I can’t help but be deliriously and feverishly excited about the beginning of intraconference play, but before we get down to brass tacks, there are a few things that we should probably be talking about before we settle up the conference pecking order. Let’s go over a few suggested topics of conversation before actual basketball begins.
1. Virginia is for real. The Cavaliers’ national ranking is totally deserved and barring injuries or collapse, this team is poised to make some noise in March. Mike Scott is the flavor of the week amongst the college basketball stat-erati because, well he is kind of killing it, but Virginia’s slow pace means that he’s not getting enough credit for it. The Cavaliers are certainly capable of taking down Duke or North Carolina and the team’s consistency is something that every other team in the conference envies.
Mike Scott Is Really Good
2. Scheduling is a double-edged sword. Both Maryland and North Carolina State have the talent to make the NCAA Tournament, but both also have some scheduling issues that might get in the way of these aspirations. Maryland has a daunting conference schedule that includes two shots apiece at Virginia, North Carolina, and Duke, as well as a non-conference tilt with Temple. That gives the Terrapins plenty of chances to register signature wins, but it also means that there are seven games on the schedule that are more likely to be losses than not. Conversely, the NC State Wolfpack has two games apiece against Wake Forest, Boston College, and Georgia Tech. Mark Gottfried’s team is likely to rack up plenty of wins, but they have far less opportunities to make an impression with a certain tournament selection committee.
3. The bottom of the ACC is bad. Really bad. The ACC is in a down year, but it’s not because everyone is middling or the conference lacks elite teams, but rather because a third of the conference is objectively terrible. Boston College, of course, is legendarily bad, but it doesn’t stop with the Eagles. While Wake Forest and Georgia Tech appear to have plenty of talent and figured to take a step forward this year, it simply hasn’t happened. Both teams can still muster a turnaround, but right now, watching them play is painful. The most disappointing team in the ACC, however, might be Clemson. Despite the occasional transcendent performance by Andre Young and Tanner Smith, the Tigers have simply underperformed. Despite having one of the easier non-conference slates, Clemson is starting conference play at a relatively shocking 8-6 mark.
4. The biggest unknown in the ACC might be the state of Florida. Florida State and Miami have talented, veteran line-ups, but somehow, both teams seem much worse than they were a year ago. If pressed before the season started, I would have pegged these teams for the third and fourth spot in the ACC and now I think either team is capable of finishing tenth. I don’t know what’s going on and maybe both teams are due for a midseason turn around, but the performance so far has been incredibly unimpressive.
5. Duke and North Carolina will both lose a couple times in conference play but that shouldn’t concern anyone. Come March, both teams will be ready to make a run to New Orleans and the championship. Now, to be clear, both teams have flaws. Duke’s defense, while still excellent, is the worst it’s been in a long time. Meanwhile, a turned Kendall Marshall ankle in Chapel Hill haunts the dreams of Tar Heel fans everywhere. Yet, when push comes to shove, these teams are good enough to contend, and that won’t change, even with a dropped game or two in College Park or Blacksburg.