SoCon Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 12, 2026 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for All of our Preseason Coverage, Including Interviews, Podcasts, and Conference Previews

SOCON MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Furman
  2. East Tennessee State
  3. Wofford
  4. Samford
  5. Chattanooga
  6. Tennessee Tech
  7. Mercer
  8. Western Carolina
  9. VMI
  10. The Citadel
  11. UNC Greensboro

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SOCON TEAM:

-BJ Ward – SR, G – East Tennessee State
-Marcus Kell – SR, F – Furman
-Charles Johnston – SR, F – Furman
-Brady Shoulders – JR, G/F – Mercer
-Cooper Noard – SR, G – Samford
-Tate Darner – SO, G – Chattanooga
-Rickey Bradley Jr. – SR, G – VMI
-TJ Johnson – SR, F – VMI
-Cam Lowe – JR, G – Wofford
-Chace Watley – SO, G – Wofford

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-The best rivalry in college basketball is The Citadel vs. VMI. It is not Duke vs. North Carolina, or Kansas vs. Missouri, or BYU vs. Utah, or Louisville vs. Kentucky. Those are all great in their own way, and while I recognize that all those games are hugely defining moments in those teams’ seasons, I don’t think it is THE defining moment in any of them. Deep NCAA Tournament runs or conference championships are more defining. The Citadel vs. VMI feels like it is more important than the entire rest of the season combined. It is on a smaller scale, but holy cow is it fun!

-Furman had a subpar season last year by their standards, but they were playing really well down the stretch and went on to win the SoCon Tournament. The problem is that all five starters from that team have moved on and Coach Bob Richey has been tasked with rebuilding the roster. Marcus Kell was a standout player for Western Carolina, so he is no stranger to SoCon play. Jaxson Bell also comes in from Army. Those two are joined by a smattering of players who have experience at higher-level programs and want to take on a bigger role, so Furman has some pieces this year.

-East Tennessee State was last year’s first-place team, but they fell to Furman in the SoCon Championship game. Like Furman, they are having to rebuild most of their roster. Jordan McCullum is the only returning starter, but he will be joined by BJ Ward from SEMO and Trevor Hennig from Weber State, both of whom averaged double-figures a year ago.

-Wofford was up and down last year, and in the stretch run of the season they were mostly down losing five of their last seven. It was not a bad year overall for first-year coach Kevin Giltner, but it is still not as good as what Wofford would like to be. Two starters are back and they have added several players who put up big numbers in lower divisions who can hopefully contribute at the D-1 level. Wofford had several off-court distractions heading into last season, so hopefully they will not have those same distractions this year.

-Coach Lennie Acuff is in his second year at Samford and posted a modest 18-14 overall record last year. Two starters are back and they appear to have a decent amount of players who came off the bench. Najimi George also transfers in from New Haven, who was a transitional D-1 program last year: he averaged-double figures so he should be able to contribute as well. Samford is my dark horse. People are going to think I am crazy, but they are actually my pick to win this league. They were fantastic in the second half of conference play and went 8-1 in their final nine games. They did lose some key players, but they have enough back, and they appear to add enough, and their coaches are now more experienced. I am on board with the Bulldogs!!

-Chattanooga struggled last year. They won just 13 total games after winning 29 the year before. Those struggles may continue into this year. Only one starter is back and while Tyler Houser transfers in after having a good year at Delaware, they just seem to be low on proven D-1 players. They do have some guys who put up impressive numbers at non-D-1 schools last year, so maybe some of them can step up.

-This will be Tennessee Tech’s inaugural season in the SoCon. They were chronic underachievers in the OVC, so it is hard for me to be all that optimistic about their chances in a conference that is stronger overall. Tobin Anderson takes over as head coach, and perhaps that is one of the changes they needed. They have not had a winning season since 2017-2018, so something needed to change. They do have some fairly solid players coming in. Trent Mosquera from Le Moyne and Cbo Newton from Abilene Christian both averaged double-figures a season ago. De’Ante Green was a solid role player at South Florida and could step into a bigger role this year. Part of this is that I would begin each year optimistic about Tennessee Tech and they would always underperform. Maybe they can start to turn it around, but I for one will not make any positive predictions until they actually start showing signs of improvement.

