The race for the ACC regular-season title is wide open after a slew of upsets in the first weekend of conference play.
No. 20 Florida State (14-1, 2-0)
The Seminoles staked their claim as a legitimate ACC contender when sophomore Dwayne Bacon's 3-pointer from the wing with two seconds left lifted them to a 60-58 road win Saturday against No. 12 Virginia. Bacon scored 26 of Florida State's 37 second-half points against the Cavaliers' vaunted pack line defense to singlehandedly bring his team back from a seven-point halftime deficit.
Three days before the statement win, a late 17-0 run helped the Seminoles win their ACC opener against Wake Forest. Bacon and backcourt mate Xavier Rathan-Mayes each had 23 points in the win. Florida State has now won 10 games in a row and has a week off before hosting Virginia Tech Saturday.
Virginia Tech (12-1, 1-0)
The Hokies quietly finished their nonconference slate with seven straight wins, capped by an 87-70 victory Wednesday against UMBC. But after opening conference play with an 89-75 dismantling of No. 5 Duke Saturday, they are not flying under the radar anymore. Justin Bibbs scored 18 points to lead six Virginia Tech players in double figures, and the Hokies shot 55.2 percent from the field and 61.5 percent from beyond the arc, relentlessly picking the Blue Devil defense apart in transition.
Virginia Tech has scored at least 80 points in five straight games and will take its high-powered offense on the road this week to play N.C. State and Florida State.
No. 24 Notre Dame (12-2, 1-0)
Senior Steve Vasturia pump faked, dribbled to his right and buried a game-winning triple with 2.5 seconds left in overtime to help the Fighting Irish outlast Pittsburgh on the road Saturday. Vasturia struggled for much of the afternoon, but sent the game to overtime with two free throws in the final minute of regulation before scoring eight of Notre Dame's 10 points in the extra session. Junior Bonzie Colson led the Fighting Irish with 21 points and 14 rebounds and is averaging a double-double with 16.6 points and 10.5 rebounds per game this year.
The win puts Notre Dame back on the right track after an unspectacular 63-55 victory against Saint Peter's to wrap up nonconference play last Wednesday, but the Fighting Irish will be challenged again Wednesday when they host No. 6 Louisville.
Clemson (11-2, 1-0)
The Tigers rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit and scored the last 15 points of the game Saturday to beat Wake Forest 73-68 on the road. A 3-point play by Donte Grantham with 1:15 remaining gave Clemson its first lead of the night, and the Tigers held the Demon Deacons scoreless for the last 4:51. Clemson wrapped up an unbeaten December with Saturday's win and an 87-73 victory against UNC Wilmington Wednesday, but it will have a hard time extending its nine-game winning streak against No. 9 North Carolina and Notre Dame this week.
Miami (11-2, 1-0)
With double-digit victories against Columbia and N.C. State last week, Miami also went undefeated in the month of December. Guards Ja'quan Newton and Davon Reed combined for at least 40 points in both games, and senior Kamari Murphy posted a double-double against the Wolfpack to help the Hurricanes outrebound N.C. State 41-33. Miami will have a chance to stay perfect in ACC play against a floundering Syracuse team Wednesday.
Georgia Tech (9-4, 1-0)
In the most shocking result of a weekend full of upsets, the Yellow Jackets upset No. 9 North Carolina 75-63 Saturday afternoon. Josh Okogie scored 26 points and put the nail in the coffin with a 3-pointer to put Georgia Tech ahead by nine with two minutes left. The win came out of nowhere after an ugly 59-52 victory against 1-12 North Carolina A&T Wednesday night, but the schedule does not get any easier for the Yellow Jackets—they play Duke and No. 6 Louisville this week.
Boston College (8-6, 1-0)
The Eagles did not win an ACC game in all of 2016, but the new year signaled a new beginning with a convincing 96-81 victory against Syracuse Sunday afternoon. Freshman guard Ky Bowman poured in 30 points and shot 7-of-8 from long distance, and sophomore Jerome Robinson added 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Boston College is unlikely to remain in the top half of the conference standings for long, but its young team is much improved and could have a few more surprises in store this winter.
No. 12 Virginia (11-2, 1-1)
The Cavaliers thrived in an unfamiliar role as an underdog Wednesday, traveling to Louisville and suffocating the Cardinals on their way to a 61-53 win. Devon Hall led all scorers with 10 points and Virginia led by as many as 21 points in the second half before Louisville closed the game on an 18-5 run.
