Atlantic Coast Conference Notebook
Home cookin’ is the order du jour in the ACC. After one week of conference play, every team now has at least one game under their belt. Most have two. And only Duke has a conference road win.
The road is always tough but seemingly more so than ever this season. By far the best team in the conference, possibly the country, Duke went to Winston-Salem and slaughtered Wake Forest 82-64 behind J.J. Redick’s 32 points. Redick is one of the few players good enough to be able to put up 30-plus points on opponents in any gym in the United States.
But other talented ACC teams, like Boston College and North Carolina State, dropped road games they were slated to win. The Eagles visited Atlanta for the first time in conference play and received a rude welcome by the Yellow Jackets, who are now 2-0 in the ACC. Georgia Tech’s mediocre season is now back on track to a middle-of-the-pack finish after a solid win against the Eagles.
North Carolina State had a much shorter road than the Eagles’ flight to Atlanta. The Wolfpack hopped on I-40 to visit their hated rival, North Carolina. With the Wolfpack ranked higher than the Tar Heels and playing exceptionally well, North Carolina State figured to make a statement in a nationally televised game that the No. 2 team in college basketball in the Triangle resided in Raleigh, not Chapel Hill. Not happening.
The Tar Heels, whose stock will be on the rise again, thumped North Carolina State in the closing minutes with a 13-0 run. The home team’s run served as an opposite bookend to the Wolfpack’s 11-0 run to open the game. The Tar Heels’ ability to maintain their composure after a horrid start is a testament to the maturity of the young players and North Carolina’s viability as an NCAA Tournament squad.
ACC Player of the Week: J.J. Redick, Duke
It’s hard to argue with 54 points in two games, especially when the lion’s share came on the road at Wake Forest. With 32 against the Demon Deacons, including five three-pointers, Redick proved why he continues to be one of the best players in the entire country.
ACC Freshman of the Week: Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina
Hansbrough’s teammate, guard Bobby Frasor, played like a Freshman of the Week during the second half of the Tar Heels’ win against the Wolfpack. But Hansbrough played like an award-winner from start to finish in both games North Carolina played last week, scoring 43 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in two games.
ACC Coach Watch: Al Skinner, Boston College
Welcome to the conference, coach. Not that the Big East would have been any easier this year, but Skinner has walked into a hornet’s nest after starting conference play 0-2. This week, Boston College plays North Carolina State and Florida State in Boston. Those games have become must-wins because the Eagles cannot afford to start conference play 1-3 if they want to seriously contend for second place.
Team Reports
Duke Blue Devils (14-0, 2-0)
Last week:
Win: Bucknell, 84-50
Win: at Wake Forest, 82-64
Next week:
Jan. 11: Maryland
Jan. 14: at Clemson
To cap a weekend in which several previously undefeated teams lost for the first time this season, Duke left the confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium to visit Wake Forest and Joel Coliseum, where the Blue Devils had lost three consecutive times. But the Blue Devils dominated Wake Forest this year in an 82-64 win. The blowout served notice that Duke can when anytime, anywhere in the ACC. And no one can contain senior guard and Wooden Award candidate J.J. Redick.
With senior forward Shelden Williams saddled by foul trouble, Redick took over the game, finishing with 32 points, including five three pointers. He shot 60 percent from the field, hitting every shot he took within the three-point line. As a team, the Blue Devils abused Wake Forest’s porous defense, shooting 55 percent from the field. Senior forward Lee Melchionni matched Redick’s five three-pointers en route to a 17-point night. With production from Melchionni and freshman point guard Greg Paulus, Williams’ foul trouble did not hurt the Blue Devils on the road.
