The arrival of the holidays means 1 thing in college basketball circles: conference basketball is near.

In the ACC, it already has started, of course, with league games interspersed among the final nonconference and neutral-venue tilts that color the November and December hoops schedule. But ACC championships aren’t won during December. The meat and potatoes of that work happens during the grind of February, when the great are separated from the merely good.

Nonconference basketball does give us some clues about what’s next, though. For example, we have learned quickly that any thoughts of writing off Virginia after a year in the NIT were foolish. Tony Bennett’s program — you know, the 1 that has won the most ACC championships within the past 10 years — isn’t going anywhere.

Another thing we’ve learned? OK, OK … maybe this was just something we already knew but needed to be reminded of? North Carolina’s run to the title game? It didn’t guarantee success this season. Even with 4 returning starters, the Tar Heels have looked lost at times in autumn 2022. They’ll hope the magic of March 2022 returns in 2023. Perhaps Santa will leave some magic in Hubert Davis’ stocking?

What else have we learned? Saturday Road visits some nonconference takeaways in this week’s ACC notebook.

Miami is the best offensive team in the ACC

Miami is the best offensive team in the ACC and the Hurricanes might be the best offensive basketball team in America.

No, the Hurricanes aren’t ranked No. 1 in KenPom Adjusted Offensive Efficiency. That would be Arizona. But keep in mind that KenPom, at least through the first 10 games of a season, bakes in last season’s production within this season’s metrics. It isn’t an algorithm error, per se, because Ken needs to do that to create a reliable, effective preseason rankings that factors in returning production. But it does mean KenPom can be slower to recognize pure 2022-23 performance compared to other metrics rankings like Bart Torvik or Hoops Lens.

Bart Torvik ranks Miami 9th in adjusted offensive efficiency, and 7th in pure performance. Hoops Lens is even higher on the Canes, slotting them at 5th. My take on Jim Larrañaga’s offense?

It’s as good as anyone in the country.

Playing faster than any Larrañaga team in recent memory (the Canes are 71st in average possession length, easily a Larrañaga-era high), the Hurricanes still come at you with wave after wave of on-ball screens. According to Synergy Sports, more than 17% of Miami’s possessions this season have run through pick-and-roll ball-handlers — the 2nd-highest (Wake Forest) in the ACC. Isaiah Wong is scoring at 1.17 points per pick-and-roll possession, per Synergy, an even better clip than last season’s outstanding 1.11 rate. Wong is doing that while shooting better from deep as well, at 38.8% on the season, an 8% leap over last season! Should that number prove sustainable, Miami’s efficiency offensively will only rise. Oh and don’t forget Wong can do silly things one-on-one, too, which gives the U a lethal end-of-shot clock guy when they do have to play slower.

The Hurricanes’ biggest improvements, however, have come in transition. Miami ranks 5th in the country in transition offense points per possession right now, per Hoops Lens.

Their guards rebound effectively, especially Jordan Miller, who at 6-foot-7 has forward size that helps him gobble up 6 rebounds a night. When that happens, Larrañaga orders his men to push. There’s no need to get into a half-court, methodical ball-screen offense when you can get easy buckets. A rim-runner like Norchad Omier doesn’t hurt, either, and gives Miami something it liked last season despite having more depth at guard than this season’s unit.

Miami ranks 33rd in 2-point field-goal percentage, similar numbers to last season’s group, which finished 25th. But the Hurricanes’ improved interior presence and rebounding mean they are collecting more transition opportunities from guards on the glass and grabbing more 2nd-chance points. The end result is an offense that can post 107 on Cornell and 80 on NC State in back-to-back games, winning the 1st by playing the most possessions of any team in the sport this season in a single game and winning the 2nd by maximizing possessions and scoring at a 1.16 ppp clip.

This is a frightening offense, and as the defense improves, an ACC contender.

Grading every ACC team’s nonconference to date

Combining overall win-loss record, strength of schedule and quality wins, here is a letter grade, the best win, worst loss, and a comment for every ACC team’s nonconference slate to date in 2022

Boston College: D

Best Win: Cornell, Nov. 7

Worst Loss: New Hampshire, Dec. 6

The Skinny: The New Hampshire loss is the kind of albatross that keeps you out of the NIT, which had to be a goal for Earl Grant in Year 2 in Chestnut Hill. The Eagles look like an improved team when Makai Ashton-Langford plays, but without him, the Eagles have been an utter disaster. Grant is a terrific young coach and he is recruiting better than anyone in that job has in years. But this autumn has been a mess since a great opening-night win against Ivy League favorite Cornell.

Clemson: C+

Best Win: Penn State, Nov. 29

Worst Loss: Loyola Chicago (Holiday Hoopsgiving, Atlanta), Dec. 10

The Skinny: The early return of PJ Hall is a boon for Brad Brownell’s team, and the Tigers have looked great on occasion, especially in routing Wake Forest in ACC play and in the win against a good Penn State team. But they still do Brownell, things, like need late free throws to put away Towson or get run out of the gym by a middling Loyola Chicago team on a neutral floor in Atlanta.

Duke: B+

Best Win: Ohio State, Nov. 30

Worst Loss: None

The Skinny: Duke is a work-in-progress offensively, ranking 153rd in 2-point field-goal percentage and 248th from beyond the arc. But Jon Scheyer’s initial team has a menacing post defense and as Dariq Whitehead starts to score, the ceiling for this team is immense. Losses on neutral floors to reigning national champion Kansas and current No. 1 Purdue will only help this team long-term.

