Atlantic Coast Conference Notebook
As families finish turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving, the ACC’s 12 teams prepare for the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge. If it’s the week after Thanskgiving, it’s time for one conference to claim supremacy early in the season.
Despite the made-for-TV thrill of two conferences going head-to-head, this event has been one-sided as the ACC has won all eight challenges. And in about a week, they should claim a ninth victory. Here’s the official prediction:
ACC victories (7): Maryland, Georgia Tech, Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Clemson
Big 10 victories (4): Michigan, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Michigan State
Once again, the premier battles should be tight and could go either way. This season, the schedule-makers decided that the top battle should pit North Carolina and Ohio State. The game could feature the most talented set of freshmen on one court all season. If the Buckeyes’ Greg Oden is available, he will bang in the lane with Tar Heel Brandan Wright. Point guards Mike Conley and Ty Lawson will go to battle. But despite the youth storyline, the Tar Heels’ superior depth and talent should prevail in Chapel Hill.
Another top tier game features Boston College and Michigan State. At first glance, the Eagles had the advantage because the game is in Boston and Michigan State is rebuilding this season. But Boston College has lost two of three to start the season and is not playing cohesively. Michigan State, on the other hand, stormed Texas in Madison Square Garden and looks stronger than expected. Look for the Spartans to pull off the upset against Boston College.
If you’re looking for a surprisingly good game, check out Virginia at Purdue. The Cavaliers have already knocked off Arizona this season, and the Boilermakers pushed Georgia Tech in Maui. This two teams will be trying to earn respect, and a game on national TV is the best way to garner recognition. The Cavaliers have a tremendous backcourt, which should give Virginia the slight edge in a tightly contested match up.
Here’s the rest of the schedule:
Nov. 27:
Michigan at North Carolina State
Nov. 28:
Maryland at Illinois
Florida State at Wisconsin
Penn State at Georgia Tech
Indiana at Duke
Miami at Northwestern
Nov. 29:
Michigan State at Boston College
Virginia at Purdue
Iowa at Virginia Tech
Ohio State at North Carolina
Clemson at Minnesota
Team Updates
Maryland Terrapins (7-0, 0-0)
The Terrapins are off to a solid start this season after running to the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic championship in Madison Square Garden. Maryland knocked off St. John’s and Michigan State en route to the tournament title. But more importantly, the Terrapins attracted national attention for their all-around solid play.
Maryland has returned to its staple of solid defense and balanced scoring. The Terrapins have held five of six opponents to worse than 36 percent shooting from the field. Senior guard D.J. Strawberry has been kryptonite to opposing point guards, swiping 16 steals in six games. And if opponents penetrate past Strawberry, senior forward Ekene Ibekwe sits in the lane, waiting to swat the shot. Ibekwe has 16 blocks in six game.
On offense, two freshmen point guards, Eric Hayes and Greivis Vasquez, are guiding the balanced attack. Combined, they average 11.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game. That’s far more production than coach Gary Williams expected at this point in the season.
Speaking of Williams, Maryland extended his contract through 2011, with incentives that could keep him on the sidelines through 2014. The extension tempers some building anxiety that Williams might be on the hot seat if the team fails to make the NCAA Tournament a third consecutive season. But based on the early results, Maryland is well on its way to the Big Dance.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 28 at Illinois
Dec. 3 vs. Notre Dame
Clemson Tigers (6-0, 0-0)
Like Maryland, Clemson is 6-0 after two weeks and has a tournament championship on its resume. The Tigers beat Old Dominion 74-70 to win the Cox Communication Classic. Based on its performance in the tournament, Clemson appears set to have a more balanced offense this season, compared to last season when the Tigers depended on the three-point shot to remain competitive. Freshman forward Trevor Booker has stepped into the lineup to contribute immediately. Coach Oliver Purnell must hope that Booker can remain successful against more challenging opponents in the ACC.
