Player of the Week
Jose Alvarado, PG, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Usually when a player is recognized in the midst of a two-game losing streak, it comes a little bit later in the blog, but Alvarado’s performances in losing efforts were truly something to behold. The Yellow Jackets would have lost by a lot more against perennial powerhouses Virginia and Duke if Alvarado did not play the way he did. He scored 20 points, had eight assists, and took the ball away six times against Virginia and it still wasn’t enough to propel his team to victory. Against the Blue Devils, Alvarado put on a show. This was truly one of the best games I watched all season as Alvarado and Jalen Johnson went back and forth in the final minutes coming up with big play after big play until Duke pulled away and Alvarado could do no more.
Whether it was with pesky defense and subsequent steals or clutch offense to keep his team alive, Alvarado proved he is the heart and soul of this team and he can take them anywhere he wants to go. He reminds me a lot of Payton Pritchard who was the heartbeat of the Oregon program for what seemed like a decade. And with the success he is already enjoying in his young professional career, there is hope for Alvarado to make a name for himself once his Yellow Jacket career comes to a close come March.
Who’s Hot?
Armando Bacot, PF/C, North Carolina Tar Heels
Here come the Tar Heels! After winning six games out of seven, Roy Williams and the Heels are back in the hunt for ACC glory and you have to give a lot of the credit to Armando Bacot and the paint patrollers in Carolina blue. The latest of big victories came against in-state rival NC State and a resurgent Pittsburgh program playing arguably its biggest game in Jeff Capel’s tenure. From start to finish, Bacot and the big men dominated the paint and left Pitt without a prayer of controlling the interior. Every time the Tar Heels needed a bucket, Bacot was the guy to call and it led him to his first 20-point double-double of the season.
Smooth footwork, great touch, powerful post moves, and relentless defense have Bacot playing the best basketball of his young career and it has to be grabbing the attention of scouts all across the NBA. The lack of perimeter shooting is the only thing holding the 6’10 sophomore back from a high draft selection and it is something that he is unlikely to develop in his career. He was bred for physical, 90’s basketball and he would have been a star back then, but there is little room for undersized, physical centers in today’s NBA. However, the role is not completely irrelevant as players like Bam Adebayo and Montrezl Harrell provide hope for Bacot who is arguably the best post player in the entire ACC right now.
Sam Hauser, SF/PF, #8 Virginia Cavaliers
The Cavaliers are one of the hottest teams in the nation as their perfect run in the ACC continued this week. The biggest reason why? Sam Hauser. The Marquette transfer is finally clicking with his teammates and the Cavs are utterly impenetrable right now. They are giving up 56 points per game against teams not named Gonzaga, which would be best in the nation. Hauser may not be the greatest defensive player, but he makes up for it on the other side of the court. He is averaging 17 points and nine rebounds in conference play and he is finding his stroke from distance as he is shooting 47% on the perimeter in the conference.
I made the argument at the beginning of the season that someone would have to step up and take over the Malcolm Brogdon, London Perrantes, and Kyle Guy role for the Cavaliers and do a lot of the scoring. Sam Hauser has been that guy. They would not be 7-0 in the conference without him and he has the biggest challenge of his career ahead of him. February will be an absolute gauntlet of a stretch with zero games against a team with a losing record and matchups with North Carolina, Florida State, and Duke all coming in a seven-day stretch. The title race will likely come down to this week and it is where we will see how legit the reigning national champions are in 2021.
Who’s Not?
Tyrece Radford, PG, #20 Virginia Tech Hokies
The second leading scorer and star sophomore for the Hokies was indefinitely suspended this week for violating the “high standards Virginia Tech has for its students and athletes.” Radford is an intriguing athlete who stands at 6’2, struggles from three-point range, and ranked first in rebounding for the Hokies a season ago and second this year. His versatility on defense, offensive playmaking, and dominant rebounding for a guard make him potentially the most important player for the Hokies. This is a significant blow for Mike Young as Radford’s production will be increasingly difficult to replace. A matchup with #8 Virginia looms large and the shorthanded Hokies will be hard pressed to be the first team to knock off the Cavaliers without the help of Radford.
