The ACC Tournament has come up to the Big Apple to display the greatest assortment of player talent and coaching in any conference in the NCAA this season. Likely 2017 NBA Draft picks will be on the court in every matchup over the next five-day stretch. We here at The Step Back want you to feel like you are watching it courtside right along with us so we’ll have these game-by-game diaries for each day with scouting notes on the players involved.
The notes for each game are presented chronologically. Read Day 1’s notes here, Day 2’s notes here and Day 3’s notes here.
GAME 1: North Carolina vs Duke (7 p.m. EST)
-UNC against Duke, round three; the game that everyone in Brooklyn wanted to see. It lived up to the hype and then some. With as many as nine possible future NBA players on both sides, it definitely was the game that scouts had their eyes on as well.
-To begin the game the Tar Heels were relentlessly attacking the Blue Devils in the paint. With Duke going small and playing Jayson Tatum at power forward, one of Isaiah Hicks and Kennedy Meeks had a mismatch down low. Early it was Meeks that gave Duke all they could handle. It was so lopsided in the paint that Duke tried pairing Amile Jefferson and Harry Giles together to slow down North Carolina’s frontcourt. Meeks has a long ways to go before he can consider being a contributor to an NBA roster. His lack of explosiveness really renders him useless when facing players that are bigger or more athletic than him. With Giles hampered by knee injuries, the Blue Devils don’t really have anyone like that on their roster and Meeks feasted in the first half. Hicks once again put in a solid all-around game and continued to look like a future second round pick whenever he decides to enter his name in the draft.
-Justin Jackson was just plain off. He didn’t get into a groove in the first half and to begin the second it looked like Carolina was force feeding him in hopes of getting him going, however, that never happened. Even Jackson’s patented floater wasn’t falling for him. The Tar Heels insistence on getting Jackson going took away from their focus on the interior and that let Duke hang around. Joel Berry II’s four fouls were the main catalyst to Duke taking their first lead of the night on a Frank Jackson 3-pointer. Without Berry on the floor, the Tar Heels were a completely different team and the Blue Devils pounced.
-Tatum was once again the engine for Duke. His 18 first half points along with Grayson Allen’s 12 –on 4/5 shooting from three– combatted the 26 points Carolina got from Meeks and Hicks. Tatum settled for jump shots to begin the game, which was a disappointment given that he was being guarded by Hicks and Luke Maye to begin the game. Once he started to attack the Tar Heels off the dribble he was much more effective and drew numerous fouls on UNC that got Duke to the free throw line quickly. Tatum has had the best week of any prospect here and there are rumblings that he could possibly challenge Washington’s Markelle Fultz for the top spot in the 2017 NBA Draft on some team’s boards.
-Allen lives off the pressure and attention that he’s gotten this season. The crowd booed him on every touch and he responded by making his first four 3-pointers of the game. Allen was hard for most of the Tar Heels to stick with and their hands-on defense resulted in ticky-tack foul calls all night. Allen will likely get similar treatment in the NCAA Tournament if the Blue Devils are away from North Carolina in the region they get seeded.
-Frank Jackson flipped what he had done the last couple games. After a no-show in the first half, he responded with a big second half. Besides the 3-pointer to give the Blue Devils their first lead, he had a nice pass to Tatum for a dunk that quieted what looked like a North Carolina comeback attempt after Berry checked back in. Fellow freshman, Harry Giles was once again impactful in his time on the court. One three-possession sequence confirmed my belief that Giles is nearing 100 percent: he blocked a Jackson drive, ran out for an alley-oop slam on the fast break, then dove on the ground to knock an entry pass away from Meeks and got on the floor to keep it away from the Tar Heels. 100 percent Giles can be really good if we ever get to see him again.
-Another night, another big Luke Kennard second half. He dropped only 15 points in the second half this game. When Kennard is going the Blue Devils are nearly impossible to guard. Kennard can beat opponents off the dribble, with his shot, or facilitate. He’s ensured himself a spot in the first round with his clutch play late and a good run in the NCAA Tournament next week will only strengthen his case.
GAME 2: Florida State vs. Notre Dame (9:50 p.m. EST)
-While their size stood out a day ago, the Seminoles opted to start the game by going smaller with Phil Coffer starting in place of Michael Ojo. Leonard Hamilton obviously felt that Coffer gave him a better chance against Bonzie Colson. Yet, it was the Fighting Irish’s ability to hit from deep that gave them the big lead in the first half.
-Dwayne Bacon was the only player for Florida State that was on his game. Bacon played the entire game without the hand wrap that he wore for the first half of yesterday’s game. Bacon is inconsistent with his 3-point shot, but his ability to hit pull-up jumpers is a skill that will be useful for NBA teams. Bacon has spots where he settles for outside shots too much. Florida State went through a stretch where it completely ignored the paint and Hamilton were visibly frustrated with his team and spent a good 30 seconds berating them as they played defense. If Bacon enters the draft after his sophomore season he will be a late first or early second selection.
-Jonathan Isaac might be dealing with a leg injury. He was seen asking out for breaks and rests at multiple points during the game. It wouldn’t mesh that he was winded or tired and he did have a noticeable limp in his gait when he was walking around the court. In terms of actual play, it just wasn’t his night on offense. Nothing was dropping for him and he really didn’t get in the paint a lot on offense. He was good on the defensive boards and once again showcased his versatility by guarding V.J. Beachem, Steve Vasturia and Colson during different parts of the game. Isaac will definitely be a lottery pick, but the team and situation that he goes to will have an impact on his play.
-For Notre Dame, their ability to hit 3-pointers carried them all night and then for good measure they sprinkled in some Colson on top. Vasturia finished the game 4/5 on 3-pointers. He had a nice one-on-one move against Isaac too where he broke him down off the dribble and finished nicely with a reverse layup using the rim to shield the ball away from a potential Isaac block. A lot will be made of what this team is able to do against Duke tomorrow night as they have very similar philosophies and rosters, the Blue Devils however hold the edge in athleticism. Matt Farrell was once again solid and if given the chance will definitely find his way onto an NBA roster at some point in the next few years.