The ACC was a dominant conference last year, with seven NCAA Tourney berths and the National Champion.  There has been a large loss of talent this year.  EVeryone already knows of the losses at UNC.  Also, Jack McClinton and Toney Douglas, stars at lesser known basketball schools, are gone.  I think this will be somewhat of a down year for the ACC because, in my opinon, there is no National Championship or Final Four caliber team.  This is still a great conference, but the ACC will take a backseat to the Big 12 and the Big 10.  This trend will not last long though, and in 2010 there may be 2 or 3 Final Four caliber teams.

Here is my stab at the 2009-10 ACC season. I live right in the middle of the ACC, so I know that it is, in my opinion, the best conference in all of college basketball. Previewing the ACC is a tall task, but I have given my best effort to put a quality, deep preview of a great, prestigious basketball conference.

Here are last year’s standings:

Team                      Conference          Overall

North Carolina        13-3                      34-4
Wake Forest           11-5                      24-7
Duke                       11-5                      30-7
Florida State           10-6                      25-10
Clemson                  9-7                       23-9
Boston College        9-7                       22-12
Maryland                 7-9                        21-14
Virginia Tech           7-9                        19-15
Miami                      7-9                        19-13
NC State                 6-10                      16-14
Virginia                   4-12                      10-18
Georgia Tech          2-14                      12-19

Here is a link to all the ACC team’s schedules:
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebas
ketball/schedules/conference/ACC

Big Games
Here are my picks for big games each week of the season for the ACC teams, starting with the first week of conference play:

Florida St. at Georgia Tech (December 20, Fox Sports Network, 5:30)
This game opens up conference play, and these two teams could be surprise contenders in the conference. Georgia Tech has brought in spectacular recruits, including national top player Derrick Favors, and they return a fair amount of experience from last year. Florida State will have problems after losing their star Tony Douglas, but a lot of experts say they will be a possible NCAA Tournament team.
My Pick: Georgia Tech

Clemson at Duke (January 3, Fox Sports Network 7:45)
Duke will look to avenge last year’s embarrassing 74-47 loss from last season. This game may feature 2 teams ranked in the top 25, and it could have serious ACC regular season championship implications.
My Pick: Duke

North Carolina at Clemson (January 13, ESPN 9:00)
This is a major game between two conference contenders. It has been a long, long time since Clemson has beat UNC, and I think they will have to wait a little longer. It should be a top 25 matchup.
My Pick: UNC

Wake Forest at Duke (January 17, Fox Sports Network 8:00)
This was a huge match up that Wake Forest won last year on a last-second play while Duke was briefly ranked #1. I expect a really close game once again this year.
My Pick: I don’t know

Duke at North Carolina (February 10, Raycom/ESPN 9:00)
The rivalry is renewed between two of the most successful teams in college basketball history. The games are always competitive, and this year will be no exception. I look for Duke to break through this year and play a good game at the Dean Dome. However, I don’t think it will be enough.
My Pick: UNC

Georgia Tech at Wake Forest (February 13, Raycom 8:00)
This could be a deciding game for the 3-5 spot in the ACC final standings. I think these teams are evenly matched, and it should be a great game.
My Pick: Georgia Tech

North Carolina at Wake Forest (February 27, CBS 2:00)
This is a fairly heated rivalry that was split last year. These teams are always ACC powerhouses, and I look for the returning talent to really shine in this game for both the Tarheels and Demon Deacons. Wake Forest will be coming off a few losses in my opinion, and they will be bloodthirsty for a victory.
My Pick: Wake Forest

NC State at Virginia Tech (March 3, 7:00)
These two teams are in a rebuilding state, and both used to be fairly successful programs. These teams will both probably finish in the bottom half of the league, but I look for the Wolfpack to possibly get a conference victory here.
My Pick: NC State

North Carolina at Duke (March 6, ESPN *College Game Day, 9:00)
This will be Senior Night for Jon Scheyer, and I look for him to have a big game. I think the Blue Devils will break UNC’s streak of wins at Cameron.
My Pick: Duke

5. Wake Forest

Pros: Wake Forest is returning some great talent, the best of which is Al-Farouq Aminu, who was named a Pre-Season All American by foxsports.com. He was dominant last year, and I believe he will be even better this year. Wake Forest has signed a fairly good recruiting class, and there are other great role players willing to get off the bench and step into the starting lineup. Their biggest assets are Aminu and Chas McFarland, who will dominate down low.
Cons: The Demon Deacons lost a fairly large amount of talent. Jeff Teague was a huge playmaker and scorer, and there will have to be someone to take his place. Also, James Johnson is gone too. There will have to be some players to step in to the roles that these two superstar players. Wake Forest also may have a problem with depth. There are quite a few questions about this team for the season this year.

