All-ACC team - predictions

[houstondukie]

1st team:

J. Scheyer - Duke
G. Vasquez - Maryland
M. Delaney - Virginia Tech
A. Aminu - Wake Forest
T. Booker - Clemson


2nd team:

K. Singler - Duke
N. Smith - Duke
I. Smith - Wake Forest
G. Lawal - Georgia Tech
S. Landesberg - Virginia


3rd team:

T. Smith - NC State
D. Thompson - UNC
J. Trapani - Boston College
S. Alabi - Florida State
D. Collins - Miami



Honorable Mention:

D. Hudson - Virginia Tech
J. Allen - Virginia Tech
L. Milbourne - Maryland
M. Scott - Virginia
R. Jackson - Boston College
E. Davis - UNC
I. Shumpert - Georgia Tech


I realize my third team is all-bigs, but my understanding is it's the best 5 players, not by position. Anyone care to clarify?

[pfrduke]

I'd switch Singler and Booker.

[houstondukie]

I'd switch Singler and Booker.

I think Singler and Booker will fight it out for the last spot. IMO, Scheyer and Vazquez are locks. Aminu is averaging a double-double, and Delaney leads the conference in scoring. Singler plays for the better team, but Booker is a senior.

[pfrduke]

I think Singler and Booker will fight it out for the last spot. IMO, Scheyer and Vazquez are locks. Aminu is averaging a double-double, and Delaney leads the conference in scoring. Singler plays for the better team, but Booker is a senior.

Singler's also the better player, and is having the better season.

[houstondukie]

Singler's also the better player, and is having the better season.

Booker: 15.3 PPG 8.2 RPG 2.3 APG 1.5 SPG 1.5 BPG 52% FG 62% FT
Singler: 16.9 PPG 7.3 RPG 2.4 APG 1.2 SPG 0.9 BPG 41% FG 77% FT

Could make an argument for either. Still a lot of basketball left to be played.

[wolfpackdevil]

Since you're basing the predictions on positions you should switch Gani Lawal out for Tracy Smith.

Lawal is averaging 13 poitns and 9 rebounds per game, while Smith is averaging 18 points and 8 rebounds a game. Lawal has also been outplayed by fellow freshman big man Derrick Favors this year.

Smith has given NC State their few wins this season, and in my mind has been much more effective than Lawal.

[InSpades]

Booker: 15.3 PPG 8.2 RPG 2.3 APG 1.5 SPG 1.5 BPG 52% FG 62% FT
Singler: 16.9 PPG 7.3 RPG 2.4 APG 1.2 SPG 0.9 BPG 41% FG 77% FT

Could make an argument for either. Still a lot of basketball left to be played.

Those are season stats... do they use season stats to determine All-ACC or is it just conference stats? Because Kyle's numbers look better if you only include ACC games (he's gotten better as the season has gone on).

[gofurman]

derrick favors? at least hm

[sagegrouse]

You have to remember that this is the same group that voted Joe Forte co-MVP with Shane Battier and that left JJ Redick off the all-Tournament team in 2003, even though he single-handedly brought Duke back from the abyss in the championship game against State.

My model for the typical voter is a UNC Journalism grad that is pretty much in the bottle or the weed or both.

First Team:

Tyler Hansbrough - UNC - (Did he graduate? Then his replacement, Deon Thormpson)
Derrick Favors - GT - (Was the #1 rated HS player in 2009. Has to be on the first team in 2010.)
Sylvan Landesburg - UVa - (He was rookie of the year last year. Besides, the WaPo guys want someone from Virginia on the team. It's tough enough to sell newspapers as it is.)
Kyle Singler - Duke - (He's been in the ACC at least 4-5 years and was the #5 rated HS senior. Must be pretty good.)
Al-Farouq Aminu - WF - (God, those Winston-Salem guys are demanding. Just because I can't wake up without at least three Winstons, I have to put some Deacon on the All-ACC team. Oh well! We can show our liberalism by putting a furriner on the team. What say? He's from Georgia? Doesn't matter -- he sounds foreign.)

