Around the ACC: Week 4

The ACC only played 15 games this week and went 13-2 (plus UL/Wake results) in those contests. North Carolina competed with No. 1 Kentucky early on in the marquee matchup of the week Saturday, but the Wildcats were able to roll late against the Tar Heels. The only other loss for the ACC this week came in Raleigh, N.C., as Wofford upset the Wolfpack in the final seconds Sunday for a stunning upset.

1. No. 21 Notre Dame (10-1, 1-0 in the ACC)

The Fighting Irish followed up a strong week that included an overtime win against Michigan State with their first ACC victory of the season. Junior forward Zach Auguste led Notre Dame in the rout against Florida State. Auguste accounted for 26 points and seven rebounds in the contest, with guards Jerian Grant and Demetrius Jackson putting in 18 points each.

The Irish also defeated Mount Saint Mary’s 93-67 this week. In the game, four different Notre Dame players put up double-digit points and three of them scored 19 points. Notre Dame has the best shooting percentage in the country and with the roll it is on, looks like it has a chance to compete in the ACC with favorites Duke, Virginia and Louisville.

2. N.C. State (8-2, 1-0)

Rick Pitino’s squad continued its command in the frontcourt this week with a dominating win against Indiana. The Cardinals out-rebounded the Hoosiers 52-34 in the contest and won by 20 or more points for the fourth time this season. Forward Montrezl Harrell put on a dunk highlight reel against Indiana and furthered his argument to be a high draft pick in the coming NBA draft after forgoing it after last season.

Louisville also had a bit of a scare Sunday night against UNC-Wilmington, a contest in which the Seahawks were within four points of the Cardinals until the final minutes of the game, but managed to prevail 68-57. Louisville has games against Western Kentucky and CS Northridge before it hosts in-state rival No. 1 Kentucky Dec. 27.

4. No. 6 Virginia (9-0)

Virginia had the week off after its win against in-state rival Virginia Commonwealth Dec. 6. The Cavaliers will start up again Thursday at home against Cleveland State and will close out the week on Sunday when they host head coach Tommy Amaker and his Harvard squad. So far this season, Virginia’s defense has looked as formidable as it was last year. The Cavaliers allow an average of 47.4 points per game and their season-high for points allowed is just 65.

5. No. 2 Duke (8-0)

Like Virginia, Duke had the week off and has not played a game since its statement victory against then-No. 2 Wisconsin. Now ranked No. 2 themselves, the Blue Devils have spent the week huddled over their books as they—like the rest of campus—bore down to tackle finals. Duke returns to action Monday against Elon before traveling to New Jersey to face defending national champion Connecticut. After batlling the Huskies, the Blue Devils have two more non-conference games before their first ACC contest of the year against Boston College Jan. 3.

6. No. 18 Miami (9-1)

After a disappointing loss to a strong Green Bay team, the Hurricanes put a 70-39 beat down on Savannah State in their only game this week. Miami held the Tigers to just 39 points in the contest and shot 51.2 percent from the floor, including 47.4 percent from beyond the arc. Guard Angel Rodriguez led the Hurricanes with 17 points, but teammates Sheldon McClellan and Manu Lecomte added 15 points of their own on the day to easily lead the team to victory. Miami has shown a proclivity for playing defense so far this season, something that has not been very common for the Hurricanes in years past. Jim Larranaga’s squad has three more non-conference games left on the schedule before it opens ACC play against Virginia Jan. 3.

7. Georgia Tech (6-2)

The Yellow Jackets were the final ACC team with the week off, giving them some time to recover from their loss to South Carolina Upstate and focus on Monday’s game against Appalachian State. Georgia Tech has yet to match the offense it put together in its opening contest against Georgia, but has won its games through solid defense. After facing Appalachian State, the Yellow Jackets will host Vanderbilt Saturday night and will look to take advantage of the Commodores sluggish offense.

8. Boston College (6-3)

Boston College added to its winning streak this week after opening up the season with some struggles. After dropping three of their first five games, the Eagles have rattled off four straight wins, including victories against Maine and Binghamton this week. Boston College did not look spectacular in its game against Maine, letting the Black Bears hang around late, but thanks to 21 points from forward Aaron Brown and double-digit scoring from all of its other starters, the Eagles were able to stave off the upset 85-74.

