Conference Preview: ACC

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ACC

Eight teams in the postseason. Six teams in the NCAA tournament. Three teams in the Elite Eight. And one team cutting down the nets celebrating the national championship. In other words, it was business as usual last season in the ACC. Duke won it all. Louisville and Notre Dame advanced to the Elite Eight. North Carolina and North Carolina State made the Sweet 16, and Virginia was a #2 seed (though was upset in the Round of 32). The conference also put two teams (Pitt and Miami) in the NIT, with the Hurricanes losing in the championship game to Stanford.  Syracuse also had a solid campaign that probably would have put the Orange in the NIT if not for a self-imposed postseason ban.

The defending champions are loaded again this year as Coach K has clearly changed his philosophy and embraced the one-and-done players. It paid off last season and he will be looking to coach another group of strong freshmen in defense of the title this year. North Carolina may in fact have the most talented team in the conference, but the school has been plagued by off-court issues for what seems like years and will need to avoid any distractions. Tony Bennett’s Virginia Cavaliers will be looking to see how the new 30-second shot clock affects their stifling defense, which should be good enough again to have them at or near the top of the league.

Beyond the top three, as many as six other teams have legitimate NCAA tournament aspirations this year, including Louisville, Notre Dame, Miami and Syracuse. Florida State should take a huge leap up this season as well and be among the teams dancing. Finally, keep an eye on Wake Forest, as Danny Manning’s squad has the tools in place to be a surprise tournament contender.

Predicted Order of Finish

1. North Carolina – Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks lead one of the best, deepest frontcourts in the nation. Marcus Paige is one of the best point guards, and maybe one of the best overall players, in the country. If there are any on-court questions in Chapel Hill, they have to do with backcourt depth.

2. Virginia – Justin Anderson may be gone, but with Malcolm Brogdon and London Perrantes in the backcourt still, the Hoos won’t miss him too much. Anthony Gill needs to step up down low and get help from younger players. However, the nation’s best defense may actually get better with the shorter shot clock as they will only have to defend for 30 seconds instead of 35.

3. Duke – Coach K will be relying on another great batch of freshmen, highlighted by Chase Jeter, Derryck Thornton and most notably Brandon Ingram. Rice transfer Sean Obi should help down low, and Grayson Allen has a great chance to become a legitimate star.

4. Florida State – The Seminoles return all five starters from last year’s team including the always dangerous Xavier Rathan-Mayes. Leonard Hamilton also welcomes in a solid group of recruits led by Dwayne Bacon, who has a shot to be a star. Oh, and by the way, the ‘noles now have three players over 7 feet tall. The rest of the ACC better watch out.

5. Miami – The ‘canes will be tough to beat this season thanks to their pair of senior guards, Angel Rodriguez and Sheldon McClellan. Oklahoma State transfer Kamari Murphy will help with the frontcourt depth for a team that has a great shot to dance this season.

6. Louisville – Rick Pitino’s squad has a ton of newcomers that will need to find a way to gel together before they can succeed, especially given the Cardinals’ focus on defense. Drexel transfer Damion Lee and Cleveland State transfer Trey Lewis are both stepping up against tougher competition but should be able to score a ton of points. As long as the defense remains solid, and the team can avoid the off-court distractions, the Cardinals will be tough to beat.

7. Notre Dame – Losing Jerian Grant and Pat Connaughton from last season’s Elite Eight squad will hurt, but the Irish still have Demetrius Jackson, Steve Vasturia and Zach Auguste. Those three players alone should be enough to have them in the tournament discussion this year, though repeating last season’s successes would be a stretch.

8. Syracuse – The Orange have a solid combination of returning veterans, such as Michael Gbinije, and young talent, such as freshman Malachi Richardson. Assuming they do not suffer too badly during Coach Boeheim’s nine game ACC suspension, there is no reason the Orange will not be in contention for an NCAA tournament bid.

9. Wake Forest – A dark horse candidate in the ACC for certain, but the Demon Deacons return Codi Miller-McIntyre’s 14.5 points per game and Devin Thomas’ nightly double-double threat down low. The addition of freshman Doral Moore, a 7-1 presence inside, as part of a solid recruiting class, has the future looking bright in Winston-Salem.

10. Pittsburgh – The Panthers played in the NIT last season and seem destined for a return there again this year. Pitt will need Coppin State transfer Sterling Smith and Brown transfer Rafael Maia to prove they can play at this level if they want any chance to step up to the Big Dance.

11. North Carolina State – With Trevor Lacey and Ralston Turner gone from last year’s Sweet 16 squad, the Wolfpack do not appear to have enough pieces to return to the NCAAs. Anthony Barber will be asked to lead the way, but he will need help that might not be there.

12. Virginia Tech – Buzz Williams will get some scoring from his backcourt this year with the combination of Justin Bibbs and Maryland transfer Seth Allen. However, there are still too many questions in the frontcourt.

13. Clemson – Jaron Blossomgame is a legitimate star with a chance to hit a double-double any night. If he had a few pieces around him to help out, the Tigers could be dangerous. Unfortunately, those pieces do not appear to be there.

14. Georgia Tech – Marcus Georges-Hunt and Virginia Tech transfer Adam Smith will lead the way for the Yellow Jackets, but the postseason is probably beyond their grasp and coach Brian Gregory may need to start polishing up his resume.

15. Boston College – Jim Christian may eventually be able to build a postseason contender here, but the cupboard still remains mostly bare. The only player of note is former Rutgers and Florida transfer Eli Carter.