-Not a lot of love for Mercer this preseason. They had a fairly respectable year going 11-7 in SoCon play, which was good enough for 2nd place, and they have two pretty solid starters returning in Brady Shoulders and Quinton Perkins II. Keelan Steele transfers in, who was a fairly solid player for Maine. They may not have much in the way of depth, but 7th place seems kind of low.

-Western Carolina has landed two fairly solid transfers in Isaiah Manning from Sam Houston and Malachi Brown from Georgia State and both of those guys should be contributors, but outside of those two the roster does appear to be a little thin. The voters seem to think they will be closer to the bottom than to the top, and I cannot say that I disagree with that.

-Even by VMI standards, VMI was awful last year. They won just one SoCon game and six games total. One thing they can do is score. TJ Johnson averaged double-figures last year and they have added some guys who put up big numbers in JUCO. They may not be quite as bad, but they still will not be good.

-If you follow our Under the Radar podcast, you will remember how The Citadel did something last year that had us all jumping up and down with excitement! Between January 10th and January 31st, The Citadel played seven games…AND WON FIVE OF THEM!!! It was a level of success that I can never recall the Citadel ever having!! Unfortunately, outside of that stretch, they were just 3-20 in D-1 games for the remainder of the season. But, for that stretch of time, we did legitimately get behind this team! Unfortunately…this year is looking rough. Again. No starters are back, and it is very difficult for a school like The Citadel to attract D-1-level players, and the guys they have just do not look like they can compete with the rest of the conference. We actually do like it when this team has any amount of success, and last year’s 7-11 SoCon record was quite impressive. But…this year I could see them finishing back at the bottom.

-UNC Greensboro is picked to finish dead last. Jerod Haase takes over as coach, who had a meh run at Stanford and a decent run at UAB before that. I was surprised when I saw they were picked last, but in looking at their roster, they really do not have much. What they appear to have is guys who played limited roles at other Under the Radar schools. I do not think UNCG will be this bad very often, but they may actually be worse than VMI and The Citadel this year, and it is very rare that we see a team finish behind both of those schools.

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The Hoops HD Report: Big Ten Conference Preview

Posted on October 11, 2026 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for All of our Preseason Coverage, Including Interviews, Podcasts, and Conference Previews

For the Big Ten Conference Media Day Recap and Response – CLICK HERE

Chad is joined by a full panel for our first conference preview of the year! Michigan State and Illinois are likely Final Four contenders, and despite losing their head coach to the NBA and several key players, defending national champions Michigan also look to be very good. Ohio State and Indiana put together strong rosters out of the portal, Maryland is a potential dark horse, Purdue appears to be a little down, but should still be a strong tournament team, Iowa and Nebraska have good squads. We discuss all that, and more!

And for all you radio lovers, below is an audio only version of the show…

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Oklahoma women’s coach Jennie Baranczyk

Posted on October 9, 2026 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for All of our Preseason Coverage, Including Interviews, Podcasts, and Conference Previews

We are less than 4 weeks away from the tip-off of the new college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time to start preparing for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with Oklahoma women’s coach Jennie Baranczyk, who talked about winning games in March and her expectations for this season.

You were born in Iowa, went to Dowling Catholic High School, then became an All-Big 10 player at Iowa for Coach Lisa Bluder: now that you are the 2nd-most famous person to take that career route, how do you feel about Caitlin Clark replicating your journey?! If you are going to have someone do it, I guess she is okay! She is incredible: I have known her family a long time and she broke many of my records.

You were a 3-time captain: what is the secret to being a good leader? You have to get a little bit lucky, but I do not know if there is a “secret”. In college the biggest thing you can do is put the people around you in positions to do better. I was competitive/driven and wanted to win each possession, which are the hard things that sometimes go unnoticed. Lisa put us all in position to have a voice, which is what I hope to do for my own players now as a coach.

In 2004 you won the Big 10 Medal of Honor for academic/athletic excellence: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? Sometimes you do not think about all the things you do at the time. I got a great education and played for my dream school with awesome teammates/coaches. Looking back at it now, it was very cool to be chosen.

