ACC Roll Call: Blue Devils, Yellow Jackets, and Tarred Heels

The ACC had seven players in the first round of last year's NBA draft.

Seven.

That's nearly one-third of all the players taken in the first round.

To put it mildly, that's a ton of talent moving on from one conference.

So it's not surprising that picking a sure-fire conference favorite was a difficult task before the season began.  Maybe that's why both Duke and North Carolina were picked as the ACC's first-ever preseason co-favorites.

But with the season in full swing, and conference play underway, we've learned a lot about what the ACC and its best teams have to offer.

The current ACC standings barely resemble the preseason poll—Virginia is currently leading the conference at 3-0 despite being picked to finish second-to-last, and North Carolina hovering near the bottom of the standings with a 1-2 record.

So, with the first few weeks of ACC play finished, what have we learned?

The Duke Blue Devils should win the conference going away.

Yes, the Blue Devils have already lost one game in the ACC to Georgia Tech.

And yes, they have a difficult schedule ahead with a number of road games including trips to both Clemson and Georgetown.

But at this point in the season, Duke has shown themselves to be the best team in the ACC.

Currently tied for second in the conference standings with Clemson (and behind Virginia?), the Blue Devils have had a margin of victory of more than 20 points in their three ACC wins.

Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer, and Nolan Smith are as good as it gets in the conference, and Miles and Mason Plumlee are developing into legitimate offensive threats in the paint.

Simply put, this is the most complete Duke team in a long time.

They have height, athleticism in the post, and consistent guard play to go along with experience and leadership.

The Blue Devils will certainly lose a few more ACC games, but they should win the conference by at least two games.

Georgia Tech is a dangerous, albeit inconsistent, team

Because of their youth, it's hard to see Georgia Tech finishing in the top three of the ACC this season.

Because of their talent, it's hard to see Georgia Tech not finishing in the top three of the ACC this season.

Therein lies the difficulty with Georgia Tech—you're never quite sure which team will take the court.  Will it be the young and sloppy team, or the team that plays up to the level of their talent?

Despite losing to Virginia (they also lost to Florida State in their conference opener), the Yellow Jackets have done something that few teams have been able to do in recent decades—beat both Duke and UNC within a week of one another.

Tech's defensive potential might be the best in the ACC (just ask Duke), and their roster is filled with offensive weapons.

Aside from his four-point performance against Florida State, Gani Lawal has shown that he is one of the most dominant post players in the conference.

Iman Shumpert had the game of his career against North Carolina on Saturday, and he certainly has the potential to play close to that level on a nightly basis.

Derrick Favors is the missing piece to Georgia Tech's ACC title puzzle, though.

So far, he's been relatively quiet in conference play, averaging 8.5 points per game.  That's hardly unproductive, but as the top-ranked player in the freshman class coming into the season, expectations are certainly higher than his recent play.

If the Yellow Jackets can get more consistent play out of their three stars, they will be right in the thick of the ACC title hopes.

The expectations surrounding North Carolina were too high

In early August, I wrote about how much this year's North Carolina team reminds me of last year's UCLA squad.

UCLA had been to the Final Four in three consecutive years heading into last season, and they brought in the top-ranked recruiting class in the nation last year.  

However, despite starting the season at No. 4 in the rankings, they struggled as a result of their youth and failed to live up to the unrealistic expectations surrounding them.

Before this season, UNC had been to the Final Four in two consecutive years, winning the 2008-09 title.  

Like UCLA last year, they brought in a top-ranked recruiting class and started the season at No. 4.  Also like UCLA last season, they have struggled to live up to those expectations.

The Tar Heels have lost three of their last four games, and when the next rankings come out, they may fall out of the Top 25 altogether.

They struggle in several key areas—turnovers, guard play, three-point shooting, and poise.

UNC lacks a go-to scorer who can create his own shot in clutch situations, and their frontcourt duo of Ed Davis and Deon Thompson, though solid, hasn't been as dominant as many thought it would be.

The Tar Heels have a roster loaded with talent, but much of that talent, including top-five-ranked freshman John Henson, isn't ready to contribute at this stage in their college careers.

Unless the Tar Heels fix some major issues, they are in danger of finishing with a losing conference record for the first time in Roy Williams' ridiculously successful tenure at UNC.