Here's the final installment of this year's summary of the current status of ACC basketball programs and where I think each team should finish. We'll revisit these in April of 2018 to see how I did vs. the preseason publications that you will be able to pick up on the magazine shelves this fall. Enjoy!
3. Miami (last season 3-way tie for 7th place, 10 – 8 conference, 21 – 12 overall)
The common thread for my top three picks for this season’s ACC standings is defense. In basketball, unlike some sports, good offense can beat good defense. However, this season, there don’t appear to be any ACC teams loaded with exceptional offensive talent, so I believe defense will rule the day in the league. I changed my mind at least 20 times about the order of these top 3 picks, but ultimately, I looked at last year’s versions of these 3 teams - their finish and what they added/lost - to determine where I think they will finish this season. Who plugged the holes in last year’s team that will make them better this season?
Miami returns some excellent young talent and adds some very good freshmen that will make the Canes a threat not only for the regular season title, but for a post-season run as well. Senior PG Ja’Quan Newton returns to quarterback this group of youngsters. Newton is athletically gifted but has struggled with turnovers and his outside shot. He may not have to shoot much this year as 6’5” guard Bruce Brown improved greatly during the course of last season and could break out to be one of the league’s stars this year. He’ll have some new company on the wing as Jim Larranaga scored big on the recruiting trail, landing highly-regarded wing Lonnie Walker (Rivals #18). Walker can score in many ways and could be a one-and-done player if the NBA rules don’t change. Another of last year’s talented freshmen, Dejan Vasiljevic, is a dangerous shooter coming off the bench and should see increased playing time.
Miami’s fate this season will ultimately depend on two things: (1) development of their young stable of big men, and (2) solid point guard play. 6’7” junior Anthony Lawrence, Jr. returns at one forward. Rising 6’11” sophomore Dewan Huell was highly rated coming out of high school but he’ll need to improve on the 5.8 ppg and 3.1 rpg he produced as a freshman last year. Rodney Miller, a 7-footer out of Oak Hill, has potential, but he also needs to give the Canes more production than last season’s 3.8 ppg and 0.9 rpg. 6’10” center Ibuka Izundu returns as well. Incoming 6’11” big man Deng Gak is rated #94 by Rivals and has Elaine Benes asking “Is that Todd’s brother and what kind of name is Gak anyway?” In the backcourt, if Newton is not able to provide steady leadership at the point, Coach Larranaga has an option arriving with diminuitive PG Chris Lykes joining the Canes. Rated #74 by Rivals, it will be interesting to see if the extremely talented 5’7” Lykes can make a smooth transition to the college game where he will consistently face bigger bodies.
Larranaga has proven to be an excellent coach and he has now brought in some top-level talent to Coral Gables. His teams generally play good defense and this year’s team has the horses to continue that defense. This should be a team that no one will want to face come tournament time, despite last season’s embarrassing setback to Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA’s.
Players Lost: Davon Reed, G (14.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.3 spg); Kamari Murphy, F (7.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg)
Players Returning: Ja’Quan Newton, G (13.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.4 apg); Bruce Brown, G (11.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.5 spg); Anthony Lawrence, Jr. , F (6.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg); Dejan Vasiljevic, G (6.0 ppg, .349 % 3pt.FG); Dewan Huell, C (5.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg); Ebuka Izundu, C (4.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg); Rodney Miller, C (3.8 ppg).
Newcomers: Lonnie Walker, G/F (Rivals # 18); Chris Lykes, G (Rivals # 74); Deng Gak, F (Rivals # 94); Samuel Waardenburg, SF.
2. Virginia (tied for 5th , 11 – 7 conference, 23 – 11 overall)
If you think I’m being a homer and picking the Wahoos too high, you might be surprised that I honestly feel like the Cavs will win the conference regular season title this year. Hopefully, I’ll be kicking myself for not picking Virginia for the top spot since I feel like Virginia has everything it takes to win it.
There are three major reasons why the Hoos should, barring significant injuries or another Nichols-like debacle, finish no lower than 3rd place this season and have a great shot at looking down at the rest of the league in the standings: (1) Virginia led the nation in scoring defense last season, but should be even better defensively this year; (2) no team in the league will better fill the holes it had in last year’s team than Virginia will this year, and (3) the Wahoos lost a number of overtime games and buzzer-beaters in the conference last year yet still finished only one game out of second place. This season’s ACC is, in my opinion, not as strong at the top as last year’s league, not surprising considering the ACC set a record for first round NBA draft choices this year.
