The final score doesn’t reflect it, but in a night full of close games, the most exciting game of the night was probably between Miami and UNC Greensboro. Yes, seriously. Competitive until the final fourth of the game when Miami pulled away, this match-up featured some spectacular highlights and dueling 30-point games. Greensboro’s Trevis Simpson scored 36 points in a nearly unstoppable performance that included a ridiculous reverse alley-oop. Fortunately, Miami had a ready response in… Kenny Kadji? Yes, the transfer from Florida put up 30 points and 12 rebounds, scoring 10 of those points from the line in a game that saw the Hurricanes make 30 of 38 free throws.
The Southern Conference, however, got revenge in Winston-Salem. With C.J. Harris in street clothes, Wake Forest didn’t have the fire power to put away a feisty Wofford team that got its second big win of the year knocking off the Demon Deacons. It’s a good win for Wofford and a sharp reminder that Wake Forest really needs Harris to play and play well if they expect to have any success. Also upset at home? Boston College. The hapless Eagles gave Rhode Island their third win of the year in a game that could have provided the Eagles with some much needed momentum heading into a tough Atlantic Coast Conference schedule that starts in Chapel Hill on Saturday. Leave it to Boston College to finally manage to shoot 48.1% while holding their opponent to 30.9% and still lose.
In less dramatic news, Virginia rolls on against a resilient LSU team. Quietly, the Cavaliers are going to enter ACC play riding an 11-game winning streak.
The Gut Check
- Alabama at Georgia Tech at 9:00 PM on ESPNU
Georgia Tech showed some promise early in the season with commanding victories over Virginia Commonwealth and Georgia. Yet after disappointing back-to-back losses to Mercer and Fordham, the Yellow Jackets have something to prove. Unfortunately for Brian Gregory‘s crew, a game against Alabama followed by an ACC opener against Duke is a pretty tough slate for a team looking to bounce back. While Alabama is certainly beatable, the Crimson Tide is one of a few elite defensive teams in the country, even with star JaMychal Green potentially sitting the game out with a shoulder injury. A win against Alabama would be a big win for Georgia Tech, but even at “home” (Philips Arena, at least for this game), only an extraordinary performance is going to get the job done.
The ACC-Ivy Challenge Finale
- Cornell at Maryland at 8:00 PM on ESPN3.com
Okay, so the ACC-Ivy Challenge isn’t a real thing, but if it were, it would be tied up. The Ivy League’s wins come from Harvard‘s wins over Florida State and Boston College as well as Princeton‘s victory over Florida State. The Atlantic Coast Conference can claim a narrow Wake Forest victory over Yale, a NC State win over Princeton, and a dominating performance by Duke over hapless Pennsylvania. Tonight’s tilt between Maryland and Cornell will be the deciding game in the inter-conference series. Fortunately for ACC fans, Maryland has a pretty good chance of defending the conference’s honor. The Terrapins haven’t lost since November and have been playing at a higher level with the return of Pe’Shon Howard and the introduction of Alex Len. Meanwhile, though Cornell has some nice victories over Lehigh and Albany, the team has yet to win on the road. This is by no-means a gimme for Maryland, but if the new-look Terrapins can keep their December momentum going, I like their chances.