginia was swept by the Techs, Louisville fell to Clemson - and undaunting for others - UNC got two wins away from the Dean Dome (scoring 190 points in 157 possessions in the process) and Duke looked impressive at Wake. Four teams remain unbeaten at the top and four remain winless at the bottom (two of those teams are guaranteed to win this week). This week sends Miami through its first real road gauntlet and also has Pitt facing a challenging trip to Louisville. Only Carolina spends the week entirely at home, and it wouldn't be shocking to see them all alone atop the conference as the lone remaining undefeated team this time next week (I, of course, hope that Duke is joining them).

Monday is dark, as the slate is largely cleared while the college sports world focuses on Alabama-Clemson. Go Tigers!

Tuesday

[6]Virginia hosts [8]Miami (7:00, ESPNU) - this is the point where I make two observations: (1) currently the ACC occupies half of the Pomeroy top 10, with spots 5-9 going to, in order, Duke, UVA, UNC, Miami, and Louisville; and (2) this has to be the early favorite for the collectively highest ranked matchup to occur on ESPNU. The networks and conferences need to work out some kind of flex game setup like they have for college football, because this game should get the better national spot over, say, Kentucky-Mississippi State*

*I know even in my flex scenario that's probably a pipe dream because of the ratings UK basketball generates, but still.

Wednesday

[81]Clemson hosts [5]Duke (7:00, ESPN2)
[75]Syracuse hosts [218]Boston College (7:00, ESPN3)
[124]Virginia Tech hosts [100]Wake Forest (9:00, ESPN3)
[29]Notre Dame hosts [55]Georgia Tech (9:00, ESPN3)
[77]NC State hosts [51]Florida State (9:00, ESPN3)

Thursday

[9]Louisville hosts [27]Pittsburgh (9:00, ESPN)

Friday is dark

Saturday

[7]North Carolina hosts [77]NC State (12:00, ESPN)
[55]Georgia Tech hosts [124]Virginia Tech (12:00, ESPN3)
[100]Wake Forest hosts [75]Syracuse (12:00, ESPN3)
[5]Duke hosts [29]Notre Dame (2:00, ESPN2)
[27]Pittsburgh hosts [218]Boston College (2:00, ESPN3)
[81]Clemson hosts [8]Miami (2:00, ESPN3)

Sunday

[51]Florida State hosts [6]Virginia (6:30, ESPNU)
[91]Wake Forest hosts [77]NC State (8:00, ESPNU)


great work as usual ... just a slight correction -- the NC State at Wake game was yesterday ... the Virginia at FSU game is the only ACC game next Sunday.

[jhmoss1812]

This is my favorite weekly thread on all of the message boards I follow. Great work as always!

Big week for my Hoos.

[pfrduke]

great work as usual ... just a slight correction -- the NC State at Wake game was yesterday ... the Virginia at FSU game is the only ACC game next Sunday.

Thanks - I just didn't delete it when I did the copy/paste from the prior week. Will fix.

[CameronDuke]

Virginia is a 4 point favorite in most spots tonight at home against Miami.

[AIRFORCEDUKIE]

The Miami at Virginia game is really interesting to me. The contrast in styles should be fun to watch. This will be telling of how good Miami really is.

If they go into Virginia and pull out a win, I would consider them the favorite for the ACC regular season Championship.

They get Duke at Home, and they would get to play Virginia again at Home, and Notre Dame home and away. Sure they have UNC away, but get Louisville and Pitt both in coral gables. I'd say their schedule is pretty favorable except for the Away game Chapel Hill.

I think Miami pulls it off and hands Virginia another league loss pretty much eliminating them from the regular season race.

[CameronDuke]

The Miami at Virginia game is really interesting to me. The contrast in styles should be fun to watch. This will be telling of how good Miami really is.

If they go into Virginia and pull out a win, I would consider them the favorite for the ACC regular season Championship.

They get Duke at Home, and they would get to play Virginia again at Home, and Notre Dame home and away. Sure they have UNC away, but get Louisville and Pitt both in coral gables. I'd say their schedule is pretty favorable except for the Away game Chapel Hill.

