ACC basketball was filled with more drama again last week with Duke ascending big time, Virginia fighting for its NCAA Tournament life, North Carolina’s yo-yo deal, and Erick Green going out in style.
The regular season is over, but the weekly honors continue. So, with respect to Virginia Tech’s Jarrell Eddie, Duke’s Ryan Kelly and Quinn Cook, Boston College’s Joe Rahon, Olivier Hanlan and Ryan Anderson, Clemson’s Devin Booker, North Carolina’s P.J. Hairston, Reggie Bullock and James Michael McAdoo, Maryland’s Nick Faust and Dez Wells, Georgia Tech’s Chris Bolden and Daniel Miller, Miami’s Shane Larkin, Wake Forest’s C.J. Harris, N.C. State’s T.J. Warren and Lorenzo Brown, Virginia’s Mike Tobey, Florida State’s Okaro White and Michael Snaer, here are this week’s Big Men on Campus:
Erick Green, Virginia Tech: The sensational senior guard scored 25 and 35 points in losses at Duke and Wake Forest, respectively, but his effort and will to win helped the Hokies compete before their foes pulled away in the second halves. By the way, he sank 18 of his 24 free throw attempts and was 19-for-37 from the floor with nine rebounds and five assists.
Mason Plumlee, Duke: The 6-foot-11 senior was decent (14 points, seven rebounds) in a win over Virginia Tech, but refreshed and revitalized he was awesome at UNC, scoring 23 points and grabbing 13 rebounds and not allowing the Tar Heels to stage a comeback.
Kenny Kadji: The 6-foot-11 senior had one of the best weeks of his career, scoring 41 points, grabbing 23 rebounds and blocking three shots as the Hurricanes lost to Georgia Tech at home but beat Clemson to close out the regular season.
Devin Thomas, Wake Forest: The freshman big man continued elevating his game by totaling 30 points, 19 rebounds, four assists, three blocked shots and three steals as the Demon Deacons lost at N.C. State and beat Virginia Tech.
Akil Mitchell, Virginia: One of the more under-appreciated players in the ACC, Mitchell continued playing excellent basketball. He scored 15 points and hauled down 12 rebounds in a loss at Florida State before amassing 17 and 10 in a win over visiting Maryland. He also played excellent defense and gave the Cavaliers the fight they needed to pick up the crucial victory.
Virginia: Sure, the Cavaliers overcame a 17-point deficit to beat a Maryland team lacking heart and may be on the right side of the NCAA Tournament. But the Cavs never should have lost at Florida State earlier in the week putting themselves in such a tough situation. Coming off a loss at Boston College, Virginia should have performed better under pressure.
Seth Curry, Duke: The senior guard who has battled an ankle injury all season scored 20 points in a win over Virginia Tech and 20 in a victory at UNC. He was a combined 7-for-15 from 3-point range in the two games, and against UNC scored often using the dribble and also was key in Duke opening a 14-0 lead.
Mike Krzyzewski, Duke: His team is again complete and they were on a mission going into Chapel Hill last weekend. Duke demolished UNC in every aspect of the game, most notably in intangibles and mental toughness. Krzyzewski has his team primed for a big run in the big dance.
