With just one week left in the regular season, the race for byes in the upcoming ACC tournament is heating up:
1. No. 2 Virginia (27-1, 15-1 in the ACC): The Cavaliers extended their winning streak to eight and captured at least a share of the ACC regular season title with a pair of victories at Wake Forest and at home against in-state rival Virginia Tech. Tony Bennett’s team held the Demon Deacons to 15 first half points and cruised to a 70-34 victory despite the absences of starters Justin Anderson and London Perrantes due to injury. The Hokies kept Saturday’s game more interesting—and found themselves down just four points with 7:32 remaining in the game—but Virginia was able to pull away behind Malcolm Brogdon’s 19 points and a stingy defensive second half effort. The Cavaliers will travel to Syracuse Monday and attempt to secure a second consecutive outright regular season title.
2. No. 3 Duke (26-3, 13-3): Two season-best offensive performances contributed by the team’s talented freshman duo helped the Blue Devils extend their winning streak to nine and seize from Notre Dame the second position in the ACC. Despite having suffered a sprained left ankle during the team’s game against North Carolina, Jahlil Okafor recorded 30 points and nine rebounds and carried Duke to a 91-86 overtime victory at Virginia Tech. It was Justise Winslow who led the way Saturday—the Houston native scored a career high 23 points and Duke cruised to a 73-54 victory at home against Syracuse. The Blue Devils return home Wednesday to host Wake Forest in the team’s final home game of the regular season.
3. No. 12 Notre Dame (24-5, 12-4): The Fighting Irish fell short in their only contest of the week, suffering a 65-60 home upset at the hands of Syracuse—this victory for the Orange was the sixth in their last seven meetings with Mike Brey’s team, who fell to third in the conference as a result. Syrcause overcame the early foul trouble of Rakeem Christmas by playing excellent defensive basketball, holding Notre Dame—a team that entered the game averaging 51 percent shooting from the field—to less than 35 percent shooting on the night. Despite dropping this game, the Fighting Irish clinched a double bye in the ACC tournament due to North Carolina’s loss at the hands of N.C. State.
4. No. 16 Louisville (23-6, 11-5): Having lost three of their previous five games, the Cardinals rediscovered their winning ways with a pair of road victories against Georgia Tech and Florida State. Another loss for Rick Pitino’s team appeared imminent until sophomore guard Terry Rozier caught fire and led a 24-10 Louisville run to finish the game and secure a 52-51 victory against the Yellow Jackets. The Youngstown, Ohio, native finished the game with 22 points. Leonard Hamilton’s team proved to be less of a challenge for the Cardinals, who forced 21 total Seminole turnovers and cruised to a decisive 81-59 victory in Tallahassee. Louisville will conclude the regular season with home contests against Notre Dame and Virginia.
5. No. 19 North Carolina (20-9, 10-6): The Tar Heels could not sustain their dominance against their in-state rivals Tuesday, falling to the Wolfpack at the Smith Center for the first time since 2003. Both teams shot nearly 35 percent from the field, but Mark Gottfried’s team was able to establish an 11-point lead at the half and then hold off a late North Carolina run to secure a 58-46 victory in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels recovered Saturday with a 73-64 victory at Miami, snapping a four-game losing streak against the Hurricanes. Brice Johnson led the way for Roy Williams’ team with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
6. Syracuse (18-11, 9-7): it was another up-and-down week for the Orange, who escaped South Bend with a 65-60 victory against Notre Dame Tuesday but then lost Saturday’s contest in Durham by a 19-point margin. B.J. Johnson matched his career high with 19 points and Jim Boeheim’s team held the Fighting Irish to 35 percent shooting from the field. Former Blue Devil Michael Gbinije failed to match his 27-point effort in the previous meeting between the two teams—this time, the Richmond, Va., native scored only 12 points on 5-of-20 shooting and the Orange could not keep pace with the Duke offense.
