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Chart of the Day II: High-scoring Maryland ACC openers

As a bonus, here's Maryland's highest-scoring ACC openers ... with Maryland's effort Saturday against Virginia Tech ranking fourth in largest output in the first league game of the season over the last six decades.

124: N.C. State (1978-79, W, 124-110)

104: Clemson (2000-01, W, 104-92)

99: at Wake Forest (1974-75 --- W, 99-78)

94: Virginia Tech (2012-13 --- W, 94-71)

93: at Wake Forest (1975-76 --- L, 96-93)
93: Wake Forest (1987-88 --- W, 93-76)

92: Wake Forest (1998-99 --- W, 92-69)

91: at Georgia Tech (1993-94 --- W, 91-88)

90: Florida State (2004-05 --- W, 90-88, OT)

89: Clemson (1973-74 --- W, 89-60)

--- Patrick Stevens

Fouls per 40 minutes and the ACC: Where does your favorite player rank?

Early in the first half of Maryland's game against N.C. State, some obnoxious or inebriated (or both) fan bellowed out the early foul disparity from a corner of Comcast Center's lower bowl. Maryland had five, N.C. State had two and only three explanations could possibly be used to understand the fan's rantings.

One, he was simply drunk and a little liquid courage allowed him to yell louder than anyone.

Two, he was simply looking for something to complain about --- not an uncommon plight for a fair number of Maryland fans.

Three, he was a Clemson fan transplanted hundreds of miles to the north. (In my experiences traveling throughout the ACC, no fan base detests game officials and believes it is getting a raw deal more than Clemson supporters. It is a group that is collectively the friendliest and most polite to nearly any fan from a visiting team, but I wouldn't be caught dead wearing black and white stripes in Death Valley. It's like those folks are taught from birth to count fouls as vigilantly as points).

The one thing the guy did managed to accomplish in a roundabout way was to remind me about a post I've been meaning to piece together. Namely, a rundown of each player in the ACC and their fouls per 40 minutes total.

I did a post like this last season, and an imperfect one at that. So as a result, this one is a bit more refined.

Only conference games are included. A player must log at least 10 minutes per team game to be included. That's a nice, round number, and it yielded 95 players over a dozen teams --- about what it should have.

The most fouls per 40 minutes? That would be Jon Kreft (8.19) of Florida State. However, Wake Forest's Nikita Mescheriakov has 30 fouls in 123 minutes (9.76 per 40), and tacking on the extra seven minutes needed to make him eligible lowers his average to "just" 9.23 fouls per 40. He's the de facto leader, even if he doesn't appear on the chart.

N.C. State's DeShawn Painter has 8.52 fouls per 40 minutes, but falls a dozen minutes shy of eligibility. Add those in, and he'd still be at 7.67 --- "good" enough for third place in the league.

As for a few other notes ...

Three of the nine eligible players with less than 2.2 fouls per 40 minutes play for Boston College, including star guard Reggie Jackson ... Clemson fans might be surprised to learn Jerai Grant (2.68) has basically committed fouls at the same rate as Kyle Singler (2.67) this season in conference play. ...

Unsurprisingly, the designated foul collectors on Duke are Tyler Thornton and the Brothers Plumlee. Nolan Smith has the 11th lowest figure, while Singler has the 18th lowest amount among the 95 eligible players ... Florida State, which pays a visit to Comcast Center on Wednesday to play Maryland, is the only team with two of the five most prodigious foulers on a per-40 minute basis. On the flip side, Derwin Kitchen is among the five guys least likely to foul (1.91). ...

Anyone masquerading as a Georgia Tech forward is a foul magnet. Individual Yellow Jackets rank sixth, seventh, eighth, 10th and 12th in the category, and five of the 13 eligible players with more than five fouls per 40 minutes work on their craft in Atlanta. ... Dino Gregory and Jordan Williams combine for 6.40 fouls per 40, a superb number for the Maryland frontcourt starters. ...

Malcolm Grant is the only eligible Miami player below three fouls per 40, but at 1.90, he's well below that figure. ... Among the point guards with four fouls per 40 or more: Tony Chennault, Larry Drew II and Javier Gonzalez. ... Surprising item that maybe shouldn't be: Scott Wood (3.16) fouls more often than C.J. Leslie (2.66). ...

