This Week in the ACC: 1/8-1/14

[wobatus]

A couple notes on this...

1) Not to pick on recruiting rankings, which can be silly (see Jordan Tucker being higher than Alex O'Connell) but Harris was generally not regarded as high as the #55 that 247 put on him. ESPN had him #99, Rivals had him #136, VerbalCommits had him #86. He did not make RSCI's list of the top 100 recruits in the land. Still, he's a nice player.

2) Harris is a fickle kid. He committed to Washington but then flipped to Missouri when Lorenzo Romar was fired at UDubb. I guess he was following Michael Porter, who did the same thing (though Harris' father was not hired to be an assistant coach at Mizzu). Now, after less than half a season in Missouri, he's moving to NC State.

3) It is worth noting that unlike other transfers we hear about this time of year, Harris was getting playing time for the Tigers. He was playing an average of 14 minutes per game and was firmly in Cuonzo Martin's rotation. He actually leads Mizzu in assists with 3.1 per game. He has struggled with his shot though, yet to hit a 3 pointer on the season (7 attempts). I am sorta surprised he picked NC State as it sure looks like Braxton Beverly is going to get a lot of time at PG over the next few years, but maybe Harris just wanted to be close to his home town of Chapel Hill. I'm betting "homesick" was a major factor in this decision.

-Jason "nice pick up for Keats... not a kid who figures to alter the shape of the program, but a solid building block who will contribute" Evans

They'll have 4 guys who can play point: Beverly, Markell Johnson (assuming his legal issues don't amount to anything), Batts and Harris.

Also, 247 ranked Harris 101 on its own list. His 247 composite rank was 120. Not sure if they changed their list at some point.

https://247sports.com/Season/2017-Ba...oup=HighSchool

[Olympic Fan]

The next two nights will really test the home-court dominance that ACC teams have shown so far this season:

Duke us a heavy favorite (over 90 percent according the Pomeroy) at Pitt.

Notre Dame at Georgia Tech is interesting -- a week ago, I would have said a slam dunk for the Irish, but the injuries to Colson and Farrell (definitely out for this game) and the recent resurgence of the Jackets (Lammers and Okogie are finally healthy) make this one a tossup.

Virginia Tech at Wake Forest -- both are starting to play better. I think this one is a tossup.

Louisville at FSU -- gotta favor the Seminoles at home, but Louisville is a veteran, talented team and wouldn't shock me to see them win in Tallahassee.

And Thursday nigh, we get Clemson at NC State. Can State build on the Duke win and protect their home court? Or will they revert to selfishness and ineptitude as they did after beating Arizona?

[W&LHoo]

The next two nights will really test the home-court dominance that ACC teams have shown so far this season:

Duke us a heavy favorite (over 90 percent according the Pomeroy) at Pitt.

Notre Dame at Georgia Tech is interesting -- a week ago, I would have said a slam dunk for the Irish, but the injuries to Colson and Farrell (definitely out for this game) and the recent resurgence of the Jackets (Lammers and Okogie are finally healthy) make this one a tossup.

Virginia Tech at Wake Forest -- both are starting to play better. I think this one is a tossup.

Louisville at FSU -- gotta favor the Seminoles at home, but Louisville is a veteran, talented team and wouldn't shock me to see them win in Tallahassee.

And Thursday nigh, we get Clemson at NC State. Can State build on the Duke win and protect their home court? Or will they revert to selfishness and ineptitude as they did after beating Arizona?

Clemson at NC State is the most fascinating/inscrutable game I think we've seen this season. Clemson beat the Pack - badly - in Littlejohn, and seem to be favored in Raleigh, but that's not a bet I'd take. Honestly, I think this isn't just a tossup, but could literally be a blowout in either direction without surprising me a bit.

[PackMan97]

http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/c...194189354.html

Felony charges against Markell Johnson have been dropped. No word on what this does with regards to his status on the team. He's still suspended until Yow and Keatts say otherwise.

[Olympic Fan]

Worth noting that after home teams going 20-4 to start the season, three of four road teams won Wednesday night (Duke at Pitt, VPI at Wake, Louisville at FSU). Only Georgia Tech (over Notre Dame) held serve at home.

That means the league is now 21-7 at home going into the Clemson at NC State game.

That's still an extraordinary high winning percentage for home teams -- matching the alltime record of 75.0 percent that has stood since 1960.

Expect to see a further correction to the mean (which is around 63 percent for the home team).

[ncexnyc]

The loss by FSU is a total shocker. I turned that game off at the half, as the Cards looked totally beaten.

[UrinalCake]

It's early but NC State is looking really good so far against Clemson. I'm rooting for them because a win over the #19 team would make our loss look less bad, plus I have no problem supporting their program as a local rival. Next year they should make a big leap with Keatts getting his incoming transfers eligible.

[left_hook_lacey]

It's early but NC State is looking really good so far against Clemson. I'm rooting for them because a win over the #19 team would make our loss look less bad, plus I have no problem supporting their program as a local rival. Next year they should make a big leap with Keatts getting his incoming transfers eligible.

