Player of the Week
Kyle Filipowski (Duke)
The center for the Blue Devils has put together a monster campaign in his sophomore season. The Westtown, New York, native has been averaging 18.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks through 16 games of play for Duke. The 7-footer has been a catalyst in the Blue Devils 13-3 record and is looking like a shoe-in for a lottery pick. The big man put together two spectacular performances in his last two matchups as he got it done on both ends of the floor against Georgia Tech garnering 30 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals. He followed that up with another double-double going for 26 points and 10 rebounds in a duel with Pitt.
Who’s Hot
Florida State Seminoles
After a slow start to the season, the Seminoles found themselves toward the bottom of the conference and even had stints where they sat dead last in the ACC. However, the tide seemed to have turned as of late as the squad now boasts a 10-6 record. The tally includes a 4-1 conference record, which makes the unit good for fifth place in the standings. The group is on a four-game winning streak powered behind this past week’s victories over Notre Dame and Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons are notably higher than Florida State in the conference rankings as they are seeded tied for third, so it should have gained some confidence for the Seminoles going forward.
Harrison Ingram (North Carolina)
The former 5-star high school recruit came in this past season after transferring from Stanford. Typically being known as a scorer, he has continued to put that aspect on display in his debut season at Chapel Hill. He has put together a plethora of performances putting the ball in the basket, as he is averaging 12.7 points per game. What has also been a constant through his three years playing college ball has been his rebounding. He combined these two strengths in his last two outings going for a double-double against Syracuse with 11 points and 10 rebounds along with an outstanding 19 rebounds and 9 points against NC State.
Who’s Not
Virginia Cavaliers
The Cavaliers once sat atop the ACC standings, but as the season has chugged along the squad has plummeted in the conference rankings. Still holding a strong 11-5 record, Virginia has been on a skid as of this past week losing its last two contests. It fell to NC State 76-70 and followed up that performance with a defeat to Wake Forest 66-47. The program has historically been known for its tenacious defense and low scoring output on the offensive end, but if the squad is struggling on defense it will continue to have a hard time with the explosive ACC offenses.
Skyy Clark (Louisville)
Clark started off his college career committed to Kentucky. He then decommitted from playing for John Calipari’s squad and took his talents to Illinois, where he left after playing in 12 out of 13 games due to personal reasons. Taking his talents to Louisville for this season, the guard has flourished as a Cardinal. The guard makes his living as a scorer hence his average of 14.2 points per game. He recently has struggled in that field as in his last four games he has gone under that total with showings of 10,9,11 and 8 points. He also has committed 8 turnovers in the past two games.
Top 5 Rebounders
1.Armando Bacot (North Carolina)
Bacot has been known for being one of the best rebounders in the country ever since he started playing meaningful minutes for UNC. He is leading the conference with 10.8 rebounds per game.
2.Kyle Filipowski (Duke)
Averaging 8.9 rebounds per game, Filipowski is an expert at corralling shots off of the glass. His 7-foot frame allows him to find constant success in the paint.
3.Norchad Omier (Miami)
Despite being slightly undersized at 6-foot-7, Omier has no trouble snagging rebounds. The junior leads the team in rebounds per game with 9.3 including a 13 tally against Wake Forest.
4.Baye Ndongo (Georgia Tech)
The freshman from Mbour, Senegal, is still a project as a player, but one thing is for sure is that he can really rebound. Averaging 8.8 boards per contest, including 19 total against Penn State, Ndongo is a wreckless force in the paint.
5.Quentin Post (Boston College)
The 7-footer for the Eagles is a scary sight down below. Averaging 7.7 rebounds per affair, the glass cleaner has had a plethora of double-digit boards recorded including 19 against Harvard.