The Blue Devils were one of several ACC teams that returned from lengthy breaks and played nonconference games against power-five opponents with conference play just around the corner.
1. No. 16 Notre Dame (11-1, 1-0 in the ACC)
The Fighting Irish extended their winning streak to seven games in a 94-63 victory against Purdue in the Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis Saturday. Sophomore guard Demetrius Jackson scored 22 points—his third straight game in double-digits—and sparked a second half rout by throwing down an emphatic dunk with 13:40 remaining over 7-foot-2 freshman Isaac Haas.
Senior Pat Connaughton recorded his third double-double of the season in the contest, scoring 19 points and adding 14 rebounds. Notre Dame shot 51.6 percent from the field, once again showing how it has managed to maintain the nation’s top field goal percentage. The team remains at the top of the ACC with the win, and will hit the court again on Monday to face Northern Illinois at home.
2. N.C. State (9-3, 1-0)
It was all about the three-pointer in an 83-72 win against Tennessee Wednesday night for the Wolfpack. Senior guard Ralston Turner went 8-for-17 from beyond the arc, scoring a career high 33 points against the Volunteers. Despite leading by 17 points in the second half, N.C. State nearly blew the lead due to 10 turnovers, but managed to hold off a late charge.
The Wolfpack’s second matchup of the week took the team to Madison Square Garden to face off against then-No. 22 West Virginia in the Gotham Classic. Guards Trevor Lacey and Anthony Barber scored 24 and 16 points ,respectively, but 23 total team turnovers and 14 missed free throws proved fatal against the Mountaineers. N.C. State dropped its second game in less than a week 83-69, but will look to turn things around Tuesday against Louisiana Tech.
3. No. 5 Virginia (11-0)
Virginia cruised in its two wins this week against less-than-stellar competition. Cleveland State did not stand a chance against the more powerful Cavaliers, who won 70-54 at home Thursday. The Vikings went scoreless for more than 10 minutes in the contest and shot a putrid 26.9 percent in the first half. In addition to the defensive effort, junior guard Malcolm Brogdon scored 16 points.
Sunday was a bigger walk in the park for the Cavaliers against Harvard in a 76-27 win. Virginia’s strong defense and nonexistent shooting from the Crimson—who shot 16 percent from the field and had just one made field goal in the first half—produced the one-sided result. Junior Mike Tobey recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. The Cavaliers have now won 17 straight games at home.
4. No. 2 Duke (10-0)
The final score was not indicative of the way the Blue Devils played Monday night against Elon at home. Although Duke won 75-62, the team turned the ball over 17 times and appeared complacent. Freshman Jahlil Okafor’s 25 points and 20 rebounds overshadowed sloppy play, however. Okafor joined former Maryland standout Joe Smith as the only freshman in ACC history to score 20 points and 20 rebounds. His 20 rebounds were a Duke freshman record.
The Blue Devils traveled to New Jersey Thursday to face the defending national champion Connecticut Huskies. Duke’s starters scored all 66 points in the victory—the tenth of the year by double-digits—and freshman Tyus Jones shined on the big stage once again with 21 points. Junior Amile Jefferson added a double-double for the Blue Devils as well, scoring 11 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
5. No. 4 Louisville (10-0)
Louisville remained undefeated Saturday against Western Kentucky with a 76-67 win at home, but it was not pretty. Following a scramble for the ball at the end of the first half, preseason All-American Montrezl Harrell became a human wrecking ball and threw an errant punch at the Hilltoppers. He would receive a flagrant two, and was ejected from the game. With Harrell getting an early shower, sophomore guard Terry Rozier went off for a career high 32 points that propelled Rick Pitino’s squad to victory.
6. Miami (9-2)
Despite an 8-0 start to the season, the Hurricanes dropped their second game in three outings Friday in a 72-44 rout against Eastern Kentucky. Miami shot 29.3 percent from the field, recorded 14 turnovers and managed only one player—Sheldon McClellan—in double-digits. The transfer guard’s 14 points would not be near enough, however, as a 22-2 second half run by the Colonels would decimate the Hurricanes and knock them from the top-25.
7. Georgia Tech (8-2)
Following a week off, Georgia Tech captured two victories at home this week. Scoring 70 points for the first time since a late November loss to Marquette, the Yellow Jackets put Appalachian State away 70-57 behind the play of captain Marcus Georges-Hunt. His 15 points—all in the first half—gave the Yellow Jackets an insurmountable 11-point halftime lead. Georgia Tech managed to show its aggression in the contest as well, getting to the free throw line 29 times compared to Appalachian State’s eight.
