ACC Roundup - UNC And Notre Dame Put On A Show

Meanwhile, Pitt and Clemson continue to rise

In Saturday’s ACC Action, Boston College fell at Georgia Tech 85-64, Wake knocked off NC State 77-59, UNC survived Notre Dame 74-73, Virginia Tech slipped by Miami 86-85, Louisville took out Virginia 70-50, Florida State popped Syracuse 90-74, Pitt smacked Stanford 83-68 and Cal lost to Clemson 80-68.

Let’s start in South Bend, where a good old-fashioned ACC game broke out.

In the first half, UNC’s defense was truly impressive. It kind of shocked Notre Dame and the Irish literally slipped and stumbled a lot under pressure.

Notre Dame was much better in the second half and behind a hot Braeden Shrewsberry, caught back up.

But Elliot Cadeau had the final word with a three and a layup to put UNC up 74-73.

The best news for the Irish was the return of Markus Burton who has been out since November 26th. He didn’t start but he did score 26 and had a chance to hit the final basket. He missed this one but he’ll be a big factor for the rest of the season. That kid is really talented.

So is Ian Jackson, who scored 27 for the Tar Heels, hitting 11-18/2-7. RJ Davis managed just nine.

The frontcourt was better than it has been. Jalen Washington had eight points, six boards and five blocks. Jae’Lyn Withers had seven points and four board, while Ven-Allen Lubin put up four points and three boards against his first collegiate team.

It was a tough loss but both teams played hard and with passion and is really something to build on for both.

There’s an NC State site that has started almost every story this year with something like “ACC Champions NC State Win...”

That’s going to be harder to do for a while.

State lost its second game in a row, this time to Wake Forest, and by 18.

Wake ripped off a 17-1 run early and while State cut it two twice, the Pack could never come back.

Wake scored 38 points in the paint and hit 54.9 percent from the floor. Hunter Sallis had 20 points and Juke Harris had 17 off the bench.

Dontrez Styles said that State wasn’t paying attention to details and that cost them the game.

Better figure it out: ACC Champion NC State is just 8-6.

Georgia Tech won its third in a row and shot nearly 60 percent while doing it. Lance Terry and Javian McCollum each had 20 points and while Naithan George didn't shoot well, he finished with 10 points and 10 assists. Baye Ndongo had 14 on 6-9 shooting.

Chad Venning paced BC with 19 points and eight rebounds while Elijah Strong had 16.

The Yellow Jackets have won three of the last four but a tough stretch awaits with trips to Syracuse and SMU and then Clemson at home.

Poor Miami: the Hurricanes were in position to finally win but Virginia Tech drew up a play and got a layup from Mylyjael Poteat to tie the game at 85-85 with :02 left. Worse, Brandon Johnson fouled him. Poteat hit the free throw and while Matthew Cleveland got a desperation shot off, it was way off the mark.

It was Miami’s third straight loss and the ‘Canes have now lost nine of their last 10.

Duke transfer Jaden Schutt had nine points for Virginia Tech while Poteat led the way with 25. Tobi Lawal added 22.

Miami shot 58.9 percent overall and hit 8-17 threes and still lost.

Virginia’s offense is hitting at about where it was under Tony Bennett, but the defense, once so sturdy, is increasingly porous. And it’s not like Louisville was just killing it on offense: the Cards shot 25-57 overall (43.9 percent) and 7-19 (36.8 percent) on threes.

Virginia’s offense basically came from Isaac McKneely (13 points 5-10/3-7), Andrew Rohde (16 points 6-12/2-5) and Elijah Saunders (16 points 6-12/0-4). No one else scored more than five including former Blue Devil TJ Power, who has really slumped: he got just six minute and didn't score.

Louisville is flawed but playing well. And Virginia? It’s not quite a lost season, but it’s not good.

Good news for Syracuse: JJ Starling is back! Bad news for Syracuse: it didn’t much matter.

It was close in the first half, but in the second, FSU steadily pulled away.

Florida State shot 53.6 percent and four starters hit at least 14 points.

Starling hit 12 in his return but shot just 5-16. And someone had to sit with him returning to the lineup and it was Chris Bell. He did well though, hitting 4-5/4-4 for 18 points. He was also 6-7 from the line.

