SB Nation - Chris Singleton

Tonight's Picks by Luckey

SFBE.NF — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:02:51 -0000

Per our resident Atlantic City Aficionado...

Florida St. (-13) over Auburn: The Seminoles' team defense has been holding opponents to under 57 points a game, so look for them to clamp down on the Tigers' guard oriented offense. If Auburn's trio of DeWayne Reed, Frankie Sullivan and Tay Waller shoot a great percentage, they just might survive. On the other hand, watch FSU's Solomon Alabi and Chris Singleton should have a field day in the low post with any and all missed shot opportunities.
Elon College (+21) over NC St.: Normally I'd never give Elon a prayer in this matchup because they're a poor team (3-7) against a power conference rival, NC State, who is having a pretty solid season (7-1). However, Elon fans will only have to travel an hour east on I-40 to neutralize the home court advantage and fewer places hold basketball more sacredly than the state of North Carolina. The game shouldn't go into overtime, but Elon will make it competitive enough to come within 20.
UNLV (-16) over Weber St.: UNLV has been on a tear lately, starting the season with an outstanding 8-1 record. They distribute scoring quite well, with 9 players averaging more than 5 ppg and only 2 averaging more than 10 ppg. Weber State's inside-outside combination of Damian Lilliard and Steve Panos may score some points, but Tre'Von Willis and the rest of the Rebels will rip the Wildcats to shreds.

Yesterday 1-2
Overall 24-13

ACC Power Rankings: 12.8

MRickman84 — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:30:14 -0000

So this probably should have been done yesterday, but I really want to get in the habit of doing power rankings throughout the season. UNC occupies the top spot this week, with Duke coming in second, as both are coming off tough losses last week to strong opponents.

Let's take a look at who is where after the jump...

1.) UNC-- [W vs. Michigan State, L vs. Kentucky] UNC is getting better as was expected. The young guys are playing well and Larry Drew II looks a lot more comfortable. I'm still concerned about the Heels' bench, as Strickland looks a little lost out there and Henson just does not know what to do with his body. The Wear twins are eating up a ton of minutes without a lot of productivity. Tyler Zeller is a great player for them though and really makes the perfect sixth man. UNC gets another tough test when they head to Dallas to play Texas at the Cowboys stadium next week.

2.) Duke -- [L vs. Wisconsin, W vs. St. John's] I thought this Duke team was supposed to be able to shoot? Kyle Singler is looking average at best so far this year and is taking a LOT of shots. You know what you're getting out of Jon Scheyer week in and week out and that is a great stabilizer. Andre Dawkins has been spectacular so far and we are going to be seeing a lot more of him as Duke enters ACC play. Duke's big weakness is still down low--Zoubek and Thomas are just bad, but the Plumlees work hard and are good players.

3.) GT [W vs. Siena, W vs. USC] The Jackets were left out of the Challenge this year because of their finish last season, and that really is a shame as I believe they would have won their matchup and turned the tide for the ACC. Instead, Tech put a whooping on Siena and USC last week. GT is stellar in the frontcourt with Lawal, Peacock and Favors, but losing Iman Shumpert is going to be sidelined for 3-6 weeks with a knee injury.

4.) Clemson [L vs. Illinois, W vs. South Carolina] Clemson is looking like bi-polar Clemson again, surprise! This is a good, solid basketball team. They have 5 players averaging at least 9 points per game and Trevor Booker is almost averaging a double-double (13 and 9). Their problem is that they just lose focus (as seen by the terrible collapse against Illinois). I think they are a better team than Georgia Tech, but they just can't pass them until they show some consistency.

5.) Miami [W vs. Minnesota, L vs. BC] Yes, I know they lost their first conference game. But it was very close and came down to the buzzer. They picked up a great non-con win over Minnesota, but still have not really been challenged other than their last two contests. Dwayne Collins is very good, but there's a lot of pressure on him coming into conference play since two of Miami's three strong guards are newcomers (Malcolm Grant from Villinova and freshman Durand Scott.) James Dews can get it done too, but we will see just how much the 'Canes miss Jack McClinton after the 1st of the year.

6.) Wake Forest [L vs. Purdue, W vs. Gonzaga] After a disappointing loss at home to William & Mary, the Deacs took to the road for two very tough tests. After a hard-fought loss to Purdue, the Deacs looked like they finally clicked in a win over Gonzaga at the Kennel. If the Demon Deacons can use this as a momentum builder, they could enter the new year at 10-2. They will be tested by UNC-W, who has played some good teams tough, as well as Richmond, which received votes in the polls this week. Freshmen C.J. Harris and Ari Stewart are looking like the real deal, but the Deacs absolutely need to get consistency from their bigs and from Al-Farouq Aminu.

7.) Virginia Tech [W vs. Iowa, W vs. Georgia] I like VT. They're better than they look on paper, and their loss to Temple is not a bad one--the Owls almost pulled off the upset against Georgetown a few games ago. They easily could finish anywhere between 6th and 10th, but the combo of Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen should be good for at least 6 conference wins.

8.) Maryland [W vs. Indiana, L vs. Villanova] I've seen Maryland play 4 times now this year and I'm sorry, I just don't think they are very good. Greivis Vasquez takes way too many ill-advised shots and he is shooting 32%. Sean Mosley and Landon Milbourne are the strong points to this team and Eric Hayes keeps them calm sometimes, but they aren't deep and I'm not sold on their front court. The Terps were a hot pick to start the season, but they have to prove something to me before they can move up the board.

9.) Boston College [W vs. Michigan, W vs. Miami] Here we go again. It's the same old story every year. BC looks sparse on paper and then Al Skinner does a great job coaching his team to overachieve. It'll probably happen again this year and their last two wins are a big indicator of this. Reggie Jackson could be a great player, and BC gets bumped up a spot just from his nasty dunk against the 'Canes (on a terrible offensive foul call in the last 30 seconds) and his clutch FTs to seal the win. Raji, Jackson, Trapani is a great combo and they get a good effort out of Josh Southern too.

10.) Florida State [L vs. Ohio State, W vs. FIU] Florida State looked downright ugly against Ohio State. And downright ugly against Florida. But that win against Marquette was big, so they have that in them. Alabi, Singleton and Kitchen are a nice 1-2-3, but the 'Noles need to be getting more out of Xavier Gibson and Ryan Reid.

11.) NC State [L vs. Northwestern, W. vs Marquette] After their loss to Northwestern, I didn't think at all that the Wolfpack would beat Marquette. It was the furthest thing from my mind. State is 6-1, but they are a mess and there is just not much there.

12.) Virginia [L vs. Penn State, L vs. Auburn] Hey, at least Virginia has beaten Cleveland State, something Wake wasn't able to do last year. Sylven Landesberg is a heck of a player, but when your next two leading scorers are Mike Scott and Sammy Zeglinski, there's a problem there. Virginia is not very good.

Big Ten / ACC Challenge - can the B10 finally win the challenge?

GopherNation — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:22:32 -0000

We all know that the ACC has dominated this "challenge" going a perfect 10-0 through the challenge's 10 year history. The Big Ten is back to being a heavyweight this year. The question is, are they good enough to finally beat the ACC head-to-head? The strength and depth of each conference is put to the test and each and every year the ACC wins. It becomes harder and harder to come up with appropriate excuses as to why the Big Ten is still better/deeper despite being unable to win more than they lose in this "challenge".

The conventional wisdom (especially in the Midwest) is that the Big Ten is arguably the best conference in the country and could go as deep as getting seven or eight into the NCAA Tournament. But unfortunately that may not translate into a B10/ACC Challenge win. I'll breakdown the match-ups in slightly greater detail below but here is how I see things playing out.

ACC Locks

Duke over Wisconsin
Maryland over Indiana
Virginia Tech over Iowa

Big Ten Locks

Purdue over Wake Forest
Ohio State over Florida State (admittedly this is closer than a lock)
Penn State over Virginia (only because it is over)

The Rest

Michigan State @ North Carolina
Minnesota @ Miami
Northwestern @ NC State
Illinois @ Clemson
Boston College @ Michigan

The Penn State win was huge and makes this much more winable. The Big Ten still needs to snag three of the toss-up five and four of those are on the road so...

Here is a brief look at each match-up with some key tempo-free stats.

Penn State @ Virginia - We kick off the Challenge with Talor Battle vs. Sylven Landesberg. And Battle won the battle, will it be enough for the Big Ten to win the war? (that analogy was awesome) Let's not waste time on this game since it is over.

Wake Forest @ Purdue - Here is a lock for the Big Ten and this may be the biggest lock of the entire challenge. Purdue is at home and so far has been the best looking team in the conference. Wake is 4-1 but has four meaningless wins and then a loss to William & Mary (that is one loss, not two).

	Wake Forest	Purdue
KenPom Rank	90	7
Off Eff	1.034	1.101
Def Eff	0.914	0.792
TO%	21.1%	17.7%
Off Reb %	42.2%	32.6%
Def Reb %	69.3%	71.7%

Wake rebounds on the offensive end of the floor very well but they tend to turn the ball over a bit too much, while Purdue forces turnovers to the tune of 28.3% of their opponents possessions. Wake is lead by Al-Farouq Aminu who is averaging 18.8 ppg and 11.2 rpg, he should be fun to watch but Purue's balance and overall efficiency should carry the Boilermakers to the home win here.

Northwestern @ NC State - NU is coming of a big win over the overrated Notre Dame Irish and NC State really hasn't played anybody yet. They did beat Auburn but that isn't a terribly impressive win. After the loss of Kevin Coble the Wildcats have turned to a the combo of Michael Thompson and John Shurna who are averaging a combined 32.7 ppg (48% of NU's offense), 9.4 rpg and 6.2 apg.

