In a nutshell, the 2008 season was the seaon of mediocrity. I don't see it changing much from last year. 4 teams went 5-3 within conference, and 6 teams went 4-4. It will be a tad different next year, but don't expect 1 team dominating either division within the ACC.
Early preseason picks:
Atlantic Division:
1. Maryland. Fear the turtle. The Atlantic Division is the deeper division, and the Terps should have enough offense and defense to win it next year.
2. Wake. Strong team, bend but don't break defense, and a solid offense. Grobe is a great coach.
3. FSU. Bowden has egg on his face, and I don't believe FSU will recover next year. He's got the talent, but does the Seminoles have the discipline?
4. BC. A good team that lost a good coach. This team could surprise me, but I don't see it happening in 2009.
5. NCSU. O'Brien has rebuilt the Pack, and they should be in a Bowl game next year.
6. Clemson. A new coach, but the same overrated players. I don't see them recovering from the black cloud that has been over the program the last 5 years.
Coastal Division.
1. VT. The Hokies are the kings of this division, and they will not disappoint the Blacksburg fans next year. Great Defense and a marginal offense will win them another trip to the ACC Championship.
2. GT. Decent team, good coach, and great prospects will take the Yellow Jackets to runners-up in 2009.
3. UNC. The Heels could surprise me, but I don't think it will be in 2009. QB is a question mark, and the WR positions are vacant. The running game made strides in 2009, but it's still not dominant. The Heels will have to rely on its Defense in 2009, and that still scares me.
4. Miami. Shannon is on the hot seat, and it will get hotter as the year goes by. I don't believe the Hurricanes will make much strides in 2009.
5. Virginia. The program needs another coach. UVA played good ball at times last year, but I don't believe 2009 will be very bright for the Cavs.
6. Duke. Cutcliffe is a solid coach, and winning 4 games last year was just short of a miracle. He doesn't have the talent, and 2009 will be hard for the Blue Devils. In a couple of years, Cutcliffe will have the team in a bowl game...
Monday, May 4, 2009
ACC Basketball: a 2009-2010 preview
I've been silent since the conclusion of the 2008-09 basketball season. Not much to discuss regarding college sports, so I thought I'd make a couple of comments about next season. Going into the 2009-2010 season, there are plenty of uncertainties regarding the league. I thought I'd take a dive and make my own predictions about the upcoming year. I'll start from the bottom and go up.
12. Virginia. This program has been on the downslide ever since the 1994-95 season. I don't blame Jeff Jones...he went thru a divorce that was frown upon by the Cav alumni. I blame a lack of leadership within the Athletic Department. This team doesn't have many high quality players. They may win 3 or 4 games in Conference next year.
11. NC State. I'm not picking on the Pack, but they are losing Costner, McCauley and Fells, their top 3 players from last year. They should be okay at the point, and they have some prospects to help out at shooting guard, but besides Tracy Smith, they don't have a lot of talent in the paint. They should win 5 or 6 Conference games.
10. Virginia Tech. I'm hesitant on picking the Hokies this close to the bottom, but I don't think they will be as good as they were last year. They will have a young team next year, and A.D will not be on the team. They have a good young team, but they will struggle next year. I can see them winning 6 conference games next year.
9. Georgia Tech. Hewitt is on the hot seat, and the one reason why he'll be back in Atlanta is the great recruits he will have next year. However, the recruits are better as a whole than as viewing them individually. They could suprise me next year. 6 or 7 conference wins is my prediction.
8. Boston College. No Tyrese Rice, and no recruits coming in. I thought last year the team overachieved, but they will be pressed to meet last year's productivity. 6 or 7 conference wins should be expected.
7. Florida State. This team is solid, but they lost a lot of their offense and defense when Douglas graduated. 7 or 8 wins will be expected.
6. Wake Forest. Last year was a disappointment for the Demon Deacons, especially as the season progressed. They have lost Teague, Johnson and Hale, but they did bring in a good recruiting class. This should be a fun team to watch, and they will start out fast out of the gate. But a young team will tire as the season progresses. 8 or 9 wins will be a good season for the Deacs.
