In Wednesday’s ACC/SEC Challenge action, the only winner from Day II was Virginia, as the Cavs took down Texas 88-69. Otherwise, Auburn beat NC State 83-73, Clemson fell to Alabama 90-84, Vanderbilt took out SMU 88-69, Georgia Tech lost to Mississippi State 85-73, BC took LSU to overtime before falling 78-69 and Louisville took an 89-80 beating from Arkansas. It wasn’t that close, not even slightly. The correct technical term, we believe, is: they got punked. Because Louisville took a whoopin in Fayetteville. Either this was not the team that Duke saw in Chicago or Duke is much better than we realized. Because the Cardinals are a talented team and they got embarrassed.How bad?Louisville was down 47-29 at the half and there was no indication that the Cards could come close to matching Arkansas’s ferocity or aggressiveness. Louisville did mount a comeback in the second half and at one point cut the lead to 6, we believe, but whenever they got close, the Hogs just danced away. Darius Acuff, who was really good against Duke too, is emerging as a real star. It was an awful night for Louisville and will cost them. Virginia by contrast was impressive. After a back and forth start, the Cavs nailed four straight threes and ultimately blew the Longhorns away, hitting 12-24 from behind the line. Freshman Chance Mallory is still coming off the bench, but the young point guard has been outstanding and is playing beyond his years. One example: toss out his three turnovers against Butler, and Mallory has not had more than one turnover in a game and has had three games with none. He’s averaging 24 mpg, so that’s pretty great for a freshman. It’s just barely December, but so far you’d have to think Ryan Odom is in the running for ACC Coach of the Year. And as a bonus, Virginia fans finally get to see their team actually move. NC State fell behind in the first half by 10 and while they caught up and briefly went ahead, Auburn never really lost control of the game. Kevin Overton had quite the night for Auburn, hitting for 29 and shooting 8-13/6-9. Tahaad Pettiford was limited to 6 and shot just 1-7/0-3 for the Tigers. Quadir Copeland led State with 22 on 8-12/2-3 shooting. For the Pack, now 5-3, the cockiness that Will Wade brought to Raleigh is looking a little less impressive. State has now lost to Seton Hall, a Texas team that Duke and Virginia both beat soundly, and Auburn. There are two bon-bons next in UNC-Asheville and Liberty, but after that, State plays Kansas and, two games later, Chris Beard’s Ole Miss. There’s a lot of time left, but State is not where we’d thought they’d be. As for Clemson, the Tigers fell way behind Alabama, down 27-19 at one point. The (ACC) Tigers cut the lead to 15 at the half, and made an impressive rally. In fact, the game was tied 83-83 with 2:31 to play. It wasn’t to be. Clemson might have pulled off the upset if it hadn’t gotten so far behind though. Remember former 5 star Miami recruit Jalil Bethea? He surfaced for the Crimson Tide Wednesday, getting 6 minutes and scoring 2 points. When Mark Byington left James Madison for Vandy, we weren’t sure it was a great move. The Commodores always struggle in the SEC and, well, it seemed like it might be a lateral move at best. He’s making that look foolish. Last year, his team finished 20-13 and made the tournament and this year, Vanderbilt is 9-0. SMU is still missing freshman Jaden Toombs, and he might have made a difference here since Vandy scored in droves inside, but what can you do? Toombs has a wrist injury so hopefully he’ll be back soon. Vanderbilt just pulled away in the second half and SMU was powerless to stop it. It’s not a fatal loss, but it would have been a nice win. Boston College had a near miss against LSU, taking the Tigers to overtime before buckling. BC was down 14 in the first half before coming back and nearly pulled off an impressive upset. However, when Luka Toews attemptedwhat would be the winning shot, LSU’s Pablo Tamba got it and the game went to OT. And there, the Eagles no longer soared. So ultimately, close but no cigar. Finally, Georgia Tech was never really in it against Mississipi State. The Yellow Jackets rebounded well and limited turnovers to a mere 5, but shot just 27% on threes and 34% overall and this team can’t afford that. With Wednesday’s games in the book, the Challenge finishes 9-7 in favor of the SEC. However, it’s a sight better than last year’s 14-2 disaster and as Wade and Odom get settled in, along with other coaches, things should get better still. One last note: we’re truly sorry to see that Clemson great Elden Campbell has passed away. Apparently he had a medical emergency while on a fishing trip. He’ll be missed by many. Go to the DBR Boards to find Blue Healer Auctions |
Drop us a line