	Northwestern	NC State
KenPom Rank	87	46
Off Eff	1.086	1.068
Def Eff	0.978	0.895
TO%	18.4%	22.0%
Off Reb %	29.2%	35.2%
Def Reb %	64.1%	67.2%

This is one of the more interesting match-ups. The Wolfpack should be favored but Northwestern is a unique team to defend and could pose some problems for NC State. Northwestern has been pretty bad rebounding the ball this year and NC State has had their turnover problems. Whichever team can minimize their problem area the most will win this game. I'm calling the road upset here for Northwestern. I think they force just enough turnovers and then shoot their way to a win here.

Maryland @ Indiana -A lock for the ACC. Indiana is just too young, inexperienced and unimpressive to beat a decent but not great Maryland team. The Terps are on a two-game losing streak and really have not beaten anybody significant in this short season but I just don't see a way that Indiana pulls this one out. The Terps have four players averaging double-figures, three of whom are seniors. On the flip side Indiana is led by three players averaging 12 points or more per game but they include two freshman and a sophomore.

	Maryland	Indiana
KenPom Rank	51	189
Off Eff	1.028	0.945
Def Eff	0.868	0.966
TO%	15.2%	22.6%
Off Reb %	29.4%	33.6%
Def Reb %	66.3%	65.9%

This one will be a turnover fest for the Hoosiers. Maryland forces turnovers and Indiana loves to give it up. Add that to the fact that IU already struggles to score and you see why I have Maryland winning.

Michigan State @ North Carolina - My initial reaction is that this is another ACC win. The Tar Heels are just not a great match-up for Michigan State and the Spartans are on the road. Neither team has lived up to their preseason hype but the rematch of last year's NCAA final is the marquee match-up nonetheless.

	Michigan St	North Carolina
KenPom Rank	45	75
Off Eff	1.123	1.075
Def Eff	0.933	0.930
TO%	19.9%	22.8%
Off Reb %	43.4%	43.3%
Def Reb %	69.9%	69.2%

UNC has a turnover issue and they are not scoring nearly as efficiently as we are used to seeing Roy Williams team score. But Michigan State doesn't force many turnovers so I really don't expect that to be an issues. All other efficiency stats are virtually even. Both teams hold opponents to about .93 points per possession, both teams score right around 1.1 ppp and both teams rebound at near identical percentages. Whichever teams boxes out and keeps the Michigan State is probably a more experienced team but UNC is home and until the Spartans actually beat the Tar Heals I'm going with UNC.

Virginia Tech @ Iowa - I don't know that I need to spend much time on this one, Iowa is pretty bad this year.

	Virginia Tech	Iowa
KenPom Rank	145	207
Off Eff	0.915	0.955
Def Eff	0.886	0.995
TO%	16.3%	23.0%
Off Reb %	38.4%	32.6%
Def Reb %	69.3%	73.9%

On the surface and looking at the numbers I just don't see how Iowa gets this one done. Virginia Tech is also not very good and they struggle offensively more than Iowa does but I'd be surprised if they were to fall to the Hawkeyes.

Illinois @ Clemson - This might be the game I'm most looking forward to. Both teams are balanced with good inside/outside threats. Illinois is led by Demetri McCamey on the perimeter and Mike Davis on the interior. McCamey is averaging 12.7 ppg and 6.0 apg while Davis is averaging a double-double with 11.8 ppg and 10.0 rpg. For Clemson they are led by their senior forward Trevor Booker who is averaging 13.9 ppg and 8.7 rpg, but he's not alone as Tanner Smith is chipping in 11.6 ppg from the perimeter. These guys may not exactly guard each other but their match-ups should be a lot of fun to watch (especially if you like the color orange).

	Illinois	Clemson
KenPom Rank	83	10
Off Eff	1.089	1.125
Def Eff	0.967	0.843
TO%	15.6%	21.0%
Off Reb %	35.1%	39.6%
Def Reb %	74.7%	68.6%

Clemson is more efficient on offense but Illinois takes better care of the ball and their defensive rebounding is better. I want to go with Illinois here but after their losses to Bradley and Utah last week they make it really difficult to make that leap. Clemson will likely get the home W here.

Minnesota @ Miami - This is a Gopher blog so I'm going with a Gopher win. Miami is 7-0 but they have not played anybody of even relative significance.

	Minnesota	Miami
KenPom Rank	8	31
Off Eff	1.018	1.042
Def Eff	0.753	0.842
TO%	18.3%	26.5%
Off Reb %	31.2%	43.7%
Def Reb %	71.0%	71.4%

I think the numbers will back me up here. The Gopher offense struggles but this game comes down to defense and turnovers. Miami turns the ball over at an alarming rate and the Gophers offense thrives when the ball is given to them as much as the Hurricanes have been giving it up this year.

Boston College @ Michigan - A couple weeks ago I would have felt this was a lock for Michigan, but the Wolverines have struggled lately and this is going to be another tough match-up for them.

	Boston College	Michigan
KenPom Rank	82	130
Off Eff	1.174	1.034
Def Eff	1.032	0.979
TO%	18.3%	13.8%
Off Reb %	43.4%	29.9%
Def Reb %	70.7%	61.0%

Boston College is pretty efficient offensively but not so much on the defensive end. Michigan has really struggled with rebounding on both ends. The numbers support a BC win but when the lights get bright and when playing at home I expect Manny Harris to lead Michigan to a big win for the Big Ten. He can't do it alone but I think he'll be the catalyst.

Duke @ Wisconsin - I have great respect for Bo Ryan but Duke is just plain too good. I don't need to spend much time on this one. Wisconsin is experienced and it is at the Kohl Center but Duke is just too good.

	Duke	Wisconsin
KenPom Rank	3	50
Off Eff	1.188	1.096
Def Eff	0.809	0.920
TO%	15.5%	18.3%
Off Reb %	41.3%	32.2%
Def Reb %	67.6%	74.8%

The number support a Duke win. They rebound better, they take care of the ball better, they are are more efficient on both ends and they shoot better. This would be a huge shock if the Badgers were to pull this one out.

Florida State @ Ohio State - This also appears to be a really good match-up. Ohio State has been great in the early part of the season largely because Evan Turner has been outstanding. He is leading the Big Ten in rebounds (12.8) and assists (6.7). And also throwing in a decent 19.8 ppg which is third best in the league. He'll be the man the Seminoles should be most concerned about but they can't lose Jon Diebler who is making nearly four three-pointers per game and averaging 15.7 ppg. Florida State is athletic and lead by their own big time forward, Chris Singleton. He is averaging 12.3 ppg and 8.1 rpg. FSU is also big in the middle with Solomon Alabi and Xavier Gibson measuring out at 7-1 and 6-11 respectively.

	Florida St	Ohio St
KenPom Rank	17	25
Off Eff	0.992	1.132
Def Eff	0.758	0.895
TO%	26.4%	15.5%
Off Reb %	40.0%	34.1%
Def Reb %	68.4%	72.4%

Looking at the numbers FSU is very good defensively. They hold teams to just .758 points per possession which is third best in the country. They also hold teams to a 37.8 eFG% and block 22.9% of their opponents shots; both of which are also third best in the nation. This team will defend and it will be interesting to see if Turner, Diebler and Lighty can find some offense in this game. The Achilles heal of FSU is their turnover rate. When you give up the ball on 26.4% of your possessions you will allow good teams to stay in the game regardless of how good you are on defense. Ohio State is very good offensively scoring 1.132 pnts per possession and recording an eFG% of 59.5 (6th best in the country). If FSU continues to turn the ball over then I think OSU's offense will roll. Rebounding should be an important stat, but I think the key will be the turnovers. OSU wins this game at home.

After all of that (and one game in the books) I am seeing a Big Ten win, finally.

Big Ten -6 (PSU, Pur, Minn, OSU, Mich, NU)

ACC - 5 (Mary, Duke, UNC, VTech, Clem)

Around the ACC: 11.30

MRickman84 — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:53:10 -0000

More photos » by Jae C. Hong - AP

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A clean sweep yesterday, huh? Really nice to see FSU pull out a big win and Clemson win a thriller against Butler. Those wins are going to look great for the conference come March. The ACC/Big Ten Challenge starts tonight with Virginia vs. Penn State, so start getting geared up now.

NC State 69, New Orleans 52
State's defense really helped in this game, holding New Orleans to 35% shooting and just 24 points in the second half. The Wolfpack shot 8-16 behind the arc, with CJ Williams and Javi Gonzalez hitting a combined 5-10. Tracy Smith led the way with 20 points and 8 rebounds on 8-12 shooting. The Pack draw Northwestern next in the Challenge.

UNC 80, Nevada 73
Here we go again. The Tar Heels let a team hang around and end up pulling out a victory by under a dozen points. This is going to haunt them if it keeps happening this way. Deon Thompson stepped up again with 23 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. Larry Drew II had a solid game as well, getting a career-high 10 assists to go with 12 points. Ed Davis had his most effective game this season too, finishing with 16. UNC went through a 5 minute drought that netted only two FTs and eight missed shots.

Clemson 70, Butler 69
Clemson needed this one. The loss to a solid Texas A&M team actually may have been a blessing in disguise, as it probably loosened the Tigers up. This one came down to the wire as Demontez Stitt (19 points, 3 assists) netted both FTs with 3.3 seconds to put the Tigers up one with 3.3 seconds. Butler went the length of the floor and called time out and got one last chance, but Trevor Booker (12 points, 8 rebounds) blocked the shot and gave Clemson the win.

The stats were in Butler's favor, with the Bulldogs outshooting and outrebounding Clemson, but the Tigers hit 5 more FTs and hit 2 more threes, which was just enough. Gordon Hayward led Butler with 20 points and 12 rebounds. The Bulldogs are going to walk away really hoping that they had taken at least one against Minnesota or Clemson, but will have another chance to prove themselves against Georgetown and Ohio State later on.

