BUZZKETBALL CENTRAL: ACC Roundup #3

As was pointed out in an earlier thread, there has been quite the commotion going on in the ACC so far since conference play began. Definitely not where the conference was headed when they had six ranked teams entering conference play. Since then they have had three of those ranked teams go on losing streaks in UVA, Miami and Duke.

ACC Standings


(#2) North Carolina 16-2, 5-0 – UNC suffered some early disappointments but come conference play they are 5-0 for the first time in the ACC since the 2000-2001 season. Hard to believe that's true but it is just that. They have benefitted from having a soft schedule to open up conference play, with their best conference win over Klemson back before Clemson found magic in a bottle. Four out of five conference wins are double digit victories so they are not exactly playing close to their competition. With the loss of Oklahoma this week to Iowa State, UNC stands ready to regain the #1 ranking in the nation barring an upset by Wake Forest or the Hokies. The UNC game will be broadcast at 630 PM on ESPNU for those looking to watch the Hokies in prime time this coming Sunday.

(#27) Clemson 12-6, 5-1 – Clemson sits at an incredible 4-1 in the ACC. Their only loss mentioned above, and with wins over three ranked conference opponents in a week. The Tigers sent Louisville, Duke and Miami packing in a span of seven days with a chance to add a fourth ranked opponent to the pile tonight against UVA. The Tigers are led by Jaron Blossomgame but have seen steady performances from three others in their recent run. Not sure many saw this type of winning streak coming after Klemson lost all of its games OOC against P5 schools to include a three game losing streak to the SEC. This week the Tigers only face UVA.

(#26) Pittsburgh 15-2, 4-1– Pittsburgh just finally got a nod into the Top 25 only to lose for just the second time all year to Louisville, which bumped them just out of the poll this week. Probably the most consistent team in the conference this year, their only other loss came against Purdue. They are led by Junion big man Michael Young but just about everyone on the roster gets in on the scoring for a team averaging almost 83 points a game especially considering there are only two Panthers averaging double digits this year. Pitt this week faces off against NC State and Florida State.


Virginia Tech 12-6, 4-1 – We all know where we stand. Higher than anyone would have predicted but getting there against the softer teams in the ACC. We now hit the crux of our conference schedule. This week we face Notre Dame on the road tomorrow at 7PM and UNC on Sunday at 630 PM on ESPNU.

(#17) Louisville 14-3, 3-1
– Louisville is still a bit of an enigma this season. They have losses to Michigan State by four, Kentucky by two and Clemson by four. Their style of play seems to be pretty fluid depending on the opponent. In their last game out they played stifling defense and were responsible for bumping Pitt from the top 25 by holding them to 41 points, 42 points off their season average. They are led by Senior Guard Damion Lee, but have several weapons down low as well, especially Chinanu Onuaku, who is scoring in double digits, pulling down nine boards and blocking more than 2 shots per game.

(#30) Notre Dame 12-5, 3-2 – This is an established team of upper classmen that seemingly get lost at times but also have moments of brilliance. They lost to UVA when almost all the cellar dwellers seem to have the Wahoos number but then turn around and beat Duke at Cameron to make Duke's three game losing streak a streak to begin with. The Irish have five players averaging in double digits this year and had three go for 20 or more against Duke. The issue is the depth behind those five leaves something to be desired so if you can get the Irish in foul trouble, they have a tough time maintaining their level of play. This bodes well for the Hokies in that they seem to be able to get everyone in foul trouble. The Irish also face Boston College on Sunday this week.

(#20) Duke 14-5, 3-3– Loss to Kentucky, survived Georgetown, beat Indiana, lose to Utah, start the ACC off with three straight wins against softer opponents in BC, Wake and Tech, only to follow it up with three straight losses to Clemson, ND, and a Syracuse team that just seems to be recovering from Jim Boeheim sitting out nine games for his suspension. The Jefferson injury has proven to be more significant than originally thought in terms of how it would affect this team. Yes, you lost a double double on the floor every night, that's huge but even larger was the effect he had on getting the team headed in the right direction. There is no timetable on his return so Duke will need to find some other way to win or risk having one of Coach K's worst seasons. Duke gets cellar dweller NC State next so if the streak continues there are some real problems in Durham, although the same could be said for the Wolfpack, who are winless so far in the ACC, so one of the streaks must end on Saturday.

