Atlantic Coast Conference Notebook
Don’t look now, but Duke is the only team in the ACC that is undefeated. And the Blue Devils are supposed to be having an off year.
Duke may not receive the same praise as Wake Forest or North Carolina, but as long as the Blue Devils continue to find a way to win, they are a force to reckon with in the ACC. And don’t be fooled by their record, this team is truly finding ways to win in every game.
Already this season, Duke has fallen behind by 10 points or more in the first half to teams such as Illinois-Chicago and Oklahoma. The Blue Devils frequently start slow but find a way to adjust and effectively finish games. That’s a credit to the genius of coach Mike Krzyzewski. Such an acknowledgment is hard for a former Tar Heel to make but easy for an objective ACC writer to observe.
The venerable coach K may be in the midst of the biggest challenge of his career. Duke lacks a proven point guard, features a short bench and favors a half-court offense rather the Blue Devils’ feared full-court pressure. After working so well throughout the 1990s and early in this decade, Duke’s formula for success is changing.
The new faces of Duke basketball are Shelden Williams, J.J. Redick and Daniel Ewing. Unlike previous years when a bunch of Blue Devils were reliable scoring threats, these three are currently the only Blue Devils averaging double figures in scoring per game. Williams provides Krzyzewski with a veteran presence in the paint. Williams is averaging 15.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. Those are MVP type numbers. Equally important, Williams is obliterating opponents in the post with a total of 28 blocks through eight games.
Redick is Duke’s sharpshooter, following the footsteps of players before him like Trajan Langdon and Shane Battier. Redick is the ACC’s scoring leader, averaging 21.3 points per game. He is hitting nearly 40 percent of his three-point attempts. More importantly, Redick forces opponents to guard him as far as 25 feet away from the hoop. His range allows Duke to create space for players such as Sean Dockery to slice toward the basket. Williams and forward Shavlik Randolph have more room to operate in the post.
Ewing is Duke’s senior leader. He must take control of this team like Chris Duhon did last year and other Duke greats have done before. He leads the team in assists with 4.5 per game. His 17.8 points per game is second to Redick on the team. With Redick drawing double coverage in clutch time, Ewing can find a hole just large enough to take potentially game-winning shots. He is comfortable with the role of leading this team to victory, and he will likely need to have several huge games for Duke to finish near the top of the standings or make a deep run in either the ACC or NCAA tournaments.
But besides Ewing, Redick and Williams, coach K needs to find the proper uses for players such as Dockery, Randolph and freshmen DeMarcus Nelson and David McClure. This team has a much smaller margin of error than previous Duke teams, which could afford a bad game from one or two players. There were always other All-ACC players available to step up. Not this season. This season is all about strategy and preparation – two of Krzyzewski’s strengths. If Duke finishes with 12 wins in the conference, it will be a testament to the will of the players, the emergence of future stars and – most influentially – the genius of Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski.
Player of the Week: Chris Paul, Wake Forest
Paul almost single-handedly carried the Demon Deacons to victory against Texas and was a major contributor in a big win at New Mexico. In the two games, he averaged 23 points, five rebounds and 8.5 assists.
Rookie of the Week: James Gist, Maryland
Gist is playing well for Maryland, giving the Terrapins a reliable option off the bench for production in the paint. Against Florida State and American last week, Gist averaged 7.5 points, seven rebounds and three blocks per game.
Coach Watch of the Week: Paul Hewitt, Georgia Tech
The Yellow Jackets are coming off a tough loss in Las Vegas to Gonzaga, and Hewitt must get his team prepared for a huge game at Kansas within a week.
Team Recaps
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (10-1, 0-0)
Wake Forest moved to 10-1 with two wins against Texas and New Mexico. The Demon Deacons slipped past Texas at home with an 89-88 win. Sophomore guard Chris Paul led the way with 23 points and 12 assists. His production offset the great game from North Carolina-native P.J. Tucker, who led all scorers with 27 points. The Demon Deacons’ offense was firing on all cylinders, but their defense was gasping for life. The Longhorns shot better than 48 percent from the field, including better than 41 percent from three-point range.