7. Pittsburgh (19-11, 8-8): Despite an incredible 39-point performance by Boston College guard Olivier Hanlan, a consistent offensive effort led by forwards Jamel Artis and Michael Young helped the Panthers secure a 71-65 home victory against the Eagles. Jamie Dixon’s team failed to win its third consecutive game in Winston-Salem Sunday, however, due in large part to an 11-point second half from junior Demon Deacon guard Codi Miller-McIntyre. Danny Manning’s team made crucial free throws in the final minute of play to seal a 69-66 victory.
8. Miami (18-11, 8-8): Making 14-of-16 free throws in the final 2:51 minutes of play Wednesday allowed the Hurricanes to withstand a late-game scoring run by the Seminoles and escape the BankUnited Center with an 81-77 victory. Jim Larranaga’s team then dropped Saturday’s home contest against North Carolina, 73-64, missing an opportunity to bolster the team’s NCAA tournament resume with another victory against a ranked opponent. The Hurricanes will finish the season with a pair of road games against Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech.
9. N.C. State (17-12, 8-8): It was another week of erratic play by the Wolfpack, who upset North Carolina in Chapel Hill Tuesday for the first time in 12 years but then lost by 16 points at Boston College, who at 2-14 is tied with Virginia Tech for the worst record in conference play. This loss against the Eagles was the first suffered by N.C. State in the previous seven meetings between the two teams and will certainly hurt the team’s chances of being selected for the NCAA tournament.
10. Clemson (16-12, 8-8): Despite surrendering a 54-38 lead with 6:55 remaining in the game and allowing Georgia Tech to force overtime, the Tigers held the Yellow Jackets to 1-of-10 shooting in the extra period Saturday and pulled away to a 70-63 victory, led by Jaron Blossomgame’s 19 points and 9 rebounds. Brad Brownell’s team will host N.C. State Tuesday and then conclude regular season play with a trip to South Bend Saturday to take on Notre Dame.
11. Florida State (15-15, 7-10): The Seminoles were defeated 81-77 Saturday at Miami, but the story of the game was the incredible late burst of scoring by freshman guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes, who scored 30 points in the final 4:38 of the game, 26 of which were scored consecutively with no missed shots. The Hurricanes were able to hold on primarily due to 56 percent second half shooting and 14-of-16 free throw shooting in the final 2:51 of the game. Leonard Hamilton’s team then turned in a sloppy performance Saturday, turning the ball over 21 times and falling 81-59 to Louisville in Tallahassee.
12. Wake Forest (13-16, 5-11): The Demon Deacons shot an abysmal 22 percent from the field and scored only 15 points in a 70-34 losing effort against Virginia Wednesday. Danny Manning’s team rebounded Sunday with a 69-66 home victory against Pittsburgh due in large part to the 11 second half points scored by Codi Miller-McIntyre. Wake Forest will close regular season play with games at Duke and Boston College.
13. Georgia Tech (12-17, 3-14): The Yellow Jackets extended their losing streak to three with a pair of losses at home against Louisville and at Clemson. Brian Gregory’s team led by 13 points with 9:40 remaining in the game, but the Cardinals finished the game on a 24-10 run and escaped with a one-point victory. Georgia Tech lost another heartbreaker Saturday 70-63 at Clemson despite putting together a 22-6 run to finish the second half and force overtime.
14. Boston College (10-18, 2-14): Despite a season-high 39 points scored by guard Olivier Hanlan, the Eagles lost at Pittsburgh Tuesday, 71-65. But Jim Christian’s team bounced back and secured a 79-63 victory against N.C. State on 57 percent shooting from the field. The win snapped a nine-game Boston College losing streak.
15. Virginia Tech (10-19, 2-14): The Hokies extended their losing streak to five with a pair of games against Duke and at in-state rival Virginia. Buzz Williams’ team put up a formidable fight Wednesday night, but the Blue Devils shot nearly 60 percent from the field and was able to escape Blacksburg with a 91-86 victory. Virginia Tech traveled to Charlottesville Saturday and left with a 12-point defeat, due in large part to 51 percent shooting from the field by the Cavaliers.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.