By: William Smythe

The ACC madness reared its ugly head on Tuesday night, with Wake Forest knocking off Duke in an emphatic fashion and Miami upending Virginia in a heavyweight, top-25 bout.

The question marks are further surrounding the Atlantic Coast Conference: will Miami find its way into the top spot, and do either Duke or Virginia have serious long-term concerns after suffering recent setbacks? 

Hold off on the Duke-Virginia downfall narrative. It’s December, and there remain a few key storylines which can help to explain each team’s setbacks. The ACC’s darlings will remain at the top of the heap – no, I don’t think North Carolina can be consistent enough to compete with these two – and will channel their anger into a fierce conference gauntlet.

Duke without Lively, Whitehead is an aberration and a game-changer

When sophomore Jaylen Blakes (4.3 ppg) scores a team-high 17, something is clearly not right. That’s no disrespect to Blakes – he’s still a young Dukie with a high ceiling – but he’s been nowhere near a key contributor for a Blue Devil team laden with talent. Besides a struggling Jacob Grandison, Blakes made up for the “depth” issue that Duke lacked with the absences of freshmen Dereck Lively and Dariq Whitehead.

Jon Scheyer’s unit can’t win consistently without these two sidelined – I’ll admit, it’s also difficult to win when your opponent makes 22 free throws (even if many came late).

Lively and Whitehead missed Tuesday’s contest due to an injury, causing the Blue Devils to scramble from a depth standpoint/witnessing a sub-par performance from star freshman Kyle Filipowski (nine points).

Sure, Lively hasn’t exactly lived up to expectations as the no. 1 overall recruit in the ‘22 class, yet his presence off the bench (or his starting combination with Filipowski) rounds out an intimidating Duke frontcourt.

To bring Lively off the bench is, in the words of Seth Greenberg while covering Miami-Virginia, “to bring Mariano Rivera in as a reliever for the ‘Yanks.” Greenberg was talking about the ‘Canes’ Bensley Joseph, but…you get the point.

A 7’1 shot blocker who has recorded ten rejections in his past three games, Lively gives the Blue Devils an imposing presence on defense and a finisher on offense – taking away attention from guard Jeremy Roach and Whitehead on the wing. 

Congratulations Duke fans, you’ve just rotated in another physical, slashing freshman in the form of Dariq Whitehead. Coming into the season off a nagging injury, he’s built his minutes tally each game – increasing his scoring total as he goes. Bring out all the stops if you attempt to slow Whitehead as he bulldozes into the lane; his return will mean a further increase in playing time and (likely) a direct correlation with Duke’s win column numbers.

Don’t worry Duke, I’m sure you and your five-stars will weather the storm just fine. And now the ‘Hoos…

Virginia is resilient, but has to regain their three-point shooting form

To count Tony Bennett out is blasphemous. Yes, the Cavaliers have just dropped two consecutive games to no. 5 Houston and no. 22 Miami, yet an early season panic button makes no sense. The only catch, in my opinion, is the continued struggle from the three-point line.

Graduate transfer Ben Vander Plas accounted for 67% of the Cavaliers’ threes against the Hurricanes, with the ‘Hoos going six of 23 from behind the arc. Not great Bob, not great.

That’s slightly worrisome, even if Virginia mustered a strong comeback that fell just short in the final seconds. Guard Armaan Franklin is reverting to his 2021-22 self after a zero-point effort and a pitiful zero of seven from the field, while Reece Beekman has refrained from firing away while dealing with a nagging hamstring injury.

I think we’ll see the ebbs and flows from the Cavaliers in a heightened fashion this season. They’ll eventually return to their shooting ways – and so I blindly hope – yet they’ll have days when they can’t hit the front side of a barn (which they did today, and only lost by two on the road).

Resiliency is key for a team that already suffers from dry spells on offense. I’m incredibly impressed with the way Bennett’s team clawed back from a double-digit deficit in the closing minutes – even if they continued their abysmal three-point shooting along the way. By no means should the door close on an ACC title for the Cavaliers or a return to the top-10…it’s just too early to count out CTB. 

Isaac McKneely will get his soon…the numbers are promising

Why would you want to play the freshman guard after he went one of nine from the field and one of seven from three? He’s a glue guy, that’s why. The numbers don’t lie when it comes to McKneely’s impact on the Cavaliers.

According to UVA Twitter’s Ben Wieland, Virginia outscored Miami by 19 when McKneely was on the floor (31 minutes, that is) and lost by 21 when he sat. That’s a mind-boggling split and one which merits a look below the surface. McKneely’s calling card for Virginia has and will always be his knack for the Pack-Line defense, as he has looked incredibly comfortable thanks to his experience with the system in high school.

You’ll find a wealth of minutes if you master the Pack-Line. McKneely’s 31 minutes perhaps have signified a passing of the guard from Franklin to the youngster, as his “plus/minus” tells us that he should be on the floor as much as possible – likely accompanying Beekman or Clark in the backcourt. His numbers will improve, Franklin will hopefully regain his stroke and the Virginia defense will resurge. 

Verdict: No reason to fret if you’re in either camp. Enjoy your holiday break, reflect on how you both hate the Tar Heels and figure out your three-point shooting. Simple remedy.