Conference Countdown: No. 4 ACC

Pre-season Awards

Player of the Year: Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech

This may be an unpopular pick with the folks down in Durham, but let me explain. Duke legitimately has two, maybe even three (depending on how good Kyrie Irving ends up being), players that will contend for conference player of the year. That’s why they are going to be the best team in the league. Kyle Singler can afford to have an off-night, because Nolan Smith and Irving, and even a Seth Curry or a Plumlee, are talented enough to carry the Dukies, at least for stretches. No disrespect to Dorenzo Hudson or Jeff Allen -- both are very good players -- but they are a notch below the second and third options that the Blue Devils have. I think Delaney has the kind of senior season that Greivis Vasquez had last year; one where he puts up very impressive numbers and leads his team to their best season in recent memory. (Duke also had two, maybe three, viable player of the year candidates last year as well.) Keep in mind, Delaney has been on the wrong side of the bubble in each of his three seasons in Blacksburg. You don’t think he is determined to win something this year?

And a close second goes to: Kyle Singler, Duke

Runner-up came down to Singler and Nolan Smith, but with the amount of talent that Duke has in their back court this year, Smith may not have the opportunites that Singler does. Hell, Smith could very well be a second-fiddle in the back court to Irving by season’s end. I see Smith playing a complimentary role -- albeit very well, but still as a second or third option -- this season. Before last season, I called Singler the best complimentary player in the country. Last season changed my opinion of him. He played fantastic basketball down the stretch, capped by an outstanding tournament, a better title game, and a Final Four MOP award. This is Singler’s team.

Breakout Star: Tyler Zeller, UNC

Zeller has had a rough first two seasons with the Tar Heels. As a freshman, he broke his wrist in the second game of the season before returning late in the year for front court depth and a shot to participate in a national championship. As a sophomore, Zeller missed 10 games with a stress fracture in his foot before returning for an essentially meaningless stretch run. And for the majority of his time in Chapel Hill, he has played second fiddle to the likes of Tyler Hansbrough, Ed Davis, and Deon Thompson. Zeller is a talented player in the post, with a solid back-to-the-basket game and a nice touch of his jumper. Playing on a team where he is the only real offensive threat in the post with a talented back court, Zeller should have plenty of opportunities to get post touches and will be needed to rebound the ball effectively. He averaged 9.3 ppg and 4.6 rpg playing just over 17 minutes as second fiddle last year. What happens this season when he is the a go-to guy in the post and gets 34 minutes?

All-Conference First Team:

• POY - Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech, Sr.
  
• G - Nolan Smith, Duke, Sr.
  
• G/F - Harrison Barnes, UNC, Fr.
  
• F - Chris Singleton, Florida State, Jr.
  
• F - Kyle Singler, Duke, Sr.
  
• F - Tracy Smith, NC State, Sr.
  

All-Conference Second Team:

• G - Kyrie Irving, Duke, Fr.
  
• G - Durand Scott, Miami, So.
  
• F - Joe Trapani, Boston College, Sr.
  
• F - Tyler Zeller, UNC, Jr.
  
• F - Jordan Williams, Maryland, So.
  

Freshman of the Year: Harrison Barnes, UNC

Barnes has a very real shot at being the first pick in the 2011 NBA Draft should he decide to come out. A 6'8" small forward, Barnes is an incredibly smooth player. He doesn’t have the length or freakish tools of a Kevin Durant, but plays a similar style to Durant. He’s always under control, thrives in the mid-range, and is an excellent all-around shooter. Barnes is a smart kid that understands how to play the game and has sneaky athleticism. Barnes will likely be the focal point of the Tar Heel attack from day one, and some believe he has a shot at being a first-team all-american.

All-Freshman Team:

• G - Kyrie Irving, Duke
• G - Kendall Marshall, UNC
  
• G - Reggie Bullock, UNC
• G - JT Terrell, Wake Forest
  
• F - CJ Leslie, NC State
  

What Happened?:

• Coaching Changes: It was a relatively quiet off-season in the ACC, unless you were a head coach. Boston College got rid of Al Skinner, parting ways before the man who headed the Eagles for 13 years interviewed at St. John’s. BC brought in Cornell head coach Steve Donahue, who built the Big Red from an Ivy cellar dweller to a Sweet 16 team.

  Next up was Oliver Purnell, who simply up and left Clemson for DePaul. A week later, the Tigers signed Brad Brownell away from Wright State.

  Perhaps the most surprising coaching change belongs to Wake Forest, who fired head coach Dino Gaudio despite making a second straight tournament after another disappointing finish to a season. The Demon Deacons hired Colorado head coach Jeff Bzdelik, who pulled of one of the more impressive recruiting feats I can remember. Bzdelik kept the Wake Forest assistant coaches on staff, and was able to convince all five members of Gaudio’s impressive recruiting class to stay and give him a chance.