Florida State 57, Marquette 56
In another exciting finish, Solomon Alabi came through with about 12 seconds left and FSU's defense held, with Marquette turning it over on their last possession. This was the shocker of the weekend. Marquette looked downright great their last two games against Xavier and Michigan.

Florida State, despite their 6-1 record, has looked shaky at times and got blown out of the gym against Florida. It's great to see them put it together though. Alabi is a beast and Chris Singleton (18 points, 10 rebounds) is looking very good so far. Lazar Hayward led the Golden Eagles with 19 points and 10 rebounds. The 'Noles will take on Ohio State next in another chance to prove what they're made of.

Around the ACC: Nov. 27

MRickman84 — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:58:01 -0000

Only two games yesterday, so this'll be a short read today. Clemson got upset yesterday, which I was not expecting to happen. Don't know if this is a.) an indication that A&M is better than they looked (plus they have B.J. Holmes who already has a built-in fall-back career), b.) that Clemson is just doing what Clemson likes to do, or C.) that it is just a loss and we can't take anything away from it at all.

The big game is UConn vs. Duke, a game that has some history behind it (as I'm sure ESPN will let us know all day). The two other games to keep an eye on are FSU vs. Alabama (5 PM) and VT vs. Temple (8:30). And make sure to tough out your turkeyday hangovers.

FSU 54, Iona 49
Raise your hand if you were a bit surprised that Iona gave FSU such a game yesterday. The Gaels won 12 games yesterday and had a ton of injuries, but I guess getting healthy helped them out. The game was tied with under 3 minutes to play, but Florida State gutted out a victory (see what hitting your free throws does, kids?). Florida State had 27 turnovers (with only 8 assists), which is cause for concern, but got 16 points from Derwin Kitchen and 13 from Chris Singleton.

Clemson 60, Texas A&M 69

Clemson got shell-shocked early on, going down 17 at one point, but showed a lot of heart to cut it to two, but A&M added a late-game surge to finish the 9 point victory. A&M's Holmes had 20 points on an unorthodox 3-7 shooting (hitting 11 of his 12 FTs, with 3 three pointers). Trevor Booker led the Tigers with 18 and 6 rebounds, and Tanner Smith had 14 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. If A&M hopes to get with the elite teams in the country, they're going to have to do a lot better than the 20-35 FTs they hit yesterday.

Florida State Seminoles Basketball Off To Dominant Start

FSUncensored — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:17:55 -0000

Florida State has always been a football school, so it's understandable if 'Nole fans are late to get on the basketball bandwagon. The season is still young, and Florida State is 3-0 against the typical early season schedule fodder. But those paying attention have to be impressed. Very impressed. Over the weekend, Florida State took on Mercer and ruined its homecoming 89-50, in a game that could have been much, much uglier. Here's the chart:

NCAA Basketball Stats

And it's not as if Mercer is a horrible basketball team. They almost upset Providence, losing 79-77. Florida State had one of the most impressive defensive games I have ever seen. Mercer didn't make a 2-point field goal in the first half. Florida State held them to an effective field goal percentage of under 25% and rarely fouled! Here are some highlights:

The 'Noles aren't just winning. Florida State is crushing its opponents.

					Offense					Defense
Date	Opponent	Result	Site	Pace	Eff.	eFG%	TO%	OR%	FTR	Eff.	eFG%	TO%	OR%	FTR
Mon Nov 16	Jacksonville (sked)	W, 87-61	H	74	118.2	67.3	25.8	46.1	55.8	82.9	35.8	20.4	28.6	40.0
Wed Nov 18	Stetson (sked)	W, 80-38	H	65	122.2	51.5	16.8	51.4	21.2	58.0	34.3	26.0	16.2	17.6
Sat Nov 21	Mercer (sked)	W, 89-50	A	76	116.6	66.7	18.4	24.6	59.3	65.5	24.6	26.2	40.6	32.4

And despite what you might think, crushing lesser opponents is a sign of a really good team. The 'Noles have performed as the 2nd best team in the country to date, adjusted for competition level. Admittedly the sample size is only three games, but it is very encouraging to see the 'Noles joined in the top 20 by the likes of (1) Texas, (3) Maryland, (6) Clemson, (8) Tennessee, (9) Duke, (10) Missouri, (11) Xavier, (14) Texas A&M, (16) Wake Forest, (18) Syracuse, and (20) Purdue.

And they are doing it with head coach Leonard Hamilton's trademark defense. No team in the country can match Florida State's size, as the 'Noles start 7'1" Center Solomon Alabi, 6'11" PF Xavier Gibson (or Ryan Reid), and 6'9" SF Chris Singleton. In fact, against Florida State, opponents have had more shots blocked than made baskets! You read that correctly. Florida State is blocking 29.4% of opposing shots, the best mark in the country by a healthy margin, while allowing less than 26% shooting.

Florida State takes on Florida tomorrow night in Gainesville. Tomahawk Nation will have its customary in-depth preview of what should be a great matchup. It will be the first major test for what could be a very special team.

BtB 2009-10 ACC Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:00:28 -0000

North Carolina claimed the conference's 11th national title last season, but thanks to major personnel losses, they'll be hard pressed to repeat. The Tar Heels aren't alone, as the overwhelming majority of teams in the ACC lost at least one key player during the offseason. Not only will Wayne Ellington, Danny Green, Tyler Hansbrough, and Ty Lawson not be in the league next year; players like Alade Aminu, Brandon Costner, Toney Douglas, Gerald Henderson, James Johnson, Jack McClinton, Terrence Oglesby, Greg Paulus. K.C. Rivers, Jeff Teague, and A.D. Vassallo will be missing as well. But as is traditional, plenty of high-profile recruits have signed on with the league's 12 teams--with Derrick Favors, John Henson, Ryan Kelly, Mason Plumley, Durand Scott, and Michael Snaer the most prominent newcomers.

These freshmen will join several returning stars who have already shown brightly in the ACC universe, like Al-Faroq Aminu, Trevor Booker, Ed Davis, Malcolm Delaney, Gani Lawal, Sylven Landesberg, Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler, and Greivis Vasquez. Those are the type of impact players who can keep the league at the forefront of the national conversation for yet another season.

The big question is whether one of the teams can get the old and new to mix well enough to claim the conference's 12th crown in Indianapolis in April. More on the 12 contenders after the jump.

Here's a recap of last year's ACC standings.

Atlantic Coast Conference Standings

(updated 4.7.2009 at 12:22 AM EDT)

	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
North Carolina Tar Heels	13	3	34	4
Duke Blue Devils	11	5	30	7
Wake Forest Demon Deacons	11	5	24	7
Florida St. Seminoles	10	6	25	10
Clemson Tigers	9	7	23	9
Boston College Eagles	9	7	22	12
Maryland Terrapins	7	9	21	14
Miami Hurricanes	7	9	19	13
Virginia Tech Hokies	7	9	19	15
N.C. State Wolfpack	6	10	16	14
Virginia Cavaliers	4	12	10	18
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	2	14	12	19

Now, here are my picks for 2009-10, presented in reverse order. If a team's name appears in red, click the link to visit that school's SB Nation site, where you'll find complete coverage and analysis throughout the season.

NC State (last NCAA: 2006) The Wolfpack could be in for a very long season, as the top three scorers are gone from a team that won only 6 ACC games last season. 6-8 junior F Tracy Smith (10 ppg, 4.5 rpg) is Sidney Lowe's leading returning scorer, and the coach has to settle on a point guard with Javier Gonzalez (6.6 ppg, 3.3 apg), Farnold Degand (4.7 ppg, 2.4 apg), and Julius Mays (4.7 ppg, 1.9 apg) all options. 6-9 senior Dennis Horner (6.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg) joins Smith in the frontcourt, but three freshmen--6-7 Richard Howell, 6-9 DeShawn Painter, and 7-0 Australian Jordan Vandenberg--will see significant minutes. Another newcomer, 6-6 Scott Wood, will get time as a swingman. NC State's schedule includes a home game with Georgia State in the Glenn Wilkes Classic, followed by games with Akron, Austin Peay, and Auburn in Daytona Beach. They face Northwestern in the ACC/BIg Ten Challenge; visit Marquette; and face Arizona and Florida in Raleigh.

Miami (last NCAA: 2008) PG Jack McClinton graduated after a season that ended with a loss to Florida in the second round of the NIT. It was a disappointing end to a year that started with high expectations. Now, McClinton's replacement, Villanova transfer Malcolm Grant, walks into a situation where he'll be the floor general for a team with few hopes. Frank Haith's squad got a major boost when 6-8 senior F Dwayne Collins (10.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg) decided to withdraw from the NBA Draft. That decision really helped the Canes' frontcourt, as 6-9 senior Cyrus McGowan (4.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and 6-7 senior Adrian Thomas (5.1 ppg, 2.3 ppg) would have been the most experienced players on the unit. 6-9 redshirt freshman Reggie Johnson will see action this season, as will several backcourt newcomers. 6-6 Garrius Adams, 6-1 Antoine Allen, and 6-5 Durand Scott--one of the top SG prospects--in the country will be called into immediate action to support Grant and 6-4 senior James Dews (8.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg). The Canes will take on Tulane in their first game at the Charleston Classic, then face either UNC Wilmington or NIT champ Penn State. They also host Minnesota in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and visit Pepperdine.

