Atlantic Coast Conference Notebook
Hurricane Force
Miami and Virginia Tech officially joined the ACC quietly in the night this past summer – an ironically subtle conclusion to an often-controversial expansion process. No one disputes that ACC officials initiated the power play to gain financial and competitive advantages in football. And few disputed that Miami and Virginia Tech would water down one of the nation’s best basketball conferences.
Well, in retrospect, maybe that’s not entirely true. As we dive headfirst into conference play, the ACC remains the best basketball conference nationwide. Eight ACC teams are among the top 100 according to RPI rankings. Four teams are ranked in the polls, and Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina State have appeared in the polls at some points this season.
But those are schools that were part of the ACC before expansion. So look at the success of Miami. The Hurricanes have created some buzz following a 67-66 win at home against North Carolina State while the Wolfpack were still in the Top 25. They followed up with wins against Virginia and Florida State. Miami also has a win at Florida, although the Gators don’t appear as frightening as they were predicted to be.
Miami still has a long road ahead to earn a post-season bid in either the NIT or NCAA Tournament. For Miami, a 6-10 finish in the ACC would qualify as a strong showing and should earn the Hurricanes at least an NIT bid. If the Hurricanes continue to protect home court and steal one or two on the road against the ACC’s big boys, the Hurricanes could justifiably join the NCAA Tournament discussion. Who would have thought that?
Through two months this season, new coach Frank Haith deserves consideration for the conference’s coach of the year award. He came to Miami with the nearly impossible task of making a Big East doormat competitive in an overloaded ACC. And without most of last season’s team leaders. And without star recruit C.J. Giles, who opted to play for Kansas when Miami changed coaches.
Haith has turned the Hurricanes into winners by keeping it simple. Junior guard Robert Hite is the team’s best offensive weapon, so Haith asks the team to look for Hite first. Sophomore guard Guillermo Diaz is an emerging complement on the perimeter. The two combine to average 36.6 points per game. Both shoot better than 37 percent from three-point range.
In the paint, sophomore forward Anthony King is not a big man with plenty of moves. He will not give the Hurricanes the type of post presence offered by North Carolina’s Sean May or Duke’s Shelden Williams. Rather, King is a rebounding and defensive machine. He averages 8.9 rebounds per game, which is third in the entire conference. He’s quickly becoming one of the most formidable defensive players, too, swatting 3.6 blocks per game. King registered the first triple double by an ACC player in nearly three years when he scored 11 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked 13 shots against Florida Atlantic in December.
Haith’s Hurricanes are not going to contend for a conference title and would not likely advance past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. But he does have a strong foundation in place at Miami, and a good recruiting class or two should place Miami among the conference’s NCAA contenders within a couple of seasons.
ACC Tournament Considerations
Also on the topic of ACC expansion, the addition of Miami and Virginia Tech forced ACC officials to alter the layout of the conference tournament. In past seasons, only the bottom two teams played on the first day of the tournament in what amounted to a play-in game. The winner of that game became the sacrificial lamb to the regular season ACC champ.
Those days are over. With 11 teams in the conference, six teams will now be forced to play on the first day of competition. The No. 6 team in the conference will play the No. 11 team, No. 7 vs. No. 10, and No. 8 vs. No. 9.
With the new format, teams will have extra motivation to find a way to finish in the ACC’s top five because those teams will receive a bye. Winning four games in four days against ACC competition is downright unthinkable. Among North Carolina, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Duke, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina State and Miami, three of those teams will play on the first day of action. And the odds are that at least one team playing on the first day will need to win two or three tournament games to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
It obviously means nothing right now, but if the ACC tournament started today, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Duke and Miami would rest on Day One, while teams such as Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina State battled for the rights to advance to Day Two.
ACC Player of the Week: Chris Paul, Wake Forest
Paul is on a tear against elite ACC competition. He ripped apart Maryland, North Carolina and Miami, and the Demon Deacons won two out of three. Paul averaged 19.7 points, seven rebounds and 6.7 assists in the three games.
ACC Rookie of the Week: Marvin Williams, North Carolina
Williams moved in on clinching the ACC Rookie of the Year Award with yet another fantastic week. He averaged 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in two games against Georgia Tech and Wake Forest. That’s some good competition, and the freshman continues to excel and provide excellent depth off the bench.