• Allan Chaney passes out: Chaney, who transferred to Virginia Tech from Florida and was scheduled to be eligible this fall, gave everyone a scare this summer. He fainted during a workout and had to be revived when a trainer gave him CPR. It was ruled dehydration, but after collapsing again later in the summer, it was determined Chaney needed more tests. He was found to have a viral inflammation of the heart, and it is not yet known if he will be able to play for the Hokies this season, although it doesn’t look good.

  More bad news was sent the Hokies way when they found out that JT Thompson would miss the season after tearing his acl.
  

• Speaking of the Hokies: Seth Greenberg always seems to be on the wrong side of the bubble. In fact, each of the last three seasons, Virginia Tech has been left out of the NCAA Tournament. Would it surprise you that he wanted tournament expansion, or that he didn’t like the format of the “First Four”? Regardless, Greenberg has decided to play a tougher schedule in hopes that he avoids being left out again this season.
• Bernard James: Is it possible that the most interesting person in college basketball is on Florida State? Read this, then answer that question.
  

What’s Next?:

• Why does no one want ACC schools?: Throughout everything that went on this summer with conference expansion, the ACC was really the only league that stayed out of the rumor mill. Sure, there was speculation that Maryland could be headed to the Big Ten, but that was it.
• Another national title?: The ACC has accounted for five of the last ten national titles. Many believe that Duke is far and away the best team in the country this season. Can they repeat?

Power Rankings:

1. Duke: The reigning national champs, Duke is easily the favorite to win it all. A major reason for that is the talent that the Blue Devils got back. Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler, both of whom are going to populate a number of preseason all-america lists, both decided against going pro to return to school and try and win a second straight national title. Smith will be the anchor for what should be one of the better back courts in the country. Joining Smith in the starting line-up will likely be Kyrie Irving, who most believe is one of the top five recruits in the country. Irving, a pure point guard that plays well beyond his years, will be a perfect complement to Smith in the back court. Seth Curry -- Steph’s little brother who averaged 20+ ppg at Liberty as a freshman that will be eligible this season -- Andre Dawkins, and freshman Tyler Thornton fill out the back court for Coach K. With more of a guard-oriented line-up this season, Singler will go back to splitting time at the three and the four. Brian Zoubek is gone, which means Duke is going to need one of their bigs -- whether it is Mason Plumlee (who is the most talented of the group), Miles Plumlee, Ryan Kelly, or freshman Josh Hairston -- to develop a mean streak defensively and on the glass. That said, this is still a team that is as deep as it is talented. Don’t be surprised if they win both ACC titles and a national title.
2. Virginia Tech: The Hokies may just be the second best team in the ACC this season. While they missed the NCAA Tournament last year, this was still a 25-win club that went 10-6 in the ACC, and they return everyone from last season. Malcolm Delaney, who could very well be the ACC player of the year this season, returns, as does Jeff Allen and Dorenzo Hudson, giving the Hokies as good of a 1-2-3 punch as there is outside of Duke. Victor Davila and Allan Chaney (assuming he can get cleared) will provide muscle inside, which will be all the more important with JT Thompson sidelined for the season. Terrell Bell and freshman Jarell Eddie give the Hokies athleticism and defensive toughness on the perimeter. Erick Green proved to be an adequate back-up at the point in limited minutes as a freshman. Its tough to think anyone can take the ACC from Duke this season, but Tech has as good of a chance as any team at finishing second in the conference.
3. North Carolina: Its going to be interesting to see where North Carolina gets placed by writers in the preseason. The Heels were arguably the most disappointing team in the country last season and lost quite a bit (Ed Davis, Deon Thompson, the Wear twins, Marcus Ginyard) from that club. But this is also a team that has had two very good recruiting classes back-to-back, which means that there are quite a few question marks. Up front, the biggest question mark is depth. There are really only three bigs on the roster. Tyler Zeller is back for his junior season. When he is healthy, he is a very good post player on both ends, but he has battled suffered major injuries each of his first two seasons. John Henson was a top 10 recruit in 2009, but until he puts on weight he won’t be overly effective in the ACC. Justin Knox, an Alabama transfer, will be eligible immediately. His size will be nice, but he averaged 6.3 ppg and 3.7 rpg as a junior. On the perimeter, the question marks will be positional battles. Larry Drew is the veteran point guard. Leslie McDonald and Dexter Strickland were hyped as freshmen, but had disappointing first seasons. Kendall Marshall and Reggie Bullock are this year’s talented freshman, and while Bullock could very well end up starting for this team, the guy to watch will be Marshall. Drew wasn’t the answer last season at the point, and Marshall was a highly regarded recruit. It seems the only certainty anyone has with this team is that Harrison Barnes will be the real deal. UNC should be improved next year, and while I believe Duke and Virginia Tech are still the better teams right now, this group should be in the mix for the second spot in the ACC.
4. NC State: It seems that Wolfpack fans that have been patient with Sidney Lowe’s tenure will finally be rewarded this year, as NC State looks to have a team that can make a run at a tournament bid. Its starts up front, where the Pack got some great news when Tracy Smith, who led the team in scoring and rebounding as a junior, withdrew from the NBA Draft and decided to return for his senior season. The news got better when Lowe scored an upset, landing 6'8" Raliegh native CJ Leslie, a top 20 recruit. With Richard Howell and 7'0" sophomore Jordan Vandenburg also returning, the Wolfpack have a very good front line. Lowe will also have a nice combination of experience and young talent in his back court. Javier Gonzalez, who started at the point last season, will be back for his senior season. 6'7" shooter Scott Wood also returns, as does CJ Williams, a 6'6" swingman who started 16 games as a sophomore. Freshmen guards Lorenzo Brown and Ryan Harrow will provide depth, and quite possibly compete for a starting spot. This is the most talented, and probably the deepest, team Lowe has had at NC State. It will be a disappointment if he cannot lead this group to the NCAA Tournament.
5. Florida State: The Seminoles lost both of their starting front court players -- Solomon Alabi and Ryan Reid -- but should still have enough size up front. 6'11" junior Xavier Gibson returns who, along with Terrence Shannon, who only played in 18 games, is the only rotational big man back from last season. But Hamilton brings in plenty on the front line. Okaro White is a 6'8", top 100 forward. Jon Kreft, who initially signed with Florida State is 2006 but has had his share of troubles getting into the school, is a seven-footer and former five-star recruit that will finally be eligible this year. Bernard James is a 6'10" JuCo all-american that spent six years abroad in the Air Force. Florida State’s biggest issue last season was their ability on the offensive end; simply put, they couldn’t score. With the exception of incoming freshman Ian Miller, a four star point guard out of Charlotte, this is the same group. The two best players on the perimeter are Chris Singleton and Michael Snaer. Both are tremendous athletes -- Snaer playing the two, Singleton at the three -- with a ton of upside, but offensively they are limited. One of those two is going to need to develop into a legitimate threat with the ball. Derwin Kitchen might be the best creator for Leonard Hamilton’s club, but he turns 25 during the season. He won’t be getting all that much better. Rounding out the perimeter will be juniors Luke Loucks and Deividas Dulkys. Florida State is going to be a big, physical, experienced club, and if a couple of their better players can improve their scoring ability, this is a team that could once again win 20 games, finish above .500 in the conference, and make the NCAA Tournament.
