Senior point guards the key

CLEMSON -- In a wide-open ACC race, Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt offered a difference-making element Monday:

"The biggest thing is experienced point guard play," Hewitt said. "Taking caring of the ball … knowing when to take a chance and when not to."

Of the teams comprising the top half of the standings, only Maryland and Wake Forest have senior leaders in their backcourts.

Maryland has two seniors at guard in Greivis Vasquez and Eric Hayes; either can handle the ball. Wake senior guard Ishmael Smith is one of the top assist men in the conference, dropping passes off to his talented wings and forwards.

Wake travels to Georgia Tech on Thursday and is tied with Duke, just percentage points behind frontrunners Maryland and Virginia. Maryland hosts Miami tonight and travels to Clemson on Sunday.

Thumbs up

The Most Interesting Player in the ACC

He is Florida State's Chris Singleton.

After playing the post in high school, Singleton was converted by FSU coach Leonard Hamilton to the wing where he averages 1.7 blocks per game and where the length from his 6-9 frame causes matchup nightmares. Singleton has improved his shooting range (33.3 pct. on 3s) and is second on the team in scoring (11 ppg) and rebounding (7.5) ppg.

Duke's endurance

The Blue Devils, perhaps the team to beat in the ACC, aren't deep. Duke's Big Three (Scheyer-Smith-Singler) are scoring 52.9 points per game and each member is playing at least 34.3 minutes per game. Duke coach Mike Krzyz-ewski said Scheyer could have played another "20 minutes" on Saturday night. To ease the burden, Krzyzewski has lessened practice minutes logged by his stars.

Thumbs down

North Carolina

The Tar Heels have lost three straight ACC games, the first such streak under Roy Williams. Two of the losses occurred at home including a 13-point loss to Wake Forest.

The Tar Heels have dropped out of the top 25.

Demontez Stitt

Where might the Tigers be if Stitt hadn't injured his foot at N.C. State? The Tigers lost two straight games with Stitt trying to play through mid-foot sprain. Stitt will sit out the Boston College game tonight and Clemson will be without its top shot creator. Without Stitt the Tigers' half-court woes will likely continue.

By the numbers

7 -- Blocks per game by Florida State. The Seminoles are the most physically imposing defense in the ACC.

10.1 -- Number of points Duke's Nolan Smith has added to his scoring average this season, the most of any ACC player. Smith scored 22 points at Clemson on Saturday.

19 -- Virginia guard Sylven Landesburg has scored 10 or more points in 19 straight games dating back to last season and is the only ACC player to have scored in double figures each game this season.

He said it

"I don't talk about friends I don't have or women I didn't marry. I don't talk about players I don't coach," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski when asked whether he thought about where his Blue Devils would be if he had landed Kentucky freshman John Wall, who received an offer from Duke and who has led UK to a 19-0 start. … For the record, Krzyzewski said his wife is the only woman he has ever dated.

Trav's take

The Tigers miss Terrence Oglesby's range and fearlessness. Clemson needs answers quickly to improve its halfcourt offense. The Tigers are shooting 27 percent from 3 this season.

--Wake Forest could be poised for a second-half surge. Aminu is a physical force and Wake has a senior point in Smith. But Wake also has two freshmen who haven't been overwhelmed in Ari Stewart and C.J. Harris. Harris leads ACC rookies in scoring (11.7) and is shooting 41.4 percent from 3.

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Reach Travis Sawchik at tsawchik@postandcourier.com.