Defensively, the Hoos have a posse of rim protectors as Isaiah Wilkins, Mamadi Diakite and Jack Salt all return, joined by shot-blocking 7-footer Jay Huff. This frontline may be the ACC’s best defensively and, if UVA decides to go small, they should get additional defensive assistance from 6’8” D’Andre Hunter and his 7’2” wingspan. Hunter’s versatility is invaluable as he can guard at least 3 positions on the floor. The guards should be improved defensively as well, led by last season’s defensive stopper, Devon Hall. Both of the returning sophomore’s, Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy, improved greatly on the defensive end of the court over last season and were competent defensively by season’s end. Both players have committed themselves to being the defenders that Bennett wants and with an off-season of training under Mike Curtis, that improvement should continue. A huge defensive lift should come from Rutgers grad transfer, Nigel Johnson. Johnson is an excellent on-the-ball defender in the mold of ex-Cav Jontel Evans, but fortunately, has a much better offensive game as well. 6’5”, 223 lbs. freshman Marco Anthony brings size and physicality to the wing position and could carve out a niche as the heir-apparent to Devon Hall’s role with the team as a physical defender who can guard multiple positions.
By late January 2018, the hype-driven writers at ESPN and other major sports outlets will be writing research-deficient articles stating that Tony Bennett has changed his philosophy and has become more up-tempo offensively. But Bennett will not have changed his philosophy – just his point guard. It’s hard to criticize graduated PG London Perrantes when he quarterbacked the Hoos to 112 wins over his 4 seasons in Charlottesville, but London was never comfortable pushing the pace. It is public knowledge that the coaches initially tried to get Perrantes to push the pace harder his freshman season, but they realized that he and, thus, the team, played better when they let London play at his own pace. Apparently, one assistant recently conjectured, when asked why London would wait until his players were set before initiating the offense, that London might have been resting after expending so much energy on the defensive end. In any event, New Yorker Ty Jerome will have no such problem pushing the pace and looking for opportunities before the opponents’ defense can get set. This is not to say that the Hoos are going to emulate North Carolina and run-and-gun. But Bennett knows that the Hoos have to find more ways to score and Jerome and Johnson will both look for late-transition opportunities, that is, opportunities to score before the defense is set. Johnson is a piece that Bennett has never had in his time here in Charlottesville and will finally give the Hoos a quick guard with penetrating and finishing abilities. Johnson told reporters that Bennett has said that he wants Johnson to come in and push the pace. Johnson is an explosive athlete who has a reported 46-inch vertical leap. His experience, having played in both the Big 12 and Big 10, will be a welcome addition to this team. Nigel will both give Jerome a chance to rest as well as allow Ty to play off the ball at times and put two point guards on the floor that can both shoot. And back to Jerome, one has to factor in that Ty’s off-season training last summer was devoted to rehabbing his recently reconstructed hips. This summer, his work with Mike Curtis is devoted to physical development and explosiveness. Jerome might be the player who takes the biggest leap in production for the Hoos this season.
Perhaps the most exciting additions to this year’s team are the two redshirt freshmen, Jay Huff and D’Andre Hunter. The possibilities of what Huff will add to this team make Hoos fans giddy. His presence will completely change how opponents will have to defend Virginia. It was late January last year when teams figured out that the best way to defend Virginia was to overplay the guards and dare them to throw the ball inside where UVA struggled to score. When Isaiah Wilkins went down with a mysterious illness late in the season, things got extra ugly for the Virginia offense. In Huff, the Hoos now have an inside player that can score in multiple ways, inside and out. To think of Huff setting the high pick for Ty Jerome or another Virginia guard and what those two can do to defenses gets me excited for the season to begin. How will opponents defend those two when either can put the ball on the floor, or shoot off the pick, or flare out to be ready for an open three after the other penetrates, … it’s going to be fun watching that.
If it turns out that Huff has trouble defending the now-rare traditional physical post player, then Bennett can bring in Jack Salt who has excelled against those traditional centers. If UVA faces a team like Pitt where Salt could not keep up with the quicker front line players, then Huff should be able to compete well with those teams.
