The ACC had the SEC’s number on Wednesday night, winning all three matchups of schools from the respective conferences. None stood out more than the one in Raleigh, an important one for multiple reasons.
NC State came into the night at 9-1, albeit in search of a true signature win. Their win over Vanderbilt in the Hoophall Miami Classic may yet prove to be that, but as it came after Darius Garland was lost for the season with an injury, there is an asterisk there for the moment. They lost at Wisconsin, their other big test thus far, in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, and while they beat Penn State on Saturday in Atlantic City, the Nittany Lions aren’t a lock for the NCAA Tournament, either.
So NC State hosted Auburn on Wednesday night still in search of a signature win. The game was not exactly one with which you would send a copy of the video to the Hall of Fame, as both teams turned the ball over more than 20 times and shot below 53 percent from the free throw line, but the Wolfpack forced a few more turnovers and shot it a little better in a 78-71 win over the Tigers.
The star of the night for the Wolfpack was Markell Johnson, one of the really underappreciated point guards in the nation. He scored a career-high 27 points on 9-15 shooting, including 5-8 from long range, and he isn’t known for his scoring. It was his night, though, along with sophomores Devon Daniels, who added 15 on 7-13 shooting, and Braxton Beverly, who also had 15 on 5-6 shooting including 4-5 from deep.
Auburn did well to stay within striking distance, but NC State led for most of the night. Besides their 25 turnovers, they were just 5-25 from long range and 6-12 from the free throw line, so it wasn’t exactly a night to remember for them. The dynamic backcourt of Jared Harper and Bryce Brown had a real off night, with the former going 5-16 from the field and the latter just 1-6, and they were a combined 1-9 from deep en route to just 14 points. NC State never let their catalysts get going.
This is the last big non-conference test for the Wolfpack, so they made the most of it. Visits from USC Upstate and Loyola (Md.) are all that remain before ACC play begins with a trip to Miami and a visit from North Carolina. The school just re-upped head coach Kevin Keatts, who was a big winner in prep school before doing so now in college, and he continues to produce results in Raleigh. Wednesday night was just the latest example of that.
Side Dishes
In the other two ACC-SEC matchups, Virginia took care of South Carolina 69-52 in Columbia and Georgia Tech went to Arkansas for the first time and beat the Razorbacks 69-65 behind 20 points from Jose Alvarado and 14 points and 14 rebounds from James Banks III.
For the Pac-12, the hits keep on coming. Sure, Arizona took care of Big Sky favorite Montana 61-42, but Cincinnati thumped UCLA 93-64 in a game that was never competitive in the second half and another missed opportunity for the conference to raise its profile. Cal lost again as well, this time 95-73 at Fresno State, while Washington State beat lowly SIU-Edwardsville 89-73.
Led by a big game from Jordan Ford, Saint Mary’s manhandled Bucknell 85-56 as the Gaels continue to get better. Ford had 28 points in the win, and each time out the Gaels look a little better, even if they don’t look as good as the past couple of years. Will they be Gonzaga’s top challenger in the West Coast Conference, even if the Bulldogs appear to be head and shoulders above everyone else? There is still BYU, plus San Francisco has played well and moved to 11-1 with a 76-60 win over Northern Arizona on Wednesday, but the sleeper is Loyola Marymount, now 11-1 after edging Boise State 70-69 on a layup with one second left by James Batemon to cap another big night with 30 points. The Lions have wins over UNLV (road) and Georgetown (in Jamaica), so their record isn’t just the product of a schedule full of softies.
The SEC did get a couple of good wins on the night, but the best might have been Mississippi State turning the game around in the second half to beat Wofford 98-87. Wofford put up 50 points in the first half and had a nine-point lead, but the Bulldogs got going in the second half and then made one big shot after another to expand or hold the lead.
At times in recent years, North Carolina head coach Roy Williams has been asked if retirement could be in the foreseeable future for him. He has consistently turned away such questions, but maybe they will take a little pause after he signed an eight-year contract extension on Wednesday, which will cover up through 2027-28. Williams also signed a new personal services contract with Nike, with whom the school also announced they have signed a ten-year extension as their exclusive apparel provider.
One story we left out in our haste yesterday was that of South Dakota State signing head coach T.J. Otzelberger to a new five-year contract. Currently on his second three-year deal at the school, Otzelberger has had a great run of success at the school that includes two straight NCAA Tournament appearances, and if they win again as they are favored to this season, his name is sure to come up for more vacancies. The only question is if he will want one of them more than he wants his current situation.
Tonight’s Menu
The slate is lighter, including with TV games, but here are a few highlights.
- Well-tested Canisius travels to Holy Cross (2 p.m.)
- The best matchup of the day will be at Madison Square Garden as Duke takes on Texas Tech (7 p.m.)
- The most underrated matchup of the day is Houston putting their undefeated mark to the test with a visit from 9-2 Utah State (8 p.m.)
