Now I move on to a division that has been dominated by Duke and North Carolina: the Atlantic Coast Conference. There are some new faces succeeding this year, most notably Virginia. It seems that although they are once again elite, both Duke and North Carolina have their flaws and may not run away with the division like they normally do. Let’s run down the list and see how the ACC has panned out so far.
Duke Blue Devils: One of the top scoring teams in the nation, Duke is on a tear despite losing Kyrie Irving and Nolan Smith. As usual, they are dominant at home (undefeated so far), and Coach K has them playing at a very high level. Despite his inconsistent play, Austin Rivers is still leading the team at 14.2 points per game and is its most explosive player. Rivers is a special talent that will only get better as the season goes on. The most amazing part about the Blue Devils’ success is their shooting. Duke, always know to live and die by the three, have four players who specialize in launching from behind the arc in Rivers, Ryan Kelly, Seth Curry, and Andre Dawkins. Despite the fact that they shoot so many threes, they still have a .498 field goal percentage as a team, good for sixth in the nation. Mason Plumlee has been a terror on the boards and gives the team the balance it needs. Duke has a nice mix of young players and veterans, and if they stay hot shooting, they will have a long postseason run.
North Carolina Tar Heels: You would think that a 16-3 record would be good for a team, but for these Tar Heels, it is a huge disappointment. The loss to UNLV was a bit strange and everyone can look past a last second one-point loss on the road to Kentucky, but losing to Florida St. by 33? That is a concern. Still, the Tar Heels are an incredibly talented and deep team who still look to be one of the best in the country. North Carolina leads the country in both scoring and rebounding. Their trio of top players, Harrison Barnes, John Henson, and Tyler Zeller, has been fantastic, but there is a drop off after that. Kendall Marshall does a good job at being the floor general, but other players need to step up in order for UNC to really get a national title. Reggie Bullock, Dexter Strickland, James McAdoo, and P. J. Hairston all have that potential and could break out for the Tar Heels come tournament time. North Carolina still has yet to play many tough games, so it will be interesting to see how they fair against Duke. Ultimately, I think they will finish the season nearly flawless and capture an NCAA title.
N. C. State Wolfpack: 12.9, 12.9, 12.7, 12.2, and 12.1. Those are the points per game averages for the top five scorers on N. C. State. Talk about balanced. Scott Wood, C. J. Leslie, Lorenzo Brown, Richard Howell, and C. J. Williams are all solid contributors to a Wolfpack team that is having a surprising amount of success. Three of their five losses have come to teams that were ranked at some point this season, one of them being to #1 Syracuse. While they have yet to really get a quality win, their success is still remarkable, and they will have that opportunity because they still play Duke, Virginia, and North Carolina twice. I still think they’re not quite at the point of being a contender, but they should remain competitive in the ACC and make a run at a tournament spot.
Florida St. Seminoles: As usual, the ‘Noles are making noise in the ACC because of head coach Leonard Hamilton’s defensive philosophy. As I mentioned above, they crushed North Carolina and held them to only 57 points. Florida St. has played a tough schedule so far and should be happy with its 12-6 record. In the absence of Chris Singleton, other players have stepped up. Bernard James has been a beast, averaging 10.4 points and 8.9 rebounds. Michael Snaer and Ian Miller have both increased their play big time, averaging 13.5 and 13 points per game respectively. Florida St. is always a tough team to beat, as last year’s Sweet Sixteen run showed everyone, so don’t be surprised if they continue upsetting teams in the ACC. The best is still yet to come for this Seminoles, as they should string together a 20-win season.
Virginia Cavaliers: Virginia was a popular sleeper team this season, but with only two losses, one a three-point loss to Duke on the road, they are surpassing everyone’s expectations. The Cavaliers are playing out of their minds right now. Mike Scott is making a case for ACC player of the year with 16.9 and 8.8 rebounds per game. Virginia has beaten nearly all comers, with their most notable win coming over Michigan. Joe Harris has also done a good job at being Scott’s sidekick. Virginia has proven it is here to stay as a top-25 team in the country, but it still remains to be seen how good they can be. The rest of the season, the ACC tournament, and the NCAA tournament will give us a good outlook at their ceiling.
Maryland Terrapins: Maryland has had a nice season so far, even without having Jordan Williams. Terrell Stoglin has been the man for the Terrapins, averaging 21.2 points per game. They benefited early from an easy nonconference schedule, but are only 2-2 in the ACC. While they have yet to win an actual road game, they’ve been pretty good at home. A lot of judging for Maryland will have to come from how they do in the rest of ACC play. With the way this team looks, they seem like they have upset potential. Stoglin has shown his ability to take over games, so the Terps are dangerous, but their upside is limited until they receive some stronger play from the rest of the team.
