Ballsy ACC Power Rankings
Stunningly, every team but Duke has at least four loses this season. At this rate we’re going, the ACC will be lucky to squeeze four teams into the NCAA Tournament. Luckily just about every team in the conference has been wrapping up non-conference play on a steady diet of cupcakes.
No. 1 DUKE
The Blue Devils remained undefeated with wins agains Miami and UAB at home. Things are going to get a little tougher over the next few weeks. Maryland comes into Durham for a visit this weekend. What can the coaching staff throw at Jordan Williams? My guess is they’ll let Williams have his points and just shutdown everyone else. The reality is, there’s not much Gary Williams can throw at Duke to stop Nolan Smith.
No. 2 NORTH CAROLINA
The Tar Heels have feasted on the weakest stretch of their schedule. They’ve held both Rutgers and St. Francis (PA) to under 55 points. The last time a North Carolina team held back-to-back opponents under 55, Matt Doherty was still the coach (2002-2003).
No. 3 NORTH CAROLINA STATE
They’ve been munching on cupcakes since mid-December and they have zero quality wins, but they’ve weathered the storm that was Tracy Smith’s injury. He’s back and has averaged 15.5 in his first two games. His presence should begin to open things up for everyone else, including C.J. Leslie.
No. 4 FLORIDA STATE
The Seminoles want to be considered one of the elites of the ACC. It’s a good goal to have. It’s good to have goals. However, it helps to not lose to a third-rate SEC team. A week after producing their best win (over Baylor), they lost to a 6-7 Auburn team, who’s best win prior to FSU was against Middle Tennessee State. Florida State is 10th in both shooting percentage (.432) and three-point shooting (.332) in the ACC.
No. 5 VIRGINIA TECH
When Dorenzo Hudson went down, I declared the Hokies dead in the water. My mistake. Since Hudson went out for the season, Virginia Tech is 5-0. One win came against Renardo Sidney and Mississippi State and the other against Penn State.
They’ve done it with defense, giving up just 56 points per game. More importantly though, Erik Green has done a fantastic job stepping in for Hudson. The sophomore is averaging 14.6 per game. He’s shooting 53-percent from the floor and has dished out 17 assists to only two turnovers.
No. 6 MARYLAND
Like most ACC teams right now, the Terrapins are wrapping up the bulk of non-conference play on cupcakes. It’s allowed them to work on the defense. The Terps are 4th in the nation in Defensive Efficiency % and they’re 88th in rebounds with 41.8 per game.
No. 7 MIAMI
In 15 games, sophomore Reggie Johnson has eight double-doubles. He missed two more by a single rebound. Not bad considering he’s played 30 minutes only once, averaging just 22.7 minutes per game thanks to foul trouble. If he could find a way to stay on the court 6-7 more minutes per game, we’d be mentioning his name in the ACC Player of the year conversation.
No. 8 VIRGINIA
When Mike Scott went down, things suddenly looked bad for the Cavaliers. They lost two straight to inferior opponents. However, they’ve rebounded nicely with back-to-back wins over LSU and Howard. Unfortunately the competition will get a bit tougher with a trip to Chapel Hill this weekend, followed by a visit from #1 ranked Duke.
No. 9 BOSTON COLLEGE
You know who BC should have hired this offseason? Tommy Amaker. This way his Harvard team would stop abusing the Eagles. Boston College has lost to Harvard three straight years. If you’re looking to be taken serious, you can’t be the whipping boy of an Ivy League team.
No. 10 CLEMSON
The Tigers are rolling, winners of six straight. Only one of their last six opponents has cracked 60, while only two opponents all season have scored over 70. No team has scored 80. Clemson doesn’t dominate in any one aspect, but have just done a good job at stealing (32nd in the nation), blocking (32nd in the nation) and defending the three (43rd in the nation).
No. 11 GEORGIA TECH
After a solid freshman campaign, Glen Rice Jr. was suppose to really step up this season and become one of the premier guards in the conference. Instead, 2010-2011 has become a nightmare.
Against Charlotte, the Yellow Jackets had a two-point lead with 84 seconds to play. With a chance to make it a two possession game, Rice stepped up to the free throw line and missed both of them. The 49ers tied it up and sent the game into overtime.
With three seconds to go in overtime, Rice stepped up to the line again with the game tied. Make just one and the game is probable over. Again, he missed them both. The game went to a second overtime where Charlotte won it.
No. 12 WAKE FOREST
The Demon Deacons ended a four-game winning streak with a victory over High Point. Sadly, with ACC play beginning, that win may truly be the high point of Wake’s season.