Atlantic Coast Conference basketball
used to be synonymous with words such as “exciting”, “fast-paced”, and “must-see
TV”. Not so much anymore. On May 15, the ACC announced that the conference will
be the first to experiment with a 30 second shot clock during exhibition games.
Commissioner John Swofford said, “Our coaches and ADs both felt it would be an
enhancement to the game in today's world. It adds more possessions and potentially
would speed up the game.”
While one can applaud the forward
thinking used in this situation it is also necessary to understand why people
associated with the ACC would like to “speed up the game.” This past season,
the Atlantic Coast Conference was THE slowest paced conference in Division One.
Not just the slowest out of the BCS conferences, but out of all 32 D-1
conferences. How could a storied conference once known for its open style of
play only average 64.5 possessions per game? Two reasons: Expansion and
coaching hires.
| Year | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AdjT | 69.9 | 69.4 | 69.2 | 68.0 | 67.9 | 69.1 | 68.3 | 67.7 | 67.4 | 65.8 | 66.0 | 64.5 |
Pre
Expansion:
In 2003, the ACC consisted of just
nine teams: Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, North
Carolina, North Carolina State, Virginia, and Wake Forest. Duke and Maryland were
fresh off championship winning runs in 2001 and 2002 and North Carolina was
looking to re-establish its powerhouse presence with a top ranked recruiting
class of Raymond Felton, Rashad McCants, and Sean May. During 2003 the
conference averaged 69.9 possessions per game with seven of the nine teams
averaging over 68. Duke led the way with 72.6 possessions per game while
Clemson brought up the rear at 65.6.
2004 marked the last year of ACC
play before expansion hit and it also marked UNC’s first season with Roy
Williams at the helm. Six out of the nine conference schools (70%) made the
NCAA tournament and the talented Yellow Jackets made a surprise run to the
championship game before losing to the UConn Huskies. The average tempo
slightly decreased to 69.4 possessions per game, primarily due to Herb Sendek’s
Princeton offense and the Wolfpack’s 63.9 possessions per game. Six out of the
nine schools still averaged over 68 possessions with Maryland, UNC, Wake
Forest, Virginia, and Georgia Tech all averaging over 70 per game. Conference
play was booming with more than 50% of the teams averaging over 75 points per
game; however expansion was on the horizon.
Expansion:
The Early Years:
Known as a basketball conference,
the ACC wanted to increase its presence on the football field. Florida State
was the dominant program, but the conference wanted more. Enter Big East football
powers Miami and Virginia Tech in 2005 and then Boston College in 2006. The
number of schools averaging over 68 possessions per game quickly dropped from
67% to 55% with the new additions. Miami came in at an adjusted tempo of 65.8
and Virginia Tech at 67.2 in 2005. Despite the additions, both Maryland and UNC
continued to push the pace with talented rosters. Maryland averaged a league
leading 75.5 possessions per game while the national champion Tar Heels
averaged 73.9 behind Raymond Felton. As a whole, the ACC still averaged over 69
possessions per game with the conference average coming in at 69.2 for the
year.
Boston College entered the fray the
following year at a lowly 62.9 possessions per game; however the slow paced
Eagles were not even the slowest team in the ACC that year. That honor belonged
to Miami who came in at 62.4. The three former Big East schools played at an
average pace of 63.3 while the core ACC members played at a pace of 69.6. Quite
the difference. This contrast stayed relatively consistent for the next three
years as the former Big East schools learned how to slightly pick up the pace.
In 2009 the ACC averaged 68.3 possessions per game with North Carolina leading
the way at 73.9. At this point in time, the ACC average was second in Division
One and just a hair behind the SEC who averaged 68.5 possessions per game.
Coaching
Changes:
2010:
In the new decade, the ACC started
to take a turn for the worst when it came to tempo. The three Big East schools
actually increased their pace to 67.1 possessions per game in 2010 while the
core ACC members saw their tempo decrease to just 67.9 possessions per game.