D’Andre Hunter is a tall, long, skilled guard in a forward’s body that can score multiple ways inside and out. He can attack the rim, compete on the offensive boards, and stretch defenses with his 3-point shooting ability.
Hoos fans should expect offensive improvement from inside players Mamadi Diakite and Jack Salt. It’s important to remember that both are still relatively new to the game of basketball and received valuable experience last season. Senior Isaiah Wilkins will at least be solid inside and if he can make a Darion Atkins-like senior leap, the Hoos could be the talk of the nation. And, let’s not forget senior Devon Hall who was very solid on the offensive end last season and has shown steady offensive improvement throughout his career. Hall has slowly developed an inside/outside game and, if he can learn to draw contact instead of avoiding it when he drives to the hoop, he might garner attention as an All-ACC player.
A wild card for the Cavs this year is guard Kyle Guy. Teams who had long perimeter defenders were able to shut down the sharp-shooting McDonald’s All-American by smothering him on the perimeter. Guy, despite his ability to do so, did not have the strength to take the ball to the rack on those defenders, especially since Guy was expending so much energy on the defensive end so that he could get on the floor for Tony Bennett’s defensive-minded team. If Guy shows up this year having put on 5 to 7 lbs of muscle, he could blossom into one of the league’s stars. If he comes in at last year’s numbers, 6’3”, 165 lbs., then you can expect continued inconsistent numbers where he scores 20 one game and 2 the next.
Virginia has a nice combination of experience and youth returning. The foursome of redshirt senior Devon Hall, senior Isaiah Wilkins, redshirt senior Nigel Johnson, and redshirt junior Jack Salt have all been in college 4 to 5 years and bring both a mental and physical maturity to this team. The returning five highly talented underclassmen all have a year or two of college under their belts and should now know what to expect over the grind of a long season. They also bring with them a toughness that seemed to be missing in some of the now-transferred players. While there are new pieces that need game experience in order for this team to gel, Tony Bennett’s defense is always present and puts the Cavs in a place
where they will enjoy success. Strap in for the ride, Virginia fans: it’s going to be an exciting season!
Players Lost: London Perrantes, G (12.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.7 apg, .374 % 3pt.FG); Marial Shayok, G ( 8.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg); Darius Thompson, G (6.2 ppg, 2.2 apg); Jarred Reuter, F (3.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg).
Players returning: Devon Hall, G (8.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.9 apg, .372 % 3pt.FG); Kyle Guy, G (7.5 ppg, 1.3 apg, .495 % 3pt.FG); Isaiah Wilkins, F (6.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.3 bpg); Ty Jerome, G (4.3 ppg, 1.5 apg, .397% 3pt.FG); Mamadi Diakite, F (3.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.2 bpg); Jack Salt, C (3.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg).
Newcomers: Nigel Johnson, G (transfer from Rutgers, 11.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.0 apg); Jay Huff, C/F (redshirt freshman); D’Andre Hunter, G/F (redshirt freshman); Marco Anthony, G/F; Francesco Badocchi, F.
1. Louisville (3 –way tie for 2nd place, 12 – 6 conference, 25 – 9 overall)
I think I’ve finally learned my lesson with Rick Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals:
they are always better than I think they are and I generally pick them too low
in the standings. Despite losing Donovan Mitchell early to the NBA, the
Cardinals return enough pieces and add some serious talent to take this team
from last year’s tie for second to the top spot in the conference (Cav
kryptonite notwithstanding.) And if fans think Tony Bennett is demanding on
defense, they should follow Pitino whose multiple-look, ever changing
defenses are a challenge to learn in the limited time that college players have
to practice. It’s this defense that should have Louisville celebrating their first
ACC regular-season crown this year. Louisville, like Virginia, finished very high
nationally in most defensive categories and they should be even better this
season. Louisville has great size at all positions this season and returns enough
experience to execute what Pitino wants on the defensive end while having
some very talented freshmen to slowly blend in to the mix.
Heading the returnees is senior 6’2” PG Quentin Snider who has developed
into a complete player. He should be joined on the wings by junior 6’7” Deng
Adel (who flirted with the NBA draft before withdrawing) and talented
sophomore 6’6” V.J. King. Rounding out the frontcourt returnees are two
veterans: 6’10” junior Ray Spalding, a quick defender and rebounder, and 7’0”
senior Anas Mahmoud, one of the league’s premier shot-blockers. Louisville
certainly can make a case along with Virginia for having the league’s most
talented front line, especially since they add Rivals #22 center, 6’10” Malik
Williams to the mix.
