ACC Basketball Preview

Canes Rising Projected Order of Finish:
Picks by Canes Rising Publisher Kartik Krishnaiyer

1- Duke
2- North Carolina
3- Florida State
4- Clemson
5- Boston College
6- Miami
7- NC State
8- Virginia
9- Wake Forest
10- Georgia Tech
11- Virginia Tech
12- Maryland


Things to look for this conference season:

• Duke is spreading the floor beautifully in its offensive sets and has created space for its outside shooters and drivers, like DeMarcus Nelson. Kyle Singler is perhaps the most impressive Freshman in the country and his all around game helps make Duke the team to beat in the ACC.
• I'm not as high on North Carolina as many in the media but I believe with Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson, Carolina has an outstanding inside/outside combination. Danny Green's development this season has been a pleasant surprise but too many people take games off on the Carolina squad for me to consider them the best team in the league.
• Florida State will finally break through this season. Leonard Hamilton has an athletic team with four guards who can defend the perimeter well and rebound inside. Depth is an issue but Florida State's guards are the best in the league. FSU hasn't been successful in the ACC since its first two years in the league: I think this year, the school's 16th in the ACC is the time they get over the hump. ( FSU made the NCAAs in 1998, but at 6-10 in the league with a late season out of league loss to USF and a first round ACC tourney loss. I consider the 1998 FSU team despite a first round win over TCU the worst ever at-large team in the NCAA field)
  
• Clemson's inside game is fantastic. James Mays is one of the best all-around players in the league and K.C. Rivers does a lot of little things well. Cliff Hammonds is a good 3 point shooter. Oliver Purnell has changed the culture around this program after inheriting a morbid ship from Larry Shyatt.
  
• I love how once again Boston College is being written off. I love how the inside outside of Shamari Spears and Ty Rice are being discounted. I love how Al Skinner's coaching class is being discounted. In short as I do every year, I love Boston College. They will make the NCAAs and finish at least fifth, perhaps as high as third in the league.
  
• Miami's lack of a point guard is the difference between 3rd in the league and being a bubble team. Frank Haith's decision to dismiss Denis Clemente from the team must be applauded based on principle, but it was a costly decision from a Basketball standpoint. Anthony King's subpar play, his worst since he was a Freshman is also a cause for concern. The Canes should be okay but without a true point guard the NIT is still a possibility.
  
• NC State is still a year away despite the favorable pre season prognostications in national publications. Brandon Costner is outstanding and Gavin Grant is a player that is highly motivated this year but the team is weak inside and the loss of Farnold Degand the best PG on the team means ball handling is a concern also.
• Sean Singletary is back for what seems like his 50th season of eligibility. He's once again a lights out shooter who sets up his team mates well. But the paint play on this team is no existent. Much like FSU they shoot the three ball well, but unlike FSU they don't have big experienced guards who can crash the boards and mask the lack of a paint presence.
  
• Dino Gaudio who took over for the dearly departed Skip Prosser has done a good job this year at Wake Forest. the team is young and misses Kyle Visser. James Johnson a freshman has filled some of Visser's void and the guard combo of Ishmael Smith and Harvey Hale are pretty good as well. But this team is still very young and raw. They are explosive off the dribble but not a good outside shooting team. I think despite all the adversity this team could make the NIT.
• Georgia Tech lacks a point guard of any note and once again this season like two years ago is dropping any tough home game. Losing RaShaun Dickey was a disaster for this defensively challenged team. Lewis Clinch and Anthony Morrow are on again off again players that I just cannot trust.
  
• Seth Greenberg's team is rebuilding. No shame in that because with Deron Washington the Hokies have a future all-ACC player. But the team lacks the scoring punch from outside they have had the past three seasons and this team is in need of a serious talent upgrade. But Greenberg who preaches defense has a team that will play hard enough to avoid the cellar of the league.
• That leaves Maryland, a recent ACC Champion, a recent National Champion. The Terps are a bad team. And strangely for a Gary Williams coached team they are undisciplined and appear un-prepared for games. Greivis Vasquez is a disaster in my opinion- turn over prone without the upside of John Gilchrist or even D.J. Strawberry running the point. James Gist has never developed into the player expected and this team is the worst I have seen in the league this year by a wide margin.