Against New Mexico, the Demon Deacons decided to play defense and held a talented Lobos team to less than 33 percent shooting from the field. Superstar Danny Granger scored 24 points for New Mexico, but only one other Lobo reached double figures in Wake Forest’s 81-64 win. Paul proved why he may be a lottery pick in June’s NBA Draft by scoring 23 points, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out five assists. Wake Forest dominated New Mexico on the glass, finishing with 15 more rebounds than the Lobos had. Wake Forest seems to play good defense against everyone but the best teams in the nation. That will produce a lot of good wins, but it will not allow the Demon Deacons to win a championship. Wake Forest will have ample opportunity to practice shutdown defense against great teams during ACC play.
Wake Forest tunes up for conference play at home against North Carolina A&T Dec. 30 before traveling to Virginia Jan. 2.
Duke Blue Devils (8-0, 0-0)
Duke’s detractors are already complaining that the Blue Devils are only winning because they are playing a soft schedule. The last undefeated team in the ACC was picked far from first place in the conference by most pre-season prognosticators, including this one. But coach Mike Krzyzewski has found a way to win with this team.
Now, coach K and the Blue Devils must adjust to the loss of junior forward Shavlik Randolph. Randolph is out indefinitely with mononucleosis, an illness that leads to chronic fatigue – a symptom ill-suited to the demands of a college basketball player. Randolph, however, has failed to meet expectations this season and averages only 6.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Despite his underwhelming performance, Duke will miss his presence beside fellow forward Shelden Williams. Opponents will be able to double Williams in the paint and inhibit a facet of Duke’s offensive attack.
Nevertheless, Duke won again last week. The Blue Devils beat Oklahoma 78-67 at Madison Square Garden in another performance marked by inconsistency. Duke started slow again, allowing the Sooners to build a 39-29 halftime lead before junior guard J.J. Redick went off in the second half. Redick dropped bombs from three-point range, finishing with 26 points as Duke outscored Oklahoma 49-28 in the second half. Duke’s defense frustrated the Sooners, who shot less than 38 percent from the floor. Williams had a superb game in the paint, scoring 14 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
Duke continues a two-week break before opening ACC play at home against Clemson Jan. 2. Expect coach K to have this team back on campus a few days early to prepare for the conference opener. The Blue Devils need practice to avoid a possibly devastating loss if they come out flat from an extended break.
North Carolina Tar Heels (9-1, 1-0)
The Tar Heels continue to challenge Illinois for the title of the nation’s hottest team. North Carolina stomped ACC-newcomer Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., and returned home to tame some Catamounts from Vermont. No one expected the Hokies to beat North Carolina, even in Blacksburg. But no one expected the Tar Heels to shoot better than 64 percent in an 85-51 rout. Forwards Jawad Williams and Sean May each scored 17 points. Virginia Tech successfully held junior scoring sensation Rashad McCants to three points. That’s about it for highlights for the Hokies. The Tar Heels only allowed one Hokie to score more than 10 points, holding the team to 36 percent shooting from the field. The only concern against the Hokies for coach Roy Williams and the Tar Heels is turnovers. The Tar Heels committed 22 turnovers, including seven by point guard Raymond Felton, who had only three assists.
Against Vermont, Felton and company reduced that turnover number. Felton committed four turnovers and dished out seven assists. North Carolina won 93-65 by limiting the Catamounts’ stars, Taylor Coppenrath and T.J. Sorrentine. Vermont did not have an answer for May, who led the Tar Heels with 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Once again, North Carolina held an opponent to less than 40 percent shooting from the field while shooting better than 50 percent on offense.
North Carolina has a trio of home games to warm up for conference play: UNC-Wilmington Dec. 28, then with Cleveland State Dec. 30 and William and Mary Jan. 2.
North Carolina State Wolfpack (9-1, 0-0)
The Wolfpack took their show west to Washington and BYU last week. North Carolina State forced the frenetically paced Huskies to play a slow, deliberate game. But the Wolfpack failed to win. Washington used a balance attack and clutch shooting to hand the Wolfpack their first loss, 68-64. Junior guard Cameron Bennerman continued to play well for the Wolfpack, leading the team with 16 points. Senior guard Julius Hodge posted 15 points, five rebounds and four assists but missed two free throws that would have helped North Carolina State come closer to a win. The Huskies slaughtered the Pack on the boards, 39-30.
North Carolina State bounced back from the loss by playing well at BYU. The Wolfpack won 72-61 as Hodge led the way with 22 points and seven rebounds. Tony Bethel, a junior transfer from Georgetown, scored 15 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists. North Carolina State held BYU to 38 percent shooting from the field. The Wolfpack hustled better on the boards to grab four more rebounds than the Cougars.
