Busting Brackets
Fansided

ACC Basketball power rankings: Wake Forest rises, Virginia slides down

By Tristan Freeman

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - DECEMBER 22: Jayden Gardner #1 of the Virginia Cavaliers defends Hunter Tyson #5 of the Clemson Tigers in the first half during a game at John Paul Jones Arena on December 22, 2021 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - DECEMBER 22: Jayden Gardner #1 of the Virginia Cavaliers defends Hunter Tyson #5 of the Clemson Tigers in the first half during a game at John Paul Jones Arena on December 22, 2021 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
9 of 15
Next
U of L’s Noah Locke ACC Basketball Uofl Southern13 Sam
U of L’s Noah Locke ACC Basketball Uofl Southern13 Sam /

. 7-4 (1-0). . Cardinals . 7. team. 438

Louisville’s resume is complex to this point because it has good victories over Mississippi State, NC State, and Maryland but also losses to DePaul, Furman, and Western Kentucky. From a Bracketology standpoint, they’re probably right on the bubble but the concern is that this team isn’t good enough to win 13-14 games in ACC Basketball play to get an at-large spot.

Coming into the season, we knew the Cardinals would be deep, running a 9-10 man rotation. The problem is that no one has stood out in a positive way, which creates problems overall. It looked like Florida transfer Noah Locke could be that guy after a strong start to the season but he has regressed, averaging 10.5 ppg.

The good news is Malik Williams, who is now healthy, is having a big season inside, leading the team with 10.9 ppg and 9.7 rpg. But no one else is averaging in double figures, with the other seven rotation players going between 4.7-8.5 ppg. The offense has been stagnant at times, shooting just around 30% from three-point range and ranking towards the bottom in terms of getting to the free throw line.

Unless one of the ball-handlers (El Ellis, Jarrod West, Mason Faulkner) can step up and be the leader of the offense, the Cardinals aren’t going to get much better. And that means a 10-10 record in league play may be their destiny, because no one scoring over 11 ppg will cut it, regardless of how down the conference may be.