Since 1996, North Carolina and Duke have won all but one ACC championship. The two schools down Tobacco Road separated by seven miles and a shade of blue are the unquestioned faces of the league. For years, programs like Maryland, Clemson and Florida State, among others, have tried to knock the Tar Heels and Blue Devils off their perch. Will 2011 be any different? Not likely.
Here’s a brief look at each team in the conference, listed in order of predicted finish:
1.
North Carolina
The Tar Heels return all five starters from last year’s team, which captured the ACC regular season title and reached the Elite Eight. Led by preseason first-team All-American and National Player of the Year candidate Harrison Barnes, the Heels are loaded with NBA-caliber talent.
Along with Barnes, Tyler Zeller and John Henson comprise a frontcourt that nobody in the league can match. The key to the team, however, is sophomore point guard Kendall Marshall. He’s a savvy passer who runs coach Roy Williams’ fast-paced offense with beauty. With no real backup for Marshall, he’ll be counted on to play heavy minutes. His durability will be the key to a national title run.
2.
Duke
The Blue Devils have to re-tool their offensive philosophy with the loss of Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler. That’s not to say there’s not still firepower on the roster. Mason and Miles Plumlee, along with Ryan Kelly, give Duke a wealth of talent and experience in the frontcourt.
Mason Plumlee has All-American potential, but he must prove to be more consistent this season than he has been his first two years in Durham.
Seth Curry, younger brother of former Davidson-star Stephen Curry, is taking over as point guard for coach Mike Krzyzewski. Curry is a much more natural fit as a shooting guard, but his development as a passer and ball handler will be key to Duke’s success on offense. Austin Rivers headlines a standout freshman class and could quickly emerge as the Devils’ go-to scorer depending on how easily he adjusts to the college game.
3.
Florida State
The Seminoles made a surprise run to the Sweet 16 last season despite losing Chris Singleton for the latter half of the season. Despite the exit of Singleton and Derwin Kitchen, the Seminoles return a solid core of players from last year’s team that ranked first nationally in field goal percentage defense.
It wouldn’t be a shock to see that be the case again this year, with defensive stalwarts like Bernard James and Michael Snaer back in the fold. Coach Leonard Hamilton’s biggest challenge will be finding some form of potency on offense, as not a single returning player averaged double-figure scoring last season. Snaer has the potential to be a go-to scorer, and Hamilton hopes sharp-shooting Deividas Dulkys can give him about 10 points per game as well.
4.
Clemson
The Tigers were picked to finish seventh in the conference by the media in October, but Brad Brownell’s club has the potential to sneak up on some people this season. Andre Young is an exciting talent and after being forced to play some point guard last season along with Demontez Stitt, he should be ready to handle the duties himself this season.
Milton Jennings is a former prep All-American with all of the physical tools to dominate a game, and the duo of Devin Booker and Bryan Narcisse gives the Tigers great length on the interior.
5.
Miami
The Hurricanes have the best backcourt in the ACC with the tandem of Durand Scott and Malcolm Grant. The pair combined to average more than 28 points per game last season, helping the ‘Canes lead the ACC in three-point shooting.
The ‘Canes also return 86 percent of their scoring and 85 percent of their rebounding from last season. There are plenty of tools at the disposal of incoming head coach Jim Larranaga, who has drawn national attention since leading the George Mason Patriots to the Final Four in 2006. The biggest concern for the Hurricanes is the health of center Reggie Johnson. He tore his meniscus in July, and won’t be back until mid-December at the earliest.
6.
A version of this article appeared in the Nov 4 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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