There was some movement in the ACC baseball standings after this past weekend’s games. North Carolina is still Baseball America’s top ranked team. Virginia moved up to number five (up from seventh), with NC State making the biggest jump to number six (up from 15). Florida State dropped to tenth (from number six) and Georgia Tech made the biggest drop to number 20 (down from 14). Clemson stayed ranked at number 25 (down from 20).

NC State’s Tarran Senay was named the ACC Player of the Week after driving in a career-high six RBIs in their first game at GT. He hit .411 for the week with three runs scored and nine RBIs.

Miami’s Andrew Suarez was named the ACC Pitcher of the Week after throwing a complete game shutout in Sunday’s win over Clemson. He allowed six hits and struck out five (while not walking a batter).

There was some shuffling at the top of the Atlantic Division.

NC State moved into first place at 14-7 (32-10 overall) by sweeping GT for the first time since 1992 and the first time ever in Atlanta. The Wolfpack host Davidson tonight before hosting number one UNC this weekend.

Florida State was swept at UVA and fell to 13-8 (31-9 overall), which is good for a second place tie. The Seminoles scored a total of four runs in the three weekend games. They travel to Jacksonville tonight before hosting Wake Forest over the weekend.

Clemson lost two of three at Miami and are tied with FSU for second place in the Atlantic Division (27-13 overall). They only scored two runs in the entire three game series. The Tigers host Western Carolina on Wednesday before hosting GT over the weekend.

Wake Forest swept winless Boston College (at least in the conference), with Sunday’s game going 11 innings. They are 7-14 and 23-20 overall. The Demon Deacons travel to Winthrop tonight before traveling to FSU for a weekend series.

Maryland lost two of three at home to Virginia Tech to drop to 6-15 and 21-20 overall. The Terps host Liberty and travel to Towson in the midweek before traveling to Duke over the weekend.

Boston College was swept on the road at Wake Forest to drop to 0-20 in the ACC (6-33 overall). The Eagles will try to win their first conference game when they host Miami over the weekend.

» Continue reading “ACC Baseball Weekly Update”

After being swept in their Saturday doubleheader, the Duke baseball team was officially swept by rival North Carolina on Sunday afternoon. They lost 10-1, as the Tarheels remain atop the Baseball America national rankings (39-2 overall) and atop the ACC standings (17-2). Duke dropped to 8-12 in the ACC and last place in the Coastal Division (22-22 overall). The Blue Devils are now in real danger of not qualifying for the ACC Tournament.

Brian Holberton hit his second homerun of the series, a three-run shot, in the very first inning and the Tarheels never looked back. They collected 16 hits and every Tarheel hitter had at least one hit. Cody Stubbs and Parks Jordan picked up three hits each.

Robert Huber took the loss, as he allowed seven runs on nine hits and two walks over just 4.1 innings. He struck out three. Meanwhile his counterpart, Hobbs Johnson, allowed just six hits and three walks over 7.1 scoreless innings. He struck out four.

The Blue Devils did not get on the scoreboard until seldom-used Al Morris delivered an RBI single in the ninth. In the loss, Chris Marconcini and Mark Lumpa picked up two hits each.

Next up for Duke is a home-and-away series with High Point on Tuesday and Wednesday.

With a chance to knock rival North Carolina out of the top spot in the Baseball America rankings, the Duke baseball team got swept in Chapel Hill in their Saturday day-night doubleheader.

Jordan Betts via Marc Kirsch

In Game 1, the Blue Devils collected just two hits and lost 7-1. Jordan Betts hit a solo homerun in the 7th inning to account for their only run.

UNC ace Kent Emanuel pitched a complete game in picking up his eighth victory. He allowed one run on two hits and a walk over nine innings. He struck out eight and threw 73 of his 102 pitches for strikes.

Meanwhile his counterpart, Drew Van Orden, allowed six runs (five earned) on six hits and two walks over 5.2 innings. He threw 55 of his 101 pitches for strikes.

For the Tarheels, Brian Holberton went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a homerun.

In the nightcap, Duke lost 4-1. Betts again accounted for all of the Blue Devils offense, as he hit a solo homerun in the 2nd inning. He had two hits, as did leadoff man Andy Perez.

Benton Moss outdueled Trent Swart in improving to 7-0. Moss allowed one run on five hits and two walks over 6.2 innings. He struck out six. Swart allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out three.

For the Tarheels, Landon Lassiter went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.

In the two games combined, the Duke 5-9 hitters went 0-for-32 with 11 strikeouts.

