The Week in Review
This was another week where, for the most part, the ACC struggled. There weren’t as many upsets, but there will still plenty of close games against low-ranked opponents.
Boston College finally played some legitimate opponents and ended up going 0-3 (Rhode Island twice, Utah)
UVA got trounced by Houston on the road.
Clemson had St. Bonaventure down by double digits in the second half and let the Bonnies come back and steal a win. Then they did the same thing with West Virginia.
Syracuse had a 50+ year win streak against Colgate snapped…and gave up 100 points in the process. Yikes.
UNC dropped two games against tough opponents (Villanova and Tennessee) at Mohegan Sun.
Who Had the Best Win Last Week?
Georgia Tech over Georgia because…uhhh…it was an in-state rivalry win?
Who Had the Worst Loss Last Week?
This was a tough one, so I listed 3 candidates…
UVA (at Houston) - The Cavaliers were dominated in every aspect of the game.
Clemson (vs. St. Bonaventure/WVU) - Clemson blew double-digit second half leads in two games that COULD have been good resume boosters for them.
Syracuse (vs. Colgate) - I think this is my winner. Syracuse blew a 15+ point lead, gave up 100 points to a team they haven’t lost to in 50+ years, and lost by 15…at home.
Who Had the Biggest Comeback Last Week?
UNC was down by 11 against Charleston (on the road) before coming back to win by 11 themselves (94-83)
Who Blew the Biggest Lead Last Week?
Syracuse was up by 17 (!!!) and lost by 15 (!!!) and gave up 100 (!!!) points to Colgate (!!!) to end a 50+ year win streak against the Raiders (!!!).
Who Were the Biggest KenPom Movers This Week?
BIG GAINERS
Clemson (+11) - even though the Tigers lost twice this week, they moved up a few spots in the KenPom rankings. Why? Quality of losses, efficiency, how they played, etc. was much better than their previous ranking.
Wake Forest (+7) - the Demon Deacons STILL haven’t played anybody yet (that changes this week), but were bumped up a spot because they are playing well against who is on their schedule.
Virginia Tech (+4) - The Hokies also haven’t played anybody yet…but they haven’t lost yet either and are decimating opponents.
BIG LOSERS
NC State (-13) - The Wolfpack have struggled, but squeaked out wins against inferior opponents. Add a loss to Oklahoma State to low performance numbers and NCSU is dropping.
Syracuse (-12) - They gave up 100 to Colgate in a loss. That’s going to hurt your ranking.
UVA (-8) - The Cavaliers got throttled by Houston. They can’t score right now. That’s reflected in their drop this week.
ACC Standings
KenPom Rankings
Here are the national rankings to start the week based on KenPom rankings.
The first number listed is the national rank.
The second number listed is the change from last week. If a team moves UP the rankings, they get a plus.
Duke (10) (+1)
Virginia Tech (24) (+4)
Florida State (27) (+3)
Notre Dame (36) (-5)
Clemson (48) (+11)
Syracuse (50) (-12)
Louisville (52) (-1)
UNC (55) (-5)
Georgia Tech (58) (+3)
UVA (60) (-8)
NC State (69) (-13)
Miami (84) (+3)
Wake Forest (98) (+7)
Boston College (131) (NO MOVEMENT)
Pittsburgh (169) (+2)
This Week’s 5 Most Interesting Games
Keep in mind that a lot of these games are first round games of tournaments. Next round games have potential for some great matchups as well…but we can’t predict the future.
(10) Duke vs. (1) Gonzaga (FRI at 10:30pm/ESPN) - I mean, this one is obvious…right?!?
(24) Virginia Tech vs. (16) Memphis (in Brooklyn - WED at 930pm) - FINALLY we get to see Virginia Tech take on a high quality opponent. VT has been dismantling their opponents - can they continue the trend against Memphis?
(36) Notre Dame vs. (44) Saint Mary’s (Maui Invitational - MON at 11:30pm/ESPN2) - - This is the first real test for Notre Dame…and they’ll have a few more this week in the Maui Invitational. After a rough season last year, the Irish were ranked pretty high this pre-season…we’ll start to see the validity of that ranking this weekend.
(50) Syracuse vs. (110) VCU (Battle 4 Atlantis - WED at 5pm) - This kicks off the Battle 4 Atlantis for Syracuse and also serves as a bounce back opportunity for the Orange. If the zone gives up 100 to Colgate and doesn’t change…it’s going to be hard to score enough to win against quality opponents.
(169) Pittsburgh vs. (89) Vanderbilt (WED at 9pm) - This is interesting to me because these are two of the lower-tier Power 6 teams playing in a true road game. This could be an important game for the Panthers moving forward.
HONORABLE MENTION
(52) Louisville vs. (43) Mississippi State (THURS at 930pm/CBSSN)
(69) NC State vs. (102) Louisiana Tech (SAT at 2pm)
(98) Wake Forest vs. (101) Oregon State (FRI at 9:30pm/CBSSN)
(84) Miami vs. (130) Dayton (THURS at 12pm on ESPN2)
This Week’s 3 Most Lackluster Games
(48) Clemson vs. (342) Charleston Southern
(55) UNC vs. (283) UNC-Asheville
(98) Wake Forest vs. (279) Kennesaw State
With Feast Week and all the different tournament matchups, there aren’t a TON of cupcake games this week.
