This Week in the ACC - 11/23-11/29

[pfrduke]

Basketball is back.* The season tips off a few weeks later than usual, with weirder schedules than usual, and with far fewer fans than usual, but it's back.* The day before Thanksgiving serves up a huge appetizer of college hoops, with most ACC teams in action* and at least a couple intriguing contests. It will be a season unlike any other, and it starts* this week. Here's the run-down of the week's actions - all times Eastern, all rankings and spreads Pomeroy (note that any game without a spread doesn't appear on Pomeroy's schedule, which is affected by all of the TBD games and the somewhat ad hoc nature of scheduling this season), and all games *.

*All pronouncements of basketball being back expressly conditioned on games actually being played. Who the heck really knows.

Wednesday
[32]Virginia Tech (-22) hosts [308]Radford (12:00, ACCNX)
[16]Virginia (-16) vs. [202]Towson in Bubbleville** (1:30, Flohoops***)
[127]Wake Forest (-21) hosts [350]Delaware State (4:00, ACCNX)
[28]Louisville (-23) hosts [316]Evansville (4:00, ACCN)
[22]North Carolina (-18) hosts [176]Charleston (6:00, ACCN)
[84]Pittsburgh (-14) hosts [236]St. Francis (PA) (7:00, RSN)
[55]NC State (-19) hosts [261]Charleston Southern (8:00, ACCN)
[40]Clemson (-4) vs. [77]Mississippi State in Melbourne, FL (8:30, CBSSN)
[72]Georgia Tech (-6) hosts [108]Georgia State (9:00, RSN)
[91]Boston College (+12) vs. [4]Villanova in Bubbleville (9:30, ESPN)
[3]Duke (-27) vs. [248]Gardner-Webb (PPD)

**Uncasville, CT, home of the Mohegan Sun, has branded itself as "Bubbleville" for opening weekend NCAA hoops action. Since Baylor and Florida have already been Covid casualties from that location, maybe not the best branding.
***No, I don't know what this is either.

Thursday
[40]Clemson vs. [25]Purdue/[165]Liberty (6:00/8:30, CBSSN)
[91]Boston College vs. [23]Arizona State/[100]Rhode Island (7:00/9:30, ESPN)

Friday
[16]Virginia (-7) vs. [83]San Francisco in Bubbleville (11:30, ESPN)
[18]Florida State (-22) hosts [248]Gardner-Webb (3:00, RSN)
[31]Syracuse (-24) hosts [310]Bryant (3:00, ACCN)
[28]Louisville (-4) hosts [50]Seton Hall (4:00, ESPN2)
[55]NC State hosts [280]North Florida (5:30, RSN)
[127]Wake Forest (-15) hosts [327]Longwood (7:00, ACCN)
[72]Georgia Tech (-13) hosts [189]Mercer (8:00, RSN)

Saturday
[84]Pittsburgh (-10) hosts [162]Drexel (1:00, ACCNX)
[3]Duke (-34) hosts [332]Coppin State (2:00, ACCNX)
[35]Virginia Tech (+6) vs. [4]Villanova in Bubbleville (8:00, ESPNU)
[80]Notre Dame (+11) at [11]Michigan State (8:00, BTN)

Sunday
[41]Miami (-21) hosts [280]North Florida (6:00, ACCN)
[28]Louisville (-24) hosts [319]Prairie View (6:00, RSN)
[32]Virginia Tech (-7) vs. [89]South Florida in Bubbleville (8:00, ESPN2)

[JasonEvans]

Note that Syracuse hoops are currently on "Covid pause" because Jim B and one unidentified player both tested positive (perhaps Buddy B?). As we get closer to their opener on Friday, maybe we will have a sense if that game will be played.

Really bummed we are missing the Fla-UVA game... the biggest non-conference game for the ACC this week.

[Troublemaker]

So glad to see this thread back and also the Degenerates league up and running. (Thanks pfr and Jason!)

Quote from another thread that fits better here:

ESPN+: Kihei Clark of UVa Is Better than Anyone on the Duke Roster


ESPN+ has come up with its top 25 preseason list for college basketball players. This is proprietary so I won't reprint, but highest ranking ACC player is Garrison Brooks of UNC. Same Hauser and Kihei Clark of Virginia and Carlik Jones of Louisville are on the list.

No one from Duke on the list. Looks like bulletin board material to me.

I don't know if it's bulletin board material since it's not like these opposing players are ranking themselves, but yeah, the rankings seem pretty bad and Duke is underrated. I would estimate somewhere around 3 Duke players being better than Kihei Clark (who's a fine player, don't get me wrong), and I think we'll have at least one player better than Garrison Brooks as well. (Again, a good player, but not my idea of ACC Player of the Year).

[pfrduke]

Some times, TV broadcasts, and matchups have been updated in the original post.

[Troublemaker]

Any of you crazy DBR researchers want to do me a favor and post the exact language of how the conference determines its regular season winner? e.g. is it by (a)winning percentage or (b)number of wins or (c)games above .500?

