Player of the Week
Blake Wesley, SG/PG, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Wesley was recently inserted into the starting line up and quickly became Notre Dame’s primary ball handler. He has shown a willingness to get teammates involved, looking to pass first and wait for good shots to come his way. With 11 seconds left and the score tied against Kentucky, Wesley would call his own number and hit an impressive 15 foot game winner to beat the Wildcats. Once the game was over, the court was stormed by students and everyone swarmed the hero of the night, Blake Wesley. A surreal moment for a freshman who a year ago was not even on most recruiting lists.
Wesley was not heavily recruited out of South Bend, and was not a top 100 recruit, but has quickly developed in an NBA draft prospect. The numbers weren’t flashy in the upset win over #10 Kentucky, but Wesley knocked down an impressive shot off the dribble to put Notre Dame ahead late and they ultimately held on for the massive upset win.
It’s quickly become apparent that the 6’6 freshman is the most talented and best player on the roster with his three-level scoring ability and elite athleticism. He can create his own shots and also get to the basket. And he showed that he can also stop on a dime and knock down jumpers in the lane on his game-winning shot in South Bend this weekend. He’s also an excellent defender, utilizing his length and foot speed to stay in front of opponents, and limit good looks. His draft stock will only continue to soar with performances like the one that helped knock off the Wildcats on Saturday.
Who’s Hot?
Kameron McGusty, SG, Miami Hurricanes
A lot of people considered Isaiah Wong to be a sleeper for ACC Player of the Year going into the season, but just about nobody expected his partner in crime to overtake that spot and lead the ‘Canes in scoring through 11 games. But here we are. McGusty is averaging over 17 point per game and has decent shooting splits of 49/33/84 considering his high volume.
The senior guard exploded for 27 points against Lipscomb on Wednesday with efficient scoring and an additional three blocks on the defensive end. McGusty is experienced to say the least as the 24-year-old shooting guard is in his 5th season, his third at Miami, and headlines a three-headed monster in Miami’s backcourt alongside Wong and DePaul transfer Charlie Moore.
Caleb Love, PG/SG, North Carolina Tar Heels
If Caleb Love keeps playing like he is right now, you can expect to see him in this portion of the blog every week as the rest of the conference continues to struggle. Love is blossoming into one of the premier scorers and playmakers in the entire country and he is surrounded by perfect complementary pieces in Chapel Hill. The Heels finally have big men who can stretch the floor and Love is reaping the benefits of a painted area that is not clogged by five big men at a time.
Another key difference between this year and last year is the fact that he has the room and confidence to take better looks from beyond the arc, which is the reason we’ve seen a 17% bump in his perimeter shooting. Love is one of the few players who can challenge Paolo Banchero for ACC Player of the Year and will also stand a good chance to be a first-round pick if he continues to play at this level.
Who’s Not?
Buddy Boeheim, SG, Syracuse Orange
Buddy Buckets is going to lose his nickname really quickly if he continues to shoot the way he has in this young season. The Orange are off to a 5-5 start and a lot can be attributed to Boeheim’s struggles shooting the ball. Villanova suffocated him on the perimeter as he shot 3-15 from the field and 0-5 from beyond the arc on Tuesday. He responded with a 7-18 display against Georgetown that actually lifted his FG% on the season to 38% in another loss.
He is shooting just 27% from the perimeter in 10 games and while he is still averaging 17 points per game, the efficiency is hurting his team more than the points are helping. Every shooter goes through slumps and Boeheim needs to figure his out quickly if the Orange want another chance at a magical postseason run.
Florida State, Virginia, Pittsburgh, Literally Everyone in the ACC
It’s been a brutal opening month for the ACC as just about every team is struggling out of the gates. The Seminoles and Cavaliers who entered the year as potential contenders to win the conference crown are a combined 11-8 with losses to South Carolina, James Madison and Navy. Wake Forest and Miami legitimately have a shot to reach the NCAA Tournament this year as the rest of the conference outside of Duke and North Carolina is imploding. The only team I can confidently say will make the NCAA Tournament right now is Duke as the rest of the league is limping into conference play and the new year.
Top 5 Worst Losses This Season
Since this season is off to such a horrific start for the ACC, I’ve decided to embrace the pain and list the worst losses we’ve seen in the first month of the season. These are not determined by margin of defeat, but by the humiliation and shame that comes with each loss.
1. Navy 66, #25 Virginia 58
At this point in the season, meaning before the season started, we still had decently high expectations for the Cavaliers who seem to always compete in the ACC under Tony Bennett. After this display, where they were completely outplayed by a Patriot League opponent, these expectations were lowered. Even if it doesn’t get any worse than this, there is still another loss that is arguably more disappointing for the Cavaliers later on this list.
2. The Citadel 78, Pittsburgh 63
This loss was the Panthers 11th in a 13-game stretch dating back to January of last season and easily the worst of them all. They didn’t just lose to The Citadel. They were thoroughly outplayed, outclassed and outworked. Jeff Capel will be lucky to have his job at the end of the season as his team is off to a 3-7 start with three home losses against weak mid-major opponents. I could easily mention more of Pitt’s losses on here, but when you start to become home underdogs against Colgate and Monmouth, it is hard to call any loss a bad loss.
3. Virginia 49, James Madison 52
I told you I’d be talking about Virginia again on here. This loss dropped the Cavs to 6-4 on the season and anything other than a top-three finish in the ACC will likely leave them out of the NCAA Tournament with the two losses listed on here. It was the first loss to the Dukes in 12 games as the in-state rivals failed to have a scorer in double figures and still managed to knock off the Cavs.
4. Colgate 100, Syracuse 85
Losing to Colgate at the Carrier Dome is one thing. Giving up 100 points in the meantime is something else entirely. The 2-3 zone is not nearly as effective as it used to be with the uptick in three-pointers we’ve seen in recent years, but giving up 100 points to Duke would be embarrassing. This was against a 4-7 Patriot League team averaging 73 points per game in the other 10 games they’ve played.
5. Miami (OH) 72, Georgia Tech 69
This is the third and final loss on the list that came on opening night alone for the ACC. The reigning ACC Tournament Champions hosted the Redhawks and allowed four separate players to reach 10 points or more. The Yellow Jackets at least responded with a five-game winning streak, but three straight losses dropped Josh Pastner’s squad to 5-4 and a neutral site matchup with undefeated USC could easily drop them to .500 after a quarter of the season.