*The two teams complete their series this afternoon in Chapel Hill.

The ACC baseball standings got a little tighter after last week’s games. They have six teams ranked in Baseball America’s top 25, including number one North Carolina. Florida State is ranked sixth (up from seventh), Virginia is seventh (down from fifth), Georgia Tech is 14th (up from 20th), NC State is 15th (up from 19th) and Clemson is 20th (up from 22).

North Carolina’s Colin Moran drove in 16 runs in a 5-0 week for the Tarheels and was named the ACC’s Player of the Week. The third baseman went 12-for-24 with two doubles and two homeruns (he leads the team with nine). He is the first player in the country with 50 runs scored and 50 RBIs. Moran leads the nation with 51 runs scored.

Georgia Tech’s Buck Farmer scattered ten hits in a complete game win over UVA to earn ACC’s Pitcher of the Week honors. He walked one and struck out ten. Farmer lowered his ERA to 1.41 and improved to 7-1 on the season (with his only loss coming last Friday night at Duke).

Let’s start with an update of the Atlantic Division.

Florida State is 13-5 in the ACC and 30-6 overall. They lost to Florida in Tuesday’s midweek game before sweeping Duke at home over the weekend. The Seminoles play a midweek game versus South Alabama before heading to UVA over the weekend.

Clemson is 12-6 in the ACC and 26-11 overall. They beat both Western Carolina and Presbyterian during the week before sweeping Wake Forest at home. The Tigers host Furman midweek before heading to Miami over the weekend.

NC State is 11-7 in the ACC and 28-10 overall. They beat East Carolina during the week before sweeping Boston College up in Massachusetts. The Wolfpack play Charlotte on Tuesday before heading to Atlanta to play GT this weekend.

Maryland is 5-13 in the ACC and 19-17 overall. They won both of their midweek games before winning one over the weekend against Miami. Their Friday night game took 13 innings to declare a winner (1-0 Miami). The Terps play both VCU and Mount St. Mary’s during the week before hosting Virginia Tech over the weekend.

Wake Forest is 4-14 in the conference and 19-20 overall. They beat High Point twice (one took 14 innings to complete) during the week before being swept at Clemson. The Demon Deacons host BC this weekend after playing UNC Greensboro on Tuesday.

Boston College still has not won a conference game (0-17) and is 6-29 overall. They went 1-1 during midweek games before being swept at home by NC State. The Eagles head to Wake Forest over the weekend after playing Rhode Island on Tuesday.

» Continue reading “ACC Baseball Weekly Recap”

I admit that I have been slacking on my ACC baseball updates, but with basketball season over, I will be on the ball.

It has been a very good season so far for the ACC, as North Carolina is still ranked number one by Baseball America. They currently have six teams ranked in BA’s top 25, despite the fact that Virginia Tech just dropped out. Virginia is ranked fifth, Florida State is seventh, NC State is back in the top 25 at number 18, Georgia Tech is still ranked (they dropped from 12 to 20), and Clemson moved into the rankings at 22.

North Carolina’s Cody Stubbs was named the ACC’s Player of the Week after going 12-for-24 with 12 RBIs as the Tarheels went 5-1. The first baseman leads the ACC in hitting at .402 and in RBIs with 42. It is his second weekly honor.

Duke’s Robert Huber was named the ACC’s Pitcher of the Week. Read more HERE.

Let’s start with the Coastal Division.

I already mentioned that the Tarheels are the top ranked team in the country. They are 12-2 in the ACC and 29-2 overall. UNC split their doubleheader on Monday versus Clemson for their second loss. They then shut out UNC Wilmington on Wednesday, before sweeping their weekend series against Maryland. The Tarheels play Elon and Liberty during this week before heading to Virginia Tech this weekend.

Virginia is 12-3 in the ACC and 30-3 overall. They won midweek games versus Liberty and VMI last week. The Cavaliers then swept their weekend series at Wake Forest. They play Radford during the week before heading to Georgia Tech this weekend.

Georgia Tech is 9-6 in the ACC and 23-9 overall. They lost a midweek game against Mercer (10-1) before beating Kennesaw State the next day. The Yellow Jackets then lost two of three in their weekend series at Duke. They play Georgia tonight before hosting UVA this weekend.

Duke is 8-7 in the ACC and 19-14 overall. They won their midweek game against Davidson before taking 2-of-3 at home against GT. The Blue Devils play UNC Greensboro and NC Central midweek before heading to FSU this weekend.

