ACC Weekly Roundup: Power Rankings and the Good, Bad, and Ugly
The only two teams to win their matchups in this year’s edition of the ACC-SEC Challenge — Duke and Clemson — are now head and shoulders above the rest of their in-conference competition. A catastrophic week for the ACC has confirmed that a jumbled “middle of the pack” exists outside of Duke and Clemson; thanks to the middling records and lack of marquee wins out of conference, it’s almost impossible to rank these teams effectively. Nonetheless, I’ll take a stab at tiering the ACC thus far.
Elite
- Duke (7-2), SOS: 14
- Clemson (9-1), SOS: 114
Anyone Can Beat Anyone on Any Given Night
3. North Carolina (5-4), SOS: 7
4. Pitt (8-2), SOS: 34
5. SMU (8-2), SOS: 283
6. NC State (6-3), SOS: 227
7. Louisville (5-4), SOS: 19
8. Florida State (7-3), SOS: 147
9. Wake Forest (8-3), SOS: 234
10. Stanford (8-2), SOS: 302
11. Notre Dame (5-5), SOS: 66
12. Virginia (5-4), SOS: 43
13. Syracuse (4-4), SOS: 55
14. California (6-3), SOS: 265
15. Georgia Tech (4-5), SOS: 191
Bottom of the Barrel
16. Boston College (6-4), SOS: 253
17. Miami (3-6), SOS: 209
18. Virginia Tech (3-6), SOS: 91
The Good: Duke and Clemson’s wins over No. 2 Auburn and No. 4 Kentucky
There were only two games to celebrate in the ACC-SEC Challenge. With a shocking (but simultaneously predictable) 2-14 finish, a historically-dominant conference is losing its grip on college basketball and has ceded considerable ground to the likes of the Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC, most notably. No. 4 Duke, however, answered the bell against then-No. 2 Auburn, largely viewed as the nation’s best team after their impressive performance in Maui. The Blue Devils climbed back from an early 13-3 hole and benefited from freshman Isaiah Evans’ six first-half three-pointers; plenty of controversy surrounded Coach Jon Scheyer’s decision to keep the five-star on the bench prior to the Auburn matchup, yet Evans’ breakout should keep him squarely in the rotation. Coaching matters, even at Duke!
While struggling against Louisville last night, Duke rebounded from a 14-point deficit and rode a second-half surge to a double-digit win away from Cameron Indoor. That kind of resilience is impressive for a freshmen-laden team.
No. 16 Clemson has separated themselves as the second-best team in the conference. The Tigers are out to prove that last season’s Elite Eight run wasn’t a fluke for an ascending program, and a 70-66 victory over then-No. 4 Kentucky will help to put that argument to bed. Defense and a 20-rebound performance from senior forward Ian Schieffelin carried Clemson against an offense that had eclipsed 100 points in four of its earlier contests. Three of the Tigers’ starters — Schieffelin, junior forward Chauncey Wiggins, and fifth-year center Viktor Lakhin — are at least 6’8". Their length and depth in the interior has contributed to Clemson’s fifth-ranked spot in KenPom’s defensive efficiency rankings.
The Tigers took care of business against a floundering Miami this weekend and now find themselves in the AP Poll for the first time this season. A home matchup against Memphis, who fell out of the Top 25 after suffering an 85-72 loss at home to Arkansas State, will allow Clemson another opportunity to bolster their tournament résumé. However, Coach Brad Brownell will have to hope that a 13-point loss to a mediocre Boise State team doesn’t hurt them too much down the line.
