Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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ter topping Florida State in the ACC opener in mid-December, how will Notre Dame fare with two ACC games in three days against Georgia Tech and at North Carolina? Wins at home over Michigan State and the Seminoles are uplifting, but the grind of conference play is unpre- dictable. Luckily for head coach Mike Brey, this might be the most athletic team he has fielded in South Bend. It will be a surprise if Notre Dame fails to reach the NCAA Tournament. 7. PITTSBURGH PANTHERS (9-3) Do-it-all forward Lamar Patterson and leading rebounder Talib Zanna are gone, which leaves head coach Jamie Dixon's group in question this season. Sophomore forward Michael Young has been Pittsburgh's most productive player to date, with averages of 13.7 points and 8.1 rebounds through the first 12 games. It's difficult to project the Panthers out of the NCAA Tournament, con- sidering Dixon has led them there in 10 of his 11 seasons. Expect it to be 11 of 12 thanks to a very deep conference this season. 8. FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES (7-5, 0-1 ACC) The Seminoles couldn't keep up with Notre Dame's pace or guard play in the ACC opener, and that should continue to be a concern through the season. Brey compares his success in the old Big East to what head coach Leonard Hamilton has done in the ACC, with only Duke and North Caro- lina boasting more wins to their name in the last nine years in the ACC than Florida State. Back-to-back NIT bids plus a 7-5 start in 2014-15 suggests that perhaps the run of success has stalled some. 9. NORTH CAROLINA STATE (10-3, 1-0 ACC) ACC Player of the Year T.J. Warren has departed and will be impossible for the Wolfpack to replace, but the re- turning cast is the nucleus of what led North Carolina State to a third straight NCAA Tournament berth last March. Fifth-year senior guard Ralston Turner is the top returning scorer and has averaged 13.5 points per game, but redshirt junior guard Trevor Lacey has been a pleasant surprise for head coach Mark Gottfried while scoring at a clip of 18.0 points per game. 10. MIAMI HURRICANES (9-3) Jim Larranaga is perhaps the confer- ence's most underrated head coach and could have the Hurricanes back in NCAA Tournament contention this spring. He knew there would be growing pains after virtually every key con- tributor from the 29-win team two years ago departed, and following a 17-15 finish last season, it would not be surprising if Miami returned to the field of 68. Even with only one upperclassman that has previously played for Miami, Larranaga continues to reload the ros- ter. THE BOTTOM FEEDERS 11. Clemson Tigers (7-4) 12. Wake Forest (7-6, 0-1 ACC) 13. Boston College (7-4) 14. Georgia Tech (8-3) 15. Virginia Tech (8-4) ✦