Plus they get their point guard Johnson back next week. If they pull it out against Clemson, that's two top 5 wins and a top 25 win already this season. Could be building quite a resume by seasons end

[JasonEvans]

Plus they get their point guard Johnson back next week. If they pull it out against Clemson, that's two top 5 wins and a top 25 win already this season. Could be building quite a resume by seasons end

But how much do wins like that outweigh the fact that they have some pretty bad losses, including one to UNC Greensboro. If they can get to 9 ACC wins, they should reach the dance, but that could be a tall order.

[Ultrarunner]

But how much do wins like that outweigh the fact that they have some pretty bad losses, including one to UNC Greensboro. If they can get to 9 ACC wins, they should reach the dance, but that could be a tall order.

Big mo may be on their side and Yurtseven seems to have figured out he can play this game.

[PackMan97]

But how much do wins like that outweigh the fact that they have some pretty bad losses, including one to UNC Greensboro. If they can get to 9 ACC wins, they should reach the dance, but that could be a tall order.

UNC-G is at 106 in the RPI right now. It's certainly not a good loss, but it's not a horrible loss.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

State working hard to screw it up. LOL.

[devildeac]

State working hard to screw it up. LOL.

Good golly! I didn't watch it but followed on espn scoreboard. NCSU fouled Clemson on a 3 point try with :01 to go and the Clemson played made the first 2 FT and missed the 3rd and NCSU grabbed the rebound to win 78-77, almost hacking up a 12 point lead with about 1:30 to play.

[ipatent]

Very close to an epic collapse, but State pulled it out.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

Good golly! I didn't watch it but followed on espn scoreboard. NCSU fouled Clemson on a 3 point try with :01 to go and the Clemson played made the first 2 FT and missed the 3rd and NCSU grabbed the rebound to win 78-77, almost hacking up a 12 point lead with about 1:30 to play.

It was 1:30 of bone headed plays and total lack of defensive effort and then some more bone headed plays.

State very nearly pulled a clempsun.

[PackMan97]

Very close to an epic collapse, but State pulled it out.

My wife told me there's is now way State could blow it...I told her that I've been a fan for over 25 years and we can be very creative when it comes to losing.

Glad to see us pull it out. I would feel better about our games against UVA if they were ranked #2 instead of #3

[UrinalCake]

State was up 5 with about 20 seconds left. Clemson scores a layup and then State turns it over inbounding the ball by throwing a bounce pass along the baseline that bounces out of bounds (they had done the exact same thing on the previous possession, but the refs didn’t call it). Then they foul the Clemson player attempting a three.

Nice play by Keatts to call a timeout after Clemson made the first two free throws, to effectively ice him and preserve the win.

[Ultrarunner]

My wife told me there's is now way State could blow it...I told her that I've been a fan for over 25 years and we can be very creative when it comes to losing.

Glad to see us pull it out. I would feel better about our games against UVA if they were ranked #2 instead of #3

Couldn’t spork you but the phrase “never give up” passed through my mind. Not the original intent of the quote but my sense of humor might be a little . . . off.

[Wahoo2000]

State was up 5 with about 20 seconds left. Clemson scores a layup and then State turns it over inbounding the ball by throwing a bounce pass along the baseline that bounces out of bounds (they had done the exact same thing on the previous possession, but the refs didn’t call it). Then they foul the Clemson player attempting a three.

Nice play by Keatts to call a timeout after Clemson made the first two free throws, to effectively ice him and preserve the win.

Another whiff in what I call "special situations" coaching. NC State was up 3 inbounding and yes, the inbounder made a tragic mistake (for the second time in less than 2 minutes, though the first wasn't called) of bouncing the pass off of the baseline rather than inbounds, resulting in a turnover. There was a LENGTHY review - plenty of time for Keats and staff to make a plan. State was up 3 points with 1.3 seconds left. ALL they had to do was space their 5 longest players around the arc defensively and deny any pass coming ANYWHERE near the 3pt line. Even if they surrendered a lob for a dunk, .3 seconds automatically come off. They had a timeout left should that happen. Then the last part of the play is to just have Yurtseven or someone else deep (like NC State offensive end/FT line area) on the ensuing inbounds play. Throw a lob deep to him. All he has to do is tip the ball. Even if it's intercepted, even if intercepted CLEANLY by a Clemson player, that player would have to immediately heave a 3/4 court shot.

Instead, they choose to play regular defense, and after almost missing a switch commit a foul on a 3. In that situation, SERIOUSLY.... why do you even guard the basket... or ANYWHERE inside the arc if you're up 3 with 1.3 seconds left???? The coaches make 7+figures and they don't have packages for special situations?

[left_hook_lacey]

But how much do wins like that outweigh the fact that they have some pretty bad losses, including one to UNC Greensboro. If they can get to 9 ACC wins, they should reach the dance, but that could be a tall order.

True. I guess I'm just thinking in terms of the good wins they've had vs expectations.

Me personally, I think beating two #2 teams goes farther than a couple of bad losses. Especially for an unranked team trying to outplay expectations and make the tournament.

Will the selection committee consider they were without their true PG during those games? And was Beverly not yet cleared yet either? I can't remember.

I don't know, I like what I saw from State last night (except for last minute decisions), if Johnson and the others(aren't they getting a transfer soon that can play right away?) can mesh and get some depth, I think this could be a giant killer if they make the dance.