Atlantic Coast Conference Notebook
Most ACC teams are in the midst of concluding the fall semester with final exams. As the kids hit the books, they play only a few games – mostly against less than challenging competition. But we’re about to start conference play, and the cream of the crop must separate from the rest of the pack.
A pair of teams to watch in the next few weeks are North Carolina State and Duke. Are they contenders or pretenders? Both teams are off to a hot start, but they also lack ideal depth and are vulnerable to an upset. Yet they only need a bench player or two to emerge as bona fide, ACC-caliber talents to hang around the top of the conference’s standings throughout the season. But the Wolfpack and Blue Devils also could easily fall off a bit once they play powerhouses such as Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Wake Forest.
Speaking of the Demon Deacons, they need to play more consistently to continue to be in the category of conference contenders. Wake Forest barely escaped an upset-minded Temple team in Philly. The Demon Deacons would not be so fortunate against the likes of Duke and North Carolina – two programs playing complete teams at the moment.
Meanwhile, a few other ACC teams are teetering on success – or disappointment. Maryland, Virginia and Clemson are off to good starts, but they collectively have only one or two wins against quality opponents. If any of these teams are merely pretenders, the rigorous ACC schedule will expose them.
Those Florida schools seem destined to compete for the spot of worst team in the conference. Florida State offensively challenged, and Miami is playing inconsistently. Virginia Tech could join fellow newcomer Miami near the bottom before all is said and done.
Player of the Week
Julius Hodge, North Carolina State
Hodge has helped his team to an undefeated 8-0 start, including two wins against Liberty and Louisiana-Lafayette last week. He averaged 21.5 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the two games. Somebody clearly wants to repeat as conference MVP.
Freshman of the Week
DeMarcus Nelson, Duke
One of the few freshmen on Duke, Nelson played extensively in Blue Devils’ two blowouts against Toledo and Illinois-Chicago. Nelson averaged 8.5 points and six rebounds per game. He is an important member of a short Duke bench.
Coach Watch of the Week
Leonard Hamilton, Florida State
Hamilton’s Seminoles are off to a bad start at 4-4, including losses to Florida International, TCU and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. With games against Maryland, Florida and LSU in the next couple of weeks, Hamilton must find some way to win big games. His team’s offense is abysmal and needs someone to step up to lead this team.
Team Reports
North Carolina State Wolfpack (8-0)
North Carolina State is among the ACC’s leaders at this stage in the season thanks largely to a soft schedule and the brilliant play of senior guard Julius Hodge. In the past week, the Wolfpack beat Liberty 94-60 and Louisiana-Lafayette 78-72. Hodge averaged 21.5 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the two games. He clearly is a force to reckon with and is looking to repeat as the ACC’s most valuable player. Through the first month of play, he has earned that title.
Through this past week, the Wolfpack have struggled to find alternatives to Hodge at the offensive end. But freshman forward Andrew Brackman has emerged as a scoring threat in the past couple of games, averaging 16.5 points per game. He led the Wolfpack with 20 points in a tough battle against the Ragin’ Cajuns. If Brackman becomes a reliable source of points, the Wolfpack will have an eight-man rotation that includes juniors Elian Evtimov and Cameron Bennerman coming off the bench.
North Carolina State takes the show on the road to Washington this weekend to play a very tough Huskies squad. The Wolfpack also play at BYU in the next week, but the Cougars are a weak team this year. North Carolina State has no excuse if they lose that game.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-0)
The Yellow Jackets are playing like a team bent on returning to the championship game this season. If they continue to dominate opponents as they have in December, they should win it, too. Georgia Tech stomped Air Force and James Madison this past week. Although the latter is expected, the former victory against Air Force is a testament to the athleticism and discipline of the Yellow Jackets.
Air Force reached the NCAA Tournament last season because the Falcons employ the Princeton offense in which the team milks the shot clock during every possession and runs a lot of motion to create open looks. Georgia Tech kept pace with Air Force to deny open looks all game, holding Air Force under 30 percent shooting from the field. And the Yellow Jackets seemingly collected every rebound – 32-18, actually. Only seniors Luke Schenscher and B.J. Elder scored in double figures, but that was more than enough for Georgia Tech to win 64-42. Against James Madison, the Yellow Jackets had a defensive field day, forcing 25 turnovers and holding James Madison to 31 percent shooting. Senior swingman Isma’il Muhammad led the team with 14 points, but three other Yellow Jackets also reached double figures.
