This came out a couple of weeks back but I thought I would tossed a basketball bone out there for folks to chew on.
UNC is the clear #1, not much argument there. As for the rest of the ACC, Vitale ranks them this way:
9. Duke
20. Virginia Tech
21. Miami
29. Wake Forest
32. Clemson
I think he is sleeping a bit too heavily on Wake. Good guard play makes or breaks you in college basketball and Wake has plenty of good in those spots. With some of the freshmen they have coming giving them a better presence on the interior I think Wake is the 3rd best team in the ACC and might give Duke a run for 2nd. Vitale is not buying Andy Katz’s assertion that Miami is a top ten team. Virginia Tech at 20 looks right to me. Duke still has the same issues as last season and they lost Demarcus Nelson. The incoming freshman are not necessarily going to ease the big man problem all that much. Still #9 is likely a good place to slot them.
Vitale is in love with the Big East having four teams in the top ten and seven in the top 25. The other team that sticks out is Davidson at #19. I am fairly certain that people are not accounting for the graduation of Jason Richards who was a key part of their NCAA run handling the point guard duties. Maybe Bob McKillop has a suitable replacement all lined up, we will see. I ultimately think since the surprise factor is gone and Stephen Curry needs a new wingman on the perimeter, Davidson is going to look more like a dominant Southern Conference team and little else.
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THF, I think you’re right on with your assessment of Wake. I definitely think they’re the 3rd best team in the ACC, underachieved last year, and probably should be ranked about 16.
I don’t think doook is a top ten team but Coach V or should we call him Dick Vizewski could bear to put them out of the top 10.
Keith, while I agree with you on the Duke ranking, they somehow manage to play good in spite of sub-par talent, and the ACC has always been good to them (wonder why?). I mean, look at their line-up last year, and the regular season ACC champs came down to our last game with them. I feel their distance from us should have been more pronounced than one game. If Duke doesn’t have a tough non-conference road course, they may be vying once again for number one in the ACC. Don’t count them out of it at all. Also, they draw a lot of fouls and shoot a lot of free-throws in close games, in which usually result in W’s.
Dick has Oklahoma way too far down. They have arguably the best inside force coming back along with some quality guards and intriguing big JUCO’s.
Davidson is getting too much love, but I expect to see them in march again.
OT: Hey THF, I think right about now the West Virginia fans are starting to realize what we tried to tell them about promoting the Torbush-like assistant…
Yeah, especially given the confusion on the WVU sideline near the end of regulation…almost like the head coach had no idea how to manage the game. Tied game with 2 mins left, WVU has the ball and they opt to run the ball twice in a row to start with and the only passes they are attempt are short ones.
The flip side is ECU looks less impressive than they did two weeks ago. The Pirates needed a blocked kick to beat VT and trounced a WVU team that now looks really crappy.
Maybe Beamer is right, maybe UNC is the best team VT has seen so far.
Hey everyone! It’s good to be back after a busy (and transitional) couple of months. Anyways, Vitale’s top 40 look okay to me. I agree with Josh in that Duke will be formidable, and will battle us until the bitter end for the conference title. Vitale is in love with the Big East, but it is simply the deepest conference in college basketball. I think UCONN are a bit high, although I do believe that they have a legitimate shot at the final four. Louisville are WAY too high and Pitt is way too low. The mystery team, for me, is Notre Dame. They have a good inside-out game, but, should they face UNC in Maui, what of their depth? I honestly think that Nevada can make some noise in the top-25. They had a great recruiting class and they should win a majority of thier conference games, which should all help lead them into the NCAA tournament. Finally, I’m still not quite sure where Miami belongs. They could be a team that gets hot, hits the top-10, but then blows two or three in a row and work their way out of the top-25. Who knows? Man, I can’t wait for this season to get under way!
I appreciate the agreement Dean! But in all honesty, I would love to see them finish 3rd behind us & Wake. I think it is good for another school to come into the top 2, especially if that team is a school like Wake. I really do not think it diminishes the UNC/Duke rivalry at all if both teams aren’t 1 & 2, as the past shows (although rare that either team isn’t hot) that the rivalry is what it is regardless of school ranking, because something will always keep the blue blood bleeding aka Doherty & Collins in our down year. I appreciate Vitale’s love for ACC, and his endless desire to keep UNC/Duke at the top of the ticket.
Like you Dean, I am very eager to get this season underway. I am so appreciative of UNC’s football play, as it has nearly cured the offseason blues for me. Go Heels!!!
Agreed DeanF. And JB, I can really relate. This is the first year in quite awhile I’ll attend two football games, and I have a crowd coming over to watch VT. We’ll talk a lot of BBall I’m sure, but with some more football success the wait won’t be too bad.
So far, so good. Get ‘em Heels!
Wilf, you guys enjoy yourselves watching the game!!!
I believe we can beat Dook at home and in their hole of a gym.
Ain’t no doubt about it Keith!