On Wednesday night, three teams were in action and kept the ACC undefeated early in the season...
Virginia 77 South Florida 75
Sylven Landesberg hit a layup with 13.9 seconds remaining, leading Virginia over USF 77-75. Landesberg led the Cavaliers in scoring for the second straight game with 21 points. Jamil Tucker (15 pts, 7 rebs), Mamadi Diane (13 pts), and Mike Scott (10 pts, 6 rebs) all added double-figures in the win.
Dave Leitao spoke after the game about Landesberg's performance...
"I didn't expect, in his first two games, that he was going to get 28 and 21," UVa coach Dave Leitao said, "but I never really worried about his presence. He has a quiet, without cocky, presence about him as a basketball player. And, I noticed that very early on."
Factor of the Game
Virginia didn't reach the free throw line in the first half, but shot 28 free throws in the second half and finished with a FT Rate around 40%. On the other hand, USF reached the free throw line just 12 times in the game giving a Virginia a big advantage at the line.
Wake Forest 120 UNCW 88
Wake Forest has no problem running, and apparenently neither does UNCW. The Deacs and their in-state foes played the fastest tempo game thus far this season among ACC teams as Wake Forest won 120-88. Dino Gaudio said the tempo matched what their gameplan...
"We want to keep pushing the ball," Coach Dino Gaudio said. "We want to do that. We want to push and keep our foot on the accelerator."
Jeff Teague led Wake with a career high 31 points (5 rebs, 5 stls) in 24 minutes of action while James Johnson added 25 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks. Chas McFarland (19 pts, 8 rebs), Al-Farouq Aminu (11 pts, 12 rebs), and Tony Woods (11 pts, 6 rebs) also added double-figures in the win.
Wake once again dominated "all things tall", as UNCW were forced to take 47.6% of their shots from behind the arc, a common theme in Wake's first few games. Wake Forest also outrebounded UNCW 51-31, grabbing 82.5% of UNCW's misses, and 44.2% of their own misses.
Despite a rumor that Ishmael Smith was going to play in the game, he did not enter the game. Word was Smith was cleared to play before the game.
Factor of the Game
Wake was shooting the 3 really well early, but there is a convergence of each team's 3pt %, which UNCW's comeback. Each team's long range shooting leveled off and Wake took back control of the game.
