This Week in the ACC - 11/11-11/17

[pfrduke]

After an enticing slate of conference games to start the season, bookended by a couple of non-conference tilts against top 10 opponents (2-0!), there is not a lot to like about week 2 of the season. The ACC is the higher ranked team in all but two games, is favored in every one (thanks to hosting) and has more games with a 25+ point spread (6) than single digit (4). So really, the only question will be who will pull a Pitt this week and drop a game to a Nicholls-like opponent.

Monday
[60]Georgia Tech (-23) hosts [333]Elon (7:30, ACCNX)

Tuesday
[75]Pittsburgh (-12) at [309]Robert Morris (6:00, ESPNU)
[5]Duke (-31) hosts [257]Central Arkansas (7:00, ACCN)
[42]Notre Dame (-27) hosts [340]Howard (7:00, ACCNX)
[67]Miami (-2) at [110]Central Florida (9:00, CBSSN)

Wednesday
[98]Boston College (-18) hosts [325]High Point (7:00, ACCNX)
[55]Syracuse (-10) hosts [118]Colgate (7:00, ACCNX)
[48]Virginia Tech (-27) hosts [345]USC Upstate (7:00, ACCNX)
[89]Wake Forest (-14) hosts [266]UNC Asheville (7:00, ACCNX)
[3]Louisville (-23) hosts [149]Indiana State (8:00, ACCN)
[40]NC State (-18) hosts [199]Florida International (9:00, ACCNX)

Thursday is dark

Friday
[5]Duke (-25) hosts [162]Georgia State (7:00, ACCN)
[75]Pittsburgh (-2) hosts [56]West Virginia (7:00, ESPNU)
[11]Florida State (-21) hosts [205]Western Carolina (7:00, ACCNX)
[42]Notre Dame (-18) hosts [219]Marshall (7:00, ACCNX)
[6]North Carolina (-25) hosts [225]Gardner-Webb (9:00, ACCN)

Saturday
[4]Virginia (-21) hosts [147]Columbia (12:00, ACCN)
[40]NC State (-23) hosts [294]St. Francis (NY) (12:05, ACCNX)
[48]Virginia Tech (-18) hosts [226]Lehigh (1:30, ACCNX)
[98]Boston College (-3) hosts [92]Belmont (2:00, ACCN)
[67]Miami (-18) hosts [269]Quinnipiac (2:00, ACCN)
[55]Syracuse (-13) hosts [175]Seattle (7:00, ACCNX)

Sunday
[76]Clemson (-16) hosts [255]Detroit (3:00, ACCNX)
[3]Louisville (-25) hosts [332]North Carolina Central (5:00, ACCN)
[89]Wake Forest (-8) at [262]Charlotte (6:00, ESPNU)

ACC Non-Conference: 14-1
ACC vs. Power 5: 2-0

America East:
American: 1-0
Atlantic-10:
Atlantic Sun:
Big XII: 1-0
Big East:
Big Sky:
Big South: 1-0
Big Ten:
Big West:
Colonial: 2-0
CUSA: 1-0
Horizon: 2-0
Ivy: 1-0
MAAC:
MAC:
MEAC: 1-0
MVC:
MWC: 1-0
Northeast: 1-0
Ohio Valley:
Pac-12:
Patriot: 1-0
SEC: 1-0
Southern:
Southland: 0-1
Sun Belt:
SWAC:
WAC:
WCC:

[Acymetric]

I'll just say that I'm really looking forward to seeing Coach Schrage and the Phoenix take on Georgia Tech tonight...first big game of his head coaching career!

Have I ever mentioned how insufferable I find Pastner?

[SavDukeGrad]

Duke is up to #2 in the AP poll this week, behind Kentucky.

4 ACC teams in the top 10:
2 - Duke
4 - Louisville
6 - Carolina
9 - Virginia

[JasonEvans]

Duke is up to #2 in the AP poll this week, behind Kentucky.

4 ACC teams in the top 10:
2 - Duke
4 - Louisville
6 - Carolina
9 - Virginia

No other ACC team in the Top 25. FSU is #27 but not other team is even in the "others receiving votes" category. It sorta feels like the ACC may be very top heavy this year with 4 really, really good teams and not much else. FSU showed something in the upset of Florida and is #11 in KenPom, but the next ACC team in Kenpom's rankings after Lou (3), Virginia (4), Duke (5), UNC (6) and FSU (11) is NC State all the way down at #40. Will be interesting to see if any team can rise up to challenge the top tier this year.

[Acymetric]

No other ACC team in the Top 25. FSU is #27 but not other team is even in the "others receiving votes" category. It sorta feels like the ACC may be very top heavy this year with 4 really, really good teams and not much else. FSU showed something in the upset of Florida and is #11 in KenPom, but the next ACC team in Kenpom's rankings after Lou (3), Virginia (4), Duke (5), UNC (6) and FSU (11) is NC State all the way down at #40. Will be interesting to see if any team can rise up to challenge the top tier this year.

I think its too early to make much of the polls or KenPom. I'll be surprised if some other teams don't climb up at some point in the season. NC State will probably stay right about where they are though ;)

[Wahoo2000]

I think its too early to make much of the polls or KenPom. I'll be surprised if some other teams don't climb up at some point in the season. NC State will probably stay right about where they are though ;)

If I had to choose a "tier 2" after the top 4, I'm putting FSU, ND, and Cuse in there as top 15-35ish teams. Maybe Miami or NCSU will creep into that tier as well.

I'd guess that Clem/Pitt/Wake/BC/GT/VT will all be relatively bad/uncompetitive with the top tier, and may steal a game here or there vs tier 2, but most likely beat up on each other for the bulk of their wins.

[SavDukeGrad]

Another blow for the Deacs and Danny Manning - Sunday Okeke out for the season with a torn Achilles.

https://godeacs.com/news/2019/11/12/mens-basketball-sunday-okeke-to-miss-remainder-of-2019-20-season-due-to-injury.aspx

This is the 2nd player the Deacs have lost for the season due to a torn Achilles - they lost freshman Tariq Ingraham a couple of weeks ago.

[Bob Green]

Our first ACC game is against Virginia Tech so I going to watch the Hokies tonight to see how they look.

[OldPhiKap]

No games I could watch Monday. No games I can watch tonight. No games I can watch Saturday.

“ACCN — driving viewers elsewhere since 2019”

[PackMan97]

State struggles, but eventually puts away FIU.

[W&LHoo]

If I had to choose a "tier 2" after the top 4, I'm putting FSU, ND, and Cuse in there as top 15-35ish teams. Maybe Miami or NCSU will creep into that tier as well.

I'd guess that Clem/Pitt/Wake/BC/GT/VT will all be relatively bad/uncompetitive with the top tier, and may steal a game here or there vs tier 2, but most likely beat up on each other for the bulk of their wins.

Could it be the case that with the conference having expanded it's just impossible to keep a majority of the league competing at a high level? While the top four are excellent and I'd agree the next few down are good, the bottom 5-7 teams are just plain bad and have been for a while (though the membership in the bottom has shuffled somewhat).