A side note to the Wake Forest victory is the return of sophomore guard DeMarcus Nelson, who played his first 11 minutes since breaking his ankle against Drexel in the NIT Preseason Tip-Off. Nelson scored only two points and picked up two fouls, but his return is good for Duke fans looking for a third scoring option behind Redick and Williams. When Nelson gets back to full strength, coach Mike Krzyzewski will have a more complete lineup and perhaps more balance in his rotation. The Blue Devils used only seven players for more than 10 minutes against Wake Forest, including Nelson.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-4, 2-0)
Last week:
Win: Vanderbilt, 76-67
Win: Boston College, 60-58
Next week:
Jan. 10: at Centenary
Jan. 14: at North Carolina State
The Yellow Jackets have started 2006 like a team that should be contending for an NCAA Tournament bid, not a team that started the season 3-3 and in danger of slipping into the ACC’s cellar. Georgia Tech beat Vanderbilt to open the new year on a 60.9 percent shooting from the field. The sensational performance was led by sophomore guard Anthony Morrow, who scored 28 points to help the Yellow Jackets win 76-67. Georgia Tech also was phenomenal in rebounding, grabbing 32 rebounds compared with Vandy’s 13. With such outstanding shooting and rebounding, the game should have been a blowout. But the Yellow Jackets committed 21 turnovers, giving the Commodores an opportunity to hang around until the final few minutes.
Morrow again delivered against Boston College, another team that appears headed toward the NCAA Tournament. He hit a clutch three-pointer late in the game to break a 55-55 tie. Morrow finished with 15 points, and fellow sophomore Jeremis Smith led the team with 16 points. Georgia Tech continued to dominate the boards at home, out-rebounding the Eagles 31-20. Against a stiffer opponent than Vanderbilt, the Yellow Jackets could not afford as many turnovers as they committed in the previous game. With sophomore Zam Fredrick leading the offense, the Yellow Jackets turned the ball over only 14 times. Georgia Tech appears to be finding a solid rotation of players who play typically strong defense. Coach Paul Hewitt has to be happy with the recent development of his team. The next big test for the Yellow Jackets is next weekend at North Carolina State because Georgia Tech needs to pick up some big road victories to become a viable NCAA Tournament candidate. A win in Raleigh is probably a must-win game.
North Carolina Tar Heels (9-2, 1-0)
Last week:
Win: Davidson, 82-58
Win: North Carolina State, 82-69
Next week:
Jan. 10: at Virginia Tech
Jan. 14: Miami
North Carolina served notice last week that the Tar Heels will be a force in the ACC this year. The Tar Heels resemble last season’s championship squad in name only, but this year’s version isn’t bad. In a huge win against North Carolina State, the freshmen demonstrated excellent poise by overcoming an 11-0 deficit to start the game. Coach Roy Williams deserves a lot of credit for keeping his players focused.
One of the most focused players for the Tar Heels has been freshman forward Tyler Hansbrough. After notching a career and season high of 23 points against Davidson earlier this week, Hansbrough scored 20 against the Wolfpack the hard way. He hit 14-of-14 free throws, which increased his free-throw percentage by four points. In addition to Hansbrough, freshman guard Bobby Frasor showed a lot of poise by exploding for 17 points, most of which came in the second half. With Frasor on fire, Williams could afford to leave him in as point guard to run the offense. He filled in for sophomore point guard Quentin Thomas, who had a rough game with three turnovers in only 13 minutes. Williams needs Frasor and Thomas to mature quickly as point guards because the Tar Heels prefer to play a high-paced offense that requires a Raymond Felton-esque point guard to push the ball, preferably without too many turnovers.
North Carolina State Wolfpack (12-2, 1-1)
Last week:
Win: UNC-Greensboro, 83-52
Loss: at North Carolina, 82-69
Next week:
Jan. 10: at Boston College
Jan. 14: Georgia Tech
North Carolina State learned a little about the team’s weaknesses last week for the first this season. In the team’s first loss at Iowa, the Wolfpack lost a game of slow offense and ugly shooting, 45-42. But North Carolina State is comfortable playing at that pace and will usually win. Against North Carolina, the Wolfpack couldn’t force the tempo as easily and failed on defense to slow down the Tar Heels. One of the reasons for the defensive woes in the 82-69 loss was foul trouble by sophomore sensation Cedric Simmons.
