2017-18 ACC Basketball Power Rankings: Holiday Edition
Teams 4-6
On the positive side, Florida State is 6-0 this season. They are in the top 25 nationally in both points per game and assists per game, which means they are sharing the ball, which helps to score the ball.
On the flipside, FSU hasn’t played anybody this year. They have played the 215th hardest schedule this season according to RPI and 313th according to BPI. Their best win was against the Citadel, who is 3-5 this season and is the Seminoles only top 100 game played.
Florida State does have five scorers in double digits this season, led by Terrance Mann who ranks fifth in the ACC with .667 field goal percentage. The Seminoles next game is at fifth-ranked Florida.
A win there would be huge for Florida State.
Like Florida State, Miami is also undefeated this season. They are beating teams by an average of 23.1 points per game and rank fourth nationally in points per game at 57.6. They are like Virginia but with an offense.
Miami is being led Bruce Brown Jr who leads the team in rebounding and is second in scoring. Brown is one of four Hurricanes to be averaging double digits this season.
So if they have looked so good, why only fifth? Like several other teams in the ACC, Miami has not played a tough non-conference schedule, which is ranked 246 by RPI and 203 by BPI. Their best win came against LaSalle and they have no top 25 RPI wins and only two top 50 ones.
Miami’s next game is Tuesday against Boston University.
The Fighting Irish are a hard team to peg. Should they be judged on their tight win over Wichita State in the Maui Invitational or their blowout loss to Michigan State in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge?
It is hard to say. What isn’t hard to say is that Notre Dame should continue to be one of the top five teams in the ACC this season.
The Irish are led by the play of Bonzie Colson who is averaging nearly a double-double for a second straight season. Colson ranks third in the ACC in rebounds and is fourth in scoring.
Notre Dame’s next game is against Ball State. The Cardinals are 4-4 this season and are currently riding a three-game winning streak.