Against Old Dominion, Booker led the team’s frontcourt scorers with 10 points and added nine rebounds. Purnell has given Booker an opportunity to start, partially because Booker is a reliable defensive player. He works hard on the glass, collecting 5.5 rebounds per game, and he has blocked 12 shots in six games. Booker and frontcourt mate James Mays could be one of the surprisingly more successful power duos in the conference. They certainly have earned that moniker for the month of November.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 29 at Minnesota
Dec. 2 at South Carolina
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (4-0, 0-0)
No one will confuse James Madison, Elon and Bucknell with Duke, North Carolina and Maryland. But if Wake Forest can play competitively in the ACC this season, the team’s first three games against those teams might be the reason for the Demon Deacons’ success. Although coach Skip Prosser is still searching for the most effective lineup rotation, the Demon Deacons slipped past upset-minded James Madison in a hard-fought season opener, then won in overtime on the road against Bucknell. Wake Forest returned home to dominate Elon.
The Demon Deacons needed to rally against the Bison, a mid-major foe that is accustomed to knocking off major-conference squads. Prosser knew senior center Kyle Visser will be critical to the team’s success, and Visser showed why after scoring 26 points and holding Chris McNaughton to four points in only 20 minutes. McNaughton couldn’t slow down Visser and picked up four fouls quickly. Credit Visser for erasing one of the Patriot League’s most dominant players.
In addition to Visser, sophomore guard Harvey Hale stepped up when necessary. He added 20 points for Wake Forest and looked at ease playing the shooting guard position instead of running the offense as point guard. Freshman point guard Ish Smith has accepted that job, and so far, he’s performed admirably. After two weeks, Smith leads the ACC with 8.5 assists per game.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 29 at Air Force
Dec. 2 vs. Georgia
Florida State Seminoles (4-0, 0-0)
Florida State cleaned up at the Colonial Classic, taking out McNeese State, Illinois State and SMU to make the upcoming game against Pittsburgh a title game. The Seminoles added another win against New Orleans to prepare for a grueling stretch that includes road games at Pittsburgh, Wisconsin and Florida. The Seminoles don’t play any other strong non-conference squads, so they need to win at least one of these games.
Based on the team’s early results, Seminole fans have reason to believe that their team can upset one of these highly ranked opponents. Florida State’s primary backcourt rotation features Toney Douglas, Jason Rich, Jerel Allen, Isaiah Swann and Ralph Mims, and those five talented guards are averaging nearly 43 points per game. That presents plenty of problems for most teams, especially when they team with explosive senior forward Al Thornton, who averages 16.0 points per game.
Although Florida State has not allowed a team to score more than 65 points in a game this season, the Seminoles need to improve their defense because McNeese State, Illinois State and SMU all shot better than 40 percent from the field. Tough, physical teams that like to dominate the boards and feed the post on offense – Pittsburgh, Wisconsin and Florida come to mine – could cause troubles if Florida State fails to dictate the pace of the game.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 28 at Wisconsin
Dec. 3 at Florida
Virginia Cavaliers (3-0, 0-0)
The Cavaliers opened their new digs, John Paul Jones Arena, with the ACC’s best win of this young season, a 93-90 victory against Arizona. The victory offers promise for years of success in the new building, which brings the fans closer to the action and gives Virginia a better home-court advantage. The win also signifies the potential for this season. The Cavaliers picked up a huge win that the team hopes will still carry weight come March.
In the victory, the Cavaliers discovered a balanced attack led by superstar junior point guard Sean Singletary, who scored 25 points and dished six assists. Everyone expects Singletary to put up big numbers, but sophomore guard Mamadi Diane, however, is not someone most opponents would worry about. Diane proved that he is a potent scorer, hitting eight of his nine field goal attempts to tie Singletary with 25 points. Diane started in place of senior guard J.R. Reynolds, who played fewer minutes than usual because of an eye injury he sustained in practice.
The Cavaliers will open ACC play next weekend against North Carolina State. The Cavs should win their first conference game in John Paul Jones and carry a 1-0 lead atop the standings throughout December.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 29 at Purdue
Dec. 3 vs. North Carolina State
North Carolina State Wolfpack (3-0, 0-0)
Entering the season, new coach Sidney Lowe had to wonder who would be the team’s scoring threat. After three games, the answer is anyone in the starting lineup. Following wins against Wofford, Delaware State and Valparaiso, the Wolfpack’s starting five are all averaging better than 10 points per game. Junior forward Gavin Grant leads the way with 17.3 points and six rebounds per game. Grant dominated the Crusaders, picking up his first double-double of the season with 25 points and 12 rebounds.
