This Week in the ACC - 11/9-14

[DarkstarWahoo]

I am surprised they lost tonight, but I definitely expect this to be a down year for UVa. Just extraordinarily light on talent, and they don’t have the continuity to make up for the talent deficit. Gonna take a brilliant year from Bennett for them to be relevant this year.

Recruiting has been a problem since the Guy/Jerome/Hunter/Huff/Diakite class. Next year's class is supposed to be fantastic, but looking at the recruited players on the roster (and the most recent outbound transfers) paints a dire picture:

- Clark: I don't even know what mindset would allow for an objective evaluation of him from a UVA fan. I'll just say that he's a limited player with a lifetime pass.
- Stattmann: Has grown into a serviceable end-of-rotation guy, but largely a miss.
- Caffaro: A brute with no touch whatsoever. Miss.
- Beekman: My beautiful boy, the shining light of the team.
- Morsell: Couldn't shoot at UVA and appears to be unable to shoot at NC State. Miss.
- McKoy: Appears to have already been recruited over at UNC. Miss.
- Shedrick: Appears to be on a positive trajectory, but needs to show a lot more as the season goes on.
- Abdur-Rahim: Overmatched from day one, from all accounts. 2 points on 0-5 shooting at UGA last night. Miss.
- McCorkle: Billed as a shooter but couldn't even get much run in whatever that was last night. He'll be at a mid-major next year. Miss.
- Milicic/Murray: TBD.

Transfers (Hauser/Murphy/Gardner) and 2016 remnants (Huff last year) have kept the team afloat, but half a decade's worth of poor recruiting is showing.

[ElliottHoo]

Well, that is a good point. I may be in the minority but I’d throw The Citadel into the service “ish” academy type school. VMI as well. Two ACC schools lost to service “ish” academies tonight. College hoops is back!

I expect Virginia Tech will be ready for Navy when they play. This win over UVa is bound to get the attention of the Hokies.

Yeah, that was a frequently heard lament last night by UVA fans. UVA's first half D wasn't very good, but Navy is supposed to be a mediocre outside shooting team and they started 8/10 from 3. Naturally, this means they'll go 3/16 from 3 against VT just to make UVA look bad.

Navy's hot shooting wasn't really the problem, though. UVA weathered that storm tolerably well, played better D in the second half and tied it up. Then the offense completely fell apart and we scored a total of 5 points in the last 10:45 of the game. The team lost a ton of talent and experience off last year's squad, but the pieces never really fit together well (especially defensively, but offensively as well) and the hope was this year's roster would fit together better so the drop-off would be less than feared.

Its very early, but not looking great so far.

[CameronDuke]

Recruiting has been a problem since the Guy/Jerome/Hunter/Huff/Diakite class. Next year's class is supposed to be fantastic, but looking at the recruited players on the roster (and the most recent outbound transfers) paints a dire picture:

- Clark: I don't even know what mindset would allow for an objective evaluation of him from a UVA fan. I'll just say that he's a limited player with a lifetime pass.
- Stattmann: Has grown into a serviceable end-of-rotation guy, but largely a miss.
- Caffaro: A brute with no touch whatsoever. Miss.
- Beekman: My beautiful boy, the shining light of the team.
- Morsell: Couldn't shoot at UVA and appears to be unable to shoot at NC State. Miss.
- McKoy: Appears to have already been recruited over at UNC. Miss.
- Shedrick: Appears to be on a positive trajectory, but needs to show a lot more as the season goes on.
- Abdur-Rahim: Overmatched from day one, from all accounts. 2 points on 0-5 shooting at UGA last night. Miss.
- McCorkle: Billed as a shooter but couldn't even get much run in whatever that was last night. He'll be at a mid-major next year. Miss.
- Milicic/Murray: TBD.

Transfers (Hauser/Murphy/Gardner) and 2016 remnants (Huff last year) have kept the team afloat, but half a decade's worth of poor recruiting is showing.