You won the 2006 WNIT as an assistant at Kansas State and the 2008 WNIT as an assistant at Marquette and have made 8 NCAA tourneys as head coach in the past decade: what is the key to winning games in March? You are still learning/hungry and the end of every season marks the beginning of the next season. We want to get better and focus on the things that get you there more than the wins themselves: we love March and have some big goals.

In 2017 as head coach at Drake, you set a conference record with 22 straight wins and became the 1st team to go undefeated in MVC play: did it reach a point where you/your players/your fans expected your team to win every single time that your team stepped onto the court? I think so. Everyone as competitors wants to win every single game, but it is not the only focus you have: you must be addicted to your growth and the process. We expect more than even our fans do, but it is never a given: it was more of a situation where opponents noticed you so we had to prepare to play every day.

You have made it to the Sweet 16 during each of the past 2 years: what it is like to face a pair of legends in Geno Auriemma/Dawn Staley with a spot in the Elite 8 on the line? “Fun” is not the word that comes to mind! We have been very lucky to make it that far and do not take it for granted. You see how close/far you are: both of those kinds of moments helps you hone in on certain things. Those teams are constantly looking for their next mountain, and we try to find the different things that make them special. It is how they work and how they step onto the floor: you can watch it all you want, but you do not really get it until you are in it. South Carolina is in our conference and we have had a lot of battles with them: they are elite for a reason. We saw moments where we could compete, but you must do so for every single second of the possession.

Your season opener next month is against North Carolina in Paris: how excited are you and the team to be headed abroad? It is pretty awesome to be part of that season opener. The sport can help you see the world: we have 4 international players whose families will get to come see them play in person. To play against such a great opponent will keep that hunger and keep us practicing a little harder.

2026 national freshman of the year Aaliyah Chavez is back for Year #2: what makes her such a great player, and how much pressure is there on her this year after her All-American teammate Raegan Beers graduated last spring? Any time you lose a player like Raegan there is a lot that you have to make up for. What I love about Aaliyah is that she keeps getting better because she craves greatness. She does not just help us win games, but win possessions. I am excited to watch her growth: I believe that people grow the most between their freshman and sophomore years. We have 7 new players so she will get to learn about a lot of new people.

Your brother Brian made 2 NCAA tourneys as a PG at Albany: who is the best athlete in the family? I can say that he is taller and we got into too many fights when we were younger!

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? You want to win every single game, which is the goal/mindset/standard here at Oklahoma. We must continue to climb and inch toward those big dreams. We have a young team…but I saw a young team in the Oklahoma City Thunder grow into a champion in 2025 so we want to keep moving forward by showing up every day.

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SWAC Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 9, 2026 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for All of our Preseason Coverage, Including Interviews, Podcasts, and Conference Previews

SWAC MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Bethune Cookman
  2. Southern
  3. Alabama A&M
  4. Florida A&M
  5. Prairie View A&M
  6. Jackson State
  7. Alabama State
  8. Grambling State
  9. Texas Southern
  10. Alcorn State
  11. Arkansas Pine Bluff
  12. Mississippi Valley State

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SWAC 1ST TEAM:

-Daeshun Ruffin – Jackson State (Preseason Player of the Year)
-Daniel Rouzan – Bethune Cookman
-Michael James – Alabama State
-Dorian McMillian – Jackson State
-Jaquan Sanders – Florida A&M

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SWAC 2ND TEAM:

-James Graham – Alabama A&M
-Sami Pissis – Alabama A&M
-Quentin Heady – Bethune Cookman
-Antonio Baker – Florida A&M (Preseason Defensive Player of the Year)
-Jalen Tatum – Arkansas Pine Bluff

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Bethune Cookman had a great regular season that ended unexpectedly in the SWAC quarterfinals. Only one starter is back, but the expectations are high once again. Jaylen Jones comes in from Jacksonville, and Jameel Morris put up nice numbers at Alcorn State. Some other solid players from JUCOs and others who played limited roles at other D-1 schools fill out the roster, so they seem to have a good group of talent.

-Southern has been one of the more successful programs in the SWAC, and they were the 2nd-place team and conference tournament runners up a year ago. All five starters are gone, so it is a transfer-heavy roster. Justin Page comes in from Niagara after averaging 12ppg a year ago and they have a few others that put up big numbers at either JUCOs or lower divisions. They seem to be lacking in D-1 experience, but they could still make some noise this year.

