2008 ACC Semifinal Previews by Rob Clough
ACC Tournament Semifinal Preview
Game 9: UNC (1) vs Virginia (4), 1pm
Players to Watch:
UNC: Erlana Larkins (25 points & 10 rebounds vs Clemson), LaToya Pringle (16
points, 5 rebounds), Cetera DeGraffenreid (12 points, 3 assists)
Virginia: Monica Wright (17 points, 6 rebounds vs Georgia Tech), Lyndra Littles
(17 points, 16 rebounds), Aisha Mohammed (12 points, 11 rebounds)
The Skinny: The Hoos and Heels played a close game in Charlottesville earlier
this season, with UNC pulling away only in the last few minutes. UNC tried to
keep up with UNC's tempo in that contest, which brought some positive results.
The Hoos beat Georgia Tech in a rematch of their shootout from a week ago, but
this time it was a physical defensive struggle. Both teams shot under 40% in
the game and Virginia was able to keep Tech's senior stars, Chioma Nnamaka &
Janie Mitchell in check (a combined 5-24 from the field). Virginia won the
game because they were able to dictate tempo, preventing Tech from running but
still getting their own share of fast break points (a 14-4 edge). Virginia
held the Jackets to a single bucket in the last four minutes of the game thanks
to their suffocating defense, and that's what clinched the game for them.
Meanwhile, UNC got a tougher-than-expected contest from the upstart Clemson
Tigers. Clemson stayed within a handful of points in the first ten minutes of
the game before Erlana Larkins took over the game with 3 straight scores, some
tough rebounds and a steal. The Heels conceded short-range jumpers to the
Tigers, who were able to hit quite a few of them. What was surprising is that
Clemson was able to hang with UNC in terms of causing turnovers, scoring off of
them and running. What won the game for the Heels was the incredible dominance
of Larkins and LaToya Pringle (a combined 15-19) and timely three-point
shooting
(6-16). Clemson just didn't have the horses inside to fight the Heels, but
they
didn't lose due to a lack of effort.
The UNC-UVa game will come down to aggressiveness and focus. The Hoos have the
talent and athletes to win this game, but they must stay out of foul trouble
against an extremely physical UNC frontline and make stops down the stretch.
UNC has the smartest and toughest player in the league in Larkins, who always
knows exactly what her team needs to do. If Virginia is to win, getting her in
foul trouble would certainly help, as would keeping her far away from the
basket. The Heels have the depth to keep Larkins nice and fresh, whereas UVa's
margin of error is much slimmer. If Mohammed or Littles get into foul trouble,
the game could get out of hand. Watch the matchups between Degraffenreid and
Sharnee Zoll as well as Rashanda McCants vs Wright. The Hoos will need to win
both matchups definitively if they're going to win. If someone like McCants
explodes on them, they'll once again be in trouble. Virginia has one primary
advantage: taking care of the ball. If they can survive UNC's pressure and use
it against them, while scoring off of the inevitable UNC miscues, then it will
be a very interesting game indeed. In the end, UNC's depth and the will of
Larkins will carry UNC to the win.
Game 10: Maryland (2) vs Duke (3), 3:30pm
Players to Watch:
Maryland: Crystal Langhorne (24 points, 7 rebounds vs Boston College), Laura
Harper (25 points, 5 rebounds), Kristi Toliver (14 points, 7 assists)
Duke: Chante Black (20 points vs FSU), Abby Waner (14 points, 7 rebounds, 7
assists), Joy Cheek (11 points, 5 rebounds)
The Skinny: The Terps conceded the jump shot to post-heavy Boston College and
were almost hoisted by their own petard, as the Eagles shot a ridiculous 11-19
from long range. BC's Mickel Picco dropped a tournament-high 33 points on the
Terps. Maryland was still able to win with relative ease because their one-two
post combo of Langhorne and Harper combined for 19-21 shooting from the floor
and 11-14 from the line. Maryland coach Brenda Frese (back on the sidelines
after giving birth) rolled the dice by playing her little-used bench rather
extensively, but was nearly undone when BC pulled within 9 points with a few
minutes left. Maryland shot over 57% from the floor and also picked up 16
second-chance points to only 4 for the Eagles. Their rebounding dominance was
the key to their win.
See my game report for the Duke-FSU recap, but in brief, Duke overcame a
lethargic 30 minutes with a stirring comeback from a 6-point deficit thanks to
some spirited play by Abby Waner. The Devils will need a similar performance
if they want to beat the Terps. Maryland handled Duke with relative ease in
both of their prior meetings this year. The Terps will likely test Duke's
shooters once again by sitting back in a zone in order to prevent penetration.
Duke will need to counter by using Carrem Gay and Joy Cheek in the game
simultaneously. This will allow Duke to stretch the defense since both can hit
medium-range jumpers (and drive), as well as prevent the Terps from running
wild
on the boards. This will put more pressure on Waner and Smith to defend
Toliver
& Marah Strickland. Duke will also need to pressure the ball early and often
in
order to get some easy scores and try to force Toliver to pick up her dribble
on
the sidelines. If Duke can hit the shots conceded to them, then this will be a
very tight game. If not, and especially if Chante Black fades again in the
second half, the Terps will slowly pull away and win by 10-12 points.
