Articles

This is the first of my annual six statistical projections of BCS conference starters. The lineups are based on the Starting Fives series of articles released two weeks ago, along with a couple of changes due to recent developments.

ATLANTA, GA – For a second-straight year North Carolina was a unanimous choice to finish first atop the Atlantic Coast Conference basketball race in voting by 40 media members at the league’s annual Basketball Media Day.

Duke was picked for second, while Wake Forest was voted third. Miami was fourth, followed by Clemson (fifth) and Virginia Tech (sixth).

ACC FIVE-YEAR STANDINGS

This ranking tries to answer a simple question: Who has been the best team in the ACC over the last five years?

Thursday night is here, and for those of you with little or no interest in the ALCS there are a couple of intriguing college football games on tap. Florida State has a chance to make a statement in the ACC Atlantic race when they visit NC State. Yes, the Wolfpack have struggled this season, but keep in mind that they did beat East Carolina (a win that looks less impressive by the week it seems) in Raleigh and QB Chrisitan Ponder hasn't exactly lit it up against FBS competition for the 'Noles.

Unlike the NBA, where most starting lineups are set in stone weeks before the season, NCAA starting fives are highly unsettled and constantly in flux. Going through the BCS leagues this week, I'll be projecting the starting fives for each team. Also included is the team's most important bench option, and some notes on other possible lineups.

Like civilizations, all great basketball programs eventually fall.. replaced by an upstart newcomer. In this week's Rise & Fall series, we'll take a look at which BCS programs are rising, falling, or merely treading water.

ACC