In Wednesday’s ACC Action, Virginia clocked Georgia Tech, 94-68, and Wake Forest surprised Clemson, 85-77.
Wake Forest basically dominated the entire game. A week or two ago, who would have expected that?
Well, here’s something you may have missed – Clemson has lost three straight, to Virginia Tech, Duke and now Wake Forest. And all three losses were by double figures. Prior to this, the Tigers were 13-1 in their last 14 games. Brad Brownell has work to do.
Meanwhile, Wake Forest, despite not really having anyone inside to speak of, is catching fire late. Too late, probably, but it’s still impressive that the Deacs have won three straight.
Steve Forbes has continued to tinker with his lineup. In this one, he went with Tre’Von Spillers, Cooper Schwieger and Sebastian Akins up front and Juke Harris and Myles Colvin the backcourt. Harris led the way with 20 points.
Jake Wahlin paced the Tigers with 17.
As for Virginia, remember that scene in Braveheart when Longshanks realizes that if Wallace can take York, he can get the rest of England?
Georgia Tech may be York.
Virginia shot up 39-9 in the first half. Obviously, the game was over at that point. Georgia Tech gave up 59 points in the first half, en route to losing their eighth straight game.
The question isn’t really how bad it was. The question is the fallout. NC State got nuked at Louisville two games ago but bounced back nicely against UNC and is still on target for a tournament bid. Meanwhile, Georgia Tech is on target to miss the ACC Tournament, since the bottom three teams won’t go anymore.
However, it could still escape this fate as BC and Pitt also have just two ACC wins. We’ll see.
The other question is this: was it because the Yellow Jackets are really bad or because Virginia is really good?
Virginia has certainly been winning and has won eight straight road games, which is tremendous. However, the Wahoos beat SMU by 4, lost to UNC by 5, nipped Notre Dame by 3, BC by 13, FSU by 3 and Ohio State by 4. We’re tentatively going with the Yellow Jackets being that bad.
Over at WRAL, Pat Welter and Chris Lea discuss Hubert Davis’s UNC and reach the same conclusion we’ve discussed from time to time: Davis has no idea how to communicate with his team.
That doesn’t mean they won’t win games of course, but it does go a long way to explaining why guys who transfer from UNC do so well at their new schools. Consider Michigan’s Elliott Cadeau, Minnesota’s Cade Tyson and Vanderbilt’s Tyler Nickel for a few quick examples. Consider also that Caleb Love became a consistent and reliable presence at Arizona in his final two years.
No games until Saturday.
- Recap: Big First Half Fuels Wake Past Clemson 85-77
- Wake Forest answers questions about toughness against Clemson 85-77
- Clemson Jr. Forward Jake Wahlin postgame following loss to Wake Forest
- Clemson Tigers Fall Behind Early Again, Lose Third Straight Game to Wake Forest
- Wake Forest remains hot, extends Clemson’s slide
- Virginia overwhelms Georgia Tech with historic first half
- Another bad start sends Georgia Tech to eighth straight loss
- UVA Basketball: ‘Hoos dominant in 94-68 blowout win at Georgia Tech
- Evaluating UVA basketball’s resumé after 26-point win at Georgia Tech
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