N.C. State dominated Duke to hand the Blue Devils their first loss.
Trevor Cooney dominated from the outside to help Syracuse win its conference opener.
That, plus a look at Tuesday’s schedule, in the ACC night in review.
N.C. State
One single game isn’t going to get the Wolfpack into the NCAA tournament, especially one played in the confines of PNC Arena. But the Wolfpack’s impressive 87-75 showing against previously unbeaten Duke won’t hurt come March, either.
N.C. State hurt Duke from the perimeter (10 3-pointers) and in the post (a 40-26 edge in the paint). It only committed 10 turnovers and blocked 10 shots. It got beat up by Jahlil Okafor (who doesn’t), and got hurt a bit by Quinn Cook. But aside from those two the Blue Devils shot just 10 of 41 from the floor.
The Wolfpack (12-5, 3-1 ACC) faced a trying three-game stretch early in conference play. It lost to Virginia on the road in a largely competitive showing, then handled Duke at home. It makes Wednesday’s date with North Carolina in Raleigh a bit of a bonus, and it’s anyone’s guess how well the Wolfpack and the Tar Heels (who rallied to beat Louisville) reload their respective muskets after impressive triumphs.
N.C. State doesn’t have a perfect profile; its 0-3 record away from Raleigh is a concern. But it showed a noteworthy peak on Sunday, and that’s bound to count for something.
Trevor Cooney, Syracuse
The veteran Orange guard scored a career-high 28 points and made seven 3-pointers to lead Syracuse to a 70-57 defeat of Florida State.
That’s not insignificant on a team level, either. Syracuse’s entire roster had made seven 3s in a game only twice in its first 15 contests — 10 against Colgate on Dec. 22, and seven against Long Beach State on Dec. 28.
2
Unbeaten teams left in ACC play. Syracuse (12-4, 3-0) joined Virginia (15-0, 3-0) as the only teams to escape the second weekend in January without a loss in league play.
62.5
Percent shooting from 3-point range for N.C. State in its victory over Duke. The Wolfpack was 10 of 16 from the outside, with Trevor Lacey (5 of 7) and Ralston Turner (4 of 7) taking most of those shots.
Virginia Tech at Louisville (7, YES): Louisville’s Montrezl Harrell faces the school he originally signed with as the Cardinals (14-2, 2-1) look to bounce back from their first ACC loss as they play host to Virginia Tech (8-7, 0-2).
Wake Forest at Syracuse (8, ACC Network; Channel 3 in Syracuse): The Orange goes for its seventh consecutive victory as Wake Forest (9-8, 1-3) pays a visit to the Carrier Dome.
Clemson at Virginia (8, ACC Network; ESPN3 in Syracuse): Two of the ACC’s three slowest-paced teams tangle as the Tigers (9-6, 1-2) travel to Charlottesville to meet the Cavaliers (15-0, 3-0).
Miami at Duke (9, ESPNU): Yes, Duke just lost at N.C. State. But it has claimed 41 consecutive ACC games at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and the Blue Devils (14-1, 2-1) will try to extend that streak against Jim Larranaga’s Hurricanes (11-4, 1-1).
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