ACC Recap: NC State storms back against Louisville
A fourth quarter for the ages puts the Wolfpack on top of the ACC
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The ACC game of the year had a little bit of everything, but a surprisingly small amount of time where both teams were playing well. At the end of the third quarter, Louisville had a 97.9% chance to win, up 51-37. Whether you consider it an epic comeback, a collapse, or a combination of the two, NC State started the fourth quarter on a 31-4 run, a remarkable seven-minute stretch that turned certain defeat into an almost relaxing win.
The Wolfpack earned a very important victory for their conference and national standing, and proved in the process that they are a more well-rounded team at this point in the season than the Cardinals.
Weekly Update:
NC State - Round one goes to the Wolfpack. Despite abnormally poor three-point shooting, especially in the first half, NC State defeated Louisville 68-59 in their only scheduled matchup of the season, although I am sure many people are rooting for a rematch in the conference tournament. The third-most efficient three-point shooting team in the country at 40%, NC State made just one shot from beyond the arc through the first 30 minutes of play. In the fourth quarter, Diamond Johnson and Jakia Brown-Turner combined for five threes in a five-minute span that put the game away for good. Johnson was the leading scorer with 16 points, while Elissa Cunane added 15 points and 12 rebounds.
If there was ever an indication that home court advantage mattered, it was Thursday night. The fans packed into Reynolds Coliseum didn’t waver in their support for the first three quarters, and then nearly brought the arena down during the fourth quarter eruption of offense. The energy was palpable on television and was an underrated factor that aided in the win for NC State.
Heavy is the head that wears the crown, and being the now undoubted top team in the conference carries expectations. NC State followed their Louisville win with a narrow 51-45 defeat of Virginia Tech. The Wolfpack were lucky to survive on a night that saw Cunane go 2 of 16 from the field, but their defense, specifically on Elizabeth Kitley, was dominant enough to escape with a win against a formidable ACC opponent.
Louisville - Momentum is a controversial topic in sports. Some people argue it exists while others point to the hot hand fallacy, but a key aspect of the discussion is effort and body language. Watching the Cardinals players after NC State took the lead, it was hard to imagine the game was not already over due to the dejected nature of their futile attempts to stay in the contest. Bad shot selection and lazy turnovers cost Louisville (who I still believe has the higher ceiling) of proving to the world that they are the best team in the ACC.
However, there was one very promising development: the play of Olivia Cochran. The sophomore forward had by far her best game of the season, tying her career high with 19 points on 8 of 12 shooting. While it was not enough to make up for the lack of efficient scoring from her teammates, it will be interesting to see if she becomes a larger part of the offense going forward.
Louisville did get back on track against Wake Forest, winning 72-60 after leading by more than 25 in the third quarter. Hailey Van Lith finished with 17 points, and after their 15-game winning streak was snapped by NC State, a new run is set to begin.
Boston College - The Eagles have officially moved up a tier. After a close loss to Louisville and many wins against the bottom of the conference, BC has finally gotten a marquee victory, defeating No. 19 Notre Dame 73-71. Cameron Swartz led the team with 28 points, moving her into the top-10 for average scoring in the ACC. Taylor Soule is also on that list, and added 15 points and 10 rebounds in the effort.
The most impressive aspect of the win was that Notre Dame played really well. Balanced scoring with five players in double digits and 50% shooting from the field is usually a recipe for success, but Boston College went toe-to-toe with a ranked team and delivered.
The Eagles picked up a second win this week, beating Miami 79-66 behind 23 points from Soule. Boston College has another opportunity to move up in the power rankings when they take on Georgia Tech tomorrow night.
Georgia Tech - The Yellow Jackets started the week with a comfortable win over Syracuse. Despite losing the turnover battle by 12 and only making two three-point attempts, Georgia Tech was +18 on the boards and had 14 more free throw attempts than the Orange, leading to a 10-point victory.
They returned home for what was supposed to be an intense matchup with No. 20 North Carolina, but Georgia Tech won the first quarter 23-9 and never looked back. It was a defensive masterclass from the Yellow Jackets, never allowing more than 10 points in a quarter. They forced a 29% clip from the field, and it did not help that UNC made three of their eleven free throw attempts. Digna Strautmane led all scorers with 14 points.
ACC Blunders of the Week:
Not to beat a dead horse, but Louisville needs one last knock for their fourth quarter performance. How can you call yourself a top-5 team in the country and then allow a 27-point swing in the biggest game of the season? Between Kianna Smith, Emily Engstler, and Hailey Van Lith, someone is going to need to step up as a closer in the biggest of the big games if they want to cut down the nets in April.
North Carolina also gets a shout out for their 38-point output against Georgia Tech that dropped them from the AP poll. Deja Kelly finally had an off night, and her teammates were unable to produce any offense without their best playmaker contributing. A single-digit win over the 3-12 Virginia Cavaliers is not anything to brag about either, and the Tar Heels would like to be beating the weaker ACC squads in a more dominant fashion.
Important Game Tracker:
North Carolina @ No. 21 Duke, Thursday, January 27th
HHS Winner Prediction: North Carolina (51.1%)
No. 21 Duke @ No. 5 Louisville, Sunday, January 30th
HHS Winner Prediction: Louisville (89.3%)
No. 3 NC State @ No. 20 Notre Dame, Tuesday, February 1st
HHS Winner Prediction: NC State (78.6%)
No. 14 Georgia Tech @ No. 21 Duke, Tuesday, February 1st
HHS Winner Prediction: Duke (61.2%)
James’ Weekly ACC Power Rankings:
Tier 1
NC State (18-2) ⇧1
Louisville (16-2) ⇩1
Tier 2
Virginia Tech (14-5) ⇧2
Georgia Tech (15-4) ⇧3
Notre Dame (14-4) ⇩2
Duke (13-4)
North Carolina (15-3) ⇩3
Boston College (14-5)
Tier 3
Miami (10-7)
Florida State (9-8) ⇧1
Wake Forest (12-8) ⇩1
Tier 4
Syracuse (8-9)
Pittsburgh (10-9)
Clemson (7-12)
Virginia (3-13)
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