-Alabama A&M is coming off their best season in quite some time and the expectations are for that to continue into this year. This is as high as I can ever remember them being picked in the preseason. Only one starter is back from last year’s 18-win team, but they have some good-looking JUCO transfers and other guys with some limited D-1 experience transferring in who could make an impact.

-Florida A&M tied for 2nd place last year, but is another team that is having to replace nearly all of their key players. Jaquan Sanders is back after being granted an injunction for a 5th season, Jaden Kempson comes in after being a double digit scorer for Albany, and Antonio Baker returns to the roster after averaging just under 10ppg a year ago.

-Prairie View A&M, who we are used to seeing much closer to the bottom than the top, won 19 games last year and was a fairly solid 9-9 in conference play. They then went on to upset Bethune Cookman in the conference tournament on their way to winning it, and then beat Lehigh in the First Four. All the starters are gone, and they are having to start completely over with players who have limited D-1 experience and who are looking to play a bigger role.

-Jackson State was a modest 10-8 in SWAC play last year, but four of those starters are gone and Trey Johnson is taking over as coach, so I can understand why there are question marks about them. Dorian McMillan returns after averaging nearly 12ppg last year, but other than him a lot of the newcomers lack substantial D-1 experience, so it is hard to tell how they will adjust.

-Alabama State really struggled last year after making the NCAA Tournament the year before. Chris Wright takes over as coach and he has his work cut out for him. Michael James comes over from Mississippi Valley State, where he averaged over 21ppg, and is joined by Paul McMillan IV, who was a big-time scorer for Canisius. Amaree Brown also comes in from Southern Indiana, so they have some pretty good pieces and I think they can be a bit of a dark horse this year. I like them a lot more than the voters do, and think they can finish as high as 2nd or 3rd this year.

-Grambling struggled last year in Patrick Crarey II’s first year and is basically starting over this year. All five starters are gone and they have a JUCO-transfer-heavy roster this year, so it is hard to say exactly how good they are going to be.

-Corey Lowery takes over coaching duties at Texas Southern. The Tigers are coming off a solid season where they were 10-8 in SWAC play, but four starters are gone and they do not have a lot of experience. It could be a long first year for the new coach.

-Alcorn State, like just about eveyrone else in the league, is having to replace most of their roster. All five starters are gone and their roster is made up of players who saw limited minutes at other D-1 programs.

-Arkansas Pine Bluff was a solid 10-8 in SWAC play last year, but all the starters are gone and they will be relying on players without a whole lot of D-1 experience to step into bigger roles.

-Last, and definitely least (at least on the court) is Mississippi Valley State. They have not won more than 5 games since 2018-2019 and have not won more than ten games since 2011-2012. They have finished below 360th in the NET for the last three years and are once again expected to be among the worst in all of D-1. It is getting to the point to where we may rename the Centenary Award after them. Are there any bright spots?? Tymias Williams was a prolific scorer for Rochester Christian, which is an NAIA school, so he may be able to give them some sort of a spark. I would love it if MVSU could ever get it going in basketball. We at Hoops HD really do follow them and pull hard for them! They are a fun team! But…it may be yet another tough year this year.

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Charles in Charge: HoopsHD interviews Mike DePaoli about Charles Jenkins

Posted on October 9, 2026 by Jon Teitel

College basketball history has featured many great players named Charles, from 1984 SEC POY Charles Barkley to 1991 SEC Female Athlete of the Year Daedra Charles to 2021 CUSA POY Charles Bassey. Another 1 who belong on the list is Hofstra legend Charles Jenkins: 3-time 1st-team All-CAA, 2-time CAA POY, and graduated as the 2nd-leading scorer in conference history behind Hall of Famer David Robinson. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Hofstra associate head coach Mike DePaoli about Jenkins’ incredible career.

In 2001 his older brother Kareem was shot and killed in Brooklyn: how close were the 2 of them, and how did Kareem’s death change Charles’ life? I am not totally familiar with all the ins and outs, but I know that Charles wore #22 because Kareem was 22 years old when he was shot.

