ACC basketball starts today and there are still many things unresolved with most teams. Can Duke win if it can’t make the three? Can Florida State play more consistent against its opponents? Can UNC be stopped in the ACC or can UVA actually be able to dethrone them and continue its surge as one of the surprise teams of the NCAA? I plan on answering all that with predictions in this preview.
Bottom Feeders
Let’s start backwards and move our way up to the top. I’m gonna start with my pick for the inevitable 12th place:
Boston College
OK, so they weren’t dealt the strongest of cards. Their coach Steve Donahue is a good coach, but he has absolutely nobody. BC went 9-7 in the ACC last year, but they lost all starters from last year. Let’s face it; when Reggie Jackson decided to bail on his senior year and move on to the NBA, BC was left with nothing. This is gonna take a major rebuilding effort from Donahue. He can do it, just not this year. And I don’t have major hopes for next year, either. The goal for this year is to just get everyone used to playing together. I can see 4 wins for the Eagles in ACC play this year IF they get some lucky breaks.
Prediction: Better luck next year.
Next I’m going with kind of a surprise to me but I’m picking Georgia Tech to finish 11th in the ACC:
Georgia Tech
Now, going into this year I thought that GT would be around 6th, but with how they’ve played so far I am dropping them way down. They have not been impressive at all to me. I’m so used to seeing a very, very athletic GT team running up and down the court, but it’s just not the same this year. Even with Iman Shumpert moving on, I thought Glen Rice Jr. would turn into an instant star, but Georgia Tech does have a bad problem with not being able to develop stars. They have had plenty over the past few years, but have not been able to move to the next level, and, with losses to Fordham, Tulane, and Mercer, they won’t be able to this year either. Goal for GT this year is to continue to recruit well and learn, new coach, Brian Gregory’s philosophy.
Prediction: 4-5 wins, maybe six, because of the schedule in ACC play
And the last bottom feeder that I have picked to finish 10th is Wake Forest.
Wake Forest
They rely heavily on C.J. Harris and Travis McKie as their scoring options. Both are very solid players and, if they can both play well early on in ACC play, this team can win a few games and scare others. They bring in a good recruiting class and, if the freshman can play well, THEY WILL finish higher than 10th. This team I feel is gonna be a good team next year, but I think they are still another year away.
Prediction: 5 wins this year. Look out next year
Middle of the Pack
OK for this segment of the article I’m gonna be going through teams 5-9. This part was alot more difficult as all of these teams have the talent to be anywhere in these rankings. I believe that most of the teams in the “Middle of the Pack” could beat anyone on any given night. Lets start out with who I pick to finish 9th in the conference.
Clemson
Clemson is a tough team to predict because they haven’t had the best of starts this year. With losses to 3 in-state colleges (Coastal Carolina, College of Charleston, and South Carolina – all at home), it looks like they won’t be making it to the NCAA’s this year. This team, on paper, looks like it should be doing much better. Coming into this year, I expected Devin Booker to emerge as one of the best 4’s in the conference, but it hasn’t happened yet. He needed to step forward and take this team by the reigns. This team is offensively inept. They are ranked 261st in the nation in scoring at almost 64 points per game. That’s not gonna win you a bunch of games, folks. Don’t let that fool you though. They can get on streaks and, if they can get Andre Young on track along with Booker, then they can do some damage. The goal for this team is recover from a not so well start and do some work in the somewhat down ACC. They want and are capable of 8 wins if they get rolling.
Prediction: They want 8. They get 5. Sorry
Next - the number 8 team in the conference. I’m going with Maryland.
Maryland
This was a tough pick because, and honestly, a surprising pick to even myself. But, after looking at the schedule and stats I had to pick them. They are 10-3 on the year with tough losses to Iona by 26 and Alabama by 20. What turns me off from them is the fact they haven’t played a true road game yet. We are over a month into the season! That’s just unbelievable. They don’t have an impressive resume right now. An 8 point win over Cornell? A 6 point win over Florida Gulf Coast? A come from behind 5 point win over Radford!? I mean; come on. Really? The good news for them is that they are on a 7 game winning streak heading into ACC play and they recently received a Christmas present with Alex Len gaining eligibility. He is a true 7-footer with plenty of room to add some bulk. Don’t let that fool you, though. In his 3 games this season, he is averaging 14 points per game to go along with 8 boards and over 2 blocks. That’s pretty impressive for a freshman. He is joined with the dynamic Terrell Stoglin who has been lighting it up, averaging over 21 points per game as well. Unfortunately for Maryland, they have to play UNC, Duke, and UVA all twice in ACC play. The goal for this Maryland team is to learn under new coach Mark Turgeon and play together as a team. This team is mostly very young with lots of freshman and sophomores on the roster who are major contributors, but I still see them as a work in progress.
