We’re approaching midway through ACC Basketball league play, with most teams paying between 7-9 games. There are currently no disruptions involving covid, with just about all non-injured players able to participate on the court.
The league is notably down, with another week passing and just one ACC team being ranked in the AP poll. But the good news is that based on the results from the past couple of weeks, the league is closer to getting four bids to the NCAA Tournament than just one bid.
As the month of January concludes and the games become even more important, here’s how the ACC looks currently.
The Panthers’ ability to win games in ACC play will ultimately come down to whether they can defend opponents and “muck it up”. In the past couple of weeks, they were able to beat Boston College and Louisville at home, holding their opponents to under 40% shooting. Pittsburgh also nearly beat Virginia at home but fell, 66-61 despite a spirited comeback effort.
On the other hand, Pittsburgh can’t afford its opponents to shoot the ball well. That happened against both Syracuse and Clemson, getting out to double-digit leads against the Panthers and avoiding a low-scoring game. The result is that the Panthers were blown out both times and didn’t have the offense to keep up.
Without Ithiel Horton around, Pitt has little offensive flow outside of big man John Hugley getting points inside or Jamarius Burton making mid-range shots. The concern now is that opposing teams are finding out ways to stop Hugley and forcing the guards to beat you. Unless they find ways to get easier baskets, the Panthers will have a tough time getting multiple wins in ACC play going forward.
The Panthers look to get back in the win column with rematches against Syracuse and Boston College this week.