In 2008 as a player at Hofstra, Charles was named conference ROY: how was he able to make such a smooth transition from high school to college? I came in as a grad assistant after that season. He redshirted his freshman year because we had some very good guards at that time including 4-time all-CAA player Antoine Agudio. College basketball was different back then where you would stay 4 years at a school, so Charles spent his freshman year practicing against a group of tough guards.

In December 2010 he scored a career-high 40 PTS (including 31 in the 2nd half) in a 4-PT OT win over Binghamton: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot he put up seemed to go in because he was “in the zone”? I saw him get going many nights: he was fun to watch.

He was named CAA POY in both 2010/2011: what did it mean to him to win such outstanding honors? It was unbelievable. He is 1 of the only 3-time winners of the Haggerty Award (along with Jim McMillian/Chris Mullin) as the best D-1 player in the New York metro area. People think that he was an overnight success, but he worked so hard to make himself the player he became. Most kids shy away from things they need to work on, but he attacked it and took it so seriously that some days we had to tell him to stay out of the gym. He is the easiest kid to root for that I ever coached. He was such a reluctant superstar that we almost had to push him out there to be “Batman”. I know he is very proud of those awards but he is also very humble. When it comes to attending games now, there are some former stars at other schools who will ask to sit courtside and get a standing ovation during a TV timeout, but not him.

In February 2011 he made a game-tying 3-PT shot with 2.7 seconds left in regulation and then a game-winning 35-foot 3-PT shot at the buzzer in a 3-PT OT win over William & Mary (www.youtube.com/watch?v=nySUqQA53UQ): where does he rank among the most clutch players in school history? I was at Fordham that year but remember watching that game on TV. The year before he hit a game-winner at JMU. Late in the game, when the ball was in his hands, you felt that you would win, so he has to be up there among the most clutch players.

He graduated as the all-time leading scorer in school history and the 2nd-leading scorer in CAA history (behind David Robinson): did you realize at the time how prolific a player he was, and do you think that anyone will ever break his school record? The night he broke the school record, we were sitting with his family at the game to watch him do it. It was hard-earned so it was cool to see. I do not think his record will ever be broken: in today’s landscape, most players do not stay at 1 school for that long. I was a grad assistant on the staff, but being around him that day and seeing how he carried himself showed me the type of teammate he was.

The school retired his jersey prior to his final home game as a senior: where does that rank among the highlights of his career? That has to be up there and it was totally deserved: he is everything you want a student-athlete to be. There is a picture of him with his hands over his head looking up at his jersey: it was a special thing because he is Hofstra basketball. When 2-time conference POY/current coach Speedy Claxton would come back to the gym to visit, Charles would want to play against him.

In the summer of 2011 he was drafted by Golden State: did he see that as a validation of his college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other? I was glued to my TV the whole night and was so happy for both him and his family. He was huddled up in a hotel room with his teammate Nat Lester and some other close friends/family. Speedy was a scout for the Warriors at the time, so it was cool to see the Hofstra family look out for his other. I assume that it was a lifelong dream that he was able to see come through.

He spent 2 years in the NBA and 10 more overseas: how proud are you of all his success? Uber-proud! We are hoping to get him at some point in the near future to join our staff. He led all rookies in AST/TO ratio during his 1st year after Steph Curry got hurt. He also had a really good run overseas: they still love him in Serbia due to the type of teammate he was.

When people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? He is 1 of the all-time greats in school history, probably #2 behind Speedy. I tell people all the time that it is hard to find superstars who when you peel back the layers of the onion are an even better person on the inside. He was very humble/grateful, which comes from his family: his dad still comes to all our home games.

