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The task for Miami is simple: following up a win over North Carolina
with another solid performance. But if Jim Larranaga's team hasn't fully
moved on from that victory, it could find itself in trouble against a
deep and talented Maryland club.
The Hurricanes welcome the
Terrapins to Coral Gables for a 6 p.m. tip Sunday evening and given the
adversity Miami has already faced -- which includes playing six true
road games already and losing starting center Reggie Johnson a few weeks
ago -- this group may be well equipped at handling the situation.
Prior
to Johnson’s pre-Christmas injury, the Hurricanes (11-3 and 2-0 in the
ACC) were playing as well as any ACC team not named Duke. They beat
Michigan State, won at Massachusetts, beat Charlotte and won at Hawaii.
But then a blowout loss to Arizona and an overtime loss to Indiana State
on neutral sites in Honolulu derailed what had been built up.
“When
we got to Hawaii we were exhausted…,” Larranaga said Thursday night
after his team beat UNC at the Dean Smith Center. “Trey McKinney-Jones
was in the hospital with a 105-degree temperature, Durand Scott’s back
tightened up on the trip -- he couldn’t move, he couldn’t bend over.
Shane Larkin tweaked his ankle and Reggie Johnson broke his thumb, so
there was a lot of things.
“We played very well the first night
without Reggie, beating Hawaii, but then we lost to a very good Arizona
team, and the against Indiana we just totally ran out of gas with about
five minutes to go.”
But the Hurricanes have won consecutive road
ACC games and finally return home to take on Maryland (13-2, 1-1) for
just their second home game since Dec. 14.
Pick: Miami 64-60
Jan. 12
Duke (15-0, 2-0 ACC) at N.C. State (13-2, 2-0)
When: Noon
Full Court Press:
There are pllenty of keys in this game, but the most important one will
be how the Wolfpack handle the stage. They have more talent in their
first six than Duke, will be at home and have every incentive one can
imagine to win this game. Scott Wood must hit a few threes, Lorenzo
Brown must continue running the show like a pro, Richard Howell has to
rebound and avoid foul trouble, and C.J. Leslie can’t bring down his
teammates. The possible X-factor is freshman forward T.J. Warren,
perhaps the top sixth man in the ACC. Duke must get a big day from Seth
Curry on the perimeter, Mason Plumlee in the paint, and some production
from its bench. Ryan Kelly won’t play, meaning someone else needs to
step up to help keep Duke among the ranks of the unbeaten.
Pick: N.C. State 82-77
Virginia (11-4, 1-1) at Clemson (8-6, 0-2)
When: Noon
Full Court Press: Virginia
followed its win over North Carolina by losing at Wake Forest, so a
loss at Clemson will more than cancel out that victory. The Cavaliers
must win the rebounding battle and get good looks against the Tigers’
usually excellent defense. Clemson has to find ways to score, which has
been an issue against most decent teams, and no doubt will be versus
Virginia. The Cavaliers' perimeter shooting will be the difference.
Pick: Virginia 58-52.
North Carolina (10-5, 0-2) at Florida State (10-5, 2-0)
When: 2 p.m.
Full Court Press:
The last time UNC went to Tallahassee the Tar Heels lost by 33 points.
That was last season when the Heels won 32 games and had four of the top
17 picks in last summer’s NBA draft. The current Heels don't compare to
last year’s team and while Florida State isn’t as good either, the
Seminoles are still capable of routing the struggling Heels. The more
Ian Miller plays for Florida State the better.
Pick: Florida State 74-66.
Virginia Tech (9-6, 0-2) at Georgia Tech (10-4, 0-2)
When: 2:30 p.m.
Full Court Press:
The Yellow Jackets have played pretty well in ACC games but haven’t won
yet. That should change against a Hokies team that has completely
fallen apart. Virginia Tech has dropped its last four games by a total
of 104 points even with the nation’s leading scorer, Erik Green, doing
his thing. Georgia Tech freshman big Robert Carter should have some
success but most important is that the Jackets need to convert in
transition and at the rim better than they were in Wednesday’s loss at
N.C. State.
Pick: Georgia Tech 77-65.
Boston College (9-6, 1-1) at Wake Forest (8-6, 1-1)
When: 4 p.m.
Full Court Press: One
of these teams is going to win a second consecutive ACC game. Boston
College scored 54 second-half points at Virginia Tech on Wednesday, led
by Ryan Anderson’s 26 for the game. Travis McKie and C.J. Harris have to
play well for Wake Forest to beat anyone, especially teams from solid
leagues. The Demon Deacons have beaten Xavier and played Duke tougher
than expected and they beat Virginia. They are playing well and that
should continue.
Pick: Wake Forest 66-61.
Season record: 124-26