When Simmons got into foul trouble in the first half, coach Herb Sendek needed Andrew Brackman, a 6-9 sophomore forward, to step up and play big. But Brackman largely disappeared for the 25 minutes he played. He finished with seven points and only one rebound. As a team, the Wolfpack collected only 22 rebounds, which won’t get the job done on the road. But the Wolfpack didn’t have many opportunities to collect defensive rebounds because they let the Tar Heels shoot better than 53 percent from the field and 46 percent from three-point range. That defensive effort isn’t good enough.
The silver lining to the loss at Chapel Hill was the continued strong play of senior point guard Tony Bethel. He was 8-of-9 for 20 points in the team’s win against UNC-Greensboro earlier in the week, and he delivered 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting as an encore against the Tar Heels. The Wolfpack’s motion offense is most effective when North Carolina State can get the ball in the paint to Simmons or Brackman and work outside to setup a three-pointer or backdoor cut. Simmons clearly is comfortable in that role as he picked up four assists in 21 minutes. On the other hand, Brackman is less efficient, failing to register a single assist.
Florida State Seminoles (10-2, 1-1)
Last week:
Loss: at Clemson, 61-55
Win: Virginia Tech, 74-68
Next week:
Jan. 11: at Virginia
Jan. 14: at Boston College
Florida State remains an unknown quantity in the ACC. The Seminoles have few losses but not many great wins. Last week offered a likely preview of the remainder of this season – a good home win against a tough, middle-of-the-pack ACC opponent but an ugly loss at a relatively weak opponent. To avoid the ugly losses, Florida State needs to find a more consistent offense, especially from the guards. The frontcourt, anchored by junior forwards Al Thornton and Alexander Johnson, are reliable pieces that coach Leonard Hamilton can leave in until they foul out, which Johnson did against the Hokies.
The backcourt is a bigger problem. In both games, Florida State’s starting guards – Todd Galloway, Isaiah Swann and Jason Rich – managed only 19 points. And they have nearly as many turnovers as assists. Highly touted recruits, Swann and Rich appear slow to progress, which means coach Leonard Hamilton will start receiving criticism soon. In addition to those three, sophomore guard Ralph Mims plays a minor role off the bench despite also receiving accolades in high school. Senior sharpshooter Andrew Wilson remains the most reliable outside shooter, and he’s not a starter, at least not yet. Hamilton needs to find a way to get more production from Galloway, Swann and Rich, or else he should consider replacing one of them for Wilson.
Clemson Tigers (12-3, 1-1)
Last week:
Win: Florida State, 61-55
Loss: at Virginia, 64-58
Next week:
Jan. 11: Wake Forest
Jan. 14: Duke
After years of running their offense through talented forwards, the Tigers are a guard-dominated squad this season. In two games last week, Clemson jacked up 55 three-pointers, hitting only 15 of them. With an offense based on outside shooting, the Tigers have the potential to put a lot of points when they’re hot. That makes them dangerous, especially at home, against any level of competition. But when the shots aren’t falling, Clemson is a mediocre team.
Against Virginia and Florida State, the shots weren’t falling particularly often as the Tigers shot less than 40 percent from the field and less than 30 percent from three-point range in both games. But the difference in the win against the Seminoles and the loss at Virginia was rebounding. Clemson dedicated to collecting the loose balls against Florida State, out-rebounding the Seminoles 40-24. Against the Cavaliers, Clemson failed to follow shots, giving Virginia a 33-20 advantage in rebounding. Junior point guard Vernon Hamilton remained the team’s most consistent player, and the only one to score in double figures in both games last week.