While the Cardinals lose some scoring punch in Donovan Mitchell and
Jaylen Johnson, some new additions should pick up the slack. UNC-Asheville
transfer Dwayne Sutton, 6’5”, was an All Big South performer, averaging 12.0
ppg and 7.7 rpg, in his last season for the Bulldogs, and he has had a year to
learn Pitino’s defense while redshirting. The Cards also add Rivals #19 Brian
Bowen, a 6’7” wing who, despite probably needing time to learn the defense,
should provide some scoring help. The other three recruits are very talented as
well. Darius Perry will provide backup minutes to Snyder at the point and
6’7”Jordan Nwora and 6’8” Lance Thomas could carve out roles in the front
court.
This Louisville team is deep and talented. While it’s hard to know what kind
of effect Pitino’s 5-ACC-game suspension for stripper-gate will have on this
team, they remind me a bit of the 2014 team that won the national
championship. If they can find some cure for packline kryptonite, they will
likely take the crown this year in the ACC, and maybe more.
Players Lost: Donovan Mitchell, F (15.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.1 spg); Jaylen
Johnson, F (8.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg); Mangok Mathiang, C (7.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.1 bpg);
Tony Hicks, G (3.7 ppg); David Levitch, G; Matz Stockman, F (transfer to Pitino’s
son’s team at Minnesota.)
Players Returning: Quentin Snider, PG (12.4 ppg, 4.1 apg, .373 % 3ptFG); Deng
Adel, G/F (12.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.1 apg); Ray Spalding, F (5.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg); Anas
Mahmoud, F (5.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.1 bpg); V. J. King, G (5.5 ppg, .421 % 3ptFG);
Ryan McMahon, G; Jay Henderson, G.
Newcomers: Dwayne Sutton, F (redshirt transfer from UNC-Asheville, 12.0
ppg, 7.7 rpg there); Brian Bowen, F (Rivals #19); Malik Williams, C/F (Rivals
#22); Jordan Nwora, F (Rivals #87); Darius Perry, G (Rivals #88); Lance Thomas,
F (Rivals # 123).
3. Miami (last season 3-way tie for 7th place, 10 – 8 conference, 21 – 12 overall)
The common thread for my top three picks for this season’s ACC standings is defense. In basketball, unlike some sports, good offense can beat good defense. However, this season, there don’t appear to be any ACC teams loaded with exceptional offensive talent, so I believe defense will rule the day in the league. I changed my mind at least 20 times about the order of these top 3 picks, but ultimately, I looked at last year’s versions of these 3 teams - their finish and what they added/lost - to determine where I think they will finish this season. Who plugged the holes in last year’s team that will make them better this season?
Miami returns some excellent young talent and adds some very good freshmen that will make the Canes a threat not only for the regular season title, but for a post-season run as well. Senior PG Ja’Quan Newton returns to quarterback this group of youngsters. Newton is athletically gifted but has struggled with turnovers and his outside shot. He may not have to shoot much this year as 6’5” guard Bruce Brown improved greatly during the course of last season and could break out to be one of the league’s stars this year. He’ll have some new company on the wing as Jim Larranaga scored big on the recruiting trail, landing highly-regarded wing Lonnie Walker (Rivals #18). Walker can score in many ways and could be a one-and-done player if the NBA rules don’t change. Another of last year’s talented freshmen, Dejan Vasiljevic, is a dangerous shooter coming off the bench and should see increased playing time.
Miami’s fate this season will ultimately depend on two things: (1) development of their young stable of big men, and (2) solid point guard play. 6’7” junior Anthony Lawrence, Jr. returns at one forward. Rising 6’11” sophomore Dewan Huell was highly rated coming out of high school but he’ll need to improve on the 5.8 ppg and 3.1 rpg he produced as a freshman last year. Rodney Miller, a 7-footer out of Oak Hill, has potential, but he also needs to give the Canes more production than last season’s 3.8 ppg and 0.9 rpg. 6’10” center Ibuka Izundu returns as well. Incoming 6’11” big man Deng Gak is rated #94 by Rivals and has Elaine Benes asking “Is that Todd’s brother and what kind of name is Gak anyway?” In the backcourt, if Newton is not able to provide steady leadership at the point, Coach Larranaga has an option arriving with diminuitive PG Chris Lykes joining the Canes. Rated #74 by Rivals, it will be interesting to see if the extremely talented 5’7” Lykes can make a smooth transition to the college game where he will consistently face bigger bodies.