They faced the same problem Sunday against the Bearcats, but were able to play solid defense and keep Binghamton below 50 points scored to prevail 63-49. Boston College faces off against Southern California and UMass Lowell before opening ACC play Jan. 3 at Duke.

9. No. 24 North Carolina (6-3)

The Tar Heels played just one game this week and it may have been a lot to ask this North Carolina team to compete against No. 1 Kentucky for a whole game. Roy Williams was able to get his team to at least try to play with the Wildcats early on, but Kentucky was able to take a 15-point lead at halftime and never looked back.

To their credit, the Tar Heels were able to come out in the second half and outscore their far superior opponent, but did not have nearly enough in the tank to mount a vicious comeback, falling to the best team in the country 84-70 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. North Carolina hits the road to face UNC Greensboro Tuesday looking to gain momentum after winning just three of its last six games. The Tar Heels close out the week at home against No. 12 Ohio State in a game that will continue to help define this year’s team.

10. Clemson (6-3)

Clemson handled its lone game for the week well, beating Auburn 72-61 at home. The backcourt did the damage for the Tigers, as guard Rod Hall led all scorers with 20 points and fellow guard Damarcus Harrison added 19 of his own. Forward Jaron Blossomgame led Clemson on the boards with 10 rebounds in the contest. The problem for Clemson so far has been consistent scoring and turnovers and although scoring was less of an issue in Sunday’s game against Auburn, the turnover bug bit again as Hall contributed eight of his own, with the team committing 17 total turnovers on the night. The Tigers have just one game this week, a tilt against in-state rival South Carolina.

11. Pittsburgh (6-3)

The Pittsburgh offense continued to struggle, but the Panthers were able to come away with a win this week in their game against St. Bonaventure. Pittsburgh averages less than 70 points per game on the season and only posted 58 against the Bonnies, with forwards Michael Young and Jamel Artis leading the way with 14 apiece. The Panthers were only able to come up with nine points of the bench in the contest and all nine of those points came from guard Josh Newkirk. Outside of Newkirk, the bench only saw 15 minutes in the game. Pittsburgh will face off against Manhattan and Oakland this week as it looks to find the answer to its struggling offense.

12. Syracuse (6-3)

The Orange have one of the best defenses in the country this season, but like Pittsburgh have struggled mightily to score the basketball. In its only game this week, Syracuse was able to edge out Louisiana Tech 71-69 Sunday, snapping a two-game losing streak in the process. The usually strong defense allowed two Bulldogs to put up 20 points in the game and only seven players saw the court for the Orange, but guard Trevor Cooney was able to put the team on his back and score 25 points on the way to a victory. Syracuse heads to Philadelphia for its next game to face No. 7 Villanova Saturday.

13. Virginia Tech (5-4)

The Hokies battled past Alabama A&M 65-55 Sunday to get back above .500 after a two-game losing streak. Virginia Tech spread the scoring around in the contest, with forward Christian Beyer leading the team with 13 points and the other four starters having at least seven points. The Hokies were able to do the exact opposite to the Bulldogs, forcing all but 18 of their points to come from forwards Ladarius Tabb and Nicholas West. The Citadel is the only team on Virginia Tech’s schedule for the coming week.

14. Wake Forest (5-5)

Wake Forest snapped a three-game losing streak by beating Samford 86-68 Sunday night in Winston Salem, N.C. Forward Devin Thomas led all scorers in the game with 19 points and also added eight rebounds for the Demon Deacons in the contest. The 86 points Wake Forest scored was a season-high for a team that averages just 71.3 points per game and had only had a player break the 20-point mark twice before this season. The Demon Deacons host a struggling Florida team Saturday in their next game.

15. Florida State (4-5)

Florida State dropped its ACC opener to Notre Dame Saturday in South Bend, Ind., sending it below .500 once again. While the football team contends for a national championship, these Seminoles have struggled on the court, posting the 150th-best offense and the 249th-best defense in the country. In the contest against the Fighting Irish, guard Montay Brandon led Florida State with just 14 points and reserve center Boris Bojanosky led the team in rebounds with 10. The Seminoles will host both North Florida and South Florida this week as they look to climb back above .500 for the first time since they opened the season 1-0.