Tuesday’s ACC action went as we expected, but it was a close game. As expected, NC State and Virginia Tech won, but Wake Forest was eliminated by Pitt and Notre Dame took Virginia to double overtime before falling.
North Carolina State won 88-68, adding insult to injury to Syracuse. The Orange shot 51% to 39%. State also dominated the rebounding game, 45-33. Donnie Freeman was the highlight for the Coos with 24 points and 10 rebounds. JJ Starling scored 17 points.
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Darion Williams had 23 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists for State. Ven-Allen Lubin scored 18 points and nine points, while former Syracuse player Quadir Copeland had 19 points, nine assists and four steals against his former team.
Adrian Autry was already under some pressure in this game and losing by 20 points didn’t help that his team didn’t really defend.
You have to sympathize with the Irish. Notre Dame held a 19-point lead over a very good Virginia team, but they gave it all up and the game went into double overtime, where the Hoos won 100-97.
All of Notre Dame’s big men were sacked, mostly to defend Thijs De Ridder, who shot 14-15 in the lane. He finished with 32 points and 8 rebounds.
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Sam Lewis finished with 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and impressive freshman Chance Mallory finished with 17 points.
The frame of this game is that Notre Dame screwed up, but that’s not fair. The Irish outplayed their game and simply couldn’t sustain it, as the foul situation showed. It’s a game effort that deserves respect, not ridicule. Better question: What happened in Virginia? They couldn’t keep up with UNC and took two overtimes to defeat a team that was missing its best player and couldn’t defend them in the paint. What happened to “Huss”?
Like Virginia, Pitt fell behind early but came back within 80-76 in overtime. As mentioned, Wake’s internal dilemma was difficult to overcome. Cooper Schweiger scored 7 points but grabbed 11 rebounds, Trayvon Spillers had 8 points and 3 rebounds, and Omaha Billiu had 1 point and 1 rebound.
The perimeter was victorious again. Juke Harris scored 17 points and 5 rebounds, Myles Colvin scored 18 points, and Nate Calmes scored 10 points.
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You can win with minimal frontcourt production, but your backfield has to be exceptional, just like Georgia Tech’s Lethal Weapon 3 offense of Kenny Anderson, Dennis Scott, and Brian Oliver. Wake is good, but not that great, plus Tech has Matt Geiger and Malcolm McGee who are solid, if unspectacular.
Roman Siulepa continued to improve, finishing with 15 points and 15 rebounds, but Omari Witherspoon was the hero of the day. In overtime, he made a key steal, blocked a three-pointer, and then hit a clutch three-pointer with 15 seconds left. What a great effort from the newcomers.
Both teams have suffered three straight losses. Pitt is 9-12 and Wake is 11-10, barely above .500.
Virginia Tech outshot the Yellow Jackets 71-65, finishing the game from 3-point range and at the free throw line. The Hokies outshot Georgia Tech 24-6 on three-pointers and won free throws 19-12.
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Tobi Lawal returns to Virginia Tech’s starting lineup, which is now very impressive: Lawal, the very good Amani Hansberry, Neoklis Avdalas, Jailen Bedford and Ben Hammonds, who scored 20 points here.
Georgia Tech made a nice comeback, but it wasn’t enough to turn the tables.
With the win, Virginia Tech moves to 16-6 and if they continue to perform well, an NCAA bid will certainly be on the table.
Florida schools rocked the West Coast on Wednesday. Cal plays Florida State, and Stanford plays Miami.
Wednesday’s ACC action
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Florida California || 7:00 || ACCN
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Miami Stanford University || 9:00 || ACCN
ACC standings
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