ACC Player of the Year Race Takes Shape

Time to celebrate—Duke finally has company from its conference in the AP Poll this week. Florida State, which downed the Blue Devils on January 12th, climbed into the rankings at No. 22. In the USA Today Coaches Poll however, Duke is still the lone representative of the ACC. These two teams are tied atop the conference with a 5-1 record in league play.

Virginia Tech padded its resume this week with its most impressive win of the season, a 17-point victory over Maryland at College Park. Having won nine of their last ten games, the Hokies have earned respect and eight votes in the AP Poll. If it can take care of business on the road against bottom-feeding Georgia Tech and a struggling Miami squad who is 1-4 in conference play, might we see three teams in the AP Top 25 from the ACC?

A large reason for Virginia Tech’s recent success is the play and leadership of senior guard Malcolm Delaney. In the Maryland game, Delaney scored 19 points, right on his 18.9 points per game average, and passed well, racking up seven assists. Delaney is third in the conference in scoring. The Hokies will need him to remain a candidate for Conference Player of the Year if they want to make noise in March.

Joining Delaney in the conversation for ACC Player of the Year is Blue Devil guard Nolan Smith. While Kyrie Irving was healthy, Smith saw a lot more time at shooting guard, but he has handled the point guard duties with Irving on the sideline. Leading the ACC in both scoring and assists, Smith has been a catalyst and facilitator for Duke’s explosive offense which averages eight more points per game than any conference foe. He has carried the offense on his back in the Blue Devils’ last ten contests, averaging just under 24 points per game during that stretch.

The next highest scorer is Boston College guard Reggie Jackson. Jackson leads the Eagles in scoring and assists, and is second only to Smith in both categories in the conference. In order for Jackson to get real consideration for conference player of the year he would likely have to lead Boston College to finish in the top echelon of the league. The Eagles face a tremendous challenge Thursday night when they travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium to take on No. 3 Duke. The matchup of Smith and Jackson should be a fun one to watch.

Any conversation for ACC Player of the Year would not be complete without including Smith’s teammate and fellow senior for the Blue Devils, forward Kyle Singler. Singler has posted double digits in scoring in all but one game this season on his way to fourth-best in conference scoring. As the highest scoring forward in the conference, Duke's Singler has made his presence felt on the boards too, averaging over six per game.

Jordan Williams is one player who had his way on the boards against the Blue Devils. He posted 23 points and 13 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass in their matchup on January 9. Williams is averaging over 12 rebounds per game and has posted at least 11 boards in each of the Terrapins’ last 13 games. It is likely that many voters would select Williams over Singler as the most valuable big man in league play thus far given his importance to his team and contributions on the glass.

Although North Carolina does not have a true ACC Player of the Year candidate, it is difficult to ignore Roy Williams’ squad. The Tar Heels are unbeaten at home this season and they have won six of their last seven games. Thanks to quality play from forwards Tyler Zeller and Harrison Barnes, North Carolina is 3-1 in the ACC, good for third in the conference.