Thankfully, Keatts has no shortage of options to fill the spot. The Florida State Seminoles took the crown of the best ACC Basketball team last season. The Seminoles are loaded. Georgia transfer Rodney Howard was a surprise recipient of a waiver to play immediately, and though he made little impact in Athens, the 6’10 sophomore will battle Gigiberia and Meka for minutes. The best shooter on the roster, though, is Jalen Cone, the team’s incendiary 6th man. Returners- Jose Alvarado, Mike Devoe, Jordan Usher, Khalid Moore, Moose Wright, Bubba Parham, Additions- Saba Gigiberia, Jordan Meka, Tristan Maxwell. Key Returners: Aamir Simms, Al-Amir Dawes, John Newman III, Clyde Trapp, Hunter Tyson, Jonathan Baehre (injury), Chase Hunter (injury), Alex HemenwayKey Losses: Tevin Mack, Curran ScottKey Newcomers: Nick Honor (Fordham), P.J. Alvarado and Devoe are together again. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. BC was ravaged by key players missing games last year, particularly rising star Wynston Tabbs, who didn’t even see the floor. They will be led by the point guard play of Kihei Clark who makes a major impact in getting others involved and his on-ball defensive ability. Ryan struggles a bit laterally, and though Sanders can help some, he may not see many minutes right away. You can pick any of the top four coaches here. Bottom Line: There’s reason to be optimistic about Forbes’ first year in Winston-Salem, for sure. Losing Gibbs is tough for the backcourt, as well. In terms of effective field goal percentage (which weights three-pointers), the Panthers ranked 342nd in the country, making them one of the worst power conference outfits in recent memory: Following the transfers of Trey McGowens and Ryan Murphy, two of the team’s only semi-competent shooters, the addition of Delaware transfer Ithiel Horton becomes absolutely crucial. The point guard play for this team is extremely stable with Chris Lykes. Outlook: There’s been plenty of speculation that the coronavirus has impacted college hoops far beyond the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament. This year will be no different. Oguama is the likely starter at center, and though he showed promise on the glass and as a shot-blocker, he is only a wiry 205 pounds. Chase Hunter, another former top-100 recruit, had his 2019-20 season cut short by injury, but he could make an impact with his strength and quickness. With the benefit of full health, though, this BC team could give Christian just his second top-100 KenPom finish in Chestnut Hill. To elevate into the NCAA Tournament picture, the defense needs to catch up, particularly in the paint, and (Jim) Boeheim’s track record suggests improvement is on the way. North Carolina is one of the teams that is being significantly underrated this season. Those three join Providence sit-out transfer Makai Ashton-Langford and 4-star freshman DeMarr Langford to give the Eagles an impressive incoming crop of newcomers – not to mention Tabbs, who will hopefully be fully healthy this year. History indicates Notre Dame will be a top 60 team again this year, but a thorough examination of the roster leaves one feeling skeptical of that. Despite the down year last season, Clemson still pulled huge home wins against FSU, Duke, and Louisville (along with winning at UNC for the first time ever), and with Simms and others back, there should be a clear expectation of improvement. Without Banks in the paint, Wright will need to step up as the team’s primary rim protector. Filtering for just the games Usher played in, GT’s three-guard lineups were significantly better than using Usher at SF: Kyle Sturdivant, a second USC transfer in two years (following Usher), offers no boost in either of the problem areas, as he was an efficiency catastrophe for the Trojans. That lack of shot attempts at the rim is a primary weakness of the offense. Teams often gave NC State problems by going zone. Returners- Kihei Clark, Tomas Woldentensae, Jay Huff, Casey Morsell, Kody Stattman. Isaiah Wong will be a guy who could make this Miami perimeter dangerous who could grow into a really productive scorer for Miami. Unfortunately, there is not much to say about the Boston College Eagles. Hugley is a key centerpiece in the paint, and William Jeffress lets the Panthers play bigger lineups without losing much versatility. Clemson ranked 19th nationally in 