I think Miami pulls it off and hands Virginia another league loss pretty much eliminating them from the regular season race.

I haven't gotten the opportunity to watch Miami a whole lot yet this season so I'm excited for the opportunity to be able to do that tonight. I do know that Virginia somehow always pulls games out at home in the second half, sometimes late (see the Virginia vs. Cal win in OT earlier this year as well as the Virginia vs. Oakland win). They typically start slow in the first half and go on a run before the under 16 and under 12 media timeouts. I expect this to be a close game for 25-30 minutes before Virginia seizes control midway through the second half and wins something like 73-66.

[Bob Green]

Miami at Virginia is off to an ugly start. It is 3-2 at the under 16 timeout and the low score isn't the result of great defense. Virginia is 1-7 from the floor with Miami at 1-4. Both teams look out of sync at the start of this one.

[CameronDuke]

Can't say I'm too terribly impressed with Miami in the first half at Virginia. They shot horribly and let Mike Tobey for Virginia get loose for easy baskets down the stretch. Miami definitely didn't look like the 8th best team in the country in my mind.

Virginia, when I have watched them this year, has created separation in the second half before the first and second media timeout which usually ends up being the difference in the game. These next eight minutes for Miami to open the half will be telling. If they can keep it within 2-6 points, they have a shot, but if Virginia extends the lead to double digits before the under 12 media timeout, I think Virginia holds serve at home.

The first ten possessions for Miami in the second half are going to be the biggest possessions of the game in my mind.

[Bob Green]

This will be telling of how good Miami really is.

Through 20 minutes, Miami looks bad. So does Virginia. It is Virginia 27, Miami 23 at the half. Miami is shooting 36.4% from the floor with five turnovers, while Virginia is managing 44.8% with four turnovers. I'm not sure my eyeballs can take 20 more minutes of ugly, ugly basketball.

[Doria]

Can't say I'm too terribly impressed with Miami in the first half at Virginia. They shot horribly and let Mike Tobey for Virginia get loose for easy baskets down the stretch. Miami definitely didn't look like the 8th best team in the country in my mind.

I agree UVA will probably pull it out, but they certainly don't look like the number six (or thirteen, even) best team, either. They both look terrible. Actually, looking ahead to Wednesday's match ups, there's a high potential for a lot of eye-bleeding basketball this week.

[CDu]

Yeah, these two offenses are just playing awful bball. The defenses have been fine, but are just allowing the offenses to make bad decisions.

[CameronDuke]

Miami is currently 6-20 from 3 and 8-14 from the line. I don't mean to belabor the point but I am not impressed at all with Miami. They look mediocre at best.

This game is almost over. I predicted 73-66 Virginia. Neither team will get near those point totals but I think Virginia takes this one by 8-12 points. Miami can't hit the broad side of a barn tonight.

[CameronDuke]

Miami is NOT among one of the ACC favorites to me. They are alarmingly overrated. Perhaps they had an off night tonight but Duke's offense would torch Miami the way they shot tonight. I'm sorry folks but you're not gonna win too terribly many games shooting 6-22 from 3 and 10-17 form the line.

Duke and North Carolina are the two clear cut favorites to win the ACC that I've seen so far.

[jhmoss1812]

UVA with 3 wins over current top 10 teams. We might not be great this year but nobody has a better collection of wins than we do.

[CameronDuke]

UVA with 3 wins over current top 10 teams. We might not be great this year but nobody has a better collection of wins than we do.

That was a big win - we will see how Miami does the rest of the season but I'd be surprised if they finish in the top 5 of the league to honest with you. They didn't look that great to me. Miami is not a top ten team to me. They are very overrated currently.

I don't think that Virginia is as good this year as they were the past two years, but they may finish in the top four of the league once again.

[jhmoss1812]

That was a big win - we will see how Miami does the rest of the season but I'd be surprised if they finish in the top 5 of the league to honest with you. They didn't look that great to me.

