A month into this season, it’s obvious that Duke is the class of the ACC by a wide margin.
The reigning national champs are off to an 8-0 start, and freshman guard Kyrie Irving is a major reason for the Blue Devils’ early season success against the likes of Kansas State, Marquette, Michigan State and Butler. He has a Total Impact Quotient of 14.3, which is exceptionally good for a guard and ranks No. 3 among ACC guards.
Perhaps the biggest surprise to Duke’s start is forward Kyle Singler’s diminished impact on the team’s success. How is that possible for a player averaging 15.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game and shooting 89.3 percent from the free throw line? In short, Singler’s TIQ has dropped from a better-than-average 10.0 to a subpar 3.3.
The explanation for Singler’s drop in TIQ is straightforward: Duke really is a better team this season than last season. The Blue Devils are shooting 49.3 percent from the field compared to 44.3 percent last season. However, Singler is only shooting 43.9 percent this season, the only Duke starter to hit less than 50 percent of his shots. So Singler’s shooting struggle relative to his teammates’ success is costing the Blue Devils points. In addition, Singler’s stats for rebounds and assists have dropped. The drop in assists makes sense with the arrival of Irving, a supremely talented play maker.
What that all means is that Duke is better even though Singler is making less of an impact on each game. And that’s just scary.
For a complete introduction to the TIQ rating system, check out this list of frequently asked questions.
And now on to the ratings for the ACC, through games as of Saturday, Dec. 4.
TIQ position averages:
Centers: 13.9
Forwards: 9.2
Guards: 6.3
TIQ = Total Impact Quotient
PD% = Position differential in % difference from average
| Top 3 centers | Team | TIQ | PD% | Minutes |
| Reggie Johnson | Miami | 21.5 | 54.7 | 186 |
| Jordan Williams | Maryland | 17.0 | 22.3 | 250 |
| Tyler Zeller | North Carolina | 15.3 | 10.1 | 222 |
| Top 5 forwards | Team | TIQ | PD% | Minutes |
| Raphael Akpejiori | Miami | 25.9 | 181.5 | 42 |
| Nate Hicks | Georgia Tech | 21.0 | 128.3 | 40 |
| Richard Howell | North Carolina State | 19.5 | 112.0 | 128 |
| Chris Singleton | Florida State | 18.1 | 96.7 | 215 |
| Corey Raji | Boston College | 17.4 | 89.1 | 170 |
| Top 5 guards | Team | TIQ | PD% | Minutes |
| Iman Shumpert | Georgia Tech | 15.7 | 149.2 | 207 |
| Kyrie Irving | Duke | 14.3 | 127.0 | 231 |
| Glen Rice Jr. | Georgia Tech | 12.3 | 95.2 | 180 |
| Kendall Marshall | North Carolina | 11.4 | 81.0 | 115 |
| Durand Scott | Miami | 11.3 | 79.4 | 230 |
Player Rankings
| Position | Team/Player | TIQ | Minutes | PD% | Position rank |
| BOSTON COLLEGE 2010-11 | |||||
| G | Reggie Jackson | 10.4 | 270 | 65.1 | 9 |
| G | Biko Paris | 0.8 | 259 | -87.3 | 47 |
