Sportsfrog.com

Part I of UNC Boy’s opus from yesterday here. For certain read that, and then read on for Part II:

ACC Basketball Predictions for 2009-10:

1. North Carolina (12-4)
2. Clemson (11-5)
3. Duke (11-5)
4. Maryland (10-6)
5. Georgia Tech (9-7)
6. Wake Forest (9-7)
7. Boston College (8-8)
8. Florida State (8-8)
9. Virginia Tech (7-9)
10. Miami (6-10)
11. Virginia (5-11)
12. NC State (2-14)

7. Boston College – With their main player Tyrese Rice now in the NBA, the Eagles will be bringing just about everybody from last season. Coach Al Skinner brings back a squad mostly dominated by juniors this season and no freshmen on the staff. The Eagles are expected to return to the NCAA with the possibility of being a Sweet Sixteen threat.

Led by their swingman Rakim Sanders and inside player Corey Raji, Boston College is looking to pound their way on the boards against some of the best competition the league has to offer. Throw in their only senior Tyler Roche in the mix, the Eagles should look strong this season. The question at this point is who is going to replace the role of Rice, who averaged 23 a game. Sophomore Reggie Jackson returns as he averaged nine per game and Biko Paris is looking at getting some extra playing time this season to help out.

Outlook: Boston College did fairly well in league play and should be on the mark again to finish enough to get an NCAA bid. They will be involved in the Paradise Jam tournament early this season that will also feature last year’s tournament teams Tennessee and Purdue. Afterwards, they will have two relatively tough battles at Providence and Michigan before they begin ACC play against Miami to start the first of an eight-game homestand of which it features Harvard, which upset them last season, and South Carolina before resuming league play. BC gets two dates with Miami, and also two dates with Clemson and Duke, in which they may have some trouble here. I have the Eagles going 8-8 and probably needs at least one win in the ACC Tournament to get back in the Dance.

8. Florida State – Leonard Hamilton made a strong statement getting the Seminoles back on the national map in over a decade. Florida State lost three key players from last year’s ACC tournament finalist season and has a very young squad this year.

Florida State’s leadership falls in the hands of their only senior Ryan Reid, a forward who was tabbed the team’s most improved player last season. But he does have help with junior guard Derwin Kitchen and sophomore forward Chris Singleton bringing back a total of just under 20 points between the two. Expect some playing time added for sophomore center Solomon Alabi, who was a freshman All-ACC and honorable mention All-American, and freshman point guard Pierre Jordan, who elected to sit out on a redshirt after six games early last season and will have four full years of eligibility with them.

Outlook: 8-8 is very likely with this class of players, but will it be enough to get a NCAA berth?? Their non-conference tests do include teams in the Old Spice Classic at Disney World, including Marquette, Michigan, Xavier, Alabama, Baylor, and Creighton, all looking to show positive statements this season. They also get Ohio State in the ACC/Big 10 challenge and Auburn at home later this season. FSU also gets two dates with state rival Miami, Maryland, and Clemson.

9. Virginia Tech – The Hokies have literally come up short each of the last two seasons after their tournament dreams were dashed away by North Carolina by two and three points, respectably, in the ACC Tournament. Head coach Seth Greenburg believes this team will have to work hard after the losses of key players AD Vassallo and Cheick Diakite.

Their team leader in production is junior guard Malcolm Delaney, who averaged 18 points a game last season. Delaney, along with junior forward Jeff Allen, returns after starting all 34 games last season. Plenty of help will be provided by senior forward Lewis Witcher and junior guard Dorenzo Hudson.

Outlook: The Hokies weakness over the last two seasons was its early non-conference schedule, including a couple of close wins against teams well below them in the RPI and a couple of heartbreakers in the early part of the season. Their schedule this time around looks to be a bit more favorable, but still have to tend to teams like Temple, VMI, and Penn State before they commence league play. They have a brutal conference schedule as they will play UNC twice and have road games at Duke, Boston College and Georgia Tech. But they do get home dates with Clemson, Wake Forest, and Maryland in the second half of league play, so they need to win at least six games against this group if they want to beg for a Dance spot, otherwise, it’s another season of NIT play.

