by Nick Roby
We have a trifecta in the ACC tonight:
#20 Clemson 18-4 (10-1) at Boston College 10-12 (4-7) 7pm ACCN
Clemson comes off a great comeback win over FSU Saturday to travel on the road again to face a Boston College team who has won 2 of their last 3.
In his 1st game back, Chase Hunter goes for 26 points with the game-winning basket and free throw. Having Hunter back is huge for this Tiger team as they look to keep the momentum going into the 2nd half of ACC play. Clemson will need another strong performance from him as well as Tyson and Hall tonight at BC.
Even though they lost their last game to UVA, Boston College is always a tough out at home (ask Duke who escaped with a 1 point win on Jan. 7th). The will need a good shooting night from Ashton-Langford and company (29% from 3 as a team) to spread Clemson and keep pace with the Tigers. We will learn a lot about this game 10 minutes into the 1st half.
Line: Clemson -4
Virginia Tech 13-8 at #23 Miami 16-5 7pm ESPNU
After a last second loss to Clemson, Virginia Tech has rattled off a couple of wins in a row. The Hokies have a big opportunity to get a quality win on the road against a ranked Miami team. Hunter Cattoor has averaged 17.5 points over those 2 games and had 8 assists against Syracuse. However tonight’s game is on the road so interesting to see how the Hokies come out of the game.
Miami has had an an interesting few games with a 2 point loss at Duke, a solid win at Florida State, and then a 3 point loss at Pitt. After being on the road 4 of the past 5 games, the Canes finally get to be at home. This game feels like it could be a 3 point heavy contest with Miami (35.6%) and Virginia Tech (35.1%) both shooting well from 3.
Line: Miami -3.5
Wake Forest 14-8 at Duke 15-6 7pm ESPN
Wake Forest draws the tough task of trying to beat Duke at Cameroon. The Blue Devils are 10-0 at home and just 2-4 on the road. Duke, with their young talented roster, feeds off the home court and play much better in Cameroon. Wake is looking to bounce back after losing their last 3 ballgames. A big keep for the Deacons is to get some outside shots to fall early and take the crowd out of the game.
Duke will be without Dariq Whitehead tonight against Wake Forest. I would expect Kyle Filipowski to touch the ball almost every possession he is out there. Look for Duke to try and run out in transition when Wake misses outside shots. This also feels like a game where the free throw line becomes a big factor late. Tonight is an important game for both teams looking to improve their conference position.
Line: Duke -8.5