3PA rate but just 267th in 3P%, and shooters like Al-Amir Dawes (31.8%), John Newman (30.3%), Clyde Trapp (26.2%), and Hunter Tyson (32.1%) simply need to be better. Champagnie looks like a rising star, but Capel’s fate is intertwined with that of his point guard, Xavier Johnson. However, given that he’s from Winston-Salem and there’s a gosh dang pandemic loose in the streets, it’s a safe-ish assumption that he’ll get one. Key Returners: Tyrece Radford, Nahiem Alleyne, Jalen Cone, Wabissa Bede, Hunter CattoorKey Losses: Landers Nolley (transfer), P.J. NC State needs to be able to put it all together under Kevin Keatts with having talented players but too many inconsistencies. Given the depth in the backcourt, Young will likely play a ton of four-guard lineups. Young had his green roster at 14-5 (5-3) before the wheels came off, going just 2-11 for the remainder of the year, but there’s still plenty to build on for a roster that was gutted when Young arrived. The senior guard brings great energy and scoring ability. Furthermore, the x-factor for Boston College will be CJ Felder who has the ability to be on the wing. Next, the backcourt will be made of Jahcobi Neath and Ian DuBose. Additionally, Manny Bates is a really productive player for NC State especially around the basket with his shot-blocking ability. Given how bleak things looked when he took over, any modicum of respectability would have to be considered a win, and Wake Forest fans should be excited about the long-term benefits of the team’s offseason coaching change, as well. Perhaps most importantly, Girard has confidence oozing out of his ears, and he believes he can score every time he touches the ball. The other end of the floor wasn’t any great shakes either, as Pitt ranked just 91st nationally in AdjDE (10th in ACC play). It’s nearly impossible get an accurate evaluation of last year’s team; the Hurricanes were essentially never full strength. Unfortunately, a major side effect of this rim protection has been abysmal defensive rebounding. Forbes also liked having a post up threat to play through at times, and there’s very little evidence of one being on this roster (Mucius was efficient, but on extremely low volume). Furthermore, the x-factor for this team will be Olivier-Maxence Prosper with his ability to be a major versatility wing for Clemson. That again opens up chances for the perimeter to get open shots or attack closeouts, another staple of the Irish attack. Returners- Garrison Brooks, Leaky Black, Armando Bacot, Andrew Platek, Anthony Harris, Additions- Caleb Love, Walker Kessler, Day’Ron Sharpe, R.J. Harris, Puff Johnson. The biggest question mark for Duke is the interior play and overall impact with it either being Mark Williams or Patrick Tape who can emerge inside. If Notre Dame can play some stretches with Laszewski at center, the paint will be wide open for Hubb, Ryan, Goodwin, and the rest of the perimeter players to drive into. Capel mixed defenses, playing zone about 21% of the time, and that alignment weaponized the quick hands of Johnson and McGowens. Just another Last Word on Sports Sites site. The x-factor for Miami will be Sam Waardenburg who can bust open any game with his shooting ability from 3. The Yellow Jackets have one of the best backcourts in the ACC. The backcourt had a decidedly offensive tilt to it, and that was a big reason why last year’s defense graded out as Boeheim’s second-worst in the KenPom era. Now, in Johnson’s defense – the Panthers were one of the worst shooting teams in the country, meaning Johnson was often looking at clogged driving lanes and over-helping defenders as foes disregarded Pitt’s pitiful perimeter shooters. Further, the x-factor for North Carolina will be Anthony Harris who missed all of last season with a torn ACL he can bring stability to that backcourt with Love. Bottom Line: Health will be the key factor for Miami. Fighting Irish fans are entering year three of a rebuild. Seabron would be a funky choice, but he had impressive ball skills as a senior, and he generated some buzz with his practice performances (grain of salt, as with all hyperbolic redshirt claims). As these are who will need to provide stability for Wake Forest. Fellow rising sophomore Harlond Beverly did not respond to the increased playing time in the same way, but he’s a high-level athlete with the tools to be a lockdown defender.