Assane Sene had 7.27 fouls per 40 minutes in conference play last year. Even if he's hovering around five fouls per 40, his ability to improve in that area has at least provided Virginia with a semblance of a frontcourt in some league games this year. ... Jeff Allen is the 38th most likely player out of 95 to foul on a per-40 minute basis in league play, which is a lot better for Virginia Tech than expected. Is that maturity, the frequent use of zone or both? ...  Travis McKie's impressive 2.49 fouls per 40 stands out as one more good thing about the Wake Forest freshman, though that could be a case of opponents targeting weaker prey in an attempt to exploit the Demon Deacons' shoddy defense.

The full rundown after the jump.

Stoglin goes for 25 in back-to-back games

Terrell Stoglin scored 25 points in Maryland's 87-80 defeat of N.C. State on Sunday. It was his second straight 25-point game; he had exactly that total at Virginia Tech on Tuesday.

In doing so, he became the sixth ACC player to secure consecutive 25-point nights this season.

He is also the first Terps to produce back-to-back 25-point outings since Greivis Vasquez did so last February against Virginia (30) and N.C. State (26).

REGGIE JACKSON, Boston College (2)

Jan. 8-11: 25 vs. Georgia Tech, 29 vs. N.C. State
Feb. 8-12: 27 at Clemson, 31 vs. Maryland

NOLAN SMITH, Duke (2)

Dec. 29-Jan. 5: 26 at UNC Greensboro, 28 vs. Miami, 33 vs. UAB
Jan. 27-30: 28 vs. Boston College, 32 at St. John's

JEFF ALLEN, Virginia Tech (1)

Feb. 5-13: 25 at Boston College, 25 vs. Georgia Tech

HARRISON BARNES, North Carolina (1)

Jan. 29-Feb. 1: 25 vs. N.C. State, 26 at Boston College

IMAN SHUMPERT, Georgia Tech (1)

Feb. 10-13: 25 vs. Florida State, 27 at Virginia Tech

TERRELL STOGLIN, Maryland (1)

Feb. 15-20: 25 at Virginia Tech, 25 vs. N.C. State

ACC schedule quick take: Duke

Conference: Home --- Florida State, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest; Road --- Boston College, Miami, North Carolina, Virginia

Nonconference: Home --- Richmond, Stanford, Tulane; Road --- Florida International

Bye: Week 6

Don’t play: Clemson, Maryland, N.C. State

Must-see: For the second straight year, a Heisman Trophy candidate is coming to Wallace Wade Stadium. Stanford QB Andrew Luck will pay a visit to Durham as the Cardinal comes east in the season's second week.

A favorable setup: If it wasn't for the fact Stanford is loaded, this is precisely the sort of nonconference schedule the Blue Devils should play. There's a I-AA team, two private schools with good academic reputations and then a winnable game against a non-BCS conference school. Alas, Stanford will start off as a top-10 team, and the path to six victories isn't exactly clear.

And not so much: Duke could use every bit of help it can muster in order to reach its first bowl game since 1994. Playing three of its final four on the road --- including a trip to Miami and another to Chapel Hill for the latest installment in the lopsided Victory Bell "rivalry" --- places a huge onus on the first two months of the season and allows few missteps from the start.

The full schedule:

Sept. 3: Richmond
Sept. 10: Stanford
Sept. 17: at Boston College
Sept. 24: Tulane

Oct. 1: at Florida International
Oct. 15: Florida State
Oct. 22: Wake Forest
Oct. 29: Virginia Tech

Nov. 5: at Miami
Nov. 12: at Virginia
Nov. 19: Georgia Tech
Nov. 26: at North Carolina

ACC schedule quick take: Georgia Tech

Conference: Home --- Clemson, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia Tech; Road --- Duke, Miami, N.C. State, Virginia

Nonconference: Home --- Georgia, Kansas, Western Carolina; Road --- Middle Tennessee

Bye: Week 10

Don’t play: Boston College, Florida State, Wake Forest

Must-see: Anything in September, if only to track the progress of the Yellow Jackets' offense in the post-Joshua Nesbitt era. Sure, they got an early look --- and it wasn't pretty --- but a full offseason of preparation should iron things out a bit.

