Happy Monday everyone. We have our Super Bowl teams set and now we have two weeks until the big game. And you know what that means? All basketball, all the time. Wake has a big matchup against the Yellow Jackets on Thursday and with their time off, they should be ready. Here's your morning links for today.
ACC Basketball Rankings Jan. 24-Feb 1: Here Comes Wake Forest | Bleacher Report
3) Wake Forest Demon Deacons (14-4, 4-2) Last week-8 I know North Carolina had some injuries, but winning in Chapel Hill is still an accomplishment. Wake Forest won 82-69 over the Heels in a game that wasn't that close. Then the ACC's previously only unbeaten team Virginia came to Winston-Salem, and the Deacs easily handled them 69-57. I really like Ishmael Smith at the point guard position. A big road game at Georgia Tech is on Thursday.
8. Ishmael Smith – Wake Forest | Top 10 Breakout Players in College Basketball | Bleacher Report
Jeff Teague bolted for the NBA draft after his sophomore season, leaving Smith as the floor leader for the Demon Deacons. He has taken full advantage, nearly doubling his points, rebounds, and assists per game totals from last season.
Scout.com: Jamison talks about his Rutgers visit
"No, sir. Not right now,’’ the 5-foot-8, 195-pound Jamison said. "Right now I have either one or two more visits. I’m going to visit South Carolina, and I think Wake Forest wants me to visit, too.
QB switches gears, picks Herd over Wake -
You guys are bringing in a great coach in Doc Holliday, and I'm looking forward to the future of the program," Sullivan said Sunday. "I'm the only quarterback they've recruited in this class, and I'm just ready to go there and play football."
Neumann-Goretti ran past host Cardinal Dougherty, 95-67, as Tony Chennault scored 31 points, Tyreek Duren had 14 points and eight assists, and Danny Stewart added 12 rebounds and six blocked shots.
Central Catholic wins nonleague showdown
"It wasn’t a great game," Central center Carson Desrosiers said. "I guess it was kind of sloppy, but just knowing that we came out on top is good for our confidence. Knowing that we beat one of the best teams in Massachusetts is something we’ll take with us into the rest of our games. Winning a game like this is better than losing (a close game). You know you can come out on top. Confidence wise, we know we can beat them." With a strong effort on the offensive boards, Worcester (11-2) took 15 more shots than Central, including twice as many as Central’s 11 in the third quarter. But with Desrosiers blocking 11 shots and altering a slew more, the Polar Bears converted only 18 of their 66 field-goal attempts. The Raiders, who took the lead for good a pair of free throws by Jimmy Zenevitch, also committed 24 turnovers.
Scout.com: Spencer Region collects SEC offer
"I would say Auburn is No. 1 right now," Region stated. "I then like Wake Forest and UAB. I am really going to try to commit in the late spring or early summer."
Wake Forest held Clemson to nine points in the first half and rolled past the Tigers 63-43 yesterday at Joel Coliseum. Secily Ray led the Deacons (12-8, 3-3) with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Lindsey Mason had a team-best 14 points for Clemson (9-11, 0-5) and Lele Hardy and Keyrra Gillespie both had nine rebounds.
My Take on Wake - Are the Deacons Holding Up to the Grind? | JournalNow.com
Ish is tied with Jon Scheyer of Duke for most minutes played in the ACC, with 35.8 a game. I do think Duke has suffered in post-seasons past from having worn out players. That’s why it’s interesting to see that Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith rank third and fourth, with a little more than 34 minutes each. But Ish, like Duke’s big three, is a tough guy to keep on the bench.
Deacs 69 Virginia 57 - Photos by Bob Hebert- powered by SmugMug
Great photos by Bob as always
The numbers jump off the page like a teacher's red ink on a graded test: 9,672 passing yards, 57 career touchdown passes, a Division One-best 72.4% completion percentage in 2007, 31 career wins as a starter, one ACC Championship in 2006.
CHSAA boys basketball roundup: Mount defeats Fordham Prep in four OTs - NYPOST.com
All Hallows 60, Mount Vernon 59: Geoff Tolentino buried a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift All Hallows (9-6) to a 60-59 victory Thursday, Mount Vernon's first home loss in 12 years. Jabarie Hinds scored 32 points, including eight 3-pointers for the Knights, whose 108-game home winning streak dating back to Feb. 2, 1998 was snapped.
GoErie.com: Varsity Basketball - Cathedral Prep falls to Mount Vernon in McDonald's Classic
Hinds set a McDonald's Classic record for 3-pointers in one game with nine and narrowly missed the scoring record with 39 points. Rice's Chris Fouch held the previous record for 3-pointers in a game with eight in 2008, while Paterson Catholic graduate Tim Thomas has the scoring record with 41 points against Simon Gratz in 1995. "I came out strong and was feeling it from the beginning," Hinds said. "I've just been working hard in the offseason and trying to get better each game."