North Carolina State continues to travel on the road as Hodge returns home to New York to play in the Holiday Classic against Columbia and, presumably, the winner of St. John’s vs. Canisius. North Carolina State starts 2005 with a tough home game against undefeated West Virginia.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-1, 0-0)
After slamming five consecutive opponents by at least 20 points, Georgia Tech finally received the flip side of the moral exhortation “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Gonzaga did unto Georgia Tech an 85-73 beatdown in the Las Vegas Showdown. The Bulldogs were unstoppable, out-rebounding the Yellow Jackets by nine, shooting better than 49 percent from the floor and holding Georgia Tech to 40 percent shooting. Guards Will Bynum, Jarrett Jack and B.J. Elder combined to score 59 of the team’s 73 points as Gonzaga erased the Yellow Jackets’ paint producers, seniors Isma’il Muhammad, Anthony McHenry and Luke Schenscher.
Although the loss should not set off panic alarms in Atlanta, it should remind the Yellow Jackets that winning takes hard work. Gonzaga appeared to want to win more, and the effort gave the Bulldogs the momentum to upset the highly ranked Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech responded three days later with a vicious 90-48 mauling of Charleston Southern. Although no one will confuse the Buccaneers with a bona fide NCAA Tournament contender such as Gonzaga, Georgia Tech played the type of ball that wins championships. Muhammad led five Yellow Jackets to double figures, scoring 16 points. The Yellow Jackets grabbed 10 more rebounds than the Bucs, held the opponents to 30 percent shooting and shot better than 60 percent at the offensive end. Georgia Tech had major contributions from both the post and perimeter players, and each Yellow Jacket shut down his man on the defensive end.
Georgia Tech plays another warm-up game Dec. 28 at home against Lafayette before traveling to Lawrence, Kan., to play Kansas in one of the most highly anticipated games of the regular season. That game could easily determine whether Georgia Tech receives a No. 1 seed or No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and could preview the national championship game.
Virginia Cavaliers (8-1, 0-0)
The Cavaliers survived an upset-minded Loyola-Marymount team in overtime, 79-77. Sophomore guard J.R. Reynolds slashed through the Lions defense and floated in the game-winning layup with about five seconds remaining. Senior forward Elton Brown led the team with 25 points and eight rebounds but fouled out. In addition to the absence of Brown, senior star Devin Smith left the game with an injured ankle in the second half. Without Smith and Brown, the Lions took over the boards, finishing with nine more rebounds than the Cavaliers.
By the time Virginia hosts Wake Forest Jan. 2, the Cavaliers will have played only one game in four weeks. On one hand, that means the Cavaliers will be well-rested and have plenty of time to prepare for one of the ACC’s best. On the other hand, Virginia must work to avoid cold shooting and mental lapses. The Cavaliers have no margin of error against Wake Forest, but a win would significantly help Virginia’s case for an NCAA Tournament bid.
Maryland Terrapins (7-2, 1-0)
The Terrapins are 7-2 and on top of the conference standings after a 90-88 overtime win against Florida State. But Maryland is a team still looking for an identity. In some games, the Terrapins look like a national title contender, playing great defense and efficient offense. But in other games, such as the one against the Seminoles, Maryland looks like a team determined to find a way to lose. Maryland forced 25 turnover and built a double-digit lead early in the first half but allowed Florida State to come back. In the end, junior guard John Gilchrist and the Terps proved to be too much, winning by a deuce in overtime. Gilchrist finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. Five other Terps reached double figures in scoring.
Maryland followed up that win with an 82-61 beating of American. But the score does not tell the whole story. The Terrapins let American hang around until midway through the second half when a 16-0 run put away the game. Gilchrist led the way again with 20 points, four rebounds and five assists. Coach Gary Williams had to be happier with the team’s effort on the glass as Maryland out-rebounded American 40-25. And there were few loose balls to collect on the offensive end as the Terps shot 46 percent from the field and 47 percent from three-point range.
Maryland continues to chomp through the soft underbelly of its schedule Dec. 28 at home against Liberty. The Terps must be wary not to look ahead to an impending stretch of six ranked opponents in seven games.
