Games against 2012 NCAA Tournament teams: 10
Games against ACC top 4: 6
Games against ACC bottom 4: 7
Best non-conference game: 11/9 vs. Kentucky (in Brooklyn)
Projected Starting Five:
C - Alex Len (Sophomore)
F - James Padgett (Senior)
G - Dez Wells (Sophomore)
G - Pe'Shon Howard (Junior)
G - Nick Faust (Sophomore)
There has been a little bit of a lull the last few years in College Park, with the lack of success by both the football and basketball teams. I think at least in basketball, things are looking up though. Last year Maryland brought in Mark Turgeon to follow in the big footsteps of Gary Williams, and he did pretty well. The team didn't make the tournament, but they showed signs of progress as the year went on. Last year a young Maryland team struggled on the road, getting five of their six conference wins at home. They move into this season with one big departure, as Terrell Stoglin opted to leave school early for the NBA Draft.
It remains to be seen whether the team could be better without him. Stoglin was a prolific scorer, but he also took entirely too many shots at times. Looking at who's left, the best player could certainly be Alex Len. Len had a lot of hype coming into his freshman year, and didn't have a great season. That may be unfair, though, as he missed the first half of the year. He's definitely capable of scoring more than six points per game this year. I also like Nick Faust, who really came on at the end of last year. There is a big question mark in that starting lineup, as right now Maryland is waiting to see if the NCAA will rule Dez Wells eligible to play this year. He is a transfer from Xavier who could be a big boost to this team.
The Terps start out their year with a bang against Kentucky. If there's ever a time to get the defending champs, it's in the first game, where the Wildcats are breaking in a whole new group of players. If Maryland can somehow pull the upset, that will look huge on their resume in March. After that, they have a stretch of 12 out of 14 games at home, almost all of those being against overmatched opponents.
Most Maryland fans are pretty high on Coach Turgeon, as he's had a strong record of success wherever he's been. I think he takes the Terps up to the next level this year with a solid nucleus of players. Even if Wells cannot play this year, they have enough balance between backcourt and frontcourt to beat a lot of the teams in this conference. I think the Terps will be right there on the bubble when Selection Sunday hits.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Season Preview: #7 Virginia
Games against 2012 NCAA Tournament teams: 8
Games against ACC top 4: 5
Games against ACC bottom 4: 7
Best non-conference game: 12/5 vs. Tennessee
Projected Starting Five:
F - Mike Tobey (Freshman)
F - Akil Mitchell (Junior)
F - Joe Harris (Junior)
G - Malcolm Brogdon (Sophomore)
G - Jontel Evans (Senior)
This is the year that we find out just how good a coach Tony Bennett is. Last year Virginia came in with pretty high expectations, and they met them. They started the season very well and ended up with a top four finish in the ACC and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. That was with the man that I thought should have been the ACC Player of the Year: Mike Scott. He's not there anymore.
One concerning aspect for Virginia fans is the way the team ended the season. It seemed like they ran out of gas, and ended with a very poor performance in the NCAA Tournament against Florida. Now you can say that they were pretty depleted - at times in the second half of the season they had basically a six man rotation. So how does this year's team look? They have two players that you know you can count on. Joe Harris finished second in scoring last year despite being banged up. He had the best three point percentage on the team. Jontel Evans was a very solid point guard, a great distributor and strong defender. He could make things happen, although he was not a great scorer. If Virginia is going to be good this year, they will have to count on some young players. Role players like Malcolm Brogdon and Akil Mitchell will have to step up and be more prominent scorers. They do have a pretty well received freshman class, led by Mike Tobey, who should get in the starting lineup right away.
Virginia starts out with an intriguing game, on the road at George Mason. After that they play a whole bunch of home games, but will play some challenging games. They are in the preseason NIT tournament, and have to travel to Wisconsin in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The good thing for them is that their conference slate is one of the easiest. They only play Duke and N.C. State once, and play BC, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech twice.
