The Confidential

The ACC Sports Blog

04 Feb 2016
2 Comments

ACC Recruiting Recap

With another football letter of intent signing day passing by yesterday, the analysis begins.  The major outlets take their subjective weight given to players and look at how those players accumulated at schools.  If there was ever an example of “garbage-in, garbage-out,” it would be this task.  Nevertheless, throwing out all the subjectives, there is certainly some sort of correlation between “good recruiting classes” and results (except at Texas and Miami).  So here is what folks think of the 2016 football recruiting classes.

RIVALS

Here is the overall top ten listed at Rivals.  As you can see, Florida State and Clemson crack the top 25.

Rank School Total 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars Avg Points
1
Alabama
 24 5 10 9 3.83 2885
2
Florida State
 25 1 18 4 3.72 2816
3
Ohio State
 24 2 15 7 3.79 2704
4
Michigan
 28 1 15 12 3.61 2603
5
Clemson
 22 3 10 6 3.59 2530
6
LSU
 23 0 15 6 3.57 2515
7
Mississippi
 24 2 10 12 3.58 2507
8
USC
 20 2 11 7 3.75 2429
9
Auburn
 21 2 11 6 3.62 2403
10
Georgia
 20 3 10 6 3.75 2387

As for all the ACC schools:

  • #2  Florida State-twitter seems to suggest a disappointment that this is not deemed the #1 class.  But the Seminoles would certainly prefer a national title over a recruiting rankings title.
  • #5 Clemson–in-state rival South Carolina was way down at #26.
  • #12 Notre Dame–between UCLA, Texas, and Florida makes sense.  Behind Mississippi does not.  And rival USC is a few spots up at #8, while Stanford is a few spots down at #18.
  • #22 Miami–Miami has never had trouble getting talent and this is a decent class for Mark Richt in just a few weeks.
  • #24 North Carolina–ahead of historical blue blood Nebraska, neighbor South Carolina, and current elite school Oregon.  Good things happening in Chapel Hill.
  • #30 Pittsburgh–Pitt has had good recruiting classes year after year–the benefit of being located in Pennsylvania, adjacted to Ohio, and next to both New Jersey and the D.C. Corridor.
  • #31 Duke–we are used to top classes in hoops, but the Blue Devils on-field success is translating into better football recruiting classes, including a class better than football stalwarts Wisconsin and Arkansas… and a top half class within the ACC.
  • #37 Louisville–a decent class, but Cards fans cannot like seeing Kentucky up at #28.  There is an SEC bias, to be sure, but who would have expected that?  Still, #3 in the Atlantic.
  • #43 NC State–squarely in the middle of the Atlantic at #4.  Ahead of Wake Forest, but behind Duke and UNC.  Ahead of Syracuse in the division, but behind Louisville.  Not good, not bad.
  • #49 Virginia Tech–as a ranking, this must be disappointing.  Houston, Northwestern, and Brigham Young should generally not out-recruit the Hokies.  Chalk it up to a new coach.
  • #57 Syracuse–being behind Washington State, Iowa State, and Indiana is ordinarily disappointing, but new coach Dino Babers worked some magic to get Syracuse above four other ACC schools in just a few weeks.
  • #62 Virginia–former coach Mike London was a good recruiter, and the coaching switch seemed to cost Virignia slightly.  Not much of a new coach bounce.  UCF, Temple, Vanderbilt, and Colorado State were among the schools to have better ranked classes.
  • #63 Wake Forest–hey, anytime the Demon Deacons avoid the basement, it is a good thing.
  • #68 Georgia Tech–having only 18 recruits hurts, but should Georgia Tech EVER be below Western Michigan in recruiting?  They do recruit for a system, though, and the system players usually suffer in the rankings.
  • #82 Boston College–sigh.  Only Kansas has a worse recruiting class among P5 schools.  Miami of Ohio has a better class.  But better than neighbors UConn and UMass.  And similar classes did not prevent BC from having a great defense.

What do you think?  Are you happy with your school’s class? Disappointed?  Dispute these RIVALS rankings?  Let us know.

