ACC Breakdown: Success of former Big East teams highlights early ACC play

Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon has continuously preached that the program’s move to the ACC would help form the best college basketball conference in the country.

The season is still young, but the new-look ACC is shaping out to become a middle-of-the-pack league, which is ironic because without the help of former Big East juggernauts Syracuse, Pitt and Notre Dame, the ACC would be in a state of total dismay. And outside the top five teams, the league is still in the midst of chaos.

Syracuse (14-0, 1-0 ACC)

After chipping its way through non-conference play blemish-free, No. 2 Syracuse beat Miami in comeback fashion Saturday to claim its first win in the ACC. The Orange won their last several games without starting center DaJuan Coleman, who has been out with a left leg contusion, and they have made do with Jerami Grant and Rakeem Christmas as replacements. Orange forward and ACC preseason player of the year CJ Fair has led with a quiet 17.2 ppg.

Duke (11-3, 0-1 ACC)

Freshman sensation Jabari Parker has been no surprise (20.4 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 43 percent on 3-pointers), but he showed inexperience Saturday in Duke’s loss at Notre Dame. Parker will now be the focal point of every opponent’s scouting report, and his nightly performances will be determined by how well coach Mike Krzyzewski prepares him and how in-depth other teams’ plans are for Parker. Duke plays Clemson Saturday in their first game in seven years ranked outside the top ten. North Carolina (10-4, 0-1 ACC)

After a hefty NCAA investigation that ended some weeks ago, the Tar Heels have struggled to remain consistent without last season’s leading scorer, PJ Hairston. Hairston had reportedly used rental cars that had been connected with a convicted felon. The offensive-minded squad has five guys averaging double digits in scoring, but has allowed opponents to score nearly 70 points per game. The Tar Heels have wins against Louisville, Michigan State and Kentucky, but have bowed in a few games against weaker opponents. They will take on Miami on Wednesday and will travel to Syracuse for a Saturday-afternoon tip.

Notre Dame (10-4, 0-1 ACC)

After an early season blowout loss to Indiana State at home, the Irish might prove to be a conference title contender as the weather gets milder. Three weeks have passed since they lost preseason All-ACC member Jerian Grant because of an academic issue, but they shocked the college basketball world Saturday by beating Duke, 79-77, at home. The Irish could cruise to an early conference lead in January, when they face a lighter schedule.

Pitt (14-1, 1-0 ACC) 

Pitt has a lot to prove, and the Panthers certainly will have opportunities to improve their status among tournament committees and national poll voters alike in the coming weeks. Since taking part in a noteworthy off-season workout regimen, Lamar Patterson has shown that his refined body and extended shot fake have enabled him to slip between defenders and into his second and third homes at the Petersen Events Center’s two keys, where he is now able to create offense and score right-handed layups almost at will. Every teammate of Patterson will have to show up Saturday in order to soundly defeat Wake Forest at noon at the Petersen Events Center.

Virginia (10-4, 1-0 ACC)

The Cavalier faithful had the utmost confidence in their team being legitimate contenders coming into the season, but they’ve yet to collect a signature win this season, dropping a game early against VCU and losing to Wisconsin in a game where UVA was only able to put up 38 points. Fifth-year head coach Tony Bennett and the Cavaliers have placed an emphasis on defense and the sophomore-filled team will play in what should be a very competitive game Wednesday against Wake Forest.

Wake Forest (11-3, 1-0 ACC)

The Demon Deacons put up a strong effort in their first ACC game, a 73-67 win over North Carolina on Sunday. They are administered by do-everything sophomore guard Codi Miller-McIntyre, who is averaging 16.6 ppg. They will travel to Charlottesville, Va., to take on the Cavaliers on Wednesday.

Florida State (9-4, 0-1 ACC)

The Seminoles lost a number of close games to a group of very good teams in the early-going, turned around and blew out VCU at home, then beat a NCAA Tournament team in UMass. They have four guys averaging double figures and will travel to Clemson tomorrow.

Clemson (11-3, 1-0 ACC) 

Clemson is having a quiet, yet pleasantly surprising, season. The Tigers took care of business early on with consecutive wins over South Carolina, Temple and Davidson. They’re getting quality playing time from KJ McDaniels, who is leading the team in points and rebounding, while also getting to the foul line often. Clemson will likely finish in the middle of the conference, it is certainly among the upper echelon in night-in and night-out consistency.

NC State (10-4, 0-1 ACC)

TJ Warren, a 6-foot-8 sophomore bruiser, plays with the ball in his hands the majority of the time, and when he isn’t in control, it’s generally freshman point guard and 2013 McDonald’s All-American Anthony Barber who’s searching for Warren off screens. Warren is averaging an ACC-leading 23.9 ppg, but the Wolfpack will need help inside to pose a more dimensional threat. They play at Notre Dame and at Duke in the next two weeks.

Maryland (10-6, 2-1 ACC)

The Terrapins have shown nothing but mediocrity in their final season in the ACC. Junior Dez Wells has proven to be matchup havoc for opposing teams, but other than that, Maryland hasn’t quite had the pieces to rack up a signature win this season. Head coach Mark Turgeon couldn’t have gotten much sleep after his team lost by 20 at Pitt on Monday. It’s all but guaranteed that he didn’t have a prepared scouting report for Pitt walk-ons Josh Ko and Mike Lecak as well as Joseph Uchebo. Maryland will play Florida State on Sunday.

Virginia Tech (8-5, 1-0 ACC)

The theme thus far for the Hokies has been injury. Virginia Tech has had more players miss games because of injury than any other ACC team. Guard Adam Smith and forwards C.J. Barksdale and Marshall Wood have all been injured recently, and their statuses are questionable. Senior forward Jarell Eddie has remained consistent, posting 17.4 ppg, and holding the Virginia Tech backcourt together is freshman point guard and Montour High School grad Devin Wilson. They will face Boston College on Saturday.

Georgia Tech (9-5, 0-1 ACC)

The Yellow Jackets have shown spurts of brilliance this season, such as in last night’s first-half performance against Duke, when they held Parker to six points. They play Clemson on Saturday.

Miami (8-6, 0-2 ACC)

Miami will look to repeat Saturday’s performance at Syracuse, when the Hurricanes led for much of the contest. In order to do so, the senior-driven team will have to look to guard Rion Brown or perhaps James Kelly, who is shooting 43 percent from beyond the arc, during crunch time.

Boston College (4-11, 0-2 ACC)

Sophomore guard Olivier Hanlan and the Golden Eagles will look to escape finishing last in the conference this season. Hanlan is second in the conference in scoring at 20 ppg, and his team plays Virginia Tech on Saturday and Syracuse on Monday.