NCAA Basketball: Clemson’s comeback completes crazy day in ACC
The ACC had several major shake-ups in the NCAA basketball world on Saturday.
On the Busting Brackets Daily Wrap-Up, we will go through the major NCAA basketball games from the night before with a few short summaries and articles to keep you up to date on the recent news in the college basketball world. This covers the major games from the previous night and today, as well as looking at major news stories from across the nation.
Related Story: Best Bets for New Year's Eve showdowns
We also go through each game of major importance in our “Games to Watch” section, which includes a **Game of the Day**, a ^^Bubble Battle^^, and a brief preview as to what to watch for.
Here we go:
Recaps from Saturday, December 31st:
The Florida State Seminoles continue to play excellent ball to start this season. Much of the excellent play stems from guard Dwayne Bacon. Bacon supplied 29 points, including 6-of-9 from three, in a monster game. This marks the second loss of the season for Virginia, and even though four players scored in double-figures, their top scorer only had 14.
In an overtime battle, it was a Steve Vasturia’s three-pointer with 2.5 seconds left that lifted Notre Dame over Pittsburgh. Bonzie Colson had another double-double of 21 points and 14 rebounds in the win, while Pitt was led by Michael Young and Jamel Artis, both of whom scored 25 points.
For an in-depth look at this game, Andrew Nostvick has you covered here.
In today’s Bubble Battle, the Clemson Tigers finished the game on a 15-0 run to notch a victory. Marcquise Reed came off the bench and scored 21 points in just 25 minutes for the Tigers. Sophomore forward John Collins had 20 points to lead the Demon Deacons.
On a very off night for leading scorer Trevon Bluiett (0-of-10 from the field, including 0-of-6 from three), Xavier still was able to win a Big East game on the road. J.P. Macura’s 23 points and Edmond Sumner’s 28 points led the Musketeers to victory. Two players scored 20 or more points for the Hoyas, but it was not quite enough.
For an in-depth look at this game, Stuart Gill has you covered here.
For an in-depth look at this game, Carmine Carcieri has you covered here.
In what was clearly the upset of the day, Georgia Tech has shot its way into discussion for the early-season bubble having knocked off North Carolina. Josh Okogie was the dominate force for the Yellow Jackets, as he was the leading scorer in the game with 26 points. Ben Lammers was the other solid performer for the Yellow Jackets, as he added a double-double. Justin Jackson led the way for UNC with 16 points, but he did so on an efficient 6-of-17 from the floor. There is a long ACC road ahead, but this is an amazing win for Georgia Tech.
Meanwhile, Saturday was the first day EVER that North Carolina and Duke both lost by 10+ points as members of the top 10.
Games to Watch on Sunday, January 1st:
**Game of the Day** ^^Bubble Battle^^
**Providence Friars @ No. 13 Butler Bulldogs, 3:00 p.m. ET**: Looking to bounce back from a tough loss against St. John’s, 13th ranked Butler gets a home game against Providence. They’re listed as 10.5-point favorites.
**Minnesota Golden Gophers @ No. 15 Purdue Boilermakers, 4:30 p.m. ET**: Along with PC-BU, this battle receives our Game of the Day treatment. Both teams are 12-2, and this would be a huge road win for the Golden Gophers.
^^Marquette Golden Eagles @ Seton Hall Pirates, 4:30 p.m. ET^^: In the Bubble Battle of the Big East, Marquette and Seton Hall both look like teams that will be on the edge of the NCAA Tournament all year. Every Big East win is big, and someone will need to step up and take on a bigger role for one team to edge the other in this tight match-up.
Colorado Buffaloes @ Utah Utes, 6:30 p.m. ET: If Utah wants to make a splash in the Pac-12 and find a way into the tournament, they need to win home games like this one. The Buffs are a strong team, but certainly not unbeatable, as they’re firmly on the early-season bubble.
Ohio State Buckeyes @ Illinois Fighting Illini, 7:00 p.m. ET: Illinois is coming off of a horrible loss against Maryland on the road, while Ohio State will be playing their first Big Ten game of the year. The Illini hold the home court advantage, and that could prove to the difference between teams as equal as these two.
Best of the Yesterday from Busting Brackets:
LSU Basketball: Johnny Jones dismisses Craig Victor II: Following a violation of team rules, Stuart Gill has the scoop on the dismissal of LSU starting forward Craig Victor II.
NCAA Basketball: Best Bets for New Year’s Eve showdowns: Bryce Bennett brings his fifth edition of Best Bets, this time featuring three games from New Year’s Eve.
Oregon Basketball: Ducks are officially back in business: Following back-to-wins over undefeated teams (UCLA and USC), Carmine Carcieri pens his thoughts on how Dillon Brooks and the Ducks are back to their elite level of play.
Next: Is Josh Hart the leader for the National Player of the Year award?
That ends today’s Daily Wrap-Up. Tune in tomorrow for another edition and have a happy holiday.