Welcome to Tempo-Free ACC Player Stats

As I said on Friday, the ACC tempo-free leaderboard will be a season-long feature for the site. I'm hoping to put together conference only versions of these stats (like I do for team stats) by February. Now then, hopefully without stealing too much material from the team previews (or without sounding too redundant when repeated in the team previews) some thoughts on the first round of these stats. All stats viewed in the posts below, in the links on the side of the page, or, to make it easy, here, here, here, and here.

NC State is holding open tryouts this weekend for all able bodied players. Enrollment only technically necessary. The minutes played numbers reveal that 4 of the top 5 workhorses in the ACC are members of the 'Pack. Gavin Grant has played 4 straight iron-man games, reminding all those familiar with the Temple teams of the early 2000s of Lynn Greer, who always led the nation in minutes. No team has been hurt more by injury this season than the 'Pack, who have been without Atsur since the Michigan game. In the salt-in-an-open-wound category, Atsur was having a killer year - 17 of 20 from 2, 10 of 23 from 3, and 21 assists against 7 turnovers in just 4+ games.

ACC's best performing backcourt is in Atlanta. Lewis Clinch and Javaris Crittenton have been extremely effective so far for Tech. Clinch is shooting lights out - 1.43 PPWS, .703 efg%, and .510 3pt%. Crittenton is doing the dishing - 23.96 A/B% - and taking away - 4.13 steal%. Best performing rookie backcourt is a dead heat between Maryland's Eric Hayes and Greivis Vazquez and Carolina's Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington. Which brings me to a related point - the ACC has excellent guards - Clinch and Crittenton at Tech, Lawson and Ellington at UNC, Singletary and Reynolds at UVA, Hayes, Vazquez, and Jones at Maryland, Hammonds, Rivers, and Hamilton at Clemson, Paulus, Scheyer, and Nelson at Duke, Swann, Rich, and Douglas at FSU - it's impressive.

Duke shoots the 3 very well. Nelson, Scheyer, and Paulus are all in the top 12 (of eligible players) in the conference, and McClure has also tossed in 3 of his 4 attempts.

Best non-freshman newcomers. Say hello to Jack McClinton and Toney Douglas. Douglas you may have known about - he's a transfer from Auburn I think was on the SEC's all freshman team his first year. Douglas transferred because he thought he wasn't getting enough shots, and he certainly doesn't have that problem at FSU, leading the conference by taking 29.7% of his team's shots. Of course, no one in Tallahassee is complaining, since he's hit 46 of 89 2s and 15 of 28 threes, for a .585 efg%. Jack McClinton is a transfer from Siena who immediately became Miami's best player and #1 option in the search to replace both Diaz and Hite. McClinton is almost trying to do the work of both on his own, taking 28.7% of the shots and scoring 33.9% of the points while playing 77.7% of the minutes. Again, no one in Miami is complaining about McClinton hogging shots, since he's hit an impressive 37 of 70 3s, which overcomes his pedestrian 2pt % and gives him a .584 efg% on the season.

That's all for the early commentary. Team previews start on the 19th and continue, 1 a day, until the new year. I promise no rhyme nor reason to the order, which basically means I'll write about who I feel like when I want to.