This Week in the ACC - 1/3-1/9

[pfrduke]

New year, new hope! We're now fully and exclusively into conference play for the duration, and the early standings have some surprises (Miami tied for first; Virginia Tech winless and second-to-last) that probably won't hold over the course of the full season (or even the week, hopefully). Full slate of games for the week ahead (knock on wood).

Monday is dark

Tuesday
[25]Virginia Tech (0-2) (-12) hosts [119]NC State (0-3) (7:00, ACCN)
[65]Wake Forest (1-2) (-1) hosts [42]Florida State (1-1) (7:00, ACCNX)
[6]Duke (1-0) (-17) hosts [111]Georgia Tech (0-2) (9:00, ACCN)
[37]Clemson (1-1) (-6) hosts [66]Virginia (2-1) (9:00, ACCNX)

Wednesday
[53]Louisville (3-0) (-12) hosts [180]Pittsburgh (0-2) (7:00, ESPNU)
[93]Miami (3-0) (-1) hosts [70]Syracuse (1-1) (8:00, ACCN)
[59]Notre Dame (1-1) (+1) hosts [29]North Carolina (2-0) (9:00, ESPN2)

Thursday and Friday are dark

Saturday
[119]NC State (0-3) (+4) hosts [37]Clemson (1-1) (12:00, ACCNX)
[29]North Carolina (2-0) (-7) hosts [66]Virginia (2-1) (1:00, ESPN)
[65]Wake Forest (1-2) (-4) hosts [70]Syracuse (1-1) (2:00, ACCNX)
[180]Pittsburgh (0-2) (-1) hosts [141]Boston College (1-2) (4:00, ACCN)
[111]Georgia Tech (0-2) (+1) hosts [59]Notre Dame (1-1) (6:00, ACCN)
[6]Duke (1-0) (-16) hosts [93]Miami (3-0) (8:00, ACCN)
[42]Florida State (1-1) (-5) hosts [53]Louisville (3-0) (8:00, ESPN2)

Sunday is dark

As we're now ending non-conference play, this will be the final full non-conference rundown - next week we'll pull in the ACC-only efficiency margins (i.e., pace-adjusted scoring margins).

ACC Non-Conference: 105-53
ACC v. Power 6: 18-30
AAC: 2-3
America East: 2-2
A-Sun: 6-0
A-10: 2-8
Big 12: 0-3
Big East: 2-4
Big South: 13-0
B1G Ten: 7-11
Big West: 1-0
CAA: 8-1
CUSA: 5-1
Horizon: 1-1
Ivy: 7-0
MAAC: 3-0
MAC: 2-1
MEAC: 4-0
MVC: 1-0
NEC: 4-1
Pac-12: 2-2
Patriot: 10-2
SEC: 7-10
Southern: 5-2
Southland: 3-0
Sun Belt: 3-0
SWAC: 2-0
WCC: 2-1
Non-D1: 1-0

[camion]

One thing more, the ACC is thus far .500 against other ACC teams. Very average, if you know what I mean.

[robed deity]

One thing more, the ACC is thus far .500 against other ACC teams. Very average, if you know what I mean.

Very frustrating. Seemingly, every time an ACC team notches a win, another team will lose to prevent climbing over .500.

[CameronDuke]

January 4th has to be in the running for earliest date in ACC men’s basketball history a team has played the same conference opponent twice in scheduled conference games (non invitational tournament random matchups) in a season. Clemson and UVa will accomplish that tomorrow.

[CameronDuke]

Clemson -4 vs UVa
Duke -17.5 vs Georgia Tech
Wake Forest -1.5 vs Florida State
Virginia Tech -10 vs North Carolina State

[CameronDuke]

NCSU wins at Virginia Tech 68-63.

[cato]

Who had VT at 0-3? Not me. That’s a heck of a hole.

[CameronDuke]

UVa is up 30-23 at Clemson.

UVa entered the game +3 …

UVa appears to be hitting their usual January ACC game stride where their defense simply decimates opponents.

Clemson skunked UVa last month at UVa …

[CameronDuke]

37-36 Clemson over UVa at the half.

[CameronDuke]

UVa wins at Clemson 75-65.

UVa is tied for the most wins in the ACC with 3.

Two straight road ACC wins for UVa.

Tony Bennett is earning his check this season. How they’re 3-1 in the ACC with this squad is pretty impressive.

[CDu]

UVa wins at Clemson 75-65.

UVa is tied for the most wins in the ACC with 3.

Two straight road ACC wins for UVa.

Tony Bennett is earning his check this season. How they’re 3-1 in the ACC with this squad is pretty impressive.

Helps to play teams that are also not very good. They are fortunate that there are only about 2, maybe 3 good teams in the conference this year. A whole lot of bubble teams.

[DukieTiger]

UVa is up 30-23 at Clemson.

UVa entered the game +3 …

UVa appears to be hitting their usual January ACC game stride where their defense simply decimates opponents.

Clemson skunked UVa last month at UVa …

Last month - more like 2 weeks ago. Not sure it’s long enough in the past to claim they’ve hit their stride since then. Clemson is coming off it’s own Covid lay-off thanks to the cancelled game with Duke… though they presumably had the luxury of practicing for the past week. UVA had a nice tune up against Cuse on Saturday and their D didn’t exactly stymie the Orange. They gave up better than a point per possession. Clemson also scored better than 1 PPP tonight. Don’t think you’re going to see the traditional UVA defense this year.