| F | Joe Trapani | 3.8 | 235 | -58.7 | 43 |
| G | Danny Rubin | 6.2 | 171 | -1.6 | 24 |
| F | Corey Raji | 17.4 | 170 | 89.1 | 5 |
| G | Dallas Elmore | 4.5 | 126 | -28.6 | 33 |
| F | Josh Southern | 15.2 | 117 | 65.2 | 7 |
| F | Cortney Dunn | 11.4 | 103 | 23.9 | 14 |
| G | Gabriel Moton | 2.8 | 89 | -55.6 | 42 |
| CLEMSON 2010-11 | |||||
| G | Andre Young | 5.1 | 229 | -19.0 | 31 |
| F | Tanner Smith | 7.3 | 219 | -20.7 | 31 |
| G | Demontez Stitt | 4.4 | 212 | -30.2 | 34 |
| F | Devin Booker | 6.5 | 171 | -29.3 | 35 |
| F | Jerai Grant | 16.1 | 156 | 75.0 | 6 |
| F | Milton Jennings | 8.6 | 152 | -6.5 | 22 |
| G | Cory Stanton | 5.4 | 94 | -14.3 | 29 |
| F | Noel Johnson | -0.1 | 92 | -101.1 | 48 |
| F | Bryan Narcisse | 1.9 | 51 | -79.3 | 47 |
| DUKE 2010-11 | |||||
| F | Kyle Singler | 3.3 | 252 | -64.1 | 45 |
| G | Nolan Smith | 7.3 | 245 | 15.9 | 17 |
| G | Kyrie Irving | 14.3 | 231 | 127.0 | 3 |
| F | Mason Plumlee | 12.4 | 212 | 34.8 | 13 |
| G | Andre Dawkins | 8.9 | 185 | 41.3 | 13 |
| G | Seth Curry | 6.6 | 141 | 4.8 | 23 |
| F | Miles Plumlee | 7.3 | 117 | -20.7 | 32 |
| F | Ryan Kelly | 8.5 | 115 | -7.6 | 24 |
| F | Josh Hairston | 4.8 | 46 | -47.8 | 40 |
| FLORIDA STATE 2010-11 | |||||
| F | Chris Singleton | 18.1 | 215 | 96.7 | 4 |
| G | Derwin Kitchen | 9.4 | 181 | 49.2 | 11 |
| G | Michael Snaer | 4.4 | 181 | -30.2 | 35 |
| G | Deividas Dulkys | 5.4 | 173 | -14.3 | 30 |
| F | Xavier Gibson | 8.5 | 146 | -7.6 | 25 |
| F | Bernard James | 12.8 | 129 | 39.1 | 11 |
| G | Ian Miller | -3.7 | 115 | -158.7 | 51 |
| G | Luke Loucks | 2.2 | 107 | -65.1 | 44 |
| F | Okaro White | 12.6 | 92 | 37.0 | 12 |
| GEORGIA TECH 2010-11 | |||||
| G | Iman Shumpert | 15.7 | 207 | 149.2 | 1 |
| F | Brian Oliver | 8.1 | 201 | -12.0 | 28 |
| G | Glen Rice Jr. | 12.3 | 180 | 95.2 | 4 |
| G | Mfon Udofia | 3.8 | 177 | -39.7 | 37 |
| C | Daniel Miller | 10.0 | 157 | -28.1 | 3 |
| G | Maurice Miller | 10.8 | 122 | 71.4 | 8 |
| F | Kammeon Holsey | 5.5 | 122 | -40.2 | 37 |
| G | Jason Morris | 3.9 | 107 | -38.1 | 36 |
| G | Lance Storrs | 2.3 | 58 | -63.5 | 43 |
| F | Nate Hicks | 21.0 | 40 | 128.3 | 2 |
| MARYLAND 2010-11 | |||||
| C | Jordan Williams | 17.0 | 250 | 22.3 | 2 |
| F | Sean Mosley | 6.7 | 228 | -27.2 | 34 |
| F | Cliff Tucker | 6.5 | 218 | -29.3 | 36 |
| F | Dino Gregory | 7.7 | 216 | -16.3 | 30 |
| G | Adrian Bowie | 9.8 | 212 | 55.6 | 10 |
| G | Pe’Shon Howard | 6.1 | 136 | -3.2 | 25 |
| G | Terrell Stoglin | 8.3 | 120 | 31.7 | 15 |
| F | James Padgett | 3.8 | 91 | -58.7 | 44 |
| MIAMI 2010-11 | |||||
| G | Malcolm Grant | 6.7 | 237 | 6.3 | 22 |
| G | Durand Scott | 11.3 | 230 | 79.4 | 5 |
| G | Garrius Adams | 6.1 | 216 | -3.2 | 26 |
| F | Adrian Thomas | 4.1 | 213 | -55.4 | 42 |
| C | Reggie Johnson | 21.5 | 186 | 54.7 | 1 |
| G | Rion Brown | 6.8 | 130 | 7.9 | 21 |