Boston College Eagles: If you’re confused as to why the Eagles are this high in the standings, it’s because of they’re conference record. They’ve gotten blown out several times this season by very weak teams. With only seven wins and no one scoring in double figures, the season looks bleak for Boston College. They have the ability to contend with weaker teams at home. But against a top team on the road? Forget it. With no quality wins, this team is going nowhere fast. Boston College should drop to the bottom of the standings in the next few weeks.
Miami (FL) Hurricanes: Miami has had an interesting season. Expected to be one of the better teams in the ACC, they have yet to really pick up a quality win. Malcolm Grant and Durand Scott, both players expected to lead the team, have had a drop-off from last season. Transfer Kenny Kadji has been a nice surprise, averaging 11.4 points and 5.1 rebounds. However, the Hurricanes need to step up their play if they want to make it to the tournament. They haven’t been bad so far, but their best win is against Rutgers. Opportunities await them in the ACC schedule, they’ll just have to make the most of them.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons: Things aren’t looking good for Wake Forest, as they have dropped three straight games. Their only conference win is to Virginia Tech at home. While they do have two very good players in C. J. Harris (17.4 points, 3.4 rebounds) and Travis McKie (17 points, 6.6 rebounds), they just haven’t been able to put it all together. Losses to Wofford and Arizona St. do not help their resume that boasts its best win against Nebraska. The Demon Deacons look like the kind of team that wont finish very high in the conference. However, with Harris and McKie, they could do better than many expect.
Clemson Tigers: With a bunching of guys returning, Clemson was thought to be able to make an impact in the ACC, but has yet to do so. Andre Young, Tanner Smith, and Devin Booker have all made improvements from when they were on last year’s tournament squad, so there is still some hope, but their current body of work is ugly. Losses to Boston College, UTEP, and South Carolina are not helping their case. They could finish strong down the stretch, but you might want to write this season off for the Tigers.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: The Yellow Jackets have lost six of their last seven games, four of those losses coming at home. Georgia Tech has been a team that has recently relied on one player to do most of the work (Iman Shumpert last year, Derrick Favors the year before), but Glen Rice Jr. just isn’t cutting it this year. He averages 13.3 points and 6.4 rebounds for a relatively weak team that only averages 63.2 points a game. After getting drubbed by Virginia, it doesn’t seem like these guys are playing with any heart. The season could get a lot worse than it is right now.
Virginia Tech Hokies: We end the conference with the struggling Hokies who are 0-4 in conference play. After only losing to Syracuse, Minnesota, and Kansas St. in nonconference play, they are still looking for their first ACC win. It hasn’t been too easy so far, but they have lost close games to Wake Forest and Boston College. Erick Green has been the top Hokie, averaging 16.1 points per game. For a team that has really wanted to make the tournament this season,they must play better. They should escape from the basement of the conference, but a tournament berth is too far out of reach.
Here are my projected standings for the end of the ACC season. There are four ACC games on today, Maryland vs. Temple, Wake Forest vs. Boston College, Florida St. vs. Duke, and Georgia Tech vs. Clemson. My predictions for those are Temple, Wake Forest, Duke, and Clemson. Thanks for reading, and check back in a couple of days as I continue my midseason reports.
- North Carolina
- Duke
- Virginia
- Florida St.
- N. C. State
- Miami (FL)
- Wake Forest
- Clemson
- Maryland
- Virginia Tech
- Boston College
- Georgia Tech
Kansas Jayhawks: The Jayhawks have an all around solid team that is led by a frontrunner for national player of the year, Thomas Robinson. Robinson has been an absolute terror for opposing teams, averaging 17.8 points, 12.3 rebounds, and over a steal and a block per game, and making everyone forget about the Morris twins. He’s also shooting .544 from the field, showing his efficiency. Kansas has also received big contributions from Tyshawn Taylor, Travis Releford, Elijah Johnson, and Jeff Whitey. Having a starting five that talented has propelled the Jayhawks to the top of the Big 12 with wins over Georgetown, Ohio St., Kansas St., and Baylor. It’s no secret that Kansas is dominant at home, so a couple road losses could be in their future, especially at Baylor. I still think they’ll finish behind Baylor, but they are a top-ten team and a national title contender.
Iowa St. Cyclones: A popular sleeper pick, Iowa St. has moved its way out of the basement of the Big 12. Coach Fred Hoiberg has turned them into a quality team, as they have defeated mostly everyone in their path. They have played Kansas, Missouri, and Michigan close. It’s clear that the reason they have had so much success is because of their star player, Royce White, who leads the team in scoring, rebounds, and assists. White is 250 pounds of muscle on the boards and that is evident in his six double doubles this year. With so much of the Big 12 schedule still left to play, a lot remains to be seen, but the Cyclones have already proven that they have what it takes to be a tournament team. If they string together some more wins and upset one of the teams mentioned above, they should find themselves playing in March.
