Good afternoon, Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) sports fans.
We hope you all are enjoying the holiday season!!
As we head to conference season, our holiday gift to you is one or two lines (maybe three) about each ACC men’s basketball team as we head to conference play.
1.) Boston College – With their defeat of Duke, the Eagles showed that they can’t be taken for granted when ACC play begins and I’m pretty certain no one saw this coming prior to the beginning of the 2017-2018 college basketball season.
2.) Clemson – The Tigers have a nice group of wins over Ohio State, Florida, and South Carolina (also in the top 25 in the country in field goal percentage). The Tigers must work on defending the three-point shot or they are going to get roasted in ACC play. My feeling about Clemson is that they have players that can work the boards, but if they run into teams with effective guard play, they are in trouble.
3) Duke – The Blue Devils have the second best scoring offense in America. When Duke plays a full 40 minutes, this is the best team in the country – and it’s not close. The problem with Duke is that they aren’t focused on defense – this has already caught up with the Blue Devils – and will again during conference season if Coach K doesn’t get his team focused (don’t worry, though, because Coach K will get this corrected). Duke can’t forget who they are – they are a team who needs to feed the post.
4.) Florida State – Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Seminoles have some big players – like this is the tallest team in the ACC and it seems like we are saying that every year. The Seminoles are in the top 30 in the country in field goal percentage – but this isn’t one of Leonard Hamilton’s best defensive teams (top 50).
5.) Georgia Tech – Georgia Tech might be the ACC’s most disappointing team – many of us had higher expectations for the Jackets this year. Losing the Grambling game might be one of the worst losses ever for an ACC team. There’s been injuries and a lack of chemistry. This team is really bad.
6.) Louisville – I was a little surprised to see this, but the Cardinals are not a top 50 scoring defense (and are barely in the top 30 defending the three-point shot). Many ACC teams can hit the deep shot – and I have the feeling the Cardinals will allow many teams to hang around in games this year.
7.) Miami – The Hurricanes have the ACC’s best backcourt – and it’s not close. I think Miami has a really good chance to win the ACC. [Editor’s Note 12-24-2017: I wrote this post before Miami took the L to New Mexico State smh]
8.) North Carolina – North Carolina NEVER should have taken a loss to Wofford. Look, I like North Carolina, but I think the Heels have had a bad habit this year of disappearing in some games – they can’t do that vs. teams that have good guard play because the Hurricanes, for example, will roast you if you disappear.
9.) North Carolina State – The Wolfpack had one of the ACC’s best wins over Arizona – but a baffling loss vs. UNC – Greensboro. The Wolfpack have a young team. I expect a lot of teams to play zone vs. the Wolfpack because they don’t have a guy that can consistently hit three-point shots.
10.) Notre Dame – The Irish also have one of the ACC’s best wins over Wichita State. That said, the Irish (like Virginia Tech, which we will talk about below) are going to be vulnerable in the post this year.
11.) Pittsburgh – Pitt Athletic Director, Heather Lyke, might have to pay a buyout to Kevin Stallings this year.
12.) Syracuse – The Orange have the ACC’s worst offense – and it might not be close (actually, it’s pretty close to Georgia Tech, which isn’t all that much better). But the Orange’s defense will keep it in many games. Why do I feel like I’m typing the same thing every year?
13.) Virginia – The Hoos have the best scoring defense in the nation – and their offense isn’t terrible (field goal percentage in the top 50). That defense along with an improved offense is going to get the Hoos a lot of wins.
14.) Virginia Tech – The Hokies have the best field goal percentage in the nation – and the third best field goal percentage in the country (the Hokies are also in the top 20 in free throw attempts) – this is more than an area code away from the Seth Greenberg days lol. I expect a lot of ACC teams to attack Virginia Tech in the post – but Buzz’ game of small ball will get the Hokies a lot wins this year.
15.) Wake Forest – Wake Forest is going to find itself fighting with Pitt and Georgia Tech for the bottom of the ACC this year. It’s somewhat of a set back for Danny Manning’s group.
And that’s it!!!
Merry Christmas to all of you readers from all of us at All Sports Discussion!!
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