Virginia (last NCAA: 2007) Tony Bennett was the surprise choice to replace Dave Leitao as head coach during the offseason. Now, while Bennett's arrival won't improve an offense that rated 11th in the league last season, the defense should improve (and it won't be hard as UVa rated 12th in scoring D in the ACC). That should result in more wins for a team that has talent. 6-6 sophomore Sylven Landesberg was a worthy replacement for Sean Singletary, as he averaged 16.6 points, 6 boards, and 2.8 assists a game during his freshman year. 6-8 Mike Scott is a frontcourt talent, but he needs to be more assertive. If he can do that, he'll improve on his already decent numbers of 10.3 ppg and 7.4 rpg. Virginia fans are hoping Bennett is working closely with his guards, as 6-2 Calvin Baker (8.4 ppg, 2.8 apg) and 6-0 Sammy Zeglinski (7.8 ppg, 3 apg) are just about as adept at passing the ball to the other team as they are to feeding teammates. (Both averaged 2.5 TO per game last season.) 5-11 freshman Jontel Evans is ready to take over the point if they don't improve. 6-8 freshman F Tristan Spurlock provides the Cavaliers with a legit inside/outside threat, so he'll see time right off the bat as well. The Cavaliers will be tested in the Cancun Challenge, and not only in the games in Mexico against Stanford, then Kentucky or Cleveland State. They face two difficult opponents, Rider and Oral Roberts, in Charlottesville before they head to the Caribbean.

Virginia Tech (last NCAA: 2007) Seth Greenberg has a major hole to fill, thanks to the graduation of A.D. Vassallo, but the Hokies' roster still features a lot of talent. 6-3 junior PG Malcolm Delaney becomes the face of the program, and he's already one of the best returning players in the league (18.1 ppg, 4 rpg, 4.5 apg). 6-7 FJeff Allen (13.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg) could fill the same role in the frontcourt, if he stays consistent and on his best behavior. 6-6 junior J.T. Thompson (6.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg) should provide more support after struggling through an injury-plagued season, as should 6-8 Victor Davila, who averaged 3.1 points and 2 boards a game in limited action. The Hokies' newcomers will see some time right off the bat--6-4 Erick Green backing up Delaney, 6-4 Ben Boggs at off guard, and 6-7 Manny Atkins in Vassallo's swingman spot. VPI's schedule features games against Delaware and Temple in the Philly Hoop Group Classic; at Iowa in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge; at Penn State; and against Seton Hall in Cancun to kickoff the New Year.

Wake Forest (last NCAA: 2009) The Demon Deacons will be without James Johnson and Jeff Teague, two major losses for a team that faded after a brief stay atop the polls. Even without Johnson, Dino Gaudio's frontcourt is a talented one, thanks to the presence of 6-9 sophomore Al-Faroq Aminu (12.9 ppg, 8.2 rpg). 7-foot senior C Chris McFarland (8.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg) could be more of a factor if he can play more consistently and stay off the bench. After those two, the Deacons' other bigs have a lot of room to improve. David Weaver, Tony Woods, and Ty Walker only managed to average a combined 6.2 points and 6.2 boards a game last season. 6-7 freshman Ari Stewart could see a lot of the minutes Johnson played in '08-09. In the backcourt, Teague's scoring punch will be missed. 6-0 PG Ishmael Smith (6.2 ppg, 3.4 apg) is a good passer, but lacks an outside shot, while 6-4 L.D. Williams (8 ppg) is more of a factor on the defensive end. 6-4 JC transfer Konner Tucker, who committed to Kentucky out of high school, will play shooting guard. Wake's schedule isn't overwhelming. They take on Purdue in the ACC/BIg Ten Challenge, visit Gonzaga, and host A-10 powers Dayton and Xavier around the New Year.

Boston College (last NCAA: 2009) Al Skinner's squad should be OK this year as they learn to play without Tyrese Rice, but expect next year to be even better as 6-7 reserve F Tyler Roche is the only senior on the roster. 6-1 junior Biko Paris (3.4, 1.7 apg) will get the first crack at replacing Rice, while 6-5 swingman Rakim Sanders (12.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and 6-3 Reggie Jackson--a 44 percent shooter who only averaged 7 points a game last year--will provide offense from the backcourt. The frontcourt will be pretty good, as 6-8 F Joe Trapani (13.4, 6.6) and 6-6 F Corey Raji (9.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg) have shown they can be a force in the ACC, and 6-10 Josh Southern (6.5 ppg while shooting 50.3% from the floor) could be if he's more assertive. The Eagles will face St. Joseph's in their opening game at the Paradise Jam, with a contest against either Purdue or South Dakota State to follow on day 2. The Eagles travel to Providence and Michigan in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, while they host UMass and South Carolina.

Clemson (last NCAA: 2009) Three key players from last year's squad are gone--swingman K.C. Rivers, big man Raymond Sykes, and sharpshooter Terrence Oglesby, who left to play professionally in Europe, but the top rebounder and field goal shooter in the league, 6-7 Trevor Booker (15.3 ppg, 9.7 rpg) is back for his senior season. The arrival of his brother Devin, a 6-8 F/C, and 6-9 Milton Jennings, a McDonald's All-American, gives the frontcourt an immediate boost. 6-6 Noel Johnson, a swingman who originally committed to Southern Cal, should prove to be a nice replacement for Rivers. The backcourt could be a bit of a concern for Oliver Purnell; however, as 6-2 junior PG Demontez Stitt (8.7 ppg, 3.8 apg) can be a bit inconsistent. That means 5-9 Andre Young (4.4 ppg, 2.1 apg) could see plenty of time at the 1 spot. Overall, the Tigers will really have to do better from the charity stripe this season, as they ranked 10th in the ACC last season. The Tigers will play in the very tough 76 Classic in Anaheim, where they open with Texas A&M. They also take on Illinois in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and host archrival South Carolina.

Florida State (last NCAA: 2009) The Seminoles' heart and soul of the past few seasons, ACC leading scorer and Defensive Player of the Year Toney Douglas, graduated, as did F Uche Echefu. So that means FSU will be headed back to the NIT, right? Well, thanks to the return of a bunch of key players and one top recruit, don't expect the Noles to fall too far. 7-1 sophomore Solomon Alabi (8.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.1 bpg), an inside force and the team's leading returning scorer, anchors a frontcourt that also features 6-9 Chris Singleton (8.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg), 6-11 Xavier Gibson (2.3 ppg, 1.4 rpg in 6 mpg), and 6-8 senior Ryan Reid (4.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg). The big issue for FSU's backcourt is finding a replacement for Douglas. 6-4 junior Derwin Kitchen (7.9 ppg, 2.5 apg) could be the answer from a passing and defensive perspective, while 6-5 freshman Michael Snaer--who averaged 28 ppg during a senior year in which he was named California HS player of the year--could replace his scoring. If the returnees kick their scoring up a notch, FSU will be right back in the Dance. The Seminoles will be tested by a schedule that includes the Old Spice Classic--where they should have more of a home advantage than UCF had in 2007. They'll open that tournament with Iona, then face Alabama or Baylor on Day 2. Leonard Hamilton's squad also travels to archrival Florida and faces Ohio State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Maryland (last NCAA: 2009) The equation for the Terrapins is pretty simple. If Greivis Vasquez is healthy and playing well, they'll be pretty good. The 6-6 Venezuelan senior decided to not enter the NBA Draft, and that's a good thing for Gary Williams' side. It not only would have been difficult to replace his 17.5 points, 5.4 boards, and 5 assists per game, but it would have been impossible to replace his heart and spirit. 6-4 Eric Hayes (10.3 ppg, 3.2 apg) and 6-2 drive-first junior Adrian Bowie (9 ppg, 2.5 apg) join Vasquez to form one of the top backcourt units in the league. The frontcourt features 6-7 senior Landon Milbourne (11.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg) and not much else in the way of experience, especially after Dave Neal's graduation. Freshmen James Padgett (6-8) and Jordan Williams (6-9) will be expected to provide instant interior presence for the Terps. Maryland will play in Maui, where they open with Chaminade before facing either Cincinnati or Vanderbilt on Day 2. They visit Indiana in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and Villanova in DC at the BB&T Classic.

Georgia Tech (last NCAA: 2007) While the Yellow Jackets won't have the services of either Alade Aminu inside or Lewis Clinch outside, they will be a bigger threat thanks to the arrival of a true game-changer, 6-10 freshman Derrick Favors. He'll join a frontcourt that retains 6-9 junior Gani Lawal (15.1 ppg, 9.5 rpg) and 6-8 Zachary Peacock (9.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg). The backcourt could be Paul Hewitt's squad's Achilles heel, however. 6-5 guard Iman Shumpert's (10.6 ppg) assist-to-turnover ratio of 5 to 3.7 was way too high. He may handle the ball less this season, especially since 6-2 Maurice Miller (5.8 ppg, 4.3 apg) and 6-2 freshman Mfon Udofia are both capable point guards. The Yellow Jackets' schedule features some nice matchups, as they face Dayton, then either George Mason or Villanova in the first two days of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. Tech also hosts Hewitt's former employer, Siena, and USC.

Duke (last NCAA: 2009) In a rarity for a recent Duke team, Mike Krzyzewski's 2009-10 Blue Devil outfit will be frontcourt-oriented, thanks to the departure of Gerald Henderson, Greg Paulus, and Elliot Williams. While 6-5 Jon Scheyer (14.9 ppg, 2.8 apg) and 6-2 junior Nolan Smith (8.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg) are back, and 6-4 freshman Andre Hawkins enrolled early, the Duke backcourt will be extremely thin. It's so thin that Kyle Singler, a 6-8 junior who averaged 16.5 points and 7.7 rebounds a game in '08-09, will spend a lot of time on the wing this season. The frontcourt is talented, but will lack experience. 7-1 senior C Brian Zoubeck (4.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and 6-8 senior PF Lance Thomas (5.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg) are the key holdovers from last season, but they'll be pushed hard by two 6-10 McDonald's All-Americans, Mason Plumlee (brother of Duke soph Miles) and Ryan Kelly. They're two players who will cause major matchup problems for opponents, as they love to get out and play on the perimeter on offense. If the new guys live up to the hype, it could be a big year in Durham. Duke's schedule includes the NIT Season Tip-Off. They'll take on Coastal Carolina in their first game, then face either Charlotte or Elon with a ticket to New York on the line. The Blue Devils will play at Wisconsin in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, face Gonzaga in New York, Iowa State in Chicago, and Tulsa in a rare late February non-conference tilt.