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ACC Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 9, 2026 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for All of our Preseason Coverage, Including Interviews, Podcasts, and Conference Previews

ACC MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Duke
  2. Virginia
  3. Louisville
  4. Miami FL
  5. North Carolina
  6. Clemson
  7. Virginia Tech
  8. Florida State
  9. Syracuse
  10. NC State
  11. SMU
  12. Stanford
  13. Pittsburgh
  14. California
  15. Wake Forest
  16. Notre Dame
  17. Boston College
  18. Georgia Tech

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-ACC 1ST TEAM:

-Thijs De Ridder – Virginia
-John Blackwell – Duke (Preseason Player of the Year)
-Patrick Ngongba II – Duke
-Flory Bidunga – Louisville
-Shelton Henderson – Miami FL

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-ACC 2ND TEAM:

-Jackson Shelstad – Louisville
-Dame Sarr – Duke
-Acaden Lewis – Miami FL
-Chance Mallory – Virginia
-Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje – Duke

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Duke was one of the top teams in the nation last year and they barely (and I mean BARELY) missed the Final Four. With three starters back and an influx of talent to replace what is left, Duke is once again the favorite to win the ACC and may be good enough to win the national championship. Duke’s entire starting five received preseason honors, including John Blackwell who transfers in from Wisconsin and is as good a player as anyone in the country. This is a deep and talented team that is good enough to win it all.

-Virginia won 30 games a season ago and finished 15-3 in ACC play before a somewhat early exit from the NCAA Tournament, but this team returns three starters and are once again stacked and will be set up to contend for a protected seed. Ryan Odom had an outstanding first year as coach last year and he has Chance Mallory returning at PG. Mallory and Sam Lewis make up a very strong backcourt. They are also solid in the frontcourt, very good defensively, and have as much depth as they need. Virginia will once again be very good.

-Expectations were sky high for Louisville a year ago and while they had a decent year they fell a little short of what everyone was expecting. Once again their roster has been overhauled, but once again they appear to be stacked with talent. Coach Pat Kelsey has shown he can stockpile a roster from year to year, and this year he has Jackson Shelstad from Oregon and Karter Knox from Arkansas in the backcourt, Alvaro Folgueiras comes in from Iowa, and Flory Bidunga comes in from Kansas. Louisville’s roster is made up of good players who played key roles on good teams. Again.

-Miami FL is one of those teams who, every year, I say is going to exceed expectations. This year the expectations are quite high, so it is hard for me to say that. They had a solid 26-win season a year ago where they made it to the Round of 32, and while two of the better players from that team are gone, Acaden Lewis transferred in from Villanova and will likely be the starting PG after a very solid freshman season last year, and Somto Cyril is a very solid big man who comes in from Georgia. Brent Bland is a grad transfer who put up nice numbers for Saint Peter’s and who can also contribute to what should be a solid frontcourt. I am all-in on the Canes most years, and this year is no different. I think this is a top-25-caliber team again this year.

-Coach Michael Malone takes over at North Carolina and we are all waiting to see how it goes. UNC is one of the most storied programs in all of college basketball, but by their own standards they probably feel they have slipped. Since winning the national championship in 2017, UNC has been past the Sweet Sixteen just once (albeit they made it all the way to the championship game) and the fans are getting restless. It is hard to say just how good they will be this year. I think they will be in the top half of the bracket, but with only one starter back and a first-year head coach, will they be set up to go beyond the Sweet Sixteen? Terrence Brown transfers in from Utah where he was a fantastic PG for the Utes. Neoklis Avdalas was a solid player for Virginia Tech so he is no stranger to the ACC, and they have some other solid players to fill out the roster, so they do have some good pieces.

-After making the Elite Eight in 2024, Clemson has failed to get past the Round of 64 during the past two years, but they have still had two solid seasons and are still a team to be reckoned with. Their main strength is usually defense, and this year should be no different. Coach Brad Brownell is tasked with rebuilding the roster with just one returning starter. Dylan Faulkner was a prolific scorer at Samford a year ago, David Fuchs comes in from San Francisco, and Cole Certa comes in from Notre Dame, so the Tigers have what should be a solid frontcourt and some talented pieces. I like them to…once again…finish safely inside the bubble.

-Virginia Tech is getting a fair amount of love after a so-so 19-13 year last year where they were just under .500 in ACC play. Three starters are back and that experience should help them, and Jaylen Curry also transfers in from Oklahoma State. Ethan Copeland is another player to watch. He put up big numbers for an otherwise very underwhelming Stetson team, but is a very good outside shooter.

-Coach Luke Loucks had a modest debut season at Florida State last year, going 18-15 overall and a respectable 10-8 in league play. This year the Noles have to rebuild their roster after losing all five starters. Sebastian Rancik was a solid player for Colorado last year and they have some highly talented freshmen, but it is hard for me to get any sort of read on what kind of team they will have this year.