ACC Coach Watch: Pete Gillen, Virginia
If you missed it last week, Gillen remains on the hottest seat in the ACC. Virginia lost two more ACC games last week against Miami and Duke, and the Cavaliers are now 0-4 in ACC play. It’s simple for Gillen: Find a way to win with this team now, or start preparing the résumé.
Team Recaps
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (15-2, 4-1)
With wins against Maryland and North Carolina, the Demon Deacons had claimed a narrow lead atop the ACC standings early in conference play. But just like that, it vanished when the Demon Deacons inexplicably lost at Florida State. The Seminoles’ Von Wafer torched Wake Forest for 25 first-half points. It’s ridiculous that one player could burn the Demon Deacons for that many points. Triple-team the man if you have to. Foul him before he sets to shoot. Better yet, deny him the ball. Just don’t let one player do that.
The silver lining for the Demon Deacons was yet another amazing game by sophomore guard Chris Paul, who willed the Demon Deacons back from a double-digit deficit by scoring 29 points, grabbing nine rebounds and handing out six assists. Wake Forest forced overtime after senior guard Taron Downey missed a free throw at the end of regulation that would have won the game. The miss ended an NCAA-record 50 consecutive made free throws by one team. That’s an accomplishment worth cherishing.
Against Maryland, the Demon Deacons dominated from start to finish, winning 81-66. The lead was 21 at halftime, fueled by a ridiculous number of second-chance opportunities. The Demon Deacons dominated the boards, collecting 22 offensive rebounds and 48 total, compared to only 35 for the Terrapins. Junior guard Justin Gray led all scores with 25 points, and junior center Eric Williams had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Neither team concentrated at the free-throw line as Wake Forest made only 18-of-35 attempts and Maryland shot less than 50 percent.
But against North Carolina, free throws helped feed a 95-82 rout. Wake Forest hit all 32 of the team’s free-throw attempts – an amazing feat at any level of basketball these days. Paul got the best of his rival, North Carolina’s Raymond Felton. Paul scored 26 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished eight assists. Whenever North Carolina appeared prepared to make a run, Paul ended the Tar Heels’ hopes with a slashing layup or tough pull-up jumper in traffic.
Wake Forest must bounce back quickly because the Demon Deacons play at Cincinnati Jan. 22.
Duke Blue Devils (13-0, 3-0)
The Blue Devils just keep on winning, regardless of who is injured or sick. Duke beat North Carolina State and Virginia last week without junior forward Shavlik Randolph or freshman forward Reggie Love. Randolph’s replacement, junior forward Lee Melchionni, stepped up against the Wolfpack by scoring 16 points and helping the Blue Devils dominate the boards in an 86-74 win. Duke out-rebounded North Carolina State 28-21, led by junior guard J.J. Redick’s seven rebounds. Redick found another way to contribute while his shot was off – he was 1-of-5 from the field and 0-of-4 from long range. Junior forward Shelden Williams was an unstoppable force inside, scoring 22 points to lead all scores.
Redick found his range against Virginia in an 80-66 blowout. He led all scores with 28 points, which includes 6-of-10 from three-point range. Williams outplayed Virginia’s Elton Brown with 16 points and 11 rebounds. He also blocked an amazing nine shots. Duke’s defensive pressure only forced 12 turnovers, but the team blocked 14 shots en route to holding the Cavaliers to less than 35 percent shooting from the field. Duke received a scare when senior leader Daniel Ewing hit the floor with an apparent ankle injury late in the first half. But he returned to play most of the second half.
If there are any concerns for Duke, it has to be lack of depth. Redick and Ewing played at least 35 minutes in both games, and only freshman guard DeMarcus Nelson seems to be a reliable contributor off the bench. Melchionni’s increased playing time caused by Randolph’s illness gives Duke more depth in the frontcourt. But this team remains paper thin. That does not necessarily mean the Blue Devils are overrated or ripe for a losing streak, but it does diminish the Blue Devils’ margin of error.
The Blue Devils turn snowbirds for the week, flying south to Florida to play Miami Jan. 19 and Florida State Jan. 22.
North Carolina Tar Heels (14-2, 3-1)
North Carolina survived one of the toughest portions of its schedule with a win at home against Georgia Tech and a loss at Wake Forest. The Tar Heels also played Maryland about a week and a half ago, marking a three-game stretch against several elite ACC squads. The only other comparable stretch features road games at Duke, at Connecticut and a home game against Virginia.