North Carolina (last NCAA: 2009) This pick relies on a lot of "ifs." Considering that Roy Williams lost an average of 66.2 ppg when Wayne Ellington, Tyler Hansbrough, Danny Green, and Ty Lawson left Chapel Hill, it won't be easy for the Tar Heels to repeat as NCAA Champion. It will even be tough for them to retain the ACC title. That being said, between the returnees--led by 6-8 senior Deon Thompson (10.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg) and 6-10 Ed Davis (6.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg, but bound to do better when playing more minutes)--and a sterling group of newcomers, the Heels should be able to keep making national noise. Davis and Thompson will be joined in the frontcourt by 6-10 frosh John Henson, who does a lot of everything well. The biggest knock on him is his weight (195 lbs.), but that won't stop him from being a force at this level. 6-5 swingman Marcus Ginyard was out for all but three games last year with an injury, while 6-6 G/F Will Graves (4 ppg, 2.6 rpg) is also back after missing time last season for disciplinary reasons. Freshmen Leslie McDonald (6-4) and Dexter Strickland (6-3) will also see plenty of action in their first season. The revamped Tar Heels will get their first test against in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, with a game against Ohio State to start, then one with California or Syracuse to follow the next night. They also host Nevada and Texas; face a rematch with Michigan State (in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge); and visit Kentucky.

The Tar Heels are my pick to repeat in the ACC, though they'll have a more difficult time this season with a younger roster. They'll hold the league's auto bid in my 2009-10 Final Preseason Bracket, which I will release on November 9. Check in then to see which other ACC squads I think have the best chance to go dancing in March.

To wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-ACC team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-ACC Team

Player of the Year: Greivis Vasquez, 6-6 G, Sr. (Maryland)

Remainder of the Team
Trevor Booker, 6-7 F, Sr. (Clemson)
Ed Davis, 6-10 F, So. (North Carolina)
Malcolm Delaney, 6-3 G, Jr. (Virginia Tech)
Kyle Singler, 6-8 F, Jr. (Duke)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the ACC this season?

Boston College

9 votes

Clemson

1 votes

Duke

35 votes

Florida State

1 votes

Georgia Tech

3 votes

Maryland

37 votes

Miami

0 votes

North Carolina

22 votes

NC State

2 votes

Virginia

1 votes

Virginia Tech

1 votes

Wake Forest

3 votes

115 votes | Poll has closed

Men's Basketball Preview: Delta State University Statesmen vs. Florida State University Seminoles (Exhibition Game)

TrueCubbie — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:00:34 -0000

Tonight, the Seminoles open the basketball season with an exhibition game against the Delta State University Statesmen. Looking to build on a 25 win season and their first NCAA tournament appearance in 11 years, the Seminoles will play 2 exhibition games at the Tucker Center against Delta State tonight and then Georgetown College (Kentucky) on November 9th.

While it may seem that playing a NCAA Division II and NAIA Division I school are of limited importance, the Seminoles have a rather busy early out of conference schedule. The Seminoles play seven games in 13 days to start the season, with opponents like Florida, Ohio State, Alabama or Baylor (Old Spice Tournament) and a potential match up with Marquette or Xavier. Due to the limited amount of practice time available during the early season, it is imperative that the Seminoles use these two games to their advantage.

Take a look inside for more information on tonight's match up...

Tonight, the Seminoles open the exhibition season with a match up against NCAA Division II Delta State University from Cleveland, Mississippi, which is about 3 hours southwest of Memphis, Tennessee. The Statesmen compete in the Gulf South Conference, which includes teams like Valdosta State, University of West Florida and the University of Northern Alabama.

Last year the Statesmen, or the Fighting Okra, finished 21-9, going 15-2 at home, 5-5 on the road and 1-2 at neutral sites. The Statesmen averaged 80 points per game while only giving up 71, shooting 46% from the floor and 35% from beyond the arc. Three players averaged double digit scoring, with Alton Robinson leading the way with 17.7 points per game.The Statesmen forced 8.3 turnovers per game, but turned the ball over 14 times per game.

Out of the 17 players on the roster, 13 are seniors. Many of the players on Delta State's team are transfer students from community colleges, but there are some former Division I players on the team. Not only is this an experienced team, but they are relatively big, with 7 of the players on the team standing 6'6 or taller. They have on seven footer, who is a Junior from the Netherlands. He currently doesn't have a number on their roster page; the significance of that is not clear as he was not on the team last year.

Here is a clip of Delta State play Christian Brother's University. They lose this game 75-65. Here is an other clip. Clearly, this tape is from Christian Brother's and shows Delta State getting absolutely worked on defense. It looks as if they play a relatively loose man to man defense for the majority of this clip. CBU gets great spacing and absolutely eats up the middle of the court with cutters and by dribble penetration. It also appears that they were not able to protect the paint. This is not a good or fair assessment of Delta State, but it is the only clip that was easily available on You Tube. And to be fair, it looks like Delta State had a tough time against CBU the two times they played each other. Delta State put up a 100+ points on a few opponents and held opponents in the 60 point range on a number of occasions.

The reason to pay attention to this game is that the Seminoles need to get their offense in sync as soon as possible. Fortunately, this is not the first competition that this squad has seen since the NCAA tournament. They played four games against good competition while on a ten day trip to Spain. During that trip, the Seminoles scored at will and played at a higher pace than they have previously. However, Michael Snaer and Terrance Shannon were not a part of the trip.

I had the opportunity to ask Head Coach Jason Conner of Delta State a few questions about the upcoming game. Here are my questions and his responses. I want to thank Coach Conner for taking the time out of his schedule to answer our questions. My questions are in bold:

1. As this is an exhibition game, how are you preparing your team to
play Florida State? Are you developing a regular game plan and learning
Florida States' tendencies or are you looking to work on specifics and
disregard what FSU may or may not do? What do you hope to achieve in
this game?

We have tried to prepare as best we can. We know that they are super
talented. We are going to treat this like any other game that we would
play. I hope that our boys fight the whole game. I believe Florida State
has a chance to be special this year.

2. It seems that since you took over the Head Coach position at Delta
State, you have seen an increase in the success at Delta State. What did
you do to make this a better team?

We have a lot of seniors on this team so I believe that these kids are
older and more mature than we are used to seeing. I'm willing to bet
that no team in the country has 13 seniors. I hope to continue the
success that Delta State is used to having.

3. Who will be your likely starters for the game this year? It seems
that your team is loaded with experienced players, who will you look to
to lead your team this year?

Our point guard Chad Akins should be an All-American this year and we
will look to him to lead this bunch. We have a lot of depth and will
probably start a different bunch every night.

4. What are your impressions of Florida State?

HUGE. They might be the biggest team I have ever seen. I thank God that
I don't have to worry about guarding Tony Douglas tomorrow night. I will
leave someone in the league to figure out how to do that. I think the
guys at Florida State are doing a great job with the program. We are
thankful for the opportunity to play them.

Playing a very busy early out of conference schedule, the Seminoles need to use the game to establish the play of Alabi, Snaer, and their guards. While Florida State will likely be much bigger and more athletic than the Statesmen, there is no reason that a focus on fundamentals and continuing to build chemistry should not be priorities. The Seminoles cannot start the season flat footed and lose any of their early games, particularly with a relatively young back court. Snaer needs confidence going into ACC play. Kitchen needs to develop a rhythm at the point. Loucks needs to get comfortable running this offense. Dulkys has to continue his shooting stroke that he found this summer. While this game will likely be a blow out, it needs to be taken seriously.

Go NOLES!!!

Cheers,

Do the Florida State Seminoles Have the Best Front Court in the Atlantic Coast Conference?

TrueCubbie — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:03:42 -0000

As the Seminoles look to build on their success of the 2008-2009 season, much attention has been focused on the front court of Leonard Hamilton's young team. In a year that many consider to be a rebuilding year for the ACC as a whole, the Seminoles have been identified as having the best group of big men in the conference. Solomon Alabi, a potential lottery pick in the NBA Draft, demonstrated the potential to be one of the best big men in the country. Chris Singleton looks to build on an outstanding ACC Tournament and Xavier Gibson should see more minutes while Ryan Reid takes on the senior leadership role. In this piece, Tomahawk Nation takes a look at how the Seminoles' big men compare to the rest of the ACC.

Photo from here.

Last year the ACC was known for it's outstanding guard play, with the likes of Toney Douglas (FSU), Ty Lawson (UNC), Jeff Teague (Wake Forest), Gerald Henderson (Duke), Wayne Ellington (UNC) and Jack McClinton (Miami) all getting drafted. This year, the front courts of the ACC will cause heads to turn. The depth and quality of players at the 3-4-5 spots from top to bottom of the league are outstanding. Plus, the average heights of the front courts, with few exceptions, is impressive, with multiple teams having multiple seven footers ready to take the court. As we move through the preview, experience is defined as the following: Freshman = 0, Sophomore = 1 and so on. The closer to three you are, the more experience you have. We hope that you will use this as a reference for the rest of the season.

Boston College Eagles

Likely Starters:

C Josh Southern 6'10 252lbs Junior

F Joe Trapani 6'8 228lbs Junior

F Corey Raji 6'6 218lbs Junior

F/G Rakim Sanders 6'5 230lbs Junior

Key Reserves:

F Tyler Roche 6'7 218lbs Senior

F/C Evan Ravenel 6'8 255lbs Sophomore

F Cortney Dunn 6'8 242lbs Junior

Average Experience: 2

Average Height: 6' 9"

Returning all but one starter from last year, the Eagles will look to their big men to lead the way, particularly wit the departure of Tyrese Rice, arguably the Eagles' best player last year. This year, Joe Trapani is the center piece of the Eagles' front court, coming off a sophomore season in which he scored 13.4 ppg and grabbing 6.6 rpg. Rakim Sanders is an excellent swing man and will serve the Eagles well on defense. Last year, the Eagles relied on Rice to take over a game and little attention was paid to the front court. Without a legitimate scoring threat, the Eagles success will depend on the success of their big men. However, despite what appears to be a solid group of experienced big men, the Eagles have their work cut out for them this year as the rest of the conference boasts bigger, better talent.

