It's a bit unusual, even in this season of turmoil, to see three ACC games be pretty non-competitive on the same night, but there you have it: after a solid first half, Virginia Tech rolled over for the Heels, giving up a 19-0 run and losing 82-68. Virginia just hammered Georgia Tech, 70-38: a 32 point loss at home, or what passes for home while Tech's gym is being rebuilt, is pretty horrible. And State knocked off BC, 76-62.
Brian Gregory will figure out how to deal with Virginia's defense eventually, but his first time out was not easy, obviously. Only Kammeon Holsey got to double figures and Tech shot just 29% and was more than lapped on the boards, 45-22.
Bad new for Hoos: Assane Sene, who has become an effective big man, hurt his ankle and left town on crutches. Stay tuned.
Virginia Tech got away with being undersized for a half, but in the second, the bigger Heels just mopped the floor with them. John Henson finished with 16/16 and six blocks, while Tyler Zeller had 14 points, 11 boards and two blocks. Harrison Barnes led the Heels with 27.
At just four games in, for most teams anyway, the ACC post-season prospects already have a bright line: Duke, UNC, Virginia, State and Florida State either are sure bets for bids or are working towards them, while the only hope for BC, Miami, Wake Forest, Clemson and Georgia Tech is a miracle run through the ACC Tournament. The normal middle of the conference standings, where everyone fights like wounded tigers to get ahead, simply isn't there this year. Maryland isn't completely hopeless yet, but they are a long ways off at this point.
Really, the middle should be Maryland, Miami and Virginia Tech. Injuries and tragedy have held Miami back, while at 0-4, Tech's season is basically done. They're game, but the odds of them finishing on a major winning streak are not very high, and that's what they'd need.
Is it time to start talking about ranking State? Could be. At 14-5, the Pack is building confidence. The next three games will tell a lot: a trip to Miami, then to UNC and finally a home tussle with those suddenly rugged Hoos. If they managed to sweep those three - a tall order but not impossible - they'll be ranked.
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