ACC Honor Roll: FSU, Boston College draw raves

By foxsports
Published

The first full week of ACC games took fans on a wild ride. The unpredictability of this league will keep people tuned in, even if the conference is a bit down this season.

Boston College wasn’t supposed to win a league game and it now has two, and FSU’s Deividas Dulkys did his best J.J. Redick impersonation in one of the most shocking results ever in ACC play.

Here is this week’s ACC Hoops Honor Roll:

Dennis Clifford, Boston College – The 7-foot freshman totaled 30 points and 11 rebounds in helping the Eagles surprise Clemson and Virginia Tech at home. Clifford sank 10 of 19 field goal attempts and also attempted 15 free throws, as he helped wear down both opposing front lines.

Andre Dawkins, Duke – The junior wing saw his minutes increase considerably this past week and he responded by scoring 34 points in wins at home over Virginia and at Clemson. Dawkins was huge in netting 24 at Littlejohn Coliseum, which is never an easy place to play for highly rated visitors. Dawkins was 7-for-15 combined from 3-point range.

Mike Scott, Virginia – The Cavaliers played just once last week, but the 6-foot-8 senior was sensational in a 3-point loss at Duke. He scored 23 points, grabbed nine rebounds and forced Duke to completely change its defense at halftime. He’s currently the very early leader for ACC Player of the Year.

Lorenzo Brown, N.C. State – The sophomore point guard put together a monster performance in a 36-point win at Wake Forest. He scored 20 points, handed out six assists and registered four steals. Combined with State’s home loss to Georgia Tech, Brown scored 33 points, dished out 12 assists and had six steals. Hs leadership is helping the Wolfpack bounce back from a tough loss should also be noted.

Bernard James, Florida State – The 6-foot-10 veteran scored 18 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and blocked three shots in a 63-59 win at Virginia Tech to get the Seminoles’ amazing week going. Including Saturday’s rout of North Carolina, James went for 26 points, 24 rebounds, three blocks, two steals and gave his teammates a whole lot of energy.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Deividas Dulkys, Florida State – The senior from Lithuania scored just four points in last week’s win at Virginia Tech, but he had a day against North Carolina that will go down in school history. Dulkys scored 32 points, handed out four assists, had four steals, blocked a shot and tore the heart out of the Tar Heels in a 90-57 romp. Dulkys converted 8 of 10 shots from beyond the arc in a performance few who saw it will ever forget.

TEAM OF THE WEEK

Florida State – The Seminoles were dead in the water after being routed by 20 points at Clemson on Jan. 7, but managed to pull everything together last week to win at Virginia Tech and then deliver UNC one of its worst losses ever in a 33-point demolition of the Tar Heels. People’s eyes are back on Leonard Hamilton’s team, and maybe it can use this last week to fuel a run that leads to another NCAA invitation.   

DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE WEEK

North Carolina – There was no other competition. The Tar Heels were humiliated by FSU in a 90-57 loss in Tallahassee. This performance came from out of nowhere for the Heels. A loss wouldn’t have been surprising. A poor performance wouldn’t have, either. But this, especially the way UNC wilted right out of the gate in the second half, has to seriously disturb UNC fans. By the way, no eventual national champion dating back to 1980 has ever lost a regular season game by more than 26 points.