It's pretty hard to predict how the Cavaliers will do because you just don't know how they will be able to perform without Mike Scott. They have a few decent players left, but they will be relying heavily on freshmen and sophomores. I think they will struggle in the non-conference, but they will be battle tested by the time they get to conference play. Coach Bennett's system will win some games. You have to think there will be a drop off this year, but they should be able to make the NIT.
Games against ACC top 4: 5
Games against ACC bottom 4: 7
Best non-conference game: 12/5 vs. Tennessee
Projected Starting Five:
F - Mike Tobey (Freshman)
F - Akil Mitchell (Junior)
F - Joe Harris (Junior)
G - Malcolm Brogdon (Sophomore)
G - Jontel Evans (Senior)
This is the year that we find out just how good a coach Tony Bennett is. Last year Virginia came in with pretty high expectations, and they met them. They started the season very well and ended up with a top four finish in the ACC and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. That was with the man that I thought should have been the ACC Player of the Year: Mike Scott. He's not there anymore.
One concerning aspect for Virginia fans is the way the team ended the season. It seemed like they ran out of gas, and ended with a very poor performance in the NCAA Tournament against Florida. Now you can say that they were pretty depleted - at times in the second half of the season they had basically a six man rotation. So how does this year's team look? They have two players that you know you can count on. Joe Harris finished second in scoring last year despite being banged up. He had the best three point percentage on the team. Jontel Evans was a very solid point guard, a great distributor and strong defender. He could make things happen, although he was not a great scorer. If Virginia is going to be good this year, they will have to count on some young players. Role players like Malcolm Brogdon and Akil Mitchell will have to step up and be more prominent scorers. They do have a pretty well received freshman class, led by Mike Tobey, who should get in the starting lineup right away.
Virginia starts out with an intriguing game, on the road at George Mason. After that they play a whole bunch of home games, but will play some challenging games. They are in the preseason NIT tournament, and have to travel to Wisconsin in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The good thing for them is that their conference slate is one of the easiest. They only play Duke and N.C. State once, and play BC, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech twice.
It's pretty hard to predict how the Cavaliers will do because you just don't know how they will be able to perform without Mike Scott. They have a few decent players left, but they will be relying heavily on freshmen and sophomores. I think they will struggle in the non-conference, but they will be battle tested by the time they get to conference play. Coach Bennett's system will win some games. You have to think there will be a drop off this year, but they should be able to make the NIT.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Season Preview: #8 Clemson
Games against 2012 NCAA Tournament teams: 10
Games against ACC top 4: 6
Games against ACC bottom 4: 7
Best non-conference game: 12/8 vs. Arizona
Projected Starting Five:
F - Devin Booker (Senior)
F - Milton Jennings (Senior)
F - K.J. McDaniels (Sophomore)
G - T.J. Sapp (Sophomore)
G - Rod Hall (Sophomore)
The team I missed on the most last year was Clemson. I really thought they had the pieces to finish in the top four of the ACC and go back to the NCAA Tournament. Instead, they really struggled in the non-conference, beat up on bad teams in conference play, and finished 7th. It's hard to say why Clemson struggled so much, because they had the same team pretty much from the year before. Most of their problems were offensively, and they struggled on the road (2-6 in conference).
Now they have to try to rebuild with a completely different backcourt. Tanner Smith and Andre Young are gone, the two leading scorers for this team last year. Coach Brad Brownell will turn to young, unproven players to run the show. T.J. Sapp and Rod Hall combined for about seven points and 32 minutes per game last year. The good news is Clemson retains its strong frontcourt. Devin Booker has proven to be not as good as his older brother but was a stabilizing force down low. Milton Jennings did not really live up to expectations last year, but should be good in his senior season. The wild card for me is K.J McDaniels, who showed flashes as a freshman of being a really good player. But he was very inconsistent, and didn't get many minutes.