Virginia Tech is 7-8 in the ACC and 21-12 overall. They won their midweek game against VCU before getting swept this weekend at NC State. The Hokies lost the opener in 14 innings (8-7). They play Longwood tonight before hosting the Tarheels this weekend.

Miami is 6-9 in the ACC and 21-14 overall. They lost their midweek game to Bethune-Cookman before losing 2-of-3 at home to FSU. Their lone victory came on Saturday by a 6-0 score. The Hurricanes host Stetson on Wednesday before heading to Maryland this weekend.

Now to the Atlantic Division…

» Continue reading “ACC Baseball Weekly Update”

Facing their biggest halftime deficit of the season, the Duke women’s basketball team stormed back in a big way against seven seed Oklahoma State to win 68-59 and head to the Sweet 16. They move on to the Norfolk Region semifinals to play Nebraska on Sunday afternoon.

The Blue Devils were down 34-21 at the half on their home court. They only made eight first half shots and allowed 46.2% shooting for the Cowboys. They committed nine turnovers, but only forced four.

Chloe Wells

Coach P (or maybe Chelsea Gray) must have given a spirited halftime speech because Duke came out with a ton more energy and alot more determination.

Duke started the second half on a 12-2 run to get back into the game. But Oklahoma State kept the lead. That was until there was 5:24 to go. Tricia Liston‘s three pointer gave Duke the 52-51 lead (their first lead since it was 4-2). It went back-and-forth over the next minute and a half before Duke took complete control with 2:50 to go when Elizabeth Williams‘ jumper gave them a three point lead.

The Blue Devils made eight straight free throws to ice the game. Every big play drew a fist pump, yell, and jump from Gray.

Sure, Duke made way more shots in the second half (16 of them) and out-scored the Cowboys 47-25, but it was their defense that pushed them into the Sweet 16. After only forcing four turnovers in the first half, Duke forced 16 second half turnovers. The Cowboys also only made 10-of-29 shots. Duke also got to the offensive glass, getting 15 total o-boards (37 total). Alison Vernerey was also key on defense, making it tough on Toni Young inside, in her final game at Cameron.

It was also a change to the starting lineup in the second half. Coach P went with Chloe Wells over Richa Jackson and it paid off. Wells scored ten second half points and dished out two assists.

Haley Peters dominated in the second half, as she scored nine of her 15 points in the final half. She also hauled in eight of her 13 rebounds in that half. Elizabeth Williams did commit seven turnovers, but turned up her game in the second half. She scored 14 points and hauled in seven boards in the second half.

Alexis Jones, who had two points, three turnovers, and no assists at the half, settled down in the second half. She scored seven points and dished out seven assists to zero turnovers.

Now to the rest of the ACC teams still alive in the NCAA Tournament:

» Continue reading “Duke Women Headed to Sweet 16″

It was a good start for the ACC in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.

Maryland won their first game on Saturday afternoon and will now take on Michigan State tonight at the Comcast Center in College Park, MD.

Duke pulled away late in the second half to beat upset-minded Hampton to kick off Sunday’s action. I was most disappointed in the amount of Hampton fans at Cameron Indoor Stadium (they took over the entire Cameron Crazies section). The Blue Devils move on to play seven seed Oklahoma State on Tuesday night in Cameron. Maybe the guys can give them some luck?

North Carolina held off 14 seed Albany, 59-54 to advance to play six seed Delaware on Tuesday night on the Blue Hens home court. This may be the most intriguing matchup of the tourney, with one of the best players in the game, Delaware’s Elena Delle Donne, going up against a wild UNC team.

Albany led 28-23 at the half, as UNC was in foul trouble with two starters with three fouls. It was also a sloppy first half, as the two teams combined for 27 turnovers.

In the second half, Tierra Ruffin-Pratt, who was one of the two starters with three fouls, took over. She scored 19 of her 30 points in the second half. Waltiea Rolle scored ten of her 14 points in the second half with nine rebounds (she had 14 total). Rolle, named to the ACC’s All-Defensive Team, could guard the 6’5 Delle Donne on Tuesday night.

FSU’s Leonor Rodriguez during shoot around at Maryland on January 6, 2013.

Despite foul trouble to key players, Florida State beat nine seed Princeton, 60-44. The Seminoles led 31-19 at the half. FSU moves on to face the overall number one seed in Waco, Texas, Baylor and Brittany Griner.

With the foul issues in the first half, FSU was led by their supporting cast. Yashira Delgado scored seven of her 11 points in the first half. Chastity Clayton, the ACC’s 6th Player of the Year, scored all six of her points in the first half.

