After an off-day on Monday for ACC basketball following an action-packed weekend, four conference teams head back to the court on Tuesday night. The seventh-ranked Duke Blue Devils highlight the slate, as they return to play after final exams to face off against visiting Georgia Southern. Here’s the preview of all four games.
Georgia Southern (3-4) Vs. #7 Duke (8-1), 7:00 PM ET on ESPN2
Game Notes
- Duke forward Amile Jefferson has been ruled out indefinitely after suffering a foot injury in practice this week. The 6’9″ senior averaged 11.9 points and 10.3 rebounds per game through the first nine games of the season. I’d expect senior Marshall Plumlee, as well as highly touted freshman, Chase Jeter, to receive a bulk of the minutes that Jefferson left in the rotation.
- Georgia Southern averages 85.0 points per game, which ranks in the top 25 in college basketball. Their leading scorer, guard Tookie Brown, is a freshman who averages 14.4 points per game this season.
Prediction
Duke is a 30-point favorite for a reason. They could rest all of their starters and still come close to covering the spread. This one will be over in a hurry.
Duke 94 Georgia Southern 60
UNC-Greensboro (4-5) Vs. Wake Forest (6-2), 7:00 PM ET on ESPN3.com
Game Notes
- UNC-Greensboro is one of the worst rebounding teams in the country entering play. Their 33.2 rebounds per game ranks 314th in the country.
- Wake Forest will get back one of their top players from last season in guard Codi Miller-McIntyre, who will be making his season debut after successfully recovering from a fractured foot that was suffered in the pre-season. Miller-McIntyre averaged 14.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game last season for the Demon Deacons.
Prediction
Wake Forest will have a minutes limit in place on Tuesday night for Codi Miller-McIntyre on Tuesday night, per coach Danny Manning. With that being said, he should play long enough to make an impact on a game in which the Demon Deacons are already the much better team. There is too much of a balanced scoring load for UNC-Greensboro to defend, and just like the Duke game above, I don’t expect Wake Forest to have too much trouble handling their business tonight.
Wake Forest 84 UNC-Greensboro 66
Presbyterian (4-5) Vs. Clemson (6-3), 7:00 PM ET on ESPN3.com
Game Notes
- Presbyterian lives and dies with sophomore forward DeSean Murray. Murray leads the team in points by a wide margin, scoring 21.6 points per game while shooting at over a 65% clip. He is also pulling down 6.2 rebounds per game, which also leads the team.
- Clemson’s Jaron Blossomgame has picked up right where he left off from last season so far in 2015. He leads the team with 17.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
Prediction
Clemson has far too much length and athleticism for Presbyterian this evening, especially when taking into account just how deep the Tigers are this season. They have nine players on their roster averaging nine minutes or more per game. Blossomgame and company should have a nice relaxing evening on their home court.
Clemson 82 Presbyterian 52
VCU (5-3) Vs. Georgia Tech (6-2), 9:00 PM ET on ESPN2
Game Notes
- For the most part, VCU has played well in their first season since coach Shaka Smart’s departure. Defensively, the Rams have been able to turn over their opponents and defend at a high level. They are only giving up 65.0 points per game, which is 55th in the nation.
- Georgia Tech holds a distinct advantage on the glass, where they are 18th in the nation in pulling down 43.5 rebounds per game on average. VCU has not been quite as successful, as their 37.8 per game as a team is tied for 157th nationally.
Prediction
Georgia Tech will be able to eek this one out at home this evening, but that is only if they can handle the defensive pressure of VCU. The Yellow Jackets are turning the ball over around 13 times per game, and a performance similar to those lines, or even better, will be needed in order to avoid the home upset against the Rams. I’m confident in their ability to limit the turnovers and dominate the glass, which will both help decide the final tally. Give me the Yellow Jackets at home in a very close game.
Georgia Tech 72 VCU 66
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