Toyminator's 1999 ACC Conference Preview

In recent years, the ACC has been hit extremely hard by players leaving early for the NBA. This confirms the feelings of many who believe the best players in the country play in this conference. However, it has also taken its toll on a number of teams and has tremendously weakened the conference overall. Once again, the ACC will not be one of the top conferences in the country this season.

On a brighter note, the conference will be quite competitive and thus, more entertaining to watch. The top (UNC) and the bottom (Clemson) are pretty clear cut, but predicting teams 2-8 is quite a chore. There's simply not much difference between the teams! Duke will be a consensus tourney team, but they are VERY inexperienced and their newbies may not be as good as advertised. Wake Forest returns almost everyone, but I'm not totally sure if that's a good thing! Virginia stunk last year, but got a ton of incoming talent so you'll have to keep a close eye on them. Herb Sendek always has a pesky bunch of Wolfpack. Who knows!

ON THE RISE: Virginia
Pete Gillen's got this program excited with a talented group of newcomers that will make their fans forget about the past few years. They add good size and quickness, along with one of the best 3-pt shooters in the country in Keith Friel. They should blend nicely with solid returnes, such as Donald Hand & Chris Williams. Plus, they're all still young so this is just the beginning of what should be a good run.

IN DECLINE: Clemson
The departing senior class was the Tigers most successful in history, so it shouldn't be a surprise. But their wasn't much left to rebuild around and the new guys aren't anything special, so they may be in the cellar for awhile. It didn't help when their best recruit, Ronald Blackshear, didn't make the grade. Coach Shyatt has a lot of work to do to get this program back on its feet.

1. NORTH CAROLINA

Strengths: Huge frontline that can score inside, rebound & intimidate. PG who can get them the ball. Good FT shooting team.
Weakness: Not a great shooting team from the perimeter. Loss of Parker & Emtimov makes them thin on the bench.
Outlook: Clearly the best team in a weak conference. With further development of their young guys, they may reach the Final Four.

2. DUKE

Strengths: Excellent team defense. Team quickness. Limit their turnovers.
Weakness: Lost a lot of talent, leaving the team without a true scorer. Very inexperienced with little depth.
Outlook: Will count on their defense to win games until they find their offense. Boozer & Williams are critical to team's success.

3. WAKE FOREST

Strengths: Deep & experienced team. Plays good team defense. Good FT shooting team.
Weakness: Limited offensively. Poor 3-pt shooting team. Despite good size, they don't rebound well.
Outlook: Arinze's return should improve their rebounding. With a little more consistency, they should reach the NCAA.Tourney.

4. VIRGINIA

Strengths: Talent everywhere. Solid, deep backcourt. Create turnovers, while limiting their own. Good FT shooting team.
Weakness: Horrible rebounding team. Little inside scoring. Very inexperienced.
Outlook: Rising fast, with NCAA Tourney looming. Of all the newbies, Friel's ability to hit the "3" will be the most critical.

5. GEORGIA TECH

Strengths: Offense of Collier, defense of Jones. Good depth in backcourt.
Weakness: Poor backcourt that turns the ball over too much. Poor rebounding team. Suspect defense.
Outlook: Exodus of Glover killed any hopes of winning ACC, but if backcourt stabilizes they still may reach the NCAA Tourney.

6. NORTH CAROLINA STATE

Strengths: Good rebounding team. Deep, talented group of players, especially in backcourt.
Weakness: Way too many turnovers. Poor perimeter defense. Lack of true scorer.
Outlook: The talent is coming, but their still probably in the middle of the pack again this year. Nothing new!

7. MARYLAND

Strengths: Good rebounding team. Solid team defense. Consistency of Morris.
Weakness: Iffy backcourt, with little off the bench. Too many turnovers. No other proven scorers.
Outlook: Despite what others say, I'm looking at a big fall! Morris will be a marked man, so success depends on others.

8. FLORIDA STATE

Strengths: Solid offensively. Most experienced team in league.
Weakness: Horrible rebounding team. Poor team defense. Lack of depth. Too many turnovers.
Outlook: Hale is an unrecognized star, but there's little else. Will battle for the basement.

9. CLEMSON

Strengths: Big frontline, who can rebound very well.
Weakness: Questionable backcourt. Play passive defense. Lack of true scorer.
Outlook: Rock bottom! Shyatt just wasn't prepared to lose all those seniors.

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Last updated on 9/4/99 by toyminator@prodigy.net