Clemson has a very tough stretch in their non-conference schedule, where they have to play Gonzaga, Purdue, South Carolina and Arizona. If they can get through this with some good wins, I think they could be on the right track this year. They also have a tough start to the conference season, with their first two games against Florida State and Duke. But they only play UNC and Duke once each, and play a lot of games against teams at the bottom.
So how will Clemson do this year? I am not as high on them as I was last season. I think with a completely new backcourt it's going to take some time for them to adjust, and there will be some struggles. Besides Booker and Jennings, they are very young - all the rest of their players are either sophomores or freshmen. They will win some games because of their favorable conference schedule. But I don't see a return to the NCAA Tournament this year.
Games against ACC top 4: 6
Games against ACC bottom 4: 7
Best non-conference game: 12/8 vs. Arizona
Projected Starting Five:
F - Devin Booker (Senior)
F - Milton Jennings (Senior)
F - K.J. McDaniels (Sophomore)
G - T.J. Sapp (Sophomore)
G - Rod Hall (Sophomore)
The team I missed on the most last year was Clemson. I really thought they had the pieces to finish in the top four of the ACC and go back to the NCAA Tournament. Instead, they really struggled in the non-conference, beat up on bad teams in conference play, and finished 7th. It's hard to say why Clemson struggled so much, because they had the same team pretty much from the year before. Most of their problems were offensively, and they struggled on the road (2-6 in conference).
Now they have to try to rebuild with a completely different backcourt. Tanner Smith and Andre Young are gone, the two leading scorers for this team last year. Coach Brad Brownell will turn to young, unproven players to run the show. T.J. Sapp and Rod Hall combined for about seven points and 32 minutes per game last year. The good news is Clemson retains its strong frontcourt. Devin Booker has proven to be not as good as his older brother but was a stabilizing force down low. Milton Jennings did not really live up to expectations last year, but should be good in his senior season. The wild card for me is K.J McDaniels, who showed flashes as a freshman of being a really good player. But he was very inconsistent, and didn't get many minutes.
Clemson has a very tough stretch in their non-conference schedule, where they have to play Gonzaga, Purdue, South Carolina and Arizona. If they can get through this with some good wins, I think they could be on the right track this year. They also have a tough start to the conference season, with their first two games against Florida State and Duke. But they only play UNC and Duke once each, and play a lot of games against teams at the bottom.
So how will Clemson do this year? I am not as high on them as I was last season. I think with a completely new backcourt it's going to take some time for them to adjust, and there will be some struggles. Besides Booker and Jennings, they are very young - all the rest of their players are either sophomores or freshmen. They will win some games because of their favorable conference schedule. But I don't see a return to the NCAA Tournament this year.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Season Preview: #9 Georgia Tech
Games against 2012 NCAA Tournament teams: 8
Games against ACC top 4: 7
Games against ACC bottom 4: 5
Best non-conference game: 11/28 at Illinois
Projected Starting Five:
C - Daniel Miller (Senior)
F - Kammeon Holsey (Junior)
G - Jason Morris (Junior)
G - Brandon Reed (Junior)
G - Mfon Udofia (Senior)
Last year was a transition year for the Yellow Jackets. Besides having a new coach, they had no true home court. Alexander Memorial Coliseum (aka the Thrillerdome) was being renovated, so the team played most of its home games at Philips Arena, home of the Atlanta Hawks. And the team played like it. They had some games where the offense just looked awful, with multiple conference games under 40 points. The team also had a big problem when their best player, Glen Rice Jr., was suspended and then kicked off the team. That led to a 4-12 record and an 11th place finish.
Will we see improvement out of Georgia Tech this year? It's certainly possible. They have a lot of veteran players, starting with point guard Mfon Udofia. Udofia didn't really have the year that most people expected last year, but he was at a steady 9.9 points per game. He needs to improve his shooting though: 38% from the field and 32% from 3 won't cut it. I thought Kam Holsey showed a lot of promise at times last year, and is poised for a very good junior season. He can definitely be the team's best player. The rest of the team is mostly role players, so some of the five freshmen should get significant playing time this year.
