College Hoops Today

Serving College Basketball 365 Days a Year

5 questions entering the ACC

College basketball season is almost here!

Between now and Nov. 9th, we’ll take an in-depth look at different conferences around the country.

Today’s focus is on the ACC:

1. How improved will Duke be in its final season under Coach K?
Significantly improved. The Blue Devils didn’t qualify for the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since 1995 and the first time since 1983 with Krzyzewski on the bench; he was sidelined during the 1994-95 season with a back injury. Help is on the way. A troika of five-star freshmen — Paolo Banchero, A.J. Griffin, and Trevor Keels — lead the reinforcements. The 6-10 Banchero is expected to be one of the top picks in the 2022 NBA Draft. Marquette transfer Theo John should add insurance behind burgeoning sophomore Mark Williams in the pivot. If Duke can get significant jumps out of Jeremy Roach and Wendell Moore in the backcourt, it will be in position to win the ACC regular season title. If that happens, the Blue Devils will then be in position to earn a high seed in the NCAA Tournament. Krzyzewski can’t ask for much more in the final lap of his storied career.

2. What will North Carolina be like under Hubert Davis?
Talented. It’s never easy to be the guy who follows someone like Roy Williams — who won three national titles in Chapel Hill — but, that’s what Davis is walking into. Don’t throw a bake sale for him! North Carolina’s returning nucleus — Caleb Love, R.J. Davis, Kerwin Walton, and Armando Bacot — is filled with former top-100 recruits and Davis also added a pair of impact front court pieces in Dawson Garcia (Marquette) and Brady Manek (Oklahoma). Garcia had 24 points and 11 rebounds when the Golden Eagles beat the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill last season. Davis has never been a head coach at this level and is replacing a Hall-of-Famer in Williams, but he’s got more than enough firepower to keep North Carolina among college basketball’s elite programs in 21-22.

3. Which ACC team is being vastly underrated nationally?
Virginia Tech. Player retention is one of the keys to having success in college basketball and the Hokies have achieved it under Mike Young. Four of of Virginia Tech’s top six scorers — Keve Aluma, Nahiem Alleyne, Justyn Mutts, and Hunter Cattoor — are back from a team that reached the NCAA Tournament and also posted a neutral court win over Villanova. The 6-9 Aluma (15.2 points, 7.9 rebounds) is a potential ACC Player of the Year candidate. Young — one of the top offensive coaches in the sport — also added a starter in Wofford grad transfer Storm Murphy, who he recruited while he was in the SOCON. This team isn’t getting the same amount of attention as other teams in the ACC, but it’s likely going to start three fifth-year seniors and two juniors. That type of experience can’t be understated.

4. Can Notre Dame return to relevance?
Things are certainly aligned for that to happen. Mike Brey has always said that the key to success in college basketball is “getting old and staying old”. The Irish should reflect that mantra this season. The top six players in Notre Dame’s rotation will be five seniors — Prentiss Hubb, Dane Goodwin, Trey Wertz, Cormac Ryan, and Nate Laszewski — and a graduate student in Yale transfer Paul Atkinson. That should give the Irish a chance to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017.

5. Who is the sleeper?
NC State. Kevin Keatts has quietly made the Wolf Pack into a consistent ACC program, averaging 19.8 wins during his four seasons in Raleigh. It says here that Keatts will have a chance to lead NC State back to the NCAA Tournament in 2022 for the first time since 2018. Four of this team’s top seven scorers — Jericole Hellems, Manny Bates, Cam Hayes, and Thomas Allen — return and Keatts also added two potential starters in Casey Morsell (Virginia) and Greg Gantt (Providence). Four-star freshman Terquavion Smith should also push for immediate playing time. If Keatts gets offensive mileage out of Morsell and identifies a capable backup to Bates in the pivot, he’ll be in business. 

Leftovers