ACC Basketball: Tuesday Preview

It is one of the busiest weekdays of the season so far, as we have nine games on Tuesday, beginning with Virginia Tech taking on St. Joseph’s in the early afternoon, and eight other match-ups slotting thereafter. With no shortage of action, here’s the full nine game preview.
 

Virginia Tech (8-3) Vs. St. Joseph’s (8-2), 1:00 PM ET on ESPN3.com
 

Game Notes

  • Virginia Tech wing Justin Bibbs is coming off of a career-high 31 point effort against Grambling State on Saturday. He is the bona-fide go-to scorer in the Hokies offense, as he has shot the ball at a ridiculous 57% clip from the field, including 64% from beyond the arc.
  • St. Joseph’s has a star in junior forward DeAndre Bembry. He does a little bit of everything for the Hawks, as he enters Tuesday afternoon’s matchup averaging 15.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game.

Prediction

This will be a very good measuring stick game for Buzz Williams in his second year in Blacksburg with the Hokies. St. Joseph’s is always very well coached under legend Phil Martelli, who always seems to get the most out of his players. This game could come down to one simple stat: rebounding. Virginia Tech has excelled on the glass this year as a team, as they have pulled down 42.9 rebounds per game which is tied for 21st nationally. St. Joe’s meanwhile ranks just 102nd in the country as they corral 38.9 per game as a team. Because of this, I believe that the Hokies will find a way to pull off the neutral site upset, in what should be a highly contested game on both ends of the floor.
 

Virginia Tech 74    St. Joseph’s 68

 

Fordham (9-1) Vs. Boston College (5-6), 3:30 PM ET on ESPN3.com
 

Game Notes

  • Fordham has stormed out to a 9-1 start this season behind strong offense and an even stronger defense. The Rams are averaging 81.4 points per game, which is 52nd nationally, while their defense had yielded only 62.1 points per game which is 24th in the country.
  • Boston College has finally started to once again get healthy, after nearly their entire team missed stretches of time over the last couple of weeks as a result of the E. Coli outbreak across Massachusetts. Senior guard Eli Carter has done a brunt of the scoring for the Eagles, but he still has not shot the ball particularly well. He’s the team’s leading scorer at 16.6 points per game, but is only shooting 39% from the floor.

Prediction

Despite still sitting unranked, Fordham has quietly established themselves as one of the better teams in college basketball so far this season on both ends of the floor. The Rams defense is more than adequate enough to thwart Boston College’s go-to scorer in Eli Carter, while their  balanced offense led by Mandell Thomas and his 17.3 points per game should ultimately be too much for the Eagles to overcome…even at home.
 

Fordham 84   Boston College 79

 

#13 Miami (FL) (9-1) Vs. LaSalle (4-4), 5:00 PM ET on CBS Sports Network
 

Game Notes

  • LaSalle is in rebuilding mode following NCAA Tournament berths the last two seasons. The Explorers have started out the season 4-4, while averaging a mere 69.9 points per game, which is 270th in the country.
  • The ‘Canes will look to continue their strong start behind senior guard Sheldon McClellan, who is averaging 16.5 points per game on 57% shooting.

Prediction

This would have been an intriguing tournament game last season, but this isn’t the same LaSalle team that we have seen in years past. While they are still very well coached, they will not have the athletes or the experience to compete with this year’s Miami squad. I like the Hurricanes to win this one comfortably.
 

Miami 74   LaSalle 61

 

Clemson (7-4) Vs. Georgia (5-3), 6:00 PM ET on SEC Network
 

Game Notes

  • Clemson has the second-ranked scoring defense in the ACC, and are 6th nationally allowing only 57.6 points per game.
  • Georgia is 238th in scoring offense, as they are only averaging 70.6 points per game as a team this season.

Prediction

Georgia enters this early evening game as a 2.5 point favorite, which is something I haven’t been able to wrap my head around. Scoring has been an issue for the Bulldogs all year, with their most obvious gaffe coming in a barn-burning 49-46 victory over the High Point Panthers. Clemson, I admit, has plenty of scoring issues of their own, but their defense is so solid that I expect them to dispatch of the Bulldogs by double-digits. Yes, I said double-digits.
 

Clemson 78   Georgia 66

 

#6 Xavier (11-0) Vs. Wake Forest (8-2), 7:00 PM ET on ESPN3.com
 

Game Notes

  • Wake Forest the Giant Killers? The Demon Deacons are no strangers to unlikely upsets, as their 8-2 start features wins over #13 Indiana, as well as an improving UCLA squad. All of a sudden, Wake is looking like one of the surprises of the ACC.
  • Xavier will not be a team to be taken lightly on the defensive end of the floor, where they currently rank 30th in all of college basketball in points allowed. The Musketeers have given up 62.9 points per game in their 11-0 stretch to start the season.

