
With conference play in full swing, it’s time to pay close attention to league play in the Atlantic Coast Conference. One thing you will notice right away is the play of the Duke Blue Devils. Their eight-game winning streak has them on top of the league standings. They are not alone when it comes to playing good basketball. Clemson and Pittsburgh are also riding win streaks. The next two-plus months are going to be fun so let’s see what is happening in the ACC.
Duke’s (12-2, 4-0) winning streak has them at #4 in the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Top 25 polls. The Pittsburgh Panthers (12-2, 3-0) are just outside the polls. The Clemson Tigers (12-3, 4-0) also received votes this week. In the NET rankings, six teams are inside the top 50. Duke is at #2, Pitt is at #15, Clemson at #37, Louisville at #39, UNC at #42, and SMU is at #43. The Blue Devils win streak is the third-longest among power conference teams. Pittsburgh’s five-game streak is tied for 13th.
Florida State’s (10-4, 1-2) 90-74 win over Syracuse last Saturday was a milestone of sorts for head coach Leonard Hamilton. The victory was his 193rd career regular-season win which puts him in sole possession of fourth place in the history of the league. The win allowed Hamilton to move past Maryland’s Gary Williams.
Taking care of the basketball and getting it to the right spots is key if you are a guard. NC State’s Michael O’Connell is doing just that for the Wolfpack (8-6, 1-2). He ranks eighth in the country with a 3.86 assist-to-turnover ratio after finishing third in the ACC last season at 2.54. His career ratio is 2.14 which is the 12th best active number.
The Panthers also own an eight-game winning streak in league play. It’s their longest winning streak since joining the conference and the most regular season wins since a 10-game streak back during their Big East days from Feb. 27, 2010 through Jan.22, 2011.
In North Carolina’s (9-6, 2-1) one-point win at Notre Dame last Saturday, freshman guard Ian Jackson had himself a big day. His season-high 27 points was his fourth straight game with 23 or more points. He became the first Tar Heel to do that in four straight contests. He is also the first Tar Heel freshman to have four straight games with 20 or more points since Tyler Hansbrough did it back in 2005-06.
Another freshman who had a big game last Saturday was Virginia Tech (6-8,1-2) guard Ben Hammond who recorded eight assists vs Miami. That’s the most in a game by a Hokie this year. He is the first VT freshman to have at least eight assists in a league game since Justin Robinson did it on March 5, 2016, vs the Hurricanes.
Clemson’s senior guard Chase Hunter is the only Division I player in the nation to average over 17 points per game and shoot better than 49% from the field. He is also shooting 42% from 3-point land, and 88% from the free throw line. At the moment, he is averaging 17.3 points and his shooting slash line is 49.2%/42.2%/88.2%.
The ACC Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week is the same. Cooper Flagg of Duke has done this for the second time this season. He was named Player of the Week for the second time, and Rookie of the Week for the fifth time. He is the first freshman to do this since another Duke player Vernon Casey Jr did it back in 2019-20.
Flagg helped the Blue Devils to two victories last week averaging 24 points, seven rebounds, 4,5 assists, 2.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks. He shot 61.5% from the field (16-of-26), 66.7% from deep (4-of-6), and was perfect 12-for-12 at the foul line. He recorded his fifth double-double of the season on Saturday vs the Mustangs by scoring 24 points with 11 rebounds. Back on December 31, he dropped 24 on Virginia Tech in less than 30 minutes of game time.
Next week we’ll be back with more from the league.
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