There isn't much to write home about in the non-conference schedule. Georgia Tech plays in the DirecTV Classic in Anaheim (formerly the 76 Classic), which doesn't have a very strong field. Their ACC/Big Ten Challenge game is on the road at Illinois, then they have seven straight home games. The conference schedule is pretty tough. Their first three road games are at NC State, Duke and UNC.
Coach Brian Gregory has made strides defensively, but it remains to be seen if the Yellow Jackets can put up enough offense to win. They really need someone who can step up and knock down some threes to give them instant offense. If they can get that, they can put together some wins. I think this group will be a little more cohesive and has enough talent to move up a couple notches this year. Although they will not be good enough to make it on the bubble.
Games against ACC top 4: 7
Games against ACC bottom 4: 5
Best non-conference game: 11/28 at Illinois
Projected Starting Five:
C - Daniel Miller (Senior)
F - Kammeon Holsey (Junior)
G - Jason Morris (Junior)
G - Brandon Reed (Junior)
G - Mfon Udofia (Senior)
Last year was a transition year for the Yellow Jackets. Besides having a new coach, they had no true home court. Alexander Memorial Coliseum (aka the Thrillerdome) was being renovated, so the team played most of its home games at Philips Arena, home of the Atlanta Hawks. And the team played like it. They had some games where the offense just looked awful, with multiple conference games under 40 points. The team also had a big problem when their best player, Glen Rice Jr., was suspended and then kicked off the team. That led to a 4-12 record and an 11th place finish.
Will we see improvement out of Georgia Tech this year? It's certainly possible. They have a lot of veteran players, starting with point guard Mfon Udofia. Udofia didn't really have the year that most people expected last year, but he was at a steady 9.9 points per game. He needs to improve his shooting though: 38% from the field and 32% from 3 won't cut it. I thought Kam Holsey showed a lot of promise at times last year, and is poised for a very good junior season. He can definitely be the team's best player. The rest of the team is mostly role players, so some of the five freshmen should get significant playing time this year.
There isn't much to write home about in the non-conference schedule. Georgia Tech plays in the DirecTV Classic in Anaheim (formerly the 76 Classic), which doesn't have a very strong field. Their ACC/Big Ten Challenge game is on the road at Illinois, then they have seven straight home games. The conference schedule is pretty tough. Their first three road games are at NC State, Duke and UNC.
Coach Brian Gregory has made strides defensively, but it remains to be seen if the Yellow Jackets can put up enough offense to win. They really need someone who can step up and knock down some threes to give them instant offense. If they can get that, they can put together some wins. I think this group will be a little more cohesive and has enough talent to move up a couple notches this year. Although they will not be good enough to make it on the bubble.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Season Preview: #10 Virginia Tech
Games against 2012 NCAA Tournament teams: 10
Games against ACC top 4: 6
Games against ACC bottom 4: 5
Best non-conference game: 12/8 at West Virginia
Projected Starting Five:
F - Cadarian Raines (Junior)
F - C.J. Barksdale (Sophomore)
F - Jarell Eddie (Junior)
G - Robert Brown (Sophomore)
G - Erick Green (Senior)
The only first-year coach in the ACC resides in Blacksburg. And it's anyone's guess how James Johnson will do as coach. This is his first head coaching job, as most people know. So what does he inherit? A team that has talented players, including a potential ACC first teamer in Erick Green. But a team with not many bodies. The biggest blow in the offseason was the transfer of Dorian Finney-Smith. Finney-Smith didn't have the biggest freshman year, with a prolonged shooting slump in the middle of the season. But he was a great talent with a big upside. The Hokies also saw prized recruit Montrezl Harrell de-commit and go to Louisville, which certainly was tough.
