We’ve had an exciting season so far in college basketball with three different teams claiming the top spot in the rankings. The ACC, in particular, has been having a banner year with six teams currently in the Top 25, and 11 different teams winning at least 10 games. Duke has been as good as advertised, and that is with star freshman Harry Giles only playing 10 minutes in two games this season. Virginia’s defense once again looks like a steel curtain, holding opponents to a paltry 47.1 PPG. With all that being said, and conference play starting up this week, it is time for us to look back at the season so far.

Biggest Surprise

Virginia Tech Hokies– A lot of people questioned Buzz Williams when he left Marquette for Virginia Tech, but just three years later he has the Hokies sitting at 11-1 heading into conference play. In the first month of the season, Virginia Tech picked up three quality wins against Nebraska, Michigan, and Ole Miss. The Hokies’ only loss on the season came to Texas A&M, 68-65, in the semifinals of the Wooden Legacy. Senior Zach LeDay leads the team in scoring with 16.7 PPG and is second in rebounding with 7.4 RPG. Ahmed Hill is getting hot at the right time of the season and has averaged 20 PPG over his last four games. Virginia Tech has a tough five-game stretch to open ACC play with games against #5 Duke, #20 Florida State, and #24 Notre Dame.

Biggest Disappointment

Syracuse Orange– The Orange entered the year as a top 20 team after making a run to the Final Four last season. While they did lose their three leading scorers to either graduation or the NBA Draft, Syracuse brought in two grad-transfers in Andrew White III and John Gillon, who both averaged double figures last season. The Orange also added two top 100 recruits in Tyus Battle and Taurean Thompson, as well as 7’2 transfer Paschal Chukwu, who sat out last season after transferring from Providence. Syracuse is 8-5 heading into conference play and has lost five non-conference games for the first time in Jim Boeheim’s 41-year stint as head coach. The worst losses came at the hands of three long time rivals who are a combined 19-18 on the season. You would have to go all the way back to the ’99-’00 season to find the last time Syracuse lost to St. John’s, UConn, and Georgetown all in the same season. The Orange have no room for errors heading into conference play, but have a favorable schedule early in ACC play with two games against Boston College as well as home games against Pittsburgh and Miami.

Biggest Question Mark

North Carolina State Wolfpack– The Wolfpack faced a drama filled non-conference schedule with five wins against weaker foes all coming by less than 10 points or in overtime. N.C. State didn’t play a difficult non-conference schedule and lost to the only two teams of note in Creighton and Illinois. However, now that everyone is healthy and eligible to play, the Wolfpack are outscoring opponents by 28.3 PPG. Dennis Smith Jr. has lived up to the billing and has been electrifying this season. Smith is averaging 18.9 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 5.5 APG while also ranking fifth in the conference in steals. Fellow freshman Omer Yurtseven is averaging 11 PPG and 5.5 RPG through four games after sitting out the first nine games of the season. N.C. State has a chance to string some early wins together in ACC play and only faces one ranked opponent in their first seven games.

Game of the Non-Conference

#10 Louisville vs. #6 Kentucky– There were a few truly fantastic games in non-conference play that could have taken this spot with Duke vs. Kansas and North Carolina vs. Kentucky coming to mind. However, it was the Cardinals’ 73-70 win over hated rival Kentucky that was the most exciting game so far. Hometown hero Quentin Snider had a career-high 22 points to lead Louisville to their first win over the Wildcats since 2012. Neither team held a lead larger than seven points in a game that went down to the wire. Malik Monk hit a three to cut Louisville’s lead to one with 11 seconds left and had a chance to tie it with the last shot of the game after Donovan Mitchell calmly knocked down a pair of clutch free throws.

Non-Conference MVP

Bonzie Colson, Notre Dame– Colson had a solid season a year ago when he averaged 11.1 PPG and 6.7 RPG on an Elite Eight squad. This season, he has kicked it up a notch and has averaged 16.8 PPG and 10.4 RPG as the Irish have gotten off to a solid start, and head into conference play 11-2. The 6’5 junior has also gotten it done at the defensive end of the court where he has 16 blocked shots and 15 steals in 13 games. Colson’s best game of the season came when he scored 24 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in a 92-78 win over Iowa.

Midseason Freshman of the Year

Dennis Smith Jr., North Carolina State– Expectations were high for Dennis Smith heading into this season. Coming out of high school, Smith was the top point guard in the class of 2016, but missed his entire senior season with an ACL tear. Things weren’t all bad, though, as Smith took the opportunity to enroll early and get acclimated to college life as well as rehab his knee with a college strength coach. Smith has not disappointed, and is averaging 18.9 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 5.5 APG so far this season. Smith is one of only two players in the ACC averaging at least 15 PPG, 4 APG, and 3 RPG, with the other being Joel Berry II. If he continues to produce like this in conference play then not only will Smith be in the running for ACC Freshman of the Year, but also ACC Player of the Year.