If you look at College Sports Madness’ Top 25 rankings, you might open your eyes in surprise. Of course, Duke is high up on the list in third. Having gone 6-0, they’ve topped their conference and marked themselves as a team to watch. They showcased their skillsets with a close 79-71 win over Kentucky.
You have to go down fifteen places to find the next ACC team: Virginia Tech. The team is consistent this season. Their one loss in six games came from a dangerous Memphis team.
Duke and Virginia Tech are the only ACC teams on the list. On the AP Top 25, Virginia Tech was omitted from the top 25 entirely. It’s uncommon and a bit frightening to see a lack of ACC teams.
In the past, teams hailing from the Atlantic Coast Conference dominate D1 and March Madness. But, for some reason, they’ve been slow to start these past weeks. Can the ACC bounce back?
IS DUKE’S SUCCESS AN EARLY WARNING?
With the ACC’s early fragility on full display, Duke could dominate the conference. They’ve shown they’re strong enough to take the ACC title.
In Madison Square Garden, Trevor Keels put up 25 points, assisted thrice, and got one rebound in their victory. Paolo Banchero scored 22 points to go along with the seven rebounds he collected. The freshmen lived up to the lofty expectations they set to outlive a scrappy and tenacious Wildcats squad.
The Blue Devils ousted Army Black Knights, Campbell, Gardner-Webb, and Lafayette in quick succession. No one expected Duke to lose to these teams, but the Blue Devils showed their dominance with their four wins.
Against South Carolinian side The Citadel, the Blue Devils put up 107 points. Banchero and Wendell Moore neared triple-doubles. But the victory was a team effort. Ball movement and pace helped Duke win 107-81. The Blue Devils are elite and will pose a risk to opposing teams.
One of their tests will come up Friday. The Gonzaga Bulldogs, who recently blew out #2 UCLA, will play the Blue Devils. For Gonzaga, it will be a chance to legitimize their status as title contenders. For Duke, it’s an opportunity for Coach K to reorganize and tweak his team’s game plan ahead of their ACC play.
TAR HEELS, DEACONS, AND MORE
The rest of the conference has not seen the applause of the media. UNC got off to a shaky start, losing to ranked opponents Purdue and Tennessee. The losses have given them a 4-2 record, landing them in eighth place in the ACC. On Wednesday, UNC will play Michigan in the hopes of regaining their form. Their 72-53 win over UNC-Asheville might show there are better days ahead.
Like UNC, Florida State has not won against teams currently in the AP Top 25. FSU’s only loss of the season was against Florida. The defeat saw the Gators beat their hated rivals by sixteen points. The rest of FSU’s season has gone well so far, although there have been close calls. A close call against Tulane saw FSU beat Tulane by five. Boston University came close to beating FSU but fell a point short. 5-1 FSU will try to get closer to the AP Top 25 with a win against #3 Purdue on Tuesday.
The Cavaliers have fared even worse. Virginia lost their season opener against Navy 66-58. They then lost to a #12 Houston side by 20 points. What’s next on their agenda? Nothing much. Their upcoming game against Lehigh will be a chance to refocus themselves and prepare for an NCAA bid. A December game against Iowa will help see if the Cavaliers are in a slump or if they are mediocre.
HOKIES
Virginia Tech is one of the only ACC teams not in the dumps. The Hokies beat Maine, Navy, Radford, Saint Francis, and Merrimack. All these teams come from mid-major conferences, so the Hokies were bound to dominate these teams.
The only loss in their record is a close game against #9 Memphis. The 69-61 loss saw Nahiem Alleyne score 21 points on 4-11 shooting. The entire Virginia Tech team didn't shoot well, shooting 19-56.
Throughout their six games, Alleyne and Keve Aluma have led a pedestrian offense. The Hokies’ defense is what makes them a contender for the ACC title. They limit opponents to 18% three-point shooting, 35% field goal percentage, and 51.7 points per game. They’ll look to put that high-octane defense to work against Xavier and Maryland.
FORECAST
Duke looks pretty tough to beat. At this point, having beat an Oscar Tshiebwe-led Kentucky side, they are one of the best collegiate sides in the nation. Plus, this year’s Duke team is extra motivated. Because Coach K is leaving after this year, this team will want to end his coaching career with a bang.
Yet it’s the rest of the ACC that we should worry about. Wake Forest and Florida State are only top of the conference because they’ve played sub-par teams. Florida State doesn’t look equipped to face a well-oiled Purdue side. Clemson, Virginia, and UNC look like they’re in a slump.
The conference is still wide open. Duke and Virginia Tech may be the only sides that look good right now. But you can count on the perennial contenders to make the ACC race more interesting.
GAMES TO WATCH
Xavier v. Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech will show off their defense against #25 ranked Xavier. They’ll also look to go 1-1 against ranked teams.
Duke v. Gonzaga
In the game of the day, ACC powerhouse Duke will face March Madness finalists Gonzaga.
Iowa v. Virginia
The unranked Hawkeyes and the Cavaliers will both look to revitalize their seasons with a win.
Florida State v. Purdue
FSU will need a win against #3 ranked Purdue to show the world they are ready to return to the Sweet Sixteen.
Michigan v. North Carolina
UNC is good. They are! But we will need a win against Michigan to prove that.
