On Sunday, Virginia opened up conference play with a 67-62 win over NC State. The Cavaliers dominated the Wolfpack on the boards, 45-29, including 18 offensive rebounds. Sean Singletary only scored 11 pts, but did add 9 rebs and 5 asts, while JR Reynolds and Will Harris led the way in scoring. Both Reynolds and Harris added 14 pts a piece, while Ryan Pettinella came off the bench to score 7 pts and provide a spark in the paint for Virginia.
For NC State, Brandon Costner led the way, scoring 17 pts and adding 7 rebs. Costner lived on the perimeter for the most part, taking 8 three point shots and making three. Gavin Grant (15 pts, 8 asts, 6 rebs, 4 tos), Ben McCauley (12 pts, 7 rebs), and Courtney Fells (11 pts) all scored in double-figures, but it wasn't enough for the Pack. Sidney Lowe went with a six-man rotation, with four players playing 38 minutes or more.
In the other conference game, Miami surprised Georgia Tech, beating the Yellow Jackets 90-82. The Miami guards were just too good, as Jack McClinton (22 pts) and Anthony Harris (21 pts) combined for 43 points. Harris came into the game averaging just 7 ppg, but made 8-12 shots and added 5 asts. The Canes also won despite Anthony King not playing the entire second half. King injured his right hand, and Frank Haith wasn't sure after the game how much time the 6'9" center would miss.
The Yellow Jackets were outrebounded 35-24 on the boards, but did get some scoring support from the trio of Lewis Clinch (22 pts), Javaris Crittenton (19 pts), and RaSean Dickey (19 pts). Freshman, Thaddeus Young scored just 2 pts in 20 minutes of action, although he did add 5 asts and 4 rebs.
In non-conference play, Florida State beat in Florida 70-66 in the Seminoles best win of the year. The Seminoles held on late as the Gators made a charge, although it is worth noting that Corey Brewer didn't play and Joakim Noah was under the weather for Florida. FSU was led by Al Thornton, who was the focus of the Seminoles' offense, scoring 28 pts and adding 9 rebs. As a team, FSU combined for just 7 asts, showing that one-on-one play was the center of Leonard Hamilton's offense.
In the BB&T Classic, ACC teams dropped both games as Virginia Tech lost to George Washington 63-62 and Maryland lost to Notre Dame 81-74. The Hokies got 16 pts from AD Vassallo and 12 pts from Jamon Gordon, but no other Virginia Tech player scored in double-figures. Zabian Dowdell scored 6 pts and added 6 asts but shot just 1-9 from the field.
The Terps dropped the game to Notre Dame despite 17 pts from DJ Strawberry and 13 pts from both Ekene Ibekwe and Greivis Vasquez. Strawberry also added 6 stls and 4 asts in the contest. The Terps turned the ball over 19 times in the loss.
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