Chip Bremer
Midterm evaluations usually demonstrate levels of progress compared to early projections and what is needed to reach stated goals at the end of the term. Halfway through the ACC conference slate, there aren’t many surprises in terms of how teams have performed thus far, but their prospects for the postseason are becoming fairly clear. Here are the midterm grades for every ACC team in order of how the teams were ranked in the preseason:
Louisville B. The Cards haven’t been the dominant team they were projected to be, due mostly to the injury to star freshman Mikel Brown (they were 4-4 without him). Now that they have him back healthy, however, they look like they can at least challenge for a top 4 seed in the ACC tournament. This is still one of the most explosive teams in the conference, so don’t be surprised when they make a deep March run.
Duke A-. It’s hard to find anything negative about how the Blue Devils have performed thus far. Cam Boozer is clearly one of the best players in the country, and the rest of the team is playing at an extremely high level. There were plenty of things that needed to go wrong for Duke to take that lone conference loss at UNC, and all are easily correctible. As long as Boozer and the rest of the frontcourt remain healthy, the Devils will retain top seed in the ACC tourney.
NC State C. The Wolfpack really struggled out of the gate, losing virtually every Tier 1 matchup on their non-conference schedule. Then, just as it looked like they were finally pulling together, they get humiliated in Louisville by 41 points. The emergence of Qadir Copeland as a key playmaker was a positive development, but the constant disappearance of preseason player of the year Darrion Williams is certainly a huge roadblock to their postseason aspirations.
UNC B. It took a while for the Tar Heels to get some traction, but once they got through their West Coast road trip and Seth Trimble returned from injury, they appeared to be back on track. Of course, they followed their big win over Duke with a subpar performance in a loss at Miami, so consistency continues to be an issue. Caleb Wilson still needs to touch the ball on every possession if the Heels are going to go far in March.
SMU B. The Mustangs took their lumps against the conference’s upper tier, and while all five starters are averaging double-figures (led by Boopie Miller’s 19.2 ppg), they still have room to improve. If it weren’t for the conference’s fab freshmen, Miller would make a solid ACC POY candidate. Andy Enfield just needs to find that extra gear to secure that first-day bye at the ACC tourney.
Virginia B+. The Cavaliers are quietly putting together one of the more impressive ACC runs behind the emergence of Belgian forward Thijs De Ridder. The supporting cast has been solid, especially freshman Chance Mallory, and as long as the shots are falling, this team is a March contender. They’ve tempted fate quite often, but they seem to find ways to win regardless.
Syracuse D+. Until Donnie Freeman finally arrived on the scene, the Orange were not enjoyable to watch. Now that he’s back to full strength, they are at least bearable to the point where they are winning a few games here and there. Regardless, the performance is far from preseason projections, and unless J.J. Sterling or one of the freshmen comes alive, they’ll be an early out in March.
Clemson A-. Brad Brownell’s Tigers are having another quiet but solid run, and they’re doing it with one of the ACC’s least-heralded rosters. This team is fundamentally sound and extremely deep, and not one player is averaging more than 12 ppg. If Brownell doesn’t win Coach of the Year with this team, it would be a travesty.
Notre Dame D. The absence of star guard Markus Burton really put a damper on the season for the Irish. That’s an absence that just can’t be overcome with just Jalan Haralson and Braeden Shrewsberry. Of course, who knew it would put the team at the bottom of the ACC standings?
Miami B+. Somehow, someway the hodgepodge of talent Jai Lucas put together is working in its own way. The trio of Malik Reneau, Tre Donaldson and Shelton Henderson is bullying opponents, and even when they’re off, they’ve only lost by the slightest of margins. This is a dangerous team despite their lack of depth.
Wake Forest D. The Deacons have settled into one of those teams that are sometimes fun to watch but end up on the wrong side of the win column. They have Juke Harris, who is having an All-ACC year, but little else. They could sneak a win at the ACC tourney, but not likely to do much more.
California B. If Brad Brownell doesn’t win Coach of the Year, Mark Madsen would make a solid candidate for putting together this group of misfits into a high-level competitor. They may not have the consistency to get to that upper tier, but if Dai Dai Ames or Justin Pippen get hot, the Bears could surprise some folks in March.
Virginia Tech B+. Another surprise seemingly out of nowhere, the Hokies are riding the talents of Neo Avdalas and Amani Hansberry to an unlikely run to the ACC’s upper half. What they lack in depth, they make up for in grit, and that can be a dangerous weapon in the postseason.
Florida State C-. In their first year under Luke Loucks, the Seminoles haven’t quite reached that high-octane offense they wanted, but they have proven formidable at times in wins against Miami, Cal and Stanford. They’re probably not a postseason stallion, but they are a dark horse.
Georgia Tech D. The Yellowjackets have ended up in the ACC basement because they don’t have much beyond Baye Ndongo and a resurgent Kowacie Reeves. They’ve had brief moments of competitiveness, but any chance of moving up the standings is a longshot.
Stanford B+. The star that nobody saw coming was the emergence of freshman star Chisom Okpara and his impact on the Cardinal’s season. They still don’t have the type of roster that can make a good postseason run, but there’s no doubt that Okpara put this team on another level.
Pittsburgh D. The Panthers also experienced some bright spots this season—like the debut of fan-favorite Roman Siulepa, but not enough to get them out of the basement. The question now becomes: can Jeff Capel keep his job?
Boston College D. It’s not always easy to see these kinds of things happen just as predicted, but unfortunately, that’s what happened with the Eagles. Maybe BC should just give up on having a basketball program.