NC State

NC State 2010 NIT Preview

Joel Welser — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:11:02 -0400

North Carolina State Wolfpack

Atlantic Coast Conference (19-15, 5-11)

Seed: #6

Big Wins: 1/20 Duke (88-74), 3/11 vs Clemson (59-57), 3/12 vs Florida State (58-52)

Bad Losses: 12/1 Northwestern (53-65), 1/9 Virginia (62-70), 2/3 at Virginia (47-59)

Coach: Sidney Lowe

Why They Can Surprise:

North Carolina State wins games with their defense. A couple experienced big men lead the way. Tracy Smith started to take over this team late last season and he has not given up that role. Despite being constantly double or even triple teamed under the basket, Smith is easily the Wolfpack’s most dominating scorer and rebounder. And on the defensive end of the floor he will use his athleticism to block quite a few shots. Dennis Horner is not the athlete that Smith is, but he is a great complimentary forward to Smith who can step outside and stretch the defense with his shooting ability. Horner is also a fine shot blocker and those two are deceptively effective defenders under the basket.

C.J. Williams has earned some starts at the forward position and he is playing his best basketball late in the year. The 6-6 sophomore is not much of a shooter, but he can score ten to 15 points on any given night by using his size and athleticism to attack the basket. Richard Howell and Josh Davis are more traditional big men, but both are inexperienced freshmen. Howell has emerged as a fine rebounder and it is nice for Coach Sidney Lowe to have some options up front.

Why They Can Disappoint:

The defense has to win games for NC State because the offense will disappear at times. Smith is the only consistent scorer on the team and it is pretty easy to defend a team who only has one guy that will score. Somebody on the perimeter has to be more consistent or this is a team that will not last very long in March. Javier Gonzalez is the most likely candidate on the perimeter to supplement Smith’s inside game. He is a decent shooter and has the ability to create shots. Wing Scott Wood is pretty much a pure shooter, but the 6-7 freshman is a solid defender and a decent rebounder. The option off the bench is Julius Mays. Yet again, he is not a consistent shooter, but Mays is a superb free-throw shooter and if he gets more aggressive attacking the basket he can help this team much more than he does now.

Who To Watch:

Farnold Degand joins Gonzalez in the backcourt. Both are good passers, but Degand is the better ballhandler…usually. Degand has not been the model of consistency, but when he is running the show it allows Gonzalez to work off the ball and on a team that needs all the offense it can get, it is very important that the best perimeter player can get some open looks. Whether or not Degand can get Gonzalez those looks and whether or not Gonzalez can actually hit the outside shot will be the difference between a tournament run and an early exit.

Probable Starters:

Farnold Degand, Senior, Guard, 5.8 ppg, 2.6 apg

Javier Gonzalez, Junior, Guard, 9.8 ppg, 3.8 apg

Scott Wood, Freshman, Guard, 8.1 ppg, 1.4 apg

Dennis Horner, Senior, Forward, 11.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.0 bpg

Tracy Smith, Junior, Forward, 16.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.0 bpg

Key Roleplayers:

Josh Davis, Freshman, Forward, 2.6 ppg, 1.7 rpg

Richard Howell, Freshman, Forward, 4.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg

Julius Mays, Sophomore, Guard, 4.7 ppg, 1.6 apg

C.J. Williams, Sophomore, Forward, 4.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 68.3 (194^th in nation, 11^th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 65.4 (95, 7)

Field-Goal Percentage: 43.9 (155, 10)

Field-Goal Defense: 42.2 (120, 10)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.5 (242, 8)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.7 (179, 7)

Free-Throw Percentage: 68.7 (180, 6)

Rebound Margin: -0.4 (205, 12)

Assists Per Game: 14.1 (97, 9)

Turnovers Per Game: 13.0 (112, 6)

Joel’s Bracket Says: Final Four loss to Virginia Tech

Follow Joel Welser's Postseason Capsules & College Basketball Previews on Twitter@Joel_Welser and on his Facebook page. Joel will be back in June for his annual Top 144 Teams in 144 Days preview on CollegeHoops.net

Poll: Who Will Win the ACC Tournament?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:11:22 -0500

College Hoops Wednesday Recap: NC State Knocks Off Duke

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:41:28 -0500

Tracy Smith, a native of Durham, celebrated his 22nd birthday with one of the best games of his career in leading NC State to an 88-74 win over #7 Duke. Smith made ten of his twelve field goal attempts in scoring 23 points and as a team the Wolfpack shot a blistering 58.2% from the field. "Our defense was the worst it's been all year," lamented Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski following the game. "Obviously, our big guys weren't on like they were the last two games. Why does that happen? I don't know. But it's not just them. I didn't think that we as a group played at the level we needed to play at" (quote courtesy of GoPack.com). All five Wolfpack starters scored in double figures while the majority of Duke's points came from the trio of Kyle Singler (22 points), Jon Scheyer (21 points) and Nolan Smith (18 points).

