Hello loyal readers, it’s been a while since the last edition of Campbell’s Ramble and it’s good to be back. In this edition we talk a little basketball, and I’m going to make a prediction for the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Since we are in the meat of basketball season however, my formatting is going to be a little bit different than the more football focused editions. Due to the nature of basketball, I will only be providing my thoughts on 8 teams a week, not like football where I did every ACC team who played a game. Those teams will be the 3 triangle based ACC schools (Carolina, Duke, State) along with Syracuse (my school) and then 4 other ACC squads that I find interesting for this edition. For predictions, I will be picking at least one game for every ACC team, with repeats allowed. Enough talk about the rules though, let’s talk hoops!
Duke
Right now, this is the only local team I feel I can actually trust to win a game. Early on in the season when Duke’s 150 game non conference home win streak was snapped at the hands of Stephen F. Austin, it seemed like this would be a bit of a rebuilding year for the Blue Devils. That being said, the Dukies flipped the script and haven’t lost a game since. Despite a tough test in Atlanta at Georgia Tech, Duke is clearly the best team in the conference right now. Tre Jones is the best point guard in the conference and Vernon Carey has the ability to take over in the post and because of those two, Coach K’s team is one of the few real championship contenders this season.
North Carolina
This team is truly terrible right now. With Cole Anthony, Anthony Harris, and Sterling Manley all out injured. The Heels only have 4 of their top 7 rotation players healthy. Not to mention Christian Keeling being nowhere close to being as good as advertised. A team with no real starting point guard available and only 3 ACC starting caliber players (Bacot, Brooks, Robinson) available is destined for failure. With a very strong 2020 recruiting class, the Heels probably have another championship window left in the Roy Williams era, but it’s going to be a rough rest of the season.
NC State
Like every NC State in the 21st century, the Pack are wildly inconsistent once again. You see a big comeback win over Notre Dame, only to see Kevin Keatts’s squad put up a pathetic performance in a road loss to Virginia Tech. I don’t know what to make of the Wolfpack this season. If you had to ask me whether NC State will make the tournament this year I would lean slightly towards yes due to how much I like Markell Johnson, but I really just can’t decide whether this team is actually good or not.
Syracuse
Syracuse lives and dies by the 3 pointer. Their defense is not very good, largely due to the fact that Bourama Sidibe doesn’t box out to save his life and teams constantly snag offensive rebounds on the Orange end of the court. Because of this, Cuse is forced to shoot from 3 point land to make up for the defensive meltdowns. Thankfully, when you play a team that shoots as poorly as Virginia, it doesn’t take that much to beat them. A solid performance from Joe Girard III and Elijah Hughes gets Syracuse a nice little win in overtime against the defending champs.
Syracuse still has a chance to make a run for an NCAA tournament bid, but Girard and Hughes will have to drag them kicking and screaming to the field of 68.
Virginia
This UVA team might be better defensively than last year’s championship team. Unfortunately, they can’t shoot to save their lives. Not a single Cavalier is hitting more than 40 percent of their shots beyond the arc, and as a team are shooting only 27 percent from three. It’s so unfortunate to have to watch a team just fall off a cliff like the Hoos have, and I have my doubts that Virginia makes the tournament this year.
Clemson
Yes, this Clemson team broke the 59 game losing streak in Chapel Hill. No, that does not mean they are good. This might be the worst team in Brad Brownell’s tenure at Clemson. Thankfully for Brad, the win in Chapel Hill might just be enough to keep him around another season at the helm of the Tigers.
Florida State
If there is ever a year for Lenny Ham to make his first Final Four appearance, this is the one. A weak ACC leaves Florida State with plenty of opportunities to rack up wins and get themselves a favorable draw in the NCAA field. With a very balanced scoring attack, the Noles don’t have to rely on one man to win games like so many other teams this year are forced to. Vassell, Forrest, and Walker can all contribute day in and day out and it’s looking like this could be the best team Florida State has had in a long time.
Boston College
Like Clemson, don’t let the early 3-2 conference record fool you into thinking the Eagles are good. They are not. Jim Christian is a good coach who can make Boston College a fairly competitive team despite minimal talent levels. That being said, the conference wins are against Wake Forest, Notre Dame, and then a Virginia team who can’t shoot. It’s not like the Eagles have been giant killers here, and they’re going to be near the bottom of the conference at the end of the season.
Basketball Predictions
Duke vs. Clemson. Duke 89-60
Virginia Tech vs. Wake Forest. Virginia Tech 82-71
Virginia vs. Florida State. Florida State 61-49
Notre Dame vs. Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech 75-73
Miami vs. NC State. NC State 83-76
Boston College vs. Syracuse. Syracuse 70-57
North Carolina vs. Pitt. Pitt 68-63
Louisville at Duke. Louisville 77-76
Last edition record: 1-5
Season record: 19-12
CFP Championship Prediction
Clemson vs. LSU. Clemson 41-38
Last edition record: 7-1
Season record: 42-23
Basketball Power Rankings
1. Duke
2. Florida State
3. Louisville
4. Virginia
5. Virginia Tech
6. NC State
7. Syracuse
8. Miami
9. Boston College
10. Georgia Tech
11. Clemson
12. Pittsburgh
13. Notre Dame
14. North Carolina
15. Wake Forest