I don't think that Virginia is as good this year as they were the past two years, but then may finish in the top four of the league once again.

It's a combination of not being as good and the league being better at the bottom. We went 12-1 against a very strong OOC record. I'm hoping for a top 4 finish.

[CameronDuke]

It's a combination of not being as good and the league being better at the bottom. We went 12-1 against a very strong OOC record. I'm hoping for a top 4 finish.

Did Tobey even play the second half tonight? He gave Miami problems in the first half. He was actually UVA's saving grace down the stretch in the first half. He hit a few jumpers from the top of the key and he had a dunk put back.

[jhmoss1812]

Did Tobey even play the second half tonight? He gave Miami problems in the first half. He was actually UVA's saving grace down the stretch in the first half. He hit a few jumpers from the top of the key and he had a dunk put back.

Not a ton in the second half. Not sure why as he had 10 and 7 at half and only finished with 12 and 7. Miami is a tough matchup for him on the defensive end with so many guards and Jekiri. Bennett tends to think defensively first so that would be my guess as why he didn't play a ton of minutes. Not sure it was the right move but it ended up working out okay.

[Troublemaker]

That was a big win - we will see how Miami does the rest of the season but I'd be surprised if they finish in the top 5 of the league to honest with you. They didn't look that great to me. Miami is not a top ten team to me. They are very overrated currently.

Haha, I think you may be overreacting to one game, much as I'd like for you to be correct.

Good win for UVA, as they received good support for Brogdon and Gill. I was rooting for them. Miami has the easier schedule and plays Duke at home. UVA has the tougher schedule and plays Duke on the road. I doubt I'll end up regretting rooting for the Hoos tonight.

Did Miami really look bad? Meh, I suppose. Nothing "alarming" about it, imo. They were the underdog and lost by a few possessions. No big deal. Besides, teams generally don't look good in a loss. Duke didn't against UK and Duke didn't against Utah. Losing in a triple OT classic like OU did at Kansas is a rare occurrence.

[CameronDuke]

Haha, I think you may be overreacting to one game, much as I'd like for you to be correct.

Good win for UVA, as they received good support for Brogdon and Gill. I was rooting for them. Miami has the easier schedule and plays Duke at home. UVA has the tougher schedule and plays Duke on the road. I doubt I'll end up regretting rooting for the Hoos tonight.

Did Miami really look bad? Meh, I suppose. Nothing "alarming" about it, imo. They were the underdog and lost by a few possessions. No big deal. Besides, teams generally don't look good in a loss. Duke didn't against UK and Duke didn't against Utah. Losing in a triple OT classic like OU did at Kansas is a rare occurrence.

Perhaps it was an overreaction, but I still stand by my statement that Miami didn't impress me in one facet of the game last night. Credit some of that to Virginia, they're tough at home. However, from what I've seen so far, I'd take Duke, UNC, Virginia, Pitt, and Louisville in the top five over Miami.

[AIRFORCEDUKIE]

As someone who has seen the majority of UM games this season I can say that's the worst game I've seen them play. I don't know if that is more telling of how good UVA is defensively or just Miami not being that good. Other than the Northeastern loss they have been beating teams soundly. I am going to chalk this one up to just a poor outing on UM's part, and UVA really needing a win. We will see UM in about 12 days, so we will get a really good idea pretty soon. I will be there in person to offer my insights, if I don't end up on South Beach right after the game is over.

[CDu]

As someone who has seen the majority of UM games this season I can say that's the worst game I've seen them play. I don't know if that is more telling of how good UVA is defensively or just Miami not being that good. Other than the Northeastern loss they have been beating teams soundly. I am going to chalk this one up to just a poor outing on UM's part, and UVA really needing a win. We will see UM in about 12 days, so we will get a really good idea pretty soon. I will be there in person to offer my insights, if I don't end up on South Beach right after the game is over.

Miami's issues have generally been about consistency. At their best, they are really good. But they can also play mindnumbingly bad at times.