Maryland Terrapins (11-3, 1-1)
Last week:
Win: Texas A&M Corpus Christi, 99-73
Loss: at Miami, 84-70
Next week:
Jan. 11: at Duke
Jan. 15: Wake Forest
Maryland fans must feel like this team is heading down a familiar road. The Terrapins opened ACC play a few weeks ago with a huge home win against Boston College. Last week, they left home and laid an egg at Miami. The Terps struggled mightily away from College Park last season, failing to play up to their talent level. Against Miami, the Terps slipped into that mistake-filled play again.
Senior forward Nik Caner-Medley helped keep the Terrapins in the game after Maryland fell behind 13-0 to start the game. Caner-Medley led the team with 19 points. Despite the points, Caner-Medley turned the ball over five times. He moves exceptionally well without the ball and understands how to get open. But when teammates get him the ball, he occasionally seems hesitant to finish a play or take a shot. He missed a couple of layups because he didn’t finish strong around the basket. Don’t lay it in when you can dunk it in traffic. Don’t try to lay it directly in the basket if you can use the backboard. If Caner-Medley can develop a more aggressive attitude with the ball, he has the potential and athleticism to become a dominant force. And the one missing piece that is holding Maryland back is a go-to player.
Miami Hurricanes (9-6, 1-1)
Last week:
Win: Sacred Heart, 63-57
Win: Maryland 84-70
Next week:
Jan. 14: at North Carolina
With two wins last week, the Hurricanes may finally be ready to get on a roll. Miami has been a disappointment so far but has the talent to make a run. The key to the Hurricanes’ success, however, may be a bit surprising. Senior guard Robert Hite and junior guard Guillermo Diaz will almost always lead the team in scoring. But it’s senior point guard Anthony Harris who makes this team run most effectively.
With Harris in the lineup, Maryland was more reluctant to apply full-court pressure. But when Harris got in foul trouble and took a seat on the bench, the Terps effectively clawed their way back by pressuring freshman guard Denis Clemente. Hite and Diaz are most effective when they don’t have to create their own shots. If they come off screens and can set up on the perimeter, Harris can hit them for open looks. Despite Harris’ limited minutes against Maryland, Diaz had a sensational game by dishing out nine assists. Although he had to lead the offense much of the game, he still found time to score 21 points. As a team, the Hurricanes hit 12 three-pointers on 63 percent shooting from long range.
Virginia Cavaliers (7-5, 1-1)
Last week:
Loss: at Western Kentucky, 78-68
Win: Clemson, 64-58
Next week:
Jan. 11: Florida State
Jan. 15: at Virginia Tech
Coach Dave Leitao has been switching his lineup throughout the season in search of a winning combination. He found one this past weekend against Clemson. His starters – guards J.R. Reynolds and Sean Singletary, forward Jason Cain and Adrian Joseph, and center Tunji Soroye – all played at least 33 minutes. Joseph, Reynolds and Singletary had less than five minutes of rest. The product was a 64-58 win in which the starters scored all but two of the Cavaliers’ points.
Although the strategy worked against Clemson, Leitao must find more production from the bench if he wants his team to compete against many of the deeper squads. Certainly by mid-February, this lineup would be exhausted if he asks them to play that many minutes consistently. Singletary, at point guard, is best suited to play many minutes consistently as he continues to produce in points, rebounds and assists regardless of how long he’s in the game. Against the Tigers, he scored 17 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished six assists. Virginia also hit critical free throws in crunch time to seal the team’s first ACC victory.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (11-3, 0-1)
Last week:
Win: East Carolina, 58-54
Loss: Duke, 82-64
Next week:
Jan. 11: at Clemson
Jan. 15: at Maryland
The Demon Deacons have only one ACC loss and three losses on the year, but Wake Forest has reason to be concerned. The team is the only ACC squad to lose a conference game at home so far, albeit Duke will beat a lot of teams trying to protect their home court this season. But Wake Forest doesn’t play great defense. In the four games before the Blue Devils came to Winston-Salem, Wake Forest held opponents to 54 points or less every time. But three of those four opponents were more than happy to play a Princeton offense that slowed the game down. One of those opponents was the originator – the Princeton Tigers themselves. If you discount those games, the Demon Deacons allowed at least 73 points in six of the previous eight games, against the likes of Appalachian State, DePaul and George Mason.
