When you go thinking of the best conference in college basketball, the ACC likely jumps to mind. After all, the ACC is the home of the defending champion Duke Blue Devils, as well as couple of other big-time contenders in North Carolina and Virginia. And with the new season of the NCAA basketball just around the corner, let’s find out what to expect from this power conference.
In this piece, we’ve ranked all 16 ACC teams according to our projected finish of each in the regular season.
More conference previews: SEC | Big Ten | Big 12 | Pac-12
[sc:MarchMadness ]2015-16 NCAA Season ACC Conference Preview
1. North Carolina Tar Heels
2014 Record: 16-2
Predicted Record: 14-4
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]The Tar Heels are arguably the best team in the best conference in Division I. In other words, they’re the team to beat in the ACC, which speaks volumes about how strong this team is going to be this season.
They return Marcus Paige, probably the best point guard in the nation. Paige will be joined three others that finished in the top four of scoring last season. That includes Brice Johnson, Kennedy Johnson, and Justin Jackson, who all averaged double-digits in scoring in the 2014-2015 campaign. There’s no doubt the Tar Heels can score, but can they improve their defense that ranked 244th last season?
2. Duke Blue Devils
2014 Record: 15-3
Predicted Record: 13-5
Gone are Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow, and Tyus Jones, but don’t expect the Blue Devils to just disappear from the ACC radar. No radar is capable of avoiding the blips coming from the Cameron Indoor Stadium, especially early in the season, when most of the focus is on Duke’s incoming talent.
Say what you want to say about the quality of talent that departed Durham in the offseason, but with three Rivals 150 Top 16 recruits in Derryck Thornton, Brandon Ingram, and Chase Jeter replenishing those losses, the Final Four is once again a realistic goal for the Dukies.
3. Virginia Cavaliers
2014 Record: 16-2
Predicted Record: 13-5
Last season, the Cavs unleashed one of the most suffocating defense college basketball has ever seen. And with Tony Bennett still at the helm of this team, expect Virginia to put opposing offenses into a chokehold once again. But with star Justin Anderson now plying his trade in the NBA, the Hoos will have to find a suitable (and effective) player to replace the now Dallas Maverick forward. In any case, the returning talent led by Malcolm Brogdon, London Perrantes, and Anthony Gill should keep Virginia in contention for its third-straight ACC regular season title.
4. Miami Hurricanes
2014 Record: 10-8
Predicted Record: 10-8
Coming off a runner-up finish in the NIT doesn’t sound that glamorous, but the Hurricanes will take any momentum they can get heading into another NCAA campaign. The backcourt tandem of Angel Rodriguez (11.9 PPG) and Sheldon McClellan (14.5 PPG) is back for their senior seasons, which sounds great for the ‘Canes.
Furthermore, big man Tonye Jekiri could be in for a much better campaign, considering that the ACC is now a world without the likes of Okafor, Montrezl Harrell and Rakeem Christmas. Last season, the 7-foot Nigerian averaged 9.9 RPG and 1.4 BPG to go along with 8.6 PPG.
5. Louisville Cardinals
2014 Record: 12-6
Predicted Record: 10-8
For Louisville, this season is all about the transfers. Having lost the likes of Terry Rozier, Montrezl Harrell, Chris Jones, and Wayne Blackshear to various reasons, the Cardinals partly restocked by way of attracting key transferees. And through this process, the Cardinals picked up Damion Lee and Trey Lewis, each previously starring for mid-major teams a season ago. Lee (21.4 PPG at Drexel) and Lewis (16.3 PPG at Cleveland St.) are gifted scorers, but they still have to prove that they can do it in the ACC level. That’s going to be easier said than done, but Rick Pitino sure sounds like he knows what he’s doing.
6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
2014 Record: 14-4
Predicted Record: 9-9
The path is clear for Demetrius Jackson to make this Irish team his own. Jackson played second fiddle to Jerian Grant last season, averaging 12.4 PPG and 3.6 RPG, and 3.1 APG. It’s going to be harder for the Fighting Irish to make a deep run in the NCAA just like they did last March given the departure of Grant and Pat Connaughton, but the ACC title is not out of reach for this team that still has Zach Auguste and Steve Vasturia behind Jackson.
7. North Carolina Wolfpack
2014 Record: 10-8
Predicted Record: 9-9
The Mark Gottfried regime has been a pleasant one thus far in his four-year stay in Raleigh. He’s led the Wolfpack to four-straight NCAA appearances, including last March, when NC State reached the Sweet 16. The immediate future of the Wolfpack, however, is a bit cloudy with Trevor Lacey gone.
Apart from Lacey, the Wolfpack also lost Ralston Turner, whose outside shooting will definitely be missed. All these losses leave a ton of responsibility on Cat Barber, who averaged 12.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 1.0 APG last season. Barber should get help, though, from the frontcourt duo of Abdul-Malik Abu and BeeJay Anya.
