Players of the Week:
Chase Hunter and Hunter Tyson, No. 20 Clemson Tigers
There’s just something about the name Hunter in Clemson this season as both of their leading scorers showed up in a major way to keep the Tigers atop the ACC standings in a win over Florida State this weekend. Tyson made six 3-pointers while Chase shot 10-11 at the free-throw line as the pair dropped 27 and 26 points respectively to improve to 10-1 in conference play.
Both players have stuck around through thick and thin with the program since 2019, with Tyson playing in 2018 as well, and are reaping the benefits in their senior seasons under Brad Brownell.
Who’s Hot?
DJ Burns, NC State Wolfpack
The backcourt in Raleigh is elite, to put it mildly, but now DJ Burns is emerging as a legit post presence, which is taking the Wolfpack to another level over the past few weeks. They are 9-3 in their last 12 games, which directly correlates with Burns’ insertion into the starting lineup.
He scored a career-high 31 points in a massive comeback victory over Wake Forest on Saturday and is now averaging 15 points and six rebounds during this 12-game stretch where he’s started nine games. Burns was a two-time All-Big South selection at Winthrop and is finally starting to play like it with his increased role in Raleigh.
Hunter Cattoor, Virginia Tech Hokies
Speaking of reinsertion into the lineup, Hunter Cattoor is finally back for Virginia Tech. He went down against Boston College in December and didn’t return until mid-January against Virginia, and the Hokies didn’t win a single game during that stretch, dropping to the second-lowest spot in the ACC. They’ve won two straight now that his jump shot is back where it needs to be.
The first was a win over Duke last Monday where he made five 3-pointers against the Blue Devils and the second was a blowout of Syracuse on Saturday when he made six more triples against the Orange. This is a different and dangerous team when Cattoor is healthy, as they proved last March, and I know I wouldn’t want to face them with my season on the line in a month.
Freshman of the Week:
JJ Starling, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
It’s important not to forget about JJ Starling, even with all the struggles in Notre Dame’s season thus far. The former highly rated recruit isn’t enjoying the same success of Blake Wesley last season, but Starling started to get into a rhythm last week with 22- and 18-point performances for the Fighting Irish. His talent is predominately on the offensive end of the floor, which he is starting to showcase at the level we expected now that he is getting more comfortable in his debut season in South Bend.
Top Starting Five between UNC-Duke heading into matchup on Saturday
G: Jeremy Roach
Every great team needs a floor general to trust when things go bad, and Jeremy Roach is one of the best in this department in the country. He might not have the explosiveness of Caleb Love or the size of Tyrese Proctor, but he gets the job done and is drastically improving as a scorer in his time in Durham.
G: RJ Davis
The argument for Davis over Love simply boils down to efficiency and there’s no argument that Davis is the more efficient player. His splits (45/88/38) are significantly better than Love (38/77/28) and has even been the better scorer by nearly five points during conference play.
G/F: Leaky Black
Leaky Black is the X-factor in this weekend’s matchup and makes the team for his versatility and desperately needed defense alongside the other four players. Duke doesn’t stand a chance if he’s making his shots and will have a hard time reducing his impact even if he’s not because of his presence and length on the defensive end.
Filipowski is running away with the ACC Freshman of the Year award and will certainly receive votes for the conference player of the year as well. As one of the best rebounders in the conference with the ability to spread the floor on the offensive end, he can create second chances and free up the paint for our dominant center in this hypothetical starting lineup.
Bacot is one of the best players in the country and is a clear choice to make this starting five. He’d likely be a starter on every team in the country, so it only makes sense to include him here. The more North Carolina goes to Bacot in this game, the better off they’ll be, so keep your eye on the 6’11 senior as he aims for another dominant display against the Blue Devils this Saturday.