In Friday night's ACC action, FSU downed Jacksonville, 79-67, State knocked off Asheville, 84-75, Wake took down Loyola 75-63, Miami got by Tennessee Tech 69-58, Georgia Tech thumped 92-59 and UNC shook off Michigan State 67-55.
That game was on the USS Carl Vinson, of course, in front of an appreciative military audience. But Tom Izzo struck the right note:
"I thanked [President Obama]. He thanked us. We're all trying to thank somebody. That damn military starts thanking you, and it's killing me because they do so much for us and they're thanking us. They're the most humble group I've ever met."
Michigan State pushed the Heels for a bit, but a 12-0 run in the first half gave them separation they never relinquished.
State played without CJ Leslie, who has been suspended for three games for various things including using a former State student's car after damaging his own.Â
Wake could have collapsed against Loyola, like they did so often last year, but the Deacs showed some gumption and got going when the going got tough. Good for them.
Second ACC suspension: Glen Rice Jr., who Brian Gregory said violated team rules. He'll be out for two more games.Â
Tech did fine without him. Mfon Udofia had 15 and Daniel Miller had 12 points and seven boards. Rookie Julian Royal also kicked in 10.
Not a great opponent, but a solid start for Gregory and co.
There's not enough time to get into the rest but we'll look back later in the weekend.
Tomorrow, the Hokies start their season against ETSU. Sounds like a weak opponent, but Johnson City is just three hours and plenty of resentment away. It is traditionally a basketball school, atypical for where it is, and they have some glorious tradition. They'll relish their shot. Whether they can pull it off is another question, but rest assured they'll be fired up.
| DBR Auctions! |
 |
| The DBR App! |
| DBR Is On Twitter!(DBRTweetz) |