ACC Basketball Notes: New Year's Edition

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With the new year here before you know it, college basketball begins what is called the “second season”. In other words, done with the non-conference, and on to the conference part of the season. The Atlantic Coast Conference, like all other leagues, is ready for phase two on the road to the NCAA Tournament.

The conference has been a consistent part of the AP poll since the season began. In fact, of the last 20 polls, the AP has put out, the league managed to have at least six teams ranked in it. It says a lot about the quality of basketball that is played in this conference on a weekly basis. Heading into the new year, the Atlantic Coast Conference will have six teams represented in the poll.

The Pittsburgh Panthers, in a game vs McNeese State, knocked down 14 shots from behind the arc. The number tied for the second most in school history. Jared Wilson-Frame was the top marksmen in this game, as he hit 5-for-7 from three-point land. The win for Pittsburgh was their fifth in their last six games. The Panthers are playing good basketball at the moment, despite not ranking very high in any of the statistics handed out by the league.

Pitt Facts at the Holiday Break
winners of 7 of the past 8 games✅
one of the youngest teams in the country✅
9 different starting lineups, 10 players with starts✅
3-0 without leading scorer✅
ACC play🔜
#bALLtogether #GrowingGains pic.twitter.com/iVkcfQhtPz

— Pitt Basketball (@Pitt_MBB) December 23, 2017

In a game that dates back to their days in the Big East, Syracuse and Georgetown got together once again. This time it would take extra minutes to decide this one. Sophomore Tyus Battle continues his hot start from the field as he poured in 29 points, eight in overtime, to lead the Orange past the Hoyas. The 29 points were also a career-high for him.

Nigel Johnson recorded a season-high with 22 points in Virginia’s win over Davidson. When not putting the ball through the hoop, he was matching a career-high in steals with four. Johnson, on this day, was filling up the stat sheets. Meanwhile, the team is getting it done on the defensive glass. They are number one in the league in rebounding defense with an average of 29.6 a game. They are also second in turnover margin at +4.40 per-contest.

Boston College’s is finishing the month of December strong heading into their game with Virginia on the road this weekend. The Eagles are 5-1 in the month and they are riding a five-game win streak, They now have 10 wins on the season, which surpasses their win total of a season ago. There is one stat that might give you some idea of how things are changing at the Heights. It might be they are fourth in the conference in rebounding margin at +8.8. For a team that plays three guards most if not all the time, that’s impressive.