ACC Basketball Power Rankings: Week 2
One of the things I love most about college basketball is that anything can happen. Whether it is the buzzer beater or the pure thumping with hot shooting anything can happen on any given night. Whether that is due to greater parity amongst the schools or the one and done era has just made senior leadership that much more important is hard to tell. But whatever it is, it makes the game enjoyable for all. With that in mind let’s take a look at what happened on the Hardwood this past week.
Monday: Big 12 Studs duel it out in a 3OT classic. On a night when Brice Johnson records a 30 and 20 and Virginia loses to Virginia Tech, this was the game of the night. I watched all three OTs and they did not disappoint. I half expected National player of the year front-runner Buddy Hield to hit another three and send it to a fourth. Of course he didn’t, but make no doubt, two of the best teams in America play in the Big 12 this season.
Tuesday: Super Frosh U is introduced to the Ultimate One and Done. Kentucky who is known for producing one and dones at a ridiculous rate, got crushed by a team with the best one and done in the country. Ben Simmons is not only going to be the first pick in the NBA draft this season, but it also looks like he may be leading a dangerous team. The 18 point drubbing of the Wildcats showed America the SEC is not just that school in Lexington this season.
Wednesday: Duke romps Wake in Winston. The win was the Devil’s fourth in a row but it was also their first win against a team in the top 100 with a post player who teams are actually scared of. Devin Thomas did go for 21 points, but Marshall Plumlee went for 18 as the Devils got a huge road win against a quality team, reminding people Duke is still here.
Thursday: UCLA upsets Arizona. UCLA may be the Jekyll and Hyde of this college basketball season. The same team that beat Kentucky by 10 has losses to Monmouth and Wake. So it should be no surprise that after losing to both Washington schools, UCLA upsets the seventh ranked Wildcats with a three pointer at the end of regulation. The Pac-12, which may have more NCAA teams than any other conference, is wide open and anyone could take home the crown.
Friday: Valpo seizes Horizon control. Who cares right? Well the top two teams in the Horizon league are Oakland and Valparaiso. Only one of these teams is going dancing and either could pull a few upsets in the tourney. Oakland gave Michigan St an OT scare, while Valpo has won the league two of the past three seasons. The 17 point victory by the Crusaders on the road against Oakland shows that the title goes through Valparaiso once again.
Saturday: Jim Boeheim returns. Saturday was filled with so many amazing things. There was a Pac 12 quadruple OT, a Melo Trimble buzzer beater, and another Virginia upset. But the highlight of the day was the return of Jim Boeheim after a nine game suspension. The Dome was rocking and the Orange were ready to play. They didn’t get the win, but basketball is better with Jim on the bench.
Sunday: North Carolina hierarchy takes shape. UNC and Duke have shown to be the top two teams in the state so far this season. On Sunday the other two teams played for position. Wake walked out with the three point lead and State goes from dark horse contender to bottom of the North Carolina barrel.
So with Sunday in the books lets move on to this week’s rankings. While it may have appeared some teams revealed themselves this week, remember that it’s early and that seasons are not made in January. With that in mind let’s start with a group that contains four winless teams in ACC play, including the reigning bottom five champ.
Note: All games and records as of 1/10
Next: The Bottom Five