Devon Daniels, SG, NC State Wolfpack
Daniels is another player, like Radford, who will be absent from the team, but unfortunately for him and the Wolfpack, he does not have a chance to return this season. Daniels has been undoubtedly the heartbeat of this program for the last two seasons and it is a killer blow to the entire season for NC State. Daniels struggled all season long, for his standards, but his production was still unmatched within the program. The ACL tear does not just kill the Wolfpack’s season, it might also kill Daniels’ entire future.
After considering entering the 2020 NBA Draft, Daniels decided to return to the program and play one final season for Kevin Keatts. This decision makes his injury all the more devastating as his NBA future is now in question. After a disappointing season and an ACL tear, it will be extremely difficult for a team to take a chance on a player who was always going to be drafted in the second round at the earliest. Only time will tell, but it is hard to imagine Daniels playing basketball at the highest level ever again and it is truly a shame.
Top 5 Midseason ACC Standings Prediction
5. Pittsburgh Panthers, 8-4 (4-3 ACC)
A two-game losing streak has put a damper on the Pitt program that was headed for its first AP Poll ranking since January 2016. They could not have asked for an easier game to seal the deal, either. A matchup with 0-6 Wake Forest in the aftermath of a huge win against Duke earlier in the week was all that stood in the way of the Panthers and the AP poll. A 76-75 loss to the Demon Deacons and a 10-point home loss to North Carolina now has the Panthers 4-3 in conference play and right in the middle of the pack of a loaded ACC. They still have ACC Player of the Year frontrunner Justin Champagnie and a lethal supporting cast that I believe will have them finishing in the top-five for the first time since 2014.
4. Duke Blue Devils, 6-5 (4-3 ACC)
A favorable upcoming schedule against six consecutive teams who sit outside of the AP Poll could see the Blue Devils get hot at just the right time. Coach K’s squad snapped a three-game losing streak on Tuesday against Georgia Tech and the return of Jalen Johnson could propel his team into the top-five in the ACC as soon as Monday. I expect this young team to take this momentum and finally start firing on all cylinders going into the first meeting against North Carolina next Saturday.
3. North Carolina Tar Heels, 11-5 (6-3 ACC)
My preseason prediction to take the ACC crown got off to a rather disappointing start by losing their first two games in conference play. After this streak, I mentioned that this year’s ACC allows for more wiggle room than usual regarding hiccups and that there was still plenty of time to turn everything around. Six wins in seven games has the Tar Heels right in the thick of things roughly halfway through this crazy ACC season. With two matchups against Duke, and one against each of the two teams who still sit ahead of them in Virginia and Florida State, they will likely have to win all four if they want to earn the top seed in the ACC Tournament. With the freshman guards starting to heat up and one of the best frontcourts in the nation, this feat is surely not impossible, and it might be time to start fearing the Tar Heels again.
2. #8 Virginia Cavaliers, 11-2 (7-0 ACC)
I love what Virginia is doing right now in the midst of a seven-game winning streak against conference foes, but their schedule has been more than favorable so far and the brutal stretch they are in store for is going to show this team’s true colors. I would argue the Cavaliers have as few as two games left that I feel comfortable they will win. They have avoided all six teams who sit directly below them so far and have feasted on the weak with zero wins against teams who are above .500 in conference play. This is still one of the best teams in the country as consistency is the hardest thing to find this season, but a month from now we will truly know if the Cavaliers are legitimate contenders or merely pretenders.
1. #16 Florida State Seminoles, 10-2 (6-1 ACC)
Florida State is potentially the most underrated team in the country, and it might be time for the AP Poll to recognize that. They currently stand at 10-2 and boast impressive wins against North Carolina and Louisville, which was on the road. Suffocating defense, experience in the backcourt, three-point shooting, free throw shooting, battle tested, and a great head coach. The Seminoles have it all. They are the best team in the ACC, and everyone will know it when the regular season is wrapped up. With M.J. Walker leading the way, I can see this team going all the way into April fighting for a national championship.