Player of the Week
Vernon Carey Jr., Duke
Following a Duke freshman class which included the likes of Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, and Cam Reddish is certainly no easy task, but big man Vernon Carey Jr. has done his part to help fill the void that was left by their departures for the Blue Devils this season. The 6’10, 270-pound big man has really stepped up since fellow freshman Cassius Stanley went down with an injury, and has taken over the role of the go-to guy for Coach K’s squad this season. In their lone game this past week, an 86-57 thrashing of the Wofford Terriers, Carey Jr. chipped in 20 points and 10 rebounds in only 22 minutes of action. He has eight double-doubles so far this year, which leads all freshman in the country. Each of those double-doubles have been at least 15 point, 10 rebound outings as well, a true testament to this phenomenal freshman’s dominance both in the post and on the glass. Carey Jr. has improved with each game he plays, and has all but assured himself as (at minimum) a mid first-round pick in the 2020 NBA draft.
Who’s Hot
Elijah Hughes, Syracuse Orange
Without Elijah Hughes leading the way, it is scary to think of where ‘Cuse would be at this point in the season. Hughes currently sits at 19.8 points per game, good for second in the ACC behind Jordan Nwora, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. Hughes eclipsed the 40-minute mark in the two games he and Syracuse played this week, wins against Oakland (12/18) & North Florida (12/21). In the win against Oakland, he put up 23 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists, while shooting 9-18 from the field and 5-10 from behind the arc. In the victory against North Florida, Hughes once again led the way for the Orange, putting up another well-rounded stat-line of 18 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds. Hughes, a redshirt junior, has been the go-to guy for Jim Boeheim and his squad this season, and his impressive play has almost certainly put himself on the radar of NBA scouts across the league.
Kameron McGusty, Miami Hurricanes
McGusty, a redshirt junior transfer guard from Oklahoma, has a breakout week for the Hurricanes, averaging 20 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.5 steals in wins over Temple and Coppin State. In the game against Temple, McGusty had a 12-point, 10 rebound double-double. He followed that strong performance with an even better one, putting up 28 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists on 9-11 from the field and 5-7 from 3-point range. These performances were good enough to earn him Co-ACC Player of the Week honors, and Kameron McGusty will look to build upon this strong week as the 8-3 Hurricanes head into the start of conference play.
Florida State Seminoles
During his tenure at Florida State, head coach Leonard Hamilton has prided himself on having some of the best, most defensively-sound teams in the country every year. This year seems to be no different. His Seminoles squad displayed this defensive dominance this week, forcing an astonishing 24 turnovers in a come-from-behind victory against in-state rival South Florida, including 7 turnovers during a 19-3 run in which they took the lead and did not look back. The Seminoles defensive absolutely hounded the Bulls, as they also forced four shot-clock violations and most importantly were able to capitalize on their defensive efforts down the stretch, as they wound up finishing the game with a solid 21 points scored off of turnovers. The strong defensive play by the Seminoles most definitely garnered the attention of other teams across the ACC, as Florida State heads into ACC play at 10-2, and riding a three-game winning streak.
Who’s Not
Virginia Cavaliers
The Cavaliers had seemed to have gotten over the ugly 29-point thrashing courtesy of Purdue in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge two weeks ago, but proved that maybe they weren’t after all this past week. They welcomed in a 7-4 South Carolina Gamecock squad that has the looks of a NCAA Tournament bubble-team at best, and were thoroughly outplayed for 40 minutes, as they wound up losing 70-59. Once again, offensive struggles seemed to do the Cavaliers in, as they shot 18-41 (44%) from the field, and 6-18 (33.3%) from three. The offensive struggle seemed to affect them on the defensive side of the court as well, as they also let up a season high 70 points in the defeat.
North Carolina Tar Heels
To put it simply, this season has been absolutely abysmal for North Carolina so far. They sit at 7-5 on the season, including a stunning 68-64 loss to Wofford, followed by a 13-point defeat to Gonzaga in which they were thoroughly outplayed this week. Of course, these losses came without star guard Cole Anthony, who we learned last week underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and will be sidelined for the next 4-6 weeks. Even with stud freshman big man Armando Bacot, the Tar Heels seem to have nobody who can make plays with the ball in their hands on each possession. With conference play coming up, and matchups with Florida State, Duke, Virginia Tech and Virginia looming, the Tar Heels need to figure their offensive woes out quickly before the season is completely lost.
Top 5 things on ACC’s Christmas Wish List for the rest of the 2019-2020 season
5. More national attention for John Mooney
The Notre Dame big man has been an absolute beast this season, averaging 14.8 points, and 13.1 rebounds per game. His nine double-doubles this season is tied for second most in the country, and he is just one of three major conference players to be averaging a double-double this year.
4. Consistent high-level play from this year’s surprise teams
Teams like Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, and NC State have been very pleasant surprises so far for the ACC, and has established the conference as the premier basketball conference in the country so far. If these programs can continue to play well through conference play and find their ways into NCAA Tournament play come March, it will be a great look for the conference.
3. [Player:Cassius Stanley]’s return from injury
Stanley was one of the most hyped freshmen coming into the season, and for good reason. The high-flying mixtape machine from basketball factory Sierra Canyon School is very fun to watch and projects to be a good NBA player, but fans have not been able to see much of him at Duke so far. He went down with a non-contact leg injury in late November, and still has not seen the floor since. His return will add another dynamic aspect to this Blue Devil team, and could be the piece that puts Duke over the top come tournament time.
2. Resurgence of struggling usual blue-blood programs
Two teams with Hall of Fame coaches and tons of potential, Syracuse and North Carolina, have been huge disappointments so far this season. Of course, UNC is missing their star, Cole Anthony, which has really affected what they are capable of. Syracuse, on the other hand, has been led by their star, Elijah Hughes, but have not gotten much production from anybody else. Both teams sit at 7-5 going into conference play, and will definitely be looking to get back to their winning ways of the past.
1. Cole Anthony’s return from injury
As mentioned earlier, North Carolina has struggled this season, mainly due to the absence of their star freshman guard, Cole Anthony. To put it simply, UNC has been a completely different team without him, as they have struggled to put points on the board without their main playmaker. As of right now, Anthony is out for 4-6 weeks as he recovers from knee surgery, and if North Carolina can somehow salvage wins in his absence, they could still experience some late season success, and Conference & NCAA Tournaments as well.