What I found in both narrowing my criteria for All-ACC and actually trying to pick a team is just how insanely difficult it becomes when you try to merge the stat-geek stuff in with the 'what I see' stuff ( I have all but thrown counting stats out the window at this point - they are a relic of the past).
One factor I failed to highlight in my previous post that I want to bring up here is conference only performance. I do think there should be a bump given to people who come on strong in January in February - which is why you'll see the name Michael Snaer below even though his overall metrics for the season would not get him into the top 15.
I preface my actual picks because I want to be clear about one thing: at the end of the day a lot of guys are so close together that it becomes a pick-em of sorts. Guys are so close that team performance actually becomes a factor.
Anyway, here are the picks with some brief explanation
1st Team
Mike Scott
Tyler Zeller
John Henson
Terrell Stoglin
Harrison Barnes
The only tough one here is Barnes, who rates very close to a few other guards on much worse teams. Barnes is definitely the person most likely to lose this spot over the next eight games.
2nd Team
Mason Plumlee
Michael Snaer
Bernard James
Erick Green
Joe Harris
Joe Harris the best player in the league that literally no one talks about. If you take out pace, he is definitely one of the 10 best players in the league and arguably a 1st team guy (I mean, its not a good argument but you could make it). James gets the 'Henson' defensive bump, moving him from 'not on the list at all' to the 2nd team. He's a game-changer on defense. Erick Green is good but wallowing in terrible losses in Blacksburg.
3rd Team
CJ Harris
Glen Rice, Jr
Kenny Kadji
Richard Howell
Ryan Kelly
Great players on forgotten teams and the White Raven. Kadji and Howell are surprisingly the best players on their respective teams - though you could switch out Durand Scott and Lorenzo Brown in their places and I wouldn't argue much. Ryan Kelly is a deadly efficient player who somehow isn't getting a ton of attention from the media while playing for Duke.
Notable Snubs
Kendall Marshall - I will probably end up writing a 800 word treatise on why I didn't vote for Marshall in March, so just look forward to that one
Lorenzo Brown - Turnovers, essentially. If he brings those down over the course of the next month I think he'll sneak into the third team
Austin Rivers - Most room to move up of anyone not on the list. Has been a different player in the last week.
Travis McKie - A victim of the numbers game and one of the few guys that got hurt by his team's overall performance. At the end of the day I can't put two guys from a terrible team on the list.
Durand Scott - Numbers game again. I wanted to find a place for him but Kadji has his spot for right now.