Although Lowe must be happy that Grant, Brandon Costner, Engin Atsur, Ben McCauley and Courtney Fells are scoring in bunches, he must be ready to sound the alarm because of the lack of depth on the bench. Only two non-starters have played more than three minutes after three games, and those two have scored only 21 points. All of the starters average more than 30 minutes per game, and Atsur and Grant are averaging more than 35 minutes per game. At that pace, the young starters will burn out by the new year.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 27 vs. Michigan
Dec. 3 at Virginia
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (5-1, 0-0)
Georgia Tech has started the season with a strong outing in the EA Sports Maui Invitational. After beating Elon, Jackson State and Georgia State by an average of 31 points, the Yellow Jackets prepared for tougher opponents in tropical paradise. Georgia Tech dispatched Purdue in the first game of the tournament, then upset Memphis 92-85 before falling to UCLA in the tournament championship 88-73.
After a lackluster start vs. Memphis, the Yellow Jackets demonstrated that they have one of the most lethal offensive lineups in the conference by scoring 62 second-half points. Junior forward Jeremis Smith led Georgia Tech with 21 points and nine rebounds, leading five Yellow Jackets in double figures. The Yellow Jackets outworked the Tigers for seemingly every loose ball in the second half, finishing with a 46-31 advantage in rebounding, including 18 offensive rebounds.
Against UCLA, Georgia Tech learned that it still needs to play defense more consistently before it can hang with championship-caliber teams. The Bruins shot better than 60 percent in the first half and raced to a double-digit lead. The Yellow Jackets trailed by as much as 22 points in the second half before tightening the game down the stretch. The Bruins shot better than 55 percent from the field for the game, while Georgia Tech shot a little better than 42 percent.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 28 at Penn State
Dec. 3 at Miami
Duke Blue Devils (4-1, 0-0)
Despite playing with a lineup comprised almost entirely of freshmen and sophomores, Duke opened the season by dominating Columbia, Georgia Southern, UNC-Greensboro and Air Force. But when the Blue Devils reached the championship game of the CBE Classic vs. Marquette, Duke hit the wall. The Blue Devils and Golden Eagles remained close until the closing minutes of the second half, when Marquette took over the game with defense. Only sophomore Josh McRoberts and junior DeMarcus Nelson managed to reach double figures for the Blue Devils, who couldn’t buy a clutch shot.
The Marquette loss might have exposed a problem for Duke as they shot worse than 38 percent from the floor against the Golden Eagles. McRoberts led the team with 15 points, but he was only 4-of-16 from the field. Duke needs sophomore point guard Greg Paulus to play better soon. Paulus has failed to reach 10 points in a game this season, and he has 22 assists and 21 turnovers. In addition, Paulus is shooting 38 percent from the field.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 28 vs. Indiana
Dec. 2 vs. Georgetown
North Carolina Tar Heels (3-1, 0-0)
North Carolina is looking to rebound from a tough loss to Gonzaga in the semifinals of the NIT Season Tip-Off. The Bulldogs successfully shut down sophomore forward Tyler Hansbrough, one of the few teams to ever accomplish that feat. Although North Carolina possesses a tremendous amount of talent this season, coach Roy Williams may have his hands full because the team lacks leadership. Dating back to his first game last season, Hansbrough has never been a vocal leader. He quietly, doggedly collects rebounds, fights for second-chance points and works to get to the free-throw line. But he rarely celebrates great plays, favoring to remain the blue-collar man’s man. But this team needs a leader, and senior swingman Reyshawn Terry must embrace that role.
