In Saturday’s ACC Action, Wake Forest visits Virginia Tech, Florida State goes up to Clemson, UNC goes north to check out Syracuse, Miami is at Virginia, Notre Dame and Pitt have a strugglefest scheduled in the Zoo, Georgia Tech hopes to take a bite out of Louisville in the Yum! Center, BC heads to Texas to challenge SMU, and Stanford and Cal have a good ol’-fashioned rivalry game in Cal’s Haas Pavilion.
We could be wrong, but the most appealing game in that slate looks like Miami-Virginia, though
Cal-Stanford could be great too.
As expected with Jai Lucas taking over, Miami is a tough out and they’re getting better at the right time: the ’Canes are 6-1 in their last seven games, with big wins over UNC and NC State. Their last two games have been impressive because they won squeakers on the road. Can they do it again at Virginia?
Maybe.
Virginia went all shock-and-awe against Georgia Tech, but they weren’t overwhelming against BC, Florida State or an average Ohio State team either. We’d probably give Miami the edge in terms of mental toughness. Is that enough? We’ll see.
Cal-Stanford is intriguing because Cal has taken on Mark Madsen’s tough mentality while Stanford opts for the cerebral approach of coach Kyle Smith. They also have a huge talent in Ebuka Okorie. His size can work against him – he’s just 6-2 – but he’s had a sensational freshman year. We could absolutely see him lighting up Cal – or Cal just squashing him, too. Either/or, it should be fun.
Clemson had been overachieving, but now they’ve lost three straight, and all by double figures. FSU’s offense has improved dramatically. Can the Tigers shut it down? They’d better. This is a deadly serious game for Clemson. Fortunately, it’s at home and Littlejohn is a very tough place to play. Clemson has a significant size advantage which may be decisive.
Caleb Wilson will not play at Syracuse, but it may not matter. The better question is Henri Veesaar. And the biggest question is this: will we see the same dispirited team we saw in Raleigh? Because if that team shows up, Syracuse has a great shot at winning.
As for Wake Forest-Virginia Tech, the Hokies can’t afford another bad loss. They lost to Wake by 3 the first time, by 1 to Cal, by 1 to SMU and by 1 to Miami. That’s a very thin line, but 7 points may keep them out of the NCAA Tournament.
Georgia Tech is playing for pride now after having lost eight straight. A win at Louisville seems unlikely, but things happen. Wouldn’t count on this, though. We’d hope they play harder, but they’re just not very good.
For some reason, no idea why, BC at SMU seems like an upset possibility, but that’s a major stretch if Donald Hand is still out with an injury. SMU at times seems to lose focus, but their offense is probably too much for the Eagles. They can win a low-scoring game, but just don’t have the talent to keep up if SMU is hitting their shots.
Notre Dame at Pitt…we’d have to go with the Irish. They’ve struggled since losing Markus Burton, but they’ve shown more than Pitt has. Cole Certa racked up 37 points last time out, but that was against Georgia Tech. Still, it takes a lot to get to 37. Most guys never get close to it.
Jalan Haralson is on his way to an All-Rookie team spot in the ACC. He’s done very well.
That said, neither team is all that great and Pitt is at home. Still, we’d ride with the Irish here.
Saturday’s ACC Action
- Wake Forest at Virginia Tech || 12:00 || ACCN
- Florida State at Clemson || 12:00 || CW
- UNC at Syracuse || 1:00 || ABC
- Miami at Virginia || 2:00 || ESPN2
- Notre Dame at Pitt || 2:00 || ACCN
- Georgia Tech at Louisville || CW
- Boston College at SMU || 4:00 || ACCN
- Stanford at Cal || 6:00 || ACCN
- Duke at Michigan || 6:30 || ESPN
- Wake Forest aims to continue ACC climb at Virginia Tech
- Virginia Tech men’s basketball looking for revenge against Wake Forest
- Three Keys for Virginia Tech vs. Wake Forest
- Surging FSU Basketball Travels to Face Stumbling Clemson Tigers
- Clemson Basketball Preview: Florida State Seminoles
- Surging Florida State looks to extend Clemson’s slump
- FSU Basketball looking to maintain their momentum in road trip to Clemson on Saturday at noon
- ORANGE GAME DAY: Syracuse men’s basketball hosts North Carolina (preview)
- UNC Seeks Stronger Finish in Syracuse Rematch
- Hubert Davis Pre-Syracuse Presser & Report: Caleb Update, High’s Production, & More
- Syracuse vs. UNC: How Tar Heels can avoid third straight road loss
- Virginia hosts Miami in huge ACC showdown; Bennett court dedication set for pre-game
- Previewing No. 14 UVA basketball’s Saturday tilt with Miami
- POINT SPREAD: Miami is an Underdog at Virginia
- Jai Lucas leads Miami to dramatic turnaround, but Canes still hunting for respect
- Pitt to face Notre Dame as Panthers cling to hopes for ACC Tournament berth
- ACC tourney hopes at stake as Notre Dame visits Pitt
- ACC Tournament field could be decided based on outcome between Pitt and Notre Dame
- Everything you need to know as Notre Dame basketball visits Pittsburgh
- ACC Releases Preliminary Injury Report for Louisville vs. Georgia Tech
- Tale of The Tape, Predictions: Louisville vs. Georgia Tech
- No. 21 Louisville can’t afford slip-up against Georgia Tech
- Preview: Louisville Take On Georgia Tech at Home
- Eagles Look to End Nightmare Slide in Must-Win Road Clash at SMU / Update On Donald Hand
- Fresh off key upset win, SMU aims to keep BC near ACC cellar
- Boston College visits SMU following Payne’s 22-point game
- Calculating Cal’s NCAA Tournament Chances Is Confusing
- Vastly improved Cal looks to sweep series with rival Stanford
- Justin Pippen finds home at Cal after ‘terrible’ year at Michigan
- Cal Basketball: Bears Look To Pack The Haas With Gold Out Saturday Vs Stanford