Who returns? Green is a very steady presence, with a long streak last year of games in double digits. When no one else is making shots, he will. Cadarian Raines really came on at the end of last year, and is primed to have a big season. The lone freshman is Marshall Wood. I saw Wood play in high school last year: he can light up the scoreboard and if he puts on some weight can be a very effective power forward.
The Hokies have a pretty challenging schedule for a first year coach to navigate through. They don't have any particularly hard games in their first five. But they have road games at West Virginia and BYU, and a home game with potential NCAA team Oklahoma State. The conference schedule is definitely backloaded, with the last six including two games against Duke, one against Florida State and one against Miami.
What can we expect from the Hokies this year? It's hard to say. They have a starting five that is probably the most talented of the bottom six schools in the ACC. But they have no depth at all, and the Hokies have a history of significant injuries. One big injury and the season could be a disaster. I think if the team buys in to what Coach Johnson is selling, they could push for an NIT bid. But somewhere around a 10th place finish is the most likely spot.
Games against ACC top 4: 6
Games against ACC bottom 4: 5
Best non-conference game: 12/8 at West Virginia
Projected Starting Five:
F - Cadarian Raines (Junior)
F - C.J. Barksdale (Sophomore)
F - Jarell Eddie (Junior)
G - Robert Brown (Sophomore)
G - Erick Green (Senior)
The only first-year coach in the ACC resides in Blacksburg. And it's anyone's guess how James Johnson will do as coach. This is his first head coaching job, as most people know. So what does he inherit? A team that has talented players, including a potential ACC first teamer in Erick Green. But a team with not many bodies. The biggest blow in the offseason was the transfer of Dorian Finney-Smith. Finney-Smith didn't have the biggest freshman year, with a prolonged shooting slump in the middle of the season. But he was a great talent with a big upside. The Hokies also saw prized recruit Montrezl Harrell de-commit and go to Louisville, which certainly was tough.
Who returns? Green is a very steady presence, with a long streak last year of games in double digits. When no one else is making shots, he will. Cadarian Raines really came on at the end of last year, and is primed to have a big season. The lone freshman is Marshall Wood. I saw Wood play in high school last year: he can light up the scoreboard and if he puts on some weight can be a very effective power forward.
The Hokies have a pretty challenging schedule for a first year coach to navigate through. They don't have any particularly hard games in their first five. But they have road games at West Virginia and BYU, and a home game with potential NCAA team Oklahoma State. The conference schedule is definitely backloaded, with the last six including two games against Duke, one against Florida State and one against Miami.
What can we expect from the Hokies this year? It's hard to say. They have a starting five that is probably the most talented of the bottom six schools in the ACC. But they have no depth at all, and the Hokies have a history of significant injuries. One big injury and the season could be a disaster. I think if the team buys in to what Coach Johnson is selling, they could push for an NIT bid. But somewhere around a 10th place finish is the most likely spot.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Season Preview: #11 Wake Forest
Games against 2012 ACC Tournament teams: 10
Games against ACC top 4: 6
Games against ACC bottom 4: 6
Best non-conference game: 11/16 vs. Connecticut (at St. Thomas)
Projected Starting Five:
F - Devin Thomas (Freshman)
F - Travis McKie (Junior)
G - Chase Fischer (Sophomore)
G - C.J. Harris (Senior)
G - Codi Miller-McIntyre (Freshman)
Oh, Wake Forest. These last two years have not been very kind. Last season, I compiled a list of the worst 10 teams in the ACC in the last 10 years. Wake's team from two years ago was #1 on the list. Last year's team would have come in #10. So let's look at what happened last year. Wake got off to an okay start in the non-conference, with a couple wins over BCS conference teams. They started conference play with a home win over Virginia Tech, which at the time was playing well. After that, Wake lost 9 of their next 10 games. Eight of those losses were by double digits, four by at least 20 points. They rounded out the season playing a little better, and ended up 4-12 in conference.