Another second-half run doomed the Cavaliers Saturday against Florida State, as they had no answer for Bacon's heroics in the second half. Freshman Kyle Guy drilled a go-ahead 3-pointer with eight seconds left to put Virginia on top 58-57, but Bacon silenced the crowd in Charlottesville, Va., seconds later.
After a grueling first week, the Cavaliers will not play another ranked team until traveling to South Bend, Ind., to face Notre Dame Jan. 24.
No. 5 Duke (12-2, 0-1)
The Blue Devils got a rude awakening after a nine-day break for Christmas in the first game of Grayson Allen's indefinite suspension. Luke Kennard scored 34 points on 11-of-19 shooting, but Duke had no answer for Virginia Tech's offense and never pulled within single digits in the second half. Freshman Harry Giles had the most productive day of his developing career with four points and eight rebounds, but he also had a few defensive lapses and picked up three fouls in a two-minute span in the second half.
With Allen's return date still uncertain, the Blue Devils will have a chance to regain confidence with home games against Georgia Tech and Boston College this week.
No. 6 Louisville (12-2, 0-1)
Although the Cardinals struggled in their ACC opener Wednesday against Virginia, with no player scoring more than eight points, they were the only ACC team to play a nonconference opponent during the weekend and made the most of their opportunity. Sophomore Donovan Mitchell scored 25 points off the bench to help Louisville trounce No. 16 Indiana 77-62 Saturday in Indianapolis. The Cardinals will face a ranked team for the fourth game in a row Wednesday at Notre Dame.
No. 8 North Carolina (12-3, 0-1)
An 18-point favorite on the road in Atlanta against Georgia Tech, the Tar Heels never found a rhythm on offense and shot just 33.3 percent from the field on their way to their lowest-scoring output of the season. Starting guards Joel Berry, Kenny Williams and Justin Jackson combined to shoot 2-of-20 from 3-point range, and North Carolina finished with 20 turnovers in the ugly loss. Jackson scored 28 points and knocked down six 3-pointers in the Tar Heels final nonconference game, a 102-74 win against Monmouth Wednesday, but could not keep the momentum going Saturday.
N.C. State (11-3, 0-1)
The Wolfpack scored at least 89 points in each of their last four nonconference games, with freshman point guard Dennis Smith's one-handed tomahawk dunk highlighting a 99-71 win against Rider Wednesday. But they went cold in their conference opener against Miami, shooting 38.9 percent from the floor. Freshman center Omar Yurtseven scored 16 points in the first start of his career Wednesday, but followed that up with just five points in 26 minutes Saturday, and Smith's 21 points were not enough to stay close to the Hurricanes.
Pittsburgh (11-3, 0-1)
The Panthers held five-point leads late in both regulation and overtime against Notre Dame, but could not finish the job. Although Michael Young and Jamel Artis each scored 25 points to put Pittsburgh in position to win, the Panthers did not make a shot from the field in the last 2:45 of regulation before falling victim to Vasturia's heroics in overtime.
The loss wrapped up a wild week or Pittsburgh after Young and Artis both scored 30 points in a 112-106 victory against Marshall Wednesday. Young and Artis are the only teammates in the nation that average more than 21 points per game, and the duo is responsible for more than half of the Panthers' points.
Syracuse (8-6, 0-1)
A year after making a Cinderella run to the Final Four, the Orange have looked like the worst team in the ACC so far this season. Their perimeter defense was so bad Sunday against perennial cellar dweller Boston College that head coach Jim Boeheim elected to scrap his iconic matchup zone defense in favor of man-to-man at one point in the second half. Tyler Lydon and Tyler Roberson each posted double-doubles, but Syracuse allowed the Eagles to shoot 57.1 percent from the field and has now dropped six of its last 10 games.
The Orange were No. 19 in the preseason rankings, but they are unlikely to sniff the AP poll again this season if their defense doesn't improve soon.
Wake Forest (9-5, 0-2)
The Demon Deacons started fast in both of their games this week, but could not hold late leads against either Florida State or Clemson. The Seminoles scored 17 straight points to erase a five-point Wake Forest lead with less than 10 minutes remaining, and the Demon Deacons led by 10 with less than five minutes left Saturday before Clemson's game-ending 15-0 run. Keyshawn Woods, Bryant Crawford and John Collins all scored more than 15 points against the Tigers, but the rest of the team combined for just 16 points.
Wake Forest will get a good chance at its first ACC win Tuesday at home against Boston College.
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