Only two ACC teams in action today--Clemson takes on Texas A&M at 4:30 in the 76 Classic and Florida State plays Iona at 9:00 in the Old Spice Classic. The biggest game of the day is Minnesota v. Butler (also part of the 76 Classic) tonight at 8:30. That kind of a game is good for gauging how good a mid-major really is, in addition to what a high end team in a conference like the Big Ten looks like against a good opponent. I'm definitely interested in this matchup.
Maryland has not looked good. Now, this game wasn't exactly pretty for either team throughout, but it is pretty obvious that the Terps have some questions they need to answer. Vasquez keeps jacking it up but hit a couple more late to give him 18 points. The problems from the Cincy game were not as evident, but MD's perimeter defense really doomed them against the Badgers as Wisconsin hit 10 of 22. Cedar Falls product Jason Bohannon dropped 20 on 5-7 shooting (4-5 on 3PTs).
Virginia 76, Cleveland State 65
Good to see the Cavs pull off a decent win. I honestly don't know what to make of UVA. They don't have a ton of pieces, but they do have Tony Bennett instituting a new philosophy into the team. If they buy in, Virginia could outproduce their talent level. Cleveland State is not a dud team. We know what they can do and they're picked to finish 3rd in the Horizon. So this is definitely a good victory for the Cavs.
Landesberg had 20 points, but the big story was walk-on Will Sherrill's 15 point explosion in the second half.
Miami 77, Florida Gulf Coast 58
Miami beat a team they should beat. The 'Canes forced 23 Eagle turnovers and held FGCU to 1-13 shooting from beyond the arc. DeQuan Jones led Miami with 18 points and 5 rebounds, while Malcolm Grant tossed in 14 points, 4 assists and 5 rebounds. James Dews lit it up with 5 of 6 threes for 15.
Duke 64, Arizona State 53
Oh, Herb Sendek. Your teams never look good, but they always compete. And with 13 minutes to go in the game, they were tied with Duke, who really struggled to find their shot and a rhythm. Kyle Singler really struggled, missing 9 of his first 10, but recovered to hit 4 of his last 6 to finish with 13. Jon Scheyer committed a turnover. That brings him to...one this season. He also had 16 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds. Nolan Smith added 14. Duke really shot poorly in this game though, especially from deep (4-18) as two of those four came from freshman Andre Dawkins. Former Duke benchwarmer Eric Boateng had 4 points and 9 TOs.