Toyminator's 2001-2002 ACC Conference Preview

The ACC will be hard pressed to duplicate last season's success, but it's possible. Of course, everyone knows Duke was handed the championship on a silver platter last season. Kind of like a going away present to Shane Battier from the NCAA. Well, this season the Blue Devils may be even better without him (sorry, Shane). They're led by the best player in college basketball last season (sorry again, Shane), PG Jason Williams, who will deservedly win the Player of the Year award this season. It's been awhile since a guard has dominated the college game like he does. Him alone would put Duke in contention for the title. Add in other players like Carlos Boozer, Mike Dunleavy, Chris Duhon, Casey Sanders and Rutgers-transfer Dahntey Jones, and you have the favorites to win the championship again.

So Duke's a sure thing? No! In fact, they may not even win the ACC! Their toughest competitor from last year, Maryland, is still loaded and hungry for revenge, after choking twice against the Dukies. They have seven quality players returning, led by All-Americans Lonnie Baxter and Juan Dixon, plus they add in a few newcomers and welcome the loss of enigmatic Terrence Morris (addition by subtraction). They will be ready. Virginia is another team that could make some noise, but the loss of Majestic Mapp at point will hurt them some. Wake Forest could benefit from this and jump into the upper echelon of the conference. The rest of the conference will battle for the one or two available spots in the NCAA Tournament. It's hard to imagine North Carolina not making it, but this is their worst team in years. Look out for Florida St, who may be able to come out of the cellar and onto the bubble!

ON THE RISE: Florida St.
This may be just a temporary rise, but this year's Seminole squad looks pretty decent. A little luck doesn't hurt either! PG Delvon Arrington was granted an extra year of eligibility and super-recruit Anthony Richardson just became eligible last month. Add in talented Michael Tucker and you've got some pretty good bookends at forward! If JUCO star Antonio Harvey can produce in the middle, the Seminole frontline will be able to match up with the rest of the big boys in the ACC!

IN DECLINE: North Carolina
Coach Doherty hasn't been in Chapel Hill long enough to lay blame, but the Tar Heels could be reeling this season. The loss of Joe Forte was unexpected, yet the coaching staff seemed unprepared for it, as they were for the loss of Ed Cota the previous year. Thus, the backcourt is a mess, with the hope that some of the freshmen can step up to help solidify it. Starting frontcourt is still in good shape, but there's little off the bench. A solid recruiting class for next year is promising for the future, but this season it could get ugly!

1. DUKE

Strengths: Phenominal backcourt. Can score at will. Excellent 3-pt shooting team. Team quickness. Very experienced.
Weakness: Questionable rebounding team. Lack of depth.
Outlook: Obviously, Duke will have an excellent year and should repeat! But, anything can happen (injuries, suspensions) and with their light bench, they could be vulnerable.

2. MARYLAND

Strengths: Aggressive team defense. Good, balanced offense. Good rebounding team. Team quickness. Very experienced.
Weakness: Sloppy at times. Lack that killer instinct to put teams away.
Outlook: The Terps got that monkey off their back by finally reaching the Final Four a year ago. They've got the pieces there to make another run this season. They should be hungry, now if they can only stay focused for 40 minutes!

3. VIRGINIA

Strengths: Quick, athletic team who can put points on the board. Good rebounding team. Good FT shooting team. Lots of depth.
Weakness: Big ? at PG. Poor team defense. Poor ball handling & distribution.
Outlook: The Cavs were a Top 10 team before PG Majestic Mapp needed another season to heal. Roger Mason can handle the point, but he's too good a wing scorer to be stuck there. Still will have a good season, but it may have been a great one!

4. WAKE FOREST

Strengths: Excellent team defense. Very experienced. Good FT shooting team. Limit their turnovers.
Weakness: Poor rebounding team. No true center. Little depth in frontcourt.
Outlook: New coach Skip Prosser should make this team better offensively, which would be a welcome change. Backcourt is solid and the Howard & Songaila combo is tough to handle, but the rest of the frontline is iffy. If they can come thru, it will be a good year!

5. NORTH CAROLINA

Strengths: Good shooting team. Good rebounding team. Solid team defense.
Weakness: Inexperienced backcourt. Lack of depth in frontcourt. Poor FT shooting team. Lack of team quickness.
Outlook: Will not meet Carolina standards this season, but could pave the way for a bright future if the newcomers are as good as advertised. May miss the NCAA Tournament for first time in years, but I doubt it.

6. FLORIDA STATE

Strengths: Quick, athletic team. Solid backcourt. Good experience & depth.
Weakness: Horrible team defense. Poor shooting team. Poor ball handling & distribution.
Outlook: Should definitely improve over last season, especially with the addition of Richardson & Harvey in the frontcourt. With some luck, should see postseason play this season.

7. GEORGIA TECH

Strengths: Solid team defense. Decent backcourt. Good 3-pt shooting team.
Weakness: Frontcourt is small and inexpereinced. Poor rebounding team. Too many turnovers.
Outlook: Coach Hewitt did an incredible job last season, and could do so again this season. But this team is very inexperinced and will take some time to adjust. More likely, this season is a warmup for next!

8. NORTH CAROLINA STATE

Strengths: Quick, deep, talented backcourt. Good 3-pt shooting team.
Weakness: Froncourt is questionable. Poor rebounding team. Poor ball handling & distribution. Very inexperienced.
Outlook: Julius Hodge will be a stud! Unfortunately, there's not too much else here to be excited about. If their frontcourt develops in a hurry, they could move up. But I look for Coach Sendak to be sacked by season's end after failing to reach the NCAA again!

9. CLEMSON

Strengths: Small, but solid backcourt who can hit the 3. Good team defense.
Weakness: Lousy shooting team. Scoring points could be a struggle. Poor rebounding team. Too many turnovers.
Outlook: The Tigers lost a lot of scoring when Will Solomon skipped town, so their defense will have to win some games for them. Overall, it doesn't look like they'll get out of the cellar!

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Last updated on 10/5/01 by toyminator@prodigy.net