Georgia Tech plays a tough game against Gonzaga in Las Vegas this weekend, then the Yellow Jackets host Charleston Southern next week in what should be another blowout.
Duke Blue Devils (7-0)
Duke hosted two mid-major powerhouses in three days and stomped both squads. The Blue Devils schooled MAC-favorite Toledo from the opening tip to the final bell, 82-54. The margin of victory was greater, 88-55, against Illinois-Chicago, but the Blue Devils struggled mightily in the first half against the Flames. Juniors Shelden Williams and J.J. Redick went off in the second half, in which Duke outscored Illinois-Chicago 50-24.
With both games easily in hand in the second half, coach Mike Krzyzewski played more of his bench players, allowing them to gather much-needed experience. Freshman guard DeMarcus Nelson was the greatest beneficiary of the playing time. He averaged 8.5 points and six rebounds in the two games. The rest of the bench still needs some work, especially freshman forward David McClure, who managed only two points and six rebounds combined in the two games. Coach K only allowed him 16 minutes in the two games, which signals that McClure needs more work before playing major minutes.
Another positive note for the undefeated Blue Devils is the defensive play of Williams. The big man swatted 13 shots in the two games. He’s a force in the middle and denies both penetration from guards and post moves from forwards.
Duke plays the team’s last game of 2004 this weekend against Oklahoma in Madison Square Garden. The Sooners are a talented young bunch looking for a big win, so the Blue Devils must come with their A game for 40 minutes. Fortunately for Duke, Coach K always has this team prepared for big games.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (8-1)
For a team that’s supposed to contend for the national title, something seems a little off with the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest squeaked past Temple 67-64 and beat Elon 85-67 after a slow start. Wake Forest allowed both opponents to shoot better than 43 percent. Temple junior guard Mardy Collins torched Wake Forest for 25 points and nearly single-handedly led Temple to a major upset. The combination of juniors Eric Williams and Justin Gray saved the Demon Deacons by combining for 32 points and nine rebounds.
Against Temple, coach Skip Prosser used a seven-man rotation. In the blowout against Elon, Prosser used nine players. For the Demon Deacons to succeed in conference play, Prosser must get better contributions from players such as sophomore center Kyle Visser and junior forward Chris Ellis. Among the starters, senior forward Vytas Danelius is playing merely average in a season in which he should be a star. He is averaging 6.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, nearly half the production of his stellar sophomore season.
Wake Forest has a tough game this week against Texas and a trap game at New Mexico. New Mexico is poised for an upset if Wake Forest comes off flat after the Texas game whether it’s a win or loss.
Virginia Cavaliers (7-1)
Virginia has had the past week off for finals, but the Cavaliers will look to win a second consecutive game this coming week after starting the season with a six-game winning streak. Following a loss at Iowa State, Virginia pounded Furman in Charlottesville, Va., 79-67. The Cavaliers had five players score in double figures, led by sophomore guard Gary Forbes, who scored 21 points. The Cavaliers need Forbes to be a reliable scorer to detract defensive pressure from seniors Devin Smith and Elton Brand. The seniors will lead this team to a strong finish, but the youngsters such as Forbes must take this team to the next level.
The Cavaliers get Loyola Marymount at home in the next week.
North Carolina Tar Heels (7-1)
North Carolina is starting to play like a classic Roy Williams-coached team. The Tar Heels show no mercy to anyone, including Loyola-Chicago, the Tar Heels’ latest victim during a seven-game winning streak. The Tar Heels shot better than 57 percent from the floor while holding the Ramblers to 37.7 percent. None of North Carolina’s starters played more than 20 minutes. Senior forward Jawad Williams led all scores with 17 points. The blowout allowed the bench players to log significant minutes. Freshman forward Marvin Williams had a great game with 16 points and nine rebounds. Senior guard Melvin Scott honed in from three-point range, hitting 3-of-5 from behind the arc and finishing with 11 points.
The Tar Heels open ACC play by welcoming Virginia Tech to the conference. North Carolina returns home from Blacksburg, Va., to play Vermont, a tough squad featuring senior leaders who could give the Tar Heels trouble – for at least a half.
