We are almost halfway through the regular season and conference play is fast approaching. The ACC continues to flex its muscles with four teams in the Top 10. However, there are a few unranked teams that have really impressed out of the gates and could surprise people in March. Here’s a look at those teams:
The Blue Devils are 10-1 to start the season; however, they’ve yet to play any in-conference opponents. Around this time last season they were in the same situation, starting the season 9-1 before facing their first in-conference opponent. Last year they showed that they were not on the level of the best teams in the ACC, but perhaps this year will be different. What’s noticeable about the Blue Devils’ approach this season is that they are attempting significantly fewer 3-pointers per game than they were last year (14 to 21). They made a conscious effort to attack the rim much more, attempting eight more 2-point field goals per game than they were last season. This has actually led to a noticeable increase in efficiency from 46.6 percent to 49.3 percent.
The Blue Devils don’t have a star player in particular that has willed them to wins so far this season. It has mostly been by committee, as it was last season. They returned most of their players from last season and what has jumped out is how great this team is in the passing lanes and forcing turnovers. The Blue Devils have four players averaging over a steal per game. They are fourth in the ACC in steals per game and opponents are shooting an abysmal 32 percent from the field against them. They have the best defensive rating in the ACC and a Top 5 defense in all of college basketball. It has yet to be seen if they can maintain this performance against elite teams; they will be tested in January. If they can wreak havoc in the ACC, they could sneakily creep into the Top 25.
If you haven’t had the chance to watch Florida State’s Ta’Niya Latson, you are doing yourself a disservice. She leads the ACC in points per game and is fifth in all of college basketball at 25.5. On Sunday, Latson scored 34 points in only 25 minutes against Texas Southern in a game the Seminoles won 108-51. At only 5-foot-8, Latson is one of the best guard finishers in college basketball and one of the most efficient scorers in the nation. Latson is shooting 52 percent from the field and 44 percent from three this season, which means averaging an ultra-efficient 1.23 points per scoring attempt, according…
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