-Syracuse has only managed 20 wins in one of their past five seasons. The days of them being a top-level program from year to year seem like it was a long time ago. Gerry McNamara takes over as coach and he has his work cut out for him. No starters return from last year’s team, but they do have some solid transfers coming in. Gavin Doty was a fantastic player for Siena last year, and Frances Folefac also comes over. Aiden Tobiason was a strong player for Temple last year, so the Orange have some pieces, but the ACC is a much higher level than where a lot of these guys are coming from.

-NC State really did get the full Will Wade experience. He was there, he was brief, he left, and he did not clean up after himself!! Justin Gainey takes over as coach and with just one starter back there seems to be a lot of uncertainty around the team. A trio of very solid transfers join the roster as Darius Adams comes in from Maryland, Preston Edmead from a solid Hofstra team, and Christian Hammond from a very good Santa Clara team, so the cupboard is not bare. It is a transfer-heavy roster with some really formidable pieces and if the team can mesh together they could exceed expectations.

-Coach Andy Enfield got SMU to the NCAA Tournament last year (albeit barely), but with all five starters gone he is tasked with a rebuilding season. It is a transfer-heavy roster with no standout stars, but of guys who were pretty solid players. I never want to overlook an Enfield coached team, but I get the sense it may be a long year for the Mustangs.

-Stanford struggled through much of last season, but down the stretch they were playing really well. They won their final four regular season games before barely losing in their first ACC Tournament game. Unfortunately just one starter is back for Coach Kyle Smith’s squad and they do not have much in the way of experience with a lot of younger players.

-Pittsburgh, like a lot of teams in their situation, had nearly all their key players abandon ship after a rough season and Coach Jeff Capel is having to rebuild the roster. Naithan George comes over from Syracuse, which was another ACC team that struggled last year. Baye Ndongo was a solid rebounder for Georgia Tech last year…but that was a team that struggled even more than Pitt did! They seem to be made up of key players from struggling teams. Having said that, A’lahn Sumler was a big-time player for Charleston Southern last year and is a player to watch this year.

-California had a surprisingly good year last year and for a while seemed to be within reach of the bubble: 22 total wins and a 9-9 record in ACC play was fairly solid. They face the same issue that a lot of teams are facing, which is that they retained very few of their key players. Just one starter is back and they do not appear to have any standout players on their roster. It could be a long year for the Bears.

-Wake Forest struggled last year and their entire roster jumped ship. That is starting to become the theme of the entire bottom of the conference. The Deacs landed Kevair Kennedy, who was a terrific player for Merrimack last year, but no one else seems to have much in the way of solid and proven D-1 experience. It could be another frustrating year for the Deacs.

-Notre Dame has had four straight bad years of basketball, and appears to be set up for a fifth straight. They were just 13-18 overall and were a very underwhelming 4-14 in ACC play, which was not good enough to put them in the ACC Tournament. Logan Duncomb was a great player for Winthrop last year and pulling him out of the portal was a big get, and Ethan Roberts was a solid player for Penn. As good as those two players were, and as capable as they are of playing against ACC-level competition, they cannot do it all themselves and there just does not appear to be much else around them. Just how warm is Coach Micah Shrewsberry’s seat getting?

-Coach Luke Murray takes over at Boston College, and it is not hyperbole to say that it is one of the toughest jobs in all of D-1. Very rarely are they good, and they are in a conference of heavyweights. All five starters are gone, but a fresh start may be what BC needs. Money Williams was a fantastic player for Montana a year ago and he has transferred in. Ernest Shelton had a big year at Merrimack, and the roster is made up of guys who put up very nice numbers at Under the Radar programs. Can they come together and compete in the Big East?? Well, the preseason voters do not think so, but I think they can do a little better than 17th.

-Georgia Tech finished in last place last year and is picked to do the same again this year. Scott Cross is a very good coach and he takes over, but holy cow does he have his work cut out for him!! Victor Valdes comes over from Troy and Colby Garland was a big time scorer for San Jose State, so they have a few individuals that can play, but it will be difficult to compete with the talent that the teams in the middle of the league, let alone the top of it.

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