(#15) Miami (FL) 13-3, 2-2– Miami started off extremely hot this year, jumped up in the rankings and led the ACC in the OOC slate. Now that conference play has come in, they have been exposed a few times. An away loss to UVA, allowing the Wahoos to snap their losing streak, after reaching #8 in the country was difficult for Jim Larranaga to swallow. They then started their own losing streak, falling to Clemson after UVA. Fortunately for the Canes, they have a get right game against BC this Wednesday and then they play Wake Forest at home on Saturday. Expect two wins from the Canes here and a return to the Top 10 possibly.

Syracuse 13-7, 3-4 – The Orange started off the season very strong, then came Boeheim's suspension. They have gone 7-6 since that suspension started to include a four game losing streak that coincided with the start of conference play. Pitt, Miami, Clemson and UNC were probably the toughest start to an ACC schedule of anyone in the conference. They have since reeled off three straight wins over BC, Wake and Duke. This is another team that relies heavily on its starters without much depth behind them. Four starters in double digits this year, one at 8.9 PPG and then only one other player scores more than 1.6 PPG. Lets just say the verdict is still out on where this team is headed. Boeheim is back but they are at UVA on Saturday. It should be a tell-tale game for where each of these teams are headed.

(#13) Virginia 13-4, 2-3 – Tech exposed somewhat of a weakness in the vaunted UVA defense and now several teams have taken advantage of that opening. UVA just lost its third ACC game to Florida State. They appear to have a get up problem as in they cant get up for anyone not ranked. This team somehow beat WVU, they also beat Villanova, their two ACC wins are against ND and Miami but it gets no easier going forward. This week the Wahoos have to play Clemson tonight and Syracuse on Saturday. Two games that could go a long way to determining how UVA ends up.

Florida State 12-5, 2-3– The Seminoles are a team that go only as far as their guards take them. Two freshmen and a sophomore are leading this team, with a couple reliable big men down low to rebound. When the guards are scoring they win but hold one of the three (Beasely, Bacon and Rathan Mayes) in check and there is a good chance of beating Florida State. The other critical aspect is keeping their bigs out of foul trouble. This week FSU has Louisville tomorrow night and Pitt on Saturday afternoon.

Georgia Tech 11-7, 1-4– The Yellow Jackets are a team that don't have much going right for them. They have a win over UVA but have lost four out of five heading into this week. Fortunately they get a week off, unfortunately after that week they get Louisville coming to town.

Wake Forest 10-7, 1-4– Danny Manning had this team playing hard and winning to start the season. They pulled off quite a few upsets in their OOC schedule. Since then, the ACC has put a bit of a dent in their swagger, dealing them four losses in their five conference games, with only a win over cellar dweller NC State to hold onto. This week they have the monumental task of facing a UNC team on Wednesday that will be looking to hold onto the #1 ranking and a #15 Miami squad looking to right their ship back into the top 10.

Boston College 7-10, 0-4 – Boston College is right where most people thought they would be, although the team behind them in the rankings might be a surprise to most. BC has lost all of their ACC games by 17 at a minimum against Duke and as many as 28 to Notre Dame. They do have a bright spot in Eli Carter, who as a senior is doing what he can, scoring over 17 a game. This week will be tough for the Eagles as they get Miami tomorrow and play at Notre Dame on Saturday. I would expect the Eagles to be 0-6 by weeks end.

NC State 10-8, 0-5
– This team may get their coach fired. They have talent all over the place on this roster, yet they cant seem to be able to do anything with it. They went 10-3 in their OOC and then summarily have lost all five of their conference games. You can point to them being close losses for the most part, with only one in double digits to Florida State, but when you consider three of their losses are to Tech, Wake Forest and Florida State, that doesn't bode well on their trajectory against the tougher teams in the conference. They spend this week playing Pitt tonight and Duke on Saturday. You could see a 10-10, 0-7 Wolfpack team by week's end. That or a bloody messy Duke team if they lose to the Wolfpack.

Let me know if you have any questions about the conference and I will look to address them in the comments.

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