Posted by acaffrey in Football, Opinion, Rankings, Recruiting and tagged , , ,
01 Feb 2016

Virginia Tech vs Pitt recap

Just when I thought the Pitt Panthers didn’t have much of a chance to win unless Jamel Artis or Michael Young led the way they proved me wrong. Last night at home against the Virginia Tech Hokies they were led by another junior forward named Sheldon Jeter. Sheldon led Pitt in scoring putting up 23 pts on 9-13 from the field and also added 7 rebounds.  Pitt’s future looked bright last night as their top 2 freshman, Cameron Johnson and Duane Wilson added 9 and 8 pts respectively. Johnson also pitched in with three from the arc and James Robinson dished out 10 assists. The Panthers do have a lot of depth and hopefully last night was a sign of things to come.  Pitt travels to UVA this Saturday to play the 9th ranked Cavaliers. They will need all the help they can get!

GO PITT!

Posted by deano22 in ACC only
30 Jan 2016

Pitt basketball season review…

Let’s take a look at Pitt’s basketball season so far in 2015-16. As of today, the Panthers are 16-4(5-3 in ACC) which has them tied for 5th place in the conference.  They spent a couple weeks in the AP Top 25 poll but losses to Louisville and NC State knocked them out for now. I thought they had a shot to jump back in after their win at Florida St but for some reason the poll Gods thought Notre Dame should be ranked. The Panthers beat the Irish on their home court earlier this year.

Pitt has pretty much relied on their two junior forwards, Jamel Artis and Michael Young. Both are logging over 28 MPG with Young averaging 17.3 PPG and Artis right behind with 15.7 PPG. Young has been huge for the Panthers on the boards this year pulling down almost 7 rebounds per game. They are both shooting over 50% from the field and 78% from the free throw line. Pitt is actually 3rd in the nation in FT% coming in at 77% per game.  Pitt has good depth and a lot of experience but in reality they will only go as far as their senior PG, James Robinson will take them. They really need him to step up and help out Artis and Young with some outside scoring.

It doesn’t look like things will get any easier for the Panthers. They play VA Tech at home tomorrow which they should win but then Virginia comes to town next Saturday and then they hit the road to go play Miami and UNC. We will see what my boys are made of in the next 2 weeks.

GO PITT!

Posted by deano22 in ACC only
29 Jan 2016

Introduction!

Hello ACC Confidential world! Dean Olivieri here, my friends call me DeanO. I was born and raised in DaBurgh. Yinz know what I mean??  By now I’m sure you probably figured out which ACC team that I am going to blog about for The Confidential.  That’s right, PITT! I lived a good 21 years or so in Pittsburgh and enjoyed every bit of it. I’m currently living in Charlotte, NC where I have been living now for the past 15 years.  I’m probably showing my age here and more than likely the old man on the site.

As you could imagine I was ecstatic when I heard that PITT would be moving to the ACC. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the good old days and hard-nosed battles of the Big East but it’s very cool having PITT in the ACC.  Anyway my plan is to provide game summaries, player news, opinions, predictions, recruiting news and so on about PITT Panthers basketball and football.

I would like to thank the Commander for giving me a shot on his site to blog about Pitt hoops and football!

 

I hope you enjoy!! GO PITT!!

Posted by deano22 in ACC only
27 Jan 2016
3 Comments

2016 ACC Football: Games of the Week

The ACC released the football schedules for all schools earlier this week.  By now, fans have had their first thoughts on how positive and negative the specific schedule will be.  From an ACC fan perspective, the schedule analysis is broader–for example, what is the “must see” game of the week.  Here is the Confidential’s early prediction on what will be the games to watch each week:

  1. Week 1… with all due respect to Florida State and UNC, who are coming off great 2015 seasons, it was Clemson that carried the ACC in 2015 and the Tigers open Week 1 against Auburn.  If they can pull of that road win against a tough SEC foe, it will be a good omen.
  2. Week 2… with apologies to Virginia Tech and Syracuse/Louisville… Pitt hosting Penn State gets the nod.  These two Pennsylvania rivals have not faced each other often of late, but it will be ACC vs Big 10 in week 2.
  3. Week 3… no real contest here… if Louisville and Florida State are both 2-0 at this point, it will be all the more important to the Atlantic/ACC race.  And if either school has lost heading into this one, there could be desperation.
  4. Week 4… Duke vs. Notre Dame has historically been more interesting in basketball, but these are different times and the Blue Devils are quite competent.  They will give the Fighting Irish something to think about.
  5. Week 5…  a fair amount of good conference games, but the slight edge goes to Clemson-Louisville.  If Clemson is a top ranked team, the Cardinals will either be rolling or desperate.
  6. Week 6… Florida State traveling to Miami should be interesting.  Miami under a new coaching staff needs to start taking advantage of its talent.  An upset win over FSU would be a big momentum boost.
  7. Week 7… Virginia Tech and Syracuse used to play annually in the Big East.  While Frank Beamer coached all of those games for the Hokies, these two former rivals play as ACC foes in 2016, in the Dome, with Syracuse under a new coaching staff as well.
  8. Week 8… Speaking of new coaching staffs, Virginia has one as well.  In Week 8, rival North Carolina will come to Charlottesville.  Keep an eye on this one.
  9. Week 9… The biggest ACC game of the year in recent years has not been the conference championship game, but Clemson-FSU.  This year, Clemson will travel to Florida State.  Circle this one on your calendar for sure.
  10. Week 10… a difficult week to know which game will be the most important.  Will Clemson have looked past Syracuse in a post-FSU matchup?  Florida State has struggled at NC State recently.  Pitt-Miami is a Coastal clash, as is Georgia Tech-North Carolina.
  11. Week 11… with apologies to Duke-UNC, the Confidential ponders whether Pitt traveling to Clemson may feature the top teams in each division.
  12. Week 12… while many teams are slowing down to prepare for ACC/SEC rivalry games, a Northeast rivalry between BC and UConn will resume.  This game may feature less than 10 total points, but both schools detest each other.  Tune in.
  13. Week 13… of all the rivalry games, chances are that Florida State/Florida will be the best combination of high ranked teams and great teams.  South Carolina should struggle this year.

What do you think?  How do you rank the games of the week for each week?  Let us know.

Posted by acaffrey in Football, Predictions, Schedule and tagged , , ,
20 Jan 2016
1 Comment

Syracuse & Zack Mahoney

It is amazing that Syracuse fans are so quick to turn on Zack Mahoney and conclude that he is incapable of playing QB for Syracuse.  On what basis can any Syracuse fan make that statement?

Mahoney’s first game experience came against Central Michigan, where Mahoney ultimately led Syracuse to the overtime win in his first game action.  While offensive coordinator Tim Lester showed little confidence in him in regulation, overtime went well for the Orange–resulting in a victory.  In his next outing, all Mahoney did was overcome a terrible start to keep Syracuse competitive against then-#2 Louisiana State.  In his next outing, Mahoney kept Syracuse competitive against #1 Clemson.  While the passing was not good, Mahoney’s legs kept Syracuse close.

Between the LSU and Clemson games, Eric Dungey was given five games at QB for Syracuse.  Syracuse lost all five games–South Florida, Virginia, Pitt, Florida State, and Louisville.  All good opponents, but certainly not LSU or Clemson.

In the final two games, Mahoney and the Orange were defeated soundly by North Carolina State on the road, which ultimately was the end of the Scott Shafer era.  However, in the final game under Shafer, Mahoney led the Orange to the win.

The numbers are Mahoney on the season are not great.  Dungey completed 59.7% of his passes, while Mahoney only completed 46.2%.  However, Mahoney was 24 for 59 against LSU and Clemson, Syracuse’s two toughest opponents.  This certainly helped drag down Mahoney’s numbers.  Also, Mahoney did not play against Rhode Island or Wake Forest, and was only allowed to attempt 4 passes against Central Michigan (all 4 of which were completed).  Three of Dungey’s four best QB rating games were against Rhode Island, Wake Forest, and Central Michigan.  Dungey’s two worst games were at Florida State and Louisville.  Good opponents make QBs look worse than bad opponents.

None of this is to suggest that Mahoney deserves to start over Dungey.   Dungey certainly throws a better deep ball and has that certain intangible quality that you look at in a QB.  The mobility is a huge plus.  But the idea that Mahoney cannot be a 2nd or 3rd string QB on Syracuse moving forward is a bit absurd.  Not many QBs in Syracuse history have kept the Orange competitive against top 5 opponents–even in the Dome.  Mahoney did.  In his first year for Syracuse, without a ton of reps before the season due to his depth chart status.  Let’s not give up on the kid just yet.

 

Posted by acaffrey in Football, Opinion and tagged , , ,
19 Jan 2016

Hyperbole Alert, But Duke Win “Saves” Syracuse Season

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only
12 Jan 2016

Greg Robinson? Greg Robinson.

“one can only imagine how much money could be raised for the University if G-Rob agreed to sit in a dunk-tank for $20/3 balls. That would be worth a trip to the ATM, that’s for sure. “

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only
11 Jan 2016

New Year, New (Old) Coach, Same Result: L

“Expect more losses and a colder/longer winter for Orange fans in Central New York.”

