Category: ACC

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Duke-North Carolina: A Rivalry Which Will Always Matter

Baseline Perspective | Duke-North Carolina
(Image Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty)

Duke and North Carolina isn’t just a college basketball rivalry, it’s the rivalry.

It’s the matchup which pulls in the casual sports fan and turns a normal Friday night into must-see television.

This game is at the center of the sports world whenever it hits the calendar. The regular season games never feel regular, but when the stakes are raised, however, so does the intensity.

Whenever asked to describe Duke and North Carolina, the thoughts begin to run through my mind like a fast break.

It’s Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill to Eric Montross, George Lynch, and Donald Williams. It’s Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace to Vince Carter and Antwan Jamison. It’s Jay Williams, Shane Battier to JJ Redick and Sheldon Williams. From Raymond Felton, Sean May, and Rashad McCants to Ty Lawson, Danny Green, and Tyler Hansbrough.

It’s Dean Smith to Roy Williams. There’s Mike Krzyzewski. Michael Jordan.

It’s simply Duke and North Carolina. And it always matters.

The backdrop for the next installment in this classic won’t be in the state of North Carolina. This time the stage is set for their semifinal matchup in the ACC Tournament, in Brooklyn.

Duke and North Carolina split their regular-season series this season, each team winning on its home court. The winner will move on to the championship game, with an added emphasis for seeding in the upcoming NCAA Tournament also on the line.

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The Blue Devils, behind Marvin Bagley III, shut down Notre Dame in the quarterfinal round. Bagley was dominant, the freshman showed why he’s an elite top NBA prospect. He repeatedly pulled the plug on any momentum Notre Dame could gather in the second half when he made 11-of-12 shots.

Bagley finished with a game-high 33 points and with 17 rebounds. If his next stop is the NBA draft in June, he made a strong case to be the number one pick.

“Bagley was just the first pick in the draft,” Notre Dame Head coach Mike Brey said afterward. “He’s a can’t-miss star in my opinion from what I’ve seen tonight.”

Duke senior Grayson Allen was also can’t-miss in the first half, he drained his first five shots from the three-point line and finished with 23 points.

When Bagley and Allen are both on like that, Duke’s an entirely different monster.

North Carolina took an early punch in the mouth from Miami, in their quarterfinal game, when they fell behind, 14-0. But the Tar Heels, led by seniors Theo Pinson and Joel Berry III, showed their poise and came back to finish the Hurricanes with a game-ending 13-0 run.

Bagley and Allen to Pinson and Berry. Their names can be added to the history between these two teams.

Time to Buckle Up

On a Friday night in Brooklyn, Duke and North Carolina will hit the court fully aware of what’s on the line. The winner moves on to play in the ACC championship game, but they also get to pad their case for a potential number one seed in the NCAA tournament.

It’s been another controversial season for the NCAA with the annual debate of issues and scandals dominating the headlines off the court.

But its rivalries, such as this one, which provides the die-hard and casual sports fan a much-needed break. For two to three hours, the focus shifts to what college basketball is supposed to really be about, the passion.

The stakes are high for this game and so will be the intensity. Most of the talk around Barclays Center this week has been about what if Duke and North Carolina get it on Friday night?

Well, we have it. Buckle up for a rivalry which will always matter.

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Notre Dame ‘Figures It Out’ In Time to Stun Virginia Tech

Baseline Perspective | Matt Farrell
Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Matt Farrell ( Image Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports)

Notre Dame found a way to keep their March Madness hopes alive. It took a furious rally for the Fighting Irish to pull off a stunning 71-65 win to advance in the ACC Tournament.

When senior Bonzie Colson banked in a three-point heave for Notre Dame that barely beat the shot clock the crowd at Barclays Center exploded. Fans of the Fighting Irish and Hokies were in disbelief. Two teams, one which looked dead in the water, the other finding a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
For Notre Dame, seeded 10th, their NCAA Tournament hopes received a huge lift with this win. They advanced to the quarterfinal round where they’ll matchup with second-seeded Duke.
Matt Farrell scored 22 points to lead Notre Dame. The senior guard, once again, was an emotional spark for his team.
The great comeback by Notre Dame was epic. But the complete collapse by Virginia Tech in the second half was brutal.
Collapse is an understatement.
Virginia Tech was in control of this game, the seventh-seeded Hokies held a 47-26 lead with just under 14 minutes left to play. Farrell knocked down his second consecutive three-point shot and that launched the comeback.
Colson’s three-point heave gave the Irish the lead. It also renewed hope their pursuit of a birth in the NCAA Tournament is still very much alive.
“Well, how about that one, huh?,” Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said afterwards. “I’ve never been prouder of a group because they were thumping us pretty good, because they’re really hard to guard. But I thought in the second half, with the last 15 minutes, we got better defensively, and we made some adjustments.”
The Hokies turned it over 10 times and only shot 26.7 percent from long-range, 8-for-30. Notre Dame had them totally out of sync in the second half.

