NCAAB ACC Preview
College Basketball is right around the corner! Toast is throwing together some conference previews of the Power 5, and maybe a few more time premitting.
2021 RECORDS
Duke Blue Devils
HEAD COACH Jon Scheyer (1st season)
HOME COURT Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
KEY DEPARTURES
PAOLO BANCHERO (17.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 3.1 apg)
WENDELL MOORE (13.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.4 apg)
MARK WILLIAMS (11.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.9 bpg)
TREVOR KEELS (11.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.8 apg)
AJ GRIFFIN (10.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.0 apg)
KEY NEWCOMERS
DARIQ WHITEHEAD (freshman, Montverde Academy)
DERECK LIVELY II (freshman, Westtown School)
KYLE FILIPOWSKI (freshman, Wilbraham & Monson)
JACOB GRANDISON (transfer, Illinois)
TYRESE PROCTOR (freshman, NBA Global Academy)
MARK MITCHELL (freshman, Sunrise Christian)
You don't need me to tell you it's gonna be a little bit different this year at Duke. Obviously this is going to be the 1st year that coach K will be off the sidelines and John Scheyer is taking over. I don't worry about him as a coach but I've barely is but a very strong non conference schedule along With the fact they could be starting for freshmen it might take a while for these Blue Devils to gel. Let’s not forget that prior to last season’s Final Four appearance, Coach K had only advanced to the final weekend once since Scheyer led them to a national title in 2010. That was in 2015 when the Blue Devils also won the championship. Scheyer has just about everything he needs with this group. He literally landed every recruit that was targeted with this freshman class
North Carolina Tar Heels
HEAD COACH Hubert Davis (2nd season)
HOME COURT Dean E. Smith Center (21,750)
KEY DEPARTURES
BRADY MANEK (15.2 ppg , 5.9 rpg, 1.9 apg)
DAWSON GARCIA (9.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 0.7 apg)
KERWIN WALTON (3.4 ppg, 1.2 rpg 0.4 apg)
KEY NEWCOMERS
PETE NANCE (transfer, Northwestern)
SETH TRIMBLE (freshman, Menomonee Falls HS)
JALEN WASHINGTON (freshman, West Side HS)
TYLER NICKEL (freshman, East Rockingham HS)
The Tar Heels bring back four of five starters from a team that nearly won the national title, so obviously, this is a team that expects to make a deep run in March. Carolina will be picked by most to win the ACC, and many to win the national championship. So now these same guys who took a roller-coaster ride a year ago will need to make sure they don’t get caught up in the hype — very different from last year when no one really gave them a chance, and they were able to use that as motivation and prove everyone wrong. Simply put, they are going from the hunter to the hunted. Coach Davis is also hopeful that playing more guys will result in the Tar Heels playing faster than they did last season, which I think will keep the Tar Heels a little more fresh and healthy.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
HEAD COACH Mike Brey (23rd season)
HOME COURT Joyce Center (9,149)
KEY DEPARTURES
BLAKE WESLEY (14.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.4 apg)
PAUL ATKINSON (12.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.7 apg)
PRENTISS HUBB (8.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg , 4.0 ap
KEY NEWCOMERS
JJ STARLING (freshman, La Lumiere)
MARCUS HAMMOND (transfer, Niagara)
VEN-ALLEN LUBIN (freshman, Orlando Christian Prep)
DOM CAMPBELL (freshman, Phillips Exeter Academy)
Mike Brey Probably saved his job last season after missing the tournament 4 straight years he made a little bit of a run. And it was bad last season. Students were leaving early and calling for his job. I don't think there's any question that the Irish are a tournament team this year with all the talent on the roster along with Grad Transfers giving them experience. Brey can coach too, this is a guy who had a stretch from 2010-2017 where he went to the tourney seven of eight years.
Miami Hurricanes
HEAD COACH Jim Larranaga (12th season)
HOME COURT Watsco Center (7,972)
KEY DEPARTURES
KAMERON McGUSTY (17.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.4 apg)
CHARLIE MOORE (12.4 ppg, 4.6 apg , 2.0 spg)
SAM WAARDENBURG (8.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.3 bpg)
KEY NEWCOMERS
NIJEL PACK (transfer, Kansas State)
NORCHAD OMIER (transfer, Arkansas State)
AJ CASEY (freshman, Whitney Young HS)
FAVOUR AIRE (freshman, Bishop McNamara)
CHRISTIAN WATSON (freshman, St. John’s College HS)
DANILO JOVANOVICH (freshman, Whitnall HS)
Last year this team came within a win from the final 4. I'm not really sure how I feel about this team this year they are small so they're going to be fighting for the lives alot. Only one senior on the team. Obviously if Nijel Pack Goes crazy then maybe they make a run but this is not the same team we saw last year. I do think they make the tournament, Considering the conference they play in. Guard players critical in the tournament so you never know, it'll be fun to see what coach larranaga has in store.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
HEAD COACH Steve Forbes (3rd season)
HOME COURT Joel Coliseum (14,665)
KEY DEPARTURES
ALONDES WILLIAMS (18.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 5.2 apg)
JAKE LARAVIA (14.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 3.7 apg)
ISAIAH MUCIUS (9.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 0.8 apg)
DALLAS WALTON (9.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.4 bpg)
KEY NEWCOMERS
TYREE APPLEBY (transfer, Florida)
ANDREW CARR (transfer, Delaware)
JAO ITUKA (transfer, Marist)
DAVION BRADFORD (transfer Kansas State)
BOBI KLINTMAN (freshman, Sunrise Christian)
ZACH KELLER (freshman, ThunderRidge)
This team was one of the more surprising teams last year. But now with freshmen coming in to replace the guys like Alondes Williams, I think it will be a year or 2 until we see Wake make any noise in the conference. We talk about guard play a lot, they have seniors, but they are very small. The bench is young. Just am not seeing much from Wake.
Virginia Cavaliers
HEAD COACH Tony Bennett (14th season)
HOME COURT John Paul Jones Arena (14,623)
KEY DEPARTURES
KODY STATTMAN (3.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 0.8 apg)
KEY NEWCOMERS
BEN VANDER PLAS (transfer, Ohio)
ISAAC TRAUDT (freshman, Grand Island HS) I
ISAAC McKNEELY (freshman, Poca HS)
LEON BOND III (freshman, Wauwatosa East HS)
Look I picked this team to win the conference for multiple reasons. They have a coach that has one national championship that can focus on defense. They didn't lose any huge contributions from last year. They also will not have any freshmen playing valuable minutes. They are a little bit undersized but these guys are experienced college basketball players I really think they make a run not only in the ACC, but in the tournament as well.
Virginia Tech Hokies
HEAD COACH Mike Young (4th season)
HOME COURT Cassell Coliseum (8,925)
