This team preview is part of the RTC ACC microsite’s preseason coverage.

Burning Question: Can Brian Gregory survive another losing ACC season?

For those keeping track at home, yes: this was the exact same Burning Question we used before last season, and we got a somewhat surprising answer in March. By retaining Brian Gregory, Georgia Tech became the first ACC school in recent memory to return a head coach with losing ACC records in each of his first four seasons at the helm. In his fifth campaign in Atlanta, Gregory will at least have an experienced squad of eight upperclassmen looking to figure in the rotation. However, it should be noted that three of those eight players are senior transfers, so team chemistry isn’t necessarily a given.

Georgia Tech head coach Brian Gregory is still looking for his first winning ACC season. (Photo: Icon Sports Media)

The biggest story for the Yellow Jackets last year was their incredibly poor performance in close ACC games. Twelve of their 15 conference losses were by only seven points or fewer. Even more amazing was Georgia Tech’s 0-9 mark in one-possession games, a record which included three excruciating overtime losses. Some of this has to be attributed to just plain bad luck, but another factor in those struggles could have been Gregory’s difficulty in finding a solution at point guard. Could that improve this season? The good news (in theory) is that the team returns three point guards. Maybe one of Travis Jorgenson and Josh Heath will see dramatic improvements in their second years in the program, and junior Corey Heyward still has a chance to develop his offense. But unless one of those three players emerges, point guard play will continue to be a decisive disadvantage for Georgia Tech when compared with the rest of the ACC.

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Ryan ZumMallen of LBSports.com is the RTC correspondent for the Big West Conference.

Let’s be very honest about the Big West for a minute: The conference will only send one team to the NCAA Tournament that will probably be seeded 13th or 14th in their region, and there isn’t a single can’t-miss NBA prospect in the conference.

Here’s why you should watch the Big West, anyway.

1. It’s Been A Great Race

Long Beach State jumped out to an early 5-0 conference record behind the fresh legs of their four freshmen, but were hit with an injury to leading scorer Donovan Morris and have stumbled ever since, going just 2-4 in their last six. The most recent loss, a double-overtime thriller at UC Riverside, put the ball in Cal State Northridge’s court. The Matadors, picked in October by both media and coaches to win the conference title, beat that same Riverside team to snatch a full-game lead on Long Beach State. But beware as five teams trail Northridge by 2.5 games or less.

1) Cal State Northridge 12-10 (8-3)
2) Long Beach State 12-11 (7-4)
3) Pacific 14-9 (7-5)
4) Cal State Fullerton 13-12 (7-6)
5) UC Riverside 14-10 (6-6)
6) UC Davis 11-14 (6-6)
7) UC Irvine 8-17 (5-7)
8) UC Santa Barbara 10-13 (4-7)
9) Cal Poly SLO 6-16 (3-9)

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You’re a senior who can dunk or shoot threes? You didn’t make the Final Four? Step on up to the annual NCAA 3-point and Dunk Contest (ESPN, 9pm EDT), the place where, for most of you, it’ll be the last time we ever see your face on tv.

We can’t wait to see what Deron Washington does with his attempt. We’re quite sure that if there was a kid wearing a UNC jersey stationed underneath the basket, he’d take off from halfcourt and tomahawk on his head… sorta like this:

Or maybe like this:

Here are your worthy contestants:

3-POINT CONTEST:

Chris Lofton, Tennessee
Drew Neitzel, Mich St
A.J. Graves, Butler (predicted winner)
Shan Foster, Vanderbilt
Derrick Low, Wash St
Jamar Butler, Ohio State
Brian Roberts, Dayton
Jaycee Carroll, Utah St

SLAM DUNK CONTEST:

James Gist, Maryland
JR Giddens, New Mexico
Deron Washington, Virgina Tech (predicted winner)
Patrick Ewing Jr., Georgetown
Brian Randle, Illinois
Will Billard, Texas A&M-Corpus Cristi
Sonny Weems, Arkansas

This event has produced one of the greatest dunks we’ve ever seen – two hands from the foul line. Cue up James White, 2006.

Let’s hope nobody gets hurt out there tonight. The NBDL doesn’t pay all that much, you know.

Update: Um, yeah, we meant Sonny as in Sonny Weems, the 2008 slam dunk champion! See the winning dunk below:

A late addition to the 3-point contest, Lasalle’s Darnell Harris, won that competition.