Second Team

Greivis Chavez - UMd - (We know he is a close friend of Hugo Chavez; we just can't decide if that is good or bad.)
Malcolm Delaney - VT - (Sounds familiar. Do we really have to have another player not from NC?)
Tracy Smith - State - (I have no idea who this is, but the N&O guys are adamant that we have to put a State guy on the team, so they can push stories about Sidney not being able to win with good players. Gawd, is it hard to sell newspapers these days? They tried to get us to vote for Javi, but we are not totally without scruples [whatever they are].)
Trevor Booker - Clemson - (There seem to be several of these guys. Well, maybe one of them is good.)
Ed Davis - UNC - (You don't expect us to have an All-ACC team without two guys from UNC, do you?)


sagegrouse
The third team is far too tedious to contemplate. Maybe some of the spillover from other voters can be stuffed in there.

sagegrouse

[CDu]

Thompson (mediocre ACC numbers) and Davis (hurt for too much of the ACC season) should probably not be on the list. And Shumpert really has no business being on the list (9.2 ppg for a scoring guard).

Singleton should be on the list somewhere. Favors should as well (certainly ahead of Shumpert).

[JDev]

1st Team:
Scheyer (POY)
Vasquez
Aminu - he is the only guy in the league averaging a double-double
Delaney - league's leading scorer, and his team is in the top three in the league, that gets him first team no doubt
Singler - preseason player of the year, and he is definitely on the upswing right now and playing really well

2nd Team:
Booker
Lawal
N.Smith
I. Smith
Landesburg

[jimsumner]

Scheyer (POY)
Vasquez
Aminu - he is the only guy in the league averaging a double-double
Delaney - league's leading scorer, and his team is in the top three in the league, that gets him first team no doubt
Singler - preseason player of the year, and he is definitely on the upswing right now and playing really well

2nd Team:
Booker
Lawal
N.Smith
I. Smith
Landesburg

Not bad. You might want to switch out I. Smith for T. Smith. And by T. Smith, I mean Tracy not Tanner.

[Surfsideron]

Wouldn't be surprised to see Scheyer, singler and Smith make the first team along with Aminu and Vasquez. They are truly the best 5 players in the conference.

[Jarhead]

Wouldn't be surprised to see Scheyer, singler and Smith make the first team along with Aminu and Vasquez. They are truly the best 5 players in the conference.

That's right, especially if Duke takes the season and tournament title. Not too far fetched, you know.

[theAlaskanBear]

SO much depends on the ACC tourney. Still a lot of basketball to play folks.

[pfrduke]

SO much depends on the ACC tourney. Still a lot of basketball to play folks.

I'm about 99% positive that the all-ACC teams come out before the ACC tournament.

[theAlaskanBear]

I'm about 99% positive that the all-ACC teams come out before the ACC tournament.

wow, owned. my bad.

[gw67]

I believe that All ACC and POY are named the week preceeding the ACCT. I suspect that ballots are required to be submitted before the final weekend of ACC play so minds will be made up within the next week or so. The first four picks are easy, IMO. If Singler continues his strong late season run, he deserves a spot ahead of Booker and Landesburg, although voters occasionally reward the seniors.

J. Scheyer - Duke
G. Vasquez - Maryland
M. Delaney - Virginia Tech
A. Aminu - Wake Forest
Singler - Duke

The POY race comes down between Scheyer and Vasquez. Both have had outstanding senior seasons and each is deserving. IMO, Vasquez has outplayed Scheyer to date in ACC games but it is close and I suspect that many will vote for Scheyer because he plays for the top team. He would be the first member of the tribe to win the ACC POY since Art Heyman in 1963.

gw67

[duke4life32182]

J. Scheyer - Duke
G. Vasquez - Maryland
M. Delaney - Virginia Tech
A. Aminu - Wake Forest
Singler - Duke

That would be my team.

[jimsumner]

"Wouldn't be surprised to see Scheyer, singler and Smith make the first team along with Aminu and Vasquez"

I would be astonished if this happpens. It has happened once-Williams, Boozer and Dunleavy in '02--but just that one time. Even the '99 team couldn't pull this off and they went 16-0.

IMO, Delaney is pretty close to a lock.

And the voting closes on the Sunday night at the end of regular season.

[Olympic Fan]

No way Duke gets three guys on the first team (whether they deserve it or not).