| F | DeQuan Jones | 2.4 | 117 | -73.9 | 46 |
| F | Julian Gamble | 8.6 | 108 | -6.5 | 23 |
| F | Donnavan Kirk | -0.7 | 91 | -107.6 | 49 |
| F | Raphael Akpejiori | 25.9 | 42 | 181.5 | 1 |
| NORTH CAROLINA 2010-11 | |||||
| C | Tyler Zeller | 15.3 | 222 | 10.1 | 3 |
| F | Harrison Barnes | 5.1 | 222 | -44.6 | 38 |
| G | Larry Drew II | 5.1 | 204 | -19.0 | 32 |
| G | Dexter Strickland | 7.1 | 201 | 12.7 | 18 |
| F | John Henson | 16.0 | 197 | 73.9 | 6 |
| F | Justin Knox | 11.3 | 119 | 22.8 | 15 |
| G | Kendall Marshall | 11.4 | 115 | 81.0 | 4 |
| G | Leslie McDonald | 0.3 | 113 | -95.2 | 49 |
| G | Reggie Blullock | 3.6 | 103 | -42.9 | 39 |
| F | Justin Watts | 9.3 | 94 | 1.1 | 20 |
| NORTH CAROLINA STATE 2010-11 | |||||
| F | Scott Wood | 8.1 | 217 | -12.0 | 29 |
| G | Lorenzo Brown | 8.5 | 204 | 34.9 | 14 |
| G | Ryan Harrow | 0.9 | 164 | -85.7 | 46 |
| G | Javier Gonzalez | 8.1 | 153 | 28.6 | 16 |
| F | C.J. Leslie | 10.2 | 150 | 10.9 | 18 |
| F | DeShawn Painter | 9.2 | 145 | 0.0 | 21 |
| F | Richard Howell | 19.5 | 128 | 112.0 | 3 |
| F | C.J. Williams | 7.2 | 109 | -21.7 | 33 |
| C | Jordan Vandenberg | 8.5 | 90 | -38.8 | 6 |
| F | Tracy Smith | 13.2 | 34 | 43.5 | 10 |
| VIRGINIA 2010-11 | |||||
| F | Mike Scott | 13.3 | 232 | 44.6 | 9 |
| G | Jontel Evans | 7.1 | 207 | 12.7 | 19 |
| G | Mustapha Farrakhan | 3.3 | 187 | -47.6 | 40 |
| G | Joe Harris | 6.1 | 185 | -3.2 | 27 |
| F | Will Sherrill | 8.4 | 155 | -8.7 | 26 |
| G | K.T. Harrell | 3.8 | 149 | -39.7 | 38 |
| G | Billy Baron | 5.6 | 124 | -11.1 | 28 |
| F | Assane Sene | 8.2 | 85 | -10.9 | 27 |
| VIRGINIA TECH 2010-11 | |||||
| G | Malcom Delaney | 7.0 | 274 | 11.1 | 20 |
| G | Dorenzo Hudson | -0.2 | 235 | -103.2 | 50 |
| F | Terrell Bell | 10.7 | 222 | 16.3 | 16 |
| F | Victor Davila | 10.0 | 220 | 8.7 | 19 |
| F | Jeff Allen | 10.4 | 212 | 13.0 | 17 |
| G | Jarell Eddie | 2.9 | 98 | -54.0 | 41 |
| G | Erick Green | 1.7 | 75 | -73.0 | 45 |
| WAKE FOREST 2010-11 | |||||
| G | C.J. Harris | 11.1 | 249 | 76.2 | 7 |
| F | Travis McKie | 14.3 | 239 | 55.4 | 8 |
| F | Ari Stewart | 4.2 | 229 | -54.3 | 41 |
| G | J.T. Terrell | 0.6 | 227 | -90.5 | 48 |
| G | Gary Clark | 9.3 | 214 | 47.6 | 12 |
| C | Ty Walker | 11.0 | 204 | -20.9 | 4 |
| F | Carson Desrosiers | 5.1 | 132 | -44.6 | 39 |
Player Rankings for 2009-10
| Position | Team/Player | TIQ | Minutes | PD% | Position rank |
| BOSTON COLLEGE 2009-10 | |||||
| G | Reggie Jackson | 10.7 | 934 | 72.6 | 22 |
| F | Joe Trapani | 10.1 | 888 | 8.6 | 135 |
| G | Biko Paris | 7.0 | 790 | 12.9 | 141 |
| F | Corey Raji | 11.0 | 774 | 18.3 | 95 |
| F | Rakim Sanders | 3.8 | 646 | -59.1 | 306 |
| F | Tyler Roche | 7.6 | 554 | -18.3 | 222 |
| F | Josh Southern | 9.3 | 508 | 0.0 | 169 |
| G | Dallas Elmore | 5.0 | 470 | -19.4 | 246 |
| F | Cortney Dunn | 4.8 | 347 | -48.4 | 292 |
| F | Evan Ravenel | 9.9 | 263 | 6.5 | 144 |
