Almost all the bottom six teams are those with heavy losses, but with talent stepping in, if their young players can perform at a high level, a few of these teams could be very competitive come late February 2011.
7. Florida State
Leonard Hamilton's teams have always been successful because of their defense, but this season, scoring might come a bit easier than past years. Wings Michael Snaer and Chris Singleton are poised for breakout seasons, and guard Derwin Kitchen returns for what should be a solid senior season in Tallahassee. Inside, Xavier Gibson seems ready to break out of his shell and start dominating games with his combination of size and athleticism. Deividas Dulkys is a very underrated point guard, as is Luke Loucks. This is a solid all-around basketball club that will defend you, and, when hitting perimeter shots, can beat some very good basketball teams.
8. Maryland
It is hard to imagine a team sharing the regular season conference crown finishing in the bottom half of the league the following year, but in the ACC, that can be a yearly occurrence. Just ask UNC last year. As for Maryland, gone are super seniors Greivis Vasquez, Eric Hayes, and Landon Milbourne, who were extremely tough players who fared well in the face of adversity all four years of their careers. Stepping in as leader of Gary WIlliams' club will be junior Sean Mosley, a smart and tough player who will likely be a coach one day. His scoring was sporadic at times this past season, but his shots will increase next year. Jordan WIlliams is a star in the making at center, and Adrian Bowie has the tools to be a solid lead guard. But for the Terrapins to be successful in 2011, senior wing Cliff Tucker will have to become a consistent scorer. He has been one of the most unpredictable players in the ACC the past three years, and will need to become an all-around scorer for the Terps. There is a strong recruiting class coming in, including late-blooming combo guard Terrell Stoglin, who will compete for minutes right away.
9. Georgia Tech
While Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal prepare for the NBA, Paul Hewitt is left trying to figure out how he is going to replace the best inside duo in the ACC. The combo combined for 17 rebounds a game, as well as over 25 points. While the points will not be that hard to replace, finding post players who go hard to the glass as well as Lawal and Favors did will be difficult to do. The backcourt is a different story. Hewitt will rely on his returning backcourt depth for most of the scoring in the upcoming season. Iman Shumpert will compete for conference player of the year honors. Brian Oliver and Glen Rice Jr. are perimeter shooters who can get hot at any point in a game. Developing a rotation he can count on will be key, as well as the development of rising sophomore point guard Mfon Udofia.
10. Wake Forest
Deacon fans are hoping the end of the Dino Gaudio era at Wake signals the end of postseason disappointments and failures. Jeff Bzdelik hopes that he has the right formula for getting the Deacons past the first round of the NCAA Tournament, something Gaudio failed to do in each of his three seasons at the school. Bzdelik brings a wealth of NBA experience to the squad, but inherits a team with a lack of NBA-ready talent. Al-Farouq Aminu will be gone after this season, as will lead guard Ishmael Smith and athletic wing L.D. Williams. There is talent to be bred nonetheless, as Wake will suit up seven scholarship underclassmen, compared to just four upperclassmen. Tony Woods is the only upperclassman to average over 3 points a game this past season. Look for freshman guard JT Terrell, who has never seen a shot he didn't like, to challenge for ACC Freshman of the Year honors. Terrell is an extremely confident, if not cocky, scorer out of Charlotte.
11. Boston College
Steve Donahue inherits a team with lots of experience. Rakim Sanders' decision to transfer certainly hurts, but upperclassmen Reggie Jackson, Joe Trapani and Corey Raji will make this team a tough out night in and night out next season. Adjusting to Donahue's system and overall style of coaching will be the toughest transition for the Eagles. It also remains to be seen whether or not the Boston College fan base will get behind Donahue. Nonetheless, this team has the talent to beat people, and if they can adjust to the new system well, the Eagles could be a surprise team come March.
12. Virginia
It has been a tumultuous offseason in Charlottesville to say the least. Three Cavaliers decided to leave the program, including leading scorer Sylven Landesberg, who was suspended in the final month of the season for academic issues. Tony Bennett responded by bringing in a heralded recruiting class that boasts six players that will vie for immediate playing time. Power forward Mike Scott will need to assume a leadership role this season along with point guard Sammy Zeglinski to help groom the freshmen. It will be a few seasons before UVA will challenge for the ACC crown, but this year should be an interesting one for Cavs fans.
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