Larranaga has proven to be an excellent coach and he has now brought in some top-level talent to Coral Gables. His teams generally play good defense and this year’s team has the horses to continue that defense. This should be a team that no one will want to face come tournament time, despite last season’s embarrassing setback to Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA’s.
Players Lost: Davon Reed, G (14.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.3 spg); Kamari Murphy, F (7.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg)
Players Returning: Ja’Quan Newton, G (13.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.4 apg); Bruce Brown, G (11.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.5 spg); Anthony Lawrence, Jr. , F (6.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg); Dejan Vasiljevic, G (6.0 ppg, .349 % 3pt.FG); Dewan Huell, C (5.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg); Ebuka Izundu, C (4.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg); Rodney Miller, C (3.8 ppg).
Newcomers: Lonnie Walker, G/F (Rivals # 18); Chris Lykes, G (Rivals # 74); Deng Gak, F (Rivals # 94); Samuel Waardenburg, SF.
2. Virginia (tied for 5th , 11 – 7 conference, 23 – 11 overall)
If you think I’m being a homer and picking the Wahoos too high, you might be surprised that I honestly feel like the Cavs will win the conference regular season title this year. Hopefully, I’ll be kicking myself for not picking Virginia for the top spot since I feel like Virginia has everything it takes to win it.
There are three major reasons why the Hoos should, barring significant injuries or another Nichols-like debacle, finish no lower than 3rd place this season and have a great shot at looking down at the rest of the league in the standings: (1) Virginia led the nation in scoring defense last season, but should be even better defensively this year; (2) no team in the league will better fill the holes it had in last year’s team than Virginia will this year, and (3) the Wahoos lost a number of overtime games and buzzer-beaters in the conference last year yet still finished only one game out of second place. This season’s ACC is, in my opinion, not as strong at the top as last year’s league, not surprising considering the ACC set a record for first round NBA draft choices this year.
Defensively, the Hoos have a posse of rim protectors as Isaiah Wilkins, Mamadi Diakite and Jack Salt all return, joined by shot-blocking 7-footer Jay Huff. This frontline may be the ACC’s best defensively and, if UVA decides to go small, they should get additional defensive assistance from 6’8” D’Andre Hunter and his 7’2” wingspan. Hunter’s versatility is invaluable as he can guard at least 3 positions on the floor. The guards should be improved defensively as well, led by last season’s defensive stopper, Devon Hall. Both of the returning sophomore’s, Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy, improved greatly on the defensive end of the court over last season and were competent defensively by season’s end. Both players have committed themselves to being the defenders that Bennett wants and with an off-season of training under Mike Curtis, that improvement should continue. A huge defensive lift should come from Rutgers grad transfer, Nigel Johnson. Johnson is an excellent on-the-ball defender in the mold of ex-Cav Jontel Evans, but fortunately, has a much better offensive game as well. 6’5”, 223 lbs. freshman Marco Anthony brings size and physicality to the wing position and could carve out a niche as the heir-apparent to Devon Hall’s role with the team as a physical defender who can guard multiple positions.
By late January 2018, the hype-driven writers at ESPN and other major sports outlets will be writing research-deficient articles stating that Tony Bennett has changed his philosophy and has become more up-tempo offensively. But Bennett will not have changed his philosophy – just his point guard. It’s hard to criticize graduated PG London Perrantes when he quarterbacked the Hoos to 112 wins over his 4 seasons in Charlottesville, but London was never comfortable pushing the pace. It is public knowledge that the coaches initially tried to get Perrantes to push the pace harder his freshman season, but they realized that he and, thus, the team, played better when they let London play at his own pace. Apparently, one assistant recently conjectured, when asked why London would wait until his players were set before initiating the offense, that London might have been resting after expending so much energy on the defensive end. In any event, New Yorker Ty Jerome will have no such problem pushing the pace and looking for opportunities before the opponents’ defense can get set. This is not to say that the Hoos are going to emulate North Carolina and run-and-gun. But Bennett knows that the Hoos have to find more ways to score and Jerome and Johnson will both look for late-transition opportunities, that is, opportunities to score before the defense is set. Johnson is a piece that Bennett has never had in his time here in Charlottesville and will finally give the Hoos a quick guard with penetrating and finishing abilities. Johnson told reporters that Bennett has said that he wants Johnson to come in and push the pace. Johnson is an explosive athlete who has a reported 46-inch vertical leap. His experience, having played in both the Big 12 and Big 10, will be a welcome addition to this team. Nigel will both give Jerome a chance to rest as well as allow Ty to play off the ball at times and put two point guards on the floor that can both shoot. And back to Jerome, one has to factor in that Ty’s off-season training last summer was devoted to rehabbing his recently reconstructed hips. This summer, his work with Mike Curtis is devoted to physical development and explosiveness. Jerome might be the player who takes the biggest leap in production for the Hoos this season.