6. Georgia Tech

Pros: The Yellow Jackets have some serious talent, both from returning players and recruiting. Junior Gani Lawal looked promising last year, and I think this will be a breakout year for him. There is a lot of depth on this team. Also, this has got to be one of the greatest recruiting classes in Georgia Tech history. First of all, they landed the number 1 power forward in the nation, All-American Derrick Favors. He could play a major role in the Yellow Jackets’ success this year. Other major recruits include Mfon Udofia and Kammeon Holsey.
Cons: Georgia Tech’s season relies fairly heavily on the success of young players. For them to win, they will need their young players to produce every game. Also, this is a team that finished last in the ACC last year. This puts their coach Paul Hewitt on the hot seat. They will be hard-pressed to win this season.

7. Florida State

Pros: Florida State has some decent returning talent, including big man Solomon Alabi and forward Jordan DeMercy. The Seminoles also have some good incoming talent with McDonald’s All-American Michael Snaer. The Seminoles will have a decent season.
Cons: Florida State did lose their best player in years, Toney Douglas. Also, beyond All-American Michael Snaer, there are no great freshmen. Some little-known players will have to step up for the Seminoles to have a +.500 season.

8. Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech star Malcom Delaney is good enough to put the Hokies this high. They have a decent recruiting class, but there is no major star who can play good minutes for this team. The will probably finish around .500 in the ACC, but may fall to 7-9 as well.

9. Boston College

Tyrese Rice is gone, and there is no great player on this team. Also, there is virtually no recruiting for this year. The only reason they are this high is because of the weaknesses of the teams below them.

10. Miami

Jack McClinton is off to the San Antonio Spurs, and it will be hard to fill that void. They do, however, have some decent recruits that may put them a little higher than 10^th .

11. Virginia

Sylvan Landesburg is the star on this team, but he won’t be enough to get the Cavaliers anywhere higher than the bottom two. They have one major recruit in Tristan Spurlock, but I just don’t see this team being successful.

12. NC State

NC State just can’t seem to find their way out of the bottom of the ACC, and this year will be no exception. The only possible bright spot is a decent recruiting class, who will have to be superstars for the Wolfpack to have a chance to get out of the bottom of the barrel.

Potential Conference Players of the Year
--Kyle Singler
--Greivis Vasquez

This is my final team overview in my series of posts about the NCAA basketball season. Next, I will rank my top 10 teams, and pick my Final Four and National Champion.

Today is Kentucky:

I see this year for Kentucky to re-introduce themselves as a dominant force in college basketball. Regardless of what anyone says, Kentucky basketball has dramatically dropped off over the last 10 year, to the point where they didn’t even make the NCAA Tournament last year. Here are a few notes about my opinion on the Wildcats season this year.

--John Calipari is the supposed “savior” of this storied program. He has passed the first step in bring back this team, and that is bringing top recruits into Lexington. The arguably best freshman in the nation, John Wall, picked Kentucky over a host of other schools, and he will undoubtedly make a difference right away. This year’s recruiting class for UK is the best in years.

--But with Coach Cal comes quite a few questions. After he left Memphis, the whole Derrick Rose incident occurred, and a scandal was left for the Tigers to deal with. You’ve got to question his ethics, and what he might do to this great program.

--Kentucky is a young team, and I think they will stay healthy and fresh for the season. Also, I think they will be ready to play when it comes March time, and I see them getting into the Elite 8.

I think UK will have a season with 28+ wins, and an Elite 8 trip, at least. However, all this talent may be one-and-done, and it will be hard to sustain the level of talent that came in this year. They will surely have a great year, but after this year, I just don’t know.

Today I am continuing my preview of this college basketball season. If you have read any of my posts, I am going over 5 top national teams, my final four picks, and my national champion.

Today is Michigan State:

Many online columnists are saying that Michigan State is a top 5 team. I tend to agree with these columnists.

--The Spartans made it to the 2009 National Championship game, and were handily defeated by the Tarheels. However, Michigan State has lost virtually no talent from last years Final Four team.

--There is no lack of depth at almost any position for the Spartans. They truly are a complete team. They have a great incoming recruiting class, and they have all that returning talent to help the team win quite a few games.

--From what I’ve heard, there isn’t really a team to challenge them in the Big 10. They will most likely dominate their conference, with a possible exception of Purdue. I would like to hear of another team in the Big 10 that could really be a threat to Michigan State winning the conference.

I see Michigan State having a 30+ win season, and another trip to the Final Four. They could possibly be in the national championship game. They are truly a very talented team.

That’s all for today from The Daily News: College Basketball

Tomorrow I will be previewing Kentucky.

I am continuing my NCAA basketball preview today. I will be previewing 5 of the nation’s top teams, and eventually will pick my final four and national champion.

Today, I am going to look at Duke:

I am a die-hard duke fan. However, as I said yesterday, I will try to be impartial and objective.

