Big ACC men’s basketball matchups weekend!

I know we're heading into the conference championship weekend, but Saturday is for ACC Basketball and the three teams in the 919 area code are all involved. They're all playing big games. Two of them are on the road. And Duke will host Clemson. Wake is off this weekend.

What do I say? I think Steve Ford's been watching ball. He watching football. I don't know. I don't know what Steve Ford's going to do. We should we should should call him and find out. Brian Geisinger, Pac-Bride, 24-7 Sports, all of that joins us on the Adam Gold Show. He is our basketball guru on Fridays.

All right, sir. I want to start with the Tar Heels who are playing at Florida State. And this is not the same Florida State team that kind of got off to a slow start this season. They look a lot different and they look a lot better. And they look a lot like they're not as good, obviously. Some Leonard Hamilton teams of the past.

How do you look at this game? Yeah, I mean, FSU is always like a challenge to prepare for. And even if they don't have the sort of like multiple seven footers on the roster that they're used to, which I did here. I think it was Mike Monaco was doing one of their FSU games a couple weeks ago that I was watching and Leonard Hamilton said this will never happen again. He'll never have a roster without multiple seven footers on it, which I did love, but still the tallest team in the country, according to Ken Palm.

Any of which you're going to get with them, like the elite, not just like the lengths and the athleticism, but the full core pressure being in passing lanes, trying to deny passes and a team that's going to switch one through five on the vast majority of screens and handoffs and other exchanges. They're a bear to prepare for, but UNC is certainly like well equipped to find different ways to sort of like poke at FSU's pressure in switching. Florida State's won six of their last seven games. To me, this is the way I describe Florida State and the phenomenon is that they will get to a point in the season where somebody will score 27 points that I have never heard of before. Every year, I'm like, when did that guy transfer in?

They do it all the time. So they he usually has a roster like 11 or 12 players that he uses. I mean, I not not that this matters, but I'm intrigued by the fact that Florida State is such a big underdog at home. Getting eight, getting eight and a half points seems like a lot at some point. I mean, I think Carolina is great. I think that the best team in the league.

I think the fact that they have RJ Davis is almost it's almost slump proof. I think he is that solid and can do some so many things. How does Florida State stop him?

Well, you know, I mean, I guess there's a few different ways. One, they're going to put like a lot of, you know, size and athleticism on him. They've got some very good guard and wing defenders and we're walking probably one of the better defenders, not just like all all around players in the league. You've got Jalen Morley and then you've got a guy like Bob Miller who can switch out and also protect the rim. You know, Miller's still a project offensively, but a real talent on the defensive side of the court. But Davis just has the ability with that, with his jumper, with the range, with the sort of like quick release that I mean, he's an elite catch and shoot player, obviously. And Hubert Davis has a bunch of, uh, tactics and actions to get him to shake him loose. Um, and if you know that if you know you've got the screens coming, you're part of the switches coming on on on on screens and stuff with FSU.

Then you can have stuff dialed up for that. Um, in terms of both getting guys, you know, slipping to the rim or slipping out for threes like there's there's different ways to sort of counter that when you know that it's coming even even against all that the athleticism in in in like wingspan of collectively like, you know, like, you know, a lot of, um. Of Florida State, but obviously David's ability to shoot off the catch. Um and you could just see like down the stretch of the Wake Forest game like a game that was close for a while, then just sort of like an avalanche of.

With the Cadeau Elliot Cadeau Davis backboard like the reason why they might be slum proof to borrow your your term is because they can hurt. They can put Davis from being like an offensive caretaker. To being a guy that can just look to get buckets and like they hate him. And I mean, he's been like a, you know, he's been a bucket getter for you and see for years now and like obviously Caleb Love played with the ball plenty in the previous seasons to, you know, we keep black could run the offense, etcetera. But with Cadeau, you've got like a really advanced all their learner really advanced pastor that like those other guys weren't and then all of a sudden you can have Davis flying around.