Miami Hurricanes (7-2, 0-0)
After dropping two of the first three games, the Hurricanes have rattled off six consecutive wins. The most recent two came at home against Stetson and Tennessee Tech. The Hurricanes are winning because they have achieved a sufficient level of offensive balance and play excellent defense. Against Stetson, Miami won 81-50 in large part because the defense held the Hatters to 32 percent shooting from the field. Equally important, four Hurricanes reached double figures, and the team shot 50 percent from the field. Sophomore guard Guillermo Diaz led the team with 14 points, and junior forward Gary Hamilton tallied his first double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Against the Eagles, Miami overcame a dismal shooting performance – 39 percent from the field – by limiting Tennessee Tech to less than 36 percent shooting and hoarding rebounds. The Hurricanes out-rebounded the Eagles by 12. Four of the five starters reached double figures in scoring for Miami, and sophomore forward Anthony King grabbed 11 rebounds. The product was a 69-57 win.
Miami will look to extend its winning streak to eight games with two more relatively easy home games in the next week against Appalachian State and Norfolk State.
Clemson Tigers (8-3, 0-0)
Coach Oliver Purnell gave his Christmas gift to Clemson a few days early. He took his team to Hawaii, albeit to play three games in the Outrigger Rainbow Classic. After splitting the first two contests against Alabama-Birmingham and Indiana State, Clemson lost the final game to Georgetown to finish in sixth place.
The Tigers are developing a pattern in which they win when they hold opponents under 40 percent shooting but lose just about every other time. Georgetown and Alabama-Birmingham both won convincingly and both shot better than 50 percent in the game. Although the Tigers have now played more than a third of the season, Clemson still lacks a consistent scoring threat. No more than two players reached double figures in any game of the tournament. Purnell continues to give eight to ten players significant playing time in an attempt to get his young roster more experience and find a winning combination.
Clemson returns to the mainland to host East Carolina Dec. 29 before opening ACC play at Duke Jan. 2.
Florida State Seminoles (7-5, 0-1)
Florida State appears to be emerging from the early-season funk that led to a 4-4 start and several losses to weaker competition such as Florida International and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. To open ACC play, Florida State traveled to College Park, Md., to play Maryland in what appeared to be a mismatch. But the Seminoles forced overtime against the Terrapins before losing 90-88. The offensively challenged Seminoles played well throughout the game, led by senior forward Adam Waleskowski, who scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Sophomore forward Al Thornton also crashed the boards for 13 rebounds. As a team, the Seminoles out-rebounded Maryland 52-40.
One point of concern for coach Leonard Hamilton is turnovers. The Seminoles committed 25 turnovers against Maryland while dishing out only 11 assists. That’s a terrible ratio that will lead to more losses against ACC teams that play pressure defense, such as North Carolina, North Carolina State and Georgia Tech. Fortunately, the Seminoles took better care of the ball against Jacksonville in a 101-57 rout. Florida State committed only 10 turnovers and dished out 24 assists. The numbers evened out in a hard-fought 71-61 win against Stetson: The Seminoles had 16 turnovers and 13 assists.
The moral of all these statistics is that Hamilton does not have a reliable ball handler at this point in the season. Freshman guard Isaiah Swann leads the team with 2.8 assists. Junior guard Todd Galloway has been disappointing as a floor general and may be better suited as a shooting guard. But the Seminoles need somebody to step up to lead this team, otherwise the Seminoles will continue to play inconsistently on the offensive end and be vulnerable to teams that can smother opponents with defensive pressure.
Florida State plays two important non-conference games this week at LSU and versus Florida.
Virginia Tech Hokies (5-4, 0-1)
The Hokies lost a pair of games last week against better competition. But it’s how they lost at home that is most disturbing. Virginia Tech allowed North Carolina to shoot nearly 65 percent from the field and allowed Western Michigan to shoot better than 48 percent. Both the Tar Heels and the Broncos shot better than 40 percent from three-point range. With such porous defense, the Hokies predictably lost both games. The Tar Heels blew out Virginia Tech 85-51 while the Hokies lost a close game, 74-68, to Western Michigan.
Sophomore guard Zabian Dodwell has been a bright spot for the Hokies. He scored 21 points and grabbed four rebounds in the game against North Carolina and 13 points and seven rebounds against Western Michigan. But the Hokies have squandered opportunities such as free throws, making only 7-of-18 free throw attempts in the two games. The Hokies also could not take advantage of turnovers. They forced 22 against North Carolina and 18 against Western Michigan, but poor shooting and inconsistency limited their ability to maximize the opportunities.
Virginia Tech has a pair of home games this week. The Hokies need to beat Morgan State Dec. 27 and improve their defensive chutzpah before hosting Mississippi State Dec. 30.
