Preview:
Well college basketball just kicked off and the Atlantic Coast Conference is shaping up to be one of if not the toughest in college basketball. Currently there are five top 15 teams, four undefeated teams and every team in the conference is .500 or above.
The conference overall is 95-21 and won the ACC vs Big Ten: 11-2. Although that is no feat for the ACC because they have won the last 10 meetings of that challenge, it shows the strength of the conference. They are 6-4 as a whole against top 25 teams, 5-2 if you don’t count Michigan State who has beaten Notre Dame and UNC.
The conference also holds 10 of the 50 Wooden Watch players this season. So just how good is the ACC and will they prove to be top heavy as the season goes on?
Ranked:
Duke: Duke has struggled at times on the defensive end. They had to take a Texas team to overtime and looked defeated on the road at Indiana. They have an unbelievable offense with tons of weapons, but defensively they have let teams score on them at high rates. The Blue Devils seem to lock down on defense when it matters, but they are allowing lesser teams to hang around with them in the early going.
Miami: Miami beat Minnesota pretty handily in their own place and have looked extremely balanced. As of right now it looks like they need another potent scorer. They allow just the fourth most points against in the country and look to have a winning formula moving forward.
Notre Dame: The Irish are interesting. Matt Farrell, Tj Gibbs and Bonzie Colson lead the charge for the Fighting Irish. They are a relatively undersized team that can shoot the ball at all positions. If one of the three listed above struggle to score the Irish struggle. They do have a strong win against Wichita State which makes up for their somewhat blowout loss against Michigan State.
North Carolina: Speaking of blowout losses to Michigan State, the Tar Heels have been led by Luke Maye who has three Double- Doubles and is dominating the glass. They are the seventh best rebounding team in the country which has made up for their struggles from behind the arch.
Virginia: The Cavaliers win their games like they always do, in low scoring fashion. Opponents are scoring 50.6 points per game which is the lowest against any team in all of Division 1 basketball. Unfortunately like most Virginia teams in years past they struggle to score. Thus, giving opponents opportunities to hang around in games late.
The Middle Tier with Potential:
Florida State: The undefeated Seminoles haven’t played a very hard schedule thus far. Their toughest game is a road win at Rutgers who hasn’t been very good in recent years. They are in the top 20 in points per game and have many different scorers who can hit you in waves. They have five players who average 11 point a game or more and are led by Terance Mann.
Clemson: The Tigers have been playing solid basketball. They have a great win against Ohio State on the road. They are a much better defensive team then they are on offense but are very athletic and can beat teams out in transition if you let them.
Virginia Tech: Justin Bibbs helps lead the way for Buzz Wiliams and the Hokies. The Hokies are the opposite of the Tigers. They average 97 points a game and have five guys that are above 10 points per game. They aren’t extremely efficient on defense and struggle rebounding the ball. Making it tough for them to hold off teams with bigger front courts.
Syracuse: Well the final contestant is the Orange. Defense wins championships and the Orange have rebounded and defended at a high level this season. They are in the top 24 in both of those categories and have proven that the zone can lock down. The length in the zone will cause problems for teams like North Carolina who haven’t shot the ball as well to kick off the season.
Prediction:
9-10 teams have the potential to make the NCAA tournament. As of right now it is safe to assume 6 of them get in. With the strength in conference being so high, ACC teams have a chance to make it come March.
There are quite a few teams in this conference with deep run potential and I would even be surprised if Duke ran the table. Only time will tell but for now, what we do know? The ACC is the deepest conference in college basketball.
Featured Image ESPN.com.
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