I agree with gw67 -- the POY race is pretty much down to Scheyer and Vasquez. I think it's to Scheyer's credit that despite his poor shooting the last week, he hit dagger-in-the-heart 3-pointers late in both the Miami and VPI.

But it pretty much comes down to how well the two of them play in their head-to-head matchup next week. Not sure that's fair, but I'll telling you, that matchup will influence a lot of votes. If Scheyer plays well and Duke wins to clinch the regular season title, he's a lock. If Vasquez has the kind of game he had against UNC in College Park last year to spark an upset (even if th Terps do finish short in the first place race), he'll probably get it.

Both are first-team locks, along with VPI's Delaney.

I think Aminu is close to a lock. The only thing is that the Deacs have suddenly lost two straight ... and could be fading. If this season ends in collapse, it could cost him. Still, Aminu leads the ACC in rebounding -- he's the only guy in the league averaging a double-double. He's 16.2/10.7 in ACC play.

I think the last spot is up for grabs. Two weeks ago, it belonged to Virginia's Landesberg, but Virginia's collapse has hurt him. It's one thing to be the sole star on a surprisingly good team ... but just being the top scorer on a bad team is no big deal. And Landesberg isn't always scoring that much. I know he had 27 last night, but he merely averaged 11.5 over the four previous games. In fact, Singler is averaging more points in ACC play (although Landesberg has more overall).

Singler has to overcome the perception that he's been a disappointment. And for half the ACC season, he didn't play up to the preseason expectation that he would be the POY. Still, he's come on strong late and his ACC numbers -- 17.9 points (4th in the ACC) and 7.4 rebounds (6th in the ACC) are strong. In conference play, he's been one of the ACC's best 3-point shooters ... plus he's been better with the ball than Landesberg (38 assists and 32 TOs in ACC play for Landesberg ... Singler has 37 assists and 24 TOs).

Booker also has to overcome perceptions that he's not played as well as expected. He's averaging less points (16.2) and less rebounds (7.3) in ACC play than Singler.

Obviously, I think Singler should get the last first-team spot. But it's still up for grabs -- he needs to play well down the stretch to lock it up.

PS There are NO guidelines for voters as far as looking at ACC stats vs. overall stats. Some voters do. Some don't. The selection of Ty Lawson over Toney Douglas as the 2009 ACC POY is pretty solid proof that few voters give defense any consideration.

PPS Not saying it's going to happen ... but there's a real chance that three guys named Smith will make the ACC second team -- Nolan, Tracy and Ish.

[jimsumner]

Let me throw out another interesting scenario. Every All-ACC team since the inception has included at least one University of North Carolina Tar Heel. Even the 2002 train-wreck placed Jason Capel on the third team.

(BTW, Duke missed only in 1974.)

Will this streak survive this year? Before his wrist injury, Ed Davis was likely for no worse than third-team. But he's likely missed too much time. Is Deon Thompson worthy of third team? I don't see anyone else even in the discussion.

I suspect Thompson may sneak in and he may even deserve it. But an interesting sub-plot.

[roywhite]

No gripes with the projections I'm seeing on this thread. I think Singler's late push puts him on the first team.

I'm always amazed to look at Booker's numbers and not see more production; he looks unstoppable at times and 20 pts/game seems entirely reasonable. He just doesn't seem to get enough shot attempts which is a reflection of?

Poor PG play for Clemson
Not enough emphasis on getting Booker the ball down low
Booker himself doesn't get open/demand the ball enough

Thoughts?

[CDu]

No gripes with the projections I'm seeing on this thread. I think Singler's late push puts him on the first team.

I'm always amazed to look at Booker's numbers and not see more production; he looks unstoppable at times and 20 pts/game seems entirely reasonable. He just doesn't seem to get enough shot attempts which is a reflection of?

Poor PG play for Clemson
Not enough emphasis on getting Booker the ball down low
Booker himself doesn't get open/demand the ball enough

Thoughts?

Booker suffers from the same problem from which Dwayne Collins (Miami) suffers. The guards are just not very good at getting the ball to him when he gets (and holds) good position on the block. Moreso than just about any other players in the ACC, these two guys get themselves rooted in deep on the block with their man sealed, but the guards just don't seem to get them the ball with any regularly (either due to inability or a lack of interest).

