We are just a little more than a month into college basketball season, and only one ACC conference game has been played. However, we're starting to get a better feel for some ACC teams. Every team in the conference has lost at least one game, and there doesn't appear to be a legit National Championship contender for the first time in awhile.

The ACC lost the Big Ten/ACC Challenge for the first time, 6-5. This conference was expected to be a bit down this year because so many good players from last year were lost, and that appears to be the case.

Boston College is off to a slow start thanks to the loss of All-ACC guard Tyrese Rice. Starting off-guard Rakin Sanders has also missed all but two games because of an injury. The Eagles dropped early games to St. Joe's and Northen Iowa, two good teams. After beating Miami 61-60 in the first ACC game, BC has dropped two straight home games to Harvard and Rhode Island.

Rhode Island has just one loss on the year, and Harvard is 7-2 and one of just two teams who has beaten William & Mary. William & Mary is 6-2, with a win at Wake Forest. So while BC's losses might look bad on paper, the teams they have lost to are very competent.

That said, the Eagles can't afford to drop anymore non-conference games. Joe Trapani, Corey Raji and Reggie Jackson are solid scorers for the Eagles, but they need to get Rakim Sanders back and in shape if they want to contend for the NCAA tournament.

Virginia Tech is off to their best start in the Seth Greenberg era with an 8-1 record. Malcolm Delaney is leading the ACC in scoring, averaging 21.6 points per game. They allow just 61.2 points per game, the fourth-best mark in the ACC. The team's improvement has been dramatic since their return from Philadephia, where they played in the Philly Hoop Group Classic.

In Philly, Tech lost to Temple 61-50 and then barely beat a bad Delaware team in overtime. Since then, Tech has defeated Iowa, Georgia, VMI and Penn State. None of those teams are particularly good, but it does show the type of improvement the Hokies have made.

Tech still has a lot of work to do. They rank dead last in the ACC in field goal percentage (41.8%), well behind 11th place Boston College (45.3%). They rank dead last in three-point percentage (29.9%). They rank 9th in scoring offense (70.1 ppg). They aren't even in the top half in field goal percentage defense, despite playing mostly bad offensive teams.

Still, the Hokies have improved as the season has progressed. With the ACC down this year, Tech will their chances to make some noise.

Duke has breezed right through their non-conference competition, with the excpeption of an upset at the hands of Wisconsin. The Blue Devils have solid wins over St. John's, UConn and Arizona State, and they currently rank #1 in the RPI, which is pretty common for the Blue Devils early in the season.

Kyle Singler is averaging 17.1 points and seven rebounds per game, and he will be a strong candidate for ACC Player of the Year before it's all said and done. Nolan Smith is averaging 17.2 points per game, and Jon Scheyer is chipping in with 15.8.

The Blue Devils have added another serious three-point threat in Andre Dawkins. The freshman guard from Chesapeake, VA is averaging 9.9 points per game and is 20-of-39 (51.3%) from three-point range.

Right now, Duke is too much perimeter and not enough post. The Blue Devils still don't have a legit, consistent inside threat, and that will probably lower their overall ceiling.

The Wolfpack have a solid road win against Marquette, but it's still unknown how good this NC State team is. Power forward Tracy Smith is averaging 18 points per game, and Dennis Horner is chipping in with 14 per game. Smith is shooting 55.3% from the field, while the hot shooting Horner is hitting at a 58.8% clip.

Despite having a couple of players who convert a high percentage of their shots, this is an offensively challenged team. NC State averages just 66.9 points per game. They did not reach the 70-point mark until their December 5th win at Marquette. Their only loss was to a solid but not spectacular Northwestern team, 65-53 in Raleigh.

NC State's record and defense look good on paper, but they've got a ways to go before they prove they can challenge for one of the top spots in the ACC.

Georgia Tech brought in one of the highest-rated recruiting classes in the country, led by Derrick Favors. Favors is averaging 13.4 points per game, while fellow post player Gani Lawal is leading the team with 14.7 per game. Another freshman, Mfon Udofia, is a 6-2 combo guard who is averaging 12.9 points per game.

Overall this is a balanced Georgia Tech team that can score. Former Virginia Tech recruiting target Brian Oliver, a 6-6 freshman, is averaging 7.7 points per game and shooting 50% from three-point range.

However, this is a team with just one Top 100 win, a 74-61 victory over Sienna at home. The Yellow Jackets lost to Dayton, easily the best team they have faced. Georgia Tech is solid, but like most other ACC teams, we really aren't sure how good they are yet.

