Conference Previews Series #1: The ACC
The college basketball season has been going on for a while, but in my opinion, that was all just preseason, and the real season starts when almost every game is a test, when good teams actually have to play on the road (crazy I know!), and when the marquee rivalries begin. I am going to do a little preview on each of the conferences in separate posts.
ACC
The ACC was supposed to be the dominant league this season, and while they are still a really good league, led by a few top tier teams, overall they have been a disappointment. Right now, Virginia looks like the team to beat. Their only loss comes against a pretty good George Washington team on the road, and they have big wins over West Virginia and Villanova, as well as wins over California, and Ohio State (on the road). Malcom Brogdon gets much more publicity for the Cavaliers, but in my opinion, Anthony Gill is their best player. Gill has a huge motor, plays great defense, and is a big energy guy.
I would put North Carolina behind Virginia as the second best team in the ACC, although they are very close to Duke, and actually they are very similar teams. Both are dominant offensively (the top two offensive teams on kenpom.com), but struggle defensively (outside of top 50 defensively on kenpom.com). Both teams have also been very inconsistent. Duke looked great against Indiana (who doesn't look great against the Hoosiers!), won against VCU and Georgetown, but have played quite a few cupcakes and had lackluster efforts vs. Utah and Kentucky. UNC played very well against Maryland and Davidson, and played a great 2nd half against UCLA. However, they struggled against Clemson, Northwestern, Geogia Tech, and Kansas State while also losing to Texas, who has lost 4 games and Northern Iowa, who has lost to Hawaii, New Mexico, Richmond and Colorado State, as well as other teams.
Miami is next, and although they are about as highly rated in the polls as Duke and UNC, they are a step behind. They have a couple big wins, over Butler and Utah, although those games were both early in the year, and they have both lost to Northeastern and haven't had any really good wins since. Louisville finishes off the top tier. Louisville's only losses are against Kentucky and Michigan State, but they really have no big wins, and although they may be better than this ranking of 5th in the ACC, I can't put them up higher until they get a big win or two.
The next tier of the ACC is full of good but unproven teams such as Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Notre Dame. These teams could be important in the ACC race and how it will play out.
ACC
The ACC was supposed to be the dominant league this season, and while they are still a really good league, led by a few top tier teams, overall they have been a disappointment. Right now, Virginia looks like the team to beat. Their only loss comes against a pretty good George Washington team on the road, and they have big wins over West Virginia and Villanova, as well as wins over California, and Ohio State (on the road). Malcom Brogdon gets much more publicity for the Cavaliers, but in my opinion, Anthony Gill is their best player. Gill has a huge motor, plays great defense, and is a big energy guy.
I would put North Carolina behind Virginia as the second best team in the ACC, although they are very close to Duke, and actually they are very similar teams. Both are dominant offensively (the top two offensive teams on kenpom.com), but struggle defensively (outside of top 50 defensively on kenpom.com). Both teams have also been very inconsistent. Duke looked great against Indiana (who doesn't look great against the Hoosiers!), won against VCU and Georgetown, but have played quite a few cupcakes and had lackluster efforts vs. Utah and Kentucky. UNC played very well against Maryland and Davidson, and played a great 2nd half against UCLA. However, they struggled against Clemson, Northwestern, Geogia Tech, and Kansas State while also losing to Texas, who has lost 4 games and Northern Iowa, who has lost to Hawaii, New Mexico, Richmond and Colorado State, as well as other teams.
Miami is next, and although they are about as highly rated in the polls as Duke and UNC, they are a step behind. They have a couple big wins, over Butler and Utah, although those games were both early in the year, and they have both lost to Northeastern and haven't had any really good wins since. Louisville finishes off the top tier. Louisville's only losses are against Kentucky and Michigan State, but they really have no big wins, and although they may be better than this ranking of 5th in the ACC, I can't put them up higher until they get a big win or two.
The next tier of the ACC is full of good but unproven teams such as Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Notre Dame. These teams could be important in the ACC race and how it will play out.
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