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only
10 Jan 2016

Beaten but Better

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Two weeks ago today, Louisville and the University of Kentucky locked horns in the annual Dream Game. Normally and as is custom, anyone with a pulse who writes or blogs for a living (or in my case, for fun) would have immediately put their thoughts and opinions onto paper and/or social media for others to read following the end of the game. I, however, decided to take a different route this year. Win or lose, I decided before the game was played that I would wait a few weeks and then revisit the outcome and all things leading up to it. You see, there’s too much emotion and knee jerk reaction involved for me personally to recount a game of this magnitude rationally. But now that the smoke has cleared, the bird has been flipped (no, not Louie the Cardinal mascot) and both teams have since gotten a few more games under their respective belts, I now take to this blog to discuss my FIVE key takeaways from the aforementioned Battle of the Bluegrass.

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🏀 Damion Lee is everything UofL fans hoped he would be, and more. After dismantling UK’s defense with a showcase of offensive skills not seen by a UofL player in Rupp since Francisco Garcia, I’d be willing to go on record and say Lee might be the most gifted offensive player Pitino has had during his stint at UofL. And don’t get it twisted, he’s had a good number of guys who could flat ball out with the rock in their hands.

Sure, it was totally deflating to see Lee’s last second game winning 3pt attempt go awry, but his performance left me full of optimism when I think about the Cards in mid to late March.

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🏀 Louisville made mistakes against Kentucky, but they didn’t beat themselves. Aside from a mini meltdown to finish the first half, the Cards played within themselves and handled the immense pressure of playing in Rupp Arena quite well.

I certainly felt there were a number of plays that Lee got hit while trying to score and the officials swallowed their whistles.

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But to be frank, the zebras played a minimal role in this game down the stretch as UK won this slugfest from behind the arc and it came from from distances (any location to Timbuktu) & individuals that I am positive Rick Pitino was ok with based on his team’s scouting report on the Cats……

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🏀 Louisville is a legit Top 20 team. I get the montage that any team on any given night can pull an upset in college basketball – especially given the parity that exists this season. After pushing a top 5 Michigan State team to the brink a month ago, many wanted to believe that UofL was the real deal. But, duplication is key to winning over others and by coming back from a 16 point second half deficit on the road in Lexington, the Cards proved to most naysayers and sceptics alike that they will be a team to watch well into March. Most teams wilt in Rupp Arena. UofL rose to the challenge.

🏀 Kentucky fans’ obsession with all things Rick Pitino has reached an all-time level of immeasurable absurdity. Sure, some of the ire and negative attention was self created w/the Karen Sypher soap opera. Couple that w/the recent allegations of strippers in Minardi Hall & I could actually give BBN a hall pass. But the venom and hatred from the bulk of UK fans focused on Pitino makes one wonder if they ever spend time discussing their own coach and players. The newest topic of discussion: Finger Gate 2015.Did Pitino or did he not “flip off” a heckling UK fan when leaving the floor following the game against the Cats? Video evidence remains inconclusive (unless you have Photoshop).

Inconclusive bird flippage…..

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Conclusive bird flippage…..

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The only finger(s) I look for…..

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Here’s what’s for certain: the debate as to whether Coach P did or did not give the finger to that fan is apparently more important to many UK fans as opposed to how Skal Labissiere could manage to score only two points in the biggest game of the season thus far for KY.

🏀 Chemistry is essential for success, and this Louisville team has it. They are fun to watch, easy to rally behind and incredibly likeable. Players seem to genuinely care about one another and it shows in how unselfish they play. I know, I know….who cares how they interact as long as they win games, right? Well, this Louisville team, amid a nationally recognized ongoing scandal & investigation, is carrying a monkey on it’s back of epic proportions….and they are doing it in a remarkable fashion. No doubt, having the upperclassmen’s leadership via Lee and Lewis is irreplaceable. Check mate for Coach Pitino when it comes to filling the gaps for a young inexperienced team that would be drowning right now w/out the two 5th year seniors.

So following another painful loss to it’s arch nemesis, the Cards have found a way to maintain a high level of play by beating a pesky Wake Forest team and winning a big road game at NC State. You see, losing to Kentucky doesn’t mean your season is over. It simply means that despite being  beaten, you still got better.

GO CARDS – Beat Clemson

Louisville v Samford

 

Posted by klw0408 in ACC only

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