Around the ACC: Week 3

Although the top of the conference fared well, for the first time since 2011, the ACC lost the ACC/Big Ten Challenge 8-6. The loss marks the sixth straight challenge without a win for the ACC, following a streak of 10 victories in a row from 1999 to 2008.

1. N.C. State (7-1, 1-0 in the ACC)

After scraping by in their last three games prior to this week, the Wolfpack suffered their first loss of the season on the road at Purdue Tuesday 66-61. The contest marked the first road test for N.C. State. Despite the loss, the Wolfpack returned home Saturday to open ACC play against Wake Forest in a rare December conference matchup. In the confines of PNC Arena, they easily dispatched the Demon Deacons 78-65 behind 21 points from senior guard Ralston Turner. Both Trevor Lacey and Anthony Barber also added double-digit scoring nights and contributed 29 points combined to help N.C. State bounce back.

2. No. 6 Virginia (9-0)

The Cavaliers followed up their win at the Barclays Center Classic with two more victories this week. In both wins, they finally found some sustained firepower on the road at Maryland and Virginia Commonwealth. Following a low scoring, 45-point affair against Rutgers, Virginia scored 76 and 74 points, respectively, in its games this week. Junior guard Justin Anderson was a major part of the effort, scoring 16 points with six rebounds against the Terrapins and adding 21 points and eight more rebounds against the Rams. With the win against Virginia Commonwealth, the Cavaliers ended the Rams’ 22-game home winning streak and improved to 9-0 for the first time since the 2001-02 season.

3. No. 2 Duke (8-0)

The Blue Devils captured the statement win for the ACC in the challenge at No. 2 Wisconsin 80-70. Freshman point guard Tyus Jones followed up his double-double last week against Army with 22 points and four assists in a breakout performance. Duke shot 65.2 percent from the field and 58.3 percent from beyond the arc, while also outscoring Wisconsin 32-22 in the paint. Despite their youth, a combined 40 points from the Blue Devil freshman in hostile territory sent the message that they will be hard to beat when conference play begins.

4. No. 4 Louisville (7-0)

6. No. 25 Notre Dame (8-1)

It took an extra period, but Notre Dame topped No. 19 Michigan State 79-78 in overtime Wednesday. Senior guard Jerian Grant led the team with a career-high 27 points—in addition to six assists and four rebounds—while sophomore Demetrius Jackson followed close behind with 22 points. Despite the win, the Spartans dominated the Fighting Irish on the boards 43-26, a facet of their game that will need improvement before reaching conference play. After a slow start, Notre Dame continued to remain dominant Saturday against Fairleigh Dickinson 75-58. Both wins this week extend the Fighting Irish’s win streak to four games, giving them momentum moving into their conference opener Dec. 13 against Florida State.

7. Georgia Tech (6-2)

Although the Yellow Jackets dominated the first half on the road against Northwestern, it took two key baskets from sophomore Josh Heath late in the game to put former Duke associate head coach Chris Collins' Wildcats away 66-58. South Carolina Upstate proceeded to crush whatever momentum was dwindling from earlier in the week, beating Georgia Tech at home in Atlanta 59-54. The Spartans capitalized on Georgia Tech’s putrid shooting—37 percent from the field and 3-21 from long range—and made 10 3-pointers of their own to push their winning streak against the ACC to two.

8. No. 21 North Carolina (6-2)

The Tar Heels had a Jekyll and Hyde performance on offense this week. In their first game against Iowa, neither team could put the ball in the basket; however, the Hawkeyes were able to pull away with a sloppy 60-55 win. North Carolina shot a horrific 27.9 percent, and a questionable decision by Roy Williams to not utilize his timeouts in the final minute could have cost his team the game. Sunday the Tar Heels decided to find all of the offense they lacked against Iowa, demolishing East Carolina 108-64.

They connected on 45 of their 75 attempts from the field—a 60-percent clip—and held the Pirates to 33.3 percent shooting on the night. Brice Johnson registered his first double-double of the season, scoring 19 points and grabbing 17 rebounds in the contest.

9. Clemson (5-3)

The Tigers fell apart late against Rutgers at home 69-64, committing 12 turnovers in the loss. But later in the week, they rebounded in a resume-building overtime win against No. 18 Arkansas 68-65. Senior Rod Hall scored 11 of his 19 points in the final minute of the second half and overtime, leading Clemson to the victory. Two more games against SEC opponents are forthcoming for the Tigers, who will play Auburn and South Carolina in the coming weeks.

10. Pittsburgh (5-3)

The Panthers struggled Tuesday at Indiana—losing in a near wire-to-wire rout 81-69—but once again rebounded for a win late in the week at home against Duquesne 76-62. Sophomore Chris Jones looked strong for the Panthers in both games, scoring a team high 18 points against the Hoosiers, before adding 12 more against the Dukes.

11. Syracuse (5-3)

Despite promising performances in the last several weeks, the Orange dropped both of their games this week. No. 17 Michigan held off a surging Syracuse squad in the final minutes 68-65, even though the Wolverines only shot 38.5 percent from the field. A major factor in the loss was the lack of ball control from Syracuse, who allowed 20 points off of 19 turnovers. Looking to turn their luck around at home against old Big East rival St John’s, the Orange once again failed to finish. Facing a 55-52 deficit with less than five minutes remaining, the Red Storm went on a 17-2 run to end the game, finishing off the Orange 69-57.

12. Boston College (4-3)

Although Boston College did not play last week, they managed to capture two home wins this week to get its record past .500 on the season. The Eagles trounced a weak one-win Marist team 79-61, before taking advantage of a poor, 39.3-percent shooting performance from Providence 69-60 Friday. The Eagles have improved their own shooting as of late, knocking down 47.4 and 50 percent of their shots this week, despite still being at the bottom of the ACC in field goal percentage.

13. Florida State (4-4)

The Seminoles remained at .500 after dropping a near comeback against Nebraska 70-65 and blowing out Cenrral Florida 96-73. A total of 17 turnovers plagued the Seminoles against the Cornhuskers, but a combined 45 points from junior guards Montay Brandon and Aaron Thomas were too much for the Knights Saturday.

14. Virginia Tech (4-4)

The Hokies struggled this week, dropping two games to fall to .500 for the second time this season. A tough 61-58 loss at Penn State Wednesday was followed up by a poor 68-66 performance at home against Radford Sunday. Despite leading Virginia Tech in scoring, junior Adam Smith only managed four points against the Nittany Lions and 12 against the Highlanders, contributing to the team’s inability to come away with a win this week.

15. Wake Forest (4-5, 0-1)

The Demon Deacons continued to struggle this week, losing at home in a blowout 84-69 against Minnesota. Unable to turn things around by Saturday, Wake Forest fell below .500 for the first time this season by dropping the ACC season opener at N.C. State. Junior guard Codi Miller-McIntyre was the sole bright spot in the loss, scoring 22 points and grabbing seven rebounds, but the talented perimeter player has still not found enough help in Winston Salem so far this year.