Player of the Week
Devin Thomas – Wake Forest (F, Sr., 6-9, 255, Harrisburg, PA)
Thomas put together a couple very solid performances for Wake Forest in a week in which it went 1-1. On Jan. 10, the Demon Deacons picked up their first ACC win of the season by defeating NC State at home, 77-74. The Deacons rode Thomas to victory, as he scored 20 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the floor and 8-for-11 from the charity stripe. He filled the stat sheet with 11 rebounds (four offensive), three assists, three steals, and one block in 33 minutes of game action. It was Thomas’ third consecutive double-double performance (three straight to open ACC play). It was also his seventh game this year with at least 20 points and his fifth game this season with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. He passed Al-Farouq Aminu for sixth place alone in Wake Forest history with 30 career double-doubles.
The 6-foot-9 senior forward recorded his fourth straight double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds in a 93-91 loss to Virginia Tech on Jan. 13. He shot 6-for-10 from the field, 4-for-6 from the free throw line, and added four assists and four steals.
By week’s end, Thomas had recorded 10 double-doubles for the season, including four in a row to begin ACC play. He was also the last Deacon to record four or more double-doubles in a row, racking up five straight from Jan. 10-28, 2015. He leads all active players in the ACC with 31 career double-doubles. For the week, he averaged 18.0 points on 57 percent shooting, 11.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.5 steals and 0.5 blocks.
Who’s Hot?
Clemson Tigers – Defeated Louisville and Duke this week
The Tigers picked up two quality wins this week over ranked ACC opponents Louisville and Duke. They are on a four-game winning streak and sit just one spot behind first-place North Carolina in the ACC standings. Clemson has been able to put together an impressive string of wins by getting good contributions from more than one player offensively. While they haven’t shot the ball all too well the past two games, they’ve been able to come up with key defensive stops and come up clutch in the free throw department late in games.
Chinanu Onuaku – Louisville (C, Soph., 6-10, 230, Lanham, MD)
In the Cardinals loss to Clemson, Onuaku helped keep his team afloat with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks despite playing just 20 minutes due to foul trouble. He was super efficient from the field, making seven of his eight field goal attempts. Onuaku continued to show why he’s Louisville’s best inside player in the following game. He recorded his fourth straight double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds in the Cardinals’ 59-41 victory over Pitt. He added three blocks, two steals, and one assist while shooting 7-for-13. He contributed to the win in various ways — hitting jumpers from the baseline and top of the key to go with dunks off drop-steps, all while directing the defense. Louisville point guard Trey Lewis gave the big man high praise, saying "If Nanu wants to, he could be the most dominant player in the ACC."
Zach LeDay – Virginia Tech (F, Jr., 6-7, 235, Dallas, TX)
Despite a blowout loss at the hands of Duke, LeDay contributed 18 points, nine rebounds, two assists and one block in 36 minutes. He was 6-for-11 from the floor and perfect from the free throw line (6-for-6). He then scored 20 points on 6-for-10 shooting, including 4-for-4 from long distance in the Hokies 93-91 victory over Wake Forest. He added four assists and three rebounds. He scored in double figures for a team-best 14th time.
Who’s Not?
James Robinson – Pittsburgh (G, Sr., 6-3, 198, Mitchellville, MD)
Robinson shot 2-for-10 and scored six points in Pitts’ 86-82 win over Notre Dame. He followed up that performance by scoring just one point in 35 minutes in a 59-41 loss at Louisville. If Robinson can’t get it going from the perimeter, he often finds himself struggling to score. His subpar athleticism and lack of explosiveness prevents him from being able to get to the basket consistently; often missing when he does. As a result, the majority of his offense comes outside of the paint. Both Pitt and Louisville did their parts to neutralize the point guard and force him to take contested jumpers.
Marcus Paige – North Carolina (G, Sr., 6-2, 175, Marion, IA)
North Carolina’s second-leading scorer was everything but in the Tar Heel’s 84-73 win at Syracuse. Paige was just 1-for-8 from the field, including 1-for-6 from beyond the arc for three points. Foul trouble plagued the point guard and he struggled defensively against opposing senior point guard Trevor Cooney. Cooney scored 27 points on 10-for-21 shooting from the field and was 5-for-12 on his three-pointers. Although he had a so-so performance, Paige was able to still set up his teammates for eight assists and grabbed four rebounds.
Top Five Prospects (At this point in the season) in the ACC
1. Brandon Ingram – Duke (F, Fr., 6-9, 190, Kinston, NC)
Ingram has grown to become one of Duke’s top and consistent all-around performers after a slow start to the season. The freshman phenom has a coveted mix of length, shooting and athleticism. He’s managed to seize all of the early season criticism and is poised to become a top-3 pick in this year’s draft.
2. Brice Johnson – North Carolina (F, Sr., 6-9, 228, Orangeburg, SC)
Johnson has never been a flashy player, but he surely is as productive and reliable as they come. The senior forward has grown into a star. He’s a double-double machine and is one of the most efficient players in all of college basketball.
3. Grayson Allen – Duke (G, So., 6-5, 205, Jacksonville, FL)
Allen is having quite the season after a solid tournament run and terrific/clutch performance in last year’s National Championship game. Even as a sophomore, he’s looked to for leadership by Duke’s young(er) guns. He’s a fearless attacker of the basket and oozes with competitiveness and a sense of urgency every time he steps onto the court. This has made him a very consistent threat for the Blue Devils.
4. Dwayne Bacon – Florida State (G, Fr., 6-7, 220, Lakeland, FL)
The highly touted freshman is a super explosive athlete with a skill set that is continuing to grow with each passing game. He’s very dynamic and hard to contain when he decides to be aggressive with the ball. It’s more than likely that he’ll be playing in the professional ranks as early as next season.
5. Malik Beasley – Florida State (G, Fr., 6-5, 190, Alpharetta, GA)
Bacon gets a ton a praise for FSU, but Beasley has done more than enough to hold his own. He’s just as important and productive to the Seminoles success as Bacon. He’s more efficient than his fellow freshman teammate and shoots it better. Overall, he’s a combo guard who packs more than one skill, and is great prospect in his own right thanks to his versatility and sweet shooting stroke.