Prediction

If Wake Forest wants to have a legitimate chance to pull off the home upset against visiting Xavier, they will have to defend much better than they have to start the season. Don’t get me wrong, Wake Forest is off to a stellar start to the year so far, entering play with an 8-2 record as one of the surprises of the ACC. However, in each of their eight wins so far, they have been able to cover up some of their defensive misgivings due to timely offense against teams that struggled to score with them on the other end of the floor.

Xavier enters the game this evening ranked 46th in the country in points per game, as they average 81.7 per contest, so it is time that Danny Manning’s Wake Forest squad outplays their points against average of 78.8, which is tied for 309th in the country. While the Deacs are due for a better performance from top to bottom on the defensive end, I still don’t believe it will be quite enough to pull off the upset. Xavier will escape, albeit, narrowly.
 

Xavier 79   Wake Forest 77

 

UNC Greensboro (4-7) Vs. NC State (8-3), 7:00 PM ET on ESPN3.com
 

Game Notes

  • NC State should hold a sizable advantage on the glass, as they have established themselves as one of the top rebounding teams in the country. At 43.5 rebounds per game, the Wolfpack rank 13th in the country.
  • UNC Greensboro is quite the opposite on the boards, ranking 304th in the land with 33.6 rebounds per game. Additionally, the Spartans have struggled to score, as their 70.9 points per game is tied for 230th in the country.

Prediction

I don’t see UNC Greensboro having an answer for NC State’s Abdul-Malik Abu, who is averaging 11.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game this season. The Wolfpack will prevail at home in this in-state match-up.
 

NC State 82    UNC Greensboro 66
 

Montana State (5-6) Vs. Syracuse (8-3), 7:00 PM ET on ESPN3.com
 

Game Notes

  • Montana State is one of the nation’s worst defenses, as they have allowed 81.5 points per game, which ranks 332nd in basketball.
  • Syracuse senior forward Michael Gbinije has accounted for a good portion of the Syracuse offensive attack this season, as he has scored 19.1 points per game this season on 50% shooting from the field. His share of points accounts for around 27% of the total team scoring this season.

Prediction

Montana State is too volatile on defense to trust, and Syracuse is a tough team to play in the Carrier Dome. The Orange should pull away in the second half to earn their ninth win of the season.
 

Syracuse 73   Montana State 58

 

California (9-2) Vs. #5 Virginia (9-1), 9:00 PM ET on ESPN2
 

Game Notes

  • Virginia’s defense has been much heralded in recent years, and rightfully so. However, California is slowly emerging as one of the nation’s top defenses as well. The Bears have flown under the radar on defense and have quietly posted a 37.7% field goal percentage against, which is tied for 21st in the country.
  • Can the ‘Hoos limit the turnovers? The Cavaliers escaped Saturday’s home tilt with top 15-ranked Villanova despite turning the ball over 12 times, which was well above their season average of just over seven, entering play.

Prediction

Thankfully for the Cavaliers, they are playing at home once again. California can defend among some of the best teams in the country, but their offense will hold them back against a Virginia defense that is molding into form once again as one of the top teams in the nation on that side of the court. Additionally, the Cavaliers have been red hot shooting from the floor recently, with their latest victim being the Villanova Wildcats, who allowed the ‘Hoos to shoot nearly 57% from the floor, which included yielding an 8/12 mark (66%) from beyond the arc. This will be a lower scoring game compared to others on the docket, but I like Virginia to pull away late and win.
 

Virginia 68   California 58

 

UMKC (7-4) Vs. #16 Louisville (9-1), 9:00 PM ET on ESPN3.com
 

Game Notes

  • Louisville will be without center Mangok Mathiang for the first time this season after he broke his foot in Saturday’s 78-56 victory over Western Kentucky. He is expected to miss about two months with the injury, which is a sizable blow to the Louisville frontcourt for a good portion of conference play. Mathiang is averaging 7.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game for the Cardinals this season.
  • The Kangaroos of UMKC (yes, the Kangaroos), rank just inside the top 200 in scoring, as their 72.5 points per game are tied for 198th in the country. They will be challenged by one of the nation’s top defenses this evening on the road, as Rick Pitino’s squad has suffocated opponents this season. The Cardinals have given up a mere 55.6 points per game, which is ranked second nationally.

Prediction

Louisville’s defense is a task wherever they play, but especially at home. This game was over when it was scheduled.
 

Louisville 79   UMKC 47

 

 

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