As a team the Blue Devils shot just 38.6% from the field in losing their third road game of the season (Duke has yet to win a true road game). But even with an off shooting night Duke's defense is normally good enough to keep them in most of the games that they play. That wasn't the case on Wednesday with Smith and Dennis Horner combining to score forty-three points while the Blue Devils' four-man rotation (Thomas, the Plumlee brothers and Zoubek) combined to score just thirteen. While this will be looked at as a disappointing loss for the Blue Devils, the importance of this win for Coach Lowe's (his birthday is on Thursday) program can't be stressed enough. In need of tangible evidence of progress, NC State turned to a Durham native in pulling off the upset.

Three Key Happenings

1. UTEP ends Memphis' 64-game Conference USA win streak. There was a good amount of talk going into Wednesday's matchup between the Miners and Tigers in regards to the win streak enjoyed in league play by Memphis. UTEP head coach Tony Barbee was on the sideline with John Calipari for a few of those sixty-four wins and he wanted nothing more than to be the man who ended the streak. That goal was accomplished at FedEx Forum thanks in large part to the play of Jeremy Williams. Williams scored 18 points and also had 12 rebounds and Randy Culpepper made a few big plays late in the 72-67 win. Elliot Williams led the Tigers, who will remain tied with Kentucky (1945-50) for the record, with 23 points but their inability to get him the ball late may have cost a chance to win the game but the true cause is rather obvious.

UTEP's bench was the difference, with their reserves outscoring Memphis' subs 33-10. Willie Kemp made just two of nine shots from the field and Will Coleman got just three shots, and that became a big deal with the other four starters scoring a combined 34 points. But while the loss is certainly a disappointment, the Tigers' lack of depth going into the season guaranteed that there would be some bumps in the road. UTEP's depth covered for sometimes questionable shot selection, and at best their win simply proves that the race for the title will be wide-open.

2. Two streaks end in the Big East. In regards to the race for the Big East title Georgetown's win at Pittsburgh, ending the Panthers' 31-game home win streak, holds far more importance. But the feel-good story of the night came from Chicago, where DePaul took advantage of poor foul shooting to knock off Marquette. The 51-50 win, delivered when Mike Stovall hit a jumper with seven tenths of a second remaining, ended the Blue Demons' 24-game Big East (regular season) losing streak. For the second time this season the Golden Eagles did themselves in at the charity stripe (at West Virginia) and the win affords Tracy Webster's team the ability to simply play basketball without the streak hanging over their heads.

As for the Hoyas Chris Wright scored 27 points in leading them to the 74-66 win, leaving Villanova in sole possession of first place in the Big East. A back and forth affair took place in front of the Oakland Zoo and the Peterson Events Center is an arena that most teams are lucky to escape with a 10-point defeat much less a win. Greg Monroe added another double-double (13 points, 11 rebounds) and Julian Vaughn led the team in assists with six while Pitt's Ashton Gibbs shot a frigid 3-for-16 from the field (8 points). Four Georgetown starters reached double figures while the Panthers had two players (starter Jermaine Dixon and reserve Gilbert Brown) surpass the 10-point mark. Now 5-2 in Big East play the Hoyas are right in the thick of things atop the standings, avoiding their third loss this early in the conference slate.

3. Temple stamps itself the early favorite in the Atlantic 10. In the game of the night in the Atlantic 10 the Owls took the lead early and did enough to withstand numerous Musketeer runs in winning 77-72 at the Liacouras Center. Temple, the Atlantic 10's lone undefeated (4-0 in league play), has won three straight and five out of the last six meetings with Xavier and is the early favorite with all teams having played at least four conference games. While Juan Fernandez and Lavoy Allen tend to get the lion's share of attention nationally the leader on Wednesday night was Ryan Brooks, who led the way with a game-high 22 points.

