Irish Hoops | Around The ACC

Notre Dame sits at 11-2 overall entering this Saturday's Atlantic Coast Conference opener against Pittsburgh and is ranked No. 24 nationally by the Associated Press and No. 27 on Kenpom.com.

How does that stack up in the ACC?

“The ACC season has really started … we’re in a whole different world right now,” Irish head coach Mike Brey said. “Rankings don’t mean a darn thing now. It was really cool on Christmas Day, but it doesn’t mean a thing now. Our league is going to be really challenging.”

Here's a look around the rest of the league as the Irish venture into conference play:

Duke Still Unquestioned No. 1

The Blue Devils have a great mix of youth and experience and figure to represent the league as one of the top seeds in the NCAA Tournament.

Duke has three star freshmen — Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum, and Marques Bolden — who all began the season on the bench and are finding their footing. Giles, the No. 1 player in the recruiting class, made his debut Dec. 19 and has yet to flash his immense potential.

Sophomore guard Luke Kennard leads the team in scoring at 20.4 points per game, followed by junior guard Grayson Allen (16.0) — though Allen is currently suspended for his latest tripping incident.

Ken Pomeroy’s advanced metrics ranks Duke as the No. 2 team in the country, and the Blue Devils have ranked wins over Rhode Island and Florida. Their only loss was a 77-75 defeat against No. 7 Kansas.

North Carolina, Louisville and Virginia Top Challengers

The Tar Heels have two losses — to Indiana and Kentucky — but the 2015-16 national runner-up has all the makings of a top team. UNC is ranked ninth in the nation in scoring (89.6 points per game) and averages 18.6 assists (eighth in Division I).

Carolina is also a terror on the glass, averaging 45.4 rebounds a game, which ranks second in the country.

Louisville opened ACC play with a difficult home loss to Virginia, scoring just 53 points in the process. It was the Cardinals’ second loss of the season — they also fell to No. 20 Baylor — but Rick Pitino’s team is ranked No. 6 in the country.

Virginia (11-1) is the No. 1 team in the country according to Ken Pomeroy and just got a big win over Louisville. The Cavaliers, whose only loss was to No. 25 West Virginia, are again one of the slowest teams in the country in terms of pace, but allow just 47.7 points a game, best in the nation.

Notre Dame A Sleeper?

Notre Dame, having lost Zach Auguste and Demetrius Jackson to the pros from last year’s team, has been a bit of a surprise in the ACC.

Many expected the Irish to take a step back after back-to-back Elite 8 appearances, but that hasn’t been the case. Notre Dame, bolstered by the strong play of juniors Bonzie Colson and Matt Farrell, got off to the best start in the Brey era and have taken double-digit leads in their two losses — to top programs Villanova and Purdue.

Still, the challenge is doing it in ACC play.

“It’s how you bounce back, how you take punches, how we adjust as we get into league play,” Brey said. “Everybody kind of has a book on everybody because we’ve seen a lot of non-league game. How will people play us? Will they play us a little differently on New Year’s Eve?

“You’re ready to react and you need a short memory and, as I’ve always said, one-game win streaks in ACC play are huge.”

Can The ACC Get 11 NCAA Teams?

It was a possibility entering the season, and very little has changed as the ACC begins league play. The preeminent basketball conference in the country could challenge the Big East’s record of 11 NCAA Tournament teams, and it would look somewhat similar to this:

Duke, Louisville, North Carolina, Virginia and Notre Dame — all ranked in the Top 25 — appear to be locks for NCAAs. Florida State, Virginia Tech, NC State, Pittsburgh, Clemson and Miami all began league play with two or fewer losses, a good sign for the league’s hopes of getting 11 bids.

Wake Forest is also 9-3 and Syracuse, despite a terrible 8-5 start, has the talent to overcome and make a run.

Current ACC Standings

1. Florida State (13-1, 1-0)

2. Virginia (11-1, 1-0)

3. Duke (12-1, 0-0)

4. Virginia Tech (11-1, 0-0)

5. North Carolina (12-2, 0-0)

6. Louisville (11-2, 0-1)

7. NC State (11-2, 0-0)

8. Notre Dame (11-2, 0-0)

9. Pittsburgh (11-2, 0-0)

10. Clemson (10-2, 0-0)

11. Miami (10-2, 0-0)

12. Wake Forest (9-4, 0-1)

13. Georgia Tech (8-4, 0-0)

14. Syracuse (8-5, 0-0)

15. Boston College (7-6, 0-0)

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