I guess what I’m saying is, I’m definitely not sold on the Cavs this year. Let’s see how they do in their next 3, @unc, vs VT and vs Wake.

[CDu]

Last month - more like 2 weeks ago. Not sure it’s long enough in the past to claim they’ve hit their stride since then. Clemson is coming off it’s own Covid lay-off thanks to the cancelled game with Duke… though they presumably had the luxury of practicing for the past week. UVA had a nice tune up against Cuse on Saturday and their D didn’t exactly stymie the Orange. They gave up better than a point per possession. Clemson also scored better than 1 PPP tonight. Don’t think you’re going to see the traditional UVA defense this year.

I guess what I’m saying is, I’m definitely not sold on the Cavs this year. Let’s see how they do in their next 3, @unc, vs VT and vs Wake.

This is the correct viewpoint. Basically, there are two ACC teams that I think are actually good this year: Duke is very good, and UNC is pretty good. Everybody else is bubblicious or worse. UVa beat a mediocre Syracuse team and a mediocre Clemson team, but they did it because Syracuse and Clemson couldn’t defend. The UVa defense wasn’t actually very impressive in either of those wins, and it wasn’t good in the loss to Clemson and was awful in the narrow win over Pitt.

If UVa beats UNC, I will be impressed and pleased. But I don’t expect that to happen. There is a glimmer of hope in that - like Clemson and Syracuse - UNC is bad defensively. But UNC is better defensively than Clemson and MUCH better defensively than Syracuse. So I would expect that to be a UNC win.

I am not sure what to think of Wake or Va Tech. Wake looked amazing against Va Tech and FSU but bad against Miami and Oregon St. Va Tech is winless so far in conference and has two bad losses.

Basically, I trust that Duke and UNC are better than the rest of the conference. I am reserving judgment on Wake. But the rest are all mediocre to bad.

[CameronDuke]

Last month - more like 2 weeks ago. Not sure it’s long enough in the past to claim they’ve hit their stride since then. Clemson is coming off it’s own Covid lay-off thanks to the cancelled game with Duke… though they presumably had the luxury of practicing for the past week. UVA had a nice tune up against Cuse on Saturday and their D didn’t exactly stymie the Orange. They gave up better than a point per possession. Clemson also scored better than 1 PPP tonight. Don’t think you’re going to see the traditional UVA defense this year.

I guess what I’m saying is, I’m definitely not sold on the Cavs this year. Let’s see how they do in their next 3, @unc, vs VT and vs Wake.

I have learned not to doubt Tony Bennett in the ACC. He dominates the ACC perennially from about January to March. If they beat UNC-CH Saturday at UNC-CH, look out.

[CDu]

I have learned not to doubt Tony Bennett in the ACC. He dominates the ACC perennially from about January to March. If they beat UNC-CH Saturday at UNC-CH, look out.

He's also not had this little talent in a long time. And he's not had a team start the season this poorly in a long time. As it stands, his team is playing like a team outside the top-50. I'll believe he's got something cooking if he beats UNC. But as of yet, he's done nothing this year to suggest this is anything like his previous 7 years.

[CameronDuke]

He's also not had this little talent in a long time. And he's not had a team start the season this poorly in a long time. As it stands, his team is playing like a team outside the top-50. I'll believe he's got something cooking if he beats UNC. But as of yet, he's done nothing this year to suggest this is anything like his previous 7 years.

No doubt, although with the ACC being down this year, they could still win several games in the league this season. Assuming they play all 20 games, it seems they could easily win 12-13 games. Right now they’re 57th on Kenpom. If they beat UNC-CH Saturday I think they’d move into the top 50 as UNC-CH is 31st on Kenpom right now. They have actually owned UNC-CH lately. But that was under Roy Williams. It will be interesting to see how Hubert Davis tries to play offense vs. the pack line defense. It looks like Jayden Gardner for UVa is starting to come into his own offensively. He had 23 and 5 last night including 9-10 from the free throw line. He’s averaging 15.4 ppg and 7.6 rebounds per game this season. He is a load at 6’6”, 246 lbs. He also had 15 points and 4 boards at Cuse.

[CDu]

No doubt, although with the ACC being down this year, they could still win several games in the league this season. Assuming they play all 20 games, it seems they could easily win 12-13 games. Right now they’re 57th on Kenpom. If they beat UNC-CH Saturday I think they’d move into the top 50 as UNC-CH is 31st on Kenpom right now. They have actually owned UNC-CH lately. But that was under Roy Williams. It will be interesting to see how Hubert Davis tries to play offense vs. the pack line defense. It looks like Jayden Gardner for UVa is starting to come into his own offensively. He had 23 and 5 last night including 9-10 from the free throw line. He’s averaging 15.4 ppg and 7.6 rebounds per game this season. He is a load at 6’6”, 246 lbs. He also had 15 points and 4 boards at Cuse.

They certainly should win several games in the conference. I think 12 or 13 is within reason. Bart Torvik predicts they'll go 11-9, so 12 or 13 is certainly within reason. They are one of the many teams that could end up with anywhere from 8 to 13 wins in conference. It's not a team that should threaten for the conference title.

[CameronDuke]

Louisville beats Pitt 75-72.

Jeff’s days as Pitt’s head coach are numbered.

[CameronDuke]

Miami (FL) beats Cuse 88-87 in Coral Gables.

[OldPhiKap]

Heels looked good.