With the loss, SU falls to 6-8. FSU is now 10-4 and played well enough to ask Leonard Hamilton for a raise - but will he pay it?

Kidding!

After racking up seven at Clemson last time out, Jaylen Blakes got his turnovers under control against Clemson, picking up just three. He also had five boards and five assists and Maxime Raynaud had 21 points and five boards,but Pitt handled the Cardinal well in the second half.

Guillermo Diaz Graham and Cameron Corhen combined for 20 points and 11 rebounds, effectively countering Raynaud.

Ishmael Leggett racked up 25 and Jaland Lowe got 16 for Pitt.

With the win, Pitt moves to a highly impressive 12-2 and sets up a big game at Duke on Tuesday.

Cal hung around against Clemson well into the second half, which we honestly didn't think they would do. They’re showing a little bit of heart. More than a little, actually.

Ian Schieffelin bounced back from a mediocre game against Stanford with 21 points and seven rebounds. Chase Hunter had 19 while Chauncey Wiggins got 15.

Duke transfer Christian Reeves got the nod at center but only played eight minutes, scoring four points and grabbing three boards.

Andrej Stojakovic racked up 30, shooting a very impressive 11-15, with just one three. He also shot 7-9 from the line.

We’ll see how things shake out from here, but as of now, Duke (12-2/4-0), Clemson (12-3/4-0) and Pitt (12-2/3-0) are the cream of the ACC crop.

The next tier features SMU, UNC and Georgia Tech. No one else is even over .500 in conference play as of now.

Even with RJ Davis struggling as he did at Notre Dame, UNC’s backcourt is really talented. It’s hard to match Davis, Jackson, Cadeau and Seth Trimble, who is still out with an injury. Toss in Drake Powell, who is playing forward out of necessity, and UNC is a real load. If they can find something in the frontcourt, the Heels could make a move.

No games until Tuesday but Duke and Pitt should be a dandy.

ACC Standings

• Burton’s 23 point return not enough as UNC tops Notre Dame in heartbreaking 74-73 game
• Lucas: UNC vs. Notre Dame Rapid Reactions
• Jackson scores 27, Cadeau delivers in clutch for North Carolina in 74-73 win over Notre Dame
• Cadeau’s 4-point play gives UNC basketball a desperately needed win, narrow as it was
• NC State PF Ben Middlebrooks active against Wake Forest after missing UVA game to illness
• NC State players following blowout loss to Wake Forest: ‘We need to be tougher, focus better’
• Wake Forest Basketball: Hunter Sallis Explodes as Wake Dominates NC State 77-59
• NC State’s defensive, mental breakdowns reappear in loss at Wake Forest
• Georgia Tech wins third consecutive game, blasts Boston College
• Georgia Tech cruises past Boston College
• Terry, McCollum each score 20 points to lead hot-shooting Georgia Tech past Boston College 85-64
• Mylyjael Poteat lifts Virginia Tech over Miami
• Last-second heroics from Poteat lift Virginia Tech to a dramatic ACC win against Miami
• Poteat’s late three-point play sends Virginia Tech past Miami 86-85
• Five Takeaways From Virginia’s 70-50 Loss to Louisville
• The Plus/Minus: Virginia Crumbles Against Louisville
• Louisville uses size, depth to overwhelm UVA, win in Charlottesville for first time in 34 years
• Fizz Report Card: Syracuse Blown Out in 90-74 Loss to Florida State
• Davis, Watkins lead second-half surge and Florida State defeats Syracuse 90-74
• Florida State sinks Syracuse for first ACC win
• Leggett scores 21, helps Pitt handle Stanford
• Pitt takes control late in first half, never looks back vs. Stanford
• Leggett Powers Panthers to 83-68 Win Over Stanford
• Ishmael Leggett scores 21 to help Pitt continue hot start with 83-68 victory over Stanford
• Postgame Reaction from Jeff Capel, Pitt Players After Stanford Game
• Andrej Stojakovic’s 30 points not enough as Cal falls to Clemson on road
• Cal Basketball: Stojakovic Scores 30 in Loss at Clemson
• Watch: Cal’s Andrej Stojakovic Was Unguardable In Clemson
• Schieffelin’s 21 points lead Clemson Basketball in 80-68 win over Cal
• Clemson rolls Call, moves to 4-0 in conference play
• Strong Second Half Pushes Clemson Past Cal