Then came the end of the season, and the transfers started. People were jumping ship left and right. So where does that leave Wake Forest going into this critical third season of the Jeff Bzdelik era? They have three players returning who scored more than two points per game last year. Fortunately for them, two of those players are pretty good. C.J. Harris was close to being a star last year, and Travis McKie, despite not quite living up to his freshman season, was solid. Those two players will really have to carry the load for a team that is lacking in experience. There are seven freshmen on the roster this year. Some of them are pretty solid recruits, including the two that I penciled in to the starting lineup this year.
Wake's non-conference schedule isn't horrible. They will have an early season tournament game against UConn that should be a good barometer of where this team is early on. A road game at Richmond and home game against Seton Hall are the other highlights. Wake starts conference play at Duke, but then the next four games are all winnable. It's imperative that this team gets off to a good start. Because we've seen that once they start to spiral out of control, they can't get out of it.
I have been a critic of Coach Bzdelik from the start. It doesn't seem like his teams play with any energy, and I have a hard time finding what the team's identity is. They have solid players in Harris and McKie, which should keep them above Boston College in the standings. But it's hard to find many wins between the lack of past success and lack of experience in the lineup. I think Wake has to show continued improvement, with at least a 6-12 conference record, for Coach Bzdelik to keep his job. And that will be tough.
Games against ACC top 4: 6
Games against ACC bottom 4: 6
Best non-conference game: 11/16 vs. Connecticut (at St. Thomas)
Projected Starting Five:
F - Devin Thomas (Freshman)
F - Travis McKie (Junior)
G - Chase Fischer (Sophomore)
G - C.J. Harris (Senior)
G - Codi Miller-McIntyre (Freshman)
Oh, Wake Forest. These last two years have not been very kind. Last season, I compiled a list of the worst 10 teams in the ACC in the last 10 years. Wake's team from two years ago was #1 on the list. Last year's team would have come in #10. So let's look at what happened last year. Wake got off to an okay start in the non-conference, with a couple wins over BCS conference teams. They started conference play with a home win over Virginia Tech, which at the time was playing well. After that, Wake lost 9 of their next 10 games. Eight of those losses were by double digits, four by at least 20 points. They rounded out the season playing a little better, and ended up 4-12 in conference.
Then came the end of the season, and the transfers started. People were jumping ship left and right. So where does that leave Wake Forest going into this critical third season of the Jeff Bzdelik era? They have three players returning who scored more than two points per game last year. Fortunately for them, two of those players are pretty good. C.J. Harris was close to being a star last year, and Travis McKie, despite not quite living up to his freshman season, was solid. Those two players will really have to carry the load for a team that is lacking in experience. There are seven freshmen on the roster this year. Some of them are pretty solid recruits, including the two that I penciled in to the starting lineup this year.
Wake's non-conference schedule isn't horrible. They will have an early season tournament game against UConn that should be a good barometer of where this team is early on. A road game at Richmond and home game against Seton Hall are the other highlights. Wake starts conference play at Duke, but then the next four games are all winnable. It's imperative that this team gets off to a good start. Because we've seen that once they start to spiral out of control, they can't get out of it.
I have been a critic of Coach Bzdelik from the start. It doesn't seem like his teams play with any energy, and I have a hard time finding what the team's identity is. They have solid players in Harris and McKie, which should keep them above Boston College in the standings. But it's hard to find many wins between the lack of past success and lack of experience in the lineup. I think Wake has to show continued improvement, with at least a 6-12 conference record, for Coach Bzdelik to keep his job. And that will be tough.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Season Preview: #12 Boston College
A few notes before I get started talking about Boston College: I went through and did my preseason rankings, and then looked at each team's schedule. I counted how many games each team had against my top four in the ACC and how many they had against my bottom four. Obviously, Boston College would not have as many games against teams in the bottom four because they are one of those teams. So much of what you have to look at when deciding where teams are going to finish is who they play in the conference. Based on these numbers, Boston College actually has the toughest conference schedule of any ACC team. Virginia, NC State and Miami all have the easiest.
