By going 8-3, the ACC won the ACC/Big 10 Challenge for the eighth straight year.
In the marquee matchup of Wednesday night, North Carolina took out the #1 Ohio St. Buckeyes 98-89. Tyler Hansbrough led the way with 21 pts and 14 rebs, while the Tarheels' three top freshmen all played big roles. Tywon Lawson moved into the starting lineup and added 13 pts, 5 asts, and zero turnovers, while Wayne Ellington scored 19 pts. Brandan Wright also etched double-figures with 11 pts and 5 rebs.
Marcus Ginyard came off the bench and has cemented his role as an important player for the Heels. Against the Buckeyes, Ginyard scored 8 pts and added 8 rebs and 3 stls.
UNC outrebounded Ohio St 38-27, although the Buckeyes were playing without freshman, seven-footer Greg Oden. Would Oden have made a difference? Only time will tell, but it would be great to see the same matchup in March.
In Chestnut Hill, Boston College showed off why experts picked them to a top 3 ACC finish, beating Michigan St 65-58. Jared Dudley scored 30 pts on 10-13 shooting, and added 10 rebs and 3 asts on a very efficient scoring night. Tyrese Rice (10 pts, 5 rebs, 5 asts) and Sean Williams (10 pts, 4 blks) were the other Eagles in double-figures.
Freshman Shamari Spears had a near double-double with 8 pts and 9 rebs, while Sean Marshall had a rough shooting night, finishing with just 4 pts on 2-9 shooting.
Also last night, Virginia Tech got a hard-earned win over Iowa 69-65. Zabian Dowdell scored 18 pts and added 4 rebs and 4 asts on a night that saw Seth Greenberg insert two new players into the frontcourt.
Cheick Diakite and freshman, Lewis Witcher were added to the starting lineup, replacing Coleman Collins and Robert Krabbendam due to lack of defensive energy. Collins did respond in just 18 minutes of action, scoring 10 pts. Despite the frontcourt change, the Hokies were outrebounded 37-27.
The Clemson Tigers went to Minnesota and blew out the Gophers 90-68. The Tigers outrebounded Minnesota 39-22, including 21 offensive rebounds which led to 21 more shots. KC Rivers led a balance Tiger attach with 22 pts, 5 rebs, and 4 asts. Vernon Hamilton (13 pts, 7 asts), Cliff Hammonds (12 pts, 5 asts), James Mays (11 pts, 10 rebs, 3 stls), and Trevor Booker (11 pts, 7 rebs) all added double-figures for the Tigers.
Virginia had a chance late to take a desperation three point attempt, but could not execute, ultimately losing to Purdue 61-59. Sean Singletary hit 2 key free throws to tie the game with 30 seconds remaining, but Purdue guard, Tarrance Crump hit a floater with just 1 second remaining.
Singletary led Virginia with 21 pts and added 6 rebs, while Mamadi Diane finished with 17 pts. JR Reynolds was just 3-11 from the field scoring 7 pts, but added 9 rebs and 5 asts.
While the rest of the ACC was concerned with the ACC/Big 10 Challenge, Wake Forest went to Air Force, and found out what experience is all about losing 94-58. The Demon Deacons shot just 37% from the floor and gave up 11 threes to Air Force. Kyle Visser was the only Demon Deacon in double-figures with 14 pts.
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