This Week in the ACC - Opening Weekend Edition

[pfrduke]

This has been covered already in the pre-game thread, but it's just great to be writing these again because it means college basketball is back. And it's back with a new look ACC (among other conferences). We'll be charting new territory on the very first day of the season - for the first time in ACC history (I feel reasonably confident in saying) 14 games involving ACC teams will be played in a single day (everyone except the Hokies). Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and Notre Dame will make this post slightly more cumbersome to write during the season, but on balance they'll make the conference stronger and more interesting.

Once again, college basketball has an official opening day - no handful of pre-season conference tourney games, but instead 270 teams jump center on day 1. Not too many arduous battles on the slate, but there are a few chances for ACC teams to score victories over major conference opponents. A few things break right and the ACC could end up 17-0 on Monday morning (I'm ever the optimist, and what better time to be one than at the start of the year when everything is a blank slate). For the first time in years, every team is starting in the top half of Division 1 per Pomeroy (yes, even Virginia Tech), with 13 of the 15 in the top 100. This could be the conference's strongest overall performance in many seasons (possibly, since expansion started).

Friday jumps into the new season with both feet putting 14 teams in action on the year's first night, all within a span of roughly 6 hours. Maryland and Connecticut in Brooklyn is the top game of the night, with BC's game against Providence as a pretty tasty undercard - both teams are better than you might think. Every other ACC team is a very heavy favorite.

[37]Boston College at [41]Providence
[44]Maryland vs. [11]Connecticut in Brooklyn
[6]Duke hosts [81]Davidson
[9]Syracuse hosts [245]Cornell
[32]Notre Dame hosts [214]Miami (OH)
[19]Virginia hosts [206]James Madison
[72]NC State hosts [230]Appalachian State
[91]Wake Forest hosts [306]Colgate
[20]Pittsburgh hosts [282]Savannah State
[96]Clemson hosts [244]Stetson
[58]Georgia Tech hosts [337]Presbyterian
[105]Florida State hosts [267]Jacksonville
[10]North Carolina hosts [144]Oakland
[62]Miami hosts [246]St. Francis NY

Saturday concludes the season openers with Virginia Tech hitting the court. They're hosting a higher ranked team (somewhat embarrassing when you see who the team is), but are favorites nonetheless by virtue of home court advantage. That being said, a loss would not necessarily be surprising.

[154]Virginia Tech hosts [129]USC Upstate

Sunday finishes off a relatively difficult opening weekend for the Eagles and a far less difficult opening weekend for the Irish.

[32]Notre Dame hosts [244]Stetson
[37]Boston College vs. [60]Massachusetts in Boston (TD Garden)

[pfrduke]

Also, in tracking conference results this season I'm going to use 6 other major conferences as the relevant subset (Big XII, B1G Ten, SEC, Pac-12, Big East, AAC). I'm tempted to demote the AAC, but that mostly would be out of spite and amusement, rather than any reflection of quality. For lack of a better term, even though it's no longer strictly accurate, I'm still going to refer to these as the "BCS" conferences.

[pfrduke]

Tough losses for Maryland (by 1 to UConn) and BC (by 4 @ Providence in overtime). Everyone else has been pretty much as expected (perhaps minus Syracuse trailing Cornell at the half, but they fixed things in the latter 20).

[FerryFor50]

UNC playing well. Game is not being called nearly as close, however...

[Duvall]

UNC playing well. Game is not being called nearly as close, however...

This year is going to be awful - it's basically a different sport depending on which crew you get.

[FerryFor50]

This year is going to be awful - it's basically a different sport depending on which crew you get.

Yep. Lots of physical play on the perimeter uncalled in this one. Same stuff they were calling in the Duke game...

But it looks like Roy finally has a team he can have get out and run. That helps him not have to coach...

[Duvall]

Oakland had the 316th-ranked defense last season, and watching them now makes it hard to believe they were that high.

[FerryFor50]

Oakland had the 316th-ranked defense last season, and watching them now makes it hard to believe they were that high.

Even Tokoto looks good!

[sagegrouse]

To USC Upstate, 64-63.


The Spartans won for the first time in eight games against a school from the Atlantic Coast Conference as Ty Green scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half and Torrey Craig added 13 points.

sagegrouse

[tbyers11]

To USC Upstate, 64-63.



sagegrouse

Ugh. Not even the worst loss by an ACC team so far though. Miami lost at home to St. Francis NY by 6 in OT. St Francis is more than 100 spots below USC Upstate in Pomeroy.

[kmspeaks]

Apparently Virginia and JMU did not get the memo that scoring was supposed to go up this year. Did anybody catch that game who can comment on the way it was officiated?

[-jk]

Can't speak to officiating but UVA shot 42% and JMU shot 31%.

-jk

[mgtr]

To USC Upstate, 64-63.



sagegrouse

I'm thinking that Virginoia Tech wishes that ol' Seth was back as coach!

[Wahoo2000]

Apparently Virginia and JMU did not get the memo that scoring was supposed to go up this year. Did anybody catch that game who can comment on the way it was officiated?

Game was called pretty appropriately to the new emphasis. We don't do a lot of hand checking though, so it wasn't terribly noticeable apart from 3-4 plays. I thought we actually played pretty well, aside from the fact that we shot the ball horribly on wide open looks from 3 and at the FT line. With even average shooting from Harris and some of our other shooters who have been consistently good in the past, we score 70+, a good shooting night would've had us in the 80s.

JMU is dreadful. In no way is this going to prepare us for VCU on Tuesday, but I'm hoping our scrimmages against Georgetown and Marquette will help.

Best of luck to the Dukies in their big matchup Tuesday. Parker and Hood look like they'll be a lot of fun to watch this year (apart from when you play us, of course).

[weezie]

I'm thinking that Virginoia Tech wishes that ol' Seth was back as coach!

Actually Virgin-o-ia Tech is a powerhouse that might make Upstate U quake. virginia tech is more of a train wreck....heading over to ticket exchange now to unload some tix....