Weekend Recap

There were some good games this weekend, and I think we learned more about some of the teams in the ACC. Here are my impressions:

-UNC played well despite losing a virtual home game against Texas. It seems to me that the Heels are still trying to figure out their offensive identity with a lot of guys who do not have much game experience. If I were them, I'd keep getting the ball down low to Tyler Zeller. I am impressed by how much he has improved, and he has gotten to the point where he is almost unstoppable down low. They still need to figure out how best to use freshman Harrison Barnes.

-Miami had a golden opportunity to knock off a surprisingly good team in UCF but really struggled in the second half. They were up at halftime, but really unraveled down the stretch. Once they got behind, it seemed like they got in panic mode, not running any set offenses, but choosing to have one of their guards drive into the lane and throw up an off-balance shot. If they didn't get fouled, it was one and done and UCF took advantage.

-Virginia Tech may have turned the corner. They played their best game of the year against a Mississippi State team that is talented, albeit gassed after playing five games in a week. Still, even against a tired team, for the Hokies to win by 30 is quite a feat. If they can continue to get consistent production out of people like Erick Green and Victor Davila, they can make their goal of the NCAAs.

-NC State didn't take advantage of a game that really would have looked good on their resume had they'd won. Arizona is a solid team with some NBA caliber players. But playing at home, the Wolfpack should have been able to take care of business. Instead, they fell behind and only got into more of a hole. They were playing a very aggressive form of defense, which led to a lot of easy Arizona baskets.

-It was a good win for Georgia Tech down in the Bahamas. They were able to knock off a Richmond team that many people think is a lock for the NCAA Tournament. The Yellow Jackets were able to win by 13 despite playing much of the game without Iman Shumpert.

I'll be back later in the week with a look ahead at some decent non-conference matchups.