Tomahawk Nation Grade: B

Clemson University Tigers

Likely Starters:

F/C Jerai Grant 6'8 220lbs Junior

F Trevor Booker 6'7 240lbs Senior

F Milton Jennings 6'9 225lbs Freshman

Key Reserves:

C Catalin Baclu 7'2 245lbs Sophomore

F/C Devon Booker 6'8 235lbs Freshman

F David Potter 6'6 215lbs Senior

Average Experience: 1.5

Average Height: 6' 8.6"

Last year, the ACC learned that Trevor Booker comes to play night in and night out and is ready to battle underneath with anyone. He averaged 15.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, an ORtg of 121 and an eFG% of 58.5. These are outstanding numbers and Booker is motivated to lift the Tigers from their collapse at the end of the 2008-2009 season. Milton Jennings, the #9 power forward in the 2009 recruiting class is a great addition to the Tigers' front court. Jennings is an athletic freak and could make an immediate impact in the ACC. Many feel that there are a lot of questions about this front court and with only one known star (Trevor Booker) the Tigers might not match up with the rest of the conference. I respectfully disagree with those expert opinions and suspect that the Tigers could present a challenge for anyone. Their size might be the limiting factor, but Dejuan Blair proved to the country that you don't necessarily need a seven footer to succeed in the paint.

Tomahawk Nation Grade: B/B+

Duke University Blue Devils

Likely Starters:

C Mason Plumlee 6'11 230lbs Freshman

PF Lance Thomas 6'8 225lbs Senior

SF Kyle Singler 6'8 230lbs Junior

Key Reserves:

C Brian Zoubek 7'1 260lbs Senior

C/F Miles Plumlee 6'10 240lbs Sophomore

F Ryan Kelly 6'10 230lbs Freshman

F Olek Czyz 6'7 240lbs Sophomore

Average Experience: 1.43

Average Height: 6' 9.6"

Duke's success will depend on their front court. Period. The Blue Devils have three guards on their team: Andre Dawkins (a true freshman), Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer. The Blue Devils are loaded in the front court and the ability of the Plumlee brothers to contribute early will significantly impact Duke's success. Brian Zoubek will contribute more minutes this year, but it's unlikely that he will ever average a double double. However, he adds depth and experience at the center position, which will be required to succeed in the ACC this year. Lance Thomas will be their shut down defender on the wing and questions still remain about Czyz will live up to his potential. Due to the new additions, Singler will move to his more natural position on the wing rather than hanging around the paint. The Blue Devils will have one of the best front courts in the ACC. Not only are they big but there is plenty of them. However, how will Duke manage with limited available minutes at the guard spots?

Tomahawk Nation Grade: A

Florida State University Seminoles

Likely Starters:

C Solomon Alabi 7'1 251lbs Sophomore

PF Ryan Reid 6'8 238lbs Senior

SF Chris Singleton 6'9 227lbs Sophomore

Key Reserves:

F/C Xavier Gibson 6'11 240lbs Sophomore

F Jordan DeMercy 6'7 215lbs Junior

F Terrance Shannon 6'8 220lbs Freshman

Average Experience: 1.33

Average Height: 6' 9.3"

See our Full Team Preview for the complete details on each player. This is a deceptively talented group, except for Alabi of course-- he's a known commodity with big expectations. Reid needs to bring his energy to the glass on both ends of the court. Singleton is a match up nightmare due to his athleticism. Gibson can play the 4 or 5 and moves extremely well. DeMercy needs to take the lead on the defensive end of the court. Terrance Shannon is a relative unknown to the ACC as he did not play his senior year of basketball due to a knee injury. Many consider this group to be the cream of the crop in the ACC due to the talent, experience and size of the group. Many predict this group to be outstanding due to the fact that they had such a successful season last year despite being so young, there is no reason they shouldn't be leaders of the pack this year. While trying to remain impartial, this is an outstanding group who presents a very difficult match-up for the rest of the conference.

Tomahawk Nation Grade: A-/A

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Likely Starters:

C Derrick Favors 6'10 246lbs Freshman

PF Gani Lawal 6'9 234lbs Junior

SF Zach Peacock 6'8 235lbs Senior

Key Reserves:

F Brian Oliver 6'6 220lbs Freshman

C Brad Sheehan 7'0 235lbs Junior

C Daniel Miller 6'11 252 lbs Freshman

Average Experience: 1.16

Average Height: 6' 9.3"

Derrick Favors is the talk of the town. Apparently, the addition of Favors has rocketed the Yellow Jackets from a 2-14 ACC season to a top 25 team, as high as 13 in some polls. Favors is an absolute monster in the paint and is already predicted to win a number of post-season accolades. Here is a nice clip that demonstrates his talents during a 42 point, 12 block and 20 rebound performance. Favors is likely a one and done. But, the Yellow Jackets are more than Favors. Gani Lawal had an excellent sophomore campaign, cleaning up on the offensive and defensive glass and blocking a ridiculous 5.1% of shot attempts against him. Lawal will add much needed experience to this group. For the Yellow Jackets to live up to the pre-season hype, Favors and company will need to produce. However, given the talent present in Atlanta, it shouldn't be difficult.

Tomahawk Nation Grade: A

Maryland Terrapins

Likely Starters:

C Jordan Williams 6'9 240lbs Freshman

PF Landon Milbourne 6'7 207lbs Senior

SF Sean Mosley 6'4 210lbs Sophomore

Key Reserves:

F Dino Gregory 6'7 227lbs Junior

F Jin Soo Kim Choi 6'8 195lbs Sophomore

F/C James Padgett 6'8 225lbs Freshman

F/C Jerome Burney 6'9 222lbs Junior

C Steve Gonis 6'10 260lbs Sophomore

Average Experience: 1.25

Average Height: 6' 6.5"

Could this be the year that the Terps return to the top of the ACC? It looks like Gary Williams is lining his squad up for a good run through the ACC. With 8 front court players, many of whom are hybrid forward/guards, it looks as if Williams predicted that going big would mean success in the ACC. Well, the return of Greivis Vasquez will also be a key component of the Terrapins success. The addition of Jordan Williams brings much needed talent at the center position. Milbourne went relatively unnoticed in the ACC last year as he Vasquez took much of the spotlight and Milbourne was forced to play the center, which is not his natural position. However, the skills and toughness he developed last year will serve him well as he moves back to his 4 spot. James Padgett will compete with Williams for minutes and will provide the Terps with two excellent options in the middle. These additions may be what Willams need to return his team back to level of success he expects and demands from his program. Despite the potential, many experts feel that this group doesn't have the skills to run with the rest of the big boys in the conference. Time will tell, particularly as this a relatively young, small group.

Tomahawk Nation Grade: B-

Miami Hurricanes

Likely Starters:

PF Dwayne Collins 6'8 243lbs Senior

F Cyrus McGowan 6'9 236lbs Senior

F/G DeQuan Jones 6'7 216lbs Sophomore

Key Reserves:

F/C Reggie Johnson 6'9 296lbs RS Freshman

C Julian Gamble 6'9 245lbs Sophomore

F Donnavan Kirk 6'9 217lbs Freshman

F Adrian Thomas 6'7 226lbs Senior

Average Experience: 1.71

Average Height: 6' 8"

With the departure of Jack McClinton, Dwayne Collins will need to take on the challenge of leading the 'Canes back to the NCAA tournament. The Hurricanes are only one of 4 teams in the ACC that don't have a seven footer on their squad. However, they have plenty of players to provide depth and relative size at all of the front court positions. Cyrus McGowan had a relatively unremarkable junior season in terms of stats, but brought plenty of energy to the paint on both ends of the court. There are a lot of questions to be answered for the Hurricanes this year. The biggest challenge to the 'Canes opponents will be the potential slew of players who can rotate off the bench providing fresh minutes throughout the game. Though, if Frank Haith starts to see limited production, the bench will shorten drastically.

Tomahawk Nation Grade: B-

University of North Carolina Tarheels

Likely Starters:

C Ed Davis 6'10 215lbs Sophomore

PF Deon Thompson 6'8 245lbs Senior

SF John Henson 6'10 185lbs Freshman

Key Reserves:

C Tyler Zeller 7'0 220lbs Sophomore

F David Wear 6'10 220lbs Freshman

F Travis Wear 6'10 220lbs Freshman

Average Experience: 0.83

Average Height: 6' 10"

One would think with the departure of Tyler Hansbrough and Danny Green, the UNC front court would see a significant drop off in the 2009 season. However, with Ed Davis deciding to return, Deon Thompson coming of a career year and the addition of John Henson, the Tarheels will have one of the best front courts in the ACC. John Henson is a highly gifted athlete who has a ton of potential. He needs to put on some serious weight before he will be a threat in the low post, but he has the athleticism to play on the wing and attack the basket. Ed Davis and Deon Thompson are and will continue to be outstanding defenders. Ed Davis considered heading to the NBA last year. However, Davis needs to significantly improve his offensive game significantly before he is a consistent threat on both ends of the court. The Wear twins are also highly gifted wing players who will give the Tarheels a lot of flexibility in their lineup. This year UNC has decided to go big but has question marks in the back court. In a league that is already huge, can the Tarheels get away without an identified/experienced point man?

