The Blue Devils played two road games against ranked ACC opponents this week and came out 1-1, including a thrilling 74-73 win against No. 5 North Carolina Wednesday. With its toughest stretch behind them, Duke sits fifth in the conference standings.
1. North Carolina (22-5, 11-3 in the ACC): The No. 5 Tar Heels were in full control of this year’s first installment of the Tobacco Road rivalry for most of the game as star center Brice Johnson overpowered the Blue Devils with 29 points and 19 rebounds. But Johnson attempted just one shot in the final 12 minutes as Duke came back and stole a tight victory. North Carolina responded with an emphatic statement Saturday afternoon against Miami, routing the Hurricanes 96-71 to hold on to the top spot in the ACC.
2. Miami (22-5, 11-4): The Hurricanes had a busy week, stifling Virginia Tech in a 65-49 victory Thursday before falling flat in their road loss Saturday against North Carolina in a game in which trailed by as many as 38. To make matters worse, sophomore Ja’Quan Newton left the game against the Tar Heels with what appeared to be a serious knee injury, but it was later revealed to be just a bone bruise. Newton was already back on the court Monday as Miami bounced back to hold on and beat No. 3 Virginia 64-61 behind 21 points from junior Davon Reed.
3. Louisville (21-6, 10-4): The Cardinals got two big wins this week against Syracuse and Duke at home, with senior guard Damion Lee leading a second-half charge in both games. Louisville is ineligible for postseason play due to a self-imposed ban, but the Cardinals’ strong week puts them back in contention for an ACC regular-season crown to end the season on a high note.
4. Virginia (21-6, 10-5): The Cavaliers had a whole week off after methodically picking apart N.C. State last Monday to move up to No. 3 in this week’s AP poll. But senior Malcolm Brogdon’s 28 points were not enough to beat Miami on the road Monday. Virginia scored seven straight points after facing a 60-52 deficit with less than three minutes remaining, but Mike Tobey failed to convert an easy layup that would have given the Cavaliers a late lead and London Perrantes’ 3-pointer at the buzzer to push the game to overtime was off the mark.
5. Duke (20-7, 9-5): The Blue Devils’ depth became even thinner when junior guard Matt Jones sprained his ankle in the first half against North Carolina and missed the rest of the week’s action. Duke pulled out a gritty victory in Chapel Hill, but the fatigue started to show at Louisville, where freshman Brandon Ingram committed 10 turnovers after playing 79 of 80 possible minutes this week and guards Grayson Allen and Luke Kennard both fouled out late in the game. Jones is expected to be back when Duke returns to the floor Thursday at home against Florida State.
6. Notre Dame (18-8, 9-5): The No. 19 Fighting Irish had the whole week to prepare for Georgia Tech, but the rust showed when they could not avoid the upset in Atlanta in a 63-62 defeat. Notre Dame led by four points with less than a minute remaining, but Adam Smith made a timely triple for the Yellow Jackets before senior guard Marcus Georges-Hunt spun into the lane and sank the game-winning shot with two seconds to go.
7. Clemson (16-11, 9-6): The Tigers trailed at halftime against cellar-dweller Boston College before pulling away in the second half for a 65-54 win as forward Jaron Blossomgame scored 23 points. Clemson lost to N.C. State 77-74 Saturday despite Blossomgame’s 33 points to cap off a shaky week for a team on the cusp of NCAA conversation. The loss puts a dent in the Tigers’ NCAA tournament hopes as they struggle to redefine their resume after a few ugly non-conference losses.
8. Pittsburgh (19-7, 8-6): The Panthers dodged a bullet Tuesday night at Wake Forest, escaping with a 101-96 double-overtime win as four players scored at least 19 points. Pittsburgh then clamped down on defense to notch a critical 66-52 win at Syracuse Saturday behind forward Jamel Artis’ 21 points and 11 rebounds.
9. Syracuse (18-10, 8-7): The Orange dropped both its games this week, snapping an impressive five-game win streak and sending the team tumbling down the conference standings. Syracuse scored fewer than 60 points and shot less than 40 percent against both Louisville and Pittsburgh, and the defeat against the Panthers was the first home loss for the Orange since head coach Jim Boeheim’s first game back from a nine-game suspension Jan. 10 against North Carolina.
10. Virginia Tech (14-13, 6-8): The Hokies shot just 30 percent from the floor in a 65-49 loss at Miami Thursday night, but nearly doubled that point total in an 83-73 victory Saturday against Florida State. Guard Seth Allen shot 7-of-11 from the field and scored 23 points to lead four teammates in double figures, and Virginia Tech shot 11-of-19 on 3-pointers to help come back from an eight-point halftime deficit.
11. Florida State (16-11, 6-9): The Seminoles suffered bad losses against Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech this week to continue a four-game skid and effectively damage their diminishing hopes of reaching the NCAA tournament. Guard Terance Mann came off the bench and led five players in double figures with 18 points in 86-80 defeat against the Yellow Jackets before freshman Dwayne Bacon poured in 22 points against the Hokies, but Florida State did not play good enough defense to win in either game.
12. Georgia Tech (15-12, 5-9): The Yellow Jackets had their best week of the season with their upset wins against Florida State and Notre Dame. Georges-Hunt led the team with 27 points against the Fighting Irish while Smith added 25, and Georges-Hunt’s game-winner Saturday night highlighted a strong performance with 19 points and seven assists to carry Georgia Tech past Notre Dame.
13. N.C. State (14-13, 4-10): Junior Anthony “Cat” Barber’s ACC player of the year campaign took a hit in the Wolfpack’s only game this week, as the lightning-quick point guard scored just eight points on 1-of-12 shooting. N.C. State’s other players stepped up in the knick of time to beat Clemson with guard Maverick Rowan leading the way with 20 points, and forward Abdul-Malik Abu dominating inside with 17 points and 16 rebounds.
14. Wake Forest (11-16, 2-13): It was an eventful week for the Demon Deacons, who had possession and a one-point lead with less than 10 seconds left in the first overtime against Pittsburgh, until James Robinson stole Codi Miller-McIntyre’s pass and made a free throw to send the game to another overtime. After the close loss to the Panthers, Wake Forest suspended star forward Devin Thomas for two games and dismissed sophomore Cornelius Hudson from the team for violations of team rules. The shorthanded Demon Deacons snapped an 11-game losing streak with a convincing 74-48 rout of Boston College Sunday night.
15. Boston College (7-20, 0-14): After the Eagles could not hold on to beat Clemson while leading scorer Eli Carter struggled mightily with five points on 1-of-17 shooting, the stars seemed aligned for them to get their first conference win against a reeling Wake Forest team. Those hopes were quickly dashed when the Demon Deacons jumped out to a 38-6 first-half lead. Boston College gets two more legitimate chances at wins this week at home against Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.