clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

ACC Roundup

By JD King
COLLEGE BASKETBALL: NOV 12 Howard at Notre Dame
SOUTH BEND, IN - NOVEMBER 12: Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward John Mooney (33) reacts to the play during the game between the Howard Bison and Notre Dame Fighting Irish on November 12, 2019 at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, IN.
Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

In Tuesday night’s ACC action, all three games involved four former Duke assistants or players and two of the four won: Jeff Capel’s Pitt won a tough game in a tough situation at Robert Morris 71-57, Mike Brey’s Notre Dame blew past Kenny Blakeney’s Howard 79-50 and Miami got by Johnny Dawkins’ UCF team 79-70.

UCF made things harder than they had to be by shooting poorly from the three point line (29.2 percent) and the free throw line (just 5-12).

If UCF had hit all its free throws it would have been a two-point game. Unfortunately the Knights also had 17 turnovers and that hurt too. Lots of work ahead for Johnny D’s crew.

Jeff Capel’s Pitt team went to Robert Morris, basically a local school with every incentive to beat Pitt including a brand new gym they asked Pitt to help dedicate, but the Panthers won to move to 2-1.

Not that it was easy. Robert Morris rode emotion to an 18-0 run and Pitt had to fight back which was great. And Pitt had lost 25 straight road games so this was not just a road win, not just a tough road win, but a huge road win for them.

Tre McGowens had 25 and Au’Diese Toney had 11. Eric Hamilton, the transfer from UNC-G who was supposed to help shore up the interior, played just two minutes. Didn’t much matter. Terrell Brown had a career best five blocks, eight points and nine rebounds.

And in South Bend, Mike Brey and the Irish had little trouble with Howard and were in control the entire way.

John Mooney had a huge game with 18 points, 16 boards and five assists. Juwan Durham shot 5-6 and finished with 11.

It’s early, but it looks like Notre Dame is back to being Notre Dame.

Well, other than three pointers: the Irish were just 6-23 there.

There aren’t any great games on tap Wednesday, but don’t you know that Indiana State watched Evansville shock Kentucky and is thinking they might be the next bunch of Hoosiers to go to the Commonwealth and pull off a shocker?

You can bet that Chris Mack has or will have that conversation with his team.

Wednesday’s ACC Action

  • High Point @ Boston College || 7:00 || ACCNX
  • Colgate @ Syracuse || 7:00 || ACCNX
  • South Carolina Upstate @ Virginia Tech || 7:00 || ACCNX
  • UNC-A @ Wake Forest || 7:00 || ACCNX
  • Indiana State @ Louisville || ACCN
  • FIU @ NC State || 9:00 || ACCNX

More From Duke Basketball Report