N.C. State's Javier Gonzalez and Georgia Tech's Maurice Miller fight for a loose ball on January 23, 2008.
Jan 29, 2008
Other conferences may have more ranked teams than the ACC, but it’d be hard to find one that could boast a better brand of basketball. The competition amongst conference members has been thrilling so far.
Already, an amazing 15 of the conference’s first 32 games have been either been decided by fewer than three points or have gone into overtime.
By comparison, last year produced 19 such contests out of the 96 regular season ACC games.
Clemson has played in three overtime games already in ACC play.
N.C. State has returned to the “Cardiac Pack” days – its last three games were each decided by exactly three points.
Even North Carolina, despite the almost-perfect record, has encountered three conference games decided by three or fewer points.
And perhaps no team has had more experience in down-to-the-wire games than Virginia Tech. The Hokies have been on both sides of a clinching buzzer-beating shot.
And in addition to each of those two games, Seth Greenberg’s team also has a win in overtime and a one-point victory.
Only Duke has been able to avoid such nail-biters altogether – its closest game was a nine-point win.
“Every game is so competitive. There’s so much pride in each program, people are going to fight to win, and when they do, how do you respond to that?" Mike Krzyzewski pondered. “In the situations thus far, our team has responded very well as a group and certainly some individuals have made some big plays.”
The narrow scoring margins is mirrored by the juxtaposition of teams in the standings. Only three teams are above .500 in conference play, and only two teams are more than one game under .500.
Most teams are losing a one-possession game, only to win one of the same variety the next time out – a trend that can really test a coach’s patience.
So forgive Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton if he’s not as upbeat on the subject as some coaches. His Seminoles have had a confidence-deflating 3-pointer bank in off the backboard in the final minutes of a conference game twice already for two losses.
“There’s so many close games and I really believe that’s the way it’s going to be the remainder of the year,” Hamilton said. “This has been a little more frustrating to me…we could’ve very well won five games instead of two.”
A stretch like the one the Wolfpack is currently on provides a roller coaster of emotions, but with more highs than lows, coach Sidney Lowe hopes these games benefit his squad.
“It’s been tough, but it’s been good for our team to be in those situations...it’s just not often you’re going to find yourself with large leads, not in this conference,” Lowe said. “It’s helping us to believe we can win these ball games down the stretch.”
With so many teams having already come up on opposite ends of these exciting contests, coaches are hypothesizing about the keys to edging an ACC opponent.
Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt emphasizes the last four minutes of a game to his team. So far the Yellow Jackets have made for an entertaining last four minutes, having played in three games decided by three or fewer points.
“It seems like that’s always been the case ever since I’ve been here. There’s always a lot of parity, a lot of good coaches and a lot of good players,” Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt said.
As his point guard play has solidified, with senior Matt Causey closing out games and taking care of the ball, the Jackets have pulled off three conference wins and almost knocked off then-undefeated North Carolina.
Lowe tabbed late-game defense as the key in the Pack’s 2-1 record in these games.
“When we locked down defensively, when we get those stops; that’s the major thing right there. You’ve got to get those stops on the defensive end,” Lowe said. “If you don’t allow your opponents to score, that gives you an advantage right there. We did that in the Miami game and the Florida State game…in the Georgia Tech game we didn’t get those stops and we lost that ball game.”
Hamilton reviewed game film with his team and pointed to a key stretch where his players got careless when they led the Pack by 12 in the first half, He saw that each time down the court was a missed opportunity.
In a three-point ball game, any one of the plays going the opposite way could’ve swung the game in either direction.
“It’s obvious now that every possession is important when you have this many closely contested games,” Hamilton said. “We lost our concentration there for about four or five minutes and you can’t do that in the ACC. You have to take every possession seriously because the games are so close.”
With all these games coming down to the last shot, are the last five minutes of an ACC game the most entertaining five minutes in basketball?
“They’re the most important, I know that,” Hewitt said.
It’s still early, but with so few points, often one game-changing shot, separating winners from losers, this might be one of the most competitive years in ACC history.
But those who have been around the league for awhile like Hewitt won’t rush to judgment.
“This year there seems to be more in terms of scoreboard games being that close,” Hewitt. “But I’ve always thought the games were that hard-fought.”
It’s just another year in the Atlantic Coast Conference – where close games are the norm.
The Early Season Heroes:
Ish Smith, sophomore: Wake Forest
Hit a jumper with 0.6 seconds left against Virginia Tech to win 77-75
Wayne Ellington, sophomore: North Carolina
Drained one from behind the arch in overtime to give the Tar Heels the 90-88 win over Clemson.
Gavin Grant, senior: N.C. State
Had the game-winning steal and lay-up off a Miami inbounds pass to clinch the victory in overtime 79-77.
Deron Washington, senior: Virginia Tech
Drove the ball around defenders and hit a tough lay-in on the final play of the game to defeat archrival Virginia in OT, 70-69.
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