A favorable setup: Again, September. There are four winnable games --- Georgia Tech would stand a decent chance to be favored in all of them, and should be favored in at least three --- and that should offer something of a glimpse at whether the Yellow Jackets can shake off last year's regression. Anything less than a 3-1 start is going to be cause for serious concern.

And not so much: There are four extremely challenging games among the final five on this schedule, even if three will be played in Atlanta. There won't be much time for breathers down the stretch for the Insects.

The full schedule:

Sept. 1: Western Carolina
Sept. 10: at Middle Tennessee
Sept. 17: Kansas
Sept. 24: North Carolina

Oct. 1: at N.C. State
Oct. 8: Maryland
Oct. 15: at Virginia
Oct. 22: at Miami
Oct. 29: Clemson

Nov. 10: Virginia Tech, ESPN, 8
Nov. 19: at Duke
Nov. 26: Georgia

ACC schedule quick take: North Carolina

Conference: Home --- Duke, Miami, Virginia, Wake Forest; Road --- Clemson, Georgia Tech, N.C. State, Virginia Tech

Nonconference: Home --- James Madison, Louisville, Rutgers; Road --- East Carolina

Bye: Week 11

Don’t play: Boston College, Florida State, Maryland

Must-see: In terms of home games, the visit from Miami is the clear jewel. But the late Thursday night jaunt to Blacksburg should be a treat as well.

A favorable setup: The home schedule is, shall we say, accommodating. Even if North Carolina takes a step back after some significant losses, the conference's three worst teams from a year ago visit Chapel Hill. And Carolina is the Coastal Division's answer to Florida State, avoiding the top two Atlantic contenders after wrapping up a home-and-home with the Seminoles last year.

And not so much: There isn't much for North Carolina to be upset about. It gets an extra five days to prepare for the best team on its schedule, opens with three eminently winnable games and at only one point does it play three of four on the road. One thing that does stand out as a quirk is facing Georgia Tech's triple option and East Carolina's pass-happy systems in consecutive weeks.

The full schedule:

Sept. 3: James Madison
Sept. 10: Rutgers
Sept. 17: Virginia
Sept. 24: at Georgia Tech

Oct. 1: at East Carolina
Oct. 8: Louisville
Oct. 15: Miami
Oct. 22: at Clemson
Oct. 29: Wake Forest

Nov. 5: at N.C. State
Nov. 17: at Virginia Tech, ESPN, 8
Nov. 26: Duke

ACC schedule quick take: Miami

Conference: Home --- Boston College, Duke, Georgia Tech, Virginia; Road --- Florida State, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia Tech

Nonconference: Home --- Bethune-Cookman, Kansas State, Ohio State; Road --- South Florida

Bye: Week 2

Don’t play: Clemson, N.C. State, Wake Forest

Must-see: That Sept. 17 date with Ohio State would certainly qualify. It will be new coach Al Golden's home debut, and will come after the Hurricanes' lone bye week.

A favorable setup: Miami plays four of its final six at home (though attendance issues make you wonder whether that's a good thing). In any case, The U won't leave the Sunshine State after Oct. 15 --- unless it is for the ACC title game or a bowl.

And not so much: The flip side of that is Miami's first three league games are all on the road. The first two --- Maryland on Labor Day and Virginia Tech in early October --- are against legitimate conference title contenders. There are no early favors at the start of the Hurricanes' Golden age.

The full schedule:

Sept. 5: at Maryland, ESPN, 8
Sept. 17: Ohio State
Sept. 24: Kansas State

Oct. 1: Bethune-Cookman
Oct. 8: at Virginia Tech
Oct. 15: at North Carolina
Oct. 22: Georgia Tech
Oct. 27: Virginia, ESPN, 8

Nov. 5: Duke
Nov. 12: at Florida State
Nov. 19: at South Florida
Nov. 26: Boston College

ACC schedule quick take: Wake Forest

Conference: Home --- Florida State, Maryland, N.C. State, Virginia Tech; Road --- Boston College, Clemson, Duke, North Carolina

Nonconference: Home --- Gardner-Webb, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt; Road --- Syracuse

Bye: Week 4

Don’t play: Georgia Tech, Miami, Virginia

Must-see: It's not every day that Notre Dame comes to the Dash. It's not like the Demon Deacons haven't had some interesting visitors in recent years (Nebraska and Stanford come to mind), but this is clearly the gem of the home schedule.