Perhaps the most exciting additions to this year’s team are the two redshirt freshmen, Jay Huff and D’Andre Hunter. The possibilities of what Huff will add to this team make Hoos fans giddy. His presence will completely change how opponents will have to defend Virginia. It was late January last year when teams figured out that the best way to defend Virginia was to overplay the guards and dare them to throw the ball inside where UVA struggled to score. When Isaiah Wilkins went down with a mysterious illness late in the season, things got extra ugly for the Virginia offense. In Huff, the Hoos now have an inside player that can score in multiple ways, inside and out. To think of Huff setting the high pick for Ty Jerome or another Virginia guard and what those two can do to defenses gets me excited for the season to begin. How will opponents defend those two when either can put the ball on the floor, or shoot off the pick, or flare out to be ready for an open three after the other penetrates, … it’s going to be fun watching that.
If it turns out that Huff has trouble defending the now-rare traditional physical post player, then Bennett can bring in Jack Salt who has excelled against those traditional centers. If UVA faces a team like Pitt where Salt could not keep up with the quicker front line players, then Huff should be able to compete well with those teams.
D’Andre Hunter is a tall, long, skilled guard in a forward’s body that can score multiple ways inside and out. He can attack the rim, compete on the offensive boards, and stretch defenses with his 3-point shooting ability.
Hoos fans should expect offensive improvement from inside players Mamadi Diakite and Jack Salt. It’s important to remember that both are still relatively new to the game of basketball and received valuable experience last season. Senior Isaiah Wilkins will at least be solid inside and if he can make a Darion Atkins-like senior leap, the Hoos could be the talk of the nation. And, let’s not forget senior Devon Hall who was very solid on the offensive end last season and has shown steady offensive improvement throughout his career. Hall has slowly developed an inside/outside game and, if he can learn to draw contact instead of avoiding it when he drives to the hoop, he might garner attention as an All-ACC player.
A wild card for the Cavs this year is guard Kyle Guy. Teams who had long perimeter defenders were able to shut down the sharp-shooting McDonald’s All-American by smothering him on the perimeter. Guy, despite his ability to do so, did not have the strength to take the ball to the rack on those defenders, especially since Guy was expending so much energy on the defensive end so that he could get on the floor for Tony Bennett’s defensive-minded team. If Guy shows up this year having put on 5 to 7 lbs of muscle, he could blossom into one of the league’s stars. If he comes in at last year’s numbers, 6’3”, 165 lbs., then you can expect continued inconsistent numbers where he scores 20 one game and 2 the next.
Virginia has a nice combination of experience and youth returning. The foursome of redshirt senior Devon Hall, senior Isaiah Wilkins, redshirt senior Nigel Johnson, and redshirt junior Jack Salt have all been in college 4 to 5 years and bring both a mental and physical maturity to this team. The returning five highly talented underclassmen all have a year or two of college under their belts and should now know what to expect over the grind of a long season. They also bring with them a toughness that seemed to be missing in some of the now-transferred players. While there are new pieces that need game experience in order for this team to gel, Tony Bennett’s defense is always present and puts the Cavs in a place
where they will enjoy success. Strap in for the ride, Virginia fans: it’s going to be an exciting season!
Players Lost: London Perrantes, G (12.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.7 apg, .374 % 3pt.FG); Marial Shayok, G ( 8.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg); Darius Thompson, G (6.2 ppg, 2.2 apg); Jarred Reuter, F (3.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg).
