Reviewing Several ACC Offseason Storylines
Posted by Brad Jenkins (@bradjenk) on October 19th, 2015With the start of the college basketball season now fewer than four weeks away, it’s time to ramp up our preseason coverage here on the ACC microsite. Over the next few weeks we will preview the fortunes of all 15 ACC schools by asking and answering One Burning Question for each, projecting how each squad will fosters its strengths and mitigate its weaknesses this season. We will also be attending and reporting from ACC Operation Basketball in Charlotte on October 28, which should provide a great number of interesting bits of information. But first, let’s tip off the relaunch of the microsite by getting caught up on several of the important offseason storylines that have emerged since Duke cut down the nets in Indianapolis last April.
Louisville Under Investigation
Rick Pitino’s Louisville program is facing serious allegations (AP).
The latest offseason story is easily the biggest as well. In early October we learned about the upcoming release of a book called Breaking Cardinal Rules by someone named Katina Powell that contained serious allegations about the way Louisville has been entertaining its basketball recruits over the last several years (i.e., using paid escorts to dance and provide sex at on-campus parties on recruiting visits). Both the NCAA and the university have since launched investigations into the matter to determine all the facts. As of now, there’s a lot of hearsay in lieu of hard evidence, but it’s a bad look for Rick Pitino‘s program no matter how this all unfolds. As for the Cardinals’ head coach, he claims to have had no knowledge or any involvement in these allegations and can only speculate as to why it may have occurred under his watch. Ultimately, if the school’s internal investigation confirms any violations, it would probably be in its best interest to go the same route that Syracuse did a season ago. The Orange — some would argue while conveniently mired in a down season that wasn’t going anywhere in March — voluntarily chose to ban themselves from postseason play. Many expect Pitino’s upcoming Louisville team to find itself in a similar situation, struggling to put together a squad that is NCAA Tournament caliber.
Continuing North Carolina/NCAA Saga
Roy Williams is suffering on the Recruiting Trail (USATSI).
Speaking of ongoing NCAA investigations, we still aren’t very close to a resolution in North Carolina‘s academic fraud case. In mid-August, it was North Carolina that caused another delay by reporting several minor violations that it had discovered through its own internal investigation. Many viewed this maneuver as a way for the program to further stall the proceedings, ensuring that the talented upcoming Tar Heels’ squad will complete its season before any NCAA sanctions are handed down — perhaps using an administrative version of the famed ‘Four Corners’ offense to get through the next six months. The problem with that strategy is that this delay will also continue to severely hamper Roy Williams’ ability to recruit at a very high level, potentially jeopardizing the next several seasons for a chance at one magical year. As for Williams, he is reportedly telling high school players that his program will not receive any penalties, perhaps a bit of wishful thinking in light of the fact that most of his 2005 NCAA championship team took no-show classes. The corresponding impact on his recruiting is tangible — three of the top 11 players in the Class of 2016 are from North Carolina, and the Tar Heels as of this writing are not likely to get any of them. From in-state products such as Charlie Scott to Phil Ford to Michael Jordan to Jerry Stackhouse, UNC has dominated the local recruiting scene for the last 50 years. If Carolina doesn’t cut down the nets next April and the hammer drops soon thereafter, this season could truly be a bitter pill for Tar Heels’ fans to swallow.
Late Roster Additions
April and May were the usual two months of attrition in the ACC, with a few star underclassman bolting for the NBA and several others leaving the league via the transfer route. But many ACC coaches were able to replace their departed players with some late talent acquisition. Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski reacted to losing three freshmen to the professional ranks by signing a couple of five-star recruits in Brandon Ingram and Derryck Thornton. Louisville’s Rick Pitino took advantage of the NCAA’s graduate transfer rule to grab two prominent rising seniors, Drexel’s Damion Lee and Cleveland State’s Trey Lewis — the duo will be expected to provide immediate scoring punch for a team that lost four starters from a year ago. Likewise, Pitt’s Jamie Dixon brought in three graduate transfers, guard Sterling Smith (Coppin State) along with big men Rafael Mata (Brown) and Alonzo Nelson-Odeda (Richmond). Boston College also went the graduate transfer route, claiming guard Eli Carter from Florida in an attempt to compensate for the early departure of star Olivier Hanlan. Transfers within the conference are rare, but Georgia Tech picked up Adam Smith from Virginia Tech for his final year of eligibility. Finally, N.C. State was able to convince Maverick Rowan, a four-star shooting guard, to reclassify to the class of 2015 and provide some immediate depth to a somewhat depleted Wolfpack roster.
Rules Changes
This is a story that will unfold nationally but it will be interesting to see how ACC teams are affected by this season’s new rules of the game. While much has been made of the removal of five seconds from the shot clock and how it may bother slower-paced teams like Virginia, we don’t expect that rule change to have a noticeable impact on the Cavaliers. If teams struggled to find good shots against Tony Bennett’s defense in 35 seconds; they seem even less likely to do so in only 30. What could instead impact Virginia and other physical defenses, however, is if the officials choose to enforce the rules with regards to bumping and making contact with cutters. Similarly, will referees return to calling the hand-check and grabbing fouls that they did during November and December two seasons ago, and will that hurt Duke’s ability to pressure its opponents? On the other hand, the new rule that allows defenders to hold off offensive players in the post with an arm bar in the back may allow slighter players like the Blue Devils’ Brandon Ingram to defend stronger opponents in the paint. Most of the new rules have so far been met with tremendous support from head coaches and we all certainly hope that those changes result in a better product, but the key to making the college game more appealing lies in cleaning up physical play — officials calling fouls with the coaches and players adjusting instead of complaining.
ACC Hot on the Recruiting Trail
Finally, the ACC as a whole is off to a blazing start in the Class of 2016. The league already has commitments from 11 of the 31 top-50 players (according to 247sports’ composite ranking) that have so far announced a college decision. That amounts to five more than any other conference at this date, and that number could end up close to 15 elite prospects as many of the undeclared high school stars have listed ACC schools as leaders.