To you, is this finally the year we see some chinks in the armor of mighty Tony Bennett’s program? They have absolutely throttled the ACC lately. To me, based on what I saw last night, this looks like his worst team since the 2010-2011 to 2012-2013 team timeframes. I thought UVa being picked 4th in the ACC at the Preseason was low. But they got pretty much dismantled by Navy.

Navy was picked 3rd in the Patriot League on the preseason. It helps UVa that this looks like a down year for the majority of the ACC potentially but they play at Houston out of conference. They may get throttled in that game. Houston got picked to win the American.

[JasonEvans]

I know we are only 1 day into the season, but I'm feeling really good about how this post about UVA and Va Tech has aged so far...

**From the thread about the media's preseason ACC voting**

I feel like the voters got these two teams confused

Va Tech strikes me as a team likely to be very much in the mix for the top of the ACC. They have the best returning player in the conference, plenty of experienced seniors, a lot of good shooters, and bring in a transfer PG who knows their system and was arguably the best player in the Southern Confernece last year. They lost Tyreese Radford (good riddance, he destroyed Duke last year) but bring a ton back from a team that was in the tourney last year. Va Tech would be in my top 25.

Virginia lost their three best players from last year’s team and though they brought in a couple good transfers, it takes time to learn Bennett’s defense so newcomers don’t tend to do as well as quickly. I would probably put the Cavs about 6th in the conference right now. I really doubt they will play the kind of great D that has made Virginia a staple of the top tier of the conference lately.

[DarkstarWahoo]

To you, is this finally the year we see some chinks in the armor of mighty Tony Bennett’s program? They have absolutely throttled the ACC lately. To me, based on what I saw last night, this looks like his worst team since the 2010-2011 to 2012-2013 team timeframes. I thought UVa being picked 4th in the ACC at the Preseason was low. But they got pretty much dismantled by Navy.

Navy was picked 3rd in the Patriot League on the preseason. It helps UVa that this looks like a down year for the majority of the ACC potentially but they play at Houston out of conference. They may get throttled in that game. Houston got picked to win the American.

It all depends on the defense. It's going to be a lot like the COVID season after the national title - that team had success because they absolutely locked down on defense, despite a complete lack of shooting. It's possible this team gets to at least a similar point, and based on history, that might even be the smarter bet. Last night was really discouraging on that end, but if this year's UVA team is going to have any success, that's the path.

[CDu]

It all depends on the defense. It's going to be a lot like the COVID season after the national title - that team had success because they absolutely locked down on defense, despite a complete lack of shooting. It's possible this team gets to at least a similar point, and based on history, that might even be the smarter bet. Last night was really discouraging on that end, but if this year's UVA team is going to have any success, that's the path.

I agree with this. There doesn't appear to be a clear path to UVa having a really good offense this year. It feels like it's going to be a grind for your guys on that end. Gardner may be good (remains to be seen against better competition), but they just don't appear to have the weapons on offense. So it's going to require defense.

And maybe they can grind enough to be upper-tier of the ACC through defense. But they don't have the advantage of experience/continuity, which is usually the key to their defense. The plus side is that the ACC in general doesn't appear to be great this year. So if Bennett can crash-course the defense, maybe they can grind those wins out still.

[Bob Green]

My thoughts on Navy beating Virginia:

https://twitter.com/navybasketball/s...302364168?s=21

[CameronBornAndBred]

Does The Citadel count? They beat Pittsburgh a couple of hours earlier.

The more important question may be, "When's the NEXT time an ACC team loses to a service academy?" Because Navy hosts Virginia Tech on Friday.

Duke plays a certain team from K's past that night, too. (But that game won't be the answer to your question.)

[ClosetHurleyFan]

Woof. Pitt was expected to be a doormat in conference this year. And their performance in the opener did nothing to dispel that theory.