This Week’s Master Schedule
**Rankings based on Sunday evening KenPom rankings**
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22
(36) Notre Dame vs. (44) Saint Mary’s - 11:30pm - ESPN2 - Maui Invitational Quarterfinals
(60) UVA at (167) Georgia - 7pm - ESPNU
(27) Florida State vs. (112) Missouri - 830pm - Jacksonville Classic
(58) Georgia Tech vs. (342) Charleston Southern - 7pm - ACCN
(10) Duke vs. (201) The Citadel - 9pm - ACCN
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23
(36) Notre Dame vs. Oregon/Chaminade - Maui Invitational
(55) UNC vs. (283) UNC-Asheville - 7pm
(98) Wake Forest vs. (279) Kennesaw State - 8pm - ACCN
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24
(24) Virginia Tech vs. (16) Memphis - 930pm - ESPN 2 - NIT Season Tip Off
(36) Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M/Wisconsin/Butler/Houston - Maui Invitational
(50) Syracuse vs. (110) VCU - 5pm - ESPN2 - Battle 4 Atlantis
(169) Pittsburgh vs. (81) Vanderbilt - 9pm - ACCN
(27) Florida State vs. (171) Boston University - 7pm - ACCN
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25
(50) Syracuse vs. Baylor/Arizona State - Battle 4 Atlantis
(52) Louisville vs. (43) Mississippi State - 9:30pm - CBSSN - Bahamas Championship
(84) Miami vs. (130) Dayton - 12pm - ESPN2 - ESPN Events Invitational
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 26
(10) Duke vs. (1) Gonzaga - 10:30pm - ESPN - Continental Tire Challenge
(50) Syracuse vs. Michigan State/Lipscomb/Auburn/UConn - Battle 4 Atlantis
(24) Virginia Tech vs. Xavier/Iowa State - NIT Season Tip Off
(84) Miami vs. North Texas/Kansas - ESPN Events Invitational
(98) Wake Forest vs. (101) Oregon State - 930pm - CBSSN - Emerald Coast Classic
(58) Georgia Tech vs. (223) Georgia Southern - 12pm
(131) Boston College vs. (338) Columbia - 2pm
(60) Virginia vs. (285) Lehigh - 7pm
(48) Clemson vs. (342) Charleston Southern - 2pm
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 27
(52) Louisville vs. Maryland/Richmond - Bahamas Championship
(98) Wake Forest vs. Penn State/LSU - Emerald Coast Classic
(69) NC State vs. (102) Louisiana Tech - 2pm
(169) Pittsburgh vs. (248) UMBC - 7pm
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 28
(84) Miami vs. Alabama/Iona/Belmont/Drake - ESPN Events Invitational
Random (and perhaps meaningless) KenPom Stats
Top 3 and Bottom 3 Offenses (national rank in parentheses)
Notre Dame (10)
Duke (13)
UNC (15)
Wake Forest (98)
Boston College (142)
Pittsburgh (213)
Top 3 and Bottom 3 Defenses
Duke (9)
Florida State (14)
Virginia Tech (28)
UNC (131)
Pittsburgh (133)
Boston College (138)
Top 3 and Bottom 3 Tempos
UNC (23)
Florida State (95)
Duke (103)
Clemson (322)
Boston College (342)
UVA (358 - dead last)
Top 3 and Bottom 3 Non-Conference Schedule Rankings
Florida State (101)
UNC (131)
Clemson (144)
Virginia Tech (327)
Notre Dame (339)
Wake Forest (349)
Top 50 Matchups Around the Country This Week
**Again, the disclaimer here is that there will be more Top 50 matchups as the week progresses due to early season tournaments - these are for first round matchups only**
MONDAY
(19) Ohio State vs. (31) Xavier
(36) Notre Dame vs. (44) Saint Mary’s
TUESDAY
(1) Gonzaga vs. (7) UCLA
WEDNESDAY
(24) Virginia Tech vs. (16) Memphis
(22) UConn vs. (29) Auburn
(21) Michigan St. vs. (34) Loyola-Chicago
FRIDAY
(10) Duke vs. (1) Gonzaga
KenPom Top 8 and Bottom 8 Power-6 Rankings
TOP 8
Gonzaga
Kansas
Purdue
Baylor
Illinois
Michigan
UCLA
Villanova
BOTTOM 8 (lowest ranked team listed 1st)
Pittsburgh (169)
Georgia (167)
Washington (139)
Boston College (131)
DePaul (123)
California (117)
Missouri (112)
Iowa State (111)
KenPom Top 8 and Bottom 8 NON-Power-6 Rankings
TOP 8
Gonzaga (1)
Houston (9)
Memphis (16)
BYU (25)
St. Bonaventure (28)
Loyola Chicago (34)
San Francisco (35)
San Diego State (40)
BOTTOM 8
Mississippi Valley State (358)
Chicago State (357)
Arkansas Pine Bluff (356)
Bethune Cookman (355)
Maryland Eastern Shore (354)
Idaho (353)
Incarnate Word (352)
Houston Baptist (351)