If Duke beats UNC in a few days, the ACC standings will be pretty wild. I mean, it's already wild. It could get even wilder though.
Current
TEAM | CONF | GB | OVR |
North Carolina | 9-2 | - | 21-4 |
Florida State | 8-3 | 1 | 20-4 |
Louisville | 7-3 | 1.5 | 19-4 |
Virginia | 7-3 | 1.5 | 17-5 |
Syracuse | 7-4 | 2 | 15-9 |
Duke | 6-4 | 2.5 | 18-5 |
Notre Dame | 6-5 | 3 | 17-7 |
Virginia Tech | 5-5 | 3.5 | 16-6 |
Miami | 5-5 | 3.5 | 15-7 |
UNC loses to Duke and all the sudden you've got NINE teams within two losses of the conference lead. Insanity. Other ACC thoughts:
* VT/Miami on wednesday is a quietly huge game for those programs. VT is pretty solidly in right now, but doesn't have a ton of room for error with UVA and LOU looming. MIA definitely on the bubble and needs wins. Winner stays relevant in the ACC chase, loser sinks.
* LOU/UVA should be a killer matchup, and crazy to think one of those teams is going to have four conference losses by tonight.
* Duke seems like the kind of team that you won't be surprised if they make it to the championships game, and you also wouldn't be that surprised if they get bounced by a 13 seed. I've given up trying to figure this team out.
* Conference has ~12 teams that could get into the dance. I've seen current brackets with 11 ACC teams in. Crazy stuff. 7 relatively safe teams with GT, Miami, Clemson, Syracuse and Wake are all dancing around the bubble right now.
* Under-noticed reason for Duke struggling - The 3pt shooting has been terrible. Duke's built itself around great shooting for most of the last decade. Right now Kennard is shooting 46% from 3pt, and nobody else on the team is above 37%. Frank Jackson is just under 37%, and Grayson and Matt Jones are at 34%. Tatum is 31%. Functionally Duke spends most of the time with only three shooters on the floor, two of whom have been really mediocre. This is not how Duke is used to playing. Grayson and Jones both shot 42% last year - if they were doing that, Duke probably has multiple extra wins right now.