Around the ACC: Week 3

Here is a look at the current ACC standings and a recap of last week's ACC action, with many early-season tournaments wrapping up and many set to commence:

1. Wake Forest (5-0): Wake Forest 90, Jacksonville 83; Wake Forest 82, Citadel 54: The Demon Deacons will likely not be atop the ACC much longer with a first round matchup in the Battle 4 Atlantis against No. 2 Kansas set to tip off on Thanksgiving Day. Last week, the Demon Deacons put away a pesky Jacksonville Dolphins team late in the second half led by senior forward Travis McKie and sophomore guard Codi Miller-McIntyre. Wake Forest then easily took care of Citadel in its next contest. McKie, Miller-McIntyre and sophomore forward Devin Thomas, who is averaging a double-double, will look to keep their team performing well against better competition moving forward.
2. Pittsburgh (4-0): Pittsburgh 77, Lehigh 58: Senior forwards Talib Zanna and Lamar Patterson have the Panthers off to a solid start this season—Pittsburgh easily took care of Lehigh in their only game last week. An increased level of competition at the Progressive Legends Classic will give the Panthers an indication of where they sit nationally early in the season.
   
3. No. 8 Syracuse (4-0): No. 9 Syracuse 56, Saint Francis (NY) 50. The Saint Francis Terriers nearly scored their second big road upset of an ACC team this season at the Carrier Dome, but sophomore forward Jerami Grant made two big plays in the final minute to keep the Orange unbeaten. Senior forward C.J. Fair had one of the worst games of his career against the Terriers and will look to bounce back quickly and lead his team to an EA Sports Maui Invitational title this week.
   
4. Clemson (5-1): Charleston Classic: Clemson 72, Temple 58; Clemson 85, Davidson 54; Massachusetts 62, Clemson 56: Junior forward K.J. McDaniels and junior guard Rod Hall led the Tigers to a runner-up finish in their early season tournament—Clemson fell in the championship game in a tight contest to the undefeated Minutemen and had a chance to tie it in the final minute. The Tigers earned big wins against Temple and Davidson and will look to show that their early season performance is no fluke when conference play begins.
5. No. 6 Duke (5-1): No. 6 Duke 91, UNC-Asheville 55; No. 6 Duke 83, East Carolina 74; No. 6 Duke 91, Vermont 90: After struggling defensively in their second round game of the Preseason NIT against an impressive East Carolina team, the Blue Devils had even more struggles against Vermont (1-5) and nearly had their 106-game home nonconference winning streak snapped in a shocking upset. Redshirt sophomore forward Rodney Hood and freshman forward Jabari Parker have continued their torrid pace and are both legitimate candidates for the Naismith Award and junior point guard Quinn Cook has been one of the best point guards in the country statistically to this point, but Duke's defensive struggles have been the story thus far this season. The Blue Devils will look to right the ship in the Preseason NIT semifinals against Alabama and a likely championship game against No. 4 Arizona after staying put in the AP Poll this week.
6. Florida State (5-1): Puerto Rico Tip-off: Florida State 85, No. 10 VCU 67; No. 14 Michigan 82, Florida State 80 (OT); Florida State 62, Northeastern 60: The Seminoles scored one of the big upsets of the week with their rout of then-No. 10 VCU in their first game of the Puerto Rico Tip-off; Florida State backed up their performance in a wild game against then-No. 14 Michigan in which the Seminoles blew a 16-point second half lead. Sophomore guard Devin Bookert gave his team the win in the third place game of the tournament with a jumper with 0.5 seconds left against Northeastern to cap off a wild weekend for Florida State. Senior guard Ian Miller and senior forward Okaro White seem to be leading a hungry bunch in Tallahassee.
7. Georgia Tech (4-1): Dayton 82, Georgia Tech 72; Georgia Tech 78, North Carolina A&T 71: The Yellow Jackets had a rough week, never really posing a huge threat at home against Dayton and committing 19 turnovers in the disappointing loss before using a furious second half rally to down North Carolina A&T in their next contest led by former Tennessee guard Trae Golden. After a disappointing Barclays Center Classic, Georgia Tech will look to improve significantly before facing a brutal conference schedule.
8. No. 16 North Carolina (4-1): Hall of Fame Tip-off Tournament: No. 24 North Carolina 82, Richmond 72; No. 24 North Carolina 82, No. 3 Louisville 72: After an atrocious home loss to Belmont, the Tar Heels bounced back and got a huge quality win in the Hall of Fame Tip-off Tournament led by sophomore point guard Marcus Paige, who accumulated 32 points against the Cardinals to back up a 26-point performance against the Spiders. Paige's performance allowed North Carolina to gain its first major win despite the struggles of junior forward James Michael McAdoo, who was neutralized by Louisville's physical play. With the depth the Tar Heels possess already, if suspended guards Leslie McDonald and P.J. Hairston return and North Carolina continues playing as a team, the ACC could have a third team capable of making a run in March. With their triumph, the Tar Heels rose eight spots in this week's AP Poll.
   
