Player of the Week:
Terquavion Smith, NC State Wolfpack
A major opportunity presented itself when the 16th ranked Blue Devils came into Raleigh searching for their first true road win of the season and the Wolfpack took full advantage of it from the opening tip. Smith helped his team mount a 15-0 run to start the game and ensured that the game never went down to a single-digit game.
The 6-4 superstar can heat up as quick as anyone, which his single-handed 8-0 run in under a minute was evidence of against the Blue Devils. Scouts would like to see him play stronger in the lane, but Smith remains the top prospect in the ACC with teams such as North Carolina and Duke having down classes for NBA prospects.
Who’s Hot?
Dariq Whitehead, No. 24 Duke Blue Devils
When Coach K left the program this summer, many expected Jon Scheyer and Whitehead to keep the momentum rolling and compete for a national championship in the new era of Duke basketball. As with most programs dependent on freshmen, there were some growing pains, not helped by actual pain in Whitehead’s foot, which left him out of the lineup for the first three games of the season.
All of that is starting to change. The Blue Devils still don’t look like the elite team we expected them to be, but Whitehead looks increasingly comfortable and posted his highest scoring game of the season against Boston College with 18 points. The 6-7 forward is one of the most talented players in the country at his best, and we’re starting to inch closer to seeing him at that best level.
Jamarius Burton, Pittsburgh Panthers
Who saw this coming from the Pittsburgh Panthers? After starting the season 1-3, with losses by 25 and 31 points to West Virginia and Michigan, the seat under Jeff Capel became scorching hot. Now his players are the ones who are scorching hot, but none more than senior guard Jamarius Burton.
The fifth-year guard is on the third team of his career and is now reaping the benefits of finding the perfect home. In the last three games he has scored 31 points to upset North Carolina, 15 points with a pair of late free throws to put away No. 11 Virginia, and 28 more points in a one-point loss to Clemson. The NCAA Tournament drought could be coming to an end in Oakland thanks to the play of their emerging star in Burton.
Who’s Not?
Jeremy Roach, No. 24 Duke Blue Devils
This young Duke team needs a veteran presence and a leader like Jeremy Roach. Unfortunately, injuries have kept him out of a few games and have slowed him down when he is on the court. The junior guard has scored just 22 points in his last three games and failed to reach double-digits in any of them.
Even worse, he has just six assists to seven turnovers in those matchups, which the Blue Devils went 1-2 in. It’s unclear when Roach will be back, but Jon Scheyer needs him back to his best whenever that may be.
Isaiah Wong, No. 16 Miami Hurricanes
I doubt we’ll see Wong back on this list, but it was clear after his performance against Georgia Tech last week that he needed to be on here. This remains the only win in conference play for the Yellow Jackets and it was no surprise that they pulled away late with the Hurricanes closer shooting just 1-11 from the field and 0-8 from the perimeter.
Freshman of the Week:
Judah Mintz, Syracuse Orange
Judah Mintz is one of the most underrated freshmen and players in the country this season, but I don’t expect that to continue for very long as his role continues to increase for the Orange. The standout point guard is now averaging 16 points per game and 32 minutes per game while leading the ACC in steals per game.
We’ve seen Syracuse hang around in conference play just to sneak into the NCAA Tournament and do their real damage as an 11-seed, and this team, led by Mintz, has the potential to do it again this March.
Top 5 Coaches in ACC this season
5. Kevin Keatts, NC State Wolfpack
It was an impressive enough job to convince Terquavion Smith to return to school, but now Keatts is proving his value during the season after re-constructing a roster that finished last in the ACC last season. Five of the seven leading scorers weren’t on the team last season and if you take away the late free throws against Clemson, all four losses would be by single digits against four quality opponents. There’s still work to be done, but it looks like NC State will be back in the big dance with a lot of credit needing to go Keatts’ way.
4. Jim Larranaga, No. 16 Miami Hurricanes
Larranaga is one of the oldest coaches in college basketball, but it hasn’t stopped him from adjusting to the modern style of the game. The Hurricanes head coach constantly and unapologetically clings to lineups without a single player standing above 6-7 and it’s clearly working for his 13-2 team.
3. Tony Bennett, No. 13 Virginia Cavaliers
Last season was a bit shaky, but Bennett is back as one of the sport’s best coaches in 2023. With virtually the same roster, the Cavaliers are significantly better than last year’s team that missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013. He’ll be on the coach of the year shortlist at the end of the season, but right now, he’s just the third best coach in his own conference, which is no slight against his impressive start.
2. Jeff Capel, Pittsburgh Panthers
After finding himself on the hot seat at the beginning of the year, Capel is now one of the frontrunners for coach of the year in the ACC. The Panthers are in the mix to make it back to the NCAA Tournament and currently hold wins against the two highest ranked teams in the conference. It’s all going to come down to how the Panthers finish the season as the hot start is typically followed by a horrific finish under Capel’s tenure.
1. Brad Brownell, Clemson Tigers
If it weren’t for a pair of hiccups in non-conference play, which were totally inexplicable, the Tigers would be 15-1 and easily in the AP rankings and at the forefront of attention in the ACC. It’s time to give Brad Brownell his flowers as he continues to keep the Tigers on the map in the sport no one knows Clemson for. It should be a 6-0 start to conference play with Louisville coming to town Wednesday and a date with No. 24 Duke in Littlejohn Coliseum could be the win that puts Brownell and the Tigers in the public eye.