Temple made 59.2% of their shots from the field and seventeen of their twenty-nine baskets were assisted (twelve turnovers). Xavier, who was led in scoring by Jordan Crawford (18 points), made just nine of twenty-four shots from behind the arc and finished with eleven assists to thirteen turnovers. Fran Dunphy's team is tough to defend not just because of the number of scoring options (four starters reached double figures) but also because they value the basketball, leading the A-10 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4). As the season wears on this is going to be one tough team for the rest of the conference to deal with.

Top Three Games

1. DePaul 51, Marquette 50 See above.

2. Kansas 81, Baylor 75 Sherron Collins led the Jayhawks to their 53rd consecutive home win with 28 points, including a huge three with just over a minute left. Baylor, who has never won in Lawrence, was led by LaceDarius Dunn (27 points).

3. UAB 57, Southern Miss 56 Thanks to an Aaron Johnson jumper with six seconds remaining the Blazers avoided a devastating home loss to the Golden Eagles. Elijah Millsap led the winners with fourteen points while Southern Miss' Gary Flowers led all scorers with 25 points (and ten rebounds).

Three Notable Performances

1. F Luke Babbitt (Nevada) If he wasn't considered to be one of the best players out west then he's rapidly becoming one. The sophomore posted a double-double with 29 points and ten rebounds in the Wolf Pack's 88-82 win at Boise State.

2. G Kevin Palmer (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) Palmer put up yet another exemplary performance, scoring 32 points while also grabbing five rebounds and five steals in the Islanders' 81-64 win over Lamar.

3. F Marshall Moses (Oklahoma State) Moses scored 20 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in the Cowboys' 90-78 win over Colorado, ending their two-game losing streak.

College Hoops Sunday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 01:26:21 -0500

Sunday will likely be anti-climactic when compared to an eventful Saturday but there are some important games on the schedule. Two ACC games are on the docket with Florida State's trip to Atlanta likely having more national appeal. Two of the better big men in the ACC will be on display in Florida State's Solomon Alabi and Georgia Tech's Gani Lawal. The Yellow Jackets also have one of the nation's best freshmen in Derrick Favors and the other Seminole big men will have a battle on their hands with he and Zachary Peacock. But with the number of quality big men sure to be on the floor look for the guards to ultimately determine the outcome.

As for the second half of that doubleheader NC State heads to Winston Salem to take on Wake Forest with both teams looking to continue their solid starts. The Demon Deacons have a lot of talent but the issue that could be a problem in the future is their lack of playmakers on the perimeter outside of Ish Smith. Al-Farouq Aminu and L.D. Williams are both immensely talented players who can get things done on the wings and Chas McFarland will lead a deep interior. Sidney Lowe's Wolfpack don't have the overall size of Wake Forest but they've got a pair of talented forwards in Tracy Smith and Dennis Horner leading the way. If Javier Gonzalez and Julius Mays can lead the way in the backcourt State will have a chance to pull off the road win.

As for other action the most important development may be the first game for UConn F Ater Majok. Considered by many to be the most talented member of last year's team the native of the Sudan by way of Australia makes his first appearance in a Husky uniform. But Connecticut should be ready for a battle; UCF gave them all they wanted in Orlando in their last meeting. The Sunday schedule won't overshadow the NFL but there are some decent games to keep an eye on.

TV GAMES

Noon MSG/FCS-Atl Cornell vs Davidson
2p MSG/FCS-Atl Hofstra at St. John's
5:30p FSN Florida St at Georgia Tech
7:45p FSN NC State at Wake Forest

OTHER GAMES

1p UCF at Connecticut
1p Fairfield at Rhode Island
2p Sam Houston State at Auburn
2p Bradley at Iowa State
4p Charlotte at Winthrop
5p USF at San Diego

ONE PREDICTION

Georgia Tech over Florida State: Going with the Yellow Jackets here due to the play of freshman Mfon Udofia and sophomore Iman Shumpert in the backcourt. The Seminoles have talent at the guard positions as well with the likes of Derwin Kitchen and Michael Snaer but they're also (as a team) among the nation's worst in turnovers per game (18.0). Georgia Tech is slightly better at just over sixteen per contest and that will be the difference in a close contest.

ACC Basketball Preview: 2009-10

CHN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:46:54 -0500

With UNC rebuilding and Duke lacking depth, the ACC is more wide-open then its been in quite some time. Adding to the intrigue are top-notch prospects like Derrick Favors, Michael Snaer, and John Henson.