Prediction: Start strong in ACC play but still only get 6 wins. No NCAA tournament either
Next in line, I have NC State.
North Carolina State
They have an impressive record at 11-4, but they still don’t have that marquee win. Granted, they haven’t been blown out by anybody, but they still needed probably one or two of those to get into the NCAA tournament. They have good upside with a solid team. They are balanced with 5 guys on the team averaging between 12 and 13 points and have good ball movement, as they rank 7th overall in assists. But again, I must bring up the point that they haven’t been able to win the tough games and, unfortunately for them, that is what the ACC is. Now, if they can stay balanced, they will win some games. But, they still need to learn to finish close games. The goal for NC State is 9 wins and a tournament birth.
Prediction: 6-7 wins no tournament
Number 6 for me is between the two Florida teams. This is kind of a tough decision, but I have to make a decision and I’m going to have to go with potential. So, at number six, I have to pick Florida State.
Florida State
Florida State has been a tough team to examine. The Harvard loss is not a bad loss now. Too bad they don’t have any good wins yet. With Auburn as their best win they have been kind of a disappointment to the ACC. Everyone pegged them as the absolute number 3 team in the preseason, but with losses in all of their marquee match-ups, they aren’t looking so hot. The losses are to Florida, MSU, Uconn, Harvard, and that damn pesky Princeton. They haven’t finished. Losing Chris Singleton was a hard loss for them as they lose the length and a playmaker, but in my eyes, I think the biggest loss was Derwin Kitchen. Every time they needed a big play, he was the unsung hero. I do think that, with Bernard James getting more time to play, he will be a forced down low in the ACC. Michael Snaer can also score in bunches and is probably the most reliable player for FSU, but he has not been shooting the ball very well this season. The goal for this Florida State team is to win 9 games and they very well might do it if they can pull it together heading into the ACC.
Prediction: 7 wins, possibly 8. Bubble team. No tournament
Next up – rounding out the Middle of the Pack and finishing a surprising 5th, is Miami.
Miami
This is a crazy pick to most people – and hell, I could be stupid for even saying they will finish this high – but I feel like this Miami team has great potential. They have experience and amazing athletes. Yes, they lost a good coach in Frank Haith, but they replaced him well with Jim Larranaga – a coach that has great potential to recruit well in the Florida area, and maybe even turn Miami into a steady basketball program. With what the football team is going through, they could use a little good news down there. Anyways, let’s get to the other reasons why I like them this high up.
The main reason I like them is because of their backcourt. Malcolm Grant is the guy that can shoot it from just about anywhere on the court with accuracy and, when he gets hot, he’s just about unguardable. Then you have Durand Scott, who has freakish athletic ability and can drive and finish. Together they are tough to stop. Then, I was worried about the frontcourt until one man came back – Reggie Johnson. No one can stop this guy. He’s big. He’s tall. He’s strong. I wouldn’t brag about him if it was just him. No one man can do everything in the ACC. Then, emerged Kenny Kadji. And, while he still struggles a bit controlling rebounds he is a good scoring option that no one saw coming. In the games where he has played at least 25 minutes, he is averaging almost 17 points, 6.5 boards, and over 2 blocks per game. The goal for the hurricanes this year, I think, is to buy into Jim Larranaga’s game-plan. And, if they start to execute, they can beat anyone in this league.
Prediction - Minimum 8 wins, with a couple head scratching wins, leading them into the NCAA tournament.
Upper Middle Class
It’s time to get to the upper echelon of the ACC – aka 4 and 5. My next team in the rankings, that might be somewhat of a homer pick, is Virginia Tech. But, I’m sticking with it.
Virginia Tech
So, this might be a stretch, but VT hasn’t had a bad game for a while now. Unfortunately, they haven’t been a great team, either. While making the NIT every year, the main goal for this team was to make the NCAA’s. Coach Seth Greenberg is a smart coach that is starting to recruit well into Blacksburg. And, while this was supposed to be a down year for Virginia Tech after losing Jeff Allen and Malcolm Delaney, the freshman are looking impressive. Before we get to the freshman, let’s start with the returning players.
The stars of the team are Dorenzo Hudson and Erick Green. Dorenzo Hudson used a medical redshirt last year to return for this season (and to play a year without Ball-Hog Malcolm Delaney). He has had a very rough going this season and, although he is averaging 12 points per contest, he is shooting poorly – especially from 3, where he is only shooting a little over 25%. Green, on the other hand, is playing really well at 15 per and he’s shooting 43% from downtown. A surprise for VT has been Jarrell Eddie and his amazing 53% from outside. That’s just ridiculous for an outside shooter to accomplish. OK, back to the freshman.