Florida State: F

Best Win: None

Worst Loss: Sienna (ESPN Events Invitational, Orlando, Fla.) Thanksgiving

The Skinny: Leonard Hamilton’s team has been a touring MASH unit, and the NCAA’s absurd 16-game suspension of Baba Miller for accepting inappropriate benefits his family didn’t know were inappropriate has only compounded FSU’s problems. Still, at some point, you have to play, and the Seminoles have lost home games to the likes of Troy and Stetson, and they were embarrassed on a semi-home floor in Orlando during a 17-point loss to Siena on Thanksgiving, a game they never led. Yikes.

Georgia Tech: C

Best Win: Georgia, Dec. 6

Worst Loss: None.

The Skinny: Josh Pastner’s team doesn’t have a quality win, but the Yellow Jackets have found a reliable offensive star in Miles Kelly, who has hit 2 game-winning jump shots, including the go-ahead bucket in their victory over rival Georgia this month. Georgia Tech defends well, as most Pastner teams do, but its inability to rebound (Georgia Tech is giving up the most offensive rebounds per game among the Power 6) has hurt the bottom line.

Louisville: F

Best Win: None.

Worst Loss: Appalachian State, Nov. 15

The Skinny: Louisville has not won a game. Read that out loud and draw your own conclusions.

Miami: A-

Best Win: Rutgers, Nov. 30

Worst Loss: None.

The Skinny: The Hurricanes miss out on an A because they would be the 1st group to tell you they played terribly during a Feast Week loss to Maryland at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Win that game, and they’d be unbeaten, which given their ability to score, would make sense at this point in the season. A late December matchup with mid-major darling Vermont will be a fascinating test before the meat of league play.

NC State: A-

Best Win: Butler (Battle 4 Atlantis), Nov. 25

Worst Loss: None.

The Skinny: The Wolfpack doesn’t have a bad loss, and despite a disappointing 0-2 ACC start, it rolled to a 9-1 record in nonconference play, including 3 wins against NCAA Tournament-caliber teams in Dayton, Butler and Furman. A battle with Vanderbilt in Chicago this weekend will give the Pack another chance to grab a win that will hold up well on Selection Sunday.

North Carolina: D

Best Win: James Madison, Nov. 20

Worst Loss: Iowa State (Phil Knight Invitational, Portland, Ore.), Nov. 25

The Skinny: The “Fatigueless Four” did claim victories over 2 of the nation’s best mid-majors, defeating College of Charleston and James Madison early in the season. But a 1-2 trip to the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, coupled with 2 other losses, saw the Tar Heels drop from their No. 1 preseason ranking out of the Top 25 entirely. It isn’t as bad as cynics might suggest and doesn’t warrant an “F”, but it hasn’t been good in Chapel Hill this autumn.

Notre Dame: C

Best Win: Michigan State, Nov. 30

Worst Loss: Saint Bonvanture (Gotham Classic, Elmont, N.Y.), Nov. 25

The Skinny: Losing to the Bonnies isn’t really anything to be ashamed of, and maybe “worst loss” is harsh. But it was a missed opportunity, and that basically has been the theme for Notre Dame in nonconference play. The Fighting Irish have won games they should but missed chances to impress, including last weekend, when Marquette blew them out in South Bend. A win against Michigan State always ages like a fine wine, though, which keeps the grade in the “C” range.

Pittsburgh: B

Best Win: Northwestern, Nov. 28

Worst Loss: None.

The Skinny: Jeff Capel III’s team has looked good at times, especially in road wins against Northwestern and NC State. The Panthers also haven’t suffered any bad defeats, unless you frown on a 31-point loss to a good Michigan team on a neutral floor that came without Pitt’s best player, John Hugley IV. Capel’s job is on the line this season, and his team is responding.

Syracuse: D+

Best Win: Richmond (Empire Classic, New York), Nov. 21

Worst Loss: Bryant, Nov. 26

The Skinny: The Orange is improving, but you can’t lose to Bryant and Colgate on your home floor and call it a successful nonconference slate.

Virginia: A+

Best Win: Baylor (Continental Tire Main Event, Las Vegas), Nov. 18

Worst Loss: Virginia is unbeaten.

The Skinny: The Cavaliers have started the season on a tear, and there’s no longer any trace of the team that finished outside of the top 50 in KenPom Adjusted Defensive Efficiency for the 1st time in a decade in 2021-22. Virginia ranks 16th in defensive efficiency, a massive improvement, but it’s the offense, led by the suddenly multidimensional Reece Beekman, that has made this Cavs team dangerous. Virginia can score, and as such, it can wipe away big deficits, like it did during a win at Michigan last month.

Virginia Tech: A-

Best Win: Penn State (Charleston Classic, Charleston, S.C.), Nov. 18

Worst Loss: None

The Skinny: Mike Young’s team has lost just once — at the Charleston Classic against host College of Charleston. In between, the Hokies have piled up a number of nice wins, including victories over Dayton, Oklahoma State and the Charleston Classic semifinal win against Penn State. Toss in an ACC opener victory over North Carolina, and this has been a good 2 months for the Hokies.

Wake Forest: B+

Best Win: Wisconsin, Nov. 29

Worst Loss: Loyola Marymount (Jamaica Classic, Montego Bay), Nov. 20

The Skinny: The Demon Deacons already have a better nonconference NCAA Tournament resume than they did a season ago, thanks to a victory over Georgia and their huge win at Wisconsin. A win at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis., is resume gold — the Badgers simply don’t often lose at home — and thanks to Tyree Appleby, an early candidate for ACC Player of the Year, the Demon Deacons have a signature win. A victory Saturday at Rutgers would go a long way to putting a bow on Wake Forest’s nonconference bona fides.