ACC Way Too Early Power Rankings: Part II
Posted by Brad Jenkins (@bradjenk) on April 8th, 2016Yesterday we presented our projected order of finish next season for the bottom third of the ACC; today we will take a look at the upper two-thirds. The truth is that not all that much appears poised to change. Most of the contenders from this season should expect to be contenders again next season, and most of the teams that struggled are likely to do so again. However, one squad should enter the 2016-17 season as a clear favorite. With another top-ranked recruiting class and the return of several key players, Duke will be the conventional choice to win the ACC and compete for the national title next season. The ACC should also have three other teams that will rank among the top-15 nationally. After the top four, the next six teams could be placed in almost any order — the race should once again be that tight in the middle of the league. Here’s our top 10 as we look ahead to the 2016-17 season.
1) Duke
Grayson Allen returns to a loaded Duke squad that will be the favorite to win the ACC in 2016-17. (Credit: Getty Images/ Jim Rogash)
- Key Losses: Brandon Ingram, Marshall Plumlee
- Key Additions: Amile Jefferson (RS-Injury), Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum, Frank Jackson
- Nutshell: To say the Blue Devils will be loaded next season may be an understatement. The question will be whether Mike Krzyzewski can find sufficient chemistry between talented newcomers and veterans like when his team cut down the nets in Indianapolis in 2014-15. He hasn’t had this kind of depth in quite a while, but perhaps Coach K’s experience in managing minutes for his U.S. National Team this summer at the Brazil Olympics will be good training.
2) North Carolina
- Key Losses: Brice Johnson, Marcus Paige
- Key Additions: Tony Bradley, Seventh Woods
- Nutshell: The Tar Heels lose two significant players, but if everyone else returns, Roy Williams will once again have an experienced and talented roster at his disposal. Led by upperclassmen Joel Berry, Justin Jackson, Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks, North Carolina has more than enough talent to defend its ACC crown. This assumes that the NCAA does not deliver immediate postseason sanctions to the program as part of its ongoing academic fraud investigation.
3) Louisville
- Key Losses: Damion Lee, Trey Lewis
- Key Additions: Mangok Mathiang (RS-Injury), Tony Hicks (Transfer), V.J. King
- Nutshell: Expect the Cardinals to again look like a typical Rick Pitino team. That means they will use a deep group of athletic players to harass teams with a swarming defense while attacking the offensive glass with wild abandon. However, it also means that Louisville’s ability to make perimeter shots could be its kryptonite. Look for explosive guard Donovan Mitchell to become one of the ACC’s best players in his sophomore year.
4) Virginia
- Key Losses: Malcolm Brogdon, Anthony Gill, Mike Tobey
- Key Additions: Austin Nichols (RS-Transfer), Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome, Mamadi Diakite
- Nutshell: It will be interesting to see if Tony Bennett can keep the Cavaliers among the nation’s best programs now that the nucleus of the past three glorious years will be gone. Nichols should step right in as one of the ACC’s best big men, and point guard London Perrantes is still around to lead what will be a significantly younger Virginia team.
5) Syracuse
- Key Losses: Michael Gbinije, Trevor Cooney
- Key Additions: Paschal Chukwu (RS-Transfer), Tyus Battle, Matthew Moyer
- Nutshell: After relying heavily on the departing senior guards for scoring, the Orange’s offense should have better balance with a pair of Tylers (Roberson and Lydon) back to lead the frontcourt. The equilibrium between frontcourt and backcourt assumes that Malachi Richardson doesn’t decide to turn pro after a brilliant NCAA Tournament run. Without him, Jim Boeheim’s perimeter options are limited.
6) Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech made tremendous strides in Buzz Williams’s second year at the helm and the Hokies will return virtually everyone in 2016-17. (Credit: dailypress.com)
- Key Losses: Jalen Hudson (Transfer)
- Key Additions: Ahmed Hill (RS-Injury), Ty Outlaw (RS-Injury), Kadeem Sy
- Nutshell: Buzz Williams clearly has this program headed in the right direction, and with basically everyone back, the Hokies will be expected to challenge for the upper tier of the ACC and earn an invitation to next year’s NCAA Tournament. It will be interesting to see if conference opponents learn to adjust to Virginia Tech’s small-ball, attacking style of play — it seemed to catch many teams off guard when the Hokies got hot near the end of this season.
7) Pittsburgh
- Key Losses: James Robinson, Sterling Smith
- Key Additions: Rozelle Nix (RS-Injury), Crisshawn Clark (JC)
- Nutshell: This was a hard call, as former Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings takes over for Jamie Dixon at Pitt. Stallings inherits a solid roster with good experience, but you never know how a veteran squad will adapt to new leadership, particularly when the coach is fairly well-established and has his own way of running a program. If things click here, there’s enough talent for another Panthers’ trip to the Big Dance.
8) Miami
- Key Losses: Sheldon McClellan, Angel Rodriguez, Tonye Jekiri
- Key Additions: Rashad Muhammad (RS-Transfer), Dewan Huell, Bruce Brown
- Nutshell: There’s no question that the loss of Miami’s three best players will be tough to overcome, but Jim Larranaga’s team may not fall as far as many assume. The newcomers are very talented and they join a solid trio of returning veterans in Davon Reed, Kamari Murphy and Ja’Quan Newton.
9) Florida State
- Key Losses: Malik Beasley (NBA), Devon Bookert, Boris Bojanovsky
- Key Additions: Michael Ojo (RS-Injury), Jonathan Isaac, Trent Forrest
- Nutshell: The Seminoles could easily rise higher than this placement if the highly-talented Isaac is ready to give Leonard Hamilton better interior production than he got from his team this season. The return of Dwayne Bacon was also great news for Hamilton, and if Xavier Rathan-Mayes also returns to school, the Seminoles’ perimeter corps will be in excellent shape.
10) Notre Dame
- Key Losses: Demetrius Jackson (NBA), Zach Auguste
- Key Additions: Elijah Burns (RS), Temple Gibbs
- Nutshell: After back-to-back Elite Eight appearances, don’t look for a similarly extended March next season for the Fighting Irish. Three starters return, but Jackson and Auguste will be almost impossible for Mike Brey to replace.