Clemson has solid non-conference wins against South Carolina and Butler, but their home court loss to Illinois in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge was a tough one. The Tigers led by 23 points early in the second half, but went on to lose the game 76-74 in the biggest comeback in Illinois basketball history.

That loss left a bitter taste in the mouths of Clemson players, but they have come back to win their last two games against South Carolina and Furman. Trevor Booker is averaging 14.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, and despite being a bit undersized, is arguably the best big man in the ACC.

The Tigers are one of the deepest teams in the ACC, regularly going with a 10-man rotation. Oliver Purnell might trim that down when conference play begins, but he has a lot more options than most of the other coaches around the league. Clemson looks like a good bet to go to their third straight NCAA tournament.

UNC is a very young, but very talented basketball team. The Tar Heels are 8-2 on the season, with their only losses coming at Kentucky and in Madison Square Garden against Syracuse. They have beaten Ohio State and Michigan State, and those will be quality wins for their NCAA tournament resume in March.

Carolina has a lot of length on the inside, led by Deon Thompson and Ed Davis. Those two players are combining to average 31.1 points per game. Marcus Ginyard, returning from an injury that kept him out all of last season, is stepping up his scoring, averaging 10.4 points per game. Ginyard is shooting the ball better this year. His shot selection has improved as he's been asked to shoulder more of the scoring load.

The Tar Heels have one more big non-conference challenge, at Texas on December 19. Win or lose in that game, UNC still appears to be one of the ACC's best teams, as usual.

Solomon Alabi, Chris Singleton and Derwin Kitchen all average between 11.4 and 11 points per game. With the loss of Toney Douglass, the Noles don't have a go-to scorer, but they've managed to get it done by committee against most of the teams they have faced.

However, their lack of a go-to guy on offense was apparent in losses to Florida (68-52) and Ohio State (77-64). They are very limited when they play a team that plays good defensive basketball. The Seminoles are a very good defensive team in their own right because of their length, but they'll need to develop an offensive identity to be successful.

Florida State opens up ACC play at Georgia Tech on Sunday.

Wake Forest has been an up and down team thus far. The Demon Deacons have a home loss to William & Mary, and they were also beaten by Purdue 69-58 in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. However, they responded to those back-to-back losses with a couple of wins, including a 77-75 victory at Gonzaga.

Wake is led by Al-Farouq Aminu, who averages a double-double with 15.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Aminu is one of the top players in the ACC, and his sophomore season could be his last in Winston-Salem.

The Demon Deacons are a very talented basketball team, but they never quite seem to play up to their potential. With a home loss to William & Mary already on their resume, they don't seem to be doing anything to change that perception this year.

Maryland is 6-3, with no impressive wins thus far. All three of their quality opponents (Cincinnati, Wisconsin and Villanova) have beaten the Terps by at least nine points. Maryland has three players averaging in double figures, but they haven't been able to get over the hump against decent competition.

Other than that, there's not much to say about the Terps right now. They have beaten teams they should have beaten, and lost to the teams they should have lost to, with the possible exception of Cincinnati.

They only have one more non-conference test, against surprising William & Mary, who is #19 nationally in the RPI.

Virginia is struggling under first-year head coach Tony Bennett. They are the only team in the ACC ranked outside the Top 100 in the RPI. Their best win came over Rider, who is ranked #199 in the RPI. Virginia will probably get better as the year goes on, but this is not a good basketball team right now.

The Hoos have lost to South Florida, Stanford, Penn State and Auburn. Only one of those teams are ranked in the Top 100, and Penn State doesn't even crack the Top 200.

Sylven Landesberg and Mike Scott are very good players for Virginia, and Sammy Zeglinski has improved, but they need more help from their supporting cast. Team defense has not been impressive so far, especially considering the slow-down style of play that Virginia uses. Defense should be Tony Bennett's primary focus the rest of the season.

Miami is at the bottom of the standings as a result of their 61-60 loss to Boston College. The Canes have won their other nine games this season, and have solid wins against South Carolina and Minnesota.

Jack McClinton doesn't play for Miami anymore, but they have found a way to be successful without him thus far. James Dews has stepped up his game, averaging 12.6 points, while Dwayne Collins remains one of the toughest inside players in the ACC. Malcolm Grant, a transfer from Villanova, and freshman Durand Scott have also played well for Miami so far.

The Canes are solid, but they've failed their only ACC test so far. The rest of their non-conference schedule is easy, and they likely won't be significantly challenged until they play Wake Forest on January 9.