Around the ACC: Week 6

With conference play slowly approaching, the ACC continues to flex its muscles against non-conference opponents. The Blue Zone reviews the week for each team in the conference:

Duke (9-2)

Duke had no trouble dispatching Georgia Southern Tuesday and rolled to a 99-65 home victory. In the absence of senior Amile Jefferson, freshman Brandon Ingram moved to the four position and collected a career-high 14 rebounds to go along with his game-high 26 points. Guards Matt Jones, Grayson Allen and Derryck Thornton also played solid games on both ends of the floor and combined for 49 points in the easy victory.

But Saturday, the absence of the senior and the team's leading rebounder proved to be too much to overcome as Utah pounded the Blue Devils down low in a 77-75 overtime victory. Big men Jakob Poeltl and Kyle Kuzma combined for 40 points and 22 rebounds in the game as the Utes amassed a defining 56-38 edge in the rebounding category. After scoring five straight points to force overtime, Utah jumped ahead early in the overtime period and withstood a late Duke rally to come away with the win.  

North Carolina (9-2)

The Tar Heels' high-powered offense was on full display in a 96-72 victory against Tulane. Senior Brice Johnson finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds alongside Justin Jackson, who added 13 points, seven assists and six rebounds of his own, to help the team to an easy home win. A big reason for North Carolina's win was a remarkable 30 assists to just seven turnovers.

The Tar Heels were faced with a tougher test Saturday against No. 22 UCLA in New York. Johnson was key once again and finished with 27 points on 11-of-12 shooting from the field. Guard Joel Berry was also a difference-maker and recorded 17 points as North Carolina used a late 13-0 run to put away any hopes of a Bruins comeback.

Virginia (9-1)

With a balanced scoring attack that featured center Chinanu Onuaku, who scored 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting and finished with seven rebounds, the Cardinals dismantled Kennesaw State. Louisville put the game away early by building an early 17-3 lead and never looked back as they held a 41-19 halftime lead.

In their second win of the week, the Cardinals put together another big first half, amassing an 18-point lead when the first half buzzer rang. Guards Damion Lee, Quentin Snider and Trey Lewis combined for 46 points to help the team to a 78-56 victory that was marred by a foot injury to Mathiang that could keep him out for as many as eight weeks.

Miami (FL) (9-1)

The Hurricanes had just one game this week and took care of business against a formidable College of Charleston team that already had victories against LSU and Eastern Carolina.

Guard Ja’Quan Newton had a career-high 20 points and Miami went on a 24-6 run in the second-half to open up a big margin and come away with an easy victory. Canyon Barry—the son of former Miami star Rick Barry—tried to keep the Cougars in the game and finished with 20 points in the 85-63 defeat. 

Pittsburgh (9-1)

The Panthers continue to win games and did so again this week in Madison Square Garden, where they defeated Davidson 94-69 in the Gotham Classic. Pittsburgh held a 52-31 edge in rebounding and jumped out to a lead as big as 28 points in the second-half. Guard Michael Young led the way on the perimeter with 22 points and the Panthers got contributions from numerous players down low to win their fifth game in a row.

Wake Forest (8-2)

The Demon Deacons had an easy week with two victories against weak opponents. In a 10 point defeat of UNC Greensboro, forward Konstantinos Mitoglou scored 22 points and grabbed six rebounds en route to the victory. Senior forward Devin Thomas added 18 points and 10 rebounds for Wake Forest, who held the lead from the 8:47 mark in the first half until the final buzzer.

The Demon Deacons gave their home crowd a close encounter Saturday in an 83-77 win against Coastal Carolina 83-77. Freshman Bryant Crawford finished with 19 points for the team and hit a season-best five 3-pointers. Although the final difference was just six points, the Chanticleers never closed the deficit to lower than five in the second half.

Florida State (8-2)

The Seminoles' freshman guard combo showed its potential Wednesday night, as Dwayne Bacon and Malik Beasley combined for 37 points and 16 rebounds as Florida State rolled to a 90-66 victory against Mississippi State. Beasley posted his first double-double of his collegiate career and sophomore Xavier Rathan-Mayes collected chipped in 12 points and 10 rebounds to help the team to the win.  