The reality of Wake Forest’s suspect defense hit home against the Blue Devils, who torched Wake Forest 82-64 on 55 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent shooting from three-point territory. The Blue Devils drained 14 three-pointers, which is as many free-throws as they attempted in the entire game. Not surprisingly, senior guard J.J. Redick led the charge with 32 points and five three-pointers. The baffling part of the Duke loss was that senior center Eric Williams had a sensational start and then the Demon Deacons seemed to forget to give him the ball. Williams finished with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting, but he didn’t touch the ball during long stretches of the game. The same goes for senior guard Justin Gray, who also had 17 points and attempted 17 shots. But Wake Forest seemed either reluctant or unable to get the ball to Gray and Williams as frequently as they needed to. This team has two great players and needs to run the offense through them like Duke does with Shelden Williams and Redick. At this point in the season, none of the other Demon Deacons are consistently good enough to carry the team.
Boston College Eagles (11-3, 0-2)
Last week:
Win: Massachusetts, 91-62
Loss: at Georgia Tech, 60-58
Next week:
Jan. 10: North Carolina State
Jan. 14: Florida State
The Eagles are learning the hard way that road wins in the ACC come at a premium. Boston College, frequently mentioned as second to Duke in the conference, is now 0-2 in conference play with two more tough road trips looming this month. The Eagles play at Miami, where Maryland lost badly this past weekend, and at North Carolina, where the Tar Heels are surging. Boston College could easily be 2-4 heading into February and in a position in which the Eagles must win every game to remain in the conference’s top four or five teams.
Boston College’s road woes continued at Georgia Tech last week, where the Eagles lost 60-58 despite a sensational 26-point game from senior forward Craig Smith. Smith hit 10-of-13 shots, including a running three-pointer in the closing seconds that gave Boston College a prayer of a miracle at the end. It didn’t pan out, nor did much scoring from players not named Smith or Jared Dudley. Coach Al Skinner needs to find a better way for his guards to contribute. Starters Sean Marshall and Louis Hinnant combined to score six points. Freshman guard Tyrese Rice came off the bench to score 10 points, but he creates all of his own shots and needs to take a handful to score his points. Marshall and Hinnant need to work their way to free spots in the defense, which must respect the interior presence of Smith and Dudley. Until the guards can become as reliable as Smith and Dudley, the Eagles will continue to lose close road games in the ACC.
Virginia Tech Hokies (10-5, 0-2)
Last week:
Win: at James Madison, 77-58
Loss: at Florida State, 74-68
Next week:
Jan. 10: North Carolina
Jan. 15: Virginia
Virginia Tech has an easily identifiable problem that doesn’t have an easy answer. Coach Seth Greenberg only uses a six-man rotation, so the Hokies’ best players are playing an exorbitant number of minutes per game. And the defenses can focus on one or two players who are hot each game. If someone else is cold, Greenberg isn’t using many third or fourth options to find a better mixture.
In the Hokies’ loss to Florida State, sophomore forward Wynton Witherspoon led the team with 19 points. Leading scorer junior forward Coleman Collins added 15, and junior guard Zabian Dowdell had 18. Everyone else combined to score 16 points. As the game tightened at crunch time, Florida State had a good idea who would get ball and could focus the defensive set on the few playmakers. The Hokies also struggled to get on the boards, collecting only 21 rebounds. Greenberg desperately needs a seventh and eighth player to emerge from the bench to give his starters more rest. That also would allow Greenberg to keep opposing defenses off guard. At 0-2 in conference play, the Hokies have a pair of tough must-win homes games this week against North Carolina and Virginia.
