We like doing ACC Roundup but there are days when it’s just not justified and on those days we take a break.
But today there’s stuff to talk about.
As we’ve discussed lately, exam breaks usually see teams schedule lame-o competition with the goal of avoiding an upset.
Both BC and especially Louisville pushed their luck this time.
Boston College did beat Columbia but it was a close game. As we’ve seen several times lately, the Ivy League is vastly more competitive than it used to be. Penn has beaten Miami and Villanova, Yale also beat Miami and gave Duke a credible game and Cornell made Syracuse earn that win.
So BC did take them seriously but it was still close and Columbia played without its best player, who is out with a knee injury.
But Ky Bowman is a pain in the neck and Columbia couldn’t control him. He had seven points in the last 2 1⁄2 minutes to help BC get the win. He ended up shooting 8-12 for 24 points and had 10 rebounds and five assists.
Nik Popovic, who could the the ACC’s most improved player, shot 7-10 from the floor and 8-10 from the line for 22 points. He also had 14 rebounds. That’s a hell of a game.
Lipscomb was one of Herb Sendek’s punching bags at NC State and we really didn’t expect Louisville to struggle here but struggle they did.
The Cards shot just 37.7% and had 17 turnovers. This was a one point game with 1:03 left.
Lipscomb had two turnovers in the last :46 seconds.
It’s not a bad team - the Bison have beaten Belmont, SMU, TCU and Navy. They’ve also beaten usually solid Morehead State and Middle Tennessee.
So it’s probably not as bad as it seems, but on the other side of the coin, Louisville wasn’t good enough to beat a second tier team, albeit a good one, without getting nervous.
We’re not even through exam break yet and there are already significant ACC injuries.
Virginia’s Kihei Clarke, a surprise starter as a freshman who has drawn rave reviews, is out indefinitely following wrist surgery and Miami freshman Deng Gak is out for the year with a knee injury. He’s promising but hasn't yet hit his stride. However, with Dewan Hernandez being held out after the Adidas scandal, Miami has minimal depth and now even less. The reliable rotation is down to six.
Clemson’s Marcquise Reed is still out with a sprained knee and while Syracuse’s Frank Howard is playing again, Jim Boeheim is pushing him to be more aggressive and active and he doesn’t seem ready for that. NC State’s Braxton Beverly has also been playing with a wrist injury.
Speaking of Clark, we haven’t seen it yet but against VCU he singlehandedly forced a 10 second call. Tony Bennett may be right to mention him with Muggsy Bogues. That’s a seriously bad-ass play. He’s making a nice splash and he’s likely to be around for four years.
NO THURSDAY ACC ACTION | ||
TEAMS | TIMES | VIDEO |
Wednesday's Results | ||
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- Final Analysis: Boston College Men’s Basketball vs. Columbia
- Syracuse vs. Georgetown will continue for as long as ACC scheduling allows
- Syracuse vs. Georgetown will continue for as long as ACC scheduling allows
- BC basketball holds on for 82-73 win over Columbia
- Bowman, Popovic carry Boston College past Columbia 82-73
- All Mike Hopkins Wants is a Shot to Win Against Virginia Tech
- Hurricanes forward Deng Gak out for season after injuring knee
- Despite bumps in the road, Pitt basketball headed in right direction
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