With a rather light ACC slate so far this week, here’s a look at what you may have missed on Tuesday night, as well as a preview of Wednesday night’s match-up between 15th ranked North Carolina on the road at Wake Forest.
The Recap
Syracuse 69 Boston College 61
Syracuse made it look easy for most of the game on Tuesday night, but seemed lackadaisical late when trying to break the Boston College press to put the Eagles away. Trevor Cooney and freshman guard Kaleb Joseph were able to knock down some free throws late to seal it 69-61, but not before BC cut the lead to 66-60 with :48 seconds left after frustrating the Orange with their defensive pressure.
The Orange were led by Michael Gbinije, who scored 17 points on 7-12 shooting, while adding eight rebounds and four assists, as the entire Syracuse starting five scored in double figures on the night. After registering one of his worst performances of the season on Saturday against Clemson, Trevor Cooney enjoyed a nice bounce back effort as he recorded 15 points and five rebounds in the victory.
Boston College, meanwhile, fought valiantly down the stretch, but probably wished they had more of a contribution from their leading scorer Olivier Hanlan. Hanlan struggled to find his shot for most of the night, scoring 13 points on 5-14 shooting, which is a credit to how well Syracuse was able to defend him throughout the entire game. Aaron Brown and Dimitri Batten both enjoyed moderate success, as they combined for 38 of the Eagles’ 61 points on 40% shooting in the loss.
Now here’s a look at what’s in store for Wednesday night.
The Match-Up
#15 North Carolina (14-4, 4-1, RPI: 11) Vs. Wake Forest (9-9, 1-4, RPI: 141), 7:00 PM ET Wednesday, ESPN2
Their Last Game
North Carolina
The Tar Heels labored against Virginia Tech at home on Sunday, but their sheer athletic advantage led to a 68-53 win. UNC Head Coach Roy Williams was less than thrilled with how his team played:
UNC’s Roy Williams on his team taking 13 1st-half 3-pointers: “I don’t think we’re a stupid team but every team plays stupid some times.”
— Mike Barber (@RTD_MikeBarber) January 19, 2015
Wake Forest
The Demon Deacons last played a little over a week ago, falling to Syracuse 86-83 in a well contested game for their fourth ACC loss of the season.
Players To Watch
G/F Justin Jackson, North Carolina Freshman Justin Jackson scored 16 points and added seven rebounds against Virginia Tech, which was his highest total in either department since the start of ACC play. On nights where the Tar Heels are struggling to score points, consistency out of young players like Jackson would do them a ton of good. Let’s see if his success continues against Wake Forest on Wednesday.
G Codi Miller-McIntyre, Wake Forest Miller-McIntyre is the player to watch for on the Demon Deacons on Wednesday, as the team’s leading scorer is coming off of his best game of the season against Syracuse. He scored 24 points on 9-17 shooting against the Orange, with six rebounds and six assists in the narrow loss. He is the best player on Wake’s roster, and plays like it on most nights. As the Demon Deacons take the court against a Top 15 team in North Carolina, a strong performance from Miller-McIntyre could be exactly what Wake Forest needs to pull off an upset.
ICYMI, Codi Miller-McIntyre drops the hammer on Duke https://t.co/4A2zT7CE3g — Adam Bridgers (@AWBridgers) January 8, 2015
The Game And Prediction
The Tar Heels provide too many mismatches for Wake Forest in the paint, and especially at the guard position with the way Marcus Paige has been playing of late. While Wake Forest could keep it interesting early by slowing the pace down and using the clock to their advantage, North Carolina simply has too many weapons and should wrap this game up pretty early in the second half. I like the Tar Heels to cover their 7.5 point road spread.
North Carolina 77 Wake Forest 64
Thanks for reading! Follow me on twitter: @mikem92VT and check out InsidetheACC on Facebook.