Notre Dame, Seniors, Overcoming Adversity

In a season where injuries to Farrell and Colson almost derailed their season, Brey’s team deserves credit for not giving up. But Brey was quick to put the emphasis on the leadership of his seniors as the main reason for his team’s ability to overcome adversity.
“Yeah, that’s really been key all year, too,” said Brey. “In the midst of losing seven in a row, in the midst of all the tough stuff that we’ve had unbelievable senior leadership and a great class. they do the talking in the huddles now.”
With his team down by 21 at the half, Brey’s message at halftime sums up his trust in his players, specifically his senior class.
“I didn’t say much at halftime.I went in and said to them, ya’ll figure it out. They’ve had ownership of themselves for a long time, and that really helps us in tough times.”
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ACC Tournament: Experienced North Carolina Won’t Panic In Postseason

Baseline Perspective | Joel Berry
North Carolina point guard Joel Berry – (Image Credit: SI.com)

The postseason road begins for North Carolina with their matchup against Syracuse in the second round of the ACC Tournament.

It could’ve been a little easier for the Tar Heels in Brooklyn this week. A six-game winning streak had them in prime position to secure a high seed. This would have provided the comfort of a double-bye into the quarterfinal round.

A big key to gaining peace of mind comes is making sure what needs to be done gets done.

In North Carolina’s case, their regular season ended with a loud thud. They lost their final two games of the regular season, a heartbreaker to Miami on Senior Day and a road loss to Duke where they coughed up a 13-point second half lead.

Fortunately, for the Tar Heels, there’s more that comes with securing peace of mind. And that’s letting go of the things you don’t control.

That’s not easy. With experience, however, the goal becomes easier to meet. And that’s where North Carolina can thrive on this year’s road to the Final Four. The Tar Heels, seeded sixth in the ACC Tournament, can rely on their experience to help them move forward.

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North Carolina … Battle-Tested

Its experience which will help senior point guard, and team leader, Joel Berry shake off a disappearing act in the regular season finale against Duke. Berry, ranked fifth in the ACC in scoring with 17.8 points per game, was held to only six points against the Blue Devils on 3-of-11 shooting from the field. This included a surprising 0-for-7 from the three-point line.

The odds of Berry having a repeat-performance in Brooklyn are slim to none. He’s too good and battle-tested. This also goes for fellow senior Theo Pinson, junior Luke Maye, and the rest of the Tar Heels who follow their lead.

North Carolina is 15-2 in the postseason the past two years. A two-game losing streak to end the season, as deflating as those losses were, won’t rattle them. They know it’s winning time.

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Syracuse Must Bring Lunch Pail to Brooklyn for ACC Tourney

Baseline Perspective | Syracuse
Syracuse guards Tyus Battle (25) and Frank Howard (23) with head coach Jim Boeheim. (Image Credit: Dennis Nett )

When it comes to Syracuse basketball, this year’s team isn’t exactly poetry in motion on the court. But give the Orange credit for not trying to be something they’re not.

The ACC Tournament is set to tip off this week in Brooklyn, if Syracuse is to hear their name called on Selection Sunday they’ll need to make a good impression at Barclays Center.

The uphill battle for the 11th-seeded Orange begins with an opening round matchup against 14th seeded Wake Forest. The two teams split their regular season series, but this time its loser goes home.

No first-round byes, no benefit of a high seed in the tournament to reach the quarterfinals. No shortcuts.

If Syracuse is going to get it done they’ll need to grind it out every step of the way in order to make a deep run. But this is nothing new for them.

To understand the current scenario for Syracuse requires to first understand how they reached this point. Injuries and a short-handed roster left the Orange no other choice but to scratch and claw for their victories this season.

If this team is to dance in March, they must stick with what got them to this moment, their hustle.

Their big three of Tyus Battle, Oshae Brissett, and Frank Howard must be ready to ball out.

Lunch Pail Mentality

The Orange will also need to bring their lunch pail to Barclays, but what does this mean?

For Syracuse, beginning with their opening-round matchup, they’ll need too to win the turnover battle, make their free throws, and rebound.

Head coach Jim Boeheim is the master of the 2-3 zone defense. In this alignment, there’s an emphasis placed on not letting your opponent score inside the painted area or get to the basket.

The downside to zone is the ability for opponents to rise up and shoot over it. Wake Forest, despite all of their struggles this season, can shoot the basketball. The Demon Deacons shot 37.8 percent from the three-point line, this was good enough for fourth in the ACC.

If Boeheim and Syracuse can keep Wake Forest from getting hot outside, they’ll have a strong chance of moving on.

A good showing by Syracuse in Brooklyn this week only helps improve their chances of making the NCAA Tournament. According to the experts, a win over Wake Forest might be enough to get it done.

It likely won’t be pretty, that’s just not their style. But if Syracuse brings their lunch pail with them, they’ll make for a tough out in the ACC tournament and might just find themselves dancing in March.