We are now well into the college basketball season, and we’re starting to get a good idea of where the teams are and who are the front runners for the ACC Men’s Basketball COY. Who are they, and is it anyone but Louisville’s Pat Kelsey?
Pat Kelsey, Louisville
What Kelsey is doing at Louisville is nothing short of jaw-dropping. Kelsey inherited a team that went 12-52 (5-35) under Kenny Payne the previous two seasons. We’re talking NET and RPI rankings in the 300s. Kelsey turned over the roster and there was optimism, but nothing like this could have been imagined. The Cardinals are 14-5 (7-1) and a near lock for the NCAA tournament despite several injuries including the loss of Kaseon Pryor. The Cardinals were picked 9th in the pre-season, and have exceeded every expectation, and they are still getting better. Barring a total collapse, I can’t see anyone catching Kelsey.
Brad Brownell, Clemson
Clemson came into the pre-season picked 4th in the ACC, and has done nothing to disappoint. Clemson is off to a 14-4 (6-1) start with a win over Kentucky. The Tigers are two OT losses from being 16-2. Brownell has absorbed the departure of All-ACC player PJ Hall, and built this year’s team around the backcourt of Chase Hunter and Jaeden Zachary. This is going to be a very tough team down the stretch, and Brownell is doing one of the best jobs in the ACC.
Jon Scheyer, Duke
Duke was the favorite to win the ACC. Everybody knew the roster was talented, but we’ve seen plenty of talented rosters fail to meet expectations. At 15-2 (7-0), Scheyer has taken Duke from a top 10 team to arguably the best team in the country, and certainly one of the 3 best along with Iowa State and Auburn. He learned from the early season error of over-relying on freshman phenom Cooper Flagg to getting contributions across the board, while still having Flagg in the national POY chase. Their defense is some of the best Duke has played in years. The win over a healthy Auburn team proves Duke’s ceiling is as high as any team.
Other Candidates
SMU was pre-season picked 13th in the ACC, and SMU is 13-4 (4-2) and Andy Endfield has got the Mustangs thinking about the bubble when no one else did. Kyle Smith at Stanford has the Cardinals being a real headache in the ACC at 12-6 (4-3) after they were picked 17th in the pre-season. Keep an eye on these two. They are in the conversation.
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