ACC Roundup - Four Games For Saturday

Thin gruel unfortunately

Christmas is in the rear view and it’s time to get back on the court! Four ACC teams are in action Saturday and, let’s be frank, none of them are playing overly great teams. it’s not a surprise - most power conference teams schedule what are essentially glorified scrimmages in late December and conference play looms just around the corner. So these games are basically tune-ups.

So what do we get on Saturday?

Eastern Kentucky visits Louisville, Alabama A&M cruises over to Atlanta to play Georgia Tech, Bucknell takes on a sliding Syracuse and BC hosts Fairleigh Dickinson.

The best game is likely to be Eastern Kentucky at Louisville. You underestimate Eastern and Western Kentucky at your peril. The Colonels are only about an hour and a half away and in-state media is crumbs if you’re not Louisville or Kentucky.

We think Pat Kelsey is a terrific coach and he’ll get Louisville back up to speed. This might not be an easy game however. EKU should have an emotional advantage.

Normally we’d like to say Georgia Tech absolutely, but they haven’t earned that. They should win, but the Yellow Jackets have been erratic. So we’d expect a closer game than you might think and Georgia Tech wins.

Losing JJ Starling has really hurt the Orange. Bucknell has had some great teams in recent years, but so far this year, they’re just 4-8. Make it 4-9.

We’ll give Fairleigh Dickinson this: they’ve played a much tougher schedule than BC has, with games against Miami, Creighton, Nebraska, Saint Peters, Villanova, LaSalle and Minnesota.

Guess what: Boston College won’t scare them. We admire the scrappiness Earl Grant has brought to BC but ultimately you’re going to have to increase the talent to sustain success. Of the four ACC games scheduled for Saturday, this one may be the most likely to see an upset.

Saturday’s ACC Action

• Eastern Kentucky @ Louisville || 12:00 || CW
• Alabama A&M @ Georgia Tech || 2:00 || ACCN
• Bucknell @ Syracuse || 2:00 || CW
• Fairleigh Dickinson @ Boston College 4:00 || ACCN

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