In the first weekend of conference action, several ACC games went down to the wire, including a pair of double-overtime thrillers.
1. No. 13 Notre Dame (14-1, 2-0 in the ACC): The Fighting Irish got all they could handle from Georgia Tech in their second conference game of the season Saturday. The Yellow Jackets led by four at halftime before Jerian Grant led a furious Notre Dame comeback, punctuating it with a huge dunk. Grant also threw down one of the best dunks of the year in the contest.
Despite Grant's heroics, Georgia Tech didn't go away, and Notre Dame was forced to eek out an 83-76 win in double-overtime. The road gets no easier for the Fighting Irish, who face No. 18 North Carolina and No. 3 Virginia this week.
2. N.C. State (11-4, 2-0): After a disappointing loss to Cincinnati Dec. 30, the Wolfpack responded to stay unbeaten in league play with a 68-50 win against Pittsburgh. Trevor Lacey leads N.C. State with 17.2 points per game and turned in a 19-point outing against the Panthers, and backcourt-mate Ralston Turner added 16. Mark Gottfried's club gets a chance to make an early statement when they travel to Charlottesville to face Virginia Wednesday.
3. No. 2 Duke (13-0, 1-0): The Blue Devils came out of the holiday break slowly against Toledo, but recovered in the second half for a 17-point win. Double-digit victories against Wofford and Boston College rounded out the week for Duke, which has won all 13 games by double-digits. Jahlil Okafor scored 28 points in his ACC debut and the Blue Devil bench was productive against the Eagles. Duke travels to in-state rivals Wake Forest and N.C. State this week.
4. No. 3 Virginia (13-0, 1-0): Just like Notre Dame, the Cavaliers found themselves in a dogfight, needing double-overtime to escape Coral Gables, Fla., with an 89-80 win against Miami. Swingman Justin Anderson committed the sport's cardinal sin by fouling a 3-point shooter as time expired in regulation, but came up big in regulation, hitting a clutch triple of his own and knocking down free throws down the stretch.
The Cavaliers led by 15 in the second half but watched the Hurricanes claw their way back into the game in one of the most exciting games of the year. Virginia allows the second-fewest points per game in the country and will face hot-shooting Notre Dame and Clemson this week.
5. No. 5 Louisville (13-1, 1-0): The Cardinals made their ACC debut at Wake Forest against a struggling Demon Deacon team Sunday, and things got interesting in the second half. Louisville led by 11 at halftime, but Wake Forest stormed back, taking a 55-54 lead with less than 13 minutes to play. The Cardinals rebounded, using 25 points from Montrezl Harrell and 22 from Chris Jones to squash the upset bid, 85-76. The Cardinals continue their inaugural season in the ACC with Clemson Wednesday.
No. 18 North Carolina (11-3, 1-0): The Tar Heels breezed past Clemson Saturday afternoon, getting 13 points from freshman Justin Jackson en route to a 74-50 win. Sophomore Kennedy Meeks notched a double-double 12 points and 12 rebounds. J.P. Tokoto powered North Carolina earlier in the week, scoring 19 points and adding 10 rebounds in an 86-64 win against William and Mary Dec. 30. The Tar Heels have now won five straight but host Notre Dame and Louisville this week in a tough two-game stretch.
Syracuse (10-4, 1-0): The Orange won their ACC opener, but probably not in the way head coach Jim Boeheim would have liked. Syracuse built a 19-point halftime lead at Virginia Tech but saw it evaporate in the second half, as the Hokies clawed back into the game with a 21-7 run. Syracuse escaped with a 68-66 win as leaders Trevor Cooney and Rakeem Christmas combined for 35 points. The Orange will look to work on finishing games this week against Georgia Tech and Florida State.
Miami (10-4, 0-1): Angel Rodriguez and the Hurricanes came up just short against Virginia in an 89-80 double-overtime loss Saturday. Rodriguez poured in 25 points—including three free throws to tie the game with 0.9 seconds left in regulation—and dished out seven assists, but Miami couldn't close the deal at home. The Hurricanes don't play again until Saturday, when they host Boston College.
Pittsburgh (10-4, 0-1): The offensive struggles continue for the Panthers, who were held to 50 points in an 18-point loss to N.C. State Saturday. Pittsburgh got just seven points from its bench, putting more of the workload on Jamel Artis, Michael Young and James Robinson, who combined for 34 of the 50 points. The loss snapped a six-game winning streak for the Panthers, who rank 183rd in the country in scoring.
Georgia Tech (9-4, 0-1): Brian Gregory's team was a hard-luck loser Saturday, pushing Notre Dame to the brink in South Bend, Ind., before falling 83-76 in double-overtime. As he has all season, guard Marcus Georges-Hunt powered the Yellow Jackets, scoring 20 points. Georgia Tech also got 14 points apiece from Chris Bolden and Maryland transfer Charles Mitchell, who added 12 rebounds. The Yellow Jackets have dropped two of three, with contests against Syracuse and Wake Forest on the horizon.
Clemson (8-5, 0-1): The Tigers could really use K.J. McDaniels back, but he Philadelphia 76ers rookie isn't coming through the door anytime soon. Clemson shot just 28.3 percent in a 74-50 home loss to North Carolina, with only Jaron Blossomgame and Damarcus Harrison reaching double-figures. Point guard Rod Hall couldn't get anything going against his counterpart Marcus Paige, finishing with just four points and one assist. Clemson's points-challenged offense heads to Louisville Wednesday, where Rick Pitino's high-pressure defense could give the Tigers fits.
Boston College (7-5, 0-1): Olivier Hanlan came out firing for the Eagles in Durham Saturday, but the junior's hot start wasn't sustainable. Duke used a 17-2 run to pull away leading into halftime, and the Eagles couldn't do more than stay barely within striking distance the rest of the way. Hanlan finished with 22 points, but didn't get much help, as only two other Boston College players scored in the first half.
Florida State (8-6, 0-1): In perhaps the strangest endings to a game all season, the Seminoles topped in-state rival Florida on a last-second basket after Gator big man Jacob Kurtz accidentally tipped a desperation 3-pointer into his own basket.
Florida State couldn't keep the momentum from that win going, however, falling to another SEC foe, Mississippi State, on the road Friday. The Seminoles step back inside conference play Tuesday against Virginia Tech.
Virginia Tech (8-6, 0-1): After digging out a 19-point halftime hole against Syracuse, Virginia Tech had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation. But Malik Muller's 3-pointer was offline, and the Hokies dropped their ACC opener 68-66 at home. Freshman Justin Bibbs—Virginia Tech's leading scorer—had 22 points in his ACC debut and also grabbed 11 rebounds, but Buzz Williams' squad is still looking for a conference victory. The Hokies' next chance will be Tuesday at Florida State.
Wake Forest (8-7, 0-2): After an 80-66 win against Princeton, the Demon Deacons played Louisville down to the wire at home, taking a brief one-point lead before the Cardinals took over down the stretch. Forward Devin Thomas had his best game in a Wake Forest uniform, scoring 31 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, and Codi Miller-McIntyre added 14 points. The Demon Deacons may be 0-2 in league play, but they've proven they can stick with one of the best teams in the country, and will get another chance Wednesday when Duke comes calling.
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