The Tar Heels started last week with a blowout against Georgia Tech, 91-69. North Carolina jumped out to a 46-28 lead and held off the Yellow Jackets throughout the second half. Senior forward Jawad Williams led North Carolina with 18 points, and junior forward Sean May added 12 points and 13 rebounds. North Carolina dominated the boards, 45-29, including 14 offensive rebounds. The second-chance points helped build the lead and make up for 19 turnovers. Junior point guard Raymond Felton approached a quadruple double with 11 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and eight turnovers. The latter is a category that he needs to reduce. North Carolina’s defense squashed the Yellow Jackets’ attempts to rally, holding Georgia Tech to less than 37 percent shooting from the field.
The domination of opponents ended, however, at Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons won a foul fest 95-82. The Demon Deacons led by double digits throughout the second half, largely because three Tar Heels fouled out, including defensive specialist Jackie Manuel, freshman phenom Marvin Williams and junior forward David Noel. Junior superstar Rashad McCants played only 20 minutes because of foul trouble and still led the team with 19 points. All of those fouls led to 32 free-throw opportunities for Wake Forest. And the Demon Deacons hit every free throw, going a perfect 32-of-32. Marvin Williams had a strong game off the bench with 15 points and seven rebounds.
The schedule eases up for North Carolina with games at Clemson Jan. 19 and against Miami Jan. 22. Of course, the Tigers and Hurricanes would love nothing more than to catch the Tar Heels coasting through a game. Don’t count on that with coach Roy Williams at the helm.
Miami Hurricanes (12-3, 3-1)
All of a sudden Miami is a respectable force in the ACC. The Hurricanes have earned a position near the top of the standings primarily by virtue of wins against North Carolina State and Virginia. It’s important to note that Miami plays neither team again during the regular season. So if the three end up with identical records, Miami will win the tiebreaker for a higher seed in the ACC tournament. And the Hurricanes may win the tiebreaker in the minds of NCAA Tournament selection committee members.
Miami opened play last week with a 91-80 shocker at Virginia. Sophomore guard Guillermo Diaz continues to shred defenses, leading all scores with 26 points. Fellow sophomore Anthony Harris played well after several lackluster performances, scoring 21 points. A key to the Hurricanes’ win was turnovers: Miami committed nine fewer turnovers than Virginia. The Hurricanes attack the boards as a team as five players grabbed at least six rebounds. The Hurricanes slipped past Florida State 64-63 for an encore performance. The duo of Diaz and junior guard Robert Hite led the way, combining for 37 points. Sophomore forward Anthony King continued to frustrate opponents, blocking six shots. The Hurricanes held Florida State to less than 40 percent shooting from the field and allowed only two Seminoles to reach double figures.
Miami will look to prove it is a legitimate ACC contender when the Hurricanes host Duke Jan. 19. Then they turn around to visit North Carolina in Chapel Hill Jan. 22.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (11-4, 2-2)
Certainly losses at North Carolina and North Carolina State are no reason to push the panic button in Atlanta, especially without senior star B.J. Elder. But for a team expected to contend for the national championship, where are the marquis wins? Michigan? Air Force? Virginia? Miami? Arkansas-Little Rock? The Yellow Jackets lack a significant victory to warrant a top 10 ranking. They have only one road win and four losses away from Atlanta.
The latest road losses came in the Basketball Triangle of Doom, featuring Duke, North Carolina and North Carolina State. First, Georgia Tech received a beat down in Chapel Hill. Despite 24 points from junior guard Jarrett Jack, Georgia Tech lost 91-69 in a game that wasn’t close shortly after tip-off. Both teams committed 19 turnovers, and the Yellow Jackets’ defense facilitated a few runs that prevented a complete annihilation. Georgia Tech shot only a little better than 36 percent from the field and hit only 3-of-17 three pointers.
The Yellow Jackets’ inaccuracy from beyond the arc continued in Raleigh as North Carolina State limited Georgia Tech to 2-of-15 from long range. The bottom line is that if the shots aren’t falling, the Yellow Jackets need to find a different range. Try the mid-range jumper. Or perhaps layups created by motion offense. Jack led the Yellow Jackets again against the Wolfpack with 16 points. They shot better than 45 percent for the game, but foul trouble provided North Carolina State with ample opportunities to overcome a bad shooting night.