Tomahawk Nation Grade: A

North Carolina State University Wolfpack

Likely Starters:

F Tracy Smith 6'8 240lbs Junior

F Dennis Horner 6'9 218 Senior

F Richard Howell 6'7 215 Freshman

Key Reserves:

F DeShawn Painter 6'9 220lbs Freshman

C Jordan Vandenberg 7'0 230 Freshman

F C.J Williams 6'5 203lbs Sophomore

F Josh Davis 6'6 205lbs Freshman

Average Experience: 0.85

Average Height: 6' 8"

The Wolfpack added three very nice players to their front court (Howell, Painter and Vandenberg). However, the three of them are still very raw and will need some time to develop. Painter originally committed to Florida but backed out. Painter is able to apply his athleticism to the defensive end of the court, but still needs to work on his offensive game. Vandenberg is a seven footer from Australia, who like many international players, is comfortable playing away from the low post facing the basket. Dennis Horner will be the leader of the front court who is comfortable hitting shots from beyond the three point line or working the low post. This is definitely a group to watch for the future. Unlike other teams in the ACC who are just as young, the talent here isn't quite like that of UNC.

Tomahawk Nation Grade: C

Virginia Cavaliers

Likely Starters:

C Assane Sene 7'0 234lbs Sophomore

F Mike Scott 6'8 233lbs Junior

Key Reserves

F Jamil Tucker 6'9 241lbs Senior

F Tristan Spurlock 6'7 220lbs Freshman

F/C Jerome Meyinsse 6'9 245lbs Senior

Average Experience: 1.8

Average Height: 6' 9"

It looks like the success of Virginia will once again rest squarely on the shoulders of Sylven Landesberg. Sene played limited minutes last year and was an effective shot blocker. Mike Scott led the team in rebounding last year and will give them good minutes at the power forward position. Tristan Spurlock is a great addition to this team but no one knows what direction he will take, meaning he has talent and athleticism but he needs to work on the fundamentals. One could equate him to a Tyrus Thomas of the Bulls: highly gifted athlete but highly unpredictable production who plays too fast for himself. Unfortunately, the Cavaliers will likely have the least competitive front court in the league.

Tomahawk Nation Grade: C-

Virginia Tech Hokies

Likely Starters:

F Jeff Allen 6'7 230lbs Junior

F Lewis Witcher 6'9 218lbs Senior

Key Reserves:

F Manny Atkins 6'7 200lbs Freshman

F J.T Thompson 6'6 210lbs Junior

F Victor Davila 6'8 245lbs Sophomore

F Cadarian Raines 6'9 230lbs Freshman

F Allan Chaney 6'9 235lbs Sophomore

Average Experience: 1.29

Average Height: 6' 7.9"

Jeff Allen had a very effective Sophomore season: 100 Ortg, 10.9OR%, 20.4% DR%, 4.5 Blk% and a FTRate of 59.6. Some say that Davila will be starting along side Allen, instead of Witcher. Witcher is a gifted rebounder who, like many others, hasn't showed the consistency on the offensive end of the court to be a complete threat. Many Atkins is a great addition to the team, but he is more of a hybrid 2-3 player who shoots the three pointer extremely well. The Hokies success will depend on the tandem of Allen and Junior Guard Malcom Delaney. Lacking a true Center will hurt the Hokies in a conference that is loaded with talent at that position. Allen will have a good year, but the unit as a whole will have trouble, but not as bad as their in state colleagues-- the Cavaliers.

Tomahawk Nation Grade: C+/B-

Wake Forest University Demon Deacons

Likely Starters:

C Chas McFarland 7'0 235lbs Sophomore

F Al-Farouq Aminu 6'9 215lbs Sophomore

F/C David Weaver 6'11 240lbs Senior

Key Reserves:

C Tony Woods 6'11 245lbs Sophmore

C Ty Walker 7'0 215lbs Sophomore

F Ari Stewart 6'7 190lbs Freshman

Average Experience: 1.17

Average Height: 6' 10.3"

The Demon Deacons are delighted that Aminu chose to return to school rather than heading to the NBA. Many felt that Aminu was more talented than James Johnson and Jeff Teague, both of whom were first round draft picks in the 2009 NBA Draft. Aminu cleaned up on the glass and had an ORtg of 103.9 and contributed regularly to a high powered offense. Chas McFarland is a reliable big man who puts in good minutes at both ends of the court. He's not going to blow anyone away, but he will contribute night and night out when he isn't in foul trouble. Weaver and Woods will likely battle for the power forward position. Both are true big men that can move, comparable to a Xavier Gibson on Florida State. Wake Forest's front court is huge. Aminu will continue to be outstanding and McFarland will play well, but the big question is the four spot. Ari Stewart was the #10 small forward in the country as ranked by Rivals.com who is an excellent shooter. Coach Gaudio hopes that he will help improve the terrible shooting the Deacs experienced from beyond the three point line. This team poses significant match up problems, but with role players stepping into starting roles, there are many questions to be answered outside of Aminu.

Tomahawk Nation Grade: B+/A-

Summary

Most Experienced: Boston College
Least Experienced: University of North Carolina
Tallest: Wake Forest (barely over UNC)
Shortest: Maryland (But to be fair, they have a lot of hybrid players listed that bring down the average)

Unlike last year, when guards dominated the league, the ACC will likely be identified as a conference of talented big men. It's going to be exciting to watch how many of these teams develop their young players and develop their offenses without proven guard play. These aren't your typical big men who sit on the low block and work to get a jump hook or lay up. They can run the court, face up the basket and have the athletic ability to jump out of the gym.

Florida State has a proven player in Solomon Alabi and great potential in Chris Singleton. Ryan Reid, who will likely start over Gibson, looks to be in better shape this year and should do a lot of the dirty work under the basket. Many have made the argument that Xavier Gibson could, or should, start at the power forward spot. There is no doubt that the Seminoles have one of the best front courts in the conference. Do they have the best? The Seminoles are going into the season with an experienced group that certainly has room to improve and has the potential to be outstanding. Last year's NCAA appearance and the trip to Spain this summer, provided this group much needed experience. The combination of their talent and those experiences will make the Seminoles one of the top front courts in the conference. This will be a great year of basketball in the ACC, but it is going to be quite different from last year. The fact that the focus has shifted to the front courts may be why many believe the ACC is down this year. I beg to differ; it's just a different flavor of basketball.

What are your thoughts on the front courts of the ACC? Will Alabi average a double double? Is Derrick Favors going to be the star of the conference? Who is your favorite front court player in the ACC?

As always, I appreciate your input and feedback.

Go NOLES!!!

Cheers,

Man to Man Defense: The Key to the Defensive Success of the Florida State Seminoles Men's Basketball Team

TrueCubbie — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:55:53 -0000

When Florida State finally cracked the code to get into the NCAA tournament at the end of the 2008-2009 season, the national media immediately caught on to the fact that Leonard Hamilton's squad played outstanding defense and was the key to their success. In fact, many identify Coach Hamilton as a defensive minded coach that gets his players to playing 40 minutes of pressure man to man defense. Last year, Toney Douglas earned ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors and was joined by Solomon Alabi on the 2009 All ACC Defensive Team.

In the last six years, Coach Hamilton's defense has ranked in the top 50 four times. In 7 out of his last 11 years in college basketball, his defense has held its opponents to less than 70 points per game. (In case you didn't know, Coach Hamilton has coached at the Division 1 level for 21 seasons)

After the jump, Tomahawk Nation will take a closer look at Leonard Hamilton's defense and how it stacks up to other defenses in the ACC.

Photo from here.

It's not surprising that Coach Hamilton's team plays a strict man to man defense with very little zone defense added in. When the Seminoles made the intermittent switch to a 2-3 zone, it was clear that the team was out of its element and comfort zone. Last season, Tomahawk Nation took an in-depth look at zone defenses and whether or not the tallest team in the nation should settle into a zone. The conclusion at the end of that article was that the Seminoles should not play zone defense and the same holds for this year. Some of this may be a gross over simplification for basketball gurus. The goals and objectives of this article is to provide our readers with a solid understanding of the fundamental principles of basketball and how they relate to our team. This is not intended to be an exhaustive review of how to play man to man defense. These kinds articles were well received last year and we hope they are this year as well.

Playing man to man defense the way the Seminoles night in and night out takes commitment and creativity. A defensive assignment may not be strictly based on position. A coach has to be able to assess each of his player's abilities to defend an opponent in every offensive situation. In general, the best defensive player will guard the best offensive player, within reason of course. For example, if Toney Douglas was still on the Seminoles this year, he would not match up with Derrick Favors of Georgia Tech. Typically a team's big man will match up with the opposing team's center, clearly there are some exceptions.

Other general principles of man to man defense include assigning the best defensive rebounder to the best offensive rebounder and assigning responsibilities during transition. Other principles of man defense include good position, stance, balance, peripheral vision and communication. While it may seem that man to man defense is dependent on individual effort and skill, it really is a collective effort of the team. A good man to man defense can be described as the following: "The best man defense looks like a zone and the best zone defense looks like a man." Coach Hamilton gets his players to buy into this philosophy. Toney Douglas was a great on the ball defender, but he could not do that without the support of the rest of the team.

Man to man defense has a number of variations: normal, tight, loose, double team etc... These permutations will depend on a team's personnel and the intent of the defense: who are they trying to limit, what style of game play are they trying to prevent, do they need to shut down a particular player on the opposite with double teams. It isn't just about finding your man and sticking to him at all times. A good, patient offense will work through offensive sets to get players free from the man defense to get open looks at the basket. Or, if they have enough individual talent, the offense will spread the floor or stack onside of the court to provide space for the one on one game-- meaning, the everyone get out of the way strategy.

