ACC Rundown: Virginia Awaits Duke
Cavaliers Join Clemson, Pittsburgh Atop Standings
It is getting crowded atop the ACC standings as a couple of recent losses by Clemson helped Virginia and Pittsburgh move into a tie with the Tigers for first place. Miami is just a half- game behind.
None of the top four teams will be playing each other this weekend. However, Virginia does welcome Duke to Charlottesville for the top game in the ACC on Saturday. The Cavaliers and Blue Devils are the top two teams from the ACC in the NCAA NET rankings that are used to determine and seed the NCAA Tournament field.
Syracuse is the lone ACC team not to play on Saturday. The Orange topped Florida State 76-67 on Wednesday behind 26 points from Joe Girard III.
Virginia dropped from sixth to eighth in the Associated Press Top 25 poll and went from fourth to ninth in the coaches’ poll.
Miami moved up four spots to No. 19 in the AP poll and is now 20th in the coaches’ poll with North Carolina State jumping up four spots to No. 22 in both national rankings. Clemson and Duke are tied for 24th in the coaches’ poll, but are among other teams receiving votes in the writers’ poll.
According to the college basketball playoff odds, Virginia (+4000) is tied for 12th in the odds to win the national title. North Carolina (+3000), Duke (+5000) and Miami (+6600) aren’t far behind.
Virginia (-160) is favored to the ACC title with Pittsburgh priced at +460(+500) and Miami (+550).
Here’s a look at a full slate of ACC games being played on Saturday.
Let’s check the latest college basketball news, stats, injury reports and college basketball lines. We’ve got plenty of NCAA basketball picks for you to consider.
Game of the Week
Duke Blue Devils vs Virginia Cavaliers
- Date, time (TV): Saturday, Feb. 11, 4:00 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Virginia looks to stay tied atop the ACC standings against a Duke program the Cavaliers have struggled with in recent years.
Jayden Gardner averaged 18.3 points and 7.3 rebounds over the last three games for Virginia (18-4, 10-3 ACC).
Duke (17-7, 8-5) committed 21 turnovers the last time out as the Blue Devils lost by 22 points at Miami. It was the fourth double-digit loss of the season for the Blue Devils.
Virginia and Duke rank first and second in the ACC in scoring defense so those who bet online might want to consider that when looking at the total.
Duke is just 2-5 on the road while Virginia is 11-1 at home.
Each of the last 14 games between the Blue Devils and the Cavaliers have been decided by 10 points or less.
Duke won the last meeting 65-61 as a 5½-point favorite on the road on Feb. 23, 2022.
Rest of Saturday’s Schedule
NC State vs Boston College
- Date, time (TV): Saturday, Feb. 11, Noon ET (ACC NX)
Boston College (12-13, 6-8) has struggled to string together victories and after the Eagles topped Virginia Tech 82-76 on Wednesday behind 24 points and 10 rebounds from Quinten Post, they welcome nationally ranked North Carolina State to town.
North Carolina State (19-6, 9-5) saw its four-game winning streak come to an end as the Wolfpack were outscored 19-4 at the foul line in a 13-point loss at Virginia. Leading scorer Terquavion Smith had 19 points in the loss. However, he was 7 of 20 from the field and 3 of 11 from 3-point range.
North Carolina State has won four of the last six games in the series. However, the Eagles won the last matchup 69-61 as a six-point road underdog on Feb. 23, 2022.
Pittsburgh vs Florida State
- Date, time (TV): Saturday, Feb. 11, Noon ET (ESPNU)
Pittsburgh was picked to finish 14th out of 15 teams in the ACC preseason poll. However, a four-game winning streak gave the Panthers a share of the conference lead.
Pittsburgh (17-7, 10-4) had 41 bench points in a dominating win over last-place Louisville the last time out as Nike Sibande had 15 points while Guillermo Diaz Graham added 11 points.
