ACC will be cream
of crop next season
Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Duke,
Wake Forest all Final Four contenders
![]() Stephen Dunn / Getty Images Luke Schenscher will help make Georgia Tech a Final Four contender next season, according to columnist Ray Glier. |
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Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College are on the way, but the ACC isn’t going to become a football league anytime soon.
Not even close.
In fact, if you were one of the other BCS conferences and dreaded the idea of the ACC getting some recruiting bounce with two teams in the Final Four, polish your sales pitch.
The ACC could have four Final Four contenders next season: North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Duke, and Wake Forest.
It could be the first time since 1985 that a conference gets three teams in the Final Four. The Big East did it 18 years ago with Villanova, St. John’s and Georgetown.
The ACC will be the top rated conference in the RPI next year, too. There will not be a close No. 2, even the Big East with its sea of teams.
The ACC is not only going to be loaded with talent, it’s going to be loaded with point guards.
You know about Tech’s Jarrett Jack, Carolina’s Raymond Felton, and Wake’s Chris Paul.
You saw Maryland’s John Gilchrist light up the conference in the ACC Tournament.
And here comes Duke’s 6-foot-7 lead guard Shaun Livingston, though he looks like a Top 10 pick and will likely end up in the NBA.
Here’s a look at a possible preseason Top 10.
North Carolina
If the Tar Heels keep their team intact this could be the preseason No. 1. Rashad McCants to the NBA? Marvin Williams to the NBA?
McCants was a terrific scorer and became a better player as Roy Williams coached some effort into him.
Marvin Williams is the 6-foot-8 phenom from Bremerton, Wash. The Williams on the bench expects this star to come to Chapel Hill.
If you add Williams to the returning crew - and if they play hard all season - this is a No. 1 team.
Illinois
The Illini got on a roll at midseason and were stopped just twice: the Big Ten Tournament loss to Wisconsin and an NCAA Tournament defeat to Duke.
Dee Brown and Deron Williams are explosive guards, and along with wing Luther Head might form the best backcourt in college basketball.
Roger Powell and James Augustine were under-rated bigs, but they played well against Duke in the NCAAs when the Illini 3-point shot was taken away.
This is a Final Four caliber team that will have another year to grow under second-year coach Bruce Weber.
Kansas
The Jayhawks will be the team to beat in the Big 12. They have seniors back in Wayne Simien, Keith Langford, Aaron Miles and Michael Lee. They also have dynamic rising sophomore forward J.R. Giddens.
If KU signs 6-foot-5 Detroit guard Malik Hairston, look out. Hairston is deciding between KU, UCLA, Michigan or Ohio State.
Georgia Tech
The Yellow Jackets lose Marvin Lewis, but all other key players are returning. B.J. Elder, ineffective late in the NCAA Tournament with an ankle injury, will be healthy making this an even more powerful team.
Tech was in the hunt for big man Randolph Morris, but he will opt for the NBA. That’s OK. The Yellow Jackets have 7-foot-1 Luke Schenscher, a new force in college basketball.
In fact, Schenscher will be Mr. Double Double next season as refs finally give him some respect and he goes to the line eight times a games and scores 12 points to go with 10 rebounds.
Memphis
The Tigers should have two big-time players back in the fold to go with freshman guard Darius Washington, who is a combo guard that will remind Memphis fans of Dajuan Wagner.
Sean Banks drew most of the applause this past season and was named Conference USA Freshman of the Year.
But NBA scouts insist Rodney Carney is the better prospect. The 6-foot-7 Carney played well in the NCAA Tournament with a big game against South Carolina.
Wake Forest
The Deacons have their electric point guard Chris Paul back along with big man Eric Williams and versatile wing Jamaal Levy. That’s not to mention leading scorer Justin Gray. Like we said, the ACC is going to be even better next season.
UConn
Emeka Okafor is a junior, but he’s long gone for the NBA. But what about junior Ben Gordon? And what about Charlie Villaneuva? He almost opted for the NBA out of high school. He did not have a big freshman year, but is that enough to keep him?
A key player is 6-11 Josh Boone, who really showed his stuff in the tournament. With Okafor gone next season, Boone will be heard from.
Arizona
The Wildcats look dangerous if they can keep players in the program. Andre Iguodala is on some NBA draft boards as a Top 10 pick.
But even if he leaves, Arizona with Salim Stoudamire, Channing Frye, Mustafa Shakur, and Hassan Adams on board make this a very strong squad.
Duke
The Blue Devils have a wild card, the versatile wing forward Luol Deng. If Deng jumps to the NBA, the Blue Devils lose a big-time player who gave them a mismatch in a lot of games.
There was some thought Duke would be OK because it would pick up 6-foot-7 point guard Shaun Livingston. The Peoria guard, however, looks like a lottery pick.
Still, Duke will have an imposing frontline in Shelden Williams and Shavlik Randolph.
A lot depends on whether Deng stays. They could be No. 10 or No. 1-2-3.
Wisconsin
A major question is whether Devin Harris commits to the NBA on May 10. The big guard should be a first round pick.
If Harris is back, UW has its three top scorers returning and will be one of the teams to beat in the Big Ten, along with Illinois and perhaps Michigan State.
LURKING….
Pitt
The Panthers need offense. Desperately. It was their problem all season.
They could have their answer in junior college transfer John DeGroat, a terrific swingman. They have a good athlete moving in at the other wing: Keith Benjamin.
Michigan State
These guys again? They shouldn’t have been called the Spartans. They should have been called the Ifs.
If only they had a point guard. If only they were tough enough.
Paul Davis returns and the center will be one of the best players in college basketball, no ifs ands or buts. There are other splendid players in Alan Anderson, Chris Hill and and Kevin Torbert.
But the point guard?
Highly-regarded Drew Nietzel will be on campus, but it is tough to envision a freshmen getting all this talent on one page.
But …. maybe … if ...
Kentucky
The Wildcats lose a lot, but this is Kentucky. UK will find a way to get into the Top 25 at some point next season with chemistry, coaching, and a very good recruit in Rajon Rondo.
But is this the best the SEC can do? Squeeze one team into the Top 25?
The conference has been overrated for several years now. It’s still a football conference, just as much as the ACC is still a basketball conference.
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