Conference Rank: 3rd

10 year average: 1st

ACC Page

All-ACC Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Malcolm Delaney	Virginia Tech	Jr
G	Greivis Vasquez	Maryland	Sr
F	Kyle Singler	Duke	Jr
F	Ed Davis	North Carolina	So
F	Trevor Booker	Clemson	Sr
Second Team
G	Jon Scheyer	Duke	Sr
G	Sylven Landesburg	Virginia	So
F	Gani Lawal	Georgia Tech	Jr
F	Al-Farouq Aminu	Wake Forest	So
D	Derrick Favors	Georgia Tech	Fr

Player of the Year - Greivis Vasquez Freshman of the Year - Derrick Favors
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
CHN All-Americans Kyle Singler (2nd team) Ed Davis (3rd) Derrick Favors (3rd) Greivis Vasquez (3rd) Al-Farouq Aminu Trevor Booker Malcolm Delaney Jon Scheyer All-Freshman Team Derrick Favors (1st Team) John Henson Ryan Kelly Mason Plumlee Durand Scott Michael Snaer Dexter Strickland Mfon Udofia		Points: Malcolm Delaney 18.1 Rebounds: Trevor Booker 9.7 Assists: Greivis Vasquez 5.0 Team: North Carolina 89.9

ACC Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

4	North Carolina	ACC	1	NCAA
8	Duke	ACC	2	NCAA
20	Maryland	ACC	4	NCAA
22	Clemson	ACC	3	NCAA
26	Georgia Tech	ACC	5	NCAA
44	Wake Forest	ACC	6	NCAA
52	Florida St	ACC	7	NIT
64	Virginia Tech	ACC	8	NIT
70	Miami	ACC	9	NIT
78	Virginia	ACC	10	NIT
93	Boston College	ACC	11	CBI/CIT
119	NC State	ACC	12	CBI/CIT

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the ACC?

Other ACC Content

ACC: Top 25 Players

ACC Fantasy Stats Preview

ACC Media Poll & All-Conference Team

ACC 5-Year Ranking

College Basketball Preview - 348 Team Ranking - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

ACC Basketball: Top 25 Players

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:44:10 -0500

Ranking players is more art then science. How do you compare the potential of freshmen with seniors who have already peaked? How much does physical talent come into play versus intangibles and experience? How big a role do numbers play?

In some situations, the bigger challenge is deciding what position to list a player. College basketball is filled with combo guards, wings who can play from the 2 to 4, centers who are really power forwards, and so on.

All of these questions make lists like this fun and debatable.. if you disagree with CHN's rankings, post what you think below.

ACC

PG
1. Greivis Vasquez - Maryland
2. Malcolm Delaney - Virginia Tech
3. Demontez Stitt - Clemson
4. Derwin Kitchen - FSU
5. Dexter Strickland - UNC

SG
1. Jon Scheyer - Duke
2. Sylven Landesberg - Virginia
3. Iman Shumpert - Georgia Tech
4. Michael Snaer - FSU
5. Reggie Jackson - Boston College

- Considering this is the ACC, the guard class in general is rather uninspiring. Amongst PG's, Kitchen is the potential breakout star. Shumpert can play both guard positions, it will be interesting to see whether he loses shots to the likes of Favors & Lawal.

SF
1. Kyle Singler - Duke
2. John Henson - UNC
3. Rakim Sanders - Boston College
4. Chris Singleton - FSU
5. Marcus Ginyard - UNC

PF
1. Derrick Favors - Georgia Tech
2. Ed Davis - UNC
3. Al-Farouq Aminu - Wake Forest
4. Jeff Allen - Virginia Tech
5. Gani Lawal - Georgia Tech

C
1. Trevor Booker - Clemson
2. Solomon Alabi - FSU
3. Joe Trapani - Boston College
4. Dwayne Collins - Miami
5. Deon Thompson - UNC

- The power forward position is stacked, as solid players like Landon Milbourne (Maryland) and Corey Raji (BC) don't make it. Booker is one of the best senior Draft prospects in the country, while Alabi is one of the top 10 sophomore prospects.

-- SEC Top 25 Players

-- Pac-10 Top 25 Players

-- Big Ten Top 25 Players

-- Big East Top 25 Players

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

ACC Basketball: 5-Year Ranking

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:23:02 -0500

ACC 5-YEAR STANDINGS

CHN's annual 5-year ranking answers a simple question is in a simple manner: How do ACC teams stack up over the last five years?

