Rush The Court

In Saturday’s two headline ACC contests, one ended up a shocking blowout while the other turned out generally as expected. Most anticipated that a game between teams tied for first place would be a tightly-fought battle, but North Carolina easily handled Miami to reclaim sole possession of the top of the standings. In the other big game of the weekend, injuries and a corresponding lack of depth finally caught up with Duke, unable to hold off Louisville’s second half charge. Elsewhere around the league, it was a bad weekend for three ACC schools fighting for NCAA Tournament consideration. Syracuse lost at home to Pittsburgh, while Clemson and Florida State lost to teams with losing conference records. Here are some of the highlights from a busy weekend around the ACC.

• Best Win: The battle for first place in the ACC was completely one-sided as North Carolina dominated Miami  in Chapel Hill. For anyone worried about the Tar Heels after their heart-breaking loss last week to rival Duke, those concerns were erased early in the second half when UNC quickly extended a nine-point halftime lead to as many as 38 points. Brice Johnson led a balanced Tar Heels’ attack with 16 points and 15 rebounds, while five teammates joined him with double figures. For Miami, it was the first of four straight games against ranked ACC opponents — a stretch that will undoubtedly test the Hurricanes’ legitimacy among the league leaders.

• Worst Loss:  It’s looking increasingly likely that Florida State will miss the NCAA Tournament for a fourth consecutive season. Saturday’s 10-point loss to Virginia Tech was the Seminoles’ fourth straight defeat, meaning that Leonard Hamilton’s team will need to win out just to reach .500 in the ACC standings. That’s a dicey proposition when considering that its three remaining opponents are above them in the conference standings. Florida State’s defense has been horrible during the losing streak, as it has given up more than 1.20 points per possession in three of the four losses.

• Most Outstanding Player: In a hard-fought, physical game at Louisville, shorthanded Duke built a 13-point lead in the second half before the Cardinals’ energetic and relentless charge finally took hold. The big comeback was spearheaded by senior Damion Lee, who scored 19 of his 24 points after the intermission and also collected four rebounds and four steals. Lee was most effective during the game’s crucial final few minutes, hitting three three-pointers in a span of two and a half minutes that turned a five-point deficit into a four-point lead.
• Unsung Heroes:  This week we honor three freshmen that helped their teams to victory. After playing just 10 minutes in Louisville’s three previous games, Deng Adel started against Duke and made the most of his opportunity. He scored 12 points (6-of-7 from the field) and grabbed five rebounds. With Anthony ‘Cat’ Barber (eight points) experiencing an off-day, Mark Gottfried needed scoring from other sources. Maverick Rowan picked up the slack with 20 points, including four three-pointers in NC State’s win over Clemson. Virginia Tech also got another solid performance from guard Justin Robinson, who made all three of his attempts from deep and scored 13 points in the Hokies’ win over Florida State. Robinson has now scored in double-figures in three straight outings.
• Most Efficient Offense/Least Efficient Defense:  Not only was North Carolina’s 1.41 points per possession the leading offensive performance of the weekend, it’s the best ACC performance of the year during conference play. Even more impressive is that it came against Miami, a team that entered the game with KenPom’s 20th-best defense. As you might expect in such an impressive display, the Tar Heels were strong in many areas: 57.7 percent shooting on twos; 45.0 percent on threes; 19 offensive rebounds; nine turnovers.
• Most Efficient Defense/Least Efficient Offense: While Pittsburgh’s win at Syracuse was a minor upset, the real surprise was the Panthers’ smothering defense. In its best defensive performance of the ACC season, Jamie Dixon‘s squad held Syracuse to 0.88 points per possession. The Orange’s outside shooting was particularly dreadful, as they connected on only 7-of-26 attempts from behind the arc. Pittsburgh’s defensive rebounding was also outstanding, grabbing 29 Syracuse misses while allowing only six offensive boards.

• Monday – Virginia @ Miami (7:00 PM ESPN)
• Saturday – Louisville @ Miami (2:00 PM ACCN)
• Saturday – North Carolina @ Virginia (6:30 PM ESPN)
• Sunday – Duke @ Pittsburgh (2:00 PM CBS)