Aside from our big win, it wasn't a terribly impressive night for the conference: UVa losing to Navy; Pitt getting destroyed by to the Citadel; Georgia Tech losing to Miami (the Ohio version); and Louisville, UNC, Miami (Fl), and Clemson winning closer than expected against Southern, Loyola (Md), Canisius, and Presbyterian.

BC looked roughly as expected, and Syracuse and Va Tech drubbed their patsy opponents. Both otherwise a pretty rough opening night outside of the headliner.

Don’t know that I would lump UNCs win into that category. It was pretty much a 15-20 point lead most of the night.

[Phredd3]

Duke plays a certain team from K's past that night, too. (But that game won't be the answer to your question.)

It better not be. That's a game I can attend, and it might be the only such game all year for me. They darn well better win it!

[CDu]

Don’t know that I would lump UNCs win into that category. It was pretty much a 15-20 point lead most of the night.

Yeah, but against a bad opponent. Would have expected a larger spread.

I mean, it's definitely better than what some other teams did, but I wouldn't call it anything positive.

[CameronBornAndBred]

It better not be. That's a game I can attend, and it might be the only such game all year for me. They darn well better win it!

If they lose, all of us are blaming you.

[ClosetHurleyFan]

Yeah, but against a bad opponent. Would have expected a larger spread.

I mean, it's definitely better than what some other teams did, but I wouldn't call it anything positive.

Nah I think you have to look past score. If you look at graph it was never close. Yeah they should have won by 25-30 but chalk that up to some poor free throw shooting and some defensive breakdowns here and there but overall you have Caleb who was the BIG question coming into season looking real good, Manek looking even better than expected and team shooting 8-21 from 3 and 52 percent overall first time running Hubert’s new spread offense and I would tell you there was plenty to be happy about from Carolinas win last night.

[Bob Green]

...and team shooting 8-21 from 3 and 52 percent overall first time running Hubert’s new spread offense and I would tell you there was plenty to be happy about from Carolinas win last night.

Discussions at work today echo your comments. Carolina fan co-workers expressed optimism combined with “a few things to clean up.” Pretty much the same comments Duke fans are communicating on our win last night.

[CameronDuke]

Wake is skunking Bill & Mary right now.

[ClosetHurleyFan]

Wake is skunking Bill & Mary right now.

“Bill” and Mary. What a riot. Someone spork him please

[Ultrarunner]

Nah I think you have to look past score. If you look at graph it was never close. Yeah they should have won by 25-30 but chalk that up to some poor free throw shooting and some defensive breakdowns here and there but overall you have Caleb who was the BIG question coming into season looking real good, Manek looking even better than expected and team shooting 8-21 from 3 and 52 percent overall first time running Hubert’s new spread offense and I would tell you there was plenty to be happy about from Carolinas win last night.

They won. There's not much to be happy about.

[ClosetHurleyFan]

They won. There's not much to be happy about.

Nice!

[Phredd3]

If they lose, all of us are blaming you.

Challenge accepted.

[CameronDuke]

UVa is -17.5 at home tonight in Charlottesville vs Radford. The Hoos are coming off a throttling to Navy where they gave up 11-21 from 3 to the Midshipmen and only put up 58 themselves to lose 66-58. The game played much less closer than the final score felt like it seemed too.

Anyone gonna throw a few bones on the Highlanders to cover? They only beat D3 ODAC member Emory & Henry by 12 Tuesday in Radford.

Radford is led by 35 year old, Radford native, first year coach Darris Nichols. He played collegiately at West Virginia for Bob Huggins. Duke fans may remember him as a starting guard for the Mountaineers team that upset 2nd seeded Duke as a 7 seed in the 2008 NCAAT 2nd round at the Verizon Center in the nation’s capital. He was a starting guard for that team in his senior season. He was an assistant at Florida from 2015 until this past offseason when he accepted the Radford head coaching job.

He replaced Mike Jones who now is the head coach at UNC-Greensboro. Jones replaced former UNC-CH Tar Heel player Wes Miller who is now the head coach at Cincinnati. Miller replaced John Brannen who was fired by the university.