This is far from a new development, but the Thanksgiving holiday is an excellent time to watch some college hoops. With all of the early-season tournaments going on simultaneously, it was a hoops overload (almost).
Before we dive into the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, let’s run through this week’s ACC Basketball Power Rankings.
No. 1 Virginia
Holy moly, De’Andre Hunter is so good. Do people outside of Virginia fans and NBA Draft junkies (*raises hand) realize how good this dude is? Hunter is currently averaging 16.8 points on 61.3 percent shooting (66.9 eFG%, 46.7 3P%), 6.3 rebounds (8.9 per 40 minutes), 2.3 assists and a block per game. His face-up game has been excellent (70 FG% at the rim in the half court, per Synergy), and he’s shown some nice vision early on while facing the basket, too.
De’andre Hunter’s face-up is so smooth. Stays compact, can stretch it beyond the arc, covers ground on the first step/dribble. Plays with his head up, few really nice passes early this season.
— Brian Geisinger (@bgeis_bird) November 23, 2018
No. 2 Duke
In the Maui Invitational title game, Duke still managed to score over 1.2 points per possession; however, Gonzaga got whatever it wanted for most of the game off ball screens. Something else to keep an eye on: R.J. Barrett is super awesome, but he’s using a lot of possessions — 35.6 percent usage rate, per Sports Reference — and hasn’t been that efficient (45.6 eFG%), yet. On spot-up possessions (too many straight-line drives into the chests of defenders), Barrett has scored under 0.9 points per possession (44.2 eFG%), per Synergy Sports.
No. 3 North Carolina
The loss to Texas was a disappointment; in that performance, the Heels allowed the Longhorns to attempt 24 three-pointers (making 11) and 29 free throws. That’s a recipe for disaster. Offensively, things are mostly peachy for UNC, which ranks third nationally in weighted offensive efficiency. Currently, North Carolina is scoring 1.17 points per possession (60.2 eFG%) on spot-ups — and that’s with Kenny Williams (0.77 points per possession, 19.2 3P%) struggling.
No. 4 Virginia Tech
The Thanksgiving holiday week was a quiet one for the Hokies; Virginia Tech played just one game — a 75-37 home win over St. Francis. Nickeil Alexander-Walker continues to rip nets for the Hokies. The sophomore wing (19.6 points per game, 40 3P%) has been excellent in the pick-and-roll, too. According to Synergy, Alexander-Walker has scored 1.43 points per possession (76 eFG%) out of that action.
No. 5 Florida State
Florida State stumbled in the title game of the AdvoCare Invitational — losing to Villanova 66-60. The Seminoles went cold from deep against the Wildcats (3-of-12 3PA) and, for the first time this season, seemed to miss the injured Phil Cofer. FSU looked disjoined offensively against Nova — assisting on only seven of its 22 field goals. This was just the third time in Trent Forrest’s three-year career where he’s played 25+ minutes and recorded only one assist.
No. 6 Syracuse
After a chilly start to the season, Syracuse had its best offensive performance in last week’s win over Colgate: 1.17 points per possession. Syracuse has scored only 0.84 points per possession in its half-court offense so far this season; however, Tyus Battle (1.15 points per possession on spot-ups) got hot against Colgate — 24 points, three three-pointers and zero turnovers.
No. 7 Clemson
Clemson ranks 35th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom. In the half court, Clemson has scored 0.95 points per possession, according to Synergy. Marcquise Reed — 19.8 points per game, 31.1 percent usage rate — is the head of the snake; however, Elijah Thomas (62.6 TS%) is once again proving to be a force on the low block. The lefty big man is 9-of-15 on post-up field goal attempts (60 FG%) this season, scoring 1.11 points per possession.
No. 8 NC State
The next week should prove interesting for NC State — with games away from home against Wisconsin and Vanderbilt. State’s matchup with Wisconsin should make for a clash of styles, too. According to KenPom, NC State averages only 14.8 seconds per offensive possession (No. 14 in the nation); on the other end, the Badgers averages 19.3 seconds per possession (No. 333).
No. 9 Miami
The Hurricanes slipped up for the first time this season on Sunday — a neutral-site loss to Seton Hall. But Miami is still top 30 nationally in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, and Chris Lykes — 19.3 points and 3.3 assists per game — has been dynamic in the pick-and-roll game. Miami has scored 1.13 points per possession when Lykes runs a pick-and-roll — as either a scorer or passer. That’s a top 10 number nationally, per Synergy (minimum of 50 possessions).
No. 10 Notre Dame
Notre Dame has responded to the perplexing home loss to Radford with three straight wins, including a 25-point victory over DePaul. Rex Pflueger scored 20 points on only nine field goal attempts. For the season, Pflueger has an effective shooting clip of 53.6 percent on catch-and-shoot attempts in the half court, per Synergy.
No. 11 Louisville
After back-to-back losses against Tennessee and Marquette, Louisville is in the midst of a grueling stretch. Next up: Michigan State, No. 8 overall in KenPom, travels to the Yum! Center. Jordan Nwora continues to do his thing (1.09 points per possession in transition) as one of the top bench players in the country, though: 18.4 points and 7 rebounds per game.
No. 12 Pittsburgh
The Jeff Capel Honeymoon continues in Pittsburgh. After a solid win over Saint Louis, Pitt is 6-0 — its best start since the 2013-14 season. Freshman guard Xavier Johnson looks like a stud, too: 38.4 percent assist rate (No. 18 in the nation). Johnson has also scored 1.35 points per possession in transition for a Pitt squad that’s playing pretty darn fast on offense (16 seconds per possession).
No. 13 Boston College
Down with Sister Jean! The last thing Boston College before Thanksgiving was defeat Loyola Chicago by 12 points — behind another excellent shooting performance from Jordan Chatman: 20 points and three three-pointers. That’s the second time this season Chatman (38.5 3P%) has gone for 20 points and at least three three-pointers in a game.
No. 14 Georgia Tech
It hasn’t come against the toughest competition, but Georgia Tech’s defense continues to look strong. So far, opponents have an awful effective shooting number of 38.4 percent against the Yellow Jackets. Now, if they could only get some offense…
No. 15 Wake Forest
Once again for Wake Forest — as it invariably is under Danny Manning — defense is the issue. In the surprising overtime loss to *squints at the screen* Houston Baptist, Wake allowed the Huskies to attempt 28 three-pointers (making 12, 42.9 3P%) and 32 free throws. Currently, Wake ranks 338th nationally in half-court defensive efficiency, according to Synergy: 0.97 points per possession.
Contributor Rankings
| David Glenn | Brian Geisinger | Josh Graham | Consensus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia | Duke | Virginia | Virginia |
| 2 | Duke | Virginia | Duke | Duke |
| 3 | UNC | UNC | UNC | UNC |
| 4 | Virginia Tech | Virginia Tech | Virginia Tech | Virginia Tech |
| 5 | Florida State | Florida State | Florida State | Florida State |
| 6 | Syracuse | Clemson | Syracuse | Syracuse |
| 7 | Miami | Syracuse | NC State | Clemson |
| 8 | Clemson | Miami | Clemson | NC State |
| 9 | NC State | NC State | Pitt | Miami |
| 10 | Notre Dame | Louisville | Notre Dame | Notre Dame |
| 11 | Louisville | Notre Dame | Miami | Louisville |
| 12 | Georgia Tech | Boston College | Louisville | Pitt |
| 13 | Pitt | Pitt | Boston College | Boston College |
| 14 | Boston College | Wake Forest | Georgia Tech | Georgia Tech |
| 15 | Wake Forest | Georgia Tech | Wake Forest | Wake Forest |