Ok, now to Boston College:
Games against 2012 NCAA Tournament teams: 10
Games against ACC top 4: 7
Games against ACC bottom 4: 4
Best non-conference game: 12/4 vs. Harvard
Projected Starting Five:
C - Dennis Clifford (Sophomore)
F - Ryan Anderson (Sophomore)
G - Patrick Heckmann (Sophomore)
G - Lonnie Jackson (Sophomore)
G - Jordan Daniels (Sophomore)
Interesting lineup there, with all five starters sophomores. So it's pretty obvious that BC just does not have ACC level talent right now. They were decimated before last year, and really struggled. It was a testament to how weak the ACC was that BC won nearly almost as many games in conference (4) that they won out of conference (5). I would guess that Coach Steve Donahue had more talent on some of his Cornell teams than he has right now.
There really was not one star on BC last year. Ryan Anderson led the team in scoring, but their top five scorers averaged between 8 and 12 points per game. I watched BC several times last year, and I couldn't tell you what Ryan Anderson looks like. That's the kind of team they have. Dennis Clifford was a nice surprise for them at times, but is pretty slow and unathletic. They bring in three freshmen, but none who were very highly rated, so this is largely the same team as last year. They did lose Matt Humphrey, who was their second highest scorer.
With pretty much the same team, it's natural to expect pretty much the same results. They face a tough start to the season, with a trip to the Charleston Classic and a first round game against Baylor. I think the key part of the season for them is in December. They have six home games, all of them winnable. They can't stub their toe and lose more than one of these games, like they did last year. They need to be able to build some confidence. That's because they have a very difficult conference slate, with two games each against NC State and Duke.
The other thing for BC is they have got to play better on the road. All of their conference wins last year came in the Conte Forum. I have thought that Coach Donahue was a solid coach, but you can only be so patient with him and he has to prove he can recruit on the ACC level. Looking at the talent that BC has, it's really hard to find more than a few conference wins.
Ok, now to Boston College:
Games against 2012 NCAA Tournament teams: 10
Games against ACC top 4: 7
Games against ACC bottom 4: 4
Best non-conference game: 12/4 vs. Harvard
Projected Starting Five:
C - Dennis Clifford (Sophomore)
F - Ryan Anderson (Sophomore)
G - Patrick Heckmann (Sophomore)
G - Lonnie Jackson (Sophomore)
G - Jordan Daniels (Sophomore)
Interesting lineup there, with all five starters sophomores. So it's pretty obvious that BC just does not have ACC level talent right now. They were decimated before last year, and really struggled. It was a testament to how weak the ACC was that BC won nearly almost as many games in conference (4) that they won out of conference (5). I would guess that Coach Steve Donahue had more talent on some of his Cornell teams than he has right now.
There really was not one star on BC last year. Ryan Anderson led the team in scoring, but their top five scorers averaged between 8 and 12 points per game. I watched BC several times last year, and I couldn't tell you what Ryan Anderson looks like. That's the kind of team they have. Dennis Clifford was a nice surprise for them at times, but is pretty slow and unathletic. They bring in three freshmen, but none who were very highly rated, so this is largely the same team as last year. They did lose Matt Humphrey, who was their second highest scorer.
With pretty much the same team, it's natural to expect pretty much the same results. They face a tough start to the season, with a trip to the Charleston Classic and a first round game against Baylor. I think the key part of the season for them is in December. They have six home games, all of them winnable. They can't stub their toe and lose more than one of these games, like they did last year. They need to be able to build some confidence. That's because they have a very difficult conference slate, with two games each against NC State and Duke.
The other thing for BC is they have got to play better on the road. All of their conference wins last year came in the Conte Forum. I have thought that Coach Donahue was a solid coach, but you can only be so patient with him and he has to prove he can recruit on the ACC level. Looking at the talent that BC has, it's really hard to find more than a few conference wins.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Season Primer
Here we are, on the doorstep of another college basketball season. This is a transition year for the ACC, with Pitt and Syracuse not joining the conference for another year. There was one significant change, as the ACC has now moved to 18 conference games. This cuts down on the non-conference schedule and puts more of a premium on who you beat and who you lose to in the conference.