Teams get points for league wins, making the postseason (NIT or NCAA) and winning games in the Big Dance. NIT wins are meaningless here, as are non-conference wins. Also, league tournaments wins are not taken into account. (An original trial-scoring system included points for conference tourney wins. But the flukish nature of these tourney's did more harm than hurt: ie, 2008 Georgia, 2006 Syracuse, and 2004 Maryland ended up getting too much credit despite the reality that they were mediocre to sub-par teams.)

100 total points is set up to be the equivalent of batting .300 in baseball.. anything above and beyond is all-world stuff. 50 points is mediocre and you only start to get bad below 40 points.

Pos.	Was	Team	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	Wins	Gms.	Points

1	1	UNC	14	12	11	14	13	64	80	80	Win %
			Champs	NCAA 32	Elite 8	Final 4	Champs			46	Post Pts.
										126

2	2	Duke	11	14	8	13	11	57	80	71	Win %
			Sweet 16	2nd Round	1st Round	2nd Round	Sweet 16			22	Post Pts.
										93

3	3	BC	13	11	10	4	9	47	80	59	Win %
			2nd Round	Sweet 16	2nd Round	X	1st Round			16	Post Pts.
			*Big East							75

4	5	MD	7	8	10	8	7	40	80	50	Win %
			NIT	NIT	2nd Round	NIT	2nd Round			11	Post Pts.
										61

5	7	Wake For.	13	3	5	7	11	39	80	49	Win %
			2nd Round	NIT	X	X	1st Round			7	Post Pts.
										56

6	11	Clemson	5	7	7	10	9	38	80	48	Win %
			NIT	NIT	NIT	1st Round	1st Round			7	Post Pts.
										55

6	8	VA Tech	8	4	10	9	7	38	80	48	Win %
			NIT	X	2nd Round	NIT	NIT			7	Post Pts.
										55

8	10	FSU	4	9	7	7	10	37	80	46	Win %
			X	NIT	NIT	NIT	1st Round			5	Post Pts.
										51

9	6	NC State	7	10	5	4	6	32	80	40	Win %
			Sweet 16	2nd Round	NIT	X	X			11	Post Pts.
										51

10	12	Miami	7	7	4	8	7	33	80	41	Win %
			NIT	NIT	X	2nd Round	NIT			7	Post Pts.
										48

11	9	Virginia	4	7	11	5	4	31	80	39	Win %
			X	NIT	2nd Round	X	X			5	Post Pts.
										44

12	4	GA Tech	8	4	8	7	2	29	80	36	Win %
			2nd Round	X	1st Round	X	X			6	Post Pts.
										42

Was = Last year's rankig

-Ties are broken by favoring conference winning %

ACC Thoughts

- UNC has officially blown past Duke in terms of ACC dominance.

- BC is solidly in 3rd. They're the only other team besides UNC & Duke to have won 9 league games in 3 of the last 4 years.

- Georgia Tech plummets like a stone now that a dismal 2 win season comes onto the books, and their surprising 2004 Finals run comes off.

- Georgia Tech has won the least amount of ACC games over the last 5 years.

- NC State's slow demise continues, and with their 2005 Sweet 16 trip coming off the books this year, they could fall even farther.

Postseason Points

NIT = 1

NCAA 1st Round = 2

NCAA 2nd Round = 4

Sweet = 6

Elite 8 = 8

Final Four = 10

Final = 11

Champs = 12

Other 5-Year Rankings

Poll: Who Will Win the ACC?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:59:38 -0400

ACC Preseason Basketball Poll

Press Release — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:54:58 -0400

GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Everybody knows that coaches and fans can’t agree on anything. When it comes to predicting the order of finish in ACC men’s basketball, the media can’t seem to get on the same page, either.

For the first time in the 41-year history of preseason voting, there is a tie for No. 1. Duke, chosen first on 25 of 48 ballots cast, and North Carolina, recipient of 20 picks for the top spot, each finished with 545 points. Media members attending the ACC’s Operation Basketball on Sunday event cast the ballots.

While the tie is unprecedented, the selection of the Tar Heels and Blue Devils is far from rare. Either UNC (18 times) or Duke (12) had been chosen first in 30 of the previous 40 years of the informal (and non-binding) survey.