| CLEMSON 2009-10 | |||||
| F | Trevor Booker | 14.7 | 984 | 58.1 | 19 |
| G | Demontez Stitt | 6.6 | 863 | 6.5 | 159 |
| G | Andre Young | 6.4 | 842 | 3.2 | 169 |
| F | Tanner Smith | 8.3 | 798 | -10.8 | 201 |
| F | David Potter | 4.0 | 765 | -57.0 | 302 |
| F | Jerai Grant | 13.9 | 629 | 49.5 | 29 |
| F | Noel Johnson | 1.4 | 474 | -84.9 | 322 |
| F | Devin Booker | 9.4 | 370 | 1.1 | 164 |
| F | Milton Jennings | 6.6 | 358 | -29.0 | 256 |
| F | Bryan Narcisse | 5.6 | 121 | -39.8 | 275 |
| G | Donte Hill | 4.7 | 117 | -24.2 | 261 |
| DUKE 2009-10 | |||||
| G | Jon Scheyer | 10.2 | 1,470 | 64.5 | 25 |
| F | Kyle Singler | 10.0 | 1,436 | 7.5 | 139 |
| G | Nolan Smith | 4.2 | 1,349 | -32.3 | 276 |
| F | Lance Thomas | 8.2 | 1,013 | -11.8 | 205 |
| C | Brian Zoubek | 20.6 | 746 | 80.7 | 2 |
| F | Miles Plumlee | 12.7 | 654 | 36.6 | 50 |
| F | Mason Plumlee | 10.3 | 480 | 10.8 | 127 |
| G | Andre Dawkins | 3.6 | 477 | -41.9 | 300 |
| F | Ryan Kelly | 6.3 | 227 | -32.3 | 266 |
| FLORIDA STATE 2009-10 | |||||
| G | Chris Singleton | 8.8 | 1,005 | 41.9 | 55 |
| G | Derwin Kitchen | 10.2 | 886 | 64.5 | 26 |
| C | Solomon Alabi | 12.2 | 820 | 7.0 | 20 |
| G | Michael Snaer | 2.4 | 755 | -61.3 | 334 |
| G | Deividas Dulkys | 5.4 | 705 | -12.9 | 230 |
| F | Ryan Reid | 6.6 | 704 | -29.0 | 257 |
| G | Luke Loucks | 7.4 | 632 | 19.4 | 117 |
| F | Xavier Gibson | 8.4 | 411 | -9.7 | 196 |
| F | Jordan DeMercy | 6.3 | 298 | -32.3 | 267 |
| GEORGIA TECH 2009-10 | |||||
| F | Derrick Favors | 14.6 | 989 | 57.0 | 20 |
| F | Gani Lawal | 13.7 | 930 | 47.3 | 34 |
| G | Iman Shumpert | 5.9 | 904 | -4.8 | 205 |
| G | D’Andre Bell | 5.2 | 789 | -16.1 | 238 |
| F | Zachery Peacock | 7.3 | 787 | -21.5 | 235 |
| G | Mfon Udofia | 4.1 | 690 | -33.9 | 281 |
| G | Glen Rice Jr. | 9.2 | 643 | 48.4 | 41 |
| F | Brian Oliver | 3.0 | 595 | -67.7 | 315 |
| G | Maurice Miller | 8.1 | 491 | 30.6 | 85 |
| C | Brad Sheehan | 7.1 | 152 | -37.7 | 53 |
| G | Nick Foreman | 8.8 | 122 | 41.9 | 56 |
| G | Lance Storrs | 3.9 | 112 | -37.1 | 290 |
| MARYLAND 2009-10 | |||||
| G | Greivis Vasquez | 10.1 | 1,120 | 62.9 | 29 |
| G | Eric Hayes | 8.9 | 1,014 | 43.5 | 48 |
| F | Landon Milbourne | 6.6 | 978 | -29.0 | 259 |
| F | Sean Mosley | 12.5 | 885 | 34.4 | 56 |
| C | Jordan Williams | 14.4 | 817 | 26.3 | 11 |
| G | Adrian Bowie | 6.9 | 517 | 11.3 | 145 |
| F | Dino Gregory | 8.1 | 500 | -12.9 | 211 |
| F | Cliff Tucker | 4.9 | 475 | -47.3 | 289 |
| F | James Padgett | 12.2 | 267 | 31.2 | 60 |
| MIAMI 2009-10 | |||||
| G | James Dews | 3.2 | 964 | -48.4 | 318 |
| G | Durand Scott | 7.6 | 917 | 22.6 | 112 |
| G | Malcolm Grant | 5.7 | 813 | -8.1 | 218 |
| F | Adrian Thomas | 7.2 | 726 | -22.6 | 240 |
| F | Dwayne Collins | 15.7 | 716 | 68.8 | 9 |
| G | Garrius Adams | 3.9 | 540 | -37.1 | 291 |
| F | DeQuan Jones | 4.2 | 466 | -54.8 | 301 |