Clemson Tigers (6-1)
The Tigers are playing good basketball right now, especially on the defensive end. Clemson held Charleston Southern to 34 percent shooting in a 73-55 win and Norfolk State to 37.5 percent shooting in an 83-56 blowout. Coach Oliver Purnell adjusted his lineup by starting freshman guard Cliff Hammonds, who responded by averaging 10 points, five rebounds and four assists in the two games. Purnell also started freshman forward Cheyenne Moore in the two games. But Moore was less productive, averaging only five points and three rebounds in the games.
A problem for the Tigers is the team’s poor free-throw shooting. Clemson barely cracked 60 percent from the line in the two games. The good news for Clemson is the Tigers shot better than 50 percent from three-point range against Charleston Southern, including 4-of-4 by Hammonds. Like many freshmen, Hammonds is a streaky shooter; he missed all four of his attempts from long range against Norfolk State.
Clemson hosts the Citadel Friday before playing an important game at home against Alabama-Birmingham. UAB is an NCAA Tournament favorite this season, and the Tigers could make a statement with a convincing win against the Blazers.
Maryland Terrapins (5-2)
Maryland bounced back from a loss to George Washington in the BB&T Classic by pounding UNC-Asheville, 96-72. The Terrapins shot better than 55 percent in the game, led by junior guard John Gilchrist, who scored 22 points on 8-of-9 shooting. Gilchrist is off to a sensational start to the season, averaging 14.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game. He is running the offense effectively and still finding time to get his points. With an experienced eight-man rotation, no Terp averages more than 27 minutes per game except Gilchrist.
Maryland opens ACC play at home against Florida State, which is struggling mightily to start the season. The Terps also host American later in the week.
Virginia Tech Hokies (5-2)
Virginia Tech bounced back from a two-game losing streak by beating James Madison 77-53. A pair of bad losses besmirched a good 5-0 start. The win against James Madison may help restore some confidence among the Hokies. Senior forward Carlos Dixon helped the team put the losses in the past with 19 points to lead the team. High-flying freshman swingman Deron Washington scored six points and grabbed 10 rebounds, including six on the offensive end. Washington is a powderkeg of energy, constantly waiting to explode off the court for a spectacular dunk or – equally likely – a rebound over a man a few inches taller. Fellow freshman Marquise Cooke got the start for the Hokies and scored 12 points and dished six assists. Virginia Tech is a young team that may not finish well in the ACC this season but has a bright future ahead.
Virginia Tech starts the team’s first ACC conference season against North Carolina. Ouch. The Hokies host a tough Western Michigan team later in the week.
Junior guard Robert Hite, the ACC’s leading scorer, had 18 points, and sophomore guard Guillermo Diaz led the team with 20 points as Miami embarrassed Massachusetts 80-53. The Hurricanes may have signed the death warrant for Minuteman coach Steve Lappas, who needs an excellent season to avoid the unemployment line. Fresh off a spectacular win against highly ranked Connecticut, Massachusetts appeared poise to come to Miami and steal a road win. But the Hurricanes shut down Massachusetts’ offense, holding the Minutemen to 37 percent shooting from the floor. Miami also out-rebounded Massachusetts 40-24, led by forwards William Frisby and Anthony King. Coach Frank Haith seems to have found a solid starting lineup, but he must continue to develop his bench, which contributed only 10 points in the game.
The Hurricanes should have a pair of easy games this week against Stetson and Tennessee Tech. But South Carolina State also should have been an easy win. It’s hard to predict whether the Hurricanes will play like they did in wins against Florida and Massachusetts or in losses against South Carolina State and Xavier.
Florida State Seminoles (4-4)
Florida State is in big trouble. The Seminoles dropped to 4-4 after an ugly 65-60 home loss to Florida International. There is no excuse for losing to the Golden Panthers at home, and there’s no excuse for shooting less than 35 percent from the field. Florida State’s offense is downright unproductive as only two players reached double figures – sophomore center Alexander Johnson scored 11, and senior forward Anthony Richardson scored 10 off the bench. Even worse, the Golden Panthers out-rebounded Florida State by eight.
Florida State’s problem starts and ends on the offensive end. This team plays good defense and forces turnovers. But only sophomore guard Von Wafer averages double digits in scoring. And he averages exactly 10 points per game. The team struggles at the free-throw line, too, hitting only 61.5 percent. The good news for the Seminoles is that the team is deep – 11 players average 15 minutes or more per game. There’s hope that somebody will catch fire and lead this team at the offensive end.
Florida State has three games this week to correct its offensive woes. First, the Seminoles host South Alabama. Then they open ACC play at Maryland. Finally, Florida State returns home to play Jacksonville.