He's the one setting screens been popping out. You know, they went to that that like stacks being taken wrong look a bunch down the stretch against wake as Davis caught fire. So I really think the Cadeau Davis back court like. They do complement one each one another pretty well, especially the offensive side of the court. In part because all of a sudden, you know, you can let Cadeau run the office and then gave us starts buzzing around the easily is like a slot receiver, you know, running around on, you know, a bunch of little pick plays and stuff like that. So, um, they've got a really nice balance. Certainly with Ingram.

You can also let him, you know, initiate to so we'll see, you know, can you get big hots and looks in the post? Um, you know, FSU with the even when you. You know, even when they switch a smaller defender to the post.

They're going to front and show backside help. Can you find Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan for skip past threes? If their guys are helping off them on the wing and helping down the post like there's stuff to do and, uh, and yet Davis sensational like I really for me for my money. I really thought like.

Philip house get Duke was, um, was like the clear-cut guy for players of the year. And now I'm sort of, I don't know. It's there's a lot of basketballs left to be. Yeah. We haven't even gotten a halfway mark, but, uh, Carolina is eight. No. Uh, and look, if they go 20, you know, yeah. RJ Davis is going to win player of the year, uh, even 19 and one, I think he probably wins it.

All right. The wolf packer in Syracuse and, um, Victoria asked me before who was like, which, which team that was under more pressure? I think it's, I think States got to win this. I think they have to win a road game. I think they have to win a road game against another.

I'm using the soccer term mid table club right now. They have to distinguish themselves from the middle of the pack here. The opportunity at Virginia where they almost came back and got it, uh, you know, to let that get away. It's kind of disappointing, especially with a bad start, uh, but they have to be able to use their press because I think it's better than their half court defense. And they don't have a good enough half court offense. I think to make up for the fact that they need free points, uh, but they've got to be able to do that against Syracuse.

I just don't know if they can. Yeah, I mean, the press is huge for them. I've been saying this sort of all season like they need it because that's where they get a lot of their turnover creation or like even if even if the opponent beats the press. Then all of a sudden they're starting an offensive possession with 20 seconds, not 25 seconds. And then the defense can sort of like sink its teeth in a little bit better and it has sort of like a time advantage on its hands.

But. In the press. That's where they force a lot of turnovers. You know, Dennis Parker Jr.

Uh, Jaden Taylor, Casey Morsell. They've got like athletes like well, Connell, like pesky defenders that can that can, uh. You know, create events in the press and then that allows the game to not turn into a half court swag because like they just don't.

As soon as that happens, I mean, this is what took place at UVA earlier this week. They just don't. Um, it's not that they're incapable of doing it.

It's just it's hard. It becomes very difficult for them. Um, they all of a sudden start to default far too much to just like the DJ Burns post up option. And as you saw against UVA. They don't. You know, Virginia doesn't double the post.

And then all of a sudden there's no cutters. There's no kick out shooters. And so it's just burns mid range post up offense.

Um and I think you're him having only one assist. State not getting nearly enough shots at the rim, not getting very, very few free throws in that game. Very few like clean, you know, catch and shoot three to a lot of that is because if teams aren't having the teams aren't helping to double on burn so they can stay at home on some of these other guys and take away the cutters and the kick out options. But the other reason why state doesn't want to get this into a just a half court games because like. Syracuse has an elite point guard like Judah Mintz is awesome. He's really, really good. They run good stuff for him to draw a ton of fouls.

Like it's gonna be a big game for Jaden Taylor. Remember else is guarding at the point of attack. It's gonna be a big game for state centers. Burns in Middlebrook on the defensive side of the court. Like can they help keep mints in front without getting into foul trouble? Um.

You live in him. You have a good chance against against Syracuse. But yes, they just gonna have to be, you know, they're just gonna have to be better than afterward. Often defense defense is good enough.

It's the office that's really, really lagging behind. Neither of those teams. By the way, they're both poor shooting teams from three-point range and kind of two-point range as well. So this might it might be a difficult might be a difficult watch, but I would love to see state make a couple of baskets and then get the press going because that's what they're going to need to win up there. And again, I think the Wolfpack need to start winning games against teams that are in a similar part of the standings to them.