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8. Florida State Seminoles
2014 Record: 8-10
Predicted Record: 9-9
A robust class of recruits give the ‘Noles something to look forward to this coming season. That should be music to the ears of Xavier Rathan-Mayes, who yearned for support on offense last season, when he lit up the stat sheets for 14.9 PPG on 41.7 percent shooting from the field.
See, Florida State welcomes the arrival of five-star recruit Dwayne Bacon, who should be a tasty option on the wings. Moreover, the ‘Noles also get a slew of returning starters not named Rathan-Mayes. That group includes Montay Brandon and Devin Bookert, who put up 11.8 PPG and 10.1 PPG, respectively, a season ago.
9. Syracuse Orange
2014 Record: 9-9
Predicted Record: 8-10
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim won’t be roaming the sidelines for the Orange’s first nine ACC games, which is undoubtedly a big blow to the Orange. However, Syracuse has had tougher times last season and this could be something they can overcome, especially if Michael Gbinije, Tyler Roberson, and Kaleb Joseph all continue to improve. At the center of them all, however, is Trevor Cooney, who is about to play his last season in Carrier Dome after averaging 13.4 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 2.2 APG in this third year.
10. Pittsburgh Panthers
It’s going to be the Jamel Artis and Michael Young show this coming season for the Panthers but that doesn’t mean they’ll have the leather to themselves. For one, the Panthers still have James Robison, who orchestrated Pitt’s offense which finished seventh in the nation in assists last season. Coach Jamie Dixon needs to find a way to tighten the Panthers’ defense though after ranking 202nd in KenPom’s defensive efficiency last season, though.
11. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
2014 Record: 5-13
Predicted Record: 7-11
An ACC title in Danny Manning’s second season as coach of Wake Forest is not a realistic goal for the Demon Deacons. A more realistic target, however, is a better record than the 5-13 conference ledger the team had last season. Whether Manning has already put the team in the right path depends on the how well newcomers Doral Moore and Bryant Crawford can gel with returning starters like Codi Miller-McIntyre (14.2 PPG) and Mitchel Wilbekin to name a few. Moore should be a nice addition to the team’s frontcourt that has Devin Thomas, who averaged 12.0 PPG last season.
12. Clemson Tigers
2014 Record: 8-10
Predicted Record: 7-11
Jaron Blossomgame is pretty much all Clemson has this coming season. Blossomgame is an able scorer that put up 13.1 PPG, while also hauling down 8.2 RPG last season. It’s a crime that Blossomgame didn’t have a reliable partner to help the team get a respectable finish last season, when Clemson had an 8-10 ACC record. Perhaps Landry Nnoko and Donte Grantham could provide a little more scoring punch but even then, this Clemson squad remains a longshot to have even a sniff of the ACC’s top tier.
13. Virginia Tech Hokies
2014 Record: 2-16
Predicted Record: 6-12
Things are not looking bright for the Hokies, who finished in the cellar of the ACC last season. Notable departures in leading scorer Adam Smith and top rebounder Joey van Zegeren have Virginia Tech scrambling for pieces to replace the gaping void the two have left. In any case, the Hokies will be led by a number of sophomores, including Ahmed Hill, Justin Bibbs, and Jalen Hudson. Of the three, it’s Bibbs who projects to be the team’s best player. Bibbs finished second to Smith last season in scoring, averaging 11.4 PPG on 42.7 FG%.
14. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
2014 Record: 3-15
Predicted Record: 6-12
Expectations are much higher this time around for the Yellow Jackets after they finished with a 3-15 conference record last season. For one, the Yellow Jackets’ top scorer Marcus Georges-Hunt (13.6 PPG) is back for his senior season and he’ll be joined by Charles Mitchell, who finished second on the team with 9.8 PPG.
It doesn’t stop there. Georgia Tech has also successfully pilfered Adam Smith from Virginia Tech. Smith was the Hokies’ leading scorer last season, when he generated 13.4 PPG on 43.8 FG%. Add to this group other transferees in Nick Jacobs (8.4 PPG in Alabama) and James White (11.9 PPG in Arkansas-Little Rock) and Georgia Tech appear to be a team that no longer belongs in the pits of the ACC.
15. Boston College Eagles
2014 Record: 4-14
Predicted Record: 2-16
The Eagles lost all of their top four scorers last season, none bigger than Olivier Hanlan, who torched opponents for 19.5 PPG. Instead, Boston hopes to build around top returning scorer Dennis Clifford, who fired a measly 6.9 PPG, while adding 5.5 RPG last season. Of course, those numbers are going to rise considering the exodus of talent in the Eagles’ roster.
That said, BC fans should prepare for a long season ahead as the Eagles don’t have the appeal of the likes of Duke and North Carolina to just simply replace lost top-tier talents with another batch of equally gifted players. They simply don’t look like they’ll be winning too many games this season.
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