Source: http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/198089/ncb_g_vasquez1_576.jpg
College basketball has once again been wild this year, but probably the biggest shocker throughout the land is how disappointing the ACC is this year. Or is it? Just because the Dukies, who are currently barely holding first place in the conference over Maryland, aren't as dominant as usual, or the boys from Chapel Hill are near the bottom of the standings, doesn't necessarily make it a bad year.
UNC had to expect to struggle this year, maybe not this badly though. They currently hold a 13-10 record(2-6 in the ACC), and they face arch rival Duke tomorrow. Roy Williams may be one of the greatest coaches in college basketball history, but it's hard to recover a team that lost four starters to the first round of the NBA Draft. The Heels had to expect this year to be a rebuilding one, but they can't admit that because of the prestige of the program. Plus, they still have the added pressure of not only being a young, inexperienced team, but also the defending National Champions. Tomorrow's game will be interesting to say the least in terms of seeing just how well the young Tarheels play in the best rivalry game in college basketball.
Duke is the other power house that doesn't seem to be so untouchable this year. I honestly think they are a bit overrated myself. Last year, they relied heavily on the three point shot and they either blew teams out, or struggled to find the range. They don't have great size, and no longer have their high flier from last year Gerald Henderson, who carried them in February and March. They now have Nolan Smith who is a similar type of player, yet not as electric. Duke is currently barely holding the ACC lead and a win over North Carolina is what they need, considering Maryland just had their game against Virginia postponed until Monday which could halt their momentum.
The Maryland Terrapins aren't getting the respect they deserve. They are more than just Greivas Vasquez this year. Yes, he is the emotional leader of this team, but he has some help this year. Landon Milbourne, the team's second leading scorer, is putting together a nice senior campaign and always seems to electrify the stadium with a show-stopping dunk. The same can be said for freshman man-child Jordan Williams. Eric Hayes has also surprised people shooting 46% beyond the 3-point line. This team is a lot better this year and it's all thanks to Gary Williams. He was under the fire last season, on the verge of being fired after his illustrious and long career. The team has the same fire that their coach has, and it's a good to see MAryland back in the discussion in the ACC.
Another reason why this year in the ACC isn't so bad is parity. Below are the up-to-date standings of the conference courtesy of theACC.com. It is unusual to see so many teams in the discussion in February in the ACC. Usually UNC, Duke, or Wake Forest are dominating the conference, but not so much this year. Virginia and Virginia Tech are quietly on the rise, and the Hokies are building a decent tournament resume with 18 wins. Clemson has defeated Maryland, yet struggledin their two losses to Duke. Don't sleep on Georgia Tech either, come ACC tourney time, they always perform real big. To me, the ACC this year is the true beauty of college basketball because each week, everything changes.
Conf Win Pct Ovr Win Pct
| Duke | 7-2 | .778 | 19-4 | .826 |
| Maryland | 6-2 | .750 | 16-6 | .727 |
| Wake Forest | 6-3 | .667 | 16-5 | .762 |
| Virginia Tech | 5-3 | .625 | 18-4 | .818 |
| Virginia | 5-3 | .625 | 14-7 | .667 |
| Florida State | 5-4 | .556 | 17-6 | .739 |
| Georgia Tech | 5-4 | .556 | 17-6 | .739 |
| Clemson | 4-5 | .444 | 16-7 | .696 |
| Boston College | 3-6 | .333 | 12-11 | .522 |
| North Carolina | 2-6 | .250 | 13-10 | .565 |
| Miami | 2-7 | .222 | 16-7 | .696 |
|
NC State |
2-7 | .222 | 14-10 |
.583 |
