ACC Roundup - UNC Folds Late, Virginia, NC State Impressive

Nov 26, 2022 - 1:00 PM

They can’t say they weren’t warned. Coach Hubert Davis told his UNC team early that it’s not March anymore. He has publicly questioned their effort and commitment and, presumably, done it more so privately.

So far, they haven’t listened. Friday’s loss to Iowa State may get their attention.

UNC has really only had one solid game so far, more or less, against James Madison.

Portland exposed them Thursday, playing with vastly more passion and commitment than the Tar Heels showed, and the Cyclones finished demolishing the #1 ranking.

Caleb Grill roasted UNC with seven three pointers and 31 points.

UNC was up by seven with 3:57 left when Grill went to work. He hit a three to cut it to four then, after a Pete Nance free throw, Robert Jones cut it to three on a dunk.

Then Grill hit another three and another two, which put Iowa State up 63-61 with 1:43 left. RJ Davis hit a pair of free throws and that was it until Puff Johnson hit a meaningless basket to cut the final margin from seven to five.

To be fair, Duke has struggled too, but UNC had four starters back from the national runners-up.

And if you remember, Hubert Davis spent a good bit of last season critiquing his team in pretty much the same way. They did eventually turn it around but it took some time.

Jaylen Garner had a huge night for Virginia with 26 points on 12-15 from the floor (no threes here) and the ‘Hoos just rolled over Maryland-Eastern Shore. It was about what you could have expected, nolo contendere for the 2-4 Hawks.

Pitt moved back into .500 territory with a win over William & Mary. It was a close game until about five minutes in the second half when the Panthers pulled away for their third straight win. Blake Hinson had 17 points and 11 rebounds while John Hugley and Jamarius Burton had 16 each.

Virginia Tech is probably just about sick of teams from Charleston: after losing to the College of Charleston down there, Charleston Southern ventured to Blacksburg to challenge the Hokies and challenge they did, losing by just five points - and it was a two point game with 1:22 left.

Justin Mutts had 17 points, nine boards and five assists. while Sean Pedulla tossed in 15.

It wasn’t an easy win but it was a win. Florida State is probably jealous.

NC State had the late game and handled Thad Matta’s Butler, featuring former State big man Manny Bates, without too much trouble.

The Pack started to pull away somewhat late in the first half and never looked back, coasting to an easy win. Four starters finished in double figures, the fifth nearly did, and DJ Burns had 14 off the bench.

Given some struggles by other ACC schools and their own solid play, State has a chance to move up this year.

Quick thought for Thad Matte: the guy has had some really tough health issues that led to him developing drop foot - basically he can’t control it due to a back issue. It forced him into early retirement at Ohio State. We’re really happy to see him back. He’s a great coach.

FSU lost yet again, this time to Stanford. They were in the game until they weren’t. Sounds obvious but at a certain point in the second half, Stanford had something - gumption? - that the ‘Noles clearly lacked.

FSU had just three offensive rebounds and Stanford, hardly a juggernaut, outscored Florida State 27-2 on putbacks.

The young ‘Noles nearly got back-to- back flagrant fouls in the first half. On the first, Jalen Warley clearly tripped a Stanford player.

So, why in the name of Grayson Allen is no one screaming about it? You probably had no idea unless you watched this miserable excuse for a game.

Oh well. With the football team 9-3 after a win over Florida Friday, FSU can finally get back to being a football school.

We thought that Notre Dame was playing St. Bonaventure at home but no - it was in the Gotham Classic. And that guy at St. Bonnie’s, Mark Schmidt, is an excellent coach. So we thought the Irish should win, but to an extent, that’s...well it’s not a trap game. But the Bonnies are no joke. They never trailed either.

Notre Dame’s three point-happy offense was a flop too, as the Irish hit just 2-17.

Clemson nearly got Iowa, losing 74-71 after a nice late comeback. They did tie it again at 64-64 with 2:56 left but it wasn’t enough.

However, they nearly pulled it off despite star PJ Hall, who is getting over an injury, getting just four rebounds and three fouls in 13 minutes.

Saturday’s ACC Action

• Hampton vs. Wake Forest || 12:30 || ACCN
• Clemson vs. California || 4:00 || Nope
• Bryant vs. Syracuse || 4:00 || ESPN+/ACCNX
• North Alabama vs. Georgia Tech || 4:00 || ESPN+/ACCNX

• No. 1 UNC basketball falls to Iowa State in the Phil Knight Invitational semifinal
• UNC Men’s Basketball Loses Late Lead in Loss to Iowa State
• Clemson’s Comeback Bid Falls Short Against No. 25 Iowa
• Clemson Men’s Basketball: Tigers rally falls short against Iowa
• Iowa basketball beats Clemson in Emerald Coast Classic opener
• InsideNDSports - Offense stagnates as Notre Dame MBB falls to youthful Bonnies
• Three Ball Taketh in 63-51 Loss to St. Bonaventure
• FSU Basketball loses again, falling to 1-6 as Stanford scores 49 points in the second half
• No. 5 Virginia rides Jayden Gardner, size advantage to 72-45 win over Maryland Eastern
• Mutts leads Virginia Tech past Charleston Southern 69-64
• Hokies pull through with 69-64 win over Charleston Southern