ACC Roundup - Heels, ‘Noles Rising?
And a tremendous game winner for SMU
In Wednesday’s ACC Action, Wake Forest beat Stanford 80-67, UNC beat Cal 79-53, Virginia Tech took NC State 79-76, SMU survived Virginia 54-52, and Florida State handled Pitt 82-70.
Stanford hung with Wake for most of the game before the Demon Deacons pulled away with about 4:00 left.
Wake’s Hunter Sallis ripped Stanford for 30. The Deacs didn't shoot well from three point range - just 3-11 - but they hit 19-24 from the line compared to Stanford’s 8-24.
Maxime Raynaud had 12 points and 11 rebounds while Duke transfer Jaylen Blakes had 15 points and seven rebounds.
Ian Jackson continues to play well for UNC with 20 points and seven rebounds to lead the Heels past Cal.
UNC moved ahead early and then just stayed ahead. Cal hung around in the first half but in the second, it was all UNC.
Somewhat surprisingly, UNC was just 5-14 on threes.
Aside from Jackson, Elliot Cadeau had 15 and RJ Davis just seven. Jalen Washington had six points and four rebounds and one block.
Andrej Stojakovic, who has often been quite dangerous this season, had just six on 3-13/0-5. Jeremiah Wilkinson, who has also been impressive as a freshman, was shut out completely.
UNC is now 12-6 and has heated up: over the last eight games, UNC has lost just once, to Louisville. Over the last 10 games, the Heels are 8-2. They have a great chance of winning the next four games before visiting Duke - it’ll be Stanford, Wake Forest, Boston College and Pitt.
Virginia Tech had a nice comeback against NC State, coming back from 15 down with 13.5 minutes left in the game and Duke transfer Jaden Schutt got to be the hero.
Schutt, who finished with 17 points, capped the comeback with a pair of free throws with :02 left. It must have been particularly sweet because he was moved to the bench. Schutt shot 6-10/3-6 and had five rebounds for a really good game against a traditionally tough defensive team.
Jayden Taylor had 17 points to pace the Pack. Ben Middlebrooks had 13 while Marcus Hill put up 12.
The game puts Virginia Tech at 8-9 and State at 9-8. At this point, it looks like State’s only hope for March is another hot run in the ACC Tournament.
Meanwhile, up the road in Charlottesville, Schutt’s former Duke teammate TJ Power and his Virginia teammates had a stunning loss when SMU’s Boopie Miller hit a wild off-balance three at the buzzer to gut the Cavaliers and their fans. Check it out.
Virginia had a nice comeback of their own, wiping out a late seven point lead and going up 50-45 with 31 seconds to play.
It was probably the most exciting game Virginia has seen this year, but too bad they fell short.
Only Blake Buchanan (11) and Ishan Sharma (10) hit double figures for the Cavs, who now fall to 8-9. SMU by contrast is 13-4.
Interestingly, Matt Cross, who has done fairly well at SMU, got 24 minutes but 0 points on 0-2 shooting.
Pitt has fallen off a bit since a hot start and FSU made it worse. The ‘Noles ran away in the second half, going up by 15.
Florida State held former teammate Cameron Corhen to just two points, although he did grab nine rebounds.
Jaland Lowe had 22 to pace Pitt and Jorge Diaz Graham, who has been starting for a while, came off the bench in this one with 17.
Jamir Watkins has emerged as a real threat this year and had 26 in this one. Malique Ewin had 18.
There was a bit of hubbub in the handshake line and even Jeff Capel got involved. No idea what that was about yet but it didn't look good.
Everyone is off until a busy Saturdy when we’ll get nine games.
- Hunter Sallis pours in 30 as Wake Forest defeats Stanford
- Stanford Opens Road Trip with Defeat at Wake Forest
- Wake Forest Basketball coach Steve Forbes post-Stanford press conference Q&A
- Wake Forest Basketball coach Steve Forbes chatted with the media following an 80-67 win Wednesday night over Stanford at Joel Coliseum.
- Wake Forest’s toughness down the stretch helps it to a win over Stanford
- Shooting Woes Doom Cal in Road Loss to North Carolina
- Seth Trimble shows versatility, Ian Jackson shines in UNC basketball’s rout of California
- Tar Heels keep winning. Three takeaways from UNC basketball’s ACC victory over Cal
- Ian Jackson stars as North Carolina handles Cal
- Jackson, Cadeau lead way as North Carolina defeats Cal 79-53
- Virginia Tech men storm back vs. NC State
- Wolfpack woes: Three takeaways from NC State basketball’s late collapse at Virginia Tech
- Backup Schutt sinks two free throws to cap Virginia Tech rally over N.C. State, 79-76
- NC State’s rebounding struggles led to squandering a 15-point lead at Virginia Tech
- Five Takeaways From Virginia Basketball’s 54-52 Loss to SMU
- SMU star Boopie Miller stuns Virginia with wild buzzer-beater
- Watch: Boopie Miller buries game-winning 3-pointer, lifts SMU to road win over Virginia
- Ron Sanchez on struggling TJ Power: ‘We’re just trying to coach him up’
- Altercation Breaks Out Following Florida State-Pittsburgh Basketball Game
- Will Jeff Capel be disciplined for actions in Pitt-Florida State game?
- FSU men’s basketball overcomes sloppy first half to hold off Pitt 82-70 for key ACC win
- FSU Basketball Picks Up Signature Home Win, Beats Pitt 82-70