ACC Roundup - Louisville Pulls One Out In Tallahassee

In Wednesday’s ACC action, Virginia Tech got by Wake Forest 83-75, Georgia Tech upset Notre Dame 60-53 and Louisville surprised FSU 73-69.

That game was a bit disrupted at the end by an equipment problem: a net had to be replaced and it took longer than it should have, really. When play resumed, Louisville capitalized and, for the first time we’re aware of this season, looked a bit like a Rick Pitino team.

The teams traded baskets and big plays but Louisville’s shot blockers came through in a big way.

Louisville’s Ryan McMahon made a huge three to put Louisville up 71-66 but Braian Angola came right back and hit his own three to cut it back to three. Anas Mahmoud turned the ball over but then got a huge block with :10 left then McMahon hit two free throws to wrap it up.

It was a good game with a tremendous ending. Florida State lost, but the ‘Noles are getting toughened up and it may help them in March.

Georgia Tech is finally more or less whole and Notre Dame has been winning without Bonzie Colson and Matt Farrell.

It’s been really impressive but not this time out. What can you do? Colson is an astonishing player and Farrell is really good too. It’s going to be very difficult without them.

Defense is still a problem for Wake Forest: the Deacs let Virginia Tech shoot 50.9% and 42.9% from three point range. In the first half though the Hokies lit it up for 63% and to get a 15 point halftime lead.

Virginia Tech also hit 12 threes. The Deacs never gave up but it was what has become a predictable thing: Wake was close but, as they say, no cigar. They failed at the end which has become a pattern under Danny Manning.

Ted Valentine worked the game but there were no issues for the controversial official. This time, those came from a viral video.

In Raleigh, one left as another arrived: Shaun Kirk departed for UNC-Pembroke, where this brother now plays and Blake Harris transferred home from Mizzou.

A product of Raleigh’s Word of God program, he originally committed to Washington before Lorenzo Romar was fired.

He’s back home and looks forward to picking on Duke and UNC since they didn’t recruit him but he sounds a bit confused: “That’s going to be very exciting. UNC and Duke didn’t offer me out of high school. I hold a grudge because I’m from Chapel Hill. I thought I was good enough to be recruited by those schools. So me going to State should be fun to play in my hometown against great teams.”

• NC State’s Keatts on addition of Blake Harris: ‘We’re excited’
• Why Blake Harris, NCSU’s newest player, holds a grudge against UNC and Duke
• NC State Keatts: ‘In order for to be successful...we really have to share the basketball’
• Hokies Exorcise ACC Demons in Winston-Salem
• State college basketball: Notre Dame suffers first ACC loss
• Virginia Tech wins at Wake Forest for first ACC road victory
• Georgia Tech Hands Notre Dame First ACC Loss
• Deacons can’t climb back against Virginia Tech
• Deacons running out of time to figure out accountability
• Points again a problem for Notre Dame in first conference loss
• Louisville basketball rallies to snap FSU’s 28-game home winning streak