While most schools saw a slight dip due to roster turnover (i.e. UNC and Wake),
six out of 12 schools still averaged over 68 possessions per game. What
changed? After firing Dave Leitao, the University of Virginia made a surprise
hire in Tony Bennett. Known for his Pac-Line D and slow style of play,
Virginia’s tempo decreased almost 8% to 63 possessions per game (which also
happened to be the highest tempo played in Bennett’s eight year coaching
tenure). The ACC finished the year with another championship courtesy of Duke
but saw their tempo slip to 67.7 possessions per game.
2011:
In 2011, Oliver Purnell left Clemson
for DePaul and Brad Brownell was hired from Wright State. In four years at the
Horizon League school, Bronwell’s teams averaged 62.7 possessions per game.
Needless to say that Clemson’s tempo dropped sharply with the coaching switch.
A 5% decrease led to just 65.3 possessions per game after 69.1 in Purnell’s
last year in Death Valley. Similar to Bennett, Brownell’s first year at Clemson
also happened to be his fastest paced team in ACC play as the Tiger’s pace
declined year over year.
Boston College hired Steve Donahue
from Cornell after letting Al Skinner go and while B.C. was not exactly an up-tempo
team, their pace was slowly increasing in the ACC. When the Donahue change
occurred, BC’s tempo decreased 3%, hovering at just 64 possessions per game.
2012:
Further coaching upheaval occurred
in 2012 with four schools changing coaches. N.C. State hired Mark Gottfried,
Georgia Tech hired Brian Gregory, Maryland hired Mark Turgeon, and Miami hired
Jim Larranaga. Only Gottfried’s Wolfpack didn’t see a tempo decrease. Georgia
Tech averaged 63.9 possessions per game, a 9% decrease, Maryland averaged 67.5
possessions per game, a 6% decrease, and Miami averaged 64.5 possessions per
game, a 2% decrease. In 2012 just two out of 12 teams averaged over 68
possessions per game and the overall ACC tempo was at just 65.8 possessions per
game.
The
Combination:
This past season marked a new low
for the ACC play when it came to tempo. Between the recent coaching hires
getting comfortable with their slow down style of play and the addition of
three Big East teams known for their bump and grind style the ACC became the
slowest conference in America. Overall, the league averaged 64.5 possessions
per game (last in the country) and just 61.8 possessions per game in conference play.
Out of the three schools that began
ACC play this year, Notre Dame led the way with 64.1 possessions per game.
Pittsburgh averaged 63.5 and Syracuse averaged 61.3 possessions per game. Also, Virginia, Clemson, and Miami all
averaged under 61 possessions per game with Miami coming in at a paltry 58.5
possessions. In 2003 Clemson was the slowest paced team at 65.6, but in 2014
that would have been good enough for seventh in a 15 team league.
Team
|
AdjT
|
North Carolina
|
70.8
|
Maryland
|
69.2
|
Wake Forest
|
68.1
|
Florida St.
|
66.7
|
North Carolina St.
|
66.2
|
Duke
|
66.0
|
Georgia Tech
|
65.7
|
Notre Dame
|
64.1
|
Virginia Tech
|
63.6
|
Pittsburgh
|
63.5
|
Boston College
|
63.0
|
Syracuse
|
61.3
|
Virginia
|
60.9
|
Clemson
|
60.2
|
Miami FL
|
58.5
|
Along with the slow play, it was not
exactly a memorable season for the ACC. After much early talk about being the
best conference in college basketball only six teams made it into the
tournament with none making it past the Sweet 16. How will things look in the
future?
Going
Forward:
Last season Clemson and Georgia Tech
produced a high scoring conference game that was played at a furious pace. The
teams combined for 86 points….in a November gridiron battle. This up-tempo game
occurred just months before the two schools combined for the same amount of
points on the hardwood. A 45-41 Clemson victory was just one of many low
scoring games this past season. While possessions and scoring increased in ACC
football play, the same cannot be said for basketball.
Sure, ACC play will feature big time
games and coaching match-ups with the addition of Louisville and Rick Pitino,
but gone are the days of multiple teams averaging over 70 possessions a game.
With the majority of conference coaches relying on a more grind it out,
methodical type approach, the ACC will continue to lag behind its counterparts
when it comes to tempo. The ACC and Commissioner Swofford are looking towards
the future with the unveiling of a 30 second shot clock in exhibition games;
however the full time adoption can’t come soon enough.
All date from kenpom.com
All date from kenpom.com
