The ACC has proven to be one of the top conferences in college basketball once again, with four teams in the top 10 in the nation early on.
No. 6 Duke (6-1)
The main story for Duke thus far is that star freshmen Harry Giles, Marques Bolden and Jayson Tatum have yet to play a minute for the Blue Devils. Despite a last minute loss to No. 5 Kansas, Duke will be a much different team when it gets reinforcements on the floor.
The Blue Devils defeated No. 23 Rhode Island to win the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-off last Sunday and will look to continue their roll against No. 24 Michigan State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge Tuesday night. Luke Kennard has emerged as a consistent threat, averaging 17.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game so far.
No. 4 North Carolina (7-0)
The Tar Heels have dominated every opponent they have faced this season, winning each contest by at least 15 points. In its first game against a ranked opponent in the Maui Invitational championship Wednesday, North Carolina held No. 16 Wisconsin to just 56 points. Senior big man Kennedy Meeks posted 15 points and 16 rebounds in the victory.
No. 7 Virginia (6-0)
Virginia won each of its first five games by more than 20 points before defeating Providence by 11 to win the Emerald Coast Classic its last time out. Head coach Tony Bennett’s team has shown its defensive prowess early on, as the Cavaliers have not allowed an opponent to exceed 52 points in a contest. Scoring has come from everyone thus far, with seven players averaging at least seven points per contest for Virginia, but it suffered a big loss off the court when starting forward Austin Nichols was dismissed from the team after playing in just one game.
No. 10 Louisville (5-1)
After averaging more than 85 points per contest through its first three games, Louisville has seen its offense drop off of late. The Cardinals scored fewer than 70 points in all three of their games at the Battle 4 Atlantis last week. Louisville blew a 22-point lead and shot just 39.1 percent in a 66-63 loss against No. 20 Baylor in the tournament's championship game and will need to make some offensive adjustments if it wants to be a title contender later on.
No. 18 Syracuse (4-1)
After four consecutive victories to start the season, the Orange struggled mightily Saturday against South Carolina. Syracuse scored just 50 points on the same day that its football team put up 61 on the gridiron. Unfortunately for the Orange, both outcomes were the same—Pittsburgh scored 76 points to win the highest-scoring football game in FBS history, and the Orange shot a dismal 31.8 percent from the field in the 64-50 loss on the hardwood.
No. 25 Florida State (5-1)
After cruising through their first four games, the Seminoles lost a close one to Temple 89-86 on Thanksgiving. Florida State has been an offensive powerhouse, scoring at least 99 points in three of its six matchups to start the season, but has struggled to get stops in critical situations. Sophomore Dwayne Bacon has led a young team with a lot of potential, averaging 18.2 points per contest.
Notre Dame (6-0)
One of three undefeated teams in the ACC, Notre Dame has continued to thrive offensively in the early going. But in their two matchups against Power-5 opponents, the Fighting Irish won by a total of 10 points. We will know a lot more about Notre Dame after two nonconference games against ranked opponents in December. Bonzie Colson has been the ringleader for the Fighting Irish, with 17.2 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.
Miami (4-2)
Following four easy wins to start the season, the Hurricanes have lost two straight games against No. 21 Iowa State and Florida. Miami shot just 36.0 percent from the field in the 73-56 loss to the Cyclones, and it only managed 56 points again Sunday against the Gators.Junior guard Ja'quan Newton has been the Hurricanes' star, averaging 17.6 points per game.
NC State (5-1)
Despite the 5-1 record, N.C. State has had some major problems defensively in the early going. The Wolfpack allowed 112 points to Creighton last week and escaped with a 79-77 victory against Loyola-Chicago this weekend. The Wolfpack will need to clean up their defense in order to take advantage of the fact that they have three players scoring more than 17 points per game.
Pittsburgh (5-1)
Pittsburgh has looked very vulnerable at times this season. Three of the Panthers’ victories have come by fewer than six points, including a three-point victory against Eastern Michigan in their season opener, and they lost to SMU 76-67 Nov. 17. Michael Young has been key in Pittsburgh's close contests and is averaging 23.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game to start the season.
Virginia Tech (5-1)
The Hokies cruised through their first four games before suffering a 68-65 defeat to Texas A&M Friday. They rebounded with a 66-53 win against Nebraska Sunday, holding the Cornhuskers to just 29.8 percent shooting from the field. Forward Zach LeDay has been the go-to threat every game for Virginia Tech—he leads the team with 15.8 points per game through its first six contests.
Wake Forest (5-1)
Wake Forest benefitted from an easy schedule to win five of its first six contests, but lost 96-77 to No. 3 Villanova Nov. 18 in its only game against a ranked opponent so far. Wake Forest will see two Power-5 opponents in December in nonconference play and go on the road to take on No. 9 Xavier Dec. 17, which will give us a better idea of where the team stands heading into ACC play.
Clemson (3-2)
Clemson’s early-season strength of schedule is evident in its record. The Tigers’ two losses have been at the hands of then-No. 11 Xavier and a solid Oklahoma team, and each loss was by a margin of just six points. Preseason All-ACC forward Jaron Blossomgame has averaged more than 18 points a game thus far and played every minute in the loss against the Musketeers.
Boston College (3-3)
Boston College has struggled early on and already has disappointing losses against Nicholls State, Kansas State and Richmond. Sophomore Jerome Robinson has led the way for the Eagles, averaging 19.0 points per game—up from 11.7 last season. He has scored more than 20 points three times, including in the Eagles' wins against Towson and Stony Brook.
Georgia Tech (4-1)
Newly-hired head coach Josh Pastner is still figuring his team out after five games. The Yellow Jackets' lone loss came at home against an experienced Ohio team 67-61, but they have rebounded with back to back wins, including an 82-68 victory against Tulane in which freshman Josh Okogie scored 38 points.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
Digital Strategy Director for Vol. 115, Michael was previously Sports Editor for Vol. 114 and Assistant Blue Zone Editor for Vol. 113. Michael is a senior majoring in Statistical Science and is interested in data analytics and using data to make insights.