Florida State (8-17, 6-8) is coming off a 76-67 loss at home to Syracuse as the Seminoles failed to protect a six-point halftime lead. Matthew Cleveland had a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds while Naheem McLeod came off the bench to score 16 points, The rest of the team went 10 of 39 from the field.
The road team has won the last three meetings and that includes Florida State’s 71-64 win on Jan. 21 with Darin Green Jr. scoring 24 points. It was the fourth of the last five matchups to be decided by seven points or less.
The Panthers lead the conference with a 17-6-1 record against the college basketball lines. Only Florida Atlantic has a better mark nationally.
Virginia Tech vs Notre Dame
- Date, time (TV): Saturday, Feb. 11, 2:00 p.m. ET (ACC NX)
Both teams head into this matchup coming off tough losses on Wednesday.
The Hokies (14-10, 4-9) were outrebounded 40-30 and squandered a 33-point effort by Grant Basile in a six-point loss at home to Boston College. Virginia Tech is one of three ACC teams yet to win on the road.
A tip-in at the buzzer by Georgia Tech’s Lance Terry resulted in a two-point loss for Notre Dame as the Fighting Irish (10-14, 2-11) couldn’t hold onto a six-point lead despite having all five starters score in double figures.
Virginia Tech has won four games in a row against Notre Dame. The last meeting was an 87-80 win by the Hokies in the ACC tournament quarterfinals en route to winning the tournament title.
Notre Dame has covered against the college basketball odds just five times this season, the worst mark in the ACC. Only Tulsa has a lower winning percentage against the spread among Division I teams.
Clemson vs North Carolina
- Date, time (TV): Saturday, Feb. 11, 2:00 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Clemson was outrebounded 38-28 and was -7 in offensive rebounds in a loss to Miami as the Tigers lost back-to-back games for the first time this season. They are still tied for first place in the ACC and are one of three conference teams with a winning record on the road.
The Tigers (18-6, 10-3) are the only ACC team holding their opponents under 40% shooting.
North Carolina (15-6, 7-6) is tied for sixth in the ACC standings after three losses in a row. The Tar Heels fell to Wake Forest despite outrebounding the Demon Deacons 50-35 (15-4 on offensive rebounds).
The one consistent aspect of North Carolina’s season has been the ability of the Tar Heels to get to the foul line as they have made and attempted the most free throws in the ACC.
The road team has won three of the last four games in the series while seven of the last eight games between the teams finished over the total.
Georgia Tech vs Wake Forest
- Date, time (TV): Saturday, Feb. 11, 5:00 p.m. ET (ACC Network)
Tyler Appleby is coming off a 35-point effort in a win over North Carolina as he was 23 of 28 from the foul line and came up three rebounds shy of a triple-double. Appleby is leading the ACC in both scoring and assists for Wake Forest (16-9, 8-6).
Georgia Tech (9-15, 2-12) just picked up its second conference win as Lance Terry had 19 points, including a tip-in at the buzzer in a 70-68 victory over Notre Dame.
— Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball (@GTMBB) February 9, 2023
Wake Forest’s 80-64 win on Jan. 19 snapped a five-game losing streak to the Yellow Jackets. It was the first road win for the Demon Deacons in the series since 2004.
Six of the last eight games between the teams finished over the total.
Louisville vs Miami
- Date, time (TV): Saturday, Feb. 11, 7:00 p.m. ET (ACC NX)
Miami is going after its fourth win in a row. Norchad Omier is averaging 16 points and 8.3 rebounds while Jordan Miller is contributing 14 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists in the wins over Virginia Tech, Clemson, and Duke.
The Hurricanes (19-5, 10-4) lead the ACC in scoring offense and field goal percentage shooting.
HercyMiller is coming off his first double-digit scoring game of the season as his 10 points in a loss to Pittsburgh matched his combined total from the last 10 games for the Cardinals (3-21, 1-12).
Miami has won the last three games against Louisville and covered in each of them.
When the teams met at Louisville on Dec. 4, Jordan Miller’s 14 points led the Hurricanes to the 80-53 victory.
