By: David Kay
Another ACC basketball season, another year North Carolina and Duke are the favorites. Boring? Yes. But think about it this way; at least college basketball fans don’t have to deal with Tyler Hansbrough or Greg Paulus this year. I mean, that’s a positive, right?
Part four of our week long ACC preview breaks down the top three teams in the league. UNC re-loads after losing four starters from their National Championship team. Unlike years past when Duke has relied on their strong guard play, the frontcourt will key the Blue Devils success this year. Don’t sleep on Maryland either. The Terps could jump one of the Carolina schools since they return the bulk of their roster from last season.
1. North Carolina (1st in ACC, 13-3 in ACC, 34-4 overall, National Champs)
2009-2010 Outlook:
A team that loses four players from the national championship team to the NBA shouldn’t be able to compete for a second straight title. That’s not the case at Chapel Hill. Roy Williams’ squad is re-loaded with talent. Marcus Ginyard is back from injury and Will Graves returns from suspension. Ed Davis is expected to make the leap to superstar status and another loaded recruiting class, led by lengthy combo forward Jon Henson, should once again have UNC as the team to beat in the ACC.
Projected Depth Chart
C: Ed Davis (So)/Tyler Zeller (So)
PF: Deon Thompson (Sr)/David Wear (Fr)/Travis Wear (Fr)
SF: John Henson (Fr)/Will Graves (Jr)
SG: Marcus Ginyard (Sr)/Leslie McDonald (Fr)/Justin Watts (So)
PG: Larry Drew II (So)/Dexter Strickland (Fr)
Gone: PF-Tyler Hansbrough, PG-Ty Lawson, SG-Wayne Ellington, SF-Danny Green, G-Bobby Frasor
Player to Watch: Drew III- With Ty Lawson leading the attack, the highly-recruited Drew didn’t have to be a major contributor in his freshman season. Now that Lawson is in the NBA, someone will need to step into the role of floor leader. Drew will assume those duties and if Carolina is to compete at a high level, he will have take control of the reins. Freshman Dexter Strickland will push Drew for minutes.
2. Duke (2nd, 11-5, 30-7, Sweet 16)
2009-2010 Outlook:
The Blue Devils backcourt took a major hit when Gerald Henderson left early for the NBA Draft and Elliott Williams transferred to be closer to home. Still, Duke returns some quality talent including All-American candidate Kyle Singler. Freshmen Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly will hopefully give Coach K an inside presence the team greatly lacked last season.
Projected Depth Chart
C: Mason Plumlee (Fr)/Brian Zoubek (Sr)
PF: Lance Thomas (Sr)/Miles Plumlee (So)/Ryan Kelly (Fr)
SF: Kyle Singler (Jr)/Olek Czyz (So)
SG: Jon Scheyer (Sr)/Casey Peters (Jr)
PG: Nolan Smith (Jr)/Andre Dawkins (Fr)
Gone: SG-Gerald Henderson, PG-Greg Paulus, G-Elliott Williams (transfer-Memphis), F-David McClure
Player to Watch: Dawkins- When the Blue Devils found out they would be without Henderson and Williams this season, Dawkins decided to enroll at Duke a year early since he had enough high school credits to graduate. Dawkins was a top-20 type recruit in the 2010 class and will need to play right away to give the Dukies the depth they need in the backcourt.
3. Maryland (7th, 7-9, 21-14, NCAA Second Round)
2009-2010 Outlook:
Having Greivis Vasquez return for his senior season was a major plus for Terrapins. Eight of their top nine players return from a year ago and should give Gary Williams one of the most experienced teams in the conference. There isn’t a true lost post presence which might hinder the Terps ability to compete with the better teams in America.
Projected Depth Chart
F: Dino Gregory (Jr)/ Jordan Williams (Fr)/Steve Goins (So)
F: Landon Milbourne (Sr)/Jin Soo Choi (So)/James Padgett (Fr)
SG: Sean Mosely (So)/Cliff Tucker (Jr)/David Pearman (Jr)
G: Adrian Bowie (Jr)/Eric Hayes (Sr)
PG: Greivis Vasquez (Sr)
Gone: F-Dave Neal, F-Braxton Dupree (transfer-Townson), C-Jerome Burney (injured)
Player to Watch: Mosely- The second year player is a big-time talent who will need to take on more of scoring punch from the 5.3 points per game he averaged last season. Vasquez too often had the shoulder the load for Maryland and could use some help on the wing. Improving his three-point shot would be a major addition to Mosely’s game.
The Sports Bank ACC Preview Conitnues:
Monday: Teams 10-12 (Virginia Tech, Virginia, N.C. State)
Tuesday: Teams 7-9 (Wake Forest, Miami FL, Boston College)
Wednesday: Teams 4-6 (Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech)
Friday: ACC Post-season Awards
Thesportsbank.net SEC Previews/Power Rankings:
SEC East Teams 4-6 (Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Georgia)
SEC East Teams 1-3 (Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida)
SEC West Teams 4-6 (Arkansas, Auburn, LSU)
SEC West Teams 1-3 (Mississippi State, Mississippi, Alabama)
Thesportsbank.net Pac-10 Preview/Power Rankings:
Teams 8-10 (Washingon State, Arizona State, Stanford)
Teams 5-7 (Arizona, USC, Oregon)
Teams 1-4 (Oregon State, UCLA, Washington, Cal)
Thesportsbank.net Big East Previews/Power Rankings
Teams 13-16 (Rutgers, South Florida, Providence, DePaul)
Teams 9-12 (Notre Dame, Pitt, Marquette, St. John’s)
Teams 5-8 (Syracuse, Louisville, Cincinnati, Seton Hall)
Teams 1-4 (Villanova, West Virginia, UConn, Georgetown)
Post-Season Award Predictions
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