10. Univ. of Miami – The Hurricanes missed a golden opportunity to secure an NCAA bid last season after a great run the season before. This 2009-10 team is picked by many to improve its 7-9 season and a 19-win campaign overall, but the huge losses of Jack McClinton, Lance Hurdle, and Jimmy Graham (although he’s playing football this year, he has already used up his eligibility) make me think otherwise.

Head coach Frank Haith returns senior forward Dwayne Collins and sophomore forward DeQuan Jones, plus will have senior James Dews to replace Hurdle in the backcourt. Their bench will be relied on the production of sophomore center Julian Gamble and freshman shooting guard Durand Scott, who could make the move to a starter before league play begins as he was ranked fifth in the nation among high school SG’s.

Outlook: I expect Miami to finish 10th in the ACC this season based on them playing their roadies at Maryland, at Wake Forest, at Clemson, and at North Carolina – all looking like huge losses here. They do get another game with Wake at home and one with Duke as well, but they look to be overmatched in these games. Their non-conference is not much to brag about. They only have Minnesota in the ACC/Big 10 challenge and that is merely it. They’re going to have to really finish well in the ACC (at least 9-7) if they want to convince the committee.

11. Virginia – Tony Bennett heads over 3,000 miles east to ACC territory and will have to pick up a lot of pieces that was left by Dave Leitao. Virginia lost just two key players in Mamadi Diane and Tunji Soroye, but they have a good core of players returning from a 4-12 league season and just 10 wins overall.

Amongst the leaders on the floor is sophomore shooting guard Sylven Landesberg, who led the team in scoring last season and junior forward Mike Scott, who also averaged in double figures. With the losses of Diane and Soroye, expect senior forward Jamil Tucker and junior forward Jeff Jones to get some more time in the game. Freshman swingman Tristan Spurlock will also be looking to be on the scene and is considered an ACC All-Freshman candidate after he averaged 23 points in his senior year in high school.

Outlook: At his former position at Washington State, Tony Bennett had the tendency of slowing the game down – which is perfect for Virginia’s tempo. But if he brings his 55 points per game, it’s not going to work here in the ACC. Their league schedule includes two games against Maryland, plus a fairly home schedule which only has Duke as its main threat. On the road, they have to tangle with Wake Forest, Clemson, UNC, and Boston College, all favorable to lose here. I have them at 5-11, but look out in the next couple of years if the Bennett era improves a great deal from last season.

12. NC State – When you lose Courtney Fells, Ben McCauley and Brandon Costner after playing its worst season since the Les Robinson era, you’re not going to expect much in return for the Wolfpack this year. Head coach Sidney Lowe has practically a brand new team in which only junior point guard Javier Gonzalez is the only player from last year’s squad that started at least half of the games for State.

NC State only has one senior in forward Dennis Horner, who should start this season despite doing so in just three games last season, but did average 19 minutes a game. Also looking to see some playing time will be junior forward Tracy Smith and sophomore guard Julius Mays. In terms of freshmen, Raleigh high school product Josh Davis is looking to be the catalyst to replace Costner in the frontcourt and become a future star in Raleigh. Also, forward Richard Howell and forward/guard Scott Wood should get some quality time off the bench to help the Pack.

Outlook: Don’t expect Sidney Lowe to win some hearts if he wears his red sports jacket to every game. Aside from the traditional two-game head-to-head with defending National Champion North Carolina, State also has back-to-back home games with Clemson and Duke, plus two games with Maryland and a home game with Wake Forest. I would love to see State win at least four out of the five games at home with the aforementioned, but that would mean Sidney would have to head to the cleaners moments after every game after he nearly rips them to shreds. Their non-conference schedule also includes a road trip to Arizona and to Marquette, but they do get Florida in a return match from last year won by the Gators.

Conference Outlook As A Whole – OK, so they are not the Big East and won’t be any time soon. With the Big 10 improving this season, the ACC is looking at 3rd in the conference RPI. While looking at the non-conference schedule, especially the ACC/Big 10 Challenge, the ACC could lose it for the first time since it was instituted in 1999. Top to bottom, the ACC is a bit more competitive than in recent years. I expect at least seven teams this year to make the NCAA tournament (UNC, Clemson, Duke, Maryland, Boston College, Georgia Tech, and Wake Forest), and maybe three teams in the NIT (Virginia Tech, Florida State, and Miami). If they win enough games, Virginia could get a postseason bid to the CBI tournament for the second time in three years.