All right, real quick to Duke and Clemson. It's it's in Cameron, which means somebody from Clemson is going to make nine threes. I watched Georgia Tech apparently not be able to miss.

They could have turned around and bicycle kick the ball into the goal from three-point range against the Blue Devils. And clearly, Blake Hinson was not going to miss the three-point shot, including some really tough ones. I know he's a good shooter are the bet are the rims just bigger at Cameron. When I was a kid growing up and hating JJ Reddick, I would have would have definitely said yes, for sure.

At least they're really softer at Duke. But no, I mean like the Hinson performance was incredible. Like I mean, I think he might be the ultimate like irrational confidence guys this year. And I mean, he hit some absolute Canon shot in that game.

I rewatched that game last night and cut up the film. And I mean, like at least three of the seven threes he hit were just totally ridiculous. Um, and you can see Duke strategy this year for Hinson was they put McCain on him and they would switch a lot of actions, which is in theory should keep, you know, keep him from getting, you know, clean, you know, clean catch and shoot looks coming off screens and pick and pops like that type of stuff. And instead they stashed your Kyle Philpowski on Jack Austin in like outside of, you know, maybe a clean look that he clean look or two that he got in transition. Like all the other half grip looks are pretty well contested and just like he made an absolute incredible shot. So yeah, who does maybe PJ Hall will, you know, make eight threes in the altitude.

I'm just assuming it's going to happen. I don't know if it's Duke's defense is not that great. I mean, they certainly went through times where they couldn't stop me. They hard had a hard time guarding Georgia Tech in both matchups this year. They eked out the win at Cameron. They lost down in Atlanta.

Just real quick. Mark Mitchell did come back and play last week. Hopefully Jeremy Roach can play Duke has to kind of I'm not saying right there ship because I don't think they're teetering but the expectations for this team is not to be, you know, essentially mean they got to be a top four seed. I think most people look at them as a top four seed when we get to the NCAA tournament. I'm not sure they're playing like it.

Yeah. I mean the next seven eight days are huge for them, right Clemson, Virginia Tech on the road at UNC like that's a pretty pretty daunting stretch, honestly. And I think they've gotten some here some some tough luck in terms of shooting like I mean, I don't think Duke's opponents are going to outshoot them in terms of three-point percentage by year end, you know, whereas UNC having sort of like the exact opposite. I think Duke's defense has actually been okay. Um, I think powerful policy has done a lot of good stuff at the center position, guarding pick and roll this season being a helper at the rim. I don't think they have a ton of lineup versatility. Just because at times they struggle to be viable on offense with Mitchell, and then they can't have him on the floor for his defense.

And then they go smaller. Then they bring Ryan Young and etcetera and all of a sudden, you know, Philip house is doing different stuff. And like, you know, Jared Mckay, no, I think is improved on defense from the start of the season.

Like he still has breakdown. I'll be curious to see like in the Louisville game, they played seven minutes with Philip house. He's Sean Stewart and Mark Mitchell on the court is the first time all season those guys have played together. Um, you know, Roach was hobbled.

So maybe maybe that was a bit of a one off just given where they were, um, with the rotation. But like that is something to keep in mind. Like his son is John Shire thinking like, we just got to get more sides. And that's why this is on the court. And like Stewart is the is the best way to do that. And you can play with playing with Mitchell and, you know, either have those guys at the 45 or have Phil policy out there. And you know, Mitchell's the de facto three. It just makes the half court spacing on offense a little tricky, though, and they might, uh, they might need something like that against North Carolina to prevent them from getting just clobbered. Uh, on the defensive boards, Brian Geisinger at big guys underscore bird pack pride 24 7.

He is a our basketball guru, especially on Fridays. My man. I'll talk to you later. I appreciate your time.

Yeah. Hope you guys have a good weekend. Okay, you too.

Thank you. I hope we do too. Yeah, I hope we stay dry. It's supposed to rain. It's supposed to supposed to rain forever. All right. Thanks, man. Talk to you later.