VT is starting Dorian Finney-Smith at PF and, while struggling to score, he has dominated the boards. Another impressive freshman is Robert Brown, who seems to be a 3pt specialist right now. The reason I like this team to finish 4th is because, for once in Seth Greenberg’s tenure, they don’t have a specific scoring option – mot because they don’t have one. but because they have many options. Anyone of 6 players can be the leading scorer for this team on any given night. The goal for Virginia Tech this year is the same as it’s been for a while – to make the NCAA Tournament.
Prediction – 9 Wins – including a Duke or UNC win, like every year. Bubble team. Last 4 in.
Next up as much as I hate to say it – Virginia
Virginia
Let me just start out by saying that I hate this pick. But, you can’t deny the talent Virginia has. They ride an 11 game winning streak into conference play and, if it wasn’t for a stupid loss to TCU, they would be undefeated. They are led by senior PF Mike Scott, who is averaging 16 points and 9 boards a game. He has played well and consistent for them every game and is a first-team all ACC and candidate for conference player of the year. Then, they have sophomore guard Joe Harris, who has played well above expectations and has been a great role player this year while averaging 13 per. Last, but certainly not least, is who I think might be one of the most underrated playing in the league – Sammy Zeglinski. He is a deadly 3-point shooter who can make plays on both sides of the ball. The goal for Virginia going into ACC play is to continue its ways that have worked so far. This team has a chance to make some noise in the conference, but they still don’t have the talent of Duke or UNC. So, this is their ceiling.
Prediction: 10 wins. NCAA tournament, but no big advancement
The Elite
If you’re keeping up, we have the top two teams left. UNC and Duke. Can you imagine that? No big surprise here, but let’s get to the reason I (and everybody else that knows ANYTHING about basketball) picked them. As the number 2 team in the ACC I pick….. UNC
North Carolina
I can hear the boos now. How can I pick against the favorite to win the National Championship? I’ll get to that later on. The Tar Heels have a great coach in Roy Williams and amazing talent, as always. Highlighting the team is Mr. everything in Harrison Barnes. I can’t find anything that this kid can’t do and I think he will be a top 3 pick in the next NBA draft. He averages over 17 points per game and is shooting almost 50% from the field AND 3pt land. John Henson reminds me a little bit of Tyrus Thomas in his pure athletic ability with 15 points, 10 boards, and 3 blocks a game. That’s a stat stuffing line if I’ve seen one. The big man down low, Tyler Zeller has been a constant down low, averaging a measly 14 and 9. He is just a big body down low to help protect the rim. Kendall Marshall, one of the best facilitators in college basketball, is a passing fanatic, averaging a crisp 10 assists per game. That is unheard of in college basketball these days with everyone wanting to be the star of the team. He is by far, in my eyes, the best role player of any D1 basketball player out there. He runs the offense smoothly and sets up the scoring for everybody. Without him, I don’t see UNC in the position they are now. The goal for this North Carolina team is simple, really. Win the ACC and cut down the nets in March. Simple.
Prediction: 13 wins and a deep NCAA tournament run. I think they WILL be cutting down the nets in March.
The one team left is those damn Blue Devils
Duke
This is my controversial pick for the ACC champions. I chose Duke over UNC, and yes I saw that dreadful game against Ohio State and yes, I wrote this after they lost to Temple. I still like this Duke team. They have fantastic freshman in Austin Rivers, averaging 15 points per game while playing very good teams. He can shoot the ball from just about anywhere on the court. This kid is the real deal, but luckily for most of the ACC, he’s gonna be one and done for sure. Next up, you have the towers down low in the Plumlee brothers. Combined, they average 20 points and 17 boards per game. Throw in the other tower down there in Ryan Kelly, and you have 3 basically 7-footers and a guaranteed monster down low for all 40 minutes of the game. It’s hard to score down low against that. Andre Dawkins is kind of having a down year from behind the arc, but I credit it to all the attention that follows him around the arc. Seth Curry is another big time player for Duke, averaging 13 points a game and another downtown threat. Leave Seth or Andre open, and you’re giving them 3 points. Rivers is quickly joining that elite club as well. Duke is well rounded with size, speed, and pinpoint accuracy. Duje’s goal is the same thing as UNC’s – win and win alot.
Prediction. 13 wins and deep tournament run. I’m predicting Elite 8
The start of the NFL playoffs is bittersweet. We get that much closer to crowning a new champion and that much closer to the off-season. Too bad football can’t operate on the NASCAR schedule.
Texans (-4) vs. Bengals – O/U (38)