Around the ACC

Welcome to our first edition of Around the ACC, where at the beginning of each week we'll take a look at what's going on during conference play.

Is anyone else a little bit shocked that are really only five teams that can actually compete in the ACC?  This was supposed to be the power conference!  The unstoppable! Right now the ACC can't even touch what the Big East once was.. but there's a lot of basketball left to be played.

Cream of the Crop:

-Syracuse: Yeah, I heard these guys are pretty good.  Without question the favorite.  Let's move on.

Jabari Parker was held to just 7 points
against Notre Dame.

-Duke: Yes, Duke is still an elite contender in my eyes, even after their loss to Notre Dame.  A Jerian Grant-less Irish team was able to upset the Dukies at home in shocking fashion.  We learned that Jabari Parker may even be human after all.  Parker scored seven points on 2-10 shooting, and was held out of the last few minutes of the game by Coach K.  There's no doubt that Duke is one of the most talented offensive teams in the country, with Parker, Quinn Cook, and Rodney Hood.  However, they're going to need to do a much better job of rebounding if they want to compete with the men in Orange.  In their three losses, Duke has been out rebounded 114-82.  The Blue Devils are 212th in the nation in rebounding...212.  Duke is definitely a contender, but they have some holes to fill before they can be considered a Final Four caliber team.

-North Carolina: The Tar Heels, like the Blue Devils, boast a line-up of 5-star recruits and McDonald's All Americans.  They've shown that they have the potential to be a great team, but they haven't won over 3 games in a row yet this season.  UNC has been the biggest head scratcher in college basketball this year.  After beating Louisville, they lost to UAB.  After beating Michigan State and Kentucky, they lost to an average at best Texas team at home.  Marcus Paige is hands down one of the best point guards in the country, and Leslie McDonald can shoot the lights out from behind the arc.  The Tar Heels will have to prove that they can win consistently during conference play, and a win at Syracuse on Saturday might be a nice confidence boost.

Contenders:

Lamar Patterson could be
in the running for ACC POTY.

-Pittsburgh: The Panthers believe that they are one of the most underrated teams in college basketball right now.  Pitt would boast a flawless record if it were not for a last second loss to a very tough Cincinnati Bearcats team.  The only problem is that Pitt is yet to really beat a quality opponent.  Pitt's first go at the ACC schedule will prove a lot about how good these Panthers really are.  Senior Lamar Patterson is one of the best all around players in the country, as his great scoring is complemented by his ability to distribute and rebound the ball.  This Pitt team has to find some more scoring before they can be considered among the big boys in the ACC, but they're definitely a team to watch for throughout conference play.


-Notre Dame: The cat is out of the bag.  Jerian Grant (brother of Moo Moo) pulled an Everett Golson and was kicked out of Notre Dame for academic reasons.  Most would think that this would eliminate the Irish from being relevant this college basketball season.  However, this Notre Dame team has shown that they have a lot of fight in them, no pun intended.  Eric Atkins proved against Duke that he can be the guy in the absence of Grant, as he scored 19 points along with 11 assists.  In addition to Atkins, Pat Connaughton is an absolutely lethal 3-point shooter who can also rebound.  Holding it down in the frontcourt is 6'11" senior Garrick Sherman who, despite a hideous beard, can actually put points the board.  Notre Dame has too much depth to be ruled out just yet, and they showed that in their first ACC conference game by beating the Blue Devils.

TJ Warren is the only thing keeping
N.C. State afloat.  

Teams Worthy of Watching:

-NC State: T.J. Warren.  T.J. Warren.  T.J. Warren.  One of the best if not the best scorers in the ACC at 23.9 points per.  Compile that with eight rebounds per game and you have an exciting race for ACC Player of the Year with the likes of Jabari Parker, C.J. Fair, Lamar Patterson and Marcus Paige.  Yes, NC State has lost 2 of their last 3 to Missouri and Pittsburgh, but these are at least quality losses.  Freshman guard Anthony Barber provides for Warren among others while putting up double digit points consistently.  NC State has a lot of kinks to work out, but with a player like T.J. Warren, the Wolfpack are capable of surprising a top dog.

On the Brink of Relevance:

-Virginia
-Florida State
-Wake Forest
-Clemson

Oh yeah and before we go, let's all take a minute to laugh in the face of UConn.  0-2 in the AAC?  I think the Big 10 made the right choice on shutting them out.  Somewhere in his nice New England home Jim Calhoun is crying himself to sleep.

~Ted Gioia