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ACC
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Could there be any doubt left, after last year’s Tournament, as to what conference is the best in the country? The ACC put 7 teams in the Big Dance, six of which made the Sweet 16, and had a pair of intra-conference matchups in the Regional Finals (North Carolina vs Notre Dame and Virginia vs Syracuse), an intra-conference national semifinal (North Carolina vs Syracuse) and, but for Villanova’s Kris Jenkins sinking one of the most memorable shots in NCAA Tournament history, may have produced the national champion as well. The ACC would have certainly had one more NCAA team if Louisville had not declared themselves ineligible shortly before the end of the regular season. In all, with the addition of three NIT bids, 11 teams made or were good enough to make the postseason. That is pretty darn good for a 15 team league.
This season could be a lot of the same, as the ACC features several of the best teams in the nation, including the probable preseason favorite to win it all, Duke. Brandon Ingram may be gone, but Coach K’s team is completely stacked, from the always controversial Grayson Allen down to several of the top incoming (and likely one-and-done) freshman, led by Harry Giles. But the Blue Devils are far from the end of the story in this year’s ACC, with North Carolina, Virginia, Syracuse, Louisville, Miami and Notre Dame all looking to get back into the tournament picture, and a fast rising Virginia Tech team that should be right there on Selection Sunday as well. Seven, eight, or even nine bids would not be a shock at all.
Predicted Order of Finish
1. Duke – Brandon Ingram gone? So what? This team is completely loaded with talent, from Grayson Allen to freshmen Harry Giles and Jayson Tatum, just to name a few. On paper, Coach K has a team capable of cutting down the nets on April 3 in Glendale.
2. North Carolina – Joel Berry II is ready to fill the void left by Marcus Paige. If Kennedy Meeks, Isaiah Hicks and freshman Tony Bradley are able to control the boards, this team could go very far again.
3. Virginia – Tony Bennett’s team is reloading this year with standout Memphis transfer Austin Nichols eligible and a top recruiting class led by guard Kyle Guy. And, oh yeah, London Perrantes is still here to lead the way.
4. Syracuse – Three months ago, the Orange might not have even been slated in to make the field this season, but late freshman signee Taurean Thompson in the frontcourt and very late Nebraska graduate transfer Andrew White III in the backcourt completely changed this team’s projections. Tyler Lydon and Tyler Robinson both return from last year’s Final Four team as well and don’t overlook Colorado State transfer John Gillon.
5. Louisville – The defense will be there and lead the Cardinals to a lot of wins, but there are tons of question marks on the offensive end. Unless Penn transfer Tony Hicks or freshman V.J. King can provide those answers, they may struggle against the conference’s elite teams.
6. Virginia Tech – The Hokies seem poised to dance this season with almost everyone back from last year’s NIT team. With Justin Bibbs and Seth Allen in the backcourt, and Kerry Blackshear Jr. (if and when he gets healthy) and Zach LeDay in the front, this team has a chance to win every time they take the court, even against a league as stacked as this one.
7. Miami – Despite their offseason losses, this team is still strong in the backcourt with Ja’Quan Newton, Davon Reed, San Jose State transfer Rashad Muhammad, and top recruit Bruce Brown. The performance of the frontcourt, led by Kamari Murphy and freshman Dewan Huell could dictate just how good the Hurricanes are.
8. Notre Dame – The Irish will remain a tough team to beat with Steve Vasturia, V.J. Beachem and Bonzie Colson all back. Keep an eye on freshman Temple Gibbs (Ashton and Sterling’s brother) in the backcourt as well.
9. Clemson – The Tigers could be in contention for a Tournament bid with Jaron Blossomgame back and Texas A&M transfer Elijah Thomas in the frontcourt. Another pair of transfers, Marcquise Reed (Robert Morris) and Shelton Mitchell (Vanderbilt) will need to anchor the backcourt.
10. North Carolina State – Cat Barber is gone, and the Wolfpack will need to rely on a strong recruiting class. This looks to be a rebuilding year in Raleigh, but keep an eye on freshman center Omer Yurtseven (after he completes a nine game suspension to start the year). He scored 91 points in an Under-18 game. Yes, 91 points.
11. Florida State – The Seminoles have a very strong backcourt with Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Dwayne Bacon. The question marks are down low, where they may need big things from freshman Jonathan Isaac.
12. Pittsburgh – The Panthers made the Big Dance last season, but it may be tough for them to get back in Kevin Stallings first year leading the program. They do have one of the conference’s top frontcourt pairs in Jamel Artis and Michael Young, but there are way too many questions in the backcourt.
13. Wake Forest – Guard Bryant Crawford and forward Dinos Mitoglou are both solid players, but there do not seem to be enough other pieces around them.
14. Georgia Tech – The top four scorers from last season are gone, leaving the cupboard pretty bare as Josh Pastner takes over the program’s reins.
15. Boston College – Another long season seems to be in store, but even one conference win would be better than last year!