ACC basketball saw another week go by with up and down results. Although the conference is not as bad as it was last year, the ACC is still struggling to find teams in the Top-25 Rankings.
North Carolina showed flashes with a five-game win streak but was destroyed by Kentucky. One team that has set its self apart though is Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons enter this week with an 11-1 record on a five-game win streak.
With COVID-19 ramping up, who knows how long the season will continue. But one thing to keep an eye on is how will teams close out before the holiday break? Where does this conference currently rank in college basketball?
ACC Basketball Weekly Headlines
To be honest, it was not that exciting of a week for ACC basketball. The teams that were supposed to win did, and the teams that were supposed to lose did that as well. The biggest surprise came on Saturday when Louisville dropped their game against Western Kentucky. The Cardinals have since had to postpone games due to the COVID-19 virus. Could that have been a reason that they lost to the Hilltoppers?
Boston College, who was leading the conference a couple of weeks ago, went down to Albany. This seems to point to the Eagles coming back down to Earth after their incredible start. With that being said, let’s recap a couple of games and see what to look for in this short week before the holidays.
Louisville Basketball Drops to Western Kentucky
Louisville basketball dropped what should have been a win for them against Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers saw a career game from Camron Justice, as he scored 25 points for the team. Jamarion Sharp, who stands at 7-5 added another 14 points, with 10 of them coming from dunks. The story of this game was Louisville losing Malik Williams to COVID-19. In the absence of Williams, Noah Locke stepped up, hitting four threes and scoring 20 points.
Due to missing Williams and having to deal with Sharp in the paint, the Cardinals shot 10 more threes than they average. Their 26 attempts per game shot up to 36 in this game. They shot 13/36, good for 36%. On the other side, Western Kentucky shot 9/18 from the three-point line, going 50%.
The Hilltoppers controlled the whole game, as they never lost the lead. Down nine at the half, Louisville cut the lead to two with 15 minutes left. Western Kentucky then went on a 21-8 run that ended with just under five minutes remaining. The Cardinals’ comeback stopped short as their final points came with just under a minute left. After free throws, the Hilltoppers took the Cardinals out, winning 82-72.
Pittsburgh Beats Saint John’s at the Buzzer
In a northeast battle, the Pittsburgh Panthers came out victorious over Saint John’s on a buzzer-beater. With 0.4 seconds left, Pitt’s Jamarius Burton threw up a runner that gave the Panthers a two-point lead.
“I came down with pace and I saw the ball screen,” said Burton. “I just found a spot. Looked at the shot clock and I found a spot that I liked. I just raised and elevated.”
Burton finished the game leading all scorers with 20 points.
Saint John’s controlled most of the game, as Pittsburgh’s first lead since the opening minutes came with 12 minutes left in the game. Saint John’s immediately responded regaining the lead. After a little bit of back and forth, neither team scored for the next three and half minutes. Pittsburgh was able to take control of the game late, as they went on an 8-5 run with two minutes left. After free throws, Pittsburgh found themselves tied with eight seconds left; that’s when Burton got open for his game-winner.
Updated ACC Basketball Standings
| School | Conf. Record | Overall Record |
| Wake Forest | 1-0 | 11-1 |
| Miami (FL) | 1-0 | 8-3 |
| North Carolina | 1-0 | 8-3 |
| Louisville | 1-0 | 7-4 |
| Virginia | 1-0 | 7-4 |
| Boston College | 1-0 | 6-5 |
| Syracuse | 1-0 | 5-5 |
| Duke | 0-0 | 10-1 |
| Clemson | 0-1 | 8-4 |
| Virginia Tech | 0-1 | 8-4 |
| NC State | 0-1 | 7-4 |
| Florida State | 0-1 | 6-4 |
| Georgia Tech | 0-1 | 5-5 |
| Notre Dame | 0-1 | 4-5 |
| Pittsburgh | 0-1 | 4-7 |
Upcoming ACC Basketball Games to Note
Boston College vs. Wake Forest
Date: Wednesday, December 22
Time: 6 P.M. EST
Coverage: ACC Network
Duke vs. Virginia Tech
Date: Wednesday, December 22
Time: 9 P.M. EST
Coverage: ESPN2
Clemson vs. Virginia
Date: Wednesday, December 22
Time: 8 P.M. EST
Coverage: ACC Network
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