6. Clemson: With Oliver Purnell now at DePaul and Trevor Booker getting paychecks from the Wizards, its pretty obvious that Clemson is going to be a much different team next season. Where Clemson was a team known for their full-court press under Purnell, it will be interesting to see how new coach Brad Brownell runs this team. At Wright State, he was known for his team’s staunch, halfcourt defense and offensive execution. Brownell walks into a pretty good situation with Clemson. With Demontez Stitt, Andre Young, and Tanner Smith, Brownell has an experienced and tough back court returning. Throw sophomore Noel Johnson, who is only going to get better, into the mix, and the Tigers will have a very perimeter. The key to the Clemson season is going to be how their front line develops. Jerai Grant is a known commodity, an athletic, 6'8" senior that is going to get some dunks, some rebounds, a couple of blocks. Milton Jennings and Devin Booker, however, were both highly regarded recruits as freshmen that had so-so first seasons. Part of it was that the two only played limited minutes with Grant and Trevor Booker, but if these two can begin to live up to their potential, this Clemson team could end up being a tournament team.
7. Maryland: Its could be a tough year for the Terps, coming off of their share of the ACC regular season title. They lose Greivis Vasquez, Eric Hayes, and Landon Milbourne to graduation, which essentially means that the Terps will lose their three best players. All hope is not lost, however. Junior wing Sean Mosley has been quite impressive playing a role in his first two seasons in College Park. Center Jordan Williams, if he can cut some weight and get a bit quicker and more athletic, could develop into one of the better bigs in the ACC. Guard Adrian Bowie, swingman Cliff Tucker, and bigs Dino Gregory and James Padgett have all shown signs of being capable ACC players. If Mosley can develop into a 15 ppg player, Williams continues to improve as a post, and the six Maryland newcomers -- particularly the two point guards, Pe’Shon Howard and Terrell Stoglin -- are ready to compete at the ACC level, Maryland has a shot at getting a bid to the tournament.
8. Boston College: It was quite a tumultuous off-season for the Eagles. It started with Al Skinner getting fired, and continued with Rakim Sanders transferring to Fairfield, Brady Heslip transferring to Baylor, and with Kevin Noreen backing out of his commitment to the school. The cupboard isn’t bare for new head coach Steve Donahue, however. Joe Trapani has developed into one of the better combo-forwards in the ACC, averaging over 14 points 6 boards as a junior. Junior Reggie Jackson is developing into one of the better all-around guards in the ACC, and Corey Raji is a tough, 6'6" senior forward that really gets after it defensively and on the glass. Biko Paris and Dallas Elmore will also see time on the perimeter, but that is not where BC will struggle. There is not much size on this Eagle roster. Josh Southern, who started 25 games last season, is a 6'10" center and Courtney Dunn, who saw action in just 26 games, are really the only post players this team has. This is an experienced group with some talent at the top, but they are not all that deep and will be learning the system of a new coach. An NCAA tournament bid would be a bit of a surprise.
9. Miami: Miami won 20 games last season, but that number is a bit skewed when you consider 14 of those wins came in non-conference play. With Dwayne Collins and James Dews, their two leading scorers, graduating, its tough to see the ‘Canes improving all that much. If they do, it is going to rest on the shoulders of their back court. Durand Scott, who had a solid freshman campaign, and Villanova transfer Malcolm Grant are both very good back court players. 6'6" small forward DeQuan Jones is one of the best athletes in the conference. Adrian Thomas, at 6'7", is a tough, experienced kid that can score and knock down a jumper. Reggie Johnson is a capable center. But when you finish dead last in a power conference, lose your top two scorers, and bring in a recruiting class that doesn’t feature a program changer, its tough to expect too much.
10. Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons will have as much turnover as anyone in the conference. They lose four of their top six scorers, including Al-Farouq Aminu and Ishmael Smith. Head coach Dino Gaudio was fired, replaced by Jeff Bzdelik. To top it off, center Tony Woods was booted from the team after a domestic violence incident. But that doesn’t mean that all is lost for Wake this season. Sophomore guards CJ Harris and Ari Stewart both had promising freshman seasons, and have the potential for a breakout sophomore year. Junior big man Ty Walker was a highly touted freshmen that will finally have an opportunity to play extended minutes. Georgetown transfer Nikita Mescheriakov will be eligible to play, joining a very good five-man recruiting class, which includes four four-star recruits. This team is young, and they are inexperienced, but Wake has some talent and potential. I think Wake is a bit of a sleeper this season, but they are a young squad and probably a year away from making the tournament.
11. Georgia Tech: Paul Hewitt’s club is going to have a much different feel to it this season as Derrick Favors, Gani Lawal, and Zach Peacock are all gone. This year’s team is going to center around the Yellow Jacket backcourt. Headlining that group is Iman Shumpert, a 6'4" combo guard that has shown flashes of greatness in his two seasons with the Rambling Wreck. But he’s also been inconsistent, something that will need to change as he will be counted on to shoulder a much bigger offensive load. Moe Miller, who has seen his numbers drop in each of his three seasons, will be back for his senior year. Hewitt will need Miller to return to the form of his freshman season, when he averaged 8.1 ppg and 3.3 apg. Rounding out the perimeter will be sophomores Mfon Udofia, Brian Oliver, and Glen Rice Jr. as well as freshman Jason Morris, a four-star recruit. Somewhere out of that group, a secondary scorer is going to need to develop. Up front, Tech will be very young, as there are going to essentially be three freshmen -- two redshirt (Kammeon Hosley and Daniel Miller) and one true frosh (Nate Hicks, a former Tulane signee) -- that make up the rotation. It looks like another rebuilding year for Hewitt.
12. Virginia: The Cavaliers will be an interesting team to keep an eye on this season. After going 5-2 to start ACC play, the Cavs proceeded to lose their last nine games in conference. They also will be without Sylvan Landesberg, their leading scorer who was kicked off the team late in the season. But could it be possible that this club will be better without Landesberg? After he was kicked off the team, Virginia went 1-3. But all three of those losses came to the two conference co-champions. They return Mike Scott, Mustapha Farrakhan, and Will Sherrill and add talented freshman KT Harrell. Sammy Zeglinski had surgery on his knee and his return this season is questionable. Bennett will also bring in his first real recruiting class, which is six players deep. Bennett’s roster is not overloaded with talent, but neither were his teams at Washington State. Can Bennett mold this team into one that can compete in the ACC? While I expect another finish near the bottom of the league, I think this could be a team that sneaks up on some people in the ACC.