October may not count in the standings, but around the ACC it’s already been revealing season. Every one of the league’s 18 programs has gone against at least one real opponent in preseason action, and a few names are already forcing their way into the conversation.
At Duke, the most eye-catching development has been 7-foot-2 freshman Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje. In a lopsided win over Belmont, he put up 19 points and seven rebounds while knocking down a pair of three-pointers.
For a 17-year-old in an early exhibition, that’s hard to miss. Junior center Patrick Ngongba is still regarded as the team’s main big man, but Boumtje Boumtje already looks ready to matter in a major way.
North Carolina’s early looks have been more uneven, and Terrence Brown Jr. is part of that story. The Tar Heels went 1-1 in preseason play, beating USC before falling to Indiana, and Brown’s scoring has been light so far.
He had five points in 24 minutes against USC, then followed with seven points on 3/9 shooting in 23 minutes during the 18-point loss to Indiana. Brown averaged 20 points per game at Utah last season, but with Neo Avdalas now in the mix, his role and rhythm seem to be adjusting.
Syracuse has had its own guard problem to sort out, and Kiyan Anthony’s preseason has been quiet. He was supposed to be a breakout candidate after averaging around double figures as a freshman, but the early returns haven’t matched that buzz.
Anthony shot 2/11 from the field in the loss to UConn, then played only eight minutes off the bench against Siena on Sunday. For now, the breakout talk has to wait.
Florida State, meanwhile, got a big-time showing from Marcis Ponder. The nearly 300-pound freshman center and top-100 prospect dominated Auburn’s frontcourt in the Seminoles’ win, finishing with 13 points and 21 rebounds, including 12 offensive boards. Florida State had issues inside last season on both ends, but Ponder’s debut suggests he can change that conversation quickly.
Wake Forest hasn’t exactly sparked optimism with its results, dropping both exhibition games to Georgetown and South Carolina. Merrimack transfer Kevair Kennedy was solid, but the biggest question remains the supporting cast.
The bright spot has been the Placide brothers, especially Gavin Placide, who has averaged 17.5 points per game in two matchups against high-major opponents. That alone may not lift Wake Forest out of the ACC’s lower tier, but it does give the Deacons something to lean on.
In Other News...
Wake Forest Just Entered An Unexpected USC Bowl Conversation
USCs bowl picture is still very much tied to what happens over the final stretch of the regular season, but the early projections have already started to get interesting from Wake Forests side. The Trojans sit at No. 16 with a 6-1 record, and ESPNs Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach both have them slotted for either the Holiday Bowl or the Las Vegas Bowl as the calendar inches toward December.
Schlabachs latest version nudges Wake Forest into the conversation, replacing Pittsburgh as the projected opponent and creating a matchup the Demon Deacons would have every reason to watch closely. USC still has several ranked teams ahead, including Ohio State, Indiana and UCLA, and those games will help determine whether the Trojans stay in the playoff mix or land somewhere more familiar on the postseason map. [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forest's 6-1 Start Is Proving Something Bigger About This Team
Wake Forest kept rolling with its fourth straight win against California, a result that pushed the Demon Deacons to 6-1 and into No. 17 in the AP Top 25. What stood out was not just the record, but the way this group handled the night without key pieces in Carlos Hernandez and Davaughn Patterson, a reminder that the early-season surge has been built on more than just a healthy roster.
The Deacons are showing a level of chemistry and focus that can carry through absences, and that has become one of the more important takeaways from this stretch. With a bye week ahead, Wake Forest now gets a chance to reset before the next wave of games, and the bigger question is how far this kind of connected play can keep taking them. [Read more 🡒]