Georges-Hunt added 14 more points Saturday in a 65-60 win over Vanderbilt, but 19 points and 8 rebounds from forward Charles Mitchell propelled the Yellow Jackets to victory. Despite shooting just 38.8 percent from the field, 20 offensive rebounds—including seven from Mitchell—allowed Georgia Tech to score 40 second-half points and put the Commodores away.
8. No. 20 North Carolina (8-3)
After last week’s loss to No. 1 Kentucky on the road, North Carolina notched two more victories this week. The first came on the road against UNC Greensboro at Greensboro Coliseum—the sight of the ACC tournament in March. Led by sophomore forward Kennedy Meeks’ 18 points and six rebounds, the Tar Heels dispatched the Spartans easily 79-56.
Saturday served as a statement game for the Tar Heels against then-No. 12 Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic in Chicago. North Carolina relied on a combined 34 points from juniors Brice Johnson—who scored 18—and Marcus Paige—who added 16—to hand the Buckeyes their second loss of the season. Meeks nearly added a double-double with 8 points and 14 rebounds, along with two blocks. Despite sloppy play at times this season, the win against Ohio State shows the danger that the Tar Heels present to unsuspecting ACC foes when conference play breaks into full swing.
9. Pittsburgh (8-3)
Pittsburgh remained undefeated since the return of senior guard Cameron Wright this week, moving to four straight victories after a rocky 4-3 start. The first victory came on Wednesday against Manhattan—who turned the ball over 20 times—as the Panthers strolled to a 65-56 win. Wright scored 14 points while fellow Panther Jamel Artis went off for 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
The win did not come as easily Saturday against Oakland, but Pittsburgh was able to get the job done with an extra period of play 81-77. Wright scored his season high with 16 points, but junior guard James Robinson made a layup and two key free throws in the final minutes of regulation to send it to overtime. His 18 points—five of which came in the closing seconds of the second half—propelled the Panthers to victory.
10. Boston College (6-4)
Following a four-game winning streak, the Eagles dropped a 75-71 heartbreaker at home Sunday against Southern California. Boston College was trailing by nine with 22 seconds remaining, but seven unanswered points in 11 seconds made it a one-possession game. Junior guard Olivier Hanlan’s 15 points and eight assists were not enough in the loss, however, as he failed to convert a three-point jumper in the closing seconds. Looking ahead, the Eagles will face UMass Lowell Dec. 29 before opening ACC play Jan. 3 at Cameron Indoor Stadium against No. 2 Duke.
11. Clemson (6-4)
After topping three SEC opponents this season, Clemson was blown out of the gym against bitter rival South Carolina 68-45 Friday night. The Tigers could not connect from anywhere on the floor, shooting 29.8 percent from the field, 22.2 percent from beyond the arc and 58.3 percent from the charity stripe. They will have two more nonconference warm-up games against Oakland and Robert Morris before running a gauntlet in the first half of their ACC schedule. Three of the Tigers’ first four conference games will come against opponents that are currently ranked—No. 20 North Carolina, No. 4 Louisville and No. 5 Virginia.
12. Syracuse (6-4)
Syracuse has dropped three of its last four games after a tough 82-77 overtime loss to then-No. 7 Villanova. It was the same story as of late for the Orange, who fell apart after building a 15-point lead in the first half. They did not trail until overtime against the undefeated Wildcats, but could not hold on due to sloppy play that included 20 turnovers and 27 fouls. Duke transfer guard Michael Gbinije was the lone bright spot in the loss, scoring 18 points, corralling eight rebounds and dishing out five assists.
13. Virginia Tech (6-4)
Despite trailing by five at the half, Virginia Tech rallied behind junior Adam Smith’s 16 points—14 coming in the second half—to finish off The Citadel 64-61. Smith continues to lead the Hokies in scoring with 12.5 points per game, and the team continues to go as he goes in close games. In order to be competitive when ACC play opens Jan. 3 at home against Syracuse, however, Virginia Tech will have to find another dependable scorer to complement Smith.
14. Florida State (6-5, 0-1)
The Seminoles faced two in-state opponents this week, defeating both North Florida and South Florida by double-digits. Florida State is now 3-0 against other teams from the Sunshine State this season—including a blowout victory against Central Florida Dec. 6. The Seminoles captured each win in dominating fashion, with the average margin of victory coming in at 17.3 points in the three contests. They will look to continue the trend with Stetson and Florida in the coming weeks.
15. Wake Forest (5-6, 0-1)
The Demon Deacons fell below .500 for the second time this season with a 63-50 loss to Florida Saturday in the Orange Bowl Classic. Wake Forest will have three games against Bucknell, Richmond and Princeton—three teams with a combined record of 15-18—to end 2014, before playing two brutal conference games at home against No. 4 Louisville and No. 2 Duke to kick off 2015.
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