The Bad: Louisville’s injury concerns, Syracuse, Virginia’s first ACC debut loss in years
A lot went wrong for the ACC this week. Louisville, who flirted with a top-25 appearance after a strong showing in the Bahamas, was dealt two blows this week after news of season-ending injuries to fifth-year forward Kasean Pryor (12.0 PPG, 6.1 RPG) — arguably their X-Factor — and sophomore guard Koren Johnson (3.0 PPG). The latter hadn’t played since the Tennessee contest several weeks ago, but the former looked poised to lead Louisville’s frontcourt. Coach Pat Kelsey has his hands full in a less-than-ideal start to his tenure with the Cardinals, even if they’re already surpassing the disastrous campaigns under ex-head coach Kenny Payne. A rivalry matchup against No. 5 Kentucky looms for a roster that probably needs some time away from the blue-bloods.
Louisville did compete with Duke at home, so perhaps there is still some hope? However, squandering a 14-point lead may haunt a team eager for a résumé-building win.
Syracuse has not made the most of its non-conference opportunities. The Orange weren’t competitive against Tennessee in the ACC-SEC Challenge, understandable considering that the Volunteers just secured the No. 1 spot in the polls. However, early-season struggles in buy games and losses to Texas and Texas Tech will remain with Syracuse in March. Coach Adrian Autry’s team also fell to Notre Dame on the road this weekend and have few “needle-moving” games left on their schedule. The Orange, once juggernauts in the Big East and during their early years in the ACC, are desperately seeking a return to prominence.
Unfortunately, Virginia’s new roster looks inadequately structured to compete against top-25 teams. The ‘Hoos competed in the first halves against Tennessee and Florida, but they completely sputtered in the last 20 minutes and lost by 22 and 18, respectively. A recent loss to an ACC newcomer in SMU isn’t terribly surprising. With a rebuild on the horizon in Charlottesville, is there any chance that interim head coach Ron Sanchez gains the full-time position over a young upstart such as VCU’s Ryan Odom or Samford’s Bucky McMillan?
What’s more worrisome is Virginia’s three-point shooting success thus far, which evidently hasn’t translated to any major wins. If that well dries up, how will the ‘Hoos adapt?
The Ugly: Pitt’s trip to Starkville, Miami’s downward spiral, what's wrong with UNC?
Pitt — still a strong contender for a top-three finish in the ACC — didn’t make the conference proud in their matchup against Mississippi State last Wednesday. The Bulldogs thumped the Panthers by a score of 90-57 and outrebounded them 49-27. While fifth-year guard Damian Dunn (11.1 PPG) didn’t suit up and will be sidelined for the next four weeks, I expected Pitt to put up a decent fight. Perhaps the Houston transfer, a starter in strong wins over West Virginia and Ohio State, is the missing link for the Panthers.
Pitt avoided disaster against a porous Virginia Tech roster this weekend, having won by five in Blacksburg. It required a fierce comeback, as well. Luckily for them, an easy schedule awaits prior to a visit to Duke on January 8th.
Miami is awful. I didn’t think things could get much worse for Coach Jim Larrañaga after the massively disappointing campaign last season, yet the bar is somehow lower. A six-game losing streak, which includes losses to Charleston Southern and Oklahoma State, has all but erased the Hurricanes from at-large consideration in the NCAA Tournament. A 260th ranked defense as according to KenPom contrasts sharply with their 27th spot offensively, and no one on the roster is averaging over 40% from three-point range; Virginia, on the other hand, has three such players on their team.
What is wrong with North Carolina? Well, replacing a four-year starter and frontcourt anchor in Armando Bacot has proven more difficult than expected. Junior center Jalen Washington hasn’t taken the leap that Coach Hubert Davis desperately needed after whiffing on several big men targets in the portal, and a highly-touted transfer — Belmont’s Cade Tyson — has been a complete non-factor. North Carolina’s defense, moreover, is abysmal. They conceded 90-point outings against the likes of Michigan State, Kansas, Dayton, and Alabama, and they’ve looked alarmingly lazy when defending in transition. The Tar Heels also have no marquee wins on their résumé and survived an overtime scare from Dayton in Maui.
Read last week's edition of the ACC Basketball Weekly Roundup: ACC Basketball Weekly Roundup: Power Rankings and the Good, Bad, and Ugly