Breaking down the ACC
As Boston College embarks on its third journey through the ACC basketball ranks this season, we take a look at the league, ranking its teams in projected order of finish.
# 1. North Carolina -- This is a no-brainer despite the loss of senior forward Reyshawn Terry and talented freshman Brandan Wright. The Tar Heels are in a class with UCLA and Memphis as the elite teams in the country. Tyler Hansbrough (18.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg) is back up front and sophomore Deon Thompson will move into Brandan Wright’s spot. Look for sophomores Tywon Lawson and Wayne Ellington to have expanded roles. There’s no quicker point guard in America than Tywon Lawson and Ellington is one of the elite long-range shooters in the country. When you’ve got guys like Bobby Frasor and Danny Green coming off the bench, you’re loaded because they could start for just about any team in the country.
# 2. Duke -- Believe it or not, Coach K’s club will fare better without Josh McRoberts, the versatile forward who left after his sophomore season. The Blue Devils add a trio of talented freshman -- forwards Kyle Singler and Taylor King and guard Nolan Smith. Singler could quickly develop into a star. Look for Duke to play more up-tempo since it has just one true low-post player on the roster in sophomore 7-footer Brian Zoubek. Junior point guard Greg Paulus is healthy this season and expect athletic sophomore wing Gerald Henderson Jr. to have a breakthrough season.
# 3. N.C. State -- It’s plain and simple. The key to the Wolfpack’s success is whether Boston native and former O’Bryant standout Farnold Degand can effectively run the team. Coach Sidney Lowe has all the pieces, but the point guard spot is the major question heading into the season. N.C. State has experience up front with Brandon Costner (16.8 ppg) and Ben McCauley (14.4 ppg) and a pair of veteran wings in Gavin Grant (14.7 ppg) and Courtney Fells. Degand has yet to play an NCAA game after redshirting his freshman year at Iowa State and sitting out last season due to transfer rules, but he’s expected to start from Day One.
# 4. Florida State -- The Seminoles were picked toward the bottom in the preseason poll after losing all-conference forward Al Thornton, but coach Leonard Hamilton still boasts three talented and experienced guards in Jason Rich, Toney Douglas and Isaiah Swann. The ’Noles were thin up front a year ago, but adding a pair of talented freshman big man -- Julian Vaughn and Solomon Alabi - should provide inside help.
# 5. Clemson -- The Tigers are a wild-card this season. They started out the season a year ago with 17 consecutive wins before falling flat on their face down the stretch and failing to get into the NCAA Tournament. Four starters return, including athletic forward James Mays (12.2 ppg) and leading scorer K.C. Rivers (14 ppg). However, the loss of steady guard Vernon Hamilton could take its toll on Oliver Purnell’s club.
# 6. Virginia -- Cavaliers coach Dave Leitao did a terrific job a year ago without much help up front. He’s fortunate that he’s got all-everything point guard Sean Singletary (19 ppg, 4.7 apg), but he’ll have to find a way to replace the loss of fellow guard J.R. Reynolds and his 18.4 points per game. Starter Mamadi Diane (9.6 ppg) is one option and freshman scoring guard Jeff Jones Jr. is another. It’ll be interesting to see if Virginia can win 20-plus games again without a legitimate scoring threat in the middle.
# 7. Georgia Tech -- Yellow Jackets coach Paul Hewitt lost his two star freshmen -- Javaris Crittenton and Thaddeus Young -- to the NBA Draft. However, Georgia Tech will get scoring guard Lewis Clinch back from an academic-related suspension the second half of last season and Hewitt also returns senior starters Anthony Morrow and Jeremis Smith. Big man Gani Lawal is a McDonald’s All-American who will help up front, but the key is fellow freshman point guard Maurice “Mo” Miller, who will have to learn quickly on the job.
# 8. Maryland -- The Terps lost as much as just about anyone in the league with the departure of seniors D.J. Strawberry, Mike Jones and Ekene Ibekwe. Gary Williams still has James Gist as an intimidating inside presence and a pair of talented sophomore guards to build around in Greivis Vasquez and Eric Hayes. Williams and his staff added some new faces and freshman big man Braxton Dupree could be a force in the ACC down the road.
# 9. Boston College -- The loss of Jared Dudley hurts in a multitude of ways. He was as versatile of a player as there was in the league last season and also provided leadership. Now the task will fall to Tyrese Rice, a scoring point guard who also will need to make his teammates better this season. Look for freshmen Rakim Sanders and Josh Southern to get immediate playing time. Sanders can score in a multitude of ways from the wing and he’ll make BC fans quickly forget about the loss of Sean Marshall. The 6-foot-8 Southern has lost weight and is more talented than either of BC’s current big men -- John Oates and Tyrelle Blair.
# 10. Miami -- The Hurricanes have most of their team back and have an imposing frontline that includes the return of Anthony King, who was leading the league in rebounding before suffering a wrist injury that ended his season. Coach Frank Haith also has one of the ACC’s top scorers in the backcourt in Jack McClinton (16.7 ppg). The ’Canes will need freshman point guard Edwin Rios to come in and play major minutes.
# 11. Wake Forest -- The Demon Deacons will certainly be improved, but the real story comes off the court and how the program adjusts to life without coach Skip Prosser, who died of a heart attack in July. Assistant coach Dino Gaudio, who has been with Prosser since the two coached together in high school, takes over and will have four starters back in the fold. Wake also added a trio of talented freshmen to the mix, including underrated forward James Johnson out of Wyoming. Wake will be solid this season, but the Deacons are preparing for next season, when they will add a stellar recruiting class.
# 12. Virginia Tech -- The Hokies return less than 40 percent of their scoring from a year ago and just two starters. Coach Seth Greenberg will have to find a way to replace his starting backcourt of Zabian Dowdell and Jamon Gordon. A.D. Vassalo and Deron Washington will need to step up and 6-foot-7 freshman power forward Jeff Allen will make an instant impact on Blacksburg, but all eyes will be on freshman point guard Hank Thorns to run the team.
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