The ACC Strikes Back

The ACC went 3-2 yesterday, increasing the odds that it will take the title of the challenge yet again. Illinois fell to Clemson, 76-74, in a loss that saw the Illini fail to get off a final shot (though there was plenty of time). Mike Davis continued his impressive start, leading the Illini with 28 points on 19 shots. Good offense or bad defense - whatever you want to call it, this game had it. This was a 66 possession game that saw both teams wind up in the mid-70s. Both teams shot very well, but Clemson held a slight edge, posting an eFG of over 60.0 (who needs offensive rebounding when you shoot like that?). Illinois struggled with TOs (25.7 TO Rate), but most teams do against the Tigers. However, Illinois' offensive rebounding was Herculean, as the Illini actually grabbed more offensive rebounds than Clemson grabbed defensive boards. On possessions where they didn't give the ball away, the Illini averaged over 1.5 points per possession. Just when you think you have the Illini figured out as a defensive team, something like this happens. Box score.

Iowa lost a heartbreaker, 57-55, to Boston College last night. Freshman Andrew Brommer had a chance to tie the game with under a second remaining, but missed the front end of a 1-and-1. Iowa nearly beat a team that hung around with Purdue and beat UAB on neutral floors despite turning it over on 23% of their possessions. Iowa did so with strong shooting, including over 40% on threes. (Ed. Note: earlier, I falslely criticized the Hawkeyes' shooting. I was reading my box score upside-down, and attributed BC's shooting woes to the Hawkeyes. Sorry about that) Freshman Matt Gatens led a balanced Iowa attack with 12 points on 7 shots, to go along with 3 assists. Box score.

It was a big win for Ohio State last night, as the Buckeyes took down Miami on the road, 73-68. I wonder if the Selection Committee will look back to this game in March, and, if they do, if they'll remember that Preseason All ACC pick Jack McClinton was ejected midway in the first half for taking a swipe at Noopy Crater. Despite having only played 8 minutes, McClinton already had 12 points and was on his way to a solid shooting night. Without him, the Hurricanes posted 18 TOs in the 70 possession game. Oh well, a win is a win, and RPI knows nothing of this McClinton character. Jon Diebler led the Buckeyes with 20 points on 15 shots, connecting on 50% of his three pointers. Box score.

Duke took down Purdue 76-60 in a game that was never all that close. Purdue just couldn't make a shot last night (39.0 eFG), and despite tossing up all those bricks, Duke had twice as many offensive rebounds as the Boilermakers. The fact that Purdue won the TO battle wasn't enough to make up for that. This game highlights a potential problem for Purdue, in offensive rebounding. With Robbie Hummel playing the 4 and taking jumpers, that leaves either JaJuan Johnson or Nemanja Calasan to grab offensive rebounds. Maybe if they were among the best in the country, Purdue could avoid being one of the worst offensive rebounding teams in the country. But that's the thing - Johnson isn't grabbing any offensive boards so far this season - he's got 7 through 7 games. And before you ask, the answer is yes - Scott Martin was a capable offensive rebounder. And yes, Purdue is one of the worst offensive rebounding teams in the country so far this season.

Robbie Hummel led Purdue with 15 points on 12 shots to go with 8 boards, and JaJuan Johnson had 12 points on 6 shots, as well as 3 blocks. Box score.

Minnesota pulled away in the second half to take down Virginia, 66-56 in a 64 possession game. The Gophers will win a lot of games like this. On offense, they don't do anything great, but nothing horrible either. And on defense, they force the other team to cough it up on a quarter of their possessions. Virginia had 19 turnovers in this one, and going 16-51 didn't help either. Colton Iverson led the Gophers with 14 points on 6 shots, and The Hoff chipped in 12 points on 8 shots. Box score.

The Challenge concludes tonight, with three road games for the Big Ten. It wouldn't be a shock to see the Big Ten come up empty here.

IU @ Wake (6:15 CT)
Michigan @ Maryland (6:30 CT)
Penn State @ Georgia Tech (6:30 CT)
MSU "@" UNC (8:15 CT)
FSU @ Northwestern (8:30 CT)