Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 15, 2018 47 MEN'S BASKETBALL BY COREY BODDEN T here have not been too many sur- prises when it comes to the early outlooks for the 2018-19 season in the ACC. The order may slightly vary depend- ing on the publication, but three pro- grams are expected to be at the top of the 15-team league. Duke (29-8, 13-5 ACC in 2017-18) has received much of the attention after signing the top three prospects overall in the 2018 class, per ESPN. Forwards R.J. Barrett, Zion Williamson and Cam Reddish all inked with the Blue Devils — along with guard Tre Jones, who was considered a top-20 prospect by most. Deemed one of the best recruiting classes of all time, the group will have to replace a max exodus of talent that departed for the NBA, including dou- ble-double machine Marvin Bagley (21.0 points and 11.1 rebounds per game), senior leader guard Grayson Allen (15.5) and top-10 pick Wendell Carter (13.5), among others. North Carolina (26-11, 11-7 ACC) is, of course, another trendy Final Four pick with three of the team's top scor- ers returning — forward Luke Maye (16.9 points per game), wing Cam Johnson (12.4) and guard Kenny Wil- liams (11.4). The Tar Heels will also have a premier group of freshmen, in- cluding forward Nassir Little (Rivals' No. 2 overall player nationally). Despite the shocking loss to No. 16 seed UMBC in the first round of last year 's NCAA Tournament, Virginia (31-3, 17-1 ACC) is expected to bounce back and challenge for the league crown. Potential NBA first-round se- lection and forward De'Andre Hunter (12.1 points per contest) returns, along with guards Kyle Guy (14.1) and Ty Jerome (10.6). DARKHORSE CONTENDERS This next tier consists of the pro- grams that could create some noise and have the talent to take down those considered the "darlings" of the ACC heading into the new year. Notre Dame would fall into this category. After a lot of controversy due to their selection, Syracuse (23-14, 8-10) ad- vanced to the Sweet 16 to silence any doubters. Leading scorer Tyus Battle (19.2 points per game) returns on the wing after flirting with the NBA while 14-point scorers in guard Frank How- ard and forward Oshae Brissett give head coach Jim Boeheim a seasoned trio to lead the way. Florida State (23-12, 9-9 ACC), along with Duke, was one of two ACC pro- grams in the Elite Eight a year ago. Head coach Leonard Hamilton loses quality scorers in guards Brian An- gola (12.5 points per contest) and C.J. Walker (8.0), but Albany transfer guard David Nichols (14.6) enters the fray to join forwards Phil Cofer (12.8) and Ter- ance Mann (12.6). Clemson (25-10, 11-7 ACC) made somewhat of a surprising run to the Sweet 16 before falling to Kansas last year. The Tigers have to replace guard Gabe DeVoe (14.7 points per game) and forward Donte Grantham (14.2), but a strong backcourt returns in Mar- cquise Reed (15.8), Shelton Mitchell (12.2) and Elijah Thomas (10.7). Head coach Buzz Williams took Virginia Tech (21-12, 10-8) back to the NCAA Tournament and returns much of their firepower outside of guard Justin Bibbs (13.3 points per contest). Justin Robinson (14.0) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (10.7) are back at guard, while Ahmed Hill (10.6) and Kerry Blackshear (12.5) will man the forward spots. Miami (22-10, 11-7 ACC) showed some promise last year behind five- star guard and 2018 first-round pick Lonnie Walker (11.5 points per game), but the Hurricanes lost to Loyola- Chicago in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Forward Dewan Huell (11.4) leads the way with guard Chris Lykes (9.6), wing Dejan Vasiljevic (9.0) and Florida Gulf Coast transfer guard Zach Johnson (16.1) supple- menting him. After losing wing Allerik Freeman (16.1 points per contest) and forward Omer Yurtseven (13.5) off an NCAA Tournament team, head coach Kevin Keatts and company will rely on trans- fers in 2018-19 to get North Carolina State (21-12, 11-7 ACC) back to the Big Dance. Guards Markell Johnson (8.9) and Braxton Beverly (9.5) will be joined by UNC Wilmington transfer guard C.J. Bryce (17.4), Florida Interna- tional transfer wing Eric Lockett (14.3) and Utah transfer wing Devon Daniels (9.9). THE REST OF THE PACK Last year, Boston College (19-16, 7-11 ACC), Georgia Tech (13-19, 6-12 ACC), Wake Forest (11-20, 4-14 ACC) and Pittsburgh (8-24, 0-18 ACC) rounded out the standings, and that could be the case again in 2018-19. The Eagles return some firepower in guards Ky Bowman (17.6 points per game) and Jordan Chapman (12.9), but have to find a way to replace guard Jerome Robinson's 20-plus points of production. Georgia Tech lost three of its top players in guards Josh Okogie (18.2 points per contest) and Tadric Jack- son (12.7), plus forward Ben Lammers (11.7), and will rely on guard Jose Al- varado (12.1) and Rivals top-50 guard Michael DeVoe. The Demon Deacons will be out their three leading scorers from a year ago in perimeter players Bryant Crawford (16.9 points per game), Doral Moore (11.1) and Keyshawn Woods (11.9), but five-star forward Jaylen Hoard enters the mix. Pittsburgh hired head coach Jeff Ca- pel to revive the program and will rely on forward Jared Wilson-Frame (13.0 points per contest), forward Shamiel Stevenson (8.5) and Rivals top-100 guard Trey McGowens after losing the likes of forward Ryan Luther (12.7) and guard Marcus Carr (10.0). ✦ ACC Remains Loaded At Top Head coach Mike Brey and the Fighting Irish will face another challenging gauntlet of games in league play. PHOTO BY COREY BODDEN