So, for example, let's say UVA is able to get in all 20 games and goes 16-4 for an 80% winning pct, and 12 games above .500

And let's say due to Covid, Duke has to cancel 3 games and can't re-schedule them. We go 14-3 for an 82% winning pct, and 11 games above .500

Who's the regular season winner?

I think it should be us but note that in most sports standings -- e.g. MLB -- a 14-3 Duke would be half a game behind 16-4 UVA in the standings.

[English]

Any of you crazy DBR researchers want to do me a favor and post the exact language of how the conference determines its regular season winner? e.g. is it by (a)winning percentage or (b)number of wins or (c)games above .500?

So, for example, let's say UVA is able to get in all 20 games and goes 16-4 for an 80% winning pct, and 12 games above .500

And let's say due to Covid, Duke has to cancel 3 games and can't re-schedule them. We go 14-3 for an 82% winning pct, and 11 games above .500

Who's the regular season winner?

I think it should be us but note that in most sports standings -- e.g. MLB -- a 14-3 Duke would be half a game behind 16-4 UVA in the standings.

The NBA used winning percentage for its uneven schedules this season. It was a major talking point leading up to the bubble restart, especially with the play-in scenario involving San Antonio, New Orleans, Memphis, Sacto (and Phoenix, sort of). I suspect that's how CBB/ACC will operate this season, given the extreme likelihood that teams will not play the same number of games.

[rasputin]

Any of you crazy DBR researchers want to do me a favor and post the exact language of how the conference determines its regular season winner? e.g. is it by (a)winning percentage or (b)number of wins or (c)games above .500?

So, for example, let's say UVA is able to get in all 20 games and goes 16-4 for an 80% winning pct, and 12 games above .500

And let's say due to Covid, Duke has to cancel 3 games and can't re-schedule them. We go 14-3 for an 82% winning pct, and 11 games above .500

Who's the regular season winner?

I think it should be us but note that in most sports standings -- e.g. MLB -- a 14-3 Duke would be half a game behind 16-4 UVA in the standings.

Donald Trump.

[Troublemaker]

FYI, odds of winning the regular season from one of the most popular sportsbooks:






Louisville lost a lot but they still have talented youngsters like David Johnson making the frosh-to-soph improvement and a great coach. Not sure they should be on a different tier from UNC and FSU. Potentially solid value there.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

FYI, odds of winning the regular season from one of the most popular sportsbooks:






Louisville lost a lot but they still have talented youngsters like David Johnson making the frosh-to-soph improvement and a great coach. Not sure they should be on a different tier from UNC and FSU. Potentially solid value there.

What are the odds on a full conference schedule being completed?

[OldPhiKap]

What are the odds on a full conference schedule being completed?

Yeah — talk about an “unbalanced schedule.” It will be difficult to have all the teams play all the conference games.

[sagegrouse]

FWIW, Jay Bilas on ESPN+ rates teams and players for the upcoming season. Duke is among the nine teams that can win it all, and with a pithy rationale -- "There is too much talent to dismiss Duke's title chances." Others -- Gonzaga, Iowa et al. -- got a bit more explanation (Luke Garza, etc.). I suspect that's what happens when you have 11 players that can play and no clear All-American contender.

[pfrduke]

Virginia was supposed to play Maine today and then Florida Friday in Bubbleville, but in light of Florida’s COVID positives Virginia’s opening slate has been entirely reshuffled. Now Virginia is playing Towson today, followed by San Francisco on Friday. Updated game information will be added to the first post.

[Troublemaker]

What are the odds on a full conference schedule being completed?

Close to zero, but as discussed above, the team with the best winning pct will likely be crowned the champion.

[MChambers]

I'll say it: Go Charleston!

[Troublemaker]

UVA can shoot this year. Trey (apt) Murphy, a transfer from Rice, has banged 4 triples off the bench. I knew about Hauser and Huff but it looks like they might have a nice shooting weapon off the bench, too.

[dukelifer]

UVA can shoot this year. Trey (apt) Murphy, a transfer from Rice, has banged 4 triples off the bench. I knew about Hauser and Huff but it looks like they might have a nice shooting weapon off the bench, too.

I am ready to give the season to UVa Best team I have seen so far. Murphy is from Durham

[MChambers]

UVA can shoot this year. Trey (apt) Murphy, a transfer from Rice, has banged 4 triples off the bench. I knew about Hauser and Huff but it looks like they might have a nice shooting weapon off the bench, too.

Not just Trey, but Trey Murphy III. Gotta make threes with that name.

[devilsadvocate85]

Anyone else notice that the cardboard cutouts of the fans in the Smith Center look more realistic than anywhere else? 🤪

[Owen Meany]

Probably missed it, but I didn't see a 2020 NCAA thread, so thought I would drop this here. Marcus Bagley (Marvin's brother) is trending on twitter. I'm not watching the game, but I checked the boxscore and he has 10 points in the first half on 2-3 shooting from 3 point range. He must be impressing people to be trending this early in a game with only 3 shots. Glad to see it (for Hurley's Az St. team also).

[curtis325]

Pitt got blown out by St. Francis.