ACC Hoop Feb 5-7

Rumor has it there’s a big game on Wednesday night in Chapel Hill… anytime Bill Packer and Dick Vitale are working the same game, it’s got to be big. Carolina will give Duke big match up problems in the post, but if Ty Lawson is unable to go, Duke’s ball pressure is going to give the Heels all sorts of trouble. With Lawson in the lineup, the Heels have the league’s best assist-to-turnover ratio. Duke on the other hand is allowing the league’s lowest assist to turnover ratio.

As much as we like to fuss about the officiating and the big home-court advantage in the ACC, the statistics may surprise you. Through 41 games, Home teams are only shooting 1.58 more free throws per game that the visitors. On average, home teams are scoring 5.28 more points than their opponents. So far, Brian Dorsey Tony Greene are bad news for home teams with the visitors winning 80% of the games worked by these officials. However, Mike Kitts is the kiss of death for home teams who are winless in the 3 games he has worked. On the other hand, be happy if Brian Kersey or Raymond Styons shows up to work one of you home games. Through seven conference games, the home teams are winning 83% of the time when Kersey works and through four conference games, the home team is undefeated when Styons works. The summary of officiating stats is available here.

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