I think Duke is a fairly special team. They aren’t a great team, however. Here are a few points that I think on their season.

--Duke has a problem that has plagued them for years. There is still no post presence, no dominant force under the basket. I have heard across several message boards that Miles Plumlee has been improving over the off-season, but I just don’t see a player who was so under-whelming last year to just come in and start dominating. I hope that he proves me wrong.

--With the loss of Gerald Henderson and the transfer of Eliot Williams to Memphis, Duke found themselves in an unusual position, not having enough outside players. Henderson was a major loss. He was the “playmaker” on Duke’s team over the last few years, and someone will have to step up and take that role this year. However, the loss of Eliot Williams is overhyped. With the addition of Andre Dawkins, Williams will be replaced by a fantastic player. Some could argue that Dawkins is a better player in the Duke system than Williams. To sum it up, Henderson is a major loss and someone will have to step up. As for Williams, I don’t see that being a problem for Duke this year.

--Duke is an interesting team to evaluate, because there are a lot of questions surrounding this team. I personally believe a lot of them will be answered when the season starts. I see duke being a top 10-15 team all year, and 25-28 wins.

Duke will have another fairly successful year, but not a dominant national team. I see another Sweet 16, and a slim possibility of an Elite 8 appearance. I think that next years team will be leaps and bounds beyond this years team.

That's all for now from College Basketball Central.  Next up are the Michigan State Spartans,

I am continuing my NCAA basketball preview today. This is a series of blog posts about 5 top teams in the NCAA. After I cover these five teams I have selected, I will predict my final four, national championship game, and my eventual national champion.

Today is UNC:

Even though I am a die-hard Duke fan, I will try to be objective and impartial on my preview of the Tarheels.

I think Carolina will have a great season. Here are a few points on what I think will happen with the Tarheels for the 2009-10 season.

--I think this season will be successful, but not as near as much as last year’s dominant national championship run. I simply think they have lost too much to be that good. They lost 4 of their five starters from last year, and these players were major gears in the workings of the team last year. Tyler Hansbrough, Danny Green, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington are all gone from Chapel Hill, and these were all major scorers and defenders, not to mention Bobby Frasor as well. I think a reasonable win estimate is 23-25.

--The Tarheels always have a fantastic recruiting class coming in, and this year is no exception. Henson was a nationally recruited prospect, among others that Roy Williams landed. I expect the freshmen to take a fairly large role in the Tarheels’ team. At least one freshman will start in most people’s point of view, and a few others may get some quality minutes off the bench. I don’t think these players will be critical to the success of the team, however. There is enough experience for the rookies to not take a major role of the offense/defense.

--I don’t quite see a leader of the Carolina team this year. A lot of UNC fans claim that 5^th year senior Marcus Ginyard, who red-shirted last year and has been plagued with huge injuries, is a clear leader. While I think that Ginyard is a great player, I don’t see him as a top leader for a nationally prestigious program. He hasn’t played in years, and even when he did play he didn’t have great numbers.  And with a player that has such a hard time with injuries, what happens if he gets hurt again this season? He is a great defender, however, and I do expect him to be great on the defensive side of the ball. The only other leader-quality player in my eyes is Ed Davis, who may take a pivotal role this season. He is a great player in almost every facet of the game, and I expect he may be an All-American for this season. However, he cannot carry the team for the whole year. I just don’t see him holding up that long.

I expect Carolina to stay in the top 20 all year. They are still a special team who will do some damage in the ACC. I see UNC as a Sweet 16 when it comes around to March Madness.

Tomorrow I will overview Duke.

That’s all for now from College Basketball Central.

College basketball is right around the corner, and it’s about time for some basketball previews. I will be taking one of the top national teams each day and giving my opinion on their chances this season, and in the next few years.

Today is Kansas:

Kansas is considered by most to be a really special team this year. I agree with these people for several reasons.

--Cole Aldrich will be an All-American this year. He will lead this talented Jayhawks team to great success this season. He was a good player last year, but this year he will be a fantastic player who will have a lot of experience. In my opinion, he will be a first-team All American.

--There is no other team to challenge Kansas’s talent this year in the Big 12. Last year, Oklahoma was a major threat to the Kansas team. Blake Griffin was a dominant force last year. But last year was last year, and Griffin has gone to the pros. There is really no team that is near as talented as Kansas in their conference. Quite frankly, I believe it will be a cake walk for them, and they may lose one or two games all year in conference play at the most.

--There is simply no team in the nation that can challenge the talent that Kansas has year. They are so great, so dominant, and it will just be hard for other teams to challenge when March Madness comes around.

For these reasons, I believe that Kansas is the team to beat in the country. They will be Big 12 champions, a Final Four team, and eventually, the national champions.

That’s all for now. Tomorrow will be the North Carolina Tarheels.

So long from College Basketball Central