Obviously, things have been going crazy on the conference expansion front the last couple of days. I've got a couple of posts up in the last couple days at RTC on the issue, just never had a chance to post them over here. Consider that done now.
I'm hoping to have some time in the next couple of days to pick back up with my Big East previews (Georgetown is on deck), and some other stuff, including more draft profiles and some early looks at next season's pre-season schedules.
With Singler back, Duke is clearly the favorite in the conference and the team to beat, all alone in the top tier of the conference. Next, I’d put Florida State (and note, as of 4/21 when I’m writing this, Solomon Alabi has not yet declared for the NBA draft), Virginia Tech and North Carolina in the second tier, where each would need something very special to happen for them to challenge Duke at the top . The next group of five teams will all challenge for tournament bids, with those teams that finish at the top of the tier getting in, those in the middle sweating it out on Selection Sunday, and those at the bottom NIT bound. Of course, if a 96-team tournament happens, all of those teams get in. And, probably, a team or two from the bottom tier of teams (Virginia, Georgia Tech and Miami) gets in as well under that scenario, while in reasonable-land, where the NCAA tournament is still only 64 teams, all three teams in the bottom tier wrap up their seasons when they get eliminated from the ACC tournament, and two of those three team’s coaches start polishing their resumes.
All-ACC First Team G Malcolm Delaney, Sr, Virginia Tech G Nolan Smith, Sr, Duke F Kyle Singler, Sr, Duke F Harrison Barnes, Fr, North Carolina C Solomon Alabi, Jr, Florida State
All-ACC Second Team G Dorenzo Hudson, Sr, Virginia Tech G Kyrie Irving, Fr, Duke F Chris Singleton, Jr, Florida State F Tracy Smith, Sr, North Carolina State C Jordan Williams, So, Maryland
All-Freshman Team G Kyrie Irving, Duke G Ian Miller, Florida State F Harrison Barnes, North Carolina F James Johnson, Virginia C Carson Desrosiers, Wake Forest
With a frontline featuring two future NBA lottery picks and a backcourt full of talented youngsters, more was expected of the 09-10 Yellow Jackets than a sub-.500 ACC conference schedule and a first-weekend loss in the NCAA tournament, but that’s exactly what Georgia Tech got. Now, with Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal off to the NBA, head coach Paul Hewitt is left with an incomplete roster and a pile of questions. Not that there is a complete lack of talent, as point guard Mfon Udofia will return for his sophomore season and combo-guard Iman Shumpert for his junior. Brian Oliver and Glen Rice are a pair of very capable wings, Jason Morris is a four-star recruit at the three and Maurice Miller will be a steady presence as the backup point, but beyond that there will be a lot to be decided between now and November.
Hewitt does have several available scholarships, so he’ll certainly be scouring the country for unsigned help, and he’ll especially need some frontcourt players, as the options in the paint currently on the roster are limited at best. Center Brad Sheehan looks like he’ll be a starter at this point, and he averaged under eight minutes and two points a game last season. Another option in the frontcourt will be redshirt freshman power forward Kammeon Holsey who missed all of last season with a knee injury. Andrew Miller will be a six-foot-eleven redshirt freshman who is almost a complete unknown at this point. But beyond that, it is likely that the interior players that Hewitt will be relying on next season are not on the roster yet. Or at least, that’s what Tech fans have to be hoping for.
With all that said, the Ramblin’ Wreck will have to rely on their perimeter players for most of their scoring, and they’ll need Shumpert and Udofia to improve their decision-making and leadership for this team to have serious post-season hopes, even given the possible expanded field.
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