A similar oddity occurred in the voting for Player of the Year. Duke’s Kyle Singler, named on 19 ballots, is the predicted winner of the honor even though two other players outpolled him in the All-ACC selection process. Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez was an all-conference choice on 45 of the 48 ballots and Clemson forward Trevor Booker garnered 44 votes. Singler secured 43 votes for All-ACC but won the Player of the Year voting over Vasquez 19-15.

Booker’s Tigers (409 points) are the choice to finish third in the league standings. They edged Georgia Tech (387) and Maryland (378). Wake Forest (315) took sixth by a single point over Florida State and Virginia Tech (273), Boston College (251), Miami (135), Virginia (116) and N.C. State (76) rounded out the totals.

Georgia Tech forward Derrick Favors, considered by some as the top freshman in the nation, was the runaway winner in the Rookie of the Year contest. He earned 40 votes; UNC forward John Henson was named on the other eight ballots.

Voting was conducted by media members attending the league’s Operation Basketball event at the Grandover Resort, a conference, hotel, spa and golf facility located less than two miles from the site of the ACC’s founding in 1953.

Singler, a junior forward Medford, Ore., won the Rookie of the Year award in 2008 and earned second-team all-conference honors last year as the Devils won the ACC Tournament title for the eighth time in the past 11 years and the 17th overall.

Vasquez placed in the ACC’s top seven in five major statistical categories in 2008-09 while joining Singler on the second-team all-conference group.

Booker is the ACC’s top returnee in rebounds and blocked shots and another second-teamer from last year.

Virginia Tech guard Malcolm Delaney, the league’s top returning scorer from last year, also made the All-ACC team in Sunday’s preseason selections. North Carolina forward Ed Davis, who averaged 14 rebounds per 40 minutes played as a rookie, completed the squad.

The Blue Devils won or shared the regular-season title in seven of the 12 previous seasons in which they were predicted to do so. UNC’s success rate is 11-for-18 in that department.

All in all, media representatives have accurately predicted the winner in 20 of the 40 previous years and in five of the past six.

Favors would join a long line of Yellow Jackets to earn the Rookie distinction. Georgia Tech has produced 10 of the award’s first 24 winners.

Singler would be the 12th Blue Devil to win Player of the Year. The previous 11 have combined for 13 citations. Both totals are tops in the league.

2009-10 ACC Preseason Poll:
1. Duke, 545 (25)
1. North Carolina 545 (20)
3. Clemson, 409
4. Georgia Tech, 387 (2)
5. Maryland, 378
6. Wake Forest, 315 (1)
7. Florida State, 314
8. Virginia Tech, 273
9. Boston College, 251
10. Miami, 135
11. Virginia, 116
12. NC State, 76

ACC Basketball: Fantasy Preview

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:22:57 -0400

This is the first of six fantasy stats projections of BCS conference starters. One of my favorite series of the year, and a helpful guide when drafting for fantasy college basketball leagues. For an idea of whether I know what I'm talking about, check out last year's ACC Stats Projection. As always, some teams were nailed better then others.. Clemson was particularly solid, Virginia was a bit off.

Keep in mind stats are highly dependent on minutes, and freshmen are obviously the hardest to predict. I try to note places below where other starters not listed may emerge. Stats are listed by ppg, rpg, and then apg.

ACC

Boston College

G Biko Paris - 7, 2, 4
G Reggie Jackson - 11, 6, 3
F Rakim Sanders - 16, 6, 2
F Corey Raji - 12, 7, 2
6 Joe Trapani - 13, 8, 2

Notes: The departure of Tyrese Rice should open up more scoring opportunities for the likes of Jackson & Sanders. Trapani shouldn't see much of a boost from last year however.

Clemson

G Demontez Stitt - 12, 3, 5
G Tanner Smith - 9, 3, 2
F David Potter - 9, 5, 2
F MIlton Jennings - 10, 5, 1
C Trevor Booker - 15, 11, 2

Notes: The freshman Jennings could be hit or miss. Andre Young and Jeria Grant should also see substantial time and could find themselves in the starting lineup depending on how things go.

