Wow, if I had told you Virginia would lose by 10, you would have believed me.
Here are some notes on Wednesday's unexpected performances from Wake Forest and Duke
Wake Forest/Miami
- Miami successfully forced Wake to the perimeter, making one of the worst 3 point shooting teams in the ACC shoot 20 three points shots. Wake made just 3 and simply didn't have an answer for the Miami zone.
- Miami did a particularly good job holding down James Johnson and Al-Farouq Aminu, holding the two to 6-18 shooting.
- In a sense Miami beat Wake Forest with a dose of Wake's own medicine, forcing teams to the perimeter by blocking shots. Throw in 10 made three point shots from the combination of Jack McClinton and Adrian Thomas and it makes this one a rout.
Duke/Clemson
- Clemson played some of the best basketball I've seen all season. Their halfcourt defense was absolutely smothering and finished with a defensive efficiency of 77. Add in absolute dominance on the boards and Duke didn't have a chance.
- The Blue Devils have become easy to defend as all of their offense has started to come from Kyle Singler and Gerald Henderson. When Singler then gets into foul trouble for large portions of the game, Duke simply didn't have a chance.
- What are the Blue Devils other offensive options? After a strong game on Sunday against Virginia, Nolan Smith with 3 points on 1-7 shooting and 4 turnovers. Jon Scheyer continues his ugly offensive play by shooting 1-8.
- Trevor Booker was a man amongst boys (check out that dunk) last night. If Clemson had only made getting the ball in the paint a priority, Booker's line would have been incredible. Booker finished with 21 points and 8 rebounds on 8-10 shooting.
The ACC race is now completely up in the air. UNC, Duke, and Clemson all have 2 conference losses while BC, Virginia Tech, FSU, and Wake Forest all have 3 losses a piece. While you may think to yourself that UNC or possibly Duke will find a way to take the regular season title once again, check out our toughest remaining conference schedule page. Clemson has the easiest road by far and may just sneak away with an ACC regular season title.
