Chip Bremer
By all accounts, this has been a difficult season for ACC men’s basketball as a whole. Struggles in non-conference play—particularly in the ACC/SEC Challenge last month— were a clear indicator of just how far conference programs have fallen.
With the exception of Duke, no other ACC program has demonstrated enough consistency to maintain a Top 25 ranking, and current projections for the NCAA Tournament paint a rather dismal picture of expectations for the remainder of the year.
Despite all that, there are some bright spots in the form of key players that could provide a positive trajectory for some of these teams as the season continues. Here are four potential stars from area ACC teams who should prove crucial down the stretch:
Ian Jackson, North Carolina
While the Tar Heels’ success greatly depends upon the play of All-American R.J. Davis, it’s Jackson who could end up making the most significant impact this season. When Seth Trimble went down with injury, Jackson stepped up to provide much-needed scoring, averaging over 23 points per game and shooting better than 60% from the floor since mid-December.
Whether hitting perimeter jump-shots or crashing the glass for put-back buckets, he has proven to be the reliable scorer everyone expected coming out of high school. If he can continue on this trajectory, Davis won’t have to carry the team as much, and UNC could be right where it wants to be in March.
Cooper Flagg, Duke
This should come as no surprise considering the amount of hype surrounding Flagg before he even stepped foot in Durham. Even with all the talent on the Blue Devils’ roster, he is the one individual who does just about everything—and does it extraordinarily well.
He can facilitate the offense from the point, control the boards, block shots, dominate on both sides of the ball and score almost at will. He leads Duke in virtually every statistical category, and he will only get better as the season progresses.
There’s a joke going around about how Flagg is carried to classes to prevent him from injuring an ankle, but the truth is that as long as he stays healthy and on the court, the Devils should remain the ACC title favorite and the conference’s best (only?) chance for a national championship.
Tre’Von Spillers, Wake Forest
While guards Hunter Sallis and Cameron Hildreth are the top playmakers in the Deacons’ backcourt, it’s Spillers who really gives this team a boost when needed. He’s a little undersized when it comes to a power forward, but the energy he provides on both ends of the floor and the aggressiveness he demonstrates in the paint are invaluable.
The Appalachian State transfer is a double-double machine that can clean up rebounds as well as any ACC big man, and he never backs down from a challenge. If Wake is going to state its case as an NCAA Tournament team, it will need Spillers to keep doing what he does, and for the rest of the team to follow his lead.
Breon Pass, NC State
While there are several players who could qualify as a bright spot on the Wolfpack roster, it may be surprising to see Pass at the top of that list. The senior guard was not a key player in last season’s amazing postseason run, and he doesn’t even average more than 20 minutes a game, but he is State’s most consistent shooter—which is something they desperately need more than anything. He is the only player to average better than 80% from the foul line and 50% from three-point range and he has been a proven leader when he’s on the court. So, while Kevin Keatts is still figuring out his 9-12 player rotation, he should be throwing more minutes to Pass. Otherwise, they’ll have a tough time making postseason plans of any kind.