A favorable setup: There's only so much that can look good about the schedule a 3-9 team is about to face. Nonetheless, getting N.C. State early --- and at home --- while it is breaking in a new quarterback is probably as good an opener as the Deacons' could have hoped for.

And not so much: Florida State and Virginia Tech in consecutive weeks --- whether home, road or a galaxy far, far away --- does not bode well for the Demon Deacons. There could be some lumps absorbed in mid-October.

The full schedule:

Sept. 3: at Syracuse
Sept. 10: N.C. State
Sept. 17: Gardner-Webb

Oct. 1: at Boston College
Oct. 8: Florida State
Oct. 15: Virginia Tech
Oct. 22: at Duke
Oct. 29: at North Carolina

Nov. 5: Notre Dame
Nov. 12: at Clemson
Nov. 19: Maryland
Nov. 26: Vanderbilt

ACC schedule quick take: Clemson

Conference: Home --- Boston College, Florida State, North Carolina, Wake Forest; Road --- Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Virginia Tech

Nonconference: Home --- Auburn, Troy, Wofford; Road --- South Carolina

Bye: Week 10

Don’t play: Duke, Miami, Virginia

Must-see: It's tempting to pick out the matchup with defending national champ Auburn, but how about a Bowden-free date with Florida State the next week? Clemson will probably be 2-1 at that point, and the Seminoles' visit to Death Valley will go a long way to determing the tenor of the season.

A favorable setup: This really isn't the friendliest schedule. But at least the Tigers get a bye in early November, which should provide a chance to regroup and attempt to invoke their usual Clemsonliness to make a late-season charge.

And not so much: There's no Duke or Virginia, the only Atlantic Division team that doesn't get to face either the Blue Devils or the Cavaliers. That's simply the course of the schedule rotation (Boston College, Florida State and N.C. State get their turns with that, too), but it probably isn't what Clemson would like to see as it breaks in a new quarterback and tries to replace the top defensive player in the ACC (Da'Quan Bowers).

The full schedule:

Sept. 3: Troy
Sept. 10: Wofford
Sept. 17: Auburn
Sept. 24: Florida State

Oct. 1: at Virginia Tech
Oct. 8: Boston College
Oct. 15: at Maryland
Oct. 22: North Carolina
Oct. 29: at Georgia Tech

Nov. 12: Wake Forest
Nov. 19: at N.C. State
Nov. 26: at South Carolina

ACC schedule quick take: N.C. State

Conference: Home --- Clemson, Georgia Tech, Maryland, North Carolina; Road --- Boston College, Florida State, Virginia, Wake Forest

Nonconference: Home --- Central Michigan, Liberty, South Alabama; Road --- Cincinnati

Bye: Week 7

Don’t play: Duke, Miami, Virginia Tech

Must-see: Not sure there's much to get excited about early. The marquee games come back-to-back --- the trip to Tallahassee in late October, followed by a home date with North Carolina. The Wolfpack's season will be heavily included by those two games.

A favorable setup: September. New quarterback Mike Glennon will get to have the training wheels on for a while. Both road games that month --- against Cincinnati and Wake Forest --- come against teams that fell hard in 2010.

And not so much: It's never good to see a pair of Division I-AA teams on the schedule. The Wolfpack will need to win seven games to make a bowl game. More importantly, it's going to be tough to have a good read on Tom O'Brien's team until well into the season --- perhaps even the eighth game of the year.

The full schedule:

Sept. 3: Liberty
Sept. 10: at Wake Forest
Sept. 17: South Alabama
Sept. 22: at Cincinnati, ESPN, 8

Oct. 1: Georgia Tech
Oct. 8: Central Michigan
Oct. 22: at Virginia
Oct. 29: at Florida State

Nov. 5: North Carolina
Nov. 12: at Boston College
Nov. 19: Clemson
Nov. 26: Maryland

Sept. 3 LIBERTY
Sept. 10 at Wake Forest
Sept. 17 SOUTH ALABAMA
Sept. 22 at Cincinnati (Thursday), ESPN, 8 pm
Oct. 1 GEORGIA TECH
Oct. 8 CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Oct. 15 OPEN
Oct. 22 at Virginia
Oct. 29 at Florida State
Nov. 5 NORTH CAROLINA
Nov. 12 at Boston College
Nov. 19 CLEMSON
Nov. 26 MARYLAND