Clemson/Wake Forest Box Score
Notes: Cliff Hammonds hit a 3 in regulation to send the game to overtime where Steve Allen blocked a Trent Strickland attempt to win, leading Clemson to a 74-73 win. Vernon Hamilton and Cliff Hammonds led the way for the Tigers who moved to 2-1 in the ACC. Both guards finished with 21 pts, 5 rebs, and 3 asts, with Hammonds and Hamilton making big plays for their team.
Clemson led for most of the game, leading by as much as double figures before Wake Forest came back late in the 2nd half to take the lead. Justin Gray led the way for the Demon Deacons with 27 pts, 7 asts, and 7 turnovers, while Eric Williams dominated the paint, as I predicted he would, with 22 pts and 20 rebs.
Virginia/FSU Box Score
Notes: Another ACC matchup from Wednesday night went to OT, as FSU managed to wrestle away a win at Virginia 87-82. Al Thornton led the way for FSU with 21 pts and 9 rebs, while Alexander Johnson (16 pts, 9 rebs), Isaiah Swann (17 pts), and Jason Rich (12 pts, 4 rebs, 4 asts) all added double figures as well.
For Virginia, Sean Singletary had a huge game in the losing effort going for 25 pts, 5 rebs, and 7 asts (compared to only 3 turnovers). Mamade Diane finished with 11 pts and 4 rebs and had a chance to win the game in regulation with a 3 but failed to give UVA the win. Also contributing double figures for Virginia was JR Reynolds with 17 pts and 4 rebs.
Duke/Maryland Box Score
Notes: Duke signed their homecourt and then stomped Maryland into it beating the Terps 76-52. The Blue Devils were led by the 3rd triple double in team history by Shelden Williams who finished with 19 pts, 11 rebs, and 10 blks. JJ Redick once again had a nice game finishing with 27 pts and his first dunk in his collegiate career.
Before the game, as a sign of defending their homecourt, Coach K had each of his coaches and players sign the blue D in the center of the court. In the past, Krzyzewski has made similar ploys to get his team committed to each other and playing for a common goal.
For the Terps, there weren't very many positives, as they finished with an astounding 29 turnovers against only 6 assists. Chris McCray did manage to get into double figures with 12 pts, but was the only player to do so.
For the Blue Devils, it wasn't all fun, Demarcus Nelson who returned from a broken ankle to play against Wake Forest on Sunday appeared to re-injure his ankle against Maryland. Nelson didn't play in the 2nd half and was in a walking boot in the 2nd half. Nelson will have X-rays today to find out the extent of the injury. The Blue Devils were a much more versatile team with Nelson in the lineup, and any injury would be a big blow to their National Championship run.