[CDu]

Wouldn't be surprised to see Scheyer, singler and Smith make the first team along with Aminu and Vasquez. They are truly the best 5 players in the conference.

I think we could very well get two on the first-team, but I don't see Smith topping Delaney for a spot on the first team. I think Smith will be a second team guy. Delaney's numbers in conference are better almost across the board, and he's playing on an upper-tier conference team. I don't know that I'd say Delaney is better than Smith, but I don't see the voters selecting a third Duke player over the leading scorer in the ACC.

[sagegrouse]

I think we could very well get two on the first-team, but I don't see Smith topping Delaney for a spot on the first team. I think Smith will be a second team guy. Delaney's numbers in conference are better almost across the board, and he's playing on an upper-tier conference team. I don't know that I'd say Delaney is better than Smith, but I don't see the voters selecting a third Duke player over the leading scorer in the ACC.

I suspect that we will end up with three on the first two teams with, I suppose, Scheyer on the first team and Nolan and Kyle on the second. Hardly anyone is going to vote for three Blue Devils on the first team and, while some will vote for two, Nolan and Kyle hurt each other in attracting votes.

And to be fair, Vasquez, Booker, Delaney, Aminu, and even Landesburg are deserving.

My other question is who from the ACC is on the first two A-A teams? Maybe Jon and Greivis? Anyone else?

sagegrouse

[Indoor66]

Anybody think that, with his strong play continuing through the end of the regular season, that Z could make one of the teams? I think he might have a shot.

[jimsumner]

I do not see Zoubek as a credible candidate for All-ACC.

But it's neat that we're even discussing it.

[pfrduke]

Let me throw out another interesting scenario. Every All-ACC team since the inception has included at least one University of North Carolina Tar Heel. Even the 2002 train-wreck placed Jason Capel on the third team.

(BTW, Duke missed only in 1974.)

Will this streak survive this year? Before his wrist injury, Ed Davis was likely for no worse than third-team. But he's likely missed too much time. Is Deon Thompson worthy of third team? I don't see anyone else even in the discussion.

I suspect Thompson may sneak in and he may even deserve it. But an interesting sub-plot.

I happen to think that Thompson does not deserve it, but there have to be 15 more deserving guys for him to get left out, and I'm not sure that there are.

Scheyer, Vasquez, Delaney, Aminu, Singler, N. Smith, Landesberg, T. Smith, I. Smith, and Booker are (IMO) locks. I think Singleton, Lawal, and Favors are near-locks, pending the final two weeks of performance. Then you're left with a collection of relatively equivalent performers - Trapani, Dorenzo Hudson, Alabi, Thompson, maybe Dennis Horner, maybe Landon Milbourne (or Eric Hayes, actually), maybe Dwayne Collins (but I think that's doubtful).

At the end of the day, it would not shock me to see Thompson slide into the third-team, especially if the Heels pick up a win or two behind some good performances by him in the last couple weeks.

[CDu]

Anybody think that, with his strong play continuing through the end of the regular season, that Z could make one of the teams? I think he might have a shot.

Not really. Even if he averaged 15 ppg and 15 rpg for the last four games, that'd only bring him up to 6.6 ppg and 7.9 rpg for the season (6.7 and 8.3 in ACC play). There are just still too many guys who've done more over the course of the season. I'm ecstatic with what Zoubek has given us the past few games. But he just has too many quiet games to overcome with his great play late.

[jimsumner]

Remember Zoubek has only been starting for a couple of weeks. With the exception of a Havlicek-style sixth man, it's going to be tough for a non-starter to get much traction in these sorts of things.

[Jeffrey]

Anybody think that, with his strong play continuing through the end of the regular season, that Z could make one of the teams? I think he might have a shot.

IMO, Lance would be a more realistic choice and he is far from a realistic possibility.

[natedog4ever]

Anybody think that, with his strong play continuing through the end of the regular season, that Z could make one of the teams? I think he might have a shot.

Dave Glenn on local radio has been saying that he will include Zoubek in the last spot on the third team. He sounds serious.

I doubt any of the other UNC writers will give him any votes, but it's definitely nice to hear.