Wednesday night was a buffet of fascinating results, but I want to focus on the ACC to start this week’s Hey Nineteen. The league is mired in mediocrity and I think it’s about to hit a point where national coverage gets more consistent in its criticism of this conference.
Would you believe the ACC is ranked sixth at KenPom.com? The worst of the power conferences. Even more damning: The ACC is ranked eighth in the NET. Brutal. Whereas the Big Ten and Big 12 each won more than 85% of their nonconference games, and the SEC has five teams ranked, the ACC is dealing with Duke getting its worst loss against NC State since before Coach K was there; UNC still finding its way after early season flameout; Notre Dame and Florida State being humongous disappointments; Miami losing to Georgia Tech on Wednesday; and Louisville has two wins.
The conference’s leaders: Clemson and Pitt are 4-0.
What?
Good stories for those programs, but this is shaping up to be one of the worst seasons in league history. It remains to be seen if UNC, Virginia or Duke — all preseason top 15 teams — can find a way to reestablish authority. If not, the image of the ACC this season is going to suffer, and rightfully so.
Hey Nineteen Power Rankings
Reminder: My rankings are not solely about whom I think is “best.” This is a weekly encapsulation of the 19 hottest, most successful and/or most *interesting* teams, combining team quality with win quality but also having no shame for recency bias and rewarding significant winning streaks. Courteous feedback is encouraged: @MattNorlander.
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