9. Notre Dame (4-1): Notre Dame 84, Santa Clara 69; Notre Dame 93, Army 60: The Irish rebounded from their disappointing home loss to Indiana State with two big wins led by senior guards Jerian Grant and Eric Atkins. Despite the early loss, Notre Dame still possesses one of the most fundamentally sound, balanced teams in the ACC and will likely still present a stiff test, especially in South Bend.
10. Virginia (4-1): Virginia 67, Navy 42; Virginia 75, Liberty 53: Still recovering from a heartbreaking loss to then-No. 14 Virginia Commonwealth on a last-second 3-pointer, the Cavaliers earned two easy wins led by a balanced attack. Senior guard Joe Harris has yet to put up eye-popping numbers, but is capable of lighting up the scoreboard at any time and will look to lead his team to more big wins this weekend at the Corpus Christi Challenge.
11. Maryland (3-2): Paradise Jam: Maryland 68, Marist 43; Maryland 80, Northern Iowa 66: After two close losses to then-No. 19 Connecticut and Oregon State, the Terrapins recovered with two big wins to make the finals of the Paradise Jam against Providence. Despite the early losses, Maryland is still one of the more talented and balanced teams in the conference, shown by the fact that the each Terrapin starter averages more than 10 points per game. If sophomore guard Jake Layman can continue his hot-shooting and senior guard Dez Wells and junior guard Nick Faust can play efficiently, with the contributions of Michigan transfer forward Evan Smotcryz, Maryland should be able to compete with any team in the country.
12. Miami (3-2): Miami 70, College of Charleston 54; Central Florida 63, Miami 58: After falling in their first contest of the season to the aforementioned Saint Francis (NY) Terriers, the Hurricanes suffered their second home setback of the season against the Knights and have struggled to put up points this season after losing all of their top playmakers from a season ago. Senior guard Rion Brown, a role player a season ago, has struggled with his shot as the team's primary scoring option—Miami's record has taken two early hits as a result. The Hurricanes will try to right the ship at the Wooden Legacy.
    
13. Virginia Tech (3-3): Virginia Tech 105, Virginia Military Institute 92; No. 1 Michigan State 96, Virginia Tech 77; Seton Hall 68, Virginia Tech 67: After opening the season with a shocking one-point loss to South Carolina Upstate, the Hokies had more struggles at the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, getting routed by the top-ranked Spartans before losing a nailbiter to Seton Hall despite strong performances from senior forward Jarell Eddie and freshman guard Ben Emologu. Eddie and Emologu have been explosive at times this season but will need more support if Virginia Tech is to recover from a dismal start to the season.
14. North Carolina State (2-2): North Carolina Central 82, North Carolina State 72 (OT): The Wolfpack are one of many teams with a disappointing early season loss on their resume already. Like Miami, North Carolina State is looking for playmakers to complement sophomore forward T.J. Warren after losing most of the team's top players from a season ago. Warren is off to a great start this season, but will need support if the Wolfpack are to escape from the cellar of the standings.
15. Boston College (2-4): 2K Sports Classic: No. 18 Connecticut 72, Boston College 70; Boston College 89, Washington 78: Despite their poor record, the Eagles have shown offensive explosiveness led by sophomore guard Olivier Hanlan and junior forward Ryan Anderson. Boston College lost at Providence in overtime, lost to a solid Massachusetts team that is now ranked No. 24, lost a 95-92 shootout to Toledo, and barely lost to a Connecticut team that is now ranked No. 13 before beating Washington. If the Eagles figure out how secure more stops, they could easily surprise some teams in conference play this season.