Players returning: Devon Hall, G (8.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.9 apg, .372 % 3pt.FG); Kyle Guy, G (7.5 ppg, 1.3 apg, .495 % 3pt.FG); Isaiah Wilkins, F (6.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.3 bpg); Ty Jerome, G (4.3 ppg, 1.5 apg, .397% 3pt.FG); Mamadi Diakite, F (3.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.2 bpg); Jack Salt, C (3.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg).
Newcomers: Nigel Johnson, G (transfer from Rutgers, 11.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.0 apg); Jay Huff, C/F (redshirt freshman); D’Andre Hunter, G/F (redshirt freshman); Marco Anthony, G/F; Francesco Badocchi, F.
1. Louisville (3 –way tie for 2nd place, 12 – 6 conference, 25 – 9 overall)
I think I’ve finally learned my lesson with Rick Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals:
they are always better than I think they are and I generally pick them too low
in the standings. Despite losing Donovan Mitchell early to the NBA, the
Cardinals return enough pieces and add some serious talent to take this team
from last year’s tie for second to the top spot in the conference (Cav
kryptonite notwithstanding.) And if fans think Tony Bennett is demanding on
defense, they should follow Pitino whose multiple-look, ever changing
defenses are a challenge to learn in the limited time that college players have
to practice. It’s this defense that should have Louisville celebrating their first
ACC regular-season crown this year. Louisville, like Virginia, finished very high
nationally in most defensive categories and they should be even better this
season. Louisville has great size at all positions this season and returns enough
experience to execute what Pitino wants on the defensive end while having
some very talented freshmen to slowly blend in to the mix.
Heading the returnees is senior 6’2” PG Quentin Snider who has developed
into a complete player. He should be joined on the wings by junior 6’7” Deng
Adel (who flirted with the NBA draft before withdrawing) and talented
sophomore 6’6” V.J. King. Rounding out the frontcourt returnees are two
veterans: 6’10” junior Ray Spalding, a quick defender and rebounder, and 7’0”
senior Anas Mahmoud, one of the league’s premier shot-blockers. Louisville
certainly can make a case along with Virginia for having the league’s most
talented front line, especially since they add Rivals #22 center, 6’10” Malik
Williams to the mix.
While the Cardinals lose some scoring punch in Donovan Mitchell and
Jaylen Johnson, some new additions should pick up the slack. UNC-Asheville
transfer Dwayne Sutton, 6’5”, was an All Big South performer, averaging 12.0
ppg and 7.7 rpg, in his last season for the Bulldogs, and he has had a year to
learn Pitino’s defense while redshirting. The Cards also add Rivals #19 Brian
Bowen, a 6’7” wing who, despite probably needing time to learn the defense,
should provide some scoring help. The other three recruits are very talented as
well. Darius Perry will provide backup minutes to Snyder at the point and
6’7”Jordan Nwora and 6’8” Lance Thomas could carve out roles in the front
court.
This Louisville team is deep and talented. While it’s hard to know what kind
of effect Pitino’s 5-ACC-game suspension for stripper-gate will have on this
team, they remind me a bit of the 2014 team that won the national
championship. If they can find some cure for packline kryptonite, they will
likely take the crown this year in the ACC, and maybe more.
Players Lost: Donovan Mitchell, F (15.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.1 spg); Jaylen
Johnson, F (8.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg); Mangok Mathiang, C (7.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.1 bpg);
Tony Hicks, G (3.7 ppg); David Levitch, G; Matz Stockman, F (transfer to Pitino’s
son’s team at Minnesota.)
Players Returning: Quentin Snider, PG (12.4 ppg, 4.1 apg, .373 % 3ptFG); Deng
Adel, G/F (12.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.1 apg); Ray Spalding, F (5.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg); Anas
Mahmoud, F (5.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.1 bpg); V. J. King, G (5.5 ppg, .421 % 3ptFG);
Ryan McMahon, G; Jay Henderson, G.
Newcomers: Dwayne Sutton, F (redshirt transfer from UNC-Asheville, 12.0
ppg, 7.7 rpg there); Brian Bowen, F (Rivals #19); Malik Williams, C/F (Rivals
#22); Jordan Nwora, F (Rivals #87); Darius Perry, G (Rivals #88); Lance Thomas,
F (Rivals # 123).
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