Florida State faced what should have been a much easier matchup against lowly Florida Atlantic Saturday. But the Seminoles struggled for much of the game, before eking out a five-point win. After an abysmal first half in which the Owls led by as many as twelve points, Florida State mounted a comeback in the second half as Bacon found his stride and finished with 13 second-half points.

Syracuse (8-3)

The Orange responded from an upset loss to St. John's a week ago with a 67-46 victory against Cornell Saturday. After allowing the Big Red to stay within four at halftime, Syracuse used a big second-half led by Tyler Roberson, who recorded his second double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds. The forward was just one of four double-figure scorers for the Orange, who actually trailed 32-30 early in the final period before going on a big 27-4 run to put the game away for good.

Georgia Tech (7-3)

Georgia Tech's week started off strong with a resounding victory against a solid VCU team, but ended with a disappointing 15-point loss to in-state rival Georgia. The Yellow Jackets had failed to pick up a quality win in their non-conference schedule until Tuesday when guard Marcus Georges-Hunt and his team put together a solid second-half performance en route to a 77-64 victory. A 14-2 run early in the second half that was fueled by a pair of threes by Quinton Stephens that helped give the team a lead they would hold for the rest of the game.

Saturday’s in-state affair turned into a showcase for Georgia guard J.J. Frazier, who poured in 35 points—24 in the second half—in the Bulldogs' 75-61 win. Although Georgia Tech led at halftime, Frazier’s second-half surge was unstoppable, despite a season-high 14 points from guard Tadrick Johnson.

N.C. State (8-3)

N.C. State emerged from the week unscathed, despite an upset scare at home against High Point. With time winding down, junior Anthony "Cat" Barber tossed up a three-pointer that found the back of the net to give the Wolfpack a last-second 76-73 victory. Barber was the star of the evening, as his 26 points, six assists and five rebounds were key to the victory. Freshman Maverick Rowan added 19 points and sophomore Abdul Malik-Abu collected 13 in a game that was much closer than many expected.

Barber was sensational once again Saturday as he pieced together a 33 point, seven rebound and four assist performance to hand Missouri its first home loss of the season. The guard's buzzer-beater to end the first half was just one of many highlight-reel plays in the 73-59 victory.  

Notre Dame (7-3)

Two weeks after the Blue Devils handily defeated Indiana, the Fighting Irish appeared on their way to doing the same. But the Hoosiers rallied from a 16-point deficit and scored the contest’s final nine points to win 80-73 and collect a much-needed win.  

Indiana used a zone-defense to cover some of the deficiencies that have hurt them all season and took advantage of 20 offensive rebounds to bury Notre Dame. Sophomore Bonzie Colson finished with a career-high 24 points, but didn't receive much help from his teammates in the losing effort.

Virginia Tech (8-3)

Virginia Tech got an early Christmas present with a matchup against a struggling Grambling State team. The Hokies outscored their opponents 52-20 in the second-half, including a 24-4 run at one point, to come away with an easy 87-52 victory. Although the Tigers made the contest closer than expected in the first half, the perimeter shooting of Virginia Tech proved to be too much. Guard Justin Bibbs led the charge and finished with 31 points on 7-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc.

Clemson (7-4)

Sidy Djitte posted a career-high 13 rebounds and 12 points to lead Clemson to a 69-41 win against Presbyterian Tuesday. In a game that was never truly close, guard Avry Holmes added 12 points and five assists and guard Gabe DeVoe compiled 11 points and seven rebounds off of the bench for the Tigers.

In a rivalry game against South Carolina this weekend, Clemson could not topple the Gamecocks from the ranks of the unbeaten and fell 65-59. Donte Grantham and Jaron Blossomgame combined for 33 points and 17 boards in the losing effort for the Tigers, who were hurt by a sluggish start. South Carolina jumped out to a 35-16 lead that Clemson had a tough time chipping away at despite playing in front of its home crowd.  

Boston College (5-6)

Florida transfer Eli Carter showed his true versatility in the Eagles’ 69-61 victory against Delaware Saturday night. The point guard collected 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting, while also recording 10 assists and eight boards. With the entire team back and healthy for the contest, Boston College to put together a solid second half to make up for a shaky start. Although the Eagles struggled to contain Delaware sophomore guard Kory Holden, who finished with 35 points, the rest of the Blue Hens were largely ineffective and Boston College survived despite committing more turnovers and getting to the line just seven times.