[Troublemaker]

Perhaps it was an overreaction, but I still stand by my statement that Miami didn't impress me in one facet of the game last night. Credit some of that to Virginia, they're tough at home. However, from what I've seen so far, I'd take Duke, UNC, Virginia, Pitt, and Louisville in the top five over Miami.


As someone who has seen the majority of UM games this season I can say that's the worst game I've seen them play. I don't know if that is more telling of how good UVA is defensively or just Miami not being that good. Other than the Northeastern loss they have been beating teams soundly. I am going to chalk this one up to just a poor outing on UM's part, and UVA really needing a win. We will see UM in about 12 days, so we will get a really good idea pretty soon. I will be there in person to offer my insights, if I don't end up on South Beach right after the game is over.

Yeah, you guys are probably right about Miami's performance in that game. I have a bias for quickness, so Miami still impressed me at certain points in that game while playing poorly overall. Some of Miami's straight line drives right past the Pack Line for a layup, you just don't see very often against UVA.

As CameronDuke mentioned, Miami shot horribly on both 3s and FTs. If they had shot closer to their season percentages to provide support for their driving ability, it would've been an interesting end of game.

That said, Miami has now shot horribly in 3 consecutive games. It's worth tracking to see if they can turn that around and get back to their season percentages, which ARE good.

[CDu]

Yeah, you guys are probably right about Miami's performance in that game. I have a bias for quickness, so Miami still impressed me at certain points in that game while playing poorly overall. Some of Miami's straight line drives right past the Pack Line for a layup, you just don't see very often against UVA.

As CameronDuke mentioned, Miami shot horribly on both 3s and FTs. If they had shot closer to their season percentages to provide support for their driving ability, it would've been an interesting end of game.

That said, Miami has now shot horribly in 3 consecutive games. It's worth tracking to see if they can turn that around and get back to their season percentages, which ARE good.

Part of the issue with Miami is that they have some really talented, low-IQ players. Rodriguez has terrific talent and can dominate games, but he has this ability to just completely disappear. For whatever reason, he hasn't figured out how to make himself effective more consistently. He has some pretty crazy peaks and valleys. McLellan and Reed are also terrific talents but very shaky decision makers. That's not surprising as both are wings, but when you combine with Rodriguez's roller coaster you can have some really bad offensive possessions. Numerous times in the first half I'd see a guard/wing drive into the lane late in the clock, then pass the ball to Jekiri 10+ feet from the basket. Jekiri is a good defender and rebounder, and strong finisher at the rim. But he should not be getting the ball with his back to the basket 10+ feet from the rim late in the clock. That's just bad decisionmaking.

When Rodriguez is dialed in, though, they are a REALLY good team.

[nocilla]

Miami's issues have generally been about consistency. At their best, they are really good. But they can also play mindnumbingly bad at times.

And you can bet they will be at their best when facing Duke.

[CDu]

And you can bet they will be at their best when facing Duke.

Maybe. I'm interested to see what they will do now that we aren't defending the way that they so famously exploited anymore.

I'm actually quite thankful for that Miami game and Larranega and Rodriguez's post-game comments. I think that game and the aftermath are a huge part of why we won the national championship. It led to the introduction of the zone and some changes in how we handled defensive assignments in man-to-man, it reduced our predictability on defense, and I think without those changes we might very well have not won the title last year.

[CDu]

That sound you are hearing? The fat lady tuning up in prep for signifying the realistic end to NC State's season. At 0-4, they get UNC, Pitt, and Duke in the coming weeks. They are staring at a 10-12 loss ACC schedule.

[devildeac]

That sound you are hearing? The fat lady tuning up in prep for signifying the realistic end to NC State's season. At 0-4, they get UNC, Pitt, and Duke in the coming weeks. They are staring at a 10-12 loss ACC schedule.

Has the firegottfried website/thread been started yet? :rolleyes:

[devildeac]

This appears to be a stunningly ugly game. I'm not even tempted to watch any of it as my eyes hurt already. Teams are 2/17 combined from 3-land and 15/57 overall for a frightening 26% FG. First to 40 wins?