#1 North Carolina (8-0)
Big Wins- Beat BYU 73-63, @Ohio State 66-55, @Kentucky 86-77
Bad Games- None
Team Strengths- Interior Scoring, Coaching, Lead Guard Play, Full Court Defense, Rebounding, Versatile
Team Weaknesses- Perimeter Shooting, Turnover Prone.
The Tar Heels haven’t had their floor general for much of the season but they’ve still been able to win all of their games thanks to the combination of Hansbrough inside and Ellington outside. Hansbrough is one of the most dominant low post threats in the game today. His ability to score inside as well as draw contact and make his free throws makes him one of the most effective scorers in the country. The key for UNC though has been the emergence of Ellington as a legit and consistent perimeter scoring threat. Once this team gets Lawson back running the point and dictating tempos UNC will be even more dangerous.
The team defense looks good in the both the half court and full court settings and this is a team that will outrebound just about everyone they play this year. The only real weakness this team has right now is perimeter shooting. Ellington and Green have shown the ability to hit from the outside but neither are true outside shooting threats.
#2 Duke (8-0)
Big Wins- Beat Illinois 79-66, #11 Marquette 77-73 and #20 Wisconsin 82-58
Bad Games- None
Team Strengths- Perimeter Shooting, Ball Handling, Guard Depth, Coaching, Full Court Defense, Athleticism
Team Weaknesses- Interior Scoring, Interior Defense, Turnover Prone
Thus far this Duke team has been able to surprise and impress this year. However, Duke started the year hot last year as well. This is a much different Duke team though. They’re a more attacking team that loves to get out and run and can shoot from the perimeter as well as any team in the ACC. Gerald Henderson has stepped up and could end up emerging as the teams go to scorer. With Paulus, Nelson, Henderson, Singler, Scheyer, Smith and King, Duke has a ton of perimeter scorers, shooters, ball handlers and headsy players.
The problem with Duke is on the inside. It’s going to be a struggle with Thomas and Zoubek inside if Duke is unable to create match-up problems with their guards and get out and run on teams.
#3 Clemson (8-0)
Big Wins- @Mississippi State 74-72, Purdue 61-58, South Carolina 85-74
Bad Games- None
Team Strengths- Athleticism, Experience, Full Court Defense, Perimeter Shooting.
Team Weaknesses- Free Throw Shooting, Ball Handling, Turnover Prone.
If there is any team in the ACC that is capable of playing and hanging with Duke and North Carolina it’s Clemson. They have the experience and the athletes to be a top tier team in the ACC. Clemson is for real this year. Cliff Hammonds is one of the most underrated players in the country. He’s a do it all senior guard that just simply gets the job done game in and game out. With Mays and Booker on the interior Clemson has what could be the best front court duo in the ACC. Mays is a terrific athlete that creates havoc all over the court and Booker is a tremendous interior rebounder and shot blocker who can score with his back to the basket. Clemson also has the ability to shoot the ball from the outside with Oglesby, Rivers and Hammonds.
Where Clemson is struggles most is in the ball handling department. They struggle taking care of the basketball and they currently have a freshman running their offense in Stitt who is shooting under 40% from the field and has more turnovers than assists. That’s not going to cut it against the elite teams in the country. Nor is their putrid free throw shooting.
#4 Miami (8-0)
Big Wins- Beat VCU 69-63, Providence 64-58 and St.Johns 66-47
Bad Games- Barely Beat Morgan State 55-51
Team Strengths- Half Court Defense, Rebounding, Perimeter Shooting, Depth, Physical Team, Experience.
Team Weaknesses- Full Court Offense, Ball Handling, Lead Guard Play, Lack Athleticism.
Miami is off to a great and somewhat surprising start this season. They returned a good amount of talent from last years team but no one was quite sure how their returning talent would mesh with the incoming talent. Thus far it’s meshed well. Miami is currently ranked #1 in the RPI.
They’re a great half court defensive team because of their interior shot blockers and man to man defense on the perimeter. They don’t handle the basketball ball very well though and if teams can force them into a full court game they will struggle. This is a tempo team that needs to play at a slow pace, pound the ball inside and hit shots from the outside. It’s a not a creative team because they don’t like to get out and run and they don’t have very good ball handlers or playmakers. It should be interesting to see if Miami can stay where they are in my rankings once ACC play starts. The middle of the ACC is very balanced.
#5 Virginia (7-2)
Big Wins- Beat #17 Arizona 75-72 on the road
Bad Games- Blown out by Seton Hall 60-74
Team Strengths- Lead Guard Play, Rebounding, Half Court Defense, Perimeter Shooting.
Team Weaknesses- Interior Scoring, Turnover Prone, Full Court Offense.
Virginia is a very perimeter oriented offensive team. Their top five scorers are perimeter players. They’re led by Singletary who is as good of a go to scorer as you will find in the country. His 19 points, 4 boards and 7 assists are impressive but his 5 turnovers and 39% shooting are not. His strength is his ability to get into the lane, create shots for teammates and get to the foul line where he is automatic. Joseph and Diane are both reliable outside shooters but neither is good at creating their own shot and rely heavily on Singletary. In fact the entire roster relies on Singletary which is too much for one player. This is not a good offensive team.
However, they are a good rebounding team and they play very disciplined half court defense. They’re not a team that is going to get out and run even though they’re a very perimeter oriented team. They’re more accustomed to a slug it out type of game where they outrebound and outhustle their opponents.