The ACC's reputation has been not stellar in the past few years (to put it kindly). So what are the things the conference can do to improve on its reputation: perform in their non-conference games and in the ACC Tournament. The non-conference was a struggle for at least a third of the teams in the conference last year, and that showed in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Winning that challenge this year would be a step in the right direction. The ACC did manage to get five teams in the NCAA Tournament, but take a look at how they fared relative to expectations:
North Carolina - underachieved (Elite 8 loss)
Duke - underachieved (shocking second round loss to Lehigh)
Florida State - underachieved (third round loss)
NC State - overachieved (made it to Sweet 16)
Virginia - underachieved (blown out in second round)
That's four out of five teams that did not live up to potential. That has to change this year.
A couple things I will be looking at this year:
1. End of Duke/UNC domination? The media and coaches voted NC State as their preseason #1. It's not very often that UNC or Duke is not #1. UNC in particular lost a ton off last year's team, and with potential risers like Miami and Maryland the Tar Heels could finish outside the top four.
2. Who will the stars be? Most years the ACC has at least three or four lottery picks that you can point to as future NBA stars. Who is on that list this year? C.J. Leslie, certainly. Maybe James Michael McAdoo, if he comes out. Who else?
Stay tuned this week as I will be counting down (or up, depending on how you look at it) my preseason picks for this year, starting with #12.
The ACC's reputation has been not stellar in the past few years (to put it kindly). So what are the things the conference can do to improve on its reputation: perform in their non-conference games and in the ACC Tournament. The non-conference was a struggle for at least a third of the teams in the conference last year, and that showed in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Winning that challenge this year would be a step in the right direction. The ACC did manage to get five teams in the NCAA Tournament, but take a look at how they fared relative to expectations:
North Carolina - underachieved (Elite 8 loss)
Duke - underachieved (shocking second round loss to Lehigh)
Florida State - underachieved (third round loss)
NC State - overachieved (made it to Sweet 16)
Virginia - underachieved (blown out in second round)
That's four out of five teams that did not live up to potential. That has to change this year.
A couple things I will be looking at this year:
1. End of Duke/UNC domination? The media and coaches voted NC State as their preseason #1. It's not very often that UNC or Duke is not #1. UNC in particular lost a ton off last year's team, and with potential risers like Miami and Maryland the Tar Heels could finish outside the top four.
2. Who will the stars be? Most years the ACC has at least three or four lottery picks that you can point to as future NBA stars. Who is on that list this year? C.J. Leslie, certainly. Maybe James Michael McAdoo, if he comes out. Who else?
Stay tuned this week as I will be counting down (or up, depending on how you look at it) my preseason picks for this year, starting with #12.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Preseason Rankings
The ACC coaches came out with their preseason basketball poll on Monday, and there's a new king. The number one spot is not Duke or UNC, but their neighbor on Tobacco Road: N.C. State. It was a tight battle for the top spot, but the Wolfpack pulled it out. Here's how the voting went:
1. N.C. State (139)
2. Duke (130)
3. North Carolina (124)
4. Miami (104)
5. Florida State (103)
6. Maryland (78)
7. Virginia (68)
8. Clemson (61)
9. Georgia Tech (40)
t10. Virginia Tech (32)
t10. Wake Forest (32)
12. Boston College (25)
I will have my predicted order of finish in my team previews, coming shortly.
1. N.C. State (139)
2. Duke (130)
3. North Carolina (124)
4. Miami (104)
5. Florida State (103)
6. Maryland (78)
7. Virginia (68)
8. Clemson (61)
9. Georgia Tech (40)
t10. Virginia Tech (32)
t10. Wake Forest (32)
12. Boston College (25)
I will have my predicted order of finish in my team previews, coming shortly.
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