As we approach the beginning of conference play—real conference play, not this September and December stuff—we start separating the teams into tiers. These tiers are meant to be broader assessments of a team’s skill and potential, not specific judgements. If these were going to be very detailed, there would be far too many tiers. As such, we’re separating the ACC into three tiers. More may be added as the season wears on and divisions between certain groups of teams become larger, but for now, we’re sticking with three.
Tier 1
1. Duke Blue Devils
Duke has regained their mojo after the shocking home loss to Stephen F. Austin. They’ve beaten Michigan State by 12 on the road and obliterated a pretty good Wofford team by 29 points. Vernon Carey Jr is the star of the show for the Blue Devils, providing an inside presence while Tre Jones runs the show from the backcourt. The Blue Devils are the clear-cut No.1 right now.
2. Louisville Cardinals
Louisville played three straight games against Power 6 opposition. They averaged 59.6 points between the three. Shockingly, for a team with so many offensive weapons, they struggled to score during that three game stretch. They rebounded nicely with blowout wins over Eastern Kentucky and Miami of Ohio, but all the same, the prior offensive showings raise questions.
3. Virginia Cavaliers
Turnovers notwithstanding, the Hoos played a pretty good game offensively in their loss to South Carolina. It was vindication for the loyal fans that kept their faith in the offense all year. Virginia lost the game because South Carolina made a ton of tough shots and Virginia turned the ball over 19 times. Many looked at the game as proof that the Hoos are not a very good team, but in the end, it was one game and doesn’t drop their stock (for me) at all.
4. Florida State Seminoles
There’s no doubt that this Florida State team is very solid. They’re a good defensive team, and have won 10 games this season. Yet there are concerns on the offensive front. The Seminoles are yet to score 65 points against a P6 opponent in five tries. More concerning is that they only have three double digit scorers, all of whom average less than 12 points. Their lack of a leading scorer could be a problem down the stretch.
Tier 2
5. North Carolina Tar Heels
Carolina lost four straight games. Yeah, that’s bad. But three of them were to top-10 opponents, and and the other was without their best player. The fact of the matter is that North Carolina is not a very good team without Cole Anthony. Anthony runs the team, and without him, they struggle to score. The good news is that he’ll be back in a month and Armando Bacot has a chance to be the man for the Heels in that time.
6. NC State Wolfpack
The loss to Georgia Tech on opening night notwithstanding, NC State’s losses have come in close games to ranked opponents. They’ve shown that they can compete with teams at the top level. They also have five scorers in double figures on the season. That’s pretty crazy. It’s clear that they have the pieces, but the question is whether Kevin Keats will be able to put them together.
7. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame made an impressive comeback on the road giants Indiana, coming from 17 down to take the lead with three minutes left, before ultimately losing. Notre Dame is something of a mystery. They’ve lost to good teams in UNC, Maryland, and Indiana, but have also lost to Boston College and won by only 2 against Toledo. So far, the narrative has been that if John Mooney plays well, the Irish win.
8. Miami Hurricanes
Miami can be explosive on offense, but is bad on defense. Really bad. They’ve allowed over 70 points in six out of 11 outings. They play an undisciplined style of basketball, routinely scoring a lot but allowing just as much. Miami is dangerous, yet inconsistent.
9. Pittsburgh Panthers
Despite early season struggles, Pitt has turned it around and is quietly poised to make a run at finishing in the top half of the conference. While they’re not out of the woods just yet, the Panthers are a far cry from their winless conference of recent years.
Tier 3
10. Syracuse Orange
The only P6 opponent that Syracuse has beaten in six tries is Georgia Tech. It was one of those games in which they caught fire, hitting 14 threes while Elijah Hughes and Buddy Boeheim went for 33 and 26, respectively. Besides that game, their +/- against the P6 is -79.
11. Clemson Tigers
Clemson is another team that struggles against P6 opposition. Their +/- in said games is -59, with one win in six. Clemson is another team in for a rough ACC season.
12. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
The loss to Ball State was the clear low point of the Yellow Jackets’ season. Early on, they looked like a good team, with a good guard in Michael Devoe and an inside presence in James Banks III. Banks has turned out to be a flop, leaving the responsibility of scoring to Devoe.
13. Virginia Tech Hokies
Their results aren’t terrible, but their statistics tell a different story. Virginia Tech only has two scorers in double figures on the year. More worrying is that they only go six deep. Not a recipe for success.
14. Boston College Eagles
Boston College has lost four games to non-P6 schools. None of them were close.
15. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Wake somehow managed to pull off a win against a decent Xavier team. That doesn’t help their case much, they’re still the worst team in the ACC.