Duke basketball just finished its last marquee non-conference game, beating UCLA 80-63 at Madison Square Garden. But there are some still big games left and The Chronicle sat down with Chris Spatola for his thoughts on what he has seen from ACC teams during non-conference play. Spatola, formerly the director of basketball operations at Duke, now analyzes college basketball for CBS Sports and Campus Insiders. He also serves as a special assistant to Duke AD Kevin White.
The Chronicle: What has been the biggest surprise you’ve seen among ACC teams during non-conference play?
Chris Spatola: The thing that jumps out first is the play of Tyler Ennis up at Syracuse. I felt like Syracuse had the chance to be the best team in the ACC to start the year because they had the fewest question marks. For example, Duke was thin inside so there was the question of how they were going to figure that out. UNC had the McDonald and Hairston issue. So the question for Syracuse was how Ennis was going to play. But he’s really stepped up and been one of the better freshmen in the country.
TC: You wrote about Boston College’s struggles on your blog—do you see hope for them to turn it around, or at 4-7 is it too late?
CS: It’s not like they’re not hitting shots or it’s something where you can just change it. They have some real defensive deficiencies, and they’re already in the hole in the ACC, losing one at home. Part of climbing out of that hole is winning every game at home, and they’re already down one game. Their scheduling put them in a real bind because it was so tough. Having Dennis Clifford not be there has hurt them defensively. And overall, they’re just not that athletic. Other than Hanlan, they have a lot of deficiencies that I don’t think they can correct this season.
TC: What do you make of the Tar Heels’ start to the season? They have big wins against Louisville, Michigan State and Kentucky but losses to Belmont, UAB and Texas.
CS: It’s sometimes overused as a cliché, but I don’t think it is with Carolina: They’re young. Six of their top-seven players are freshmen or sophomores. The only one who’s not is James Michael McAdoo. The problem is he hasn’t been great. He was good against Kentucky, but he hasn’t been great. Beyond that, their free-throw shooting is a major issue because in games where they don’t dominate other areas—when they don’t dominate the glass or hit threes—their free-throw shooting becomes a problem. If you don’t hit threes, you have to score at the rim and part of playing in the paint is you’re going to get fouled and go to the line. So basically, you’re going to the line and missing half of your free throws, those are like missed shots. And they’ve been very good defensively, holding teams to 38% shooting. Paige has been really good but they need two guys to be really good, and that guy has to be James Michael McAdoo.
TC: And when you talk about young teams in the ACC, you have to look at N.C. State, which is 8-2 to start the year and is loaded with young guys after having a senior-led team last year. Do they have a chance to make noise in conference play?
CS: You asked about the biggest surprise, they’re right up there. If you had told me they’re going to be 8-2, I would have been shocked. Their schedule hasn’t been great, but they had a big win on the road against Tennessee. They’ve won six in a row since they lost to NC Central, and since then they went away from the Tyler Lewis experiment and put Cat Barber in there and got Jordan Vandenberg back. Those two guys have really changed the dynamic for them because now they can bring Ralston Turner in from off the bench—a Vinny Johnson-like shooter for instant offense. And after Jabari Parker, T.J. Warren is right there as ACC Player of the Year.
TC: And even though Duke is done with its toughest part of the non-conference schedule, there are still some big games left for other teams. Anything you’re looking forward to most?
CS: I’m looking forward to the Notre Dame-Ohio State game tomorrow in particular. Notre Dame has been a real mystery. They’ve lost two at home to teams that aren’t great in Indiana State and North Dakota State, and they should win those games at home. I’m actually surprised about Ohio State, I didn’t think they’d be as good as they’ve been. The problem I thought they were going to have was offense, where they’re not great. Deshaun Thomas was a big loss. And Syracuse-Villanova will also be interesting because Villanova’s best lineup is when they play small, pressing a little bit. They’re tough—they fit the mold of Jay Wright. There’s also N.C. State-Missouri on the 28th, which should be interesting.
TC: To touch on Maryland, entering their last year in the ACC, what have you seen from them in non-conference play?
CS: They’ve done a great job because their point guard, Seth Allen, has been hurt the whole time. The biggest thing for them has been Jake Layman, who averaged 5.5 points per game last season and is up to 15 this year. That’s a huge jump. They have a guy who can take and make a shot at the end of games in Dez Wells. They have a good road win to start ACC play against BC. They haven’t played a great schedule and it’s tough to find a big-time win, Providence maybe. But when they get Seth Allen back, move Wells to the wing, and the Michigan transfer Evan Smotrycz is a tough guy to guard like Ryan Kelly, a spacing four.
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