The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/896287
38 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2017-18 BY JACEY ZEMBAL 1. Duke (28-9 overall, 11-7 ACC in 2016-17) Senior shooting guard Grayson Allen returns after an inconsistent season, and he'll be joined by seven fresh- men, which made up Rivals.com's No. 1 recruiting class in the country. Power forward Marvin Bagley III (No. 2), point guard Trevon Duval (No. 5), center Wendell Carter (No. 7) and shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. (No. 17) were all ranked in Rivals.com's top 20. 2. Notre Dame (26-10, 12-6 ACC) Notre Dame's commitment to small ball will be put to the test again this season. Senior power forward Bonzie Colson is a mismatch monster who averaged 17.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game despite being 6-6, 224 pounds. Senior point guard Matt Farrell organizes the team, and freshman wing D.J. Harvey could be in line for heavy minutes. 3. Louisville (25-9, 12-6 ACC) The Cardinals could have been national title contend - ers, but between head coach Rick Pitino getting fired and star guard Donovan Mitchell turning pro last spring, the program has been turned upside down. Freshman Malik Williams and sophomores V.J. King and Ray Spalding could all be in line for key roles. Williams and Spalding will solidify the post, and King is needed at shooting guard. 4. Virginia (23-11, 11-7 ACC) Some key cogs are gone, but quality defense and smart decision-making will likely remain under head coach Tony Bennett. Fifth-year senior wing Devon Hall returns after averaging 8.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Sopho - more guards Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome, plus center Jay Huff and small forward De'Andre Hunter, who are both redshirt freshmen, will be asked to play important roles. 5. Miami (21-12, 10-8 ACC) Miami has a good blend of old and new, led by senior point guard Ja'Quan Newton and sophomore shooting guard Bruce Brown. Rivals.com ranked freshman wing Lonnie Walker No. 19 nationally in the class of 2017. 6. North Carolina (33-7, 14-4 ACC) The defending national champions surprisingly lost freshman center Tony Bradley to the NBA. Senior point guard Joel Berry is an elite college floor general, but will miss part of November with a broken hand. He will need some perimeter help from Pittsburgh graduate transfer Cameron Johnson, who averaged 11.9 points per game and shot 41.5 percent from three-point land last year as a redshirt junior 7. Virginia Tech (22-11, 10-8 ACC) The Hokies don't have much size outside of 6-10 redshirt junior center Kerry Blackshear Jr. Junior point guard Justin Robinson and redshirt junior shooting guard Ahmed Hill both emerged last year. Senior small forwards Justin Bibb and Tyrone Outlaw Jr., and junior power for - ward Chris Clarke are proven commodities. 8. Florida State (26-9, 12-6 ACC) The Seminoles lost four players to the NBA Draft that could have been on this year's team. Freshman shooting guard M.J. Walker leads a large group of five newcomers. 9. Georgia Tech (21-16, 8-10 ACC) The Yellow Jackets were the big surprise last year, thanks to current sophomore small forward Josh Okogie and senior center Ben Lammers. The latter averaged 14.2 points, 9.2 points and 3.4 blocks per game in a stunning emergence. Okogie led the team with 16.1 points per game and he shot 38.4 percent from three-point land. 10. NC State (15-17, 4-14 ACC) The preseason preview magazines have NC State a few spots lower, but first-year head coach Kevin Keatts will bring an energized brand of basketball. Baylor grad- uate transfer shooting guard Allerik Freeman, senior power forward Abdul-Malik Abu, sophomore point guard Markell Johnson and sophomore center Omer Yurtseven were all highly regarded recruits in the past. 11. Wake Forest (19-14, 9-9 ACC) The Demon Deacons were tracking as a potential top- 25 team this season, but then center John Collins turned pro after his sophomore year and power forward Dinos Mitoglou went back home to Greece to play profession - ally. Junior point guard Bryant Crawford and redshirt junior shooting guard Keyshawn Woods will try to carry the load. 12. Syracuse (19-15, 10-8 ACC) Attrition has hurt the Orange. Sophomore guard Tyus Battle is the lone starter back, and he averaged 11.3 points per game and shot 36.6 percent from three-point land. Former Penn State and South Florida shooting guard Geno Thorpe averaged 15.1 points per game last year for the Bulls. 13. Clemson (17-16, 6-12 ACC) The Tigers return two starters in redshirt junior point guard Shelton Mitchell and senior small forward Donte Grantham. Mitchell, a Vanderbilt transfer, is one of five four-year college transfers on the roster. Michigan graduate transfer Mark Donnal fills a crucial need at power forward. 14. Boston College (9-23, 2-16 ACC) Junior point guard Jerome Robinson of Raleigh Brough - ton High and sophomore shooting guard Ky Bowman of Havelock (N.C.) High form a potent backcourt. Illinois State graduate transfer center Deontae Hawkins was brought in to provide help on the interior. 15. Pittsburgh (16-17, 4-14 ACC) Senior center Ryan Luther and fifth-year senior shoot - ing guard Jonathan Milligan are the lone players remain- ing from last year's team. Luther averaged 5.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game off the bench. Freshman guards Marcus Carr and Parker Stewart, and freshman power forward Terrell Brown are the best of the newcomers. ACC Preseason Projections Grayson Allen earned numerous All-America honors as a sophomore in 2015-16, but didn't even make one of three All-ACC teams last season. PHOTO BY REAGAN LUNN/COURTESY DUKE ATHLETICS