THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE THREAD

The Syracuse Orange will be without forward Chris McCullough for the remainder of the season due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the freshman's right knee, the school announced Monday.

McCullough suffered the injury during Syracuse's Jan. 11 70-57 win over Florida State while leaping to catch a pass in transition. Surgery has not yet been scheduled, according to the school.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...ange-forward-chris-mccullough-season-torn-acl

 

Malcolm Brogdon doesn't know what the ceiling is for No. 2 Virginia, but he knows the Cavaliers aren't there yet.

They were close to perfect after halftime Tuesday night, using a 29-6 run to start the half to take command on their way to a 65-42 victory against Clemson. It was their record 20th consecutive home victory at John Paul Jones Arena.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400587915

 

When Chris Jones is being unselfish on offense, No. 6 Louisville is a completely different team.

Tuesday's 78-63 win against Virginia Tech showed what the Cardinals are capable of when their senior point guard is in a generous mood.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400585793

 

Suddenly, fourth-ranked Duke looks a bit lost. The defense isn't there. The 3-point shots aren't falling. And its Hall of Fame coach senses a lack of confidence from his freshman-led team.

Now Mike Krzyzewski will see how his Blue Devils respond to two straight losses, the second ending the program's long winning streak at its famously hostile arena.

Angel Rodriguez scored 24 points and Miami shot 67 percent after halftime to upset No. 4 Duke 90-74 on Tuesday night, snapping the Blue Devils' 41-game home winning streak and giving them consecutive regular-season losses for the first time in nearly six years.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400587917

 

For the second straight year, Marcus Paige looked at ease in North Carolina State's hostile arena.

The preseason all-American scored a season-high 23 points and went 5-for-5 from 3-point range to help No. 15 North Carolina beat the rival Wolfpack 81-79 on Wednesday night.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400587919

 

Jerian Grant liked how Notre Dame responded to the absence of starting forward Zach Auguste.

"Road wins in the ACC are never easy," Grant said. "Even without your starting big guy, to not have him and still get a road win is huge."

Grant scored 12 points, Steve Vasturia added 11 points and No. 12 Notre Dame beat Georgia Tech 62-59 on Wednesday night.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400587918

 

Virginia's players knew it was their time to show their signature defensive style of play.

Malcolm Brogdon scored 20 points, Anthony Gill had 11 points and 10 rebounds and the No. 2 Cavaliers pulled away in the second half for a 66-51 victory over Boston College on Saturday.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400587925

 

Nice as it was to finally halt the losing streak, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski cautioned against reading too much into Saturday's 63-52 win over No. 6 Louisville.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400587922

 

When No. 12 Notre Dame went small on Saturday, Jerian Grant came up big.

Down 12 points early the second half to Miami, the Irish came back by going to a five-guard lineup down the stretch, and Grant took advantage of the extra space on the floor. He finished with 23 points and eight assists to help the Irish upend the Hurricanes 75-70.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400587924

 

North Carolina kept giving the ball away and didn't get much scoring from its best player. Still, the No. 15 Tar Heels did plenty to beat struggling Virginia Tech by double figures.

North Carolina held on for a sloppy 68-53 victory over the Hokies on Sunday night behind 16 points from Justin Jackson.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400587928

 

Because all those Duke guards put up some big numbers, their Hall of Fame coach is on the brink of an even bigger one.

Mike Krzyzewski moved one victory from 1,000 for his career in the fifth-ranked Blue Devils' 79-65 win over Pittsburgh on Monday night.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400587929

 

All-American forward Montrezl Harrell is no longer a team captain for the No. 10 Louisville Cardinals, coach Rick Pitino told the Louisville Courier-Journal on Tuesday.

Harrell, a junior who is averaging 14.9 points and 9.2 rebounds after deciding after last season to return to Louisville instead of opting for the NBA draft, had earlier told ESPN Radio 680 of the decision without giving any reasons.

"Absolutely no big deal," Pitino said in a message to The Courier-Journal. "Totally nothing. He is still the leader of our team."

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...-cardinals-stripped-captain-title-rick-pitino

 

North Carolina kept forcing the ball inside and scoring easy baskets to build momentum and the lead. The 15th-ranked Tar Heels need to stay with that formula to keep winning on the road in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Kennedy Meeks scored 12 of his 16 points after halftime to help North Carolina pull away and beat Wake Forest 87-71 on Wednesday night, giving the Tar Heels their fourth straight win.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400587932

 

Virginia coach Tony Bennett and his team call it a "gap," a string of three consecutive possessions for the opponent in which the No. 2 Cavaliers yield no points. It might be time for Bennett's team to increase the standard.

Malcolm Brogdon scored 13 points to lead a very balanced offense and Virginia ran its home winning streak to 21 games with a 57-28 victory against Georgia Tech on Thursday night. It marked the third time this season the Cavaliers have held a team under 30 points in a game, and it featured many of those three-possession gaps the team has come to celebrate.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400587934

 

Notre Dame came into its game ranked No. 8 in the country, and first-time observers might have left thinking the Fighting Irish are even better than that.

Jerian Grant scored 18 points to lead Notre Dame to an 85-60 victory over Virginia Tech on Thursday night.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400587933

 

North Carolina coach Roy Williams has spent much of this season trying to drag more intensity and toughness out of Brice Johnson.

When Johnson plays the way he did Saturday, it's easy to see why the Hall of Fame coach won't stop pushing, either.

Johnson had 18 points and 14 rebounds to help the 15th-ranked Tar Heels survive a 35-point performance from Florida State freshman Xavier Rathan-Mayes and beat the Seminoles 78-74.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400587937

 

So often this season, when No. 2 Virginia has needed a lift, it has come from Justin Anderson.

The junior guard provided a huge one Sunday, this time with an assist from coach Tony Bennett, and led the Cavaliers on a critical 12-0 run late in the game to give them a 50-47 victory at inspired Virginia Tech and sold-out Cassell Coliseum.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400587941

 

Coach 1K. How grand.

Mike Krzyzewski earned his 1,000th career win Sunday, making him the first NCAA Division I men's coach to reach the milestone, when No. 5 Duke surged past St. John's in the second half for a 77-68 victory at Madison Square Garden.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400587943