ACC Breakdown: Orange climbs national ranks, Panthers tumble

Just a few weeks ago, Duke was 1-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and its matchup this past Saturday against Syracuse was supposed to be just another game for the undefeated Orange.

Duke then won five straight, and a record-crowd of 35,446 was on hand at Carrier Dome to greet the Blue Devils in a matchup that featured the two winningest coaches in the history of college basketball.

Syracuse edged Duke, 91-89, in an overtime thriller, which was tagged by ESPN play-by-play analyst Dick Vitale as the best game he’s seen in 35 years of calling college basketball.

It was the fourth-most watched regular-season college basketball game on ESPN since 2002, earning a 2.9 Nielsen rating, compared to the 2013 Stanley Cup finals, which came in at 3.3.

And to Syracuse fans’ immediate wishes, No. 1 Arizona fell to California, 60-58, just hours after the final buzzer sounded in Syracuse. So the Wildcats swapped places with Syracuse in Monday’s Associated Press poll.

“It puts a target on your back, knowing everyone is coming after you,” Syracuse forward C.J. Fair said to reporters after the Orange’s 61-55 win over Notre Dame on Monday.

Three teams in particular — No. 25 Pitt, No. 11 Duke and No. 20 Virginia — are after the bull’s-eye that Fair described. Syracuse is scheduled to play all three teams on the road this month.

For now, though, the Orange remain perfect.

Syracuse (22-0, 9-0 ACC)

Head coach Jim Boeheim’s system does not pave the way for blowout wins, but it does allow for Syracuse to grind teams out in the final minutes of play. The Orange have displayed a rare attribute — the ability to win without starlit performances by Fair, a National Player of the Year candidate. 

On Monday, Trevor Cooney’s 33 points and nine 3-pointers made up for Fair’s meager six points, and Syracuse held on late to beat the Irish and extend its school record for consecutive wins to start a season. Before Monday, Cooney had shot just 25 percent from behind the arc.

Virginia (17-5, 8-1 ACC)

Senior guard Joe Harris has underperformed this season, and the Cavaliers do not have a consistent scorer. But for now, they’ve shown no need for one. For the second week in a row, Virginia owns the No. 1 scoring defense in the country, holding opponents to a mere 55.5 points per game.  

The Cavaliers play the easiest schedule in the ACC and should have no problem with five of their remaining nine games, which are against the worst five teams in the league. The team also faces Maryland twice, Clemson and Syracuse.

Duke (17-5, 6-3 ACC)

Despite losing at Syracuse on Saturday, the Blue Devils have been on a recent tear. The prime reason for their late success has been perimeter shooting, where they rank sixth nationally at 41.4 percent. The Devils feature the top three 3-point shooters in the ACC, as well: Rasheed Sulaimon (48 percent), Andre Dawkins (47.2 percent) and Rodney Hood (44.7 percent). Yet, when a team such as Duke has problems with consistency, analysts question whether that team is built for success in March.

Pitt (18-4, 6-3 ACC)

The pressure is on the Panthers to gather one signature win. They play just one more signature team – Syracuse – next Wednesday. Pitt must win because right now, the Panthers’ NCAA Tournament resumé remains blank. Guard Lamar Patterson has made just 25 percent of his attempted shots in two home losses to Duke and Virginia, and no one has statistically compensated for his poor play.

North Carolina (14-7, 4-4 ACC)

After a remarkable start to the season with wins over Michigan State, Louisville and Kentucky, the Tar Heels then dropped their first three league games — their worst start to ACC play in more than a decade. Since, North Carolina has won 4-of-5, but still has to play host to Duke and Pitt next week.

Clemson (14-6, 5-3 ACC)

The Tigers will get a crack at Syracuse on Sunday, three days before the Orange travel to Pittsburgh to face the Panthers. 

K.J. McDaniels, a 6-foot-6 forward, leads his team in scoring with 16.7 points per game and leads the ACC in blocks with 2.65 per game.

Maryland (13-9, 5-4 ACC)

The Terrapins’ best player, Dez Wells, showed up late to a team breakfast last week, and coach Mark Turgeon did not start him against Virginia Tech. Wells responded by scoring 19 points in 30 minutes of play. Maryland will play Florida State on Saturday.

North Carolina State (14-8, 4-5 ACC)

The Wolfpack have now won 3-of-4 and are set to face Miami on Saturday. Guard T.J. Warren is in the midst of a brilliant sophomore campaign in which he has posted 22.4 points per game.

Wake Forest (14-8, 4-5 ACC)

Wake Forest continues its dependency on youth. 

The Demon Deacons have seven sophomores, five of whom scored in double figures against NC State several games ago. They don’t have a bad loss necessarily, bowing to Xavier, Tennessee, Kansas, Virginia, Syracuse and Clemson, but they haven’t collected a signature win.

Florida State (13-8, 4-5 ACC)

The Seminoles have now lost three consecutive games, falling to Duke, North Carolina State and Clemson.

Georgia Tech (12-10, 3-6 ACC)

The Yellow Jackets have struggled in ACC play, in part because they lost their leading rebounder, Robert Carter, to a torn meniscus. They’ll have a chance to upset Virginia at home Saturday.

Notre Dame (12-11, 3-7 ACC)

The Irish have lost 7-of-9, but have lost just two at home against ACC teams so far.

Miami (11-10, 2-6 ACC)

The Hurricanes got some confidence back with a midseason win over Norfolk State on Saturday. Senior guard Rion Brown has emerged as a leader for Miami, which has lost 3-of-4. Brown has averaged 17.7 points in his past three games.

Boston College (6-15, 2-6 ACC)

Despite a woeful season for the Eagles, Olivier Hanlan continues to be a force. The sophomore guard averages 17.9 points per game. The Eagles earned a temporary upgrade to second-to-last place after routing Virginia Tech by 24 last week.

Virginia Tech (8-13, 1-8 ACC)

The Hokies have now lost eight straight games, and Pitt could provide their tenth Saturday. The battered Hokies are down a couple of players. Guard Adam Smith strained his calf and is out for at least another week, and forward C.J. Barksdale’s status remains uncertain after straining his groin.