Floor positioning and spacing are one of the key elements to establishing a fundamentally sounds man to man defense. If a team starts a defensive set out of position, opening up passing lanes or space for dribble penetration or movement off the ball, a lot of easy points will be put on the board. Here are some examples of basic alignment and spacing when playing man to man defense:

In the diagram above, the defense (represented by the X's), is playing a true denial man to man defense. The Green lines represent direct passing lanes to the various offensive players. With the exception of the player guarding #4, all of the defensive players are "on the line." The player guarding #4 is "up the line," sagging more toward the center line or help side line. The "up the line" position is permitted due to the length of pass required from 1 to 4. The distance that the defensive player is able to sag toward the help side line is dependent on that player's ability to close out on the offensive player. If that player is quick or has a long reach, they can play deeper into the lane. As we will start to show in the next few frames, the players across the help side line start to settle into an almost backside zone look as the ball moves around the perimeter.

In general, the further you are away from the player with the ball, the more you can drift towards the helpside line. This allows the defender to help with any dribble penetration or close down passing lanes. Doing so requires good positioning and always keeping an eye on your man. Here is a video of Michael Jordan explaining this premise. The next sequence of images will demonstrate the weak side sag to the help side line (Player 1 starts with the ball. Click on the images for larger pictures):

As the sequence starts, all defensive players are on the line. As player 1 is deciding where to pass the ball, the defensive player on player 2 is able to slide towards the help side line, closing the passing lane. In the third image, the ball is passed to the corner, as represented by the dotted green line. Now, since player 3 is technically two passes away from the ball, the defender on player three is able to slide toward the helpside line further down the lane. Additionally, the defender from player 2 can slide further. However, this can be a tricky situation as it may set you up for an illegal defense, unless you really make this look like a zone. Now, if the ball is passed back around the wing players, the defensive player for player 2 and 3 will have to recover to their original position. This should demonstrate the fluidity that is required to play man to man defense. By the positioning of the players on the weak side, you can see how passing and driving lanes are closed as players drift toward the help side line. Also, by drifting, the defensive players can get themselves in a better position for a rebound, if they do a good job of boxing out if the offensive players crash from the wing. However, if that player who is drifting isn't keeping a close eye on their offensive player, it opens up passing lanes as that player can cut to the basket without the defender reacting appropriately.

A team's ability to react, help and recover is one of the major tenants of playing man to man basketball. Let's workthrough the example below. Player 1 starts with the ball on the left wing, above the free throw line:

The offensive player then has the following passing options:

Recognizing the large void in the middle and that his player is two passes or further away, the player guarding player two is able to drift toward the helpside line. But, Player 1 still has the option to pass or recognizes that the following space on the floor is available:

Now, player one, recognizing the space to his right, can take the opportunity to drive the lane to create more passing opportunities or drive to the basket or pull up for a jump shot in that space.

The key to the defense is to recognize that if the defender on player 1 gets beat, the defenders on player 3 and 2 must step into fill the void and prevent player 1 from getting a clean look or path to the basket. This is where the player drifting toward the help side line can be beneficial-- less distance to cover. In the image above, the red line indicates the path of the offensive player and the blue lines represent the potential paths of the defenders. Now, the defenders have to be able to move their feet and get into good position to stop the defender. They cannot simply reach in and try to strip the ball. That is a sloppy way to play defense and sets you up for cheap fouls.

In the next image, player 1 is stopped by the collapsing defense. Player 1 can then pass the ball to player 3 as indictaed by the green dotted line.

This is where a good man to man defense will make their money. They have to be able to help, as demonstrated above, and then recover as indicated by the blue arrows. If they do not, you can see that Player 3 either has an open look, an easy pass to Player 2 for an open look or a more risky pass to Player 5 in the post. Depending on the speed at which Player 1 gets the ball to Player 3 that pass to the post may be less risky if the Defender from Player 2 is traveling too quickly toward the help side line. If the defense can stop the penetration and quickly recognize the passing options and recover back to their defensive responsibility, they will prevent the easy baskets that may occur from playing an aggressive collapsing defense.

There are countless permutations of how to defend in the situations demonstrated above and this was not intended to be a clinic on playing man to man defense but to highlight some of the neccesary fundamentals. Teams will vary how they rotate on defenders depending on the position of the ball on the floor, they can try to trap to the corners, double on the post, double on the wing. How to slip screens and defend cutters is an entirely different discussion. As you can imagine if you get yourself on the wrong side of the passing line (the green lines above) as you try to move around a screen, there can be an easy pass and basket on its way.

The key to a successful man to man defense is getting the entire team to buy in to the fundamental principles of the defense. If there is a player who does not commit, the weakness in the defense will be exposed and exploited.

Leonard Hamilton has done an outstanding job in recent years to get his players to buy into the system. It helps that he has been able to recruit long athletic players who are able to play a tight man to man defense on a regular basis. The key, however, is that their athleticism allows them to collapse on the paint and recover to the wings at lightening speed. Florida States' speed allowed them to get into good position without creating cheap fouls.

Despite playing more than 36 minutes per game and guarding the premier guards in college basketball, Toney Douglas was only called for 2.4 fouls per 40 minutes of game play. As a team, Florida State was only called for 18.7 fouls per game, which is respectable and about average for college basketball. If you play man to man defense without moving your feet or getting in good position, you end up fouling a lot. One of the benefits of a zone defense is that you can 'hide' a defender who is in foul trouble or a player who is foul prone.

Coach Hamilton's Defense by the Numbers

	PPG	PPP	OE	OPPG	OPPP	OOE	AdjDE	DE Rank
96-97	65.1	0.9	93.7	63.9	0.9	93.1
97-98	70.1	1	95.8	68.6	0.9	94.8
98-99	72.6	1	99.9	72.4	1	101.1
99-00	69	1	100.6	63.4	1	95.6
2002-2003	68.1	1	96.9	64.2	0.9	93
2003-2004	71.5	1	103	68.1	1	99.5	88.3	14
2004-2005	68.6	1	99.1	65.8	1	95.6	95.4	75
2005-2006	76.7	1.1	106.7	74.4	1	103.8	93.3	44
2006-2007	74.5	1.1	108.9	73.4	1.1	110	93.7	55
2007-2008	72.1	1	103.4	69.4	1	99.5	92.5	43
2008-2009	68.3	1	100	70	1.01	100.5	89	12
Avg	70.6		100.7	68.5		98.7	92.0	40.5
StDev	3.2		4.5	3.8		5.1	2.7	24.2

Key: PPG = Points Per Game PPP= Points Per Possession OE = Offensive Efficiency AdjDE = Adjusted Defensive Eff, if there is an O before any value it is the Opponent's value. AdjDE aren't available before 2003-2004. Hamilton joined FSU in 2002. OE is defined by how many points a team will score given 100 possessions.

These numbers, on first glance are reassuring and demonstrate that Florida State's defense has been at least consistent through the years, with one exception. The average number of points scored by a team in a college basketball team is approximately 68 to 70 points per game. This average has decreased significantly in the past 10 years:

NCAA Basketball Stats

While Florida State's defensive numbers are respectable, how does it compare to the rest of the ACC in the past few years?

North Carolina DE		Rank
2003-2004	90.4	23
2004-2005	86.7	5
2005-2006	90.4	20
2006-2007	85.6	4
2007-2008	89.4	19
2008-2009	89.6	16
Avg	88.6	14.5
Stdev:	2	8.1

Duke
2003-2004	85.4	4
2004-2005	84.9	1
2005-2006	89.8	13
2006-2007	85.6	5
2007-2008	87.6	9
2008-2009	90.8	20
Avg	87.4	8.7
Stdev:	2.4	6.9

Wake Forest
2003-2004	96	82
2004-2005	95	72
2005-2006	98.5	115
2006-2007	96.7	88
2007-2008	94.1	63
2008-2009	91.1	23
Avg	95.2	73.8
Stdev:	2.5	30.6

Maryland
2003-2004	86.8	7
2004-2005	91.3	27
2005-2006	92.9	37
2006-2007	85.8	8
2007-2008	91.9	37
2008-2009	94.7	61
Avg	90.6	29.5
Stdev:	3.5	20.4

Georgia Tech
2003-2004	85.2	3
2004-2005	87	8
2005-2006	96.7	92
2006-2007	91.3	36
2007-2008	97.2	96
2008-2009	91.9	32
Avg	91.56	44.5
Stdev:	4.9	40.5

These is a very small sample set and the teams were selected as they are typically associated/synonymous with ACC basketball. The Stdev aren't the best either as the sample sets are small with large variation. These stats show that the defense in the ACC is outstanding and the standouts are Duke and UNC. Comparatively, Florida State's defense is excelling on the national level and is one of the better defenses in the ACC. Granted, think about how excellent the offenses are in the ACC. There wasn't a single team in the ACC last year that had an OE of less than 100, but then again neither did the Pac-10 and the Big East only had one less than 100. However, that was done despite the quality defense that was played. An OE of 100 would give most basketball teams about 60 to 70 points per game depending on the number of possessions.

Photo from here.

These data are simply used to highlight the outstanding defense that is played in the ACC and Florida State contributes significantly to that excellence. The impressive thing is that Florida State is 100% committed to playing man to man defense. In the few instance they played a zone last year, it looked uncomfortable. The players seemed lost and it was ineffective, reflecting the little time that is spent in practice working on the zone. Hamilton and his coaching staff all have NBA experience and it should come as no surprise that Florida State is so good at it.

With the departure of Toney Douglas, there are significant concerns about who will be the shut down on the ball defender. Fortunately, the Seminoles young guards had a year to learn from Toney. Loucks showed moments of being a great defender last year. Jordan DeMercy will continue to bring his hustle and energy to the defensive end of the court. Alabi will continue to own the paint and Singleton will turn a lot of heads this year on the defensive end of the court. Michael Snaer has demonstrated that he is not a one dimensional player and is committed to playing defense. As with any good defense, it is going to be a team effort and the Seminoles will most certainly be prepared.

What are your thoughts on the Seminoles defense? Are they a top 25 defense this year? What will be the identity of the Seminoles this year? Offense? Defense? Who will be the defensive leader?

As always, appreciate your input and feedback.

Go NOLES!

Cheers,