Duke

G Nolan Smith - 11, 4, 3
G Jon Scheyer - 16, 4, 4
F Lance Thomas - 8, 5, 1
F Kyle Singler - 19, 9, 3
C Brian Zoubek - 7, 5, 1

Notes: Outside of Singler, minutes in the froncourt are up in the air as newcomers Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly should see substantial time and either could win a starting spot. I'm

Florida State
G Michael Snaer - 11, 4, 2
G Derwin Kitchen - 14, 5, 4
F Chris Singleton - 13, 6, 2
F Ryan Reid - 8, 6, 1
F Solomon Alabi - 10, 7, 1

Notes: Without Toney Douglas, Derwin Kitchen should become a much more dangerous offensive weapon. The freshman Snaer is a solid talent but FSU doesn't have the best track-record developing big-time freshmen.

Georgia Tech

G Maurice Miller - 8, 3, 5
G Iman Shumpert - 13, 5, 5
F Gani Lawal - 15, 10, 2

F Derrick Favors - 17, 8, 2
C Zack Peacock - 10, 6, 1

Notes: Favors is a monster talent, but Georgia Tech has other weapons and doesn't necessarily need to force him shots. Don't expect Lawal's numbers to jump very much now that Favors is around.

Maryland

G Greivis Vasquez - 19, 6, 6

G Adrian Bowie - 12, 4, 3

G Sean Mosley - 8, 5, 2
F Landon Milbourne - 11, 6, 1
F James Padgett - 8, 5, 1

Notes: Maryland has some options in its starting 5. Jordan Williams could usurp fellow freshman Padgett from the post. Eric Hayes and Cliff Tucker will also push for minutes, and Mosley may very well be the 6th man.

Miami

G Malcolm Grant - 10, 3, 4
G Durand Scott - 9, 3, 2
F James Dews - 11, 3, 2
F Dwayne Collins - 14, 8, 1
F Cyrus McGowan - 8, 6, 1

Notes: Collins has the potential to put up 15 & 10 if he sees 30+ mpg. The transfer Grant will start at the 1, although the 2 spot is not guaranteed to go to Scott.

NC State

G Javier Gonzalez - 10, 3, 3
G Julius Mays - 8, 3, 3

G CJ Williams - 10, 2, 2
F Tracy Smith - 15, 8, 2
F Dennis Horner - 11, 4, 2

Notes: Smith is the only player to get excited about in terms of fantasy. It's conceivable he even exceeds these projections. The only other guard to see major minutes will be Farnold Degand.

North Carolina

G Larry Drew - 7, 2, 3
G Marcus Ginyard - 9, 5, 2
F John Henson - 14, 6, 2
F Deon Thompson - 13, 7, 1
F Ed Davis - 15, 10, 1

Notes: Dexter Strickland will also see major minutes at guard and could approach double-digit scoring as well so long as he gets 20+ mpg. You also have the talented Tyler Zeller at forward, who would score 12+ ppg on most teams easy.

Virginia

G Calvin Baker - 8, 2, 4

G Sammy Zeglinski - 9, 3, 4
G Sylven Landesberg - 17, 8, 4
F Mike Scott - 10, 8, 1
F Jamil Tucker - 11, 6, 1

Notes: As good as Landesberg is, his stats might not improve from last year because Virginia is expected to play at a slower pace. Assane Sene is an improving option at center, and will haul in boards and block shots if given minutes.

Virginia Tech

G Malcolm Delaney - 18, 5, 6
G Dorenzo Hudson - 8, 3, 1
F JT Thompson - 10, 5, 1
F Jeff Allen - 16, 10, 1
F Victor Davila - 9, 5, 1

Notes: Delaney averaged 5 ppg more than I predicted last year, and could conceivably approach 20 ppg this season. I overestimated Davila last year, and perhaps am doing the same again.

Wake Forest

G Ishmael Smith - 9, 3, 5
G LD Williams - 10, 4, 1
F Al-Farouq Aminu - 16, 9, 2
F Ari Stewart - 10, 4, 2
C Chas McFarland - 10, 7, 1

Notes: Smith hasn't come close to matching his freshman year assist totals, but he could bounce back in that category this year. The freshman Stewart is the big wild card here, as his minutes could be lost to the likes of Tony Woods or Ty Walker.

Projected ACC Leaders

Top PPG
1) Kyle Singler (19)
2) Greivis Vasquez (19)
3) Malcolm Delaney (18)

Top RPG
1) Trevor Booker (11)
2) Ed Davis (10)

3) Jeff Allen (10)

Top APG
1) Greivis Vasquez (6)
2) Malcolm Delaney (6)

3) Maurice Miller/Iman Shumpert/Ishmael Smith/Demontez Stitt (5))

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