ACC Roundup - State Gets Another Big Win

State and Clemson got together Wednesday night for a rematch and State got some revenge, winning 78-77 - but it took some luck.

The Pack got a brilliant game from Omer Yurtseven who had a career high 29 on 12-18 including 5-6 from three point range.

State pulled away about halfway through the second half and built a double-digit lead before Clemson charged back late.

State was up five with :10 left when Clemson’s David Skara hit a layup to cut the lead to 76-73.

Clemson fouled Braxton Beverly, who was a good bet to hit his free throws, which he did. Then Gabe DeVoe tipped in a miss by Shelton Mitchell.

Then Torin Dorn did the most NC State thing possible - he turned the ball over.

Well actually Sam Hunt did the most NC State thing possible and fouled a three point shooter with :001 left on the clock.

DeVoe stepped up and calmly hit his first two then Keatts called a timeout to ice him.

With Keatts on the sideline urgently urging the crowd to be loud, DeVoe missed a chance to put the game in overtime.

It was a tough break for DeVoe, who has really come on this season and coach Brad Brownell, who caught up with him while walking of the court, knew it. He put an arm around his senior guard, comforted him, and we’re sure told him he’d have more chances. And why not? Clemson has a solid team. They’re a long way from being done.

More good news for State: guard Markell Johnson, who went home to Ohio to face assault charges, saw the D.A. drop all charges. He didn’t get back in time to suit up for the Clemson game but he’s back on the team.

Meanwhile, Beverly, who filled in admirably in his absence, got a ton of game experience. State was 3-3 in Johnson’s absence with one bad loss to UNC-G. However, State made up for that with wins over Duke and Clemson. Next up: Virginia this Sunday, at Virginia.

Bad news for Pitt: Ryan Luther is out for the rest of the year. As we saw when Duke played Pitt Wednesday, the Panthers could really use him. They may get to next year: he’s applying for a medical redshirt.

It’s been a while since BC got a significant high school recruit. Jeremy Robinson and Ky Bowman both turned out great but neither was expected to (full credit to Jim Christian for seeing their potential).

Well they have one now: BC won a commitment from Concord’s 6-8 Jairus Hamilton, widely seen as a Top 100 and close to a Top 50 recruit by some rankings.

Duke, UNC, Virginia, FSU, Louisville, Kansas and others wanted him. It’s quite a coup for BC and if the backcourt comes back, BC’s in great shape for next year.

Quick question: why aren’t all three at Wake Forest or NC State?

Bubba Cunningham came to the Raleigh Sports Club Wednesday to talk about UNC sports.

It probably went pretty well but when he began to brag about academics even he knew he was in a mine field. He then said this:

“All the criticism, and everything about what’s happened at our place, that was quite some time ago. All the classes that may have inflated grades, and all of those things, they’re not there.

“So these kids got a 3.0. We’ve recruited outstanding student-athletes and I couldn’t be more proud of the effort they’ve had.”

Still, he knew exactly what the audience was thinking: how can we possibly know? How can we believe you? After what happened and how it was dealt with, how can anyone trust the University of North Carolina again when it comes to athletics and academics?

• Pitt’s Ryan Luther to miss rest of season due to injury; will seek hardship waiver
• Once described as a ‘savage,’ Pitt’s Kene Chukwuka finally looked the part against Duke
• A medical redshirt is “a possibility” for injured Pitt forward Ryan Luther
• N.C. State avoids letdown, holds on to beat Clemson
• Omer Yurtseven’s 29 points propel N.C. State past No. 19 Clemson
• NCSU guard Markell Johnson ‘cleared to rejoin’ basketball team, school says
• Pack survives nail-biter against No. 19 Clemson
• Markell Johnson is back with the NC State Wolfpack. But when will he play again?
• Notre Dame vs. North Carolina - Five Things To Know
• NC State snaps No. 19 Clemson’s 10-game winning streak