| F | Julian Gamble | 9.2 | 440 | -1.1 | 175 |
| C | Reggie Johnson | 20.1 | 434 | 76.3 | 4 |
| F | Cyrus McGowan | 9.3 | 412 | 0.0 | 171 |
| G | Antoine Allen | 14.6 | 137 | 135.5 | 2 |
| NORTH CAROLINA 2009-10 | |||||
| G | Larry Drew II | 8.1 | 1,064 | 30.6 | 87 |
| F | Marcus Ginyard | 8.2 | 1,009 | -11.8 | 208 |
| F | Deon Thompson | 11.1 | 995 | 19.4 | 92 |
| F | Will Graves | 7.8 | 874 | -16.1 | 216 |
| F | Ed Davis | 18.9 | 641 | 103.2 | 1 |
| G | Dexter Strickland | 6.3 | 623 | 1.6 | 179 |
| F | John Henson | 13.1 | 586 | 40.9 | 44 |
| C | Tyler Zeller | 11.5 | 470 | 0.9 | 27 |
| G | Leslie McDonald | 1.9 | 350 | -69.4 | 348 |
| F | Travis Wear | 5.5 | 324 | -40.9 | 280 |
| F | David Wear | 5.0 | 280 | -46.2 | 285 |
| F | Justin Watts | 6.6 | 143 | -29.0 | 260 |
| NORTH CAROLINA STATE 2009-10 | |||||
| F | Tracy Smith | 12.4 | 1,122 | 33.3 | 57 |
| F | Scott Wood | 5.0 | 1,029 | -46.2 | 286 |
| F | Dennis Horner | 13.6 | 1,005 | 46.2 | 38 |
| G | Javier Gonzalez | 3.6 | 900 | -41.9 | 303 |
| F | C.J. Williams | 2.7 | 685 | -71.0 | 317 |
| G | Farnold Degand | 5.7 | 675 | -8.1 | 219 |
| G | Julius Mays | 5.4 | 667 | -12.9 | 232 |
| F | Richard Howell | 11.8 | 408 | 26.9 | 70 |
| F | Josh Davis | 4.5 | 321 | -51.6 | 298 |
| C | Jordan Vandenberg | 9.3 | 173 | -18.4 | 39 |
| F | DeShawn Painter | 4.6 | 170 | -50.5 | 295 |
| VIRGINIA 2009-10 | |||||
| G | Sammy Zeglinski | 6.8 | 899 | 9.7 | 154 |
| G | Sylven Landesberg | 8.9 | 868 | 43.5 | 51 |
| F | Mike Scott | 10.3 | 768 | 10.8 | 129 |
| F | Jerome Meyinsse | 11.7 | 690 | 25.8 | 78 |
| G | Mustapha Farrakhan | 4.7 | 631 | -24.2 | 266 |
| G | Jeff Jones | 6.2 | 567 | 0.0 | 188 |
| G | Jontel Evans | 6.4 | 512 | 3.2 | 175 |
| F | Will Sherrill | 7.0 | 462 | -24.7 | 246 |
| G | Calvin Baker | 3.3 | 407 | -46.8 | 317 |
| F | Assane Sene | 10.5 | 316 | 12.9 | 121 |
| VIRGINIA TECH 2009-10 | |||||
| G | Malcom Delaney | 9.9 | 1,179 | 59.7 | 33 |
| G | Dorenzo Hudson | 4.9 | 1,155 | -21.0 | 257 |
| F | Terrell Bell | 10.3 | 962 | 10.8 | 130 |
| F | Jeff Allen | 11.7 | 895 | 25.8 | 79 |
| F | Victor Davila | 6.7 | 790 | -28.0 | 255 |
| F | J.T. Thompson | 8.9 | 682 | -4.3 | 185 |
| G | Erick Green | 1.9 | 427 | -69.4 | 350 |
| F | Lewis Witcher | 3.3 | 237 | -64.5 | 311 |
| G | Ben Boggs | 7.9 | 216 | 27.4 | 100 |
| F | Manny Atkins | 8.2 | 198 | -11.8 | 209 |
| F | Cadarian Raines | 8.4 | 165 | -9.7 | 199 |
| WAKE FOREST 2009-10 | |||||
| G | Ishmael Smith | 5.6 | 1,140 | -9.7 | 225 |
| F | Al-Farouq Aminu | 15.2 | 970 | 63.4 | 15 |
| G | L.D. Williams | 9.2 | 942 | 48.4 | 43 |
| G | C.J. Harris | 5.8 | 864 | -6.5 | 216 |
| F | Chas McFarland | 11.8 | 762 | 26.9 | 71 |
| F | Ari Stewart | 1.8 | 530 | -80.6 | 321 |
| F | Tony Woods | 9.9 | 413 | 6.5 | 147 |
| F | David Weaver | 7.2 | 402 | -22.6 | 243 |
| G | Gary Clark | 4.3 | 224 | -30.6 | 274 |