Leonor Rodriguez, the Seminoles leading scorer, had just four points and three fouls at the half. She turned it up in the second half and scored eight more points without picking up another foul. Morgan Toles also chipped in 12 points.

No Princeton players scored in double figures.

Eight seed Miami was the lone ACC team to lose, as they lost to nine seed Iowa, 69-53 in Iowa City. The Hurricanes led by one at the half, but were out-scored in the second half, 42-25.

Neither team shot the ball well, but Miami shot poorly from the free throw line (just 14-of-26). They also only made three 3-pointers. All that poor shooting and turnovers (24) negated their huge rebounding edge (49-34 and 21-12 on the offensive glass).

Morgan Stroman scored 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting but committed five turnovers. Shawnice “Pepper” Wilson scored 15 points and hauled in 18 rebounds. She only made 4-of-10 shots and committed seven turnovers.

For the Hawkeyes, Samantha Logic scored 23 points and hauled in 14 rebounds. Next up for Iowa, they will face one seed Notre Dame. Can they pull the upset on their home court?

Miami won their first ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament title on Sunday, as they beat North Carolina, 87-77. It was a back-and-forth affair with big shot after big shot from both teams. As you can tell by the score, there wasn’t a ton of great defense played.

With his Hall of Fame dad in attendance, Miami guard Shane Larkin led the way. He scored a career-high 28 points, while also hauling in five rebounds and dishing out seven assists. Eight of those points came in the final 2:30 when the Hurricanes pulled away (including 6-for-6 from the free throw line). Those numbers earned Larkin the MVP award for the tourney.

Trey McKinney-Jones also came up big for the Hurricanes. He made six shots from beyond the arc for a career-high 20 points. His three pointer with 6:27 to go gave the Hurricanes the lead they never relinquished.

The Tarheels took a 58-56 lead with 12:07 to go in the second half and led until McKinney-Jones‘ three with 6:27 to go.

PJ Hairston scored 28 points and made six 3-pointers, but Miami shut him down when they made their comeback.

UNC head coach Roy Williams was vying for his 700th career victory, but lost to Miami for the third time this season.

With the win, Miami earns the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. UNC must wait until tonight when the teams are announced via the Selection Show. The Tarheels are considered a lock, but what seed will they receive and who will be their first opponent?

Top seed Miami is headed to their first ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament finals. They held on to beat NC State on Saturday afternoon, 81-71. The Hurricanes led 41-29 at the half, in a game in which they never trailed.

Durand Scott scored a career-high 32 points while Shane Larkin scored 23 points. Scott went 12-for-18 from the field, including 5-of-8 from three point land.  He scored 19 points in the first half that gave Miami the big lead.

The Wolfpack came back and cut the deficit to single digits in the final two minutes, but Larkin made four straight free throws. That came as they did not score over the game’s first 5:30.

Miami moves on to face North Carolina, who won the second game on Saturday in the ACC Tourney. The Tarheels held off Maryland, 79-76. The Terps had their shot at the win, but took an off-balance shot to early and UNC came up with the rebound.

PJ Hairston, who many were not sure would play after ripping open his hand in Friday night’s game, scored 13 points. But his missed free throw in the closing seconds left the door open for Maryland. The Tarheels had four players score in double figures,

Miami beat UNC twice this season, with their last win being of the blow out variety back on February 9th. The ACC Championship can be seen on ESPN at 1pm ET from Greensboro.

The Duke men’s basketball team played very little defense on Friday night and lost to Maryland, 83-74, in the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament quarterfinals. The Blue Devils never led in the game and now must await Selection Sunday to see if they still garner a number one seed.

It started from the very beginning when Ryan Kelly tried to guard Maryland’s Dez Wells. That didn’t go so well. Wells ended up scoring a game-high 30 points on 9-of-13 shooting. After Kelly failed, Tyler Thornton tried and also failed.

The Terps shot 51 % from the field and out-rebounded the Blue Devils 36-26.

It must have been the haircuts, as all three Duke seniors cut their locks and had subpar games. Kelly only scored eight points on 3-of-11 shooting. He only had three rebounds. Seth Curry scored 15 points, but only made 4-of-10 shots. Mason Plumlee led the Blue Devils with 19 points, but committed four turnovers and once again struggled against Maryland’s Alex Len.

The bright spot for Duke is that Rasheed Sulaimon looks like he has regained his confidence. In the first half, he single-handedly kept the Blue Devils in the game. He finished with 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting.

In other ACC Tournament action…

» Continue reading “No Defense Leads to Duke Loss in ACC Quarterfinals”