Duke kept its ACC regular season title hopes alive for a little while longer by edging Miami in a thriller Saturday by the score of 79-76. Meanwhile, both of the other Triangle teams were also in action this weekend, hoping to improve their seeding in the upcoming NCAA tournament.
NC State (21-8, 10-6)
February 27: Boston College 64, NC State 82
Unranked N.C. State drubbed Boston College behind freshman Rodney Purvis’ career-high 21 points. The Eagles—coming off a bad loss to Duke—were not given any respite from an aggressive Wolfpack unit that shot 56% on the game and grabbed 38 rebounds. Scott Wood had five three-pointers on his way to 17 points and C.J. Leslie contributed 10 points and nine rebounds as five N.C. State players reached double figures. The Wolfpack need to beat teams like Boston College handily if they are going to convince the nation that they can run with the top teams in college basketball later this month.
March 3: NC State 70, Georgia Tech 57
The Wolfpack won their second game of the week on the road against Georgia Tech. The forwards did most of the heaving lifting, as per usual, with Richard Howell scoring 18 points and C.J. Leslie adding 13—11 of which came in the second half. T.J. Warren contributed another 14 points. Point guard Lorenzo Brown had seven assists, five rebounds and three steals to offset his poor 1-of-6 shooting from the field. A concern for N.C. State is the fact that they managed a meager 9.1 percent shooting performance from beyond the arc, hitting a paltry 1-of-11 attempts.
Analysis: N.C. State has won five of its last six games since losing at Cameron Indoor, and is playing very well with the ACC tournament right around the corner. They have all the pieces needed to compete in the ACC tournament—as well as make a deep run in the NCAA tournament. Behind the strength of their NBA caliber forwards and surprisingly successful freshman class, N.C. State is a team to keep a careful eye on this month.
Upcoming: Mar 6 vs. Wake Forest; Mar 9 at Florida State
UNC (21-8, 11-5)
February 28: North Carolina 68, Clemson 59
The unranked Tar Heels achieved a 20-win season for a ninth straight year with a win over Clemson. North Carolina was led by Dexter Strickland, who matched a season high 16 points, and all five starters reached double figures. Reggie Bullock had 12 points and nine rebounds while P.J. Hairston and James McAdoo scored 11 points each. North Carolina shot 47.3 percent from the field, but was very poor from the line—shooting a mear 53.3 percent from the charity stripe. For Clemson, Devin Booker put on a show, scoring 25 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, six offensive.
March 3: Florida State 58, North Carolina 79
It was the Bullock and McAdoo show once again for North Carolina, as the two Tar Heels led their team to an easy win over Florida State. Bullock finished with a double-double, posting 20 points and 10 rebounds to go along with five assists. McAdoo was surprisingly efficient offensively, scoring 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting. P.J. Hairston added 16 points while Marcus Paige dished out nine assists. The Tar Heels shot 55.4 percent as part of an extremely well-played offensive game.
Analysis: North Carolina has lost only once since head coach Roy Williams switched to a smaller lineup with a tighter rotation. The Tar Heels have been very good ever since starting ACC play 0-2, and are certainly hitting their stride at the right time. Bullock and McAdoo have been their go-to men when it comes to scoring, but McAdoo must work on his shot efficiency, as he is shooting just 44.5 percent from the field. That said, this team that has fallen out of the national spotlight looks primed and ready for a competitive stint in the NCAA tournament.
Upcoming: Mar 6 at Maryland; Mar 9 vs. Duke
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