Texas A&M Aggies: What was supposed to be a promising season for the Aggies is spiraling out of control. Khris Middleton, a player who expected to be one of the best in the nation, may still be playing hurt. His numbers are down from last year and Texas A&M has been 3-6 in games he has played in his return from injury. Middleton is a solid player, as is the rest of the Aggie team, so don’t be surprised if they pull off some upsets here and there and finish strong. However, as a Seton Hall fan, this reminds me of last year when Jeremy Hazell returned from injury last year and the team still struggled. Middleton will have the ability to return next year for his senior season.
Syracuse Orange: What more can you say about the Orange that hasn’t been said already? They are an incredibly deep team and have beaten all comers. Jim Boheim has done a good job at keeping the focus of the team off of Bernie Fine and on basketball. Kris Joseph paces the top team in the country that has good guards (Scoop Jardine, Dion Waiters, and Brandon Triche), good forwards (James Southerland and C. J. Fair), and good centers (Fab Melo and Rakeem Christmas). If you had to pick a week spot, it would be rebounding, as the Orange are 96th in the country and have no one averaging six per game. Syracuse will probably drop a road game or two in conference play, but they should win the Big East tournament and cruise to a #1 seed in March Madness.
Cincinnati Bearcats: Cincinnati has turned into the team everyone thought they would be at the beginning of the season. Although they have some bad losses, they have only lost one game since that brawl with Xavier. Sean Kilpatrick and Dion Dixon are doing a tremendous job and although Yancy Gates has had a production drop from last year, he still brings solid play. While I’m still not sold on the Bearcats, their road win against Georgetown was huge. However, with a tough remaining schedule (games against Connecticut, West Virginia, Syracuse, Seton Hall, Louisville, and Marquette twice), they will most likely drop from the number two spots.
Seton Hall Pirates: The Pirates have been a pleasant surprise and have shown they are for real. With blowout wins over West Virginia and Connecticut, it’s clear that Seton Hall is no joke. With only three losses so far, they look like one of the top teams in the Big East. Although he has slowed down a bit in conference play, Herb Pope has been a monster both on the boards and in the post. He is one of, if not the best big man in the conference, and is the anchor to this team. Senior point guard Jordan Theodore is a catalyst for this team. He is great at passing and ball handling and has a silky smooth jump shot. If the team starts to struggle, it’s usually Theodore righting the ship. However, the biggest key is forward Fuquan Edwin. Edwin leads the nation in steals and has brought a new element to the team’s defense. He is always active tipping passes, and gets everyone else to play hard-nosed defense. Earlier in the year, I questioned the depth of Seton Hall, but with Aaron Cosby emerging as a solid fourth scoring option, and Patrik Auda and Brandon Mobley also playing well, this team is built to succeed. They should get some more big wins this season especially at home (Seton Hall is undefeated at the Prudential Center), and finish right around where they are now.
West Virginia Mountaineers: Kevin Jones has finally broken out and is having the kind of season that may win him the Big East Player of the Year award. A double-double machine, Jones averages 20.1 points and 11.6 rebounds. What has been key is getting that second scoring option in Daryrl “Truck” Bryant who not only is the key in the ignition of the offense, but also averages 17.8 points per game. Deniz Kilicli, who is a mountaineer himself, rounds out the big three by giving West Virginia a solid option in the post. While there isn’t too much behind these three, they are a force to be reckoned with. The Mountaineers have the firepower to finish in the top half of the conference without a doubt.
Louisville Cardinals: Right now, it doesn’t seem like Rick Pitino’s Cardinals are able to compete in the Big East. A great nonconference record has been followed by a 2-4 start in the Big East. The loss to Providence was extremely ugly, and after only beating St. John’s and DePaul, it seems like Louisville cant hang with the big dogs. They have a chance to prove me wrong with some big games coming up, but right now they seem like frauds. Gorgui Dieng has paced what is one of the best rebounding teams in the NCAA, but the underachieving Peyton Siva has really hurt the team. If Siva were playing at his normal level, Louisville would really be elite. I expect them to improve, but not enough to get near the top of the conference.
Pittsburgh Panthers: It’s fitting we end with Pitt, because they have been arguably the biggest disappointment in the nation this season. Expected to finish in the top-ten, they are 0-6 in the Big East and on a seven game losing streak. Losses to Notre Dame, DePaul, and Rutgers in that span show that they haven’t even faced the cream of the crop yet in the conference. The blame can go to many places, but you can look no further than Ashton Gibbs. Gibbs passed up the draft to return to school and is having a down year. Gibbs makes his money from behind the arc, where he shot nearly 50% last year. This year, he is at .383. That is a huge dropped and has hurt the overall production of the team. The Panthers aren’t as bad as they seem, and they should be able to climb out of the cellar, but a postseason berth may not be in their future.