5. Miami. Last year's team was a disappointment, and they did lose Graham, McClinton and Asbury. But they have a solid recruiting class that will make the Hurricanes into an NCAA tourney team. 8 or 9 wins should be expected.
4. Maryland. Gary Williams is on the hot seat...no questions about it. Gary will respond with a good season. Last year the Terps sneaked into the tournament, but they shouldn't have to sneak in this time. They lost David Neal, but Gary Williams will have two great prospects coming in, plus a team that is 1 year older. 9 or 10 wins should be expected.
3. Clemson. This team is a year older, and they have a lot of talent returning, plus they have 3 decent prospects coming to Littlejohn next year. An exciting team that plays sound defense. We should see the Tigers win 10 or 11 games next year.
2. UNC. A great team that has simply retooled. Sure, we lost Green, Hansbrough, Lawson, Ellington and Frasor, but we brought in the best recruiting class in the nation. I see 11 or 12 wins as the goal.
1. Duke. Coach K has a great team, even without Henderson. Singler is solid, and so is Sheyer and Williams. Coach K has a deep bench that will prevent his players from being tired. I see 12 or 13 wins next year.
12. Virginia. This program has been on the downslide ever since the 1994-95 season. I don't blame Jeff Jones...he went thru a divorce that was frown upon by the Cav alumni. I blame a lack of leadership within the Athletic Department. This team doesn't have many high quality players. They may win 3 or 4 games in Conference next year.
11. NC State. I'm not picking on the Pack, but they are losing Costner, McCauley and Fells, their top 3 players from last year. They should be okay at the point, and they have some prospects to help out at shooting guard, but besides Tracy Smith, they don't have a lot of talent in the paint. They should win 5 or 6 Conference games.
10. Virginia Tech. I'm hesitant on picking the Hokies this close to the bottom, but I don't think they will be as good as they were last year. They will have a young team next year, and A.D will not be on the team. They have a good young team, but they will struggle next year. I can see them winning 6 conference games next year.
9. Georgia Tech. Hewitt is on the hot seat, and the one reason why he'll be back in Atlanta is the great recruits he will have next year. However, the recruits are better as a whole than as viewing them individually. They could suprise me next year. 6 or 7 conference wins is my prediction.
8. Boston College. No Tyrese Rice, and no recruits coming in. I thought last year the team overachieved, but they will be pressed to meet last year's productivity. 6 or 7 conference wins should be expected.
7. Florida State. This team is solid, but they lost a lot of their offense and defense when Douglas graduated. 7 or 8 wins will be expected.
6. Wake Forest. Last year was a disappointment for the Demon Deacons, especially as the season progressed. They have lost Teague, Johnson and Hale, but they did bring in a good recruiting class. This should be a fun team to watch, and they will start out fast out of the gate. But a young team will tire as the season progresses. 8 or 9 wins will be a good season for the Deacs.
5. Miami. Last year's team was a disappointment, and they did lose Graham, McClinton and Asbury. But they have a solid recruiting class that will make the Hurricanes into an NCAA tourney team. 8 or 9 wins should be expected.
4. Maryland. Gary Williams is on the hot seat...no questions about it. Gary will respond with a good season. Last year the Terps sneaked into the tournament, but they shouldn't have to sneak in this time. They lost David Neal, but Gary Williams will have two great prospects coming in, plus a team that is 1 year older. 9 or 10 wins should be expected.
3. Clemson. This team is a year older, and they have a lot of talent returning, plus they have 3 decent prospects coming to Littlejohn next year. An exciting team that plays sound defense. We should see the Tigers win 10 or 11 games next year.
2. UNC. A great team that has simply retooled. Sure, we lost Green, Hansbrough, Lawson, Ellington and Frasor, but we brought in the best recruiting class in the nation. I see 11 or 12 wins as the goal.
1. Duke. Coach K has a great team, even without Henderson. Singler is solid, and so is Sheyer and Williams. Coach K has a deep bench that will prevent his players from being tired. I see 12 or 13 wins next year.
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