Georgia Tech gets almost an entire week of rest before hosting Virginia Tech Jan. 22. The Yellow Jackets hope Elder will be able to return within the next couple of weeks to lift Georgia Tech’s perimeter game. If not, post players such as Luke Schenscher, Isma’il Muhammad and Anthony McHenry must force opponents to collapse inside, opening looks for Jack and senior guard Will Bynum.
Florida State Seminoles (10-8, 2-3)
Talk about a wild ride for Seminole fans. This season seemed lost after two consecutive losses to Clemson and Miami, two of the ACC’s bottom-feeders. But then Wake Forest came to Tallahassee. And sophomore guard Von Wafer went off – scoring a ridiculous 25 points in the first half. Florida State jumped all over a lackluster Wake Forest in the first half and led 46-32 at the break. But the Demon Deacons rallied and tied the game in the closing seconds on a three. Senior guard Taron Downey had an opportunity to win but missed the free throw, the first miss by Wake Forest in an NCAA-record 50 straight attempts. In overtime, junior guard Todd Galloway helped take over the game, and the Seminoles won 91-83, proving once again that Wake Forest’s poor defense can and will lead to trouble.
The shocker in Tallahassee makes up for two losses by a total of three points earlier in the week. Wafer tore apart Miami for 25 points, but the rest of the Seminoles struggled as only one other player reached double figures. Florida State could not keep Miami off the boards as the Hurricanes collected seven more rebounds. The past two games exemplify the frustrations and potential of this team. At times, Florida State can shoot lights out. At others, the Seminoles are down right inept on the offensive end. Wafer appears to be the one consistent player that Florida State can turn to.
The Seminoles look to continue the momentum Jan. 22 against Duke. Another win or two against the ACC’s elite and Florida State might have an outside prayer at joining the NCAA Tournament discussion. But one upset is far from enough. The Seminoles have a lot of work ahead of them.
Maryland Terrapins (10-4, 1-2)
Terrapin fans hope Maryland’s slump bottomed out last week when the Demon Deacons slammed the Terps 81-66. Junior point guard John Gilchrist played only nine minutes and did not start because of a missed academic assignment and a couple of minor injuries. Much speculation, however, indicated that coach Gary Williams was not content with Gilchrist’s leadership on the court. Either way, the Demon Deacons simply outplayed the Terrapins, especially on the boards. Maryland gave up 13 more rebounds and allowed the Demon Deacons to grab 22 offensive rebounds. Offensively, Maryland could not find a rhythm against a suspect Wake Forest defense. Junior forward Nik Caner-Medley led the Terrapins with 21 points, but he was the only Terp to reach double figures.
But Maryland bounced back against Temple for an 80-69 win that was closer than the score reveals. Gilchrist started and played 37 points, but he scored only four points. More importantly, he dished out five assists and ran an effective offensive attack. And Caner-Medley was in the zone. He was 14-of-21 from the field, finishing with 35 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Mike Jones came off the bench to score 21 points for Maryland. The Terrapins shot better than 48 percent from the field against a stingy Temple defense. Credit Williams for defusing a potential disaster.
The next step in the evolution of the Terrapins’ season is climbing back among the conference leaders. Home wins against Virginia Jan. 19 and North Carolina State Jan. 23 would help significantly.
North Carolina State Wolfpack (11-5, 1-2)
To earn a spot among the ACC’s elite, you have to win at home against anybody, even Duke and Georgia Tech. Based on last week’s results, North Carolina State is only halfway there with a win against Georgia Tech and a loss against Duke. The Wolfpack lost to Duke 86-74 primarily because they couldn’t stop Duke’s inside game. Shelden Williams scored 22 points, more than all of the Wolfpack’s post players combined. Junior guard Cameron Bennerman led North Carolina State with 20 points. But senior guard Julius Hodge could not put up a dominant game, despite scoring 13 points and grabbing six rebounds.
A reason – and excuse – for North Carolina State’s recent struggles is the illness of junior point guard Tony Bethel, who has helped keep the Wolfpack’s offense flowing in addition to providing another long-range weapon. Against Georgia Tech, the Wolfpack returned to a team-oriented attack as five players reached double figures. And only seven played, as senior forward Levi Watkins joined Bethel on the sidelines with the flu. Junior forward Ilian Evtimov led the Wolfpack to the 76-68 upset with 17 points. The Wolfpack shot only 38 percent from the field while the Yellow Jackets hit more than 45 percent of their shots, but only two three pointers. The Wolfpack overcame the dismal shooting performance by getting to the line 37 times and hitting 30 of the attempts.
North Carolina State will look to start a winning streak with road games at Virginia Tech Jan. 19 and at Maryland Jan. 23.
Virginia Tech Hokies (8-6, 1-2)
The Hokies continue to teeter on the verge of calamity by struggling early at home. Virginia Tech allowed MEAC featherweight Bethune Cookman to jump out to a five-point halftime lead before outscoring the Wildcats 41-25 in the second half to win 69-58. Sophomore forward Coleman Collins led the way with 18 points and nine rebounds. The Wildcats helped the Hokies’ cause by making only 1-of-8 free-throw attempts. Virginia Tech took care of the ball against Bethune Cookman, committing only eight turnovers. If the Hokies hadn’t been as efficient, the Wildcats could easily have walked away from Blacksburg with an upset.
The Hokies survived another poor first half against Clemson, winning 59-57 to pick up the team’s first ACC victory. Senior forward Carlos Dixon stole the ball with 12 seconds remaining and slammed home the winning basket. The steal was Clemson’s 22nd turnover of the game, which tells the story for the Tigers. Virginia Tech allowed Clemson to shoot better than 48 percent, and the Hokies shot a little better than 39 percent. Those numbers don’t usually side with the winning team. Virginia Tech benefited not so much from better play so much as fewer mistakes. Sophomore guard Zabian Dowdell led the Hokies with 15 points.
Virginia Tech hosts North Carolina State Jan. 19 before traveling south to Atlanta to play Georgia Tech Jan. 22.
Clemson Tigers (10-6, 1-3)
Clemson took on Florida State and Virginia Tech last week in the Battle of the Basement. One of these teams will finish in last place. And last week offered no hints as to which team that will be. The Tigers beat Florida State 56-54 in Tallahassee, then turned around and lost to Virginia Tech 59-57 in Blacksburg. The games have eerily similar story lines. Against Florida State, Clemson shot only 35 percent from the field and allowed the Seminoles to shoot 47 percent, but the Tigers won the turnover battle 22-17. Against Virginia Tech, the Tigers shot 49 percent and held the Hokies to 39 percent. But the Hokies won the turnover battle 22-17. Weird…
Senior forward Sharrod Ford and freshman guard Cliff Hammonds were the most consistent performers for the Tigers last week. Ford led the Tigers with 16 points against Virginia Tech and scored 11 against Florida State. Hammonds led the Tigers with 12 against the Seminoles and also had 12 against Virginia Tech. A consistent problem for Clemson has been the lack of ball movement. The Tigers managed only 22 assists in the two games.
Clemson hosts North Carolina Jan. 19 and visits Virginia Jan. 22 in a game that could banish the Cavaliers from the NCAA Tournament if the Tigers pull off the upset.
Virginia Cavaliers (9-5, 0-4)
The Cavaliers are suddenly in a world of trouble. Virginia is at the bottom of the powerful ACC with an 0-4 record. Each conference loss was by double digits, including losses to Miami and at Duke last week. The Cavaliers’ defense has been porous, allowing both opponents to shoot at least 47 percent from the field last week. The defensive play of Virginia’s young guards has been especially suspect. The starting guards for Miami and Duke averaged more than 18 points. Senior forward Elton Brown led the Cavaliers in the 91-80 home loss to Miami, scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. But he was less effective against Duke’s Shelden Williams, scoring 11 points and grabbing six rebounds. More importantly, Williams grabbed five more rebounds than Brown did.
Sophomore swingman Gary Forbes was a consistent contributor for Virginia last week, scoring 13 points against Miami and 17 against Duke. Like many other visitors to Cameron Indoor Stadium, few other Cavaliers shot well against Duke. Virginia managed to barely surpass 34 percent shooting from the field, which ruined a great 20-of-21 performance from the free-throw line. The Cavaliers made only two three pointers, four fewer than junior guard J.J. Redick hit for Duke en route to a 28-point performance.
Virginia travels to College Park to play Maryland Jan. 19 desperate for a conference win. If the Cavaliers slip to 0-5, they may be in a hole that is too deep to maintain hopes for an NCAA Tournament bid. Virginia returns to Charlottesville to play Clemson Jan. 22.