Against Gonzaga, Terry failed to show the fire necessary to help his team overcome the troubles of Hansbrough. Gonzaga coach Mark Few asked Josh Heytvelt to stop Hansbrough by any means necessary, and the forward responded by frustrating Hansbrough with timely blocks and intense pressure. North Carolina did not have an answer. Terry scored only four points in the game, and his uninspired effort earned him a seat on the bench for most of the game. At one point, with less than two minutes remaining in the game and North Carolina attempting to rally, the cameras zoomed onto Terry, who did not have a bead of sweat on his head, instead sporting a look of bewilderment.
For the Tar Heels to realize their immense potential, Terry needs to shoulder the responsibility of carrying this team when North Carolina needs help. He is the senior leader on this team, one of the few players to participate in the championship run two years ago. When Hansbrough plays poorly because of a successful defensive game plan – heaven forbid he miss significant time because of an injury – Terry must accept the responsibility for finding a way to put up big statistics and guide these young Heels to victory.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 29 vs. Ohio State
Dec. 2 vs. Kentucky
Virginia Tech Hokies (2-1, 0-0)
Virginia Tech is the most difficult ACC team to figure out because the Hokies have plenty of experience but not much depth or superstar power. That mix earned Virginia Tech two easy wins against Coppin State and West Florida and also led to a tough loss to Western Michigan in the Old Spice Classic. The backcourt duo of senior guards Zabian Dowdell and Jamon Gordon delivered 35 of the Hokies’ 68 points. Virginia Tech’s backcourt has the most experience of any backcourt in the ACC because Dowdell and Gordon have been starters for the past three seasons.
But when defenses focus on Gordon and Dowdell, as the Broncos did at the end of the game in Orlando, Virginia Tech needs another shooter to emerge as a consistent threat. Sophomore guard A.D. Vassallo has the potential to be that shooter, but he couldn’t deliver against Western Michigan. He missed three three-point attempts at the end of the game. Despite struggling against Western Michigan, Vassallo has played very well, averaging 15.3 points per game and hitting 9-of-19 three-point attempts. For the Hokies to contend with the top ACC teams, Virginia Tech needs Vassallo to find a way to shoot well against the top teams.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 29 vs. Iowa
Dec. 3 at George Washington
Miami Hurricanes (3-2, 0-0)
After opening the season with wins against Florida International, Alcorn State and Evansville, the Hurricanes dropped two to Buffalo and Cleveland State. Siena transfer Jack McClinton has been the lone dependable scorer for coach Frank Haith, averaging 18.6 points per game and shooting better than 50 percent from three-point range. But the Hurricanes don’t have another player averaging more than 10 points per game.
Besides the play of McClinton, the silver lining for Miami is the dominance of Anthony King. The senior forward is averaging 11.6 rebounds per game and has blocked 12 shots in five games. King might be the most complete defensive player in the conference, and his numbers have improved significantly. If King can maintain his rebounding statistics and post double figures in scoring, he should sail into a spot on an All-ACC team.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 28 at Northwestern
Dec. 3 vs. Georgia Tech
Boston College Eagles (1-2, 0-0)
For Boston College fans, the beginning of the 2006-07 has been disastrous. A week before the start of the season, Boston College suspended forwards Akida McClain and Sean Williams. With two of the forwards out of the lineup, Boston College has a somewhat viable excuse for losing to Vermont at home. But even with Williams back in the lineup, the Eagles struggled and lost to Providence 73-64.
Boston College lost primarily because the Eagles could not hit shots or collect the rebounds. The team shot 41.8 percent from the field and 22.7 percent from three-point range. Although Williams grabbed 10 rebounds, the rest of the team didn’t offer much support on the glass, letting the Friars collect 11 more rebounds. Williams continues to struggle on offense, scoring only two points. He must be a factor in the post to deflect attention from senior forward Jared Dudley. Dudley continues to play fantastic basketball, averaging 18.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.
Boston College needs to find its rhythm in the next couple of weeks because a road date at Kansas could become a critical game this season. Boston College needs a strong showing against the Jayhawks to prove that this team is a true contender. Expectations are high in Chestnut Hill, and losing two of the first three is unacceptable.
Upcoming games:
Nov. 29 vs. Michigan State
Dec. 2 at Massachusetts
