Tuesday Night ACC Basketball: The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight

ZELLER MAKING A SHOT! (Robert Willett/Raleigh News & Observer)

#5 NORTH CAROLINA 68, WAKE FOREST 53 - If you didn't watch this game it looks like a typical lopsided Tar Heel win.  If you did watch it, you know it was a typical lopsided Tar Heel win in spite of the fact that Ol' Roy's guys couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with a beach ball from point blank range.  But then, Wake couldn’t shoot either.

Ugly.

How ugly?  Well, check out these numbers.  UNC shot 34% in the first half and 27% in the second half after scoring just one basket (1-13) in the first nine minutes of the second stanza. They shot 31% for the game and 21% (4-19) from behind the arc.

The Deacons were no better shooting 29% for the game and a woeful 11% (2-18) from behind the three-point line.

The most telling stat is that the two teams had a combined 95 rebounds. That’s not a misprint, that’s NINETY-FIVE.  That’s a lot of missed shots.

That said, Tyler Zeller had 18 points (5 of 13) and a career-best 18 rebounds and John Henson added 14 points (6 of 16) and 12 rebounds for the Tar Heels (19-3, 6-1 ACC) who won their fourth straight game.

Harrison Barnes added 13 points (4-12, there’s a theme here) for the Tar Heels and played most of the second half despite rolling his left ankle midway through the first half.

HARRIS (Andrew Shurtleff/AP Photo)

C.J. Harris scored 19 points (5-11, 1-6 3-Pts) to lead the Demon Deacons (11-11, 2-6). Reggie Bullock did a good job defensively on Harris who left the game after scoring his 1,000 career point. 

#16 VIRGINIA 65, CLEMSON 61 - Senior forward Mike Scott had game-high totals of 23 points and 10 rebounds, and sophomore guard Joe Harris scored 19 points to lead the Virginia men's basketball team to an ACC victory over Clemson Tuesday night  at John Paul Jones Arena.

The game was the 100th men's basketball game played at JPJA where the Cavaliers have a record of 71-29.  Devin Booker led Clemson with 16 points.  

The victory improves UVa's overall record to 18-3 and the Cavaliers are now 5-2 in the ACC. It was the third ACC win in the last six days for the Cavaliers.

Virginia's 18-3 start is its best since going 27-3 to open the 1982-83 season.  Yes, that WAS the Ralph Sampson era.