The ACC looks like an elite league once again. Where does each team stack up after one month of the season?
The ACC looks like the strongest league in the country. There are six legitimate top 25 teams and six others that are playing well enough to make the NCAA Tournament. Even some of the bottom feeders have enough talent to knock off good teams when playing at home.
This happened on Saturday (Dec 9) when Boston College went from bottom feeder to postseason hopeful after defeating Duke in Chestnut Hill. We will talk about Boston College more in the rankings, but a win versus Duke elevates them to a higher tier in the ACC. Making the NCAA Tournament looks unlikely, but an NIT bid is in reach. Given where Boston College has finished the last few seasons, an NIT berth should be welcomed with open arms.
The rankings were based on a mix of current resume/performance through the first month of the season, overall talent level, and pre-season expectations when applicable. Some teams have not faced many difficult tests while others have already started to build strong resumes.
15. Pittsburgh
Coming into the season, Pitt was widely regarded as the obvious bottom feeder in the ACC. The Panthers had the least talented roster in the conference, by a wide margin, after only returning two players from last season and bringing in an uninspiring group of newcomers.
These preseason opinions have been accurate through the first month of the season as the Panthers have already lost to two sub-150 KenPom teams and have beat no one of note. In fact, their best win has come against UC Santa Barbara who is ranked 144th in KenPom.
This week, Pitt played West Virginia tough, only losing by single digits, but also squeaked out an overtime win over a Mount St. Mary’s team that is ranked 301st in KenPom.
So, Pitt fans should be prepared for a long season once ACC play rolls around. After their next two games against Delaware State and McNeese State, Pitt may be underdogs for the remainder of the season. However, the play and potential development of freshmen Marcus Carr and Shamiel Stevenson should be seen as positives.
Carr has been thrust into the starting PG role as a freshman and will be able to develop and play through his mistakes while Pitt rebuilds. He is averaging 12.0ppg and 3.8apg, but also 3.0 turnovers per game which should be expected from someone in his situation. Stevenson looks like a promising PF as he has averaged 10.8ppg and 5.1rpg thus far. Both players should benefit from getting consistent starters minutes which will pay dividends for the Panthers.
Upperclassmen Jared Wilson-Frame and Ryan Luther have led Pitt in scoring, but both players would be better in supplementary roles. Luther has taken advantage of his increase in playing time and responsibility and has averaged 12.7ppg and 10.1rpg. Wilson-Frame is a JUCO transfer wing who is averaging 12.5ppg.
This will be an excruciating season for Pitt fans, but hopefully getting these promising freshmen minutes will be worth it in the long run.