#6 Boston College (7-0)
Big Wins- Beat Maryland 81-78
Bad Games- None
Team Strengths- Lead Guard Play, Ball Handling, Coaching, Half Court Offense, Interior Defense.
Team Weaknesses- Youth, Full Court Offense, Rebounding.
Boston College is doing what Boston College does. They’re winning and flying under the radar once again this year. They’re led by one of the best guards in the country in Tyrese Rice. Rice is arguably the best guard in the ACC and if you compare his numbers to Singletarys(UVA) he’s having a better season. He’s not relied on as heavily but he’s been more effective. Boston College is another team that does not like to get out and run and very much prefer to play a slower game in the half court setting. They have good ball handlers and passers in Rice and Paris that are good at getting other players open for shots. They have players in Spears, Rice, Sanders and Raji who are capable of scoring the basketball at a consistent rate as well.
Boston College has struggled shooting from the outside though. Rice and Roche need to be more consistent from the outside because this is not a team that will dominate inside or score in transition so they need perimeter shooting. Defensively they have one of the finest shot blockers in the country Tyrelle Blair but their perimeter defense is shaky and can be exploited. Rebounding may become a concern later on as well because they’re not an overly big or athletic team. Last but not least this is a very young and inexperienced team outside of Rice.
#7 Florida State (8-2)
Big Wins- Beat UAB 78-70, Beat #25 Florida 65-61 on the road, Beat Minesota 75-61
Bad Games- Lost to Clev St. 66-69, Lost to South Florida 67-68 on the road
Team Strengths- Perimeter Scoring, Guard Play, General Defense, Experience.
Team Weaknesses- Interior Scoring, Very Turnover Prone, Rebounding, Lack Offensive Balance
Thus far Florida State has been an inconsistent team this year. They’ve beaten Florida @ Florida but they’ve lost to Cleveland State and South Florida. Senior guard Isaiah Swann has been extremely good this year. He’s been more reliable in his senior season then he ever was his first three years. His offense and Florida State’s defense have been this teams biggest strengths this year.
Four of Florida’s state’s best five players are under 6 foot 2 and that means that Florida State has very little offensive balance. This team just does not get enough offense on the interior in order for them to be able to score the basketball on a consistent level. In order for this team to get an NCAA birth they’re going to have to rely very heavily on their guards and their defense. Those are two things that are key in order to winning basketball games in the ACC but I doubt Florida State will have enough of those two things to get over the hump this year.
#8 Maryland (6-4)
Big Wins- Beat Illinois 69-61
Bad Games- Barely Beat N.Eastern 74-72.
Team Strengths- General Defense, Lead Guard Play, Playmakers.
Team Weaknesses- Turnover Prone, Perimeter Shooting, Half Court Offense, Depth.
It’s been an ugly season for Maryland. They’re playing very bad offensively. They’re turnover the ball over, shooting very poorly from the outside and they’re not turning teams over as much as they used to defensively. With Vasquez and Hayes in the back court Maryland has two capable playmakers but without consistent interior scoring or perimeter shooting they will continue to struggle scoring the basketball.
Maryland’s half court defense has been good thus far though but they’re not pressuring the basketball and forcing turnovers as much as they used to. Gist is one of the better shot blockers in the country and his ability to create problems on the defensive end is key for Maryland’s success. This is not a good Maryland team right now. They have some talented players in Gist, Vasquez and Hayes but they’re not a terribly deep team and they may have too many glarying weaknesses to get back into the NCAA Tournament this year.
#9 North Carolina State (4-3)
Big Wins- Beat #20 Villanova 69-68
Bad Games- Lost to New Orleans 63-65, Blown out by Michigan State 58-81 and lost to ECU 69-75 on the road.
Team Strengths- Interior Scoring, Size, Decent Half Court Defense.
Team Weaknesses- Ball Handling, Toughness, Lead Guard Play, Rebounding, Full Court Offense, Perimeter Shooting.
Where does one start with this team? They’re a mess right now and they’ve been easily the most dissapointing team in the ACC. They have very little team speed and not enough ball handlers or playmakers. Their strength is their size but they lack athleticism and toughness. They don’t rebound well and they don’t shoot well from the outside. They can’t get out and run against teams and are forced to slow games down and try scoring inside, however, both Costner and McCauley are playing out of place and neither look comfortable offensively. Right now the only bright spot on the team has been freshman big man J.J. Hickson. He’s the real deal but he’s a freshman and is far from good enough to carry this teams lofty preseason expectations on his back.
#10 Georgia Tech (4-4)
Big Wins- Beat Notre Dame 70-69, Barely lost to Indiana 79-83 on the road
Bad Games- Lost to NC Greensboro 74-83, Lost to Winthrop 73-79 on the road
Team Strengths- Perimeter Shooting, Experience, Interior Scoring.
Team Weaknesses- General Defense, Rebounding, Turnover Prone, Lead Guard Play, Full Court Offense
Georgia Tech has a lot of talent and they’ve been able to score the basketball because they can score in a variety of ways in the half court setting. Clinch and Morrow give GT perimeter scoring and outside shooting while Smith, Peacock, Aminu and Lawal give them some interior offensive punch. The problem with Georgia Tech is their arratic lead guard play and overall defense. They turn the ball over too much and are by far and away the worst defensive team in the ACC in just about every possible category.
#11 Virginia Tech (5-3)
#12 Wake Forest (5-3)
