The ACC had a solid showing in the ACC/SEC Challenge splitting 14 games 7-7 with the SEC who early in the season are the RPI’s number 1 rated conference.
Who were the ACC’s biggest winners and losers of the challenge.
Winners
Clemson
The Clemson Tigers started the year 5-0 and even won a pre-season tournament in Asheville, NC. We still wondered how good this Clemson team really was. The Tigers went to #23 Alabama and left with an 85-77 win. The Tide had won 19 straight at home before Clemson pulled the trick. Clemson can score from multiple positions, PJ Hall is a matchup nightmare, and Joe Girard keeps getting more integrated into the offense. Getting this win will resonate for Clemson in March come seeding time. This could be Brownell’s best team since at least his 2018 Sweet 16 team.
North Carolina
The Tar Heels just went back-to-back wins over Arkansas and Tennessee. Those are two teams that many folks came into the season thinking could make deep March runs. The first 20 minutes where UNC raced out to a 61-39 lead showed what the Tar Heels are capable of when they are hitting on all cylinders. The ball movement was just great during that half as well. Last year the Heels couldn’t generate quality wins and missed the NCAAs. That won’t be a problem this year. The Tar Heels can be really really good.
Georgia Tech
The Jackets got their first notable proof of concept win for new head coach Damon Stoudamire over #21 Mississippi State. Georgia Tech came into this game after losing to UMass-Lowell and getting walloped by Cincinnati. This season looked like it could really go off the rails. Miles Kelly played like an All-ACC player with 22 points and 12 boards. If Georgia Tech can get that kind of production from Kelly, the Jackets could cause some havoc in the ACC.
Virginia
Tony Bennett again looks like he has one of the ACC’s best teams. The Hoos picked up their 3rd P5 win by knocking off #14 Texas A&M. The Aggies hadn’t been held to fewer than 73 points this year before Virginia held them to 47 points on 30% shooting. You may not see the Aggies come close to those types numbers the rest of the season. Sure there is the blowout to Wisconsin, but other than that Virginia has looked like a top-25 team in their 6-1 start.
Losers
Florida State
With under 8 minutes to go Florida State had a 17-point lead at home against an average Georgia team, and simply blew the game. A 5-1 start with a win over Colorado was right there for the taking, and the Noles let it get away. It also cost the ACC victory in the challenge. Leonard Hamilton needed a bounce-back season, and it started relatively well, but this game could really knock the wind out of FSU’s early season sails.
Duke
The Blue Devils have a problem and it shows up against physical and athletic teams. They are soft in the interior. Against Arizona, they were outrebounded 41-27 in a loss. Then against Arkansas in an 80-75 loss, they got outrebounded 37-30. Duke is an excellent team, that’s supremely talented, but talent isn’t enough. Duke’s ceiling is going to be limited until they get this sorted out, and if they don’t they have no chance to reach their pre-season expectations.
Miami
It was not a surprise that Miami lost at Kentucky. It was stunning how they got boat raced by Kentucky by 17 in the 2nd half. They also turned the ball over 15 times. The Canes got a hard lesson in where they are in the pecking order of college basketball, and right now it is not one of college basketball’s elite teams.
NC State
Kevin Keatts hasn’t won an NCAA tournament game during his entire tenure at NC State. He needed a fast start to this season. That’s not working out. They fell apart late against BYU, and didn’t look competitive against an Ole Miss team that hadn’t beat anyone by more than 11 points. They are 255th in the